By Sue Moore
Lots of seasonal produce is coming ripe at the Vicksburg Farmers’ Market, such as sweet corn, blueberries, raspberries, peppers, squash, and broccoli. To celebrate this quantity of riches, the market has invited Joe Tsui, chef at the new Creekside Grille at Angels Crossing as its special guest.
He is planning a delightful cooking demonstration at the Vicksburg Farmers’ Market on Friday, August 19 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the south end of the pavilion, according to Carol Meyer-Niedzwiecki, co-market manager. “Joe was a celebrated chef at the Vault before it closed and now he has taken up residence at Angels Crossing to the delight of his many area fans. He will be preparing some of the vegetables that are in season and showing the audience how he works his magic in the kitchen.”
All of this is possible because the market has spent the last three months prepping for a special license from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). This license will allow food to be cooked and shared with customers on the market’s site. “It was a rigorous application and meant an inspection by the MDARD inspector. He found the market in the community pavilion to be up to health and safety standards and issued our permit on the spot,” Meyer-Niedzwiecki reported.
Each of the vendors were inspected as part of gaining the cooking demo license and all of them passed with flying colors. “This is an important step for us,” she said. “Now we can do more educational sessions with children and adults. We’ve been a big proponent of Kids’ Plate each month for the last four years at the market. Now we can add other cooking demos such as Eating Healthy on a Budget and bring in well-known chefs to show customers how they whip up those spectacular dishes we all wish we could make at home. We plan to have another celebrity chef cooking demonstration in September too featuring the chef from the Dek.”