Tent Talk

In this week's episode we tackle another round of tough questions sent in from our market manager listeners. Listen along for sage advice from our resident market manager experts. We cover complex issues like booking market musicians, rearranging vendors when your market site is under construction, and what to do about Yelp reviews.

On this week's episode of Tent Talk we made good use of our own expertise and answered some tricky farmers' market questions we received from vendors. In this episode you'll get advice from the Tent Talk hosts on various issues that vendors face. Listen along for tips on sampling your product, incentivizing employees to increase their sales numbers, and what makes a good farmers' market business n...

This week on Tent Talk we are joined by Candread Gadaga, farmers market vendor and farmers market musician! On this episode Candread tells us about his journey from playing music at the market to starting his own hot food vendor business to packaging his own sauces for sale.

This week on Tent Talk our guest is Lisa Kivirist, farmer, advocate for women in sustainable agriculture, and author of Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers . In this episode Lisa shares her passion for cottage food law, how the community of female farmers is growing, and why she loves going to conferences. 

This week on Tent Talk we are joined by Dr. Gail Myers, Agri-Cultural Anthropologist and co-founder of Farms to Grow, Inc. Over the last 15 years Dr. Myers has been busy lecturing, researching, teaching, writing and documenting stories of African American farmers, sharecroppers, and gardeners. In our interview we chat about the inspiration for Farms to Grow Inc., what it takes to run a community f...

Our guest this week is Joe Hargrave, founder and CEO of Tacolicious . What started as a pop-up taco stand, then became a mainstay at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco is now a 6 location enterprise across the Bay Area. In our interview with Joe he tells us about the bumpy road that led him to tacos and why Tacolicious will always have a booth at that the farmers market. If you're a f...

For our first Tent Talk episode of the new year, we welcomed Ross Graham of Food Liability Insurance Program  to the show. Ross is a licensed insurance agent and strategic partnership manager focused on helping businesses find the coverage they need at an affordable price. In or conversation with Ross we talk about all things risk management at the farmers market and how to protect vendors and mar...

Our guest this week is Sagdrina Jalal, founding Executive Director of the Georgia Farmers Market Association. Sagdrina works hard to provide support and education for farmers market managers in Georgia and across the country as a member of the board of directors of the Farmers Market Coalition. In our conversation with Sagdrina we discuss the pros of participating in a farmers market association,...

Our guest this week is community activist and farmer Karen Washington. She has spent decades promoting urban farming as a way for all New Yorkers to access fresh, locally grown food. In our interview we chat with Karen about how community activism got her interested in farming, how Rise & Root found their product niche for the farmers market, and her hopes for the next generation of farmers. Liste...

This week on Tent Talk we are joined by Food Cost & Strategic Sourcing Consultant, Sarah Delevan. Sarah works with food makers, restaurants, caterers, and retail markets throughout the US to help them become and remain financially sustainable. In this episode Sarah provides tips on sourcing quality ingredients, shares keys to understanding your food financials, and identifies mistakes food-driven...

This week we welcomed Anastasia Plakias as our Tent Talk guest! Anastasia is Co-Founder and Vice President of Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm ; Co-Founder of City Growers ; and author of The Farm on the Roof: What Brooklyn Grange Taught Us about Entrepreneurship, Community, and Growing a Sustainable Business . As a native New Yorker she is dedicated to making the city that raised her a greener and mo...

Our Tent Talk podcast guest this week is Ben Grimes from Dawnbreaker Farms in North Carolina. Dawnbreaker Farms specializes in pasture-raised, non-GMO chickens, forest raised pigs, Thanksgiving turkeys and grass-fed lamb. In our interview Ben shares his techniques for selling meat at the farmers market, tips on retaining customers and increasing sales, and his passion for informing people about th...

On this week's episode our guest is Marcy Coburn, CEO of Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture in San Francisco. CUESA operates five weekly markets in the Bay Area which have been a proving ground for many incredible food makers. In our conversation with Marcy, we talk about diversifying farmers market communities, the importance of food education, and what it's like to be a bel...

This week our guest is Amber Holland, operations director for Portland Farmers Markets. In our interview we discuss PFM's efforts to reduce waste at farmers markets, the challenges of placing vendors when your market becomes a construction zone, and Amber's passion for creating inclusive community gathering spaces for Portland residents and visitors. Listen along for some great ideas on how to mak...

On this week's episode we interviewed two of the most devoted farmers market shoppers we know: Tiffany and Terence Cooke (AKA @cookesinthekitchen )! Listen along to hear about the perks of making friends with your local farmers market vendors, the keys to a successful weekly meal planning process, and how they capture their delicious homemade creations in photos.

Our guest this week is Ben Feldman, the Policy Director for the national Farmers Market Coalition, which is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets across the United States. Ben tells us about his passion for farmers markets, gives us an update on current Farmers Market Coalition projects, and clues us in on important food system issues. In this episode we get a little nerdy and div...

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, we answered another round of questions we received from our listeners. In this episode you'll get advice from the Tent Talk hosts on various issues that farmers market managers face. Listen along for tips on curating your market, giving prospective vendors constructive criticism, marketing on a budget, and what to do about tardy vendors.

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, we had the pleasure of speaking with Mike Reidy, Chef De Cuisine at Ironside Fish & Oyster in Little Italy, San Diego. In our interview, Chef Mike gushed about his love for farmers markets, he clued us in on a day in the life of a busy chef, and explained how chefs can make connections with local farmers.

On this episode we spoke with Jennifer and Eric Halverson of JenEric Foods . Jennifer and Eric make jun (rhymes with fun!) kombucha and sell their delicious beverages at farmers markets in Southern California. In our conversation, Jennifer and Eric told us about what makes their kombucha special, how they turned their love of food and drink into a business, and what it's like to work with their sp...

This week's Tent Talk guest is Kelli Diann Billips, the Operations Manager and Media Coordinator for the Seattle Farmers Market Association . SFMA operates the Wallingford and  Madrona  markets, as well as the  Ballard  Sunday market, which is the largest farmers market in Washington State! In this episode, we chat with Kelli Diann about how to promote your farmers market, maintaining an interest...

Our guest this week is Sarah Marshall, creator, owner, and producer of Marshall's Haute Sauce , author of Preservation Pantry: Modern Canning From Root To Top & Stem To Core , and vendor at the Portland State University Farmers Markets. In our conversation Sarah shares about her background in canning and preservation, how she found her place at the farmers market, and where she gets inspiration fo...

Our Tent Talk guest this week is Neal Gottlieb, founding twin and CEO of Three Twins Ice Cream . Neal shared with us the story behind his ice cream empire, the value of staying in farmers markets while also operating brick & mortar locations, and how giving back is part of the Three Twins brand. In this episode you'll learn about what it takes to scale a product from farmers market to national gro...

For this week's episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Brent Preston of The New Farm . Brent is a farmer and the author of The New Farm: Our Ten Years on the Front Lines of the Good Food Revolution . He told us about his experience finding his true calling in life and how he was able to build an organic farm that is environmentally and financially sustainable. In this episode we also tackle...

This week's guest is Alli Ball, creator of Retail Ready and Allison Ball Consulting . Alli teaches classes and provides one-on-one consulting for all types of food businesses. On this episode Alli shares her tips for breaking into the retail scene, ways for food makers to find the voice of their brand, and how to have a rockin' display at the farmers market. If you're a farmers market vendor curio...

On this week's episode of Tent Talk, instead of interviewing a farmers market expert, we made good use of our own expertise and answered some tricky farmers market questions we received from vendors. In this episode you'll get advice from the Tent Talk hosts on various issues that vendors face. Listen along for tips on differentiating your product from other vendors', solidifying your prices, find...