The Clever Root

Spring / Summer 2016

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Birch, like many area businesses—the W Hotel, Urban Outfitters, and even the Hol- lywood and Highland shopping mall—all of which opened over the past two and a half decades, owe gratitude to the Hollywood Farmers Market. Indeed, May 1, 2016, marked the 25th anniversary of the legendary weekly grocers' gathering. In 1991, the community of Hollywood, no longer the mythic heart of film, was in disrepair. A few blocks away, the Yucca Corridor was the drug capital of Los Angeles. Ivar, one of the blocks now utilized for the al fresco shopping area, housed one of the country's largest bathhouses and Cahuenga was peppered with porn stores and smoke shops. Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Michael Woo, who oversaw the 13th District from 1985-1993, says, "At the time, the central part of Hollywood was an economically depressed area. I was very involved in efforts to turn the community around. There was an Italian woman, Pompea Smith, who worked for the Economic Development Council, and described the outdoor markets in her homeland. Then, she would talk about these Hollywood streets at Ivar and Selma—four city blocks that were very quiet and lifeless during the weekend. The original idea of a farmers market was interesting to me because it created a sense of community. We started with a few brave vendors who set up every week. Eventually, we had more farmers join in. Now, it's the largest weekly attended farmers market, and the most diverse in Los Angeles County." With the success of the Hollywood Farmers Market, community leaders formed the nonprofit Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA) soon after. The 501(c)(3)'s purpose is to act as an owner and operator of the Hollywood Farm- ers Market and its subsequent offspring. The mission of the organization is to build sustainable food systems while promoting social and cultural activities benefitting low-to-moderate income Los Angeles residents, all while fostering support of Califor- nia's small and mid-sized farms and local area businesses. Since the founding of the SEE-LA, seven additional markets have been added to the roster across Los Angeles. "The grande dame of Markets in Los Angeles is still Hollywood's front porch on Sundays," says the current Executive Director, James Haydu. "A key to its success and longevity is that it's hit the mark of staying the same throughout the decades, while quietly changing with the times and shifting trends in the agricultural and food industries." 5 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t FARMERS MARKET Internationally known chef Curtis Stone shops Hollywood Farmers Market frequently. He also wrote the forward to Brendan Collins debut cookbook, Cooking, Blokes & Artichokes: A Modern Man's Kitchen handbook. Internationally known Internationally known Internationally chef Curtis chef Curtis chef Stone shops Hollywood Farmers while quietly changing quietly changing quietly with the times and shifting trends in the agricultural and food industries."

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