Monday through Saturday, family businesses sell fresh produce and farm-to-table delights at the Chautauqua Farmers Market. A morning visit to the market is a longtime tradition. From 7 to 11 a.m., patrons arrive on foot, bicycles and scooters to purchase tasty items and gifts.
Before shoppers arrive, Connie Wright, unofficial market organizer, rolls open the white garage doors of the red brick building at the corner of Massey and Miller. Sharing the facility with the bus and tram office and Lost and Found, the market has been inside the gates since 1925. Before occupying this location, it operated in the South Parking Lot, and later, at the main gate.
Prior to 1925, farmers parked wagons outside the fence along Route 394. “Farmers were selling here from day one,” said Jon Schmitz, archivist and historian for Chautauqua Institution, referring to the first Chautauqua Assembly in 1874. In the Oliver Archives Center, there is a 1977 newspaper article with a photo of horses and wagons at the market in 1891.
Early tent campers at Chautauqua had no refrigeration and shopped at the market for daily provisions, as did area hotels and restaurants. Marilynne Northrop, author of a 1993 Chautauqua Farm Market newsletter, wrote that alongside food vendors, Rolling Thunder, a Native American from the Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation, sold “baskets, moccasins and leather goods, each a work of art.” Now, handcrafted items round out offerings of baked goods, preserves, quiche, soups, flowers and produce.
Wright has anchored the market for 38 years at her Connie’s Corner table. Previously, she worked as a TWA flight attendant. When her union went on strike in 1986, she became the sales manager of the Overlook Condominiums. Wright and bargain-hunting girlfriends savored two-for-one dinners at the Mayville Diner, then owned by Tim Gatto. That led her to sell treats from the diner at the market, and in 1995, to marry Gatto. Recalling the strike, she said, “You think it’s the worst thing, and it turned out to be the best thing.”
Wright remembers the blazing summer of 1995 that led her husband to experiment with cold soup. Gatto’s Gazpacho was an immediate sensation at the Mayville Diner and at the market. Given the enduring popularity of that refreshing soup, Wright became known as the Gazpacho Queen.
Following a secret recipe, Gatto makes over 350 gallons of the crowd-pleaser each summer. “Even when I tell people what’s in it,” he said, “it’ll never taste like mine.” He offered a secret: for consistent quality, it is essential to use canned tomatoes, not fresh.
Gatto’s homemade pies are also legendary. He picks his own berries. “Be fussy about what you pick,” he said. “No stems or green ones.”
The market vendors are known for quality. Tina Ames of Maple Springs operates Artsy Garden, offering fragrant soaps and candles, soup mixes, homemade jams and artistic cards. Gift-buyers gravitate toward attractively boxed assortments of her products.
Ames’ mulligatawny soup includes curry and other earthy spices, and regulars crave her jams. “I sell 600 to 800 jars each summer,” she said. “Some of my customers buy a case to take home.”
Mandy Green of Scott’s Farm in Sinclairville displays an enticing spread of flowers, picture-perfect produce and cheeses. “My best sellers are tomatoes, peaches and corn,” she said. A home economics teacher at Cassadaga Valley High School, Green teaches farm-to-table cooking and welcomes students to visit her 120-acre farm.
A shopper, who preferred to remain anonymous, rushed up to Green’s table on a recent weekday morning, proclaiming a peach pie disaster. Pre-measured ingredients had fallen from her car, smashing peaches in a rain of flour on her driveway. Coming to her aid, Green selected the ripest peaches for immediate use and even threw in some extras to ensure a successful pie.
Kevin Newman of Killa Kookies & Kream displays a wide selection of mouth-watering baked goods. His business started with sugar cookies and expanded to include quick, delicious meals. “A lot of my customers don’t have ovens,” he said. He offers ready-to-heat soups, and the star of his concession is quiche made with care by his family. Customers can choose their favorite flavor.
Julie Messinger of Hume Family Farm provides organic home-canned produce and grass-fed beef and pork. She supplies sausage, chops, pork steaks, ribs and will even deliver a whole pig. Jars of colorful pickles, relish and beets turn heads. Customers snap up her canned peaches, apple butter, salsa and chow chow — a mix of celery, zucchini, cauliflower and tiny pickles.
Messinger enjoys educating Chautauquans about organic farming. “I quit factory farming four years ago when my children’s father passed away. I don’t believe in the immigrant and animal treatment at large farms,” she said. All revenue from her market table goes into her farm. “My animals are family, and I want to provide a healthy product at a fair rate,” she said.
Margie Burns of On the Grow Farm at Fredonia is in her seventh year at the market. She offers a stunning display of microgreens. Her arugula, purple rainbow radish, kale and broccoli are fresh and delicious. “There is very high nutritional value when plants are so young,” she said.
Burns also sells organic teas, spice blends and freshly baked crumpets. For those who cannot wait to taste one, a toaster is on site and ready for action. Softer and spongier than English muffins, these crumpets are made using a special recipe provided by an old English gentleman. Alongside edibles, Burns offers colorful wooden ornaments that she has crafted.
Karen Simmons of Music for Your Mouth joined the market this year. Simmons provides fresh salads and side dishes, including vegetarian and gluten-free items. The salmon power bowl is a satisfying client favorite. It features wild-caught salmon, lettuce, quinoa, fire-roasted tomatoes, grilled artichokes, pickled onions, cucumbers, feta cheese and a dill
cream sauce.
“The market provides wonderful word-of-mouth for the restaurant,” Simmons said. “We practice farm-to-table preparation, and we cater events. We are only minutes from the Chautauqua grounds.” Three years ago, she and her husband, Al Simmons, opened the award-winning restaurant across from Tops in Mayville. Music for Your Mouth also accepts custom orders that Simmons delivers to the market for customer pickup.
Ann Brantingham of Annie’s Bakery is known for cinnamon swirl bread and spelt rolls. “Spelt is an ancient grain with more protein than modern wheat. It is easier to digest,” she said. Her customers also gobble up lemon bars and espresso brownies made by her daughter, Shay. “Don’t eat those brownies when you want to fall asleep,” she said.
For those who need a hospitality gift, Brantingham also produces lovely cards and framed pencil-drawn botanicals. For a beautiful and practical souvenir of Chautauqua, her vibrant “butterflies of Chautauqua” cloth bags are sure to please.
Chautauquans are grateful for the quality and convenience of the market. Regulars make a beeline for favorite items. “I like the gazpacho. It’s the key!” said Barry Fisherman. Steve Allen came for the almond ring, made from a recipe developed by Gatto’s late mother. “It’s delicious,” Allen said. “It also makes a great gift.”
Kwame Alexander, the Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts at Chautauqua, has recommended the market from the podium in the Hall of Philosophy. He praised the chocolate banana bread, spelt rolls, bananas and lovely soap.
Boyung Pahls loves the home-grown tomatoes. Don Genetin selected a triple-berry pie. “I keep an eye on the tomatoes, too,” he said. Anne Hoyt enjoys the produce, breads and quiche, and appreciates having the market on the grounds. Amelia Dean said she loves “the quiche and gorgeous vegetables, and I love all of the staff.”
Market vendors and patrons are friends with each other. They exchange news about friends and family and can be seen whispering secrets. “The same people come back,” said Ames. “We even stay in touch.” The Gazpacho Queen summed up the sentiments of the proprietors: “My customers are family to me. Every week is like a family reunion. I look forward to every day. I love being at Chautauqua.”
