With the closure of the Westwood Village Farmers’ Market on Westwood Boulevard and Weyburn Avenue in 2006, farmers market frequenters were left wondering where to turn. This year, however, two local solutions have emerged to placate fans of fresh cooking. With the reopening of the Westwood Farmers’ Market, now at the Veterans’ Gardens off Constitution Avenue on Thursdays, and the grand opening of the Westwood Village Farmers’ Market, on Broxton Avenue every Sunday, new options are available for seekers of authentic, local produce.
For those students with cars, the Westwood Farmers’ Market is a short drive from campus, and there is plenty of free parking. The location, however, is not conducive to students who are slaves to the L.A. bus system.
The inconvenience of the Westwood Farmers’ Market, though, adds a certain charm to its location. The Veterans’ Gardens is a serene hiccup in the surrounding business-heavy streets. Lush trees and multi-colored flowers provide the ideal setting for a picnic lunch, and its ready-made food distinguishes this market from the Broxton market.
Prepared foods available at the Westwood Farmers’ Market include tamales, kettle corn and lemonade. The pupusas, Salvadoran corn-based tortillas, are prepared by Salvadoran women who pat the dough flat and cook the pupusas to order, with added ingredients such as beans, cheese and meat. One of the women even brought her mother, who is in her nineties, to help cook.
“It doesn’t get any more authentic than this,” said Linda Civitello, the on-site manager for the Westwood Farmers’ Market.
Civitello also stressed the fact that the market’s food comes straight from local fields and even the Veterans’ Gardens itself.
“Here, we’ve got some of the best produce you’re going to find. We’ve got markets within 15 miles of here. This stuff isn’t going to get any fresher,” she said. “It’s in the fields in the morning, on the truck and (then) it’s here. We’ve got apples from L.A. county. (Vendors) grow herbs and apples right here in the Veterans’ Gardens.”
With no prepared foods and only about half the vendors as the Westwood Farmers’ Market, the Broxton market may appear the less mature market, but many students still feel it holds potential. Jill Corey, a first-year undeclared student, found the Broxton market to be a good alternative to supplement UCLA’s meal plan.
“The fruit here is a relief from hard dorm fruit. We bought a lot of strawberries. We will definitely be coming back,” Corey said.
The Broxton market’s weekend time slot on Sunday also makes it amenable to the schedules of UCLA students, and the market contains the student population that is not as evident at the other market.
Steve Whipple, manager of the Westwood Village Farmers’ Market, says the Broxton market is expected to grow slowly and add a limited number of prepared food items, like an omelet and crepe stand. Still, the market currently supplies plenty of strawberries, peaches and greens.
Whipple remarked on the idea of two Westwood markets coming into existence around the same period. He feels that having two markets is not a hindrance, but instead only gives students more opportunities to shop for produce.
“We started the same time (the Veterans’ Market) did. It’s just that we were unwavering about the location, so it took us a year to get open,” he said. “Now that we are both open, I would say that the people that need to shop on Thursdays can go the Vet’s Garden and the people that want to walk through the market and be a part of a Village focal point can come here on Sundays. So, it gives people different options.”
Each market also offers its visitors special amenities beyond its food. The Westwood Farmers’ Market has a bird sanctuary, a bunny farm and a craft fair every second and fourth Thursday of the month. The market’s Web site also features recipes that include ingredients found at the market. This allows students to plan and execute a meal using almost all fresh, local products.
The Broxton market offers free yoga lessons and features eco-friendly vendors. A DJ keeps the market feeling young and hip. Both markets have samples, friendly vendors and well-priced produce and offer students a bite into something fresh, local and natural.