All Aboard
The new Wharf Marketplace aims to shred the “lettuce curtain”
By Lisa Crawford Watson
It’s a windy morning at the height of the summer growing season, and Rick Antle, president and CEO of produce giant Tanimura & Antle, surely has many places to be in running his company’s production and distribution. Yet he is standing in an old train depot in Monterey, beaming as he explains the intricate details of kale sprouts (yes, really, a kale-Brussels sprouts hybrid.) to a group of reporters. The local food movement seems to be taking a new turn. One of Salinas’ mighty producers is getting back to the roots of its business by bringing great local produce to locals who care to seek it out. Instead of focusing on shipping lettuce (and kale) miles away from here (by train), T&A has spent $1 million renovating this historic train station between down- town Monterey and the working wharf.
The Wharf Marketplace had not yet opened as of press time, but Antle enthusiastically promised it would be the first “local food hall,” meaning something between a carefully curated specialty food market and a permanent farmers’ market like the Ferry Building in San Francisco or Pike Place in Seattle. As such, it will bear similarities to the 10,000-square-foot Independent Market- place in Sand City, a popular, once-monthly market that will open in permanent form in May. But unlike the Ferry Building or The Indy Market, The Wharf’s compact space (3,700 square feet) will mean that it can only host other purveyors’ own stalls at outdoor weekend pop-up markets, and otherwise, it will be purchasing the products it doesn’t produce itself from purveyors and reselling them, much like a specialty market.
It was controversial as to who would get the city’s blessing to have use of this sought- after space, and it very nearly became a restaurant or a fish market. But T&A got the nod, and now Antle is showing that the company is all in. He is genuinely thrilled about the project and is drawing together a diverse group of local farming operations and artisans who haven’t commonly rubbed elbows.
While T&A is one of the largest growers in our area, it aims to promote the great small- batch local food companies like Happy Girl Kitchen Co. (jams and preserves), Acme Coffee Roasting, Schoch Family Farmstead (cheese) and Baker’s Bacon. And for produce that it doesn’t grow itself, T&A is inviting onboard some of its big Salinas rivals, such as Natureripe, as well as small family farms from around the region that it considers to be “the best of the best” in their categories.
“My family has been in produce all our lives,” says Antle. “But it’s pretty much been about shipping produce out of the area. I’ve always been passionate about bringing just- picked, fresh produce to the Monterey peninsula as a way to foster healthy eating and bring the neighboring communities together.”
This aim to “shred the lettuce curtain,” by getting its produce from field to market and into the hands of local consumers within hours of harvest—something small family farms have been more known for than the big agricultural businesses—is also sure to raise the profile of T&A and its vendors among the many residents and visitors who pass by the former train station every day.
The Wharf faces the Monterey Sports Center, which serves 1,000 people daily during the week and 1,500 a day on the weekends. Plus, the market flanks the coastal recreation trail, whose steady traffic of outdoor enthusiasts likely will be looking to refuel.
“There’s a healthy lifestyle happening all around us,” says Antle, “and we want to take part in supporting that.”
Overseeing the market is General Manager Brant Good, who hails from a produce heritage and once harvested lettuce for T&A.
He has spent most of his adulthood working in kitchens, including as executive chef at the Sardine Factory, a Monterey icon.
“When Rick told me about this project,” says Good, “I thought, ‘the farmer and the chef!’—how perfect is this? I know produce, and I know food and what to do with it. I’ve had the same vision to bring in the best of our local produce—organic whenever possible— and partner with other local vendors to create a community hub for fresh produce and fresh- made food.”
One of the most striking differences be- tween the Wharf and a conventional market is the Marketplace’s commitment to stock virtually only local produce, and as a result, only produce that is in season.
“You won’t come here in December and find cantaloupes,” says Antle, “but you will find the best of what’s fresh at any given time of year.”
There won’t be room for a large choice within categories of products, but the operators plan to rotate local wines in and out and promise to endeavor to carry the finest of each product, which includes not just produce, but flowers, pantry items and fish.
All in all, it could become a highly convenient shopping experience for area locavores. “If you go to the grocery store,” says Antle, “you’re shopping for food. When you come to The Wharf Marketplace, you’re looking for a culinary experience.”
The Wharf Marketplace
290 Figueroa St., Monterey • 831.261.8807 www.thewharfmarketplace.com
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
