Art at the Market and the Visiting Chef Series

March was full of fun events at the Hillcrest Farmers Market! On March 21^st we held our first exciting Art at the Market event. The Hillcrest Farmers Market information booth was adorned with various pieces from Greg Maier’s beautiful pastel art collection. Throughout the day, Greg developed a piece that exhibited the day’s hot weather on his canvas. He used warm colors to produce artwork inspired by the Hillcrest Farmers Market. Check out the picture to see Greg hard at work last Sunday. Don’t miss our next Art at the Market event on April 11^th with local artist Jessica!

Yesterday, the market held another successful Visiting Chef Series event with market vendor, Chef Rashida McElvene from Edgy Edibles (http://www.edgyedibles.com/). After passing out samples of her tasty roasted garlic butter on baguette slices, Rashida chose two audience members to help her with her demonstration. As the audience took notes, she gave a brief lesson on knife techniques while providing market patrons with other helpful cooking tips. Using cucumber, mint, lemons, scallions, crème fresh, and chicken broth, she made a simple and delicious cool cucumber and mint soup topped with a candied lemon peel; a perfect treat for the day’s hot weather!

Save the Dates:

Come join us this Sunday for our Easter Arts and Crafts. Kids will be able to decorate their own Easter bunny masks – while supplies last!

A Sunny St. Patrick’s Day at the Hillcrest Farmers Market!

This past Sunday, the market was full of people wearing embellished green hats! Over fifty market patrons took part in our leprechaun hat decorating event. They made a variety of fun and unique designs using glitter, pom-poms, feathers and of course, four leaf clovers. The beautiful day provided not only a good time and the chance for kids to get creative, but also allowed everyone to show off their finished projects throughout day at the market.

If you missed this event, be sure to come to our next arts and crafts event on April 4 in celebration of Easter. Kids will get the chance to decorate their own bunny masks!

Also coming up THIS Sunday, March 21, is our first Art at the Market event featuring local artist Greg Maier, who will be doing a live pastel drawing inspired by Hillcrest and the farmers market!

Celebrate National Nutrition Month by Shopping at the Hillcrest Farmers Market!

National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign that is celebrated annually in March by the American Dietetic Association. The focus is on the importance of making healthy food choices and developing better eating habits. The Hillcrest Farmers Market is the place to be if you’re looking to celebrate National Nutrition Month this March! Buy your healthy, organic, and deliciously fresh produce every Sunday at the market and you’re guaranteed to stay satisfied and healthy. With over 150 vendors selling a wide variety of food products, the Hillcrest Farmers Market can make a difference in your diet. Come join us in the effort to eat healthy and local!

Save the Dates:

St. Patrick’s Day Arts and Crafts
This Sunday, March 14 at the information booth you can come decorate your lucky hat while supplies last!
Art at the Market
On March 21st , local artist Greg Maier will be doing a live pastel drawing at the information booth.

Farmers Market Feature: Spring Hill Cheese Company

In the simple yet sophisticated town of Sonoma, Rachel Peter grew up attending various Farmers Markets with her grandparents. They sold potatoes, vegetables, and most importantly, cheese. “The environment at those markets created a sense of community involvement,” Rachel explained of her first Farmers Market experiences. She also says that she developed a “delight in organic foods and responsibility to share and educate others on the importance that natural food plays in living a happy and healthy lifestyle.” Rachel carried these values with her as her appreciation for the cultivation and sharing of “Sonoma culture” developed and eventually grew into living her dream of providing a “Slice of Sonoma” right here in San Diego.

Established in 1998, the Spring Hill Cheese Company is located in Sonoma County where their herd of 400 Jersey Cows provides the milk for the growing line of farmstead cheeses. They can be found every Sunday at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. Rachel can be found handing out samples of their many delicious products. Spring Hill Cheese has developed a broad line of cheeses including Quark, Ricotta, and a range of Cheddars and Jacks. A few of their most popular cheeses are the Jersey Garlic Cheddar, Goat Sage Cheddar, and Raw White Cheddar. However, these are just three of their many, delicious options. If you want to discover more you’d better visit for yourself.

Rachel and her partner Anthony have built a passionate and devoted team of supporters that enable them to participate in 12 markets per week in the San Diego area. They truly enjoy providing delicious organic cheese and butters to local farmers markets, as well as hosting cheese tastings, private events and delivering to restaurants. Rachel and her team pride themselves on connecting with their customers to educate them on “organic living, community spirit, and deliver an exclusive, artisan product with a smile.”
Visit Rachel and Spring Hill Cheese every Sunday at the Hillcrest Farmers Market!
www.springhillcheese.com and www.sliceofsonoma.blogspot.com

Celebrity Chef Deborah Scott Participates in the Visiting Chef Series!

In our second successful Visiting Chef Series event at the Hillcrest Farmers Market, Deborah Scott provided her audience with a thousand tasty treats! She and some of her staff from Kemo Sabe restaurant assembled and distributed a thousand samples of her delicious nut-crusted brie. After placing the wedges of brie into her fryer, the warm cheese along with a garlic puree & jalapeno jelly were spread onto toasted slices of French bread. One audience member said, “I will definitely be going to her restaurant for lunch after that delicious sample!” Following the demonstration, Deborah was selling all of the ingredients of the appetizer as a package deal for just $10, a significant discount from the price at the restaurant.

If you missed this month’s visiting chef, be sure to come to our next demonstration on March 28^th at 1pm!

We also have many other exciting events coming up this month:

St. Patrick’s Day at the market:

March 14: Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Hillcrest Farmers Market by visiting the information booth to decorate a lucky leprechaun hat- while supplies last!

Artist at the Market:

March 21: Local artist Greg Maier will be doing a live pastel drawing at the information booth.