Long summer nights have arrived, and making the La Mesa Village Farmer’s Market a neighborhood favorite for a Friday evening outdoors.
I explored the farmer’s market, kids in tow, and I could tell immediately that there would be so much for us to discover. We were welcomed by the sound of live music and warm air scented with freshly cooked foods. There were plenty of happy community members out to try something new or returning to grab their staples for the weekend.
I couldn’t help but be nosy to see what treasures everyone else was walking around with: beautiful bouquets of flowers, bags of fresh produce and tall, clear cans of something iced and creamy that I was determined to find.
Some patrons even looked genuinely relaxed—not something you often find during the bustle of a morning farmer’s market. I could tell the evening hours brought a level of charm you don’t experience anywhere else.
The vendors themselves were arranged in a unique layout. A typical farmers market is mapped out with the vendors on the edge of the street facing inward with the aisle down the middle. However, the La Mesa Village Farmer’s Market positions vendors in the middle of the street, back to back, so that they face outward, directing foot traffic around the perimeter. This way, you get a great view of the market vendors and the local businesses downtown.
I embarked with my wagon of little ones around to begin the first lap. My kids’ favorite part of the market was all the dogs they get to pet!
But, we stopped in our tracks when we saw a gorgeous arrangement of cheeses on ice at a booth by A Mano Cheese, a name meaning “by hand,” in Italian. The artisan cheese company was founded by Rodolfo Mercurio, a fifth-generation master cheesemaker.
“We’re from Caserta,” Mercurio said. “Caserta is where the mozzarella originated, right in our backyard.”
A Mano specializes in fresh, Italian cheese like mozzarella and burrata, and a unique, ready-to-eat snack of their own creation.
“We call them our mozzarella sushi, with the fresh mozzarella rolled in different Italian cured meats,” said Mercurio.
The small, family-owned company makes fresh cheese daily from its space in North Park and provides catering for private events.
I didn’t make it far past A Mano Cheese before I stopped to see the most endearing assortment of peanut butter jars I had ever seen: JOJO’s Peanut Butter. When JoJo himself asked me if I wanted a free sample, that was an easy yes for me (and the kids)!
JOJO’s peanut butter was created like all great inventions: out of necessity. JoJo explained that when he was training for body building competitions, he was frustrated that store-bought products contained additives and oils that he did not think were healthy, so he set out to create something better.
“I think people are becoming a lot more conscious of their consumption,” JoJo said. The company sells various flavors such as coconut, cinnamon, dairy-free chocolate, pecan butter, and cashew butter.
With our mouths full of peanut butter, I had to get back to my investigation into the icon of the farmer’s market: a tall, clear can full of a swirling, creamy beverage.
To my surprise, I discovered the mysterious drinks were being canned-on-demand by Case Sandberg at San Diego Chocolate Co. Everyone was drinking chocolate milk.
Knowing that it would be perfect to cleanse our peanut-butter-filled palettes, we got in line. Case told my kids about where chocolate comes from and gave them a real cocoa bean pod to touch and shake while he mixed my chocolate milk.
After quitting the software field, Sandberg began to make chocolate full time, and he makes the milk cans exclusively for markets.
“Chocolate has a lot of nostalgia to it, but I accidentally found myself doing chocolate milk because I’ve loved it since I was a kid,” he said. “Turns out, a lot of other people have too. I like the idea of trying to play with nostalgia, but do a bit more of a grown-up version, or a less sugary version.”
He was the newest vendor I met, so I asked him a more personal question: Does he feel welcome at the La Mesa Village?
Sandberg responded with a a resounding “yes.”
“A lot of people talk about third spaces,” he said, “and La Mesa Farmers Market is my favorite third space as a farmer’s market compared to others. Everybody’s super friendly, and all the vendors are also supportive. They’re all here making a living as well.”