Foodies looking to sample some of the region’s locally-grown and prepared foods can get a real variety north of Okotoks.
The Okotoks Farmers’ Market is adding a variety of new food vendors to its outdoor market this year and having more food trucks on site with its newly minted Foothills Food Truck Frenzy.
“We are trying to have more food trucks and designated seating so it’s a destination for people to come and sit down and eat supper or have a snack instead of buying something and walking to their car,” said Kyle McCowan, owner and operator of the Okotoks Farmers’ Market. “This year we are striving to be unique.”
There will be an area with picnic tables and umbrellas that will be open an hour after the market closes, said McCowan.
The idea arose during discussions between McCowan and Okotokian Jim Charbonneau, who began operating a food truck featuring wood-fired pizza called Il Forno Vagabondo a year ago.
“I was talking with Kyle about bringing in more food trucks and trying to make it more of a destination for diners,” said Charbonneau. “Food trucks have become an attraction unto themselves.”
Charbonneau, who joined the market last year, said bringing in more food trucks will provide additional options for patrons and improve his own business.
“If we can triple a crowd we usually do well,” he said. “I feel confident the pizzas will hold their own.”
McCowan converted his front yard to a farmers’ market six years ago when the Kinsmen Club of Okotoks closed its market south of Okotoks due to a lack of volunteers. He formed a non-profit group with other residents and created the market on Okotoks’ north side.
The market is located on 15th Street East north of Okotoks on the west side of Highway 2A.
It has grown in the last six years from 16 vendors to more than 50 this year, said McCowan.
“Each year it builds and there is more customers coming regularly to see what’s new and different,” he said.
“The farmers’ market gives people that personal experience where they can communicate and connect directly with the person they are buying from. That’s meaningful to people.”
McCowan said market goers will continue to enjoy locally grown and homemade foods from the Foothills and south Calgary including a variety of fruits and vegetables, specialty smoked meats, pies, baking and breads and various arts, crafts and personal items.
“We’ve had a great response (from vendors) this year,” he said. “We are getting very close to that point where we are running out of space. We will need to make some changes in the near future to accommodate that. It takes small steps.”
Half of the market’s vendors are new each year, offering a variety for those who regularly attend the northern Okotoks market, said McCowan.
“Some vendors change direction in their life - they go on to other things or stop doing it,” he said. “The farmers’ market is like a testing grounds for new businesses. That’s what most people enjoy and appreciate when they come to the market to see what’s new.”
McCowan said an ATM machine is on site and that some of the vendors accept debit and credit cards.
Bouncy houses for children will be added to the market in July.
The Okotoks Farmers’ Market takes place Friday afternoons from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. from June 18 to September 30. The Foothills Food Truck Frenzy will stay open until 7:30 p.m.
