I’ve been to Santa Monica probably close to a hundred times by now and yet I had never visited this fabulous healthy farmer’s market along Main Street on a Sunday. My friend Carl has a weekly brunch at a place called the Victorian, where he holds court across several round tables in the outside courtyard, which overlooks the farmer’s market.
At first, it looks as if the place is attached to an official restaurant, where you sit down, a waiter comes, takes your order and delivers a check. The tables merely serve as a place for the ‘community’ to sit after they purchase bits and pieces from different booths and stalls, which serve everything from quiches, french crepes, sandwiches, salads and vegan/raw wraps to smoothies, cheese, granola, homemade breads, organic coffee and fresh juices.
At first, I wanted to sample a small sample of three different stalls and then I came across the French creperie. Eating french crepes is a tradition whenever I go to Europe, regardless of whether I happen to be in France or not.
I seek out the creperies and compare them to the ones I had on the French Riveria when I was 21, my favorite haunt in London’s Camden Town during college, the local stands in four Paris neighborhoods where I used to spend a lot of time and ….the list goes on.
The guys at the creperie in this farmers market appeared to be French from what I can tell by their accents and dialogue behind the grill. Of course, they used buckwheat pancake mix for the healthy Los Angeles locals and offered everything from sweet chocolate and banana crepes with a healthy serving of whipped cream (from a can needless to say) to savory crepes, where you could build your own for $9 (4 ingredients) and $10 (for five). Funnily enough, their Facebook and Twitter icons were not much smaller than their website URL and phone number.
Also part of the market is a pen full of animals where children can oodle over them from the outside, which also gives parents a break. And, of course live music. What is a market without live music. From fiddle and guitar to singing, a beat filled the air which made you want to tap your foot and dance in the glorious sunshine, warm enough to go jacketless on an early March day.
While you’re listening to music, if you’re not gawking at the animals, eating brunch or dancing, you can shop. The stands and stalls offer products that range from soaps, oils, fabrics, paintings, frames, jewelry, lotions, trinkets, children’s clothing, dresses, scarves, bags and coats.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
