For the local farmers and artisans who bake bread, raise chickens and harvest honey, winter’s cold months used to mean a long hiatus before summer and shoppers returning to the Batavia farmers market.
No more. On Saturday, 10 vendors lined up behind tables in Gaetano’s restaurant at the corner of Wilson and River streets for customers outfitted in bulky coats, scarves and hats.
More Top Picks Best Pocket Watches Under 500
“We used to come to the summer one,” said Chris Smith. He and Charlotte Barry are downtown Batavia residents who stopped by to buy a loaf of fresh bread from Katic Bread. “It’s nice, fresh food. Everything we’ve ever tried from the market has been a hit. And it feels good to support local business.”
That was the aim of Joi Caurtero, director of Batavia MainStreet, and other organizers who have long been on the lookout to extend Batavia’s increasingly popular summer farmers market. St. Charles and Geneva already have winter markets.
She and Gaetano DiBenedetto, who opened Gaetano’s last year, came up with the idea of opening the restaurant to vendors on Saturday mornings, probably a short-term solution since space is tight.
Caurtero sees the benefit for customers who want weekly fresh eggs, cheese and bread, while DiBenedetto said he envisions partnering with some of the vendors for events on-site, such as cooking demonstrations.
“Why kill the market [from the summer] when it works and is cute?” DiBenedetto said. “Why not keep it alive?”
Anna Wanderer, a Downers Grove resident who owns Anna’s Cooking, said by the end of the summer in Batavia, her baked goods sell out from repeat customers who look for her scones, cookies or cinnamon rolls.
“I was excited to hear there would be a winter option,” she said on opening day. What she sells might change with the season, she said. In the summer, a family might be on a walk and stop for a cookie to sit and share, while in winter, more customers might be seeking breakfast items to take home to eat. Almost her entire supply of cinnamon rolls to go had been snapped up this day.
Nearby, Bethany Gisseler and Colleen Kobyleski offered an array of homemade soaps, bath salts and linen sprays under the moniker “our little soap shop.” The step-mother/daughter team concocts different scents in their kitchens and said they were excited about offering them to the public.
“We have had so much fun with this,” Colleen Kobyleski said.
Farther down the row, Bob Burgin, of Burgin Farms, was doing a brisk business selling bacon, brats and eggs. Burgin has been a vendor at farmers markets for 15 years, selling the various meats and eggs he raises on his Maple Park farm.
Sometimes, he said, customers call for specific items, which he has left on his porch in a cooler for them to pick up. Other vendors, such as Terry Riesterer, who sells balsamic vinegars and olive oils, have met customers at a coffee shop to sell “Bema and Pa’s Products” during the off months.
With winter markets, Burgin said he’s selling stew meat and roasts instead of rib-eye steaks and brats for the grill.
“Coming out is another way for people to support local business,” he said.
Caurtero said there is a waiting list of vendors. Also at the market now are Ferndell Farms (eggs and meats), Rover Snacks (dog snacks), Muirhead Farm (micro greens), Willow Creek Honey, Ludwig Farmstead (artisan cheese) and Lora Jeans Popcorn (gourmet popcorn). Limestone Coffee and Tea will provide coffee each week.
The winter market will be offered through May 23.