joesfolk
Head Chef
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2010
- Messages
- 1,724
Had a great day. Made applesauce crepes for breakfast and then because dh ticked me off I decided to take off and do my own thing today. As it happens a new place was having it's grand opening today. It's called the Downtown Market and is in Grand Rapids, Michigan. What a great time I had. Dh would have hated it. It is a large modern two story building that houses all kinds of food related vendors. Because it's a holiday and the grand opening the place was so pácked it was literally hard to move. But definately worth the trouble. Every kind of food vendor you might want. I was so pleased to find that they had a fish m o n g e r. Grand Rapids has needed one for years. I was able to purchase grains of paradise and herb de Provence from the spice vendor and got a very small bottle of white truffle oil at the oil vendor. I sampled many different oils but my favorite was an olive oil infused with organic butter...yummy. There were several kitchens including a demo kitchen where they will host presentations from cookbook authors etc. as well as a children's kitchen. Not sure what that was about but it sounds good. There is a room that can be rented for weddings and smaller conference type rooms. Additionally there was a good sized greenhouse where they were growing herbs..with plenty of room to branch out from there. Around the outside of the second floor was something I would call a promanade where they were growing fruit trees. There was also a bar area and a green grocer and well too many other vendors to mention but no real duplication of product vendors which was nice. There were lots of tables for dining and really good live music for entertainment ( but I doubt the music will be there every day). I wanted to have lunch there but the lines were long. I'm planning to go back when the hub- bub dies down a little. Now here is the sad part. I fear that GR can't sustain a business like this. Even with the massive crowds that our ArtPrize competition brings in the fall I fear Downtown Market may only be a temporary joy. But I sure hope I am wrong. Oh the only kind of vendor I didn't see there was a kitchen supply. But we have several of those around GR. And there appears to be room for many restaurants that front onto the streets for easy access. Altogether an enjoyable time.
Last edited:
