Columbus has been quietly racking up the accolades and it’s time we stop keeping it to ourselves. In our series, Behind the Buzz, we’re unveiling the people, places and experiences that make our city worthy and deserving of all the hype. Keep reading and you'll be asking yourself, "Can all of this exist in one city?" Yes, Columbus.
You may have heard that Worthington Farmers Market was recently named the #1 farmers market in the U.S. by USA Today 10Best. To help explain what makes this market (and Columbus’ grower community!) so incredible, we’re talking to Chelsea Kayse, manager of Worthington Farmers Market.
Photo courtesy of Experience Worthington.
Tell us a little about the team behind the Worthington Farmers Market. What makes the market worthy of this new accolade?
Those two go hand in hand. We were created back in 1987, under the Old Worthington Business Association, to essentially drive business to downtown Old Historic Worthington. It’s kind of just grown into this big machine since then. Behind it all is a small, but mighty team – the Old Worthington Business Association is a nonprofit with just four employees, and my assistant manager and I are the farmers market branch of it. We handle the logistics and behind-the-scenes aspects of the market, but it’s really run by volunteers. Most of them are local Worthington residents. That’s really what makes us a fantastic powerhouse of a farmers market. We have such passionate people behind our team who are not only passionate about the market, but about the community too and how it impacts the community. We often say, “When in doubt, there’s always the market.”
As someone who sees it firsthand, why do you think Worthington Farmers Market has become the largest farmers market in central Ohio?
We had our largest market last summer, with 111 vendors. We are very proud of how selective we are in who we bring in. Something more particular to us is that we are a producer-only market. We don’t have crafts or art – you have to have created it yourself and it has to be a consumable like food, beverage or body care products. Most of our customers come every single weekend to get their very specific mushrooms, their very specific bread or carrots from a specific farmer. With that said, we are also very strict about making sure that anything a vendor brings is up to code so that everyone can have the best, safest experience they can.
Photo courtesy of Experience Worthington.
What’s something about Columbus’ makers and growers’ community that people might find surprising?
I think the amount of variety you see in the market. We really pride ourselves on having so much diversity in food, produce and cultural foods and just making sure that we have something for everybody. We also have so many longstanding vendors that have been with our market for over 20 years. There’s a lot of longevity there; Chuck Evans, with Montezuma Sauces, has been there since it started in 1987 – when there were only seven vendors. We have a current vendor whose mother was a baker in the original market, and now she’s taken up the mantle and brought her brand of baking, Bread Fed Bakery, to us. You see kids grow up in the market. It’s such a sense of community and it’s so special.
What makes Worthington a great location for markets and retail?
Outdoor Old Worthington is just so special, so pretty and historical. I always joke that I wish we could do an outdoor Christmas market because it’s so magical. A lot of those buildings have been there since the late 1800s, so it’s a really good landmark for what Columbus was and what it’s grown to be. Worthington is also just such a great community. I know I’m so lucky to have the best clients and customers. It’s a great time and people are just so happy to be there every Saturday morning.
Congrats on being named number one! What’s next for the Worthington Farmers Market?
We want to stay open full time, all year long. We did our very first market-to-table dinner in October, and we’re planning on doing it again this year. It was a labor of love, a great fundraiser for us and a fun way to showcase ingredients from our market as well as bring in some of our really great local chefs from here in Central Ohio. It was fun to see our vendors working in tandem in the kitchen, and they were so excited to see their products in different dishes and how they were used. We featured four chefs: Laura Lee (Ajumama), Jack Moore (Black Cap Hot Sauce), The culinary team from Jorgensen Farms and Reese Flowers (CSCC Mitchell Hall).
Other than Worthington Farmers Market, where are some of the best places to shop or things to do in Columbus?
I was born and raised here, so I love going to the original North Market on occasion, or even the smaller one in Bridge Park, which is still fantastic. I think it’s such a great week-long, everyday representation of who Columbus is. Besides that, I think we have such a phenomenal zoo. I have so much fun getting to revisit that with my toddler and experience Columbus Zoo & Aquarium through the lens of a child.
While the team proudly welcomes vendors from all over Ohio proper, here are some of the Columbus producers and growers you’ll find at Worthington Farmers Market:
Photo source, Chuck Evans’ MONTEZUMA Brand Salsas & Sauces Facebook.
Chuck Evans’ MONTEZUMA Brand Salsas & Sauces
Born in a Columbus cannery, the award-winning Chuck Evans’ MONTEZUMA Brand Salsas & Sauces was the first producer of salsa and chili pepper sauce in all of Ohio. Stop by the MONTEZUMA stand every weekend and try the fiery, small-batch salsas and sauces that made it famous – like North America’s very first Smokey ChipotleⓇ Pepper Sauce, as well as the Jamaican Jerk Marinade, Triple XXX Salsa Habañero, Habañero Hot Hot Hot Chicken Wing Sauce and more.
Assorted bread items from Bread Fed Bakery. Photo source, Bread Fed Bakery website.
Bread Fed Bakery
What started baking in a small family kitchen has now risen (see what we did there?!) to become Bread Fed Bakery. A thriving cottage bakery, this homegrown business offers a rotating menu of bread and pastries like whoopie pies, scones, “Groovy” tie-dyed or Fruity Pebbles-flavored bagels and “Cinnamon Country” loaves. Everything is made using fresh ingredients from local producers.
Photo source, Jorgensen Farms Facebook.
Jorgensen Farms
Spread across 100 acres of regenerative farmland, Jorgensen Farms was founded by fifth-generation farmer Val Jorgensen, who wanted to create a homestead where she and her four boys could pursue her love of growing, cooking and eating real food. Since 2002, this decades-old, family-owned farm has become a place to celebrate – whether that’s hosting your wedding at one of its two event venues or honoring the beauty of what farmland can produce. Stop by Worthington Farmers Market and shop its vast inventory of organic food, flowers and herbs.
Photo source, The Local Grind Facebook.
The Local Grind
As a mother, founder and owner, Katie Camacho struggled to find natural, safe products free of palm oils, plastics, synthetic fragrances and artificial colors and dyes for her family – so she decided to create her own. Enter The Local Grind, where she whips up all-natural, small-batch, herbal home and body care products using organic herbs grown in her own garden in Gahanna. She makes her products by hand, infusing the herbs and Ohio-made beeswax, honey and essential oils into a collection of balms, soaps, salves, hair care products and more.
