Students can be seen milling around the stalls of the Stanford farmer’s market in White Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. The market hosts local shop owners and farmers, who sell products ranging from fresh produce to hand-baked pastries. Previously held only on Tuesdays, the market is also being held on Fridays this year.
Louie Leon III, who works for Little Sky Bakery in Menlo Park, said the farmer’s market has changed significantly over the past few years. After two years of fewer customers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Leon said he was overjoyed to now see many customers frequent every week.
“I like that it’s just … a really cool group of young adults and staff and families that come in and out,” Leon said. “It’s mostly just the community, that’s one of the main reasons why I enjoy this job.”
One of the customers who visited the Little Sky Bakery stall, Pierre Labroche ’25, said he attended the market for the first time this year. “I’m not disappointed,” Labroche said, gesturing towards his chocolate scone and oatmeal cookie. “I have found a new addiction. I’ll need to come back here.”
Other students were excited to return to the market, like Paige Zuniga ’25, who likes shopping at the farmer’s market because “it’s small vendors … their products are usually pretty good because they spend all their time working on it, and their craft is pretty honed.”
Zuniga appreciated the addition of a second day for the market, as it allows her to attend the market weekly, regardless of whether she is busy on the other day.
Jenifer Maclellan, who owns Jenifer’s Peruvian Food and Desserts, is a new vendor. Her stall sells homemade Peruvian food, which she is passionate about sharing with students. “I want people to know this food, and I enjoy to make [sic] it every day.”
Maclellan said she appreciated the fact that there were “a lot of people coming” and that there was “a lot of diversity too.”
Mike Marquez is from Medina Farms in Watsonville. Like Maclellan, Marquez said he enjoyed the atmosphere and people at the market. “Everyone is really friendly,” Marquez said.
Stephanie Kwok, who works with ChaChaGo, a Taiwanese boba place in Fremont, hoped her first year at the farmer’s market will help her “promote my company out and try to get some customer feedback.”
Amid the joyful atmosphere created by customers and vendors alike, visiting fourth-year medical student Guysuk Park, who is from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said he appreciated the market and the “diversity of food … [which is] not easy to come across.”