Opening Day of the Westport Farmers’ Market is May 19: Raise a Glass to Food & Community

Michael Pollan once said, “The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community.” Nowhere is that sense of family and community more alive than at the Westport Farmers’ Market. 

Join your friends and meet new ones on opening day this Thursday, May 19^th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 50 Imperial Avenue. Gather in the center of the market at noon to raise a glass of green juice compliments of The Stand, Fairfield County’s premier vegan-inspired food and juice bar. This yearly ritual kicks off a celebration of local, healthful, delicious food, farming, and community, and is where market organizers unveil the year’s Friend of the Market bags. For a yearly contribution of $40, Friends of the Market are the backbone of the WFM, supporting educational and other activities for clean eaters of all ages. In turn, Friends are rewarded with weekly discounts from over 45 vendors. 

Following the green-juice toast and a few short words by market organizers, board members, and sponsors, Chef Cecily Gans and students from the Staples High School Culinary Class will demonstrate their mad cooking skills. Using food from vendors, the student chefs will spontaneously whip up (and share!) a delectable in no time, proving just how easy it is to eat well with food grown or raised by neighboring farmers. 

And don’t worry – though each week the WFM is bustling with chef demonstrations, children’s workshops, music, a featured non-profit, and other activities – there is plenty of time to shop from a wide variety of vendors. Whether you are looking to meet for lunch or stock your pantry, the Westport Farmers’ Market has something for everyone. According to market manager, Lori Cochran-Dougall, the WFM “is a producer-only market blooming with 45 vendors. With food trucks, GMO-free vendors, organic farmers, pizza, yoga, chef demos, tamales, and a hungry lunch crowd, we now welcome thousands of eager shoppers every week.” 

If you haven’t experienced the energy of the Westport Farmers’ Market, make this your year to do so. For a complete list of vendors, please visit the market's website.