Aiming to expand healthy food offerings for low-income Angelenos, a new farmers market in the City Terrace area of East Los Angeles held its grand opening on Thursday, July 18, boosted by a $125,000 Community Development Block Grant from L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis.
The grand opening of the 323 Farmers Market, the first in City Terrace history, featured more than a dozen local vendors and a cornucopia-worth of food and other items ranging from fresh produce to baked goods and handmade jewelry.
Members of Ketzalitli, a Mexican Aztec dance group from East LA, perform a traditional dance during the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Espiridion Ruiz, an operations manager at the CultivaLA community garden in south El Monte, shows residents how to prune their plants during the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Rows of fresh vegetables were available for residents to buy during the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
County officials and organizers take a group photo with a giant check and a county commendation award during the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Piles of fruit sit on display during the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Members of Ketzalitli, a Mexican Aztec dance group from East LA, plays a drum during the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Kitchen Class founder Patrick Vasquez holds a class demonstrating how to make blanched broccoli during the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis speaks at the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Residents receive pamphlets from one of many stalls at the first-ever 323 Farmers Market in East LA on Thursday, July 17. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
The event had activities for all ages of East L.A. residents to participate in, including quick and easy cooking classes led by a local chef using the fresh foods at the market. Beyond activities for local foodies, Ely Valdivia, from the wellness small business Earthy Corazon, taught workshops about how to make relaxing scented oils.
The farmers market hopes to “help transform a healthy food desert into a healthy food oasis” and serves an area of 128,000 residents, with about 97,000 of them low-income.
The market will be open on Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m
