Author: Amanda White

Letter in Support of the Public Market

Posted on by Amanda White

Dear City of Madison Alders,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the City of Madison capital budget. I’m writing in strong support of the $7.5 million to help fund the construction of the Madison Public Market. This is an incredible opportunity for our community and it’s sure to be Madison’s next cherished community place. I’m supportive of the Market because it will benefit our community in three important ways. The Madison Public Market will:

  • Focus on entrepreneurial opportunities within communities that are typically left out of the business start-up conversation.
  • Bring more local food to large institutions across the region through the Market’s Food Innovation Center.
  • Create a truly multi-cultural community gathering place that is alive with social and economic activity.

Personally, I am most excited about …

Please keep the full Public Market funding of $7.5 million in the 2018 capital budget.

Best,

 

Get a Taste of the Madison Public Market on October 11!

Posted on by Amanda White

The merchants are the heart of our Public Market. With the selection of diverse MarketReady entrepreneurs, we are so close to making our Public Market a reality. The Market will not only foster an ecosystem for accelerating local businesses, but it will also be a unique community gathering place where we honor the different customs and history of Madison’s many cultures through art, storytelling, and delicious food.

Stop by Taste of the Madison Public Market event to meet several of the MarketReady entrepreneurs and enjoy a sampling of the many activities and experiences that will be available at our vibrant, community-based Public Market.

Wednesday, October 11
5-8pm
945 E. Washington Ave.

Activities at the Taste event will represent sections of our Market, which include:

  • Market Hall: 15 vendors (including several MarketReady entrepreneurs) who will be offering FREE SAMPLES and larger portions for purchase of their unique food and products that can’t be found anywhere else in Madison. Many of these vendors are preparing to launch their business in the Public Market with the support of the MarketReady program. (see below for a list of the participating vendors)
  • Children’s Area: Story-telling children’s activity by Araceli Exparza who is a MarketReady entrepreneur and plans to open a children’s bookstore that carries bilingual books and local authors inside the Market.
  • Local Art: Small collection of art by local artists by Alisa Toninato of American Skillets and Aaron Lux of Aaron Lux Design
  • Live Music and Event Space: Music from around the world by DJ 40 Roundz and sponsored by our friends at Dane Dances, special Dane Dances mini dance party 7-8pm
  • Food Innovation Center: Exhibit displaying what the Center will offer and how it will significantly increase local food in our community. Thanks to our friends at FEED Kitchens for sponsoring this space at the event.

Our Public Market is sure to be Madison’s next treasured community space. Be one of the first to experience this amazing project and learn more about the details.

RSVP is appreciated for our Merchants to approximate quantities, but not required.

Like our Facebook event to stay updated on event details.

The event location is near the corner of Brearly & E. Wash next to the Credit Union. Parking is available in the lot behind the building. Enter from the backdoor entrance off the parking lot.

 

MERCHANTS OFFERING A TASTE OF THEIR PRODUCTS DURING THE OCT. 11 EVENT:

  • SuperCharge! Foods – juice made from microgreens grown at their indoor vertical farm)
  • Madame Chu – Southeast Asian sauces and delights
  • Cafe Social – fairly traded, no-chemical coffee from the heart of the Andes
  • Ugly Apple – specializes in breakfast made from over stock fruit and veggies from local farmers
  • Madre Yerba – organic, healing body care products
  • Slide Food Cart & Catering – gourmet slider sandwiches and homemade potato chips
  • Perfect Imperfections – natural body care products
  • QB’s Magnetic Creations – magnetic badge holders, brooches, eyeglass holders, and other promotional items
  • dZi Little Tibet Food Cart – Tibetan food creations made from vegetables they grow
  • Fruta Artesana – intricate carved watermelon and other fruit for special events
  • Just Coffee – fair trade coffee with total transparency
  • Mad Urban Bees – sustainable Urban Beekeeping
  • Rushing Waters Fisheries – sustainable, farm-raised smoked Rainbow Trout
  • Off the Block Pizza (Mentoring Positives) – engaging youth in building career skills and the power of socially responsible business
  • Curtis and Cake – baked goods and confections inspired by the American South
  • Grasshopper Goods – Wisconsin’s first mobile boutique providing primarily Midwest artisan and maker goods
  • Chocolate Shoppe – Madison-based ice cream with 100 super-premium flavors

 

We Greatly Appreciate our Sponsors:

 

 

 

A Center for Increased Food Production and Processing – Bringing more local food to neighborhoods across Madison

Posted on by Amanda White

Have you ever wondered if places like your favorite local restaurant, your kid’s school, or your employer’s cafeteria provide local food? The demand for more local produce and food products has been on the rise, but larger institutions have had difficulty securing enough local food options to meet the demand. An important goal of the Madison Public Market is not only to bring local food to those who visit, but also to help increase the food available throughout our region. Approximately 15,000 square feet of the Public Market will be dedicated to the yet-to-be named food innovation center, a local food production, wholesale and workforce training facility that will be a catalyst in driving Madison’s growing food economy to its full potential.

Madisonians want more local food options, so what’s the problem?

Currently, the Madison region lacks sufficient systems to connect local produce and food products to local consumers. Our growing local food economy has the potential for immense growth, but lacks these key systems to meet the demand:

  • Storage and production space: Local food producers are constantly searching for affordable spaces to produce and store their food products. A simple, yet severe, lack of space is limiting the volume of local produce and products available to large institutions.
  • Limited distribution system: Once more food can be produced, growers and producers must have a way to transport the food to institutions. The current model of growers/producers attempting to work individually with many large institution customers is inefficient and impractical.
  • A skilled workforce: As our 21st century food system modernizes and concentrates more on the local food economy, our workforce must adapt to meet the change.

The solution…

The food production and processing facility at the Public Market will help fill the void of these missing systems and will be vital to increasing the volume and accessibility of local food throughout our community by providing the following:

  • Greatly needed production space to increase the volume of local food produce and products available for large institutional buyers. For example, the Madison Metropolitan School District currently purchases thousands of pounds of local produce for school meals, which need to be processed out-of-state due to lack of local production options. Space at the Food Innovation Center can fill this gap.
  • A more efficient distribution system that will enable large institution buyers to purchase from one source instead of trying to manage contracts with 20-40 different local food providers. Making it easier for large institutions to purchase goods will increase the options available.
  • Workforce Training programs – As our food system evolves and grows, Madison faces an acute need for skilled workers in our food preparation and processing sectors.  The Food Innovation Center will include space for workforce training programs focused on helping people become job-ready for positions in this growing industry.  These programs will be provided by community partners including FoodWorks – a private sector collaboration between well-known Madison chefs and business owners focused on training unemployed and underemployed adults for positions in the culinary industry.

The Public Market team is continuing to finalize details of the center’s design and programming.  Between the Public Market Development Committee and the Public Market Advisory Council, the project is fortunate to be drawing on the expertise of key local food business leaders and food system experts to plan and design the Food Innovation Center.  This includes involvement from the Underground Food Collective, REAP Food Group, FEED Kitchens, the UW Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems, Fairshare CSA Coalition, several food business owners, and others.

Working together, we will build a 21st century food system for future generations that is more sustainable, equitable, fruitful, and healthy. No matter how often you visit the Public Market, the Food Innovation Center will bring more delicious local food options to your everyday life.

For more information or to get involved with the proposed food processing and production center, contact Amanda White at [email protected]

Madison Public Market Site Plan Approved!

Posted on by Amanda White

The City of Madison Public Market Development Committee unanimously voted to approve the current site plan for the Public Market, moving the project forward (See below).

The site plan’s main features include:

  • 50,000 square foot Public Market, including a Food Innovation Center
  • Outdoor Market Plaza for outdoor seating, food carts or outdoor merchants, and live music and other entertainment
  • Pedestrian connection to nearby Burr Jones Field and the Yahara River
  • 4-5 story apartment structure across from the Market
  • Retail space
  • Underground Parking

Committee members expressed a few remaining concerns that were noted by city staff and will be discussed with the architects and developer partners. These concerns included: offering only 1 parking garage entrance/exit, creating an outdoor plaza entrance on the busy E. Washington Street corner (alternative may be to have an indoor entry/atrium), running Market Lane through the property (a member hoped it could be an entire pedestrian area), and creating diagonal parking on only one side of Market Lane (one member suggested that it should be parallel parking on both sides of the street.

The Committee seems to be divided on whether the Public Market should be situated along the railroad tracks and park. However, the property owners prefer placing the apartments on the park and the Public Market on the more visible, accessible street corner. City staff have expressed their support of the current Public Market placement.

The Committee also discussed two updated design mock-ups for the building’s exterior. There was a lot of discussion, differing opinions, and recommendations on the designs. Overall, the Committee preferred the building design pictured in the featured image at the top of this page. However the Committee recommended that a special Committee meeting be scheduled to refine the building design to better reflect a vibrant and engaging Public Market that represents Madison.

While there is still work to be done on finalizing building design, the Committee took a big step forward in approving the site plan concept. Never before has our Public Market been so close to becoming a reality.