Market Season

Fondy is a covered, open-air market. Market and events take place rain or shine! Free parking is available on the street or in an adjacent lot.

Saturdays, 9am - noon

• Taste the Season Cooking Booth - cooking demos, canning classes, tastings
• Youth Booth - fun activities for the kids
  Made possible thanks to our generous Youth Booth sponsors: Auto Parts & Service, Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, Foundation Dwellings, Jake's Deli; Mark Food Market
• Live music from local artists 
  Made possible thanks to our generous Music at the Market sponsors: Seaway Bank and Trust Company, The Spice House

Special Events

• Opening Day Celebration & 5th Annual BBQ Cook-off - Saturday, June 23rd
• 5th Annual Greens Throw-down Cooking Competition - Saturday, July 21st
• Haymarket Days - Saturday, September 8th

Sponsors

The Spice House - Supporting four weeks of music

Seaway Bank and Trust Company - Supporting two weeks of music

Youth Booth Activity Tent Sponsors

Auto Parts & Service, Inc.
414-374-4422
1829 W. North Ave.

Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, Inc.
www.bhcw.org 

Foundation Dwellings, Inc.
Director Dawn Powell
414-263-6450

Jake’s Deli
www.jakesmilwaukee.com
414-562-1272

Mark Food Market
414-263-7568

Events

Fondy celebrates the 80-year history of its farmers market on Milwaukee's North Side, and the legacy of eating local in the city. The festival is also the culminating event for Milwaukee's Eat Local Challenge. Join us for a fun-filled day of activities for all ages.

Fondy began as the old Center Street Haymarket on 29th and Center in the 1930s, and moved to its present location on 22nd and Fond du Lac in 1980. Many long-time customers still fondly refer to it as "The Haymarket." The festival is a celebration of the history and culinary traditions of Fondy's culturally diverse shoppers and farmers.

Haymarket Days revives several county fair traditions. Cooking demonstrations at Fondy's famous Taste the Season tent take place from 9am - noon. As part of the Milwaukee Local Food Festival, several organizations will provide resources for "living la vida local," including Slow Food Wisconsin Southeast, Urban Ecology Center's Friends of Real Food, Milwaukee Urban Gardens, and others. Guest speakers will also share insights into the past, present and future of Milwaukee's rich local food traditions.

Haymarket Days takes place Saturday, September 8th from 9am - 1pm at Fondy Farmers Market. The event takes place rain or shine. The market is open 7am - 3pm.

Opening Day Celebration & BBQ Cook-off - Saturday, June 23rd

Thanks to all who turned out for last year's 4th Annual Opening Day Festival & BBQ Cook-off on Saturday, June 25th, 2011. The weather was beautiful, farmers were eager to show off their first pickings, and customers were excited to get back to the market. Farmers and food vendors sold out early, and people stayed to mingle even as entertainment wound down. All in all, Fondy staff agree that this was our best Opening Day ever. Thanks to the enthusiastic and dedicated shoppers, vendors, and volunteers who made it possible.

Fondy's 4th Annual BBQ Cook-off gave winners something to celebrate - a $400 grand prize and bragging rights for the year. Jovan Djokovic and his US Food Service team beat out 10 other contestants to win the ribs category, and Barton Clark's Smoke Masters team defeated 10 other contestants to win the chicken category. Placing second in ribs and chicken respectively, Shareca Thompson's Bar-B-Cuties team and Billy Madgett's Wild Bill's BBQ team each won one round-trip AirTran Airways ticket. Congratulations to our winners, and thanks to all contestants for filling the air with mouthwatering smells on Opening Day - a perfect way to kick off market season.

This year's event is scheduled for Saturday, June 23, 2012.

Greens Throw-down - Saturday, July 21st

Calling all Greens Enthusiasts!

Fondy Farmers Market is hosting its 5th Annual Greens Throw-down on Saturday, July 21st. If you're serious about greens, you know that Fondy farmers grow more than 23 varieties and Milwaukeeans of every culture and ethnicity come from all over the city to buy them. This cooking contest celebrates Fondy's number one seller and most beloved vegetable. For a sneak peek, view footage from the 2nd Annual Greens Throw-down.

Contestants purchase the freshest greens money can buy at Fondy, and then prepare them on-site from 8am - 11am at Fondy Farmers Market. First place prize is $150 and the One-of-a-Kind Blue Ribbon Apron; second place prize is $100 and the One-of-a-Kind Runner-up Apron.

Space is limited, so be sure to enter soon! Please click on the following links for more information: Greens Rules Manual, Greens Contestant Application, Cooking at the Market Tip Sheet, Greens Flyer. Or, contact Young Kim at or 414-562-2282 to register and for more information.

History

The market has been around for more than 80 years. Located originally between 29th and 30th on Center Street, the market was relocated to its current site at 2200 West Fond du Lac in 1980. On Center Street it was called the Haymarket and many of our customers still call it that.

Back then, the city ran the market. Although the city stopped managing the farmers markets in the mid 90’s, the market continued to operate under a loose confederation of farmers called the Fondy Farmers Coop. In 2001, the not-for profit Fondy Food Center took over the management of the market and we have done so ever since.

Philosophy

The market’s fundamental purpose is to provide the community with a place to buy fresh produce directly from local producers in a congenial atmosphere and to provide producers with a direct market for their goods. Fondy also strives to educate the public about regional, sustainable agriculture and the importance of and the how-to’s of eating local food. Fondy Food Center believes that small family farms are an essential component to growing a socially just, economically viable and environmentally sustainable local food systems. In sponsoring the farmers’ market, Fondy wishes to support small entrepreneurs and stimulate the local economy. We are committed to making educational and economic connections between urban residents and local farmers.

Values

• We appreciate and support our growers who sell directly to you, our customers.
• We support local and regional sustainable agriculture.
• We value the community which we are a part of and strive to give back to its families and citizens.
• We believe that families sitting down together to enjoy a meal made from scratch can transform whole communities.
• We promote and support the culinary arts and believe everyone can and should have some cooking skills.
• We believe that access to affordable wholesome food is a right.
• We believe that sustainably managed family farms are the foundation of healthy people and a healthy planet.
• We celebrate the rich and diverse cultural foodways represented by all of those nationalities, races and ethnicities that sell and shop at the market.

Products

Fondy's bustling Saturday market hosts 30 regular vendors in high season (late July - late September), including about 20 farmers. Products include: fresh, high-quality, locally grown, affordable produce grown to suit the tastes of all who shop here; prepared foods from an array of vendors, including Corn Man, Egg Roll Lady, Vi Nai Café, and BBQ from Checker Board Foods; artisanal breads, pastries, and pies; honey, spices, handmade soaps, and other specialty products. For more details, please view our complete vendor list. 

Fondy is also open Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for the serious produce shopper, who will find about 12 farmers present during high season (late July - late September), and a smaller cluster of farmers in late June, early July, and October, weather willing.

Want to know what's in season when? Check out Fondy's Seasonal Food Guide. Please note that as all Fondy produce is locally grown by Fondy farmers, availability ultimately depends upon how the weather cooperates. For weekly produce updates sent to your email inbox, be sure to sign up for The Fondy Beet enewsletter. Or, feel free to call ahead before your visit to make sure we have what you need: 414-933-8121 (market); 414-562-2282 (office).

Cooking

Taste the Season is a live cooking demonstration workshop, held on Saturdays at the farmers market. This energetic and interactive program introduces new fruits and vegetables to market customers, using recipes that highlight the best that Wisconsin farmers have to offer and reflecting the cultural culinary diversity of Fondy shoppers and Milwaukee. Cookbooks and cooking utensils are raffled off at each session. You can watch Taste the Season episodes on Vimeo and download our recipes.