The weather was moody, and the sky was crying.
There had been a recent death in my fiancé’s family, which meant a lot of stress-eating to fill the sad hole we felt after Nonna’s departure from this world. So, what did we do? We headed to the Hamilton Farmers’ Market to comfort ourselves with good food.
Once we arrived downtown, we found parking across the street in one of the many paid lots in the area.
As soon as you enter the market, you’re greeted by the sound of chatter echoing throughout the two-level building, followed by an array of aromas from all over the world.
With our mouths officially watering, we started our walk around the market until we found something that tickled our fancy.
Vegan, gluten-free, keto, vegetarian? Pick your preference; the market has a place for everyone.
We walked past May’s Thai Kitchen, Mexican Kitchen, Joshy’s Good Eats, Apothecary Kitchen, Nonno’s Butcher, Indonesian’s Flavour—and those are just some of the options that made our stomachs rumble.
I decided to stop at May’s Thai Kitchen and ordered the green curry with jasmine rice and chicken. Obviously, it blew my taste buds away.
My fiancé, Adrianna, chose Nonno’s Butcher—the vegan deli specializing in plant-based cold cuts. She devoured a huge sandwich called Forgettaboutit and washed it down with a kombucha from Apothecary Kitchen.
The market is not only filled with tasty foods from various cultures but also offers non-edible items.
“I always come here for my groceries,” said a loyal market shopper, Andrew Hall. “Rarely, I leave here empty-handed, I always end up with more than I need.”
From bakeries and cafés, delis and grocery vendors to fresh seafood, meat, poultry and eggs, the Hamilton Farmers’ Market has it all.
I spoke with Jason and Tania, the owners of Cookie Doh Factory, about their time at the market.
“We love it here, we put a lot of time into building our business, and being part of the market community is great,” Tania said with a bright smile. “We get people from all over trying our Cookie Doh, and it makes us so happy.”
We finished the trip with a bag of my mom’s favourite—cheese curds—and of course brought a bag home for her.
We left the market with our hearts and stomachs feeling just a little fuller, ready to take on the days that lay ahead.
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