Market Restaurant expands to Calgary Farmers' Market

In these days of economic unpredictability, many independentlyowned restaurants are cutting back, slimming their menus andtrimming their prices in anattempt to woo customers.

The owners of Markethavetaken a different approach.

The seasonally-focused restaurant on 17th Avenue, whichwon the title Restaurant of the Year atTourism Calgary's White Hat Awards in 2015, has just expandedintoa small space in the Calgary Farmers' Market.

"Iknew I wanted to have a restaurant ever since I was like, six," said owner Vanessa Salopek,who opened Market with her parents Janet and JohnSalopekas silent partners in2013.

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"My grandpa owned a cattle ranch out in the Ottawa valley. I spent mysummers there helping out on the ranch, so I developed a passion for farm life andsustainable living," Salopek said.

Not able to cook, Salopekgot into the industry at 15 bussing tables and being ahostess, thenfocused on the marketing and business side of things.

Sheearnedher degree at the University of Calgaryand landed a position as director of marketing for Boston Pizza.

"I needed credibility on my resume," she said.

"They know how to run a profitable restaurant, so Itook the knowledge I accumulated there and applied it to something I waspassionate about,which is Market."

Everything made from scratch

At Market, the focus is on locallysourced seasonal ingredients.

They bake their ownbreads daily, butcher and cure their own meats, make their own cheese and growtheir own herbs and microgreens.

Market was the first restaurant in Calgary to usean Urban Cultivator to grow more than16 different varieties of heirloom seeds year-round.

Everything is made from scratch, from their hot sauce to the soda syrupsthey use behind the bar.

"We were getting a ton of requests for our signature items," Salopek said.

"Peoplewere like, 'Can I jar this and take it home?'"

Requests for aiolis, sauces and chocolatesby the box made them realize they had the potential for another revenue stream.

Bridging the farm-to-table gap

"We took a look at the Calgary Farmers' Market, which is our demographic, with20,000 people a week coming through. In this economy you gotta keep your nameout there," Salopek said.

"You have to be relevant,especially with so many great restaurants, youhave to stay top of mind. So this is one way to remind people."

Their new space at the CFM further bridges the gap between farm and table,providing the opportunity to talk directly to like-minded visitors about their menuand philosophy at Market. Guests can even make reservations.

Of course, theyget to sell the goodies they make at the restaurant, like their own soda syrups,including cola, root beer, ginger ale, cream soda, orange cream and tonic.

"We don't sell Coke or Pepsi products at Market," Salopek said."We makeeverything from scratch,even our sodas."

Watch the experts at work

Shelves at the farmers' marketare lined withbottles of their ownhot sauce, red and white pickled carrots, house-made ketchup, garlic and truffleaioli, and down the road you may see jars of their gnocchi Romano sauce.

But peopleare drawn in by the display of stunning handmade chocolates, each uniquely hand-painted with colourful cocoa butter.

Markethas been making chocolates since the very beginning, andthey're now creating their jewel-like confections by hand right at the market sopassers-by can stop and watch the process.

The chocolates are made with seasonalproductssourced from other vendors at the farmers' market and include pears, rhubarbs, and even kale. Thestems are steeped with white chocolate to make a creamy green (andsurprisingly delicious) filling.

Besides providing an opportunity to connect directly with a broader audience andhaving some fun, the hope is that the new market location of Market will help therestaurant through some potentially turbulent economic times.

"It's a family-owned business just my mom, dad and I," Salopek said. "This is goingto help us weather the storm."