Vendor Profile: Confectionery

Cupcakes have taken Portland by storm over the past five or six years. No longer relegated to kids' birthday parties and office potlucks, cupcakes have assumed a personality of their own. They have turned up in style at weddings, baby showers and even at farmers markets, like Montavilla's Confectionery.

It makes complete sense. They are portable, versatile, and just the right size. You can pay homage to the seasons, taking advantage of the freshest fruits and berries that summer has to offer. If you are feeling particularly virtuous, you can buy a mini cupcake. Or if you worked particularly hard in the yard and need something to revive your energy and your childish spirit, you can indulge in a big one all to yourself.

Jessie Smith is Confectionery. Jessie does cupcakes and more. She has this to say about her wares and where she gets her inspiration....

> 1) What types of products do you specialize in?

Confectionery specializes in small treats (cupcakes, cookies, french macarons, cotton candy) along with special treats like wedding cakes. We utilized unique Northwest ingredients and combine it with a playful and adventurous spirit to provide our customers with a one of a kind experience.

> 2) What are your biggest challenges in operating a farm/business? And what makes it all worth it?

The biggest challenge in running a small business is that you must handle all aspects of the business yourself, you must be able to handle juggling many things at one and be willing to be a jill-of-all-trades. The interaction and positives responses from customers and those who enjoy what you produce make it worth it all the while continually learning about food and the pleasures of eating.

> 3) What food policy issues do you think are critical to the future of agriculture in Oregon?

Not necessarily a food policy, per se, but there has definitely been an increase in the everyday person's awareness of food and their relationship to it. Whether it be to be comforted by it, be educated by it, be inspired by it, etc. it seems people are more curious (or returning to their natural curiosities?) about what food means to them.

> 4) Why do you chose Montavilla Farmers Market to sell your products?

Confectionery was originally interested in Montavilla Market because of its youth and location. What drew us in further were the people that make up the neighborhood and its surrounding areas. There is an expanding culture near Stark street, which is a vital street for the Montavilla neighborhood, that is burgeoning and blossoming in an artistic and creative way, which we hold a kinship to.

> 5) Do you have a favorite cookbook that you cook from?

Favorite cookbook would be: Organic & Chic by Sarah Magid. Favorite food blogs that I read on a constant basis: SmittenKitchen.com, NotSoHumblePie.com, thePioneerWomanCooks.com

> 6) What food/agriculture related book, magazine or movie would you recommend?

The Gastronomical Me, by M.F.K. Fischer

Mix Magazine

Chocolat (movie)

Vendor Profile: Kitchen Dances

You don't have to be a vegan or even a vegetarian to enjoy one of Montavilla Farmers Markets new food vendors. New to the market but certainly not new to the Portland vegan food movement, Piper Dixon is serving up food that you can eat with a clean conscience. Not just because it's animal product-free, but because you can rest assured knowing that you have done your taste buds a favor. On opening day, I ordered the breakfast burrito smothered in mushroom gravy (and a beautiful crimson strawberry for garnish). It was enormous. And scrumptious. I'm going back for more next week. You should too.

To quote from a recent Portland MIX magazine review of the best farmers market food had this to say about Kitchen Dances: "Vegan and gluten free are the new buzzwords among market vendors, and this one goes one better by arriving on a bike. Neighborhood resident and urban farmer Piper Dixon plans to offer unique and delicious wraps with both flour and — get this — sturdy greens such as collards for the wrappers. These are then stuffed with vegetables grown in his garden and drizzled with savory-sweet sauces. Considering he was a former partner in neighborhood hot spot Proper Eats, he’ll no doubt have an instant following. "
Count me in as one of the instant following. If you are looking for a good excuse to explore more meat-free meals, check out Piper's extensive list of cookbook recommendations below.

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1. Kitchen Dances specializes in vegan and raw foods, using fresh , seasonal ingredients. We support local farms and supplement with produce that we grow ourselves. It is extremely important for us to serve a quality, healthy product which represents the values of Northwest Vegan cuisine; compassionate, creative food infused and inspired with Northwest ideals and ingredients. I want our food to nourish the community and introduce some to the possibilities with vegan cuisine.

2. The biggest challenge is to grow a support base for a business so that it can sustain itself and provide a living wage for all involved. With that said, I believe in the values and quality of our food and am confident that Kitchen Dances can and will be a success concerning the parameters listed previously. There is a market for the type of cuisine that we represent and based on my connections from previous ventures and the supporters of the Montavilla Farmers Market, this will be a great year for Kitchen Dances to firmly establish itself and grow throughout the year.

3. In general, continuing to strengthen all aspects of the local food system. This includes, educating people to the importance, values and benefits of supporting local family farms and producers, providing healthy food to the children of our community and the meaningful relationships around growing our own food and eating together. As a community, we should be concerned with providing as much food (and other goods) for ourselves before we look outside our home base. Our main question, should be how do and will we feed ourselves? We should be looking to build up our local food base and economy in direct contrast to the globalized food system that has developed over the past few decades.

4. The Montavilla Farmers Market is my community market. I live in the neighborhood and based on my ideals, it only makes sense to be a part of and to support this market. Based on my experiences with other farmers markets, I believe that the smaller, community based markets provide the most opportunity for meaningful relationships with its members.

5. I have been inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz's books (Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengence, Etc.), Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard's (How it all Vegan, The Garden of Vegan) and Sarah's (La Dolce Vegan), Ron Picarski's (Eco-Cuisine), Jeremy Safron's The Raw Truth, Myra Kornfeld and George Minot's (The Voluptuous Vegan), and The Candle Cafe's Cookbook among others. I do believe that is important for cooks to develop a level of comfort with food that they can create meals based on what is at hand, knowing that it can and will be enjoyed.

6. Books: Wendell Berry (Bringing it to the Table, The Art of the Commonplace, The Unsettling of America, etc.), Michal Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food), Tom Robbins (The Food Revolution, Diet for a New America), Heather Flores (Food Not Lawns), The Fatal Harvest Reader edited by Andrew Kimbrell, Paul Roberts (The End of Food), Peter Singer (The Ethics of What We Eat), Erik Markus (Meat Market), Carlo Petrini (Slow Food Nation, Slow Food Revolution), Daniel Imhoff (Food Fight), to list just a few!

Magazine: Gastronomica

Movies: Earthlings, Food Inc., The Future of Food

Vendor Profile: Frog Meadow Farms

Even though the name is new, the vendors faces should be familiar to you. Formerly Hassing Farms, the Montavilla Farmers Market is happy to welcome them back under their new name, Frog Meadow Farms. Frog Meadow specialized in biodynamic heirloom berries and vegetables. In principle, biodynamic agriculture goes beyond organic, envisioning the farm as a self-contained and self-sustaining organism. Farmers avoid chemical pesticides and fertilizers, utilize compost and cover crops. Waste of one part of the farm becomes the energy for another and ultimately makes the farm sustainable. Operating a farm following these principles requires a deep and holistic understanding of how the ecosystem functions - how inputs become outputs, which in turn become inputs for another process. Truly fascinating. When you get a moment, stop by Frog Meadow Farms and ask them to explain how it all works......

Frog Meadow Farms
1) What types of products do you specialize in? We specialize in growing bio-dynamic heirloom Berries and Vegetables.

2) What are your biggest challenges in operating a farm/business? And what makes it all worth it? The biggest challenge for our farm is looking into the future and deciding what people will want, and getting people to try new vegetables they have never tried or seen before.

What makes it all worth it for us is knowing we are able to contribute in provide good quality food to others tables as well as our own. The steady move towards being self sufficient and sustainable is a huge motivating factor in the operation of our farm.

3) What food policy issues do you think are critical to the future of agriculture in Oregon? We feel that the number one issue is keeping clean seed sources that are uncontaminated by GMO and encouraging the move back to small local farming.

4) Why do you chose Montavilla Farmers Market to sell your products?

The people. They are always happy and happy to see us. All customers and vendors alike have been very welcoming and fun to be around

5) Do you have a favorite cookbook that you cook from?

With one of us being a chef it is difficult for us to choose just one cookbook. A lot of recipes are in our mental cookbook, which we are always willing to share. But if we had to choose it would be Country Harvest or Putting it up with Honey

6) What food/agriculture related book, magazine or movie would you recommend?

We would recommend the movie Food Inc
Book- Organic Gardening Made Simple