I am Back!! Great Things in Dubai - An Actual Farmers' Market!!!

I would like to appologize for the prolonged absence. Unfortunately for the blog, but fortunately for me I have been given a lot more responsability at work due to my previous project manager leaving. I have been imersed in my job and all that needs to be done in order to make my projects look their best. Once I have some pictures of actual built stuff I will definitely post them.

Now back to business. I want to tell you about something that a wonderful lady has started here in Dubai that has made me absolutely happy the last few months. We finally have a real farmer's market, and it is wonderful. Granted to those of us that have lived in the New York City area, farmers' markets are something that is available to us most of the year, and something that we relish because of all the goodness it brings to our lives and our tables. I had thought that those days were long gone for me since we moved to Dubai, but gladly I was wrong and it seems that my feelings are shared by many of the ladies in the neighboorhood.

Thanks to the enterprising spirit of one woman, Yael Mejia, the farmers' market is now alive and well in Dubai. It is not to say that there is no vegetable market here, it is just that this one is the first one to actually bring the food to a more accessible location in an actual neighborhood much like those done in New York on the weekends.

Yael Mejia is the founder and owner of Baker and Spice an artisan food shop and cafe franchise specialising in breads, pastries and fresh made food, that she started in London in 1995. Her business ethic is to buy local and buy fresh in order to keep the carbon footprint of her business as low as possible and the food fresh and flavorlful. While doing this she is also helping to promote local growers, which is why she decided to start the farmers' market at her Baker and Spice location at Souk Al Bahar located in my neighborhood of Downtown Burj Kalifah.

Thanks to Yael the residents of my neighborhood are now enjoying fresh, healthy vegetables at a fraction of the price of what we used to pay for low quality vegetables that are brought here from half way around the world to local supermarkets. So yeah we got it pretty good, at least until April when the market will have to cease due to the inclement wether of the summer months. Hopefully Yael will be able to resume this wonderful concept again in the winter. For now I will enjoy the wonderful fresh vegetables and the great flavor they give to the food we make at home.

If you would like to find out more about Baker and Spice visit their UK website or their Dubai website. I do warn you though, have a napking or bib handy because you will drool looking at their wonderful food images.