On June 8, the Austin farmers market returns to the grounds surrounding Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St., with a new manager eager to revamp the market and “bring it back to its glory days.”
Last month, Veah Larde, owner and chef of Austin’s Two Sisters Catering, joined as the new manager of the Austin Town Hall City Market. She is inspired by her love of food and the family garden her father grew in their Austin home. When there was a surplus of produce, her father would share it with neighbors, teaching them about the vegetables and fruits he grew in their back yard.
“And that has always been a part of who I am. You take care of people and if you have access to a resource that’s more than you can use, it’s only right that you try to share it with someone who may not have access to it.”
Larde wants the market to become a space where community members gather, feel welcome and can get fresh food and household staples, something that is critically lacking in the Austin neighborhood as there are very limited grocery store options and access to fresh produce.
“That’s why I think chef demos will be awesome,” Larde said. “Because not only can they see the product at the market, but they can watch a chef prepare a dish from those same ingredients.”
With 11 years of experience in the food industry, Larde knows the importance of educating customers and providing them with an exciting experience they appreciate and keep coming back for. It is not the first time she has joined a market, as she participated as a vendor in Garfield Park and Austin farmers markets on numerous occasions, but it is the first time she has joined in a full capacity as manager. To take this role, Two Sisters Catering will close temporarily for the summer and reopen in the fall, a decision that comes after Larde has worked to restructure her business due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said she expects some of her regular customers, who she said she is fortunate to have, to be surprised she is not a vendor, but the change is worthwhile. “I am specifically here to help the vendors and the shoppers to have an amazing experience, to learn about food in a different way and hold us all accountable.”
Besides bringing food vendors and chef demonstrations, she plans on bringing entertainment with live music or performances catered to the community’s interests to bring them something “of value.”
“We’re teaching our community, we’re teaching our young people that a farmers market is a backbone piece in the community” Larde said, adding she wants to ensure every customer and vendor feel like someone “is taking care of them.”
The Austin Town Hall Market will take place every Thursday from June through October from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The market is still accepting vendor applications, who can learn more about the requirements, including license requirements, at the market’s website.
“It’s very exciting to me, I’m so happy to be a part of this revamping of the market and it being right in my backyard,” Larde said.
