Cafe Maplethorpe Blog :: PEI Restaurant

For the past 6 years we have observed a Saturday morning ritual…driving 45 minutes to Charlottetown to buy locally-grown veggies, Island-made sausages, Fair-Trade coffee and so much more at the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market. We always bump into other Summerside-area residents we know–there are lots of people making the Saturday trek. The Charlottetown Farmer’s Market has always been THE place to mingle, nosh and stock up on the best provisions on Prince Edward Island. Some Saturdays we can barley squeeze through the crowded isles, let alone find a place to park. Sure, we think about the gas we burn on the trip, our sad contribution toward climate change, the added expense…all that guilt just leaks out of our brains and drips down the seats of our car. But bottom line is we love the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market vibe, the people and the food, and despite the nagging little why-don’t-you-do-the-right-thing-and-shop-closer-to-home thoughts, we just go. Marty Taylor’s sausages are calling and I don’t have call waiting.

Well. We Used to Just Go

Summerside steps up!

The one-year old Spring Street Farmer’s Market is keeping us closer to home these days. And by all measures, keeping lots of other western Islanders out of Charlottetown on Saturday mornings.

What a vibrant market!

The Spring Street Market is a beautiful year-round space in the historic downtown Holman Building. Exposed brick and stone walls, upscale vendor display areas and plenty of space for shoppers to linger and mingle have created a Saturday morning destination for hundreds. (Really–hundreds!)

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This morning I picked up certified organic pork, a week’s worth of locally-grown root vegetables, 5 dozen free-range eggs and a big package of fresh hand-made pasta. Then I sat down to visit with people I haven’t seen since last Saturday.

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I saw people snacking on plates of sushi and Belgium waffles, big cups of steaming coffee and giant moon pies from some of the food vendors. One of the girls was showing off a piece of pottery she just bought, a beautiful birthday gift for a friend. The squeals and laughter of children could be heard coming from the play area.

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Guest Chef

The Spring Street Market just launched a new program–weekly cooking demonstrations featuring local chefs. And guess who got to be the first guest chef!

My job was to offer some new cooking twists on seasonal foods…root vegetables, locally-produced meats–anything currently on offer by Market vendors. I met lots of our regular restaurant customers wondering when we are going to re-open (THIS TUESDAY!) and gave out samples and recipe cards.

We made two of our signature dishes, Apple Slaw and Country Mushroom Soup. (Cabbage is one of the “11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating.” See the whole article here.) In honor of the Chinese New Year, we tried a new recipe as well, Chinese Five-Spice Braised Pork Loin. What a hit with the crowd!

Thank you, Emmerdale Eden Farms, for the donation of organic pork loin for this demonstration.

We signed up a whole sheet of e-mail addresses for our monthly restaurant updates and recipes. It was a really fun morning and a great way to ease back into restaurant cooking after 4 weeks off.

Still Off to Charlottetown…Sometimes

We are still visiting our friends at the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market once in awhile. But most Saturdays we’ll be supporting local growers even closer to home at the Spring Street Farmer’s Market in Summerside. Hope to see you there, too!