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Austin Market Seeks to Be Catalyst for Food as Economic Development Tool
There are farmers markets in Chicago, such as Green City Market and Logan Square Farmers Market, that are located in affluent neighborhoods and draw many thousands of visitors for their weekend openings. These markets offer a full range of produce as well as frozen meats, making them one-stop-shopping opportunities.
Austin Town Hall Market, a part of the city-owned Chicago Farmers Markets, is not that. Located near Chicago's western edge in the Austin neighborhood — a sector marked by years of economic and social struggles — the market had a handful of vendors when Local Food Forum visited last Thursday (August 22), all but two of which were selling prepared food items (though more fresh food vendors often do participate in the market).
But it would be wrong to understate the importance of Austin Town Hall Market. For a community that has long lacked both sufficient food outlets and ambient gathering spots, Austin Town Hall Market provides both. And in the eyes of Veah Larde, the high-energy market manager, it can be a catalyst for utilizing food as a tool for economic development in a part of Chicago that needs it.
Veah expressed this as a goal — to which she remains devoted — in a Local Food Forum interview as she prepared to take over as market manager in early 2023. She came in with entrepreneurial expertise as owner of a catering company based in Austin, the community where she grew up.
"I'm an Austin girl," Veah said. "I tell people I'm from this dirt. I was born and raised here. It's ingrained in me, I get it. I have graduated from schools in the area, went off to college and then came back."
She works to enliven the market with special events. Last Thursday's market featured a cooking demo by Chef Daniel Hammond of Chicago's Smoky Soul BBQ, which was sponsored by Weber Grill.
Situated on the lawn of the Town Hall building — Austin was an independent city before it was annexed by Chicago in 1899 — the market provides a safe and friendly place for local residents, something Veah anticipated when she took over what had been a flagging operation last year.
"The farmers market is not just food, it's all of the things that make the people attending feel like this was a great experience," she said. "You get to feel special. The vendors get to know your name because you come out. And that's what I'm about."
Meeting Veah Larde is enough of a reason to visit Austin Town Hall Market. Located at 5610 W. Lake St., it is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Thursday through the end of October.
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