Now Serving from left: Nancy Mungcal, Ken Concepcion and Michelle Mungcal (Michele Stueven)
Market Watch: Chinatown Finally Gets Its Own Certified Farmers Market
May 27, 2022
It's been a more than three-year uphill battle, but the L.A. River Farmers' Market finally opened at the Los Angeles State Historic Park on Thursday, to a welcoming crowd and much fanfare in a neighborhood that has been starving for food equity.
Adjacent to the L.A. River, and sandwiched between Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Lincoln Heights and Mission Junction, the park has a rich and diverse history that dates back to Tongva Native Americans.
The certified market is located at the south entrance to the park, near the intersection of Spring Street and College Street, in the Chinatown neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, in the shadow of L.A. Metro's Chinatown Gold Line Station.
Mud Cookies at the L.A. Farmers Market (Michele Stueven)
Los Angeles River State Park Partners, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the California State Parks, joined forces with California State Parks and?SEE-LA, a nonprofit organization connecting people to California-grown produce, promoting economic development, and building sustainable food systems to bring the market to the park in northeast DTLA. See-LA operates the largest network of mission-driven farmers' markets in Los Angeles, as well as programs that provide nutrition education, food access, and opportunities for small regional farms and local food businesses to thrive.
Community members on hand included Now Serving bookstore, whose owners Ken Concepcion and wife Michelle Mungcal were selling used cookbooks, with all proceeds to be donated back to the L.A. River Farmers' Market's community benefits and programs.
A perfect mix of food and produce, vendors ?and familiar faces included El Machete salsas, Cardenas Farms, Coldwater Canyon Provisions, Delmy's Pupusas, Mud Cookies Gu Grocery, Kathy's Kitchen, Fungi Valley Specialty Mushrooms, Luis Suarez Farms, Claritea, Gogoma Bakes,and Sunrise Organic Farms.
The market takes place every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
El Machete at L.A. River Farmers Market (Michele Stueven)
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.
Mud Cookies at the L.A. Farmers Market (Michele Stueven)
El Machete at L.A. River Farmers Market (Michele Stueven)