Madeira Farmers Market: Growing the Community

By: Kate Alexander, Indian Hill Living Magazine Contributor

Every Thursday at 4 p.m., (May through December), in downtown Madeira, Dawson Road ceases to be a sleepy little side street and becomes a vibrant community of farmers, food artisans, vendors and musicians. 

Started in 2010 by residents wanting to bring good locally grown food to the neighborhood, the Madeira Farmers Market has become an invaluable addition to the community. “We are a farmers market where our goal is to support our local economy and connect the best in local producers with our residents,” Market Board President, Melissa Bishop, explains. “It’s also important to us that we’re a community building event and that we do our best to support our local businesses.” 

One way the market does this is through their kid’s activity booth. Run by a different business every week, it not only engages the market’s younger attendants, but also provides free advertising for the organization. Kids can also get involved through their Busy Bee program where a stuffed bee is hidden in a different booth each week. Once the child spots it, they can report back to the market booth to be entered into a monthly prize raffle.

Another wonderful program is the young entrepreneur’s booth which invites children aged 6-18 years to sell a product they’ve created. Just like the other vendors, they must fill out an application, pay a small fee and provide their own logo/graphics – giving them the full business experience. 

Finally, to serve all community members, the market now provides SNAP/EBT, Produce Perks and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Coupons. 

Some Friendly Faces You’ll See at the Market: 

Can-Du Farm

Charlie Ernstes and his wife, Vaunda, began with a small plot of land and a dream to grow their own produce. Still working full-time initially, Charlie quickly found his enthusiasm for farming and has turned it into his second career.  “When we started this out, we had a 50x50ft plot and now we’re up to about 4 acres, and it’s grown, and I’ve grown with it. It’s my life and my passion now”, Charlie beams. 

Charlie has been sharing his passion with the Madeira Farmers Market since its inception – helping to shape the market into what it is today. “It’s just been a great ride since the very beginning,” he states. “I’ve learned a lot. I’ve met a ton of nice people, and that’s been one of the things about this that’s really made me happy.”

Now, Can-Du Farm is celebrating its 30^th anniversary and still bringing all kinds of amazing produce to communities. From peppers and tomatoes to squash and basil, you won’t want to miss out on their delicious selection.

Angie Tee’s Kitchen

An incredible food artisan, Angie Tee’s culinary inspiration began at home. “I grew up with fermented and pickled foods,” she explains while fondly remembering her father’s favorite dish of rice porridge. “Our kitchen was filled with earthenware of eggs, meats, seafood, tea leaves, vegetables, tofu…anything you can think of.”

After moving to the US, Angie began adapting her home recipes and made her farmer’s market debut in 2013 selling satay spice mix and peanut sauce. The following year after teaching a kimchi cooking class at Turner Farm, she joined the Madeira Farmers Market family.  

Throughout the years, her food philosophy’s been to use as many organic, locally grown and beneficial ingredients as possible. “My theme in preparing meals is I use food as medicine,” she states. “From young I grew up with traditional Chinese medicine, which means a lot of the ingredients we use are actually medicinal, so I like to introduce that into my food.” Be sure to check out her nutrient-packed seasonal soups, power bowls and kimchi at the market!

TS Farms

She bought cows, he owned pigs – it was a match made in heaven. While Tiffany and Tim Bizeau didn’t start off farming, their shared love of animals and desire to bring good home-grown food to their family’s table did spark the beginnings of what’s now a successful farm. 

Joining the Madeira Farmers Market in 2011, they have been providing the community with responsibly raised meats for over a decade. “We believe that God provided everything that we would need and if we take care of our land that it will be sustainable,” Tiffany explains. “We do rotational grazing, no antibiotics, hormones or steroids.” 

With everything from beef, chicken, pork and eggs to home-made jams and mouth-watering burgers, you’ll find plenty for your dinner table. 

The market reopens for its 2025 season on May 8th and runs through December 11th.

For events, subscribe to their newsletter at madeirafarmersmarket.com

Market Hours:

May-October 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

November-December 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

L to R: Tiffany Bizeau – owner of TS Farms, Angie Tee – owner of Angie Tee’s Kitchen, and Charlie Ernstes – owner of Can-Du Farm. Photos by Kate Alexander