Amy ScattergoodThe Wednesday Santa Monica farmers market is, on some days more than others, a microcosm of the Los Angeles food scene, or at least a certain quadrant of it. This morning, relentlessly sunny and with temperatures creeping towards the 80s and then the 90s, was even more crowded than usual, perhaps because the blissful weather drew people out the way it does on a hot day at the beach. Who knows, maybe that's where the shoppers and chefs were going anyway, sunhats and sunscreen and Blenheim apricots and Santa Rosa plums – both in season for another week or two, depending on the farm – since the sand and surf is about three blocks away.
We counted chefs and/or staff from Beacon, Waterloo & City, Eva, Huckleberry, Little Door, LOU Wine Bar, Mélisse, XIV, Rustic Canyon, Providence, Palate Food + Wine, and Anisette this morning, buying produce, chatting with farmers and each other, drinking coffee at Röckenwagner. Apologies to those we missed, who were probably out of sight pillaging the back of Peter (Schaner Family Farm) Schaner's truck or sitting on the concrete next to Romeo Coleman (Coleman Family Farm). It was that kind of a day. For a photo gallery of what everybody was buying this morning, turn the page.
Amaranth at Coleman Family Farm; Credit: A. Scattergood
French Cavaillon melons at Weiser Family Farm; Credit: A. Scattergood
garlic at Windrose Farm; Credit: A. Scattergood
Santa Rosa plums at Flora Bella Farm; Credit: A. Scattergood
lemon verbena at Coleman Family Farm; Credit: A. Scattergood
baby corn at McGrath Family Farm; Credit: A. Scattergood
heirloom tomatoes at Tutti Frutti Farms; Credit: A. Scattergood
parsley root at McGrath Family Farm; Credit: A. Scattergood
Maitake mushrooms at Clearwater Farms; Credit: A. Scattergood
Windrose Farm's Cipollini onions; Credit: A. Scattergood
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