Palafox Market is a farmers market located in downtown Pensacola that is open every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. For its 8th birthday on May 2nd, the market will feature celebrity chef demonstrations and children's activities. Slow Food Gulf Coast supports the market by providing an EBT/SNAP terminal to allow more people to use government food benefits to purchase fresh, locally grown food. The SNAP incentives program matches purchases dollar-for-dollar, up to $10, encouraging healthier eating. Over 100 vendors participate in Palafox Market each week.

1. May 2015 downtowncrowd.com12
Rain or shine, Palafox Market
is open every Saturday from
9 am to 2 pm. The market is
organized with booths for arts
and antiques at the northern
end of Palafox Street between
Wright and Gregory, and farm
foods are located at the market’s
southern end between Chase
and Garden.
“We’re excited to celebrate
Palafox Market’s eighth birthday
with ‘Market Masters,’ said
Teresa Duffey, Palafox Market
coordinator. “Different patrons
and local celebrity chefs including
Irv Miller from Jackson’s
Steakhouse, Dan Dunn from
Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf
Front, and Daniel Watts from
The Wine Bar will offer signature
dishes prepared with basket
produce from the market.”
Community involvement
is essential to the market’s
success and several downtown
establishments purchase directly
from the market, including
Carmen’s Lunch Bar and
Ever’man Cooperative Grocery &
Cafe. In addition, market vendors
donate their products to the
Palafox Market to fill baskets for
special raffle giveaways.
An average of 115 vendors
set up at Palafox Market each
week, and at least 12 local
farmers will have booths at the
annual market kick-off on May 2.
Next time you visit the
market, look for the following
in-season fruits and veggies:
zucchini and yellow squash,
new potatoes, okra, snap
beans, tomatoes, strawberries,
blueberries and blackberries.
For Palafox Market’s birthday
celebration on May 2, Sunny
Days Party Rentals will be
providing a children’s bounce
house, and more activities for
kids will include face painting
and balloon sculptures. Create a
memorable market experience by
taking silly pictures at photo
booths with props, such as
a cut-out photo board of
American Gothic—a popular
American image of a stoic
farmer holding a pitchfork
next to his daughter.
“The friendly atmosphere
and ambiance of the market
makes for a really lovely
experience for all ages,”
said Teresa Duffey. “And
everything at the market has
a freshness quality, because
the fruits and vegetables you
see are usually picked earlier
that day. I’d say within 24
hours food moves from the
farm to the table.”
Slow Food Gulf Coast is
an organization dedicated to
supporting our local farmer’s
market by providing a SNAP
terminal at Palafox Market
every Saturday to promote
greater access to healthy,
local and sustainable food.
“The story goes that
Slow Food started about
30 years ago in Italy as a
response to the opening of a
McDonald’s in Rome,” said
Amanda Clonts, membership
manager of Slow Food Gulf
Coast. “Slow Food began as
a reaction against fast food.
Slow Food is the opposite
of ‘fast’ food, and the idea is
to keep local traditions alive
while encouraging a desire to eat
healthy.”
The Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, better
known as SNAP, allows EBT
recipients to use their benefits
in the form of SNAP tokens at
Palafox Market.
SNAP tokens can be used
to purchase farm-fresh herbs
and produce, as well as bread,
dairy and eggs when available.
SNAP tokens can even be used
to purchase seedlings, so the
program encourages consumers
to begin sustainable practices
by growing their own gardens.
Utilizing SNAP to create
gardens, or to buy more organic
alternatives from farmers, helps
prevent diet-related diseases
that stem from consuming
certain processed foods.
“Food brings us together
whether at the table or in the
community,” said Amanda
Clonts. “Slow Food’s main focus
is to build a closer connection
between our plates and our
planet by promoting greater
access to good, clean, fair
food.”
Slow Food Gulf Coast
serves as the middle man
between Palafox Market and
Florida Organic Growers, an
organization that awards an
annual Specialty Crop Block
Grant to cover the cost of SNAP
card machines and volunteers
necessary to keep the program
running. The grant allows Slow
Food and farmers to implement
SNAP and EBT benefits,
increasing the number of market
shoppers and revenue earned for
the community.
To increase consumer
purchasing power, Florida
Organic Growers offers SNAP
incentives that work like this: for
every $10 you redeem in SNAP
tokens, you receive an additional
$10 in Fresh Access Bucks to
spend exclusively on fruits and
veggies at the market.
“The best thing about SNAP
is how it benefits everyone,”
said Carmen Franz, community
food project coordinator at
Florida Organic Growers.
“SNAP incentives make it
easier for farmers to sell their
produce at markets, and the
incentives encourage people in
the community to change their
behavior by purchasing more
local foods. SNAP keeps money
recirculating in the local rather
than national economy.”
If you’re interested in
supporting Slow Food’s cause
by becoming a member or
volunteer, check out
slowfoodgc.org.
The booths at Palafox Market
change from week to week, so
you can visit the market every
Saturday to see what’s new, or
learn more about the market’s
inventory and vendors at
palafoxmarket.com.
Plan your next grocery trip to
Palafox Market, because fresh
is here!
Fresh
is here
Whether you’re looking for produce and herbs grown locally, or you’re interested in browsing unique artwork,
antiques and handmade wares, join Pensacola’s Downtown Crowd in Martin Luther Plaza on May 2 to
celebrate the eighth annual season of Palafox Market. Enjoy the beautiful Downtown scenery as you peruse
the booths of farmers, gardeners, and artists hailing from Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Baldwin counties.
BY DAWN GRESKO.