The Pelham Market is in full swing on Harmon Avenue for another season filled with food, music, and community. Currently in its seventh year, the market will continue to run every Sunday from 9:30 am to 1 PM through Thanksgiving.
This year brings a new manager to the Pelham Market, Kevin R. Free, a theater director and audiobook narrator. He said he took the job “to get out of my house while it’s sunny and connect with other people.” Free has many personal favorite foods from the market, including the cider at Titusville Farms, black-walnut bourbon from Cooper’s Daughters, the tomato basil dip from Saha Guys, and the cookies from Butter and Bow. Free says any bread dipped in the tomato basil dip and feta cheese with jalapenos is a combo he could “eat all week.”
Among this year’s newcomers to the market is St. X Food, which offers a variety of Italian sandwiches, as well as burrata, mozzarella, and pesto. The manager of the stand, Fabian, regards the six kinds of pesto as his “hidden gem” and said the most rewarding part about running a stand is simply “making everybody happy.”
A returning favorite is Wave Hill Breads, an outpost of a cafe and bakery located in Norwalk, Connecticut. Wave Hill bakes bread daily, along with pastries, flatbread pizzas, cookies, and more. The manager, Ricardo Acuna, loves coming to the farmers market each week. When asked what he enjoys about selling, he said it was “letting the community know about good quality bread.” His favorite part, he said, is when customers return week after week to buy a product they loved.
While several stands deliver fresh produce, one farm, Titusville Farms, has been returning to the market for three years. This farm sells bouquets, greens, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and more. The manager of the stand, Kaela Miller, says her favorite part of the market is how “community shows up and shows out in Pelham.” She lights up when she talks about a mom who returns each week to buy as many as five bouquets to decorate her entire house. “It just makes me smile to know that we have such great food, but we are also a part of their household with our flowers,” said Miller.
An informal survey of customers highlighted several crowd favorites, including the yogurt from The White Mustache and the pickles from Doc Pickle. Lina Perl said the market has gotten better over the years, with more vendors drawing more people. Lucy Ring, a PMHS student, explains, “People from all over Westchester have been coming to our farmers market to get a taste of Pelham.”
Several vendors also reported having favorite products they buy from other stands. Kaela Miller from Titusville Farms loves the fire mango salad from Soupernatural, and Daniel from the Taiguey Coffee Company buys freshly cut steaks from a meat purveyor.
The Pelham Market has been a community staple for young and old alike so far this season. Pelhamites can look forward to more fresh food options, live music, and community on Sundays from now through Thanksgiving.
