Palm Desert Grand Opening

[Michael Carroll Green]

The Certified Farmers' Market opened its third location in Palm Desert on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009. Almost 1,000 attendees attended the Grand Opening of the mid-week market - a sure sign that consumers crave farm fresh produce.

"People started showing up as early as 7:45am," said David Todd, Executive Director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center. "And we weren't even set to open until 9am. Fortunately, the farmers were all there early and many were already set up. Early visitors were patient and really nice. They were just excited about the market."

KDES 104.7 FM did a live remote from the market, and kept the energy flowing with their great hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. "Having KDES really added to the overall ambiance," said Certified Farmers' Market Manager Paul Palodichuk.

We also had live entertainment, and a great chef demonstration by Chef Bernard of Cuistot Restaurant. Chef Bernard created a variety of dishes using only available ingredients from the Market. The aromas were wafting throughout the market, and several times we had quite a large crowd gathered to watch."

The Bean Coffee Company was among the latest additions to the Certified Market. The Coffee Bean Company offers 100% organic coffee that has had the natural anti-oxidants (lost during roasting) reintroduced to the coffee beans after roasting. They were a hit among consumers as was the Flying Disk Ranch, another new addition.

[Paul Palodichuk]

The Grand Opening of the CFM in Palm Desert was wonderful. The community who started a grass roots movement to bring it to Palm Desert came there in droves! It will be a great addition for the Palm Desert community from kids to older kids, our joyful seniors, and everyone else in between.