Get To Know Pacific Palisades: Farmers Market Part 2: The Vendors

By SARAH SHMERLING | Managing Editor

Each Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 1. p.m., Palisadians flock to the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market, leaving with bags full of fresh fruits and vegetables, but also with a selection of unique prepared food, goods and crafts.

As vendors get settled into the market’s temporary home at
Palisades Charter High School, the Palisadian-Post takes a closer look at the vendors who sell a selection of goods, ranging from breads to flowers to pottery.

For about 10 years, designer Rose Arranger Bernie Ryan has been traveling about 40 miles to the Palisades from the Santa Rosa Valley with a selection of English and American roses. Bouquets are hand cut and arranged on Saturday and brought to the market—and sold at what the company considers reasonable prices—on Sunday mornings. The family-run company has been growing roses since 1994.

LSG Honey offers an array of bee products, including honey, pollen and infused honey with flavors like rosewater, cactus and creamed clover. Robin Ghermezi explained that the company is based in the San Fernando Valley, about a 30-mile drive from the market. According to his website, Ghermezi got into beekeeping in 2012 when he decided to take a break from a 30-year career in the tech industry.

Chef Jean-Luc Labat brings years of experience at Five-Star French resorts and hotels with him to the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market. Based in Gardena, about 20 miles from the market, the company offers a selection of breads and baked goods, made from organic flour with no margarine, preservatives, additives or artificial flavors/ingredients. Labat explained that the Palisadian market is a bit different from other markets as far as the setup goes. He said it feels similar to markets in South America.

Brothers Products, based in Garden Grove, about 50 miles away, brings a selection of pre-packaged Mediterranean food to the market, week after week. One of the most popular items  the stand sells, according to Ashraf Ammar, is their garlic spread. Other family-made products include pita chips, hummus and gourmet dips, including tzatiki spread, artichoke dip and eggplant appetizer.

Frank Rabasa explained that Sweet Patty’s has been coming to the Palisades for about 17 years. Serving up a variety of gourmet nuts, including almonds, cashews and pecans, the company uses no oil or butter in its products. Sweet Patty’s is based in Thousand Oaks—a 30-mile drive to the Sunday market.

La Burratina’s mission statement is “from Italy to you.” Mauritzo Arena explained that the company is run by Francesco Anguille and is based in Culver City—about 10 miles from the farmers market. The stand offers a selection of burrata, pasta and mozzarella.

Soup To Go—The Gourmet Soup Kitchen—offers a selection of all-natural soups to the Palisades farmers market. Dan Tout and Amy Capman explained that they have spent 13 years in the same spot at the market. The two have more than 30 flavors of soup, including African Peanut, Carrot Ginger, Thai Curried Pumpkin and Himalayan Lentil with Kale & Quinoa—one of their most popular soups. The two come from West Hills, which is about 20 miles from the Palisades.

Megan Foster has been coming to the Palisades farmers market for Dry Dock Fish from Fullerton for about a year-and-a-half, and she said that out of the 25 markets she has been at, the Palisades offers a family-like environment, different from the rest. She said that one of the most popular fish is the salmon, which always sells out. Dry Dock also sells Chilean sea bass, steelhead, orange roughy, black cod and more.

With flavors like white truffle, sriracha, roasted garlic and lime, Hepp’s Salt Co. hopes to change how people think about salt. Based in Venice, a short drive to the Palisades, Brian Hepp founded the company in 2011 after fostering a lifelong passion for cooking. The company imports products from all over the world, including truffle from Italy. A bonus: Each salt comes with a flavor profile of suggested uses and the region of which it comes from.

David Wheeler is a potter who has been bringing a selection of his work to the Palisades farmers market for about four years. He said that the market has a great atmosphere and a community feel. Wheeler makes every one of his items, one by one, out of a studio in Northridge, which is about 25 miles away from the farmers market.