(photo borrowed from Life Undeveloped)
Saturdays at Atherton are quite a bit busier than the weekdays. There are more vendors, more visitors, and some entertainment. We had a fantastic time listening to Mike Bustin for a good portion of the morning. He had everyone singing along or (at least) tapping their feet.
We spent the day outside under one of the orange tents. The weather cooperated and it was quite pleasant. There were four or five of the vendors outside. We tried a slightly different setup and were quite happy with the result:
Next to us was Round Table. Lots of sweets and breads. Yum! She had quite the following and sold out early.
And beside that was Red Dirt Ranch. Wayne has spent a bit of time talking to them other days. We were excited to learn that they are off grid!
The other side of us was a pasta vendor - Rio Bertolini's - selling pasta made in Charleston. I pre-ordered a mess of stuff for Wayne to bring home including a beet and goat cheese ravioli. Doesn't that sound amazing?
Heading inside, the building itself is absolutely gorgeous. It's an old mill that was converted into areas for several businesses. The market portion was left open with high ceilings. It retains that industrial/rustic charm that is so appealing.
And oh the produce....everywhere I looked it was so colorful. There's a wide selection of farms to choose from including JW's, Coldwater Creek, Houston, Lomax, and Windy Hill.
Although Atherton is a comparatively small market (for Charlotte at least), it has everything you can imagine. Literally. Seafood, meat, cheese, veggies, fruit, honey, even pickles:
Simply Local offers a fantastic selection of local cheese, butter, eggs, and milk. It's like a mini grocery store.
There is also no shortage of sweets. There's a chocolate vendor and Wayne is particularily fond of the cookies at Cardais Gourmet.
And Dukes bread is amazing. That's Ellen, one of the owners, hiding behind the sign. Not only do I love their bread, but I tried their tomato oil for the first time on Saturday and left Wayne very specific instructions to bring some home on Tuesday. So yummy.
There's also a chocolate vendor, roasted nuts, and several other non-food vendors.
All that, and this little food truck was the highlight of my day. I've read quite a bit about the food at Roots, but had not yet had the opportunity to try it. What a surprise to see them pull up! I wandered over early and ordered a breakfast burrito. It was amazing. I saved a bite for Wayne who headed over for the breakfast hash - it was even better (if that's possible). I would have taken pictures, but the food honestly didn't last long enough.
If I lived in the area, I would definitely be doing my Saturday shopping at Atherton. I'm excited to bring my mother & sister along next time we head this way to spoil them with the selection.
Wayne will be at Atherton most Tuesdays and Wednesdays and we hope to join our fellow vendors for more Saturdays soon.