Original farmers market expands to LAX

For the first time in its 79 year history, the Original Farmers Market at 3rd & Fairfax in Los Angeles will have a new address:  Delta Airlines Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. 

The A.F. Gilmore Company, which owns and operates the Farmers Market, has teamed up with Delaware North Companies, one of the world’s leading airport food service and retail companies, to create Farmers Market To Go, a miniature Farmers Market inside LAX.  Construction on the innovative new dining and shopping area is expected to begin in Fall, 2013 and open in early 2014.

Farmers Market To Go will offer travelers a broad selection of meals, coffee, snacks, spices, nuts, candy and wine, all from original Market restaurants, shops and stalls.  Among the dining opportunities will be an extensive take-out menu from Monsieur Marcel’s Bistro and a wide range of items from the popular Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market, including fine wines, cheeses and much more.  ¡Loteria! Grill, Farmers Market’s award-winning restaurant offering authentic Mexican cuisine, will also help anchor Farmers Market To Go with fresh, flavorful dishes available for dining in or to go.  ¡Loteria! will also have bar service at its newest location in LAX.  T & Y Bakery, one of the Market’s fine bakeries, will also join the Market To Go lineup with delicious pastries and desserts.

 Authentic Market fare will cycle in and out of display cases and mini-kiosks in the LAX space regularly, providing products such as nuts and nut butters from Magee’s House of Nuts, coffee from rotating Market coffee purveyors, Bennett’s Ice Cream, spices from Dragunara Spice Bazaar, and even treats for travelling pups from Three Dog Bakery.

The dining area at Farmers Market To Go will reflect the open air patio dining for which the Original Farmers Market is known while interactive displays and screens will introduce visitors to Farmers Market and its merchants.

"We’re very excited about this new venture," said Ilysha Buss, Farmers Market Marketing Director. "We’re particularly glad that Farmers Market To Go will send Angelenos away and welcome them back with a real taste of home. We also welcome the chance to introduce visitors to one of L.A.’s most cherished institutions with great Market food and fun set within a one-of-a-kind Farmers Market background." 

Two main displays will greet LAX visitors as they approach Farmers Market To Go.  A large "Meet Me At 3rd & Fairfax" video screen will provide Farmers Market history, a "tour" of the Original Market and video interviews with featured Market merchants.  A second, very large 3D screen will feature the Market’s famous icon, its tall white Clock Tower, at the entrance.  Inside, interactive iPad screens affixed to display cases and kiosks will provide additional information about Market merchants and their shops and interesting facts about the Market.  These smaller screens will also enable travelers in a hurry to make purchases with the swipe of a card.

 "We’re striving to make Farmers Market To Go at LAX as close to the original as we can," said Ms. Buss.  "The Market is almost 80 years old yet it is still one of the tastiest, liveliest and most entertaining places in L.A.  This new ‘kid’ in our family will be all that as well."

The Original Farmers Market is owned and operated by the A. F. Gilmore Company, stewards of the famous property at 3rd & Fairfax in Los Angeles since the 1880s.  Farmers Market was created in 1934.  In addition to being a second home to generations of local residents, Farmers Market has been one of the top tourism destinations in Los Angeles for all of its 79 years (Frommer’s Travel Guide rates the Market # 1).  Virtually all of the Market’s shops and stores are family owned and operated and many shops have several generations at work on any given day.  More information is available at www.farmersmarketla.com.

Valere Tjolle

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