Before most farmers markets reopen in May, here’s where to find local produce, pantry items and provisions. —Susannah Black
Bon Vivant Cafe & Farm Market
After a diagnosis of diabetes, Jawad Laouaouda needed to change his diet. From eating mostly packaged meals to now finding sustenance in organic foods, Laouaouda opened a natural foods market in Del Ray last year.
Bon Vivant sells grass-fed meat, eggs and dairy from local farms. The cafe sells gluten-free and vegetarian options, plus a curry chicken sandwich, goat cheese and pork belly salad and salmon chowder. / 2016 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
Brassicas Farm Fresh Market & Cafe
City bartender-turned-country farmer Gary Hall opened Brassicas last summer with much of the store’s offerings grown in the backyard garden, including the eggs.
While shopping for kale, chard, mustard greens, cheese and chocolate milk, shoppers can order soups, salads and sandwiches, most of which are compiled from ingredients picked from just a few feet away. / 39333 John Mosby Highway, Aldie
Maple Avenue Market
In 2008, Great Falls-based farmers Sara and Chris Guerre began selling their produce and eggs out of a truck at farmers markets. A year later, the Guerres opened a permanent space in Vienna for their own produce and locally made items like Manassas’ PK Hot Sauce and Richmond’s Bombolini Pasta. Though there aren’t seats, prepackaged hot soups and sandwiches are available to go. / 128 Maple Ave. E., Vienna
Red Apron Butchery
Starting as a stand at farmers markets, Red Apron Butchery now claims three locations, with one in Mosaic District.
Red Apron offers pork chops and bone-in rib-eyes as well as less common cuts like velvet steak and secreto, plus 75 charcuterie items (which you can also eat at adjoining restaurant B Side), stocks, sauces, salts, jams, eggs and, most importantly, a tub of smoky pimento cheese.
The menu includes funky sandwiches like the porkstrami, as well as burgers, hot dogs, salads and beef-fat fries. / 8298 Glass Alley, Fairfax
Salud The Healthy Pantry
Originally inspired by the family business—her late father owned grocery stores in New York—Denise Rodriquez balances running Salud and working as a real estate agent.
Salud, meaning health in Spanish, offers ready-to-go sandwiches, soups and salads (or you can eat on the patio), baked goods from Maryland’s Canela Bakery, coffee from Springfield’s Cervantes Coffee Roasters and honey vinegar from Delaplane’s Lindera Farms (Page 110). There’s also an olive oil tasting station, organic wine, local hard cider and a CSA pick-up from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. / 1137 Walker Road, Great Falls
Vino9MARKET
Opened in 2013, Vino9 (previously Paeonian Springs Market) is a joint cafe and grocery. The craft beer selection creeps upwards of 250 labels, with brews available in the shop as well as at the downstairs bar, Blind Pig @ Vino. Daily delivered bread, organic dairy and ready-to-eat meals are all available to take home.
The kitchen offers a limited menu of sandwiches, including pulled pork barbecue and the vegetarian-friendly brie, apple and honey. During warmer months, there’s an outside patio with live bands on the weekend. / 40602 Charles Town Pike, Paeonian Springs
(April 2015)
