Tour of the Markets-West Side Market, Cleveland, OH (winter market)
While farmers markets are traditionally associated with summertime harvests, there are some great places throughout the US that are home to year-round venues, and are quite proud of them! For this tour, I head downtown Cleveland, Ohio to check out their oldest continuously operating, municipally owned market, starting back in November of 1912. Even in the heart of winter, this market was booming with over 100 vendors!
Designed with a 137′ clock tower, the architecture alone was worth the visit! The West Side Market was one of three original market buildings that combined to anchor the historic district of downtown Cleveland, and cater to much of the growing immigrant population in the early the 20th Century. Of these, only the West Side Market remains, and in 2008 was named one of the “10 Great Public Places in America” by the American Planning Association.
Alongside the main building, there is a side structure that is similar in format but constructed for produce sales. This had open ventilation and more of an outside market vendor feel, which, being in the dead of winter, was surprisingly warm!
What I’ve come to really appreciate about off-season markets, and especially large city markets, is they serve as a one-stop shop for all of your needs, in season or not. Gathering the best produce regardless, these vendors help to complete your grocery basket!
But there were definitely the local farmers with the season’s offerings still available. Even in winter months, it’s easy to have great roasted root vegetables and stews, and dream of the bountiful harvests being started as I type this.
A perk to having such a melting pot of culture and ethnic backgrounds was the offerings that became staples to these markets. Here you will see the cacao bean. Coming from the Midwest, this was not a bean I would usually find between the corn and green peppers, and I had a chat with the nice gentleman selling them about various uses-fascinating. My temptation to experiment was also met with the realization of the price… (insert *now taking donations for food journey budget* here). Maybe next time!
At the edge of the produce market, there was what I can only imagine is the byproduct of last summer’s market. Everything I could think of dried, candied, or some combination of both. Fantastic flavors! I’d have to tip my hat to the pear. Creative, and a beautiful sweetness when in this form.
Leaving the produce structure, before even entering the main building, the smell of roasting nuts met my nose as I neared the door. I’m not sure what type was roasting, but there was a massive contraption set up behind this counter with a fresh batch in process, and as they handed out nuts to try, they were still warm. I’ve had a million mixed nuts in my life, but something about freshly roasted and still warm was just like chocolate cookies fresh from the oven!
I’m glad (well, bittersweet on the glad scale-responsibly glad?), that there were not an abundance of samples everywhere. I’ve never seen so many sweets in my life, let alone this gorgeous! This part of the market was like walking through the song ‘Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies’, if it’s possible to walk through a song.
Truly artistic. And maybe regional, or maybe I’m not up on my trends, but cannoli upon cannoli upon cannoli! Every kind I could imagine, and some I would have never thought about.
Safely passed the sugar lined aisle, we started to get into another part of the world. I LOVE a good hummus, and there were more kinds here than I’ve ever seen (for perspective, this was one of 5 counters). The flavors were fabulous!
To complete the meal, many rolled vegetable and meat offerings were available. Speaking to the woman selling these, their family has had this stand running for a few generations and make these from scratch. Very interesting!
A platter of hummus would not be complete without an assortment of olives, and there was no exception to the rule of variety! Stuffed, marinated, or made into a relish, these olives were transformed into works of art.
Given the size of this market, and I would imagine somewhat of the season, there was an abundance of ready to eat options. A great place for a quick lunch stop for many, and as the day went on, there were lots of people stopping by to grab a plate and head up to the viewing deck to enjoy their lunch break.
Even premade tamales, enchiladas and empanadas were available, and they would heat them on the spot for you to eat!
Most of the food I knew, some I was a bit unfamiliar with…
Rounding the corner, right in the center of the market was this well-known landmark of the meat section. Greeting you as you walked in, this large fella also acted as a great reference point as I found myself walking in a maze!
Not only was the meat fresh, it was cut that day! And often, the very people selling this were from the farm and could speak to their operation. Not that you’d have an easy time with your market shoulder bag, but you could even buy 1/4 or 1/2 cows here!
There’s no way around the immaturity of the meme here. Sorry to bring that visual. BUT, to give credit to the process it takes to make these sausages, I was thoroughly impressed at the vast variety and seasoning choices.
I told you all as I started this journey, this was a learning and a push of my comfort zone to try new things, but there are limits…
Cheese. If Heaven were a taste, it would be a wonderfully aged cheese. Or soft and creamy cheese. Or possible an herbed blend. Or a bath made from cheese 🙂
Like many of the other sections, the variety was immense. And that’s coming from the dairy state! Options to buy in bulk or just a small sampler were available.
With the representation of so many cultures, there were a few cheeses that were new to me, and typically used in other ethnic styles of cuisine. This would be a fun exploration for another culinary challenge, and quite a tasty one!
Rounding yet another corner, smells hit me before the sight-I could sense walking into a French bakery. The bread was actually being baked in a brick oven behind a counter, and of course, warm bread laid out to try. There is no better advertising than a crunchy, fresh from the oven bread. I’m drooling just writing this!
Not to be outdone by its loaf cousin, alongside the display case were many savory pastry dishes. This one in particular caught my eye (maybe because of my curiosity as to the egg yolks still that fresh-how is this possible?!).
While I’m glad for their success in sales, I wish I had a more abundant picture to show you, but the labels speak for themselves. The homemade pasta boasted so many fun flavors! Not to be outdone by the bread baking neighbors, there were people behind the counter also wrapping more fresh noodles to replenish.
As a beautiful marriage of savory treats and bread loaves, this vendor had the most incredible bread creations! These were more a work of art on flour, than anything I would want to cut into. All I could smell was herbs. De-lic-ious.
Another interesting component to the size of this market and the year-round nature, was that they also had items needed for the kitchen, not just ingredients themselves. A great place to pick up the missing cookware that you may need for dinner!
This local vendor had a wonderful mix of infused oils and flavored vinegars that created such beautiful pairings! Logically, in my fit of smells, samples, and hunger, I marched back to French land and bought that loaf of bread I was debating, before returning here ready to gather, er…dinner.
To polish off the row of carbs, there were jars upon jars of grains and beans of all types, and representative of so many regions. This is a great way to expand your cooking from the grocery store aisle with only a white or wild option of rice!
Fun fact, I have heard that honey is a great way to acclimate to a new surrounding, especially if you suffer from allergies. The reason being that the bees transfer pollen locally and that is used to create the honey. So by eating locally made honey, you are introducing your body to the local pollens, helping to adapt. A great gift idea!
Leaving our strip of fabulous condiments, I was struck by how much peanut butter one vendor could make. Apparently, the answer is 6 trays. That is the perfect number of varieties and ways to make fresh ground peanut butter! I will say, as a proud connoisseur of peanut butter, you really can tell the difference!
Last, but certainly not least, we finished our tour through the fresh fish section and it did not disappoint! There were fish represented from many bodies of water, and very high quality fish!
I was humbled looking at the shrimp. I’ve eaten lots of shrimp. Usually in 18 or 36 count bags from the freezer section 🙂 But really, I had no idea there were so many types, and all represented here!
For those brave souls, the culinary challenge has presented itself here.
Heading out the door, a sign was literally shining in my eye saying: Wait! Don’t go! You must have missed something from a remote part of the world that you had no idea you needed until you saw this huge neon sign!
In case there were not enough cheeses, crackers or chocolates to choose from, traveling to another country may provide the perfect solution to that 15th spot on your marble cutting board for tonight’s cheese tray.
And to finish the whole meal, every spice and condiment known to man was present and accounted for-if you are lucky enough to know the language that it was written in.
Overall Cleveland, I’m extremely impressed! This market was not only a great variety of any culinary ingredient one could need for a meal, but a fabulous representation of the many cultures of our world! This would be a wonderful one-stop shopping excursion to plan as a date with a friend, partner or out-of-town guest, and try out a new cuisine that you’ve never cooked, and likely have never been able to find the ingredients to make. Just ask the locals, they were extremely friendly and willing to help!
Due to travel and season, I did not make this tour an ingredient challenge, but instead allowed myself to indulge on some of the market offerings. To start responsibly, I ran, not walked, back for this winter salad made of brussel sprouts, sweet potato, roasted beets and kale. I have since tried several times to recreate this taste, and just can’t seem to replicate how absolutely amazing this was!
Ok Mom, I already ate my veggies…. You really just can’t spend an hour walking up and down the most beautiful pastries in all of the land without trying them. And what’s the difference between one and…twelve, really?
The bread and vinegars did actually make it home, and will reappear throughout recipes as I use them. I do realize it’s not a common kitchen staple for those reading this to have, so I’ve danced lightly on using any of these premade goods in my blog recipes. But if you get the chance to try infused vinegars, I would highly encourage doing so! These have frequently graced my table in the form of a breakfast salad with microgreens, or a fresh arugula.
Here I am standing in the produce structure, right next to the main market building. West Side Market was a fabulous experience and great to know options out there all year round! This will be one that I’d like to revisit in the peak of harvest season to see the vendors in all of their glory.
If you haven’t been following along, this is a part of the Tour of the Market series that I started in the summer of 2022, as a way to explore various farmers markets and try cooking with the local and seasonal offerings that they provide. I’d love to have you follow along with me as I continue this journey! Check out the past tours here.
You can also catch the recipes as they are published by liking and following Goddess of Garlic via Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Thanks again for tagging along on this journey!
Hannah (your fearless culinary visionnaire)
