Now that St. Louis is taking a turn towards warmer weather, the WashU Farmers Market has moved back outside to the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy Quad. The Farmers Market has been a staple of the WashU community since 2010, bringing new and familiar faces to campus over the years.
Many of our vendors have created a dedicated customer base and developed long-term relationships with the campus community. We’d like to take the opportunity to highlight these small business owners, not only for the products they are selling, but for the people behind the table.
Veteran Vendors
Steve Jawor runs Great Harvest Bread Co, where he makes whole grain, preservative free bread and other tasty treats. Steve is getting ready to retire after 22 years of baking, and is looking for someone to take over the Maplewood based bakery. His retirement dream is to be a door greeter at Bass Pro Shop, so he can talk about fishing instead of bread all day!
At the WashU market, Brian Pelletier can be seen representing sister operations Kakao Chocolate & Tale to Table. Brian has been a long-time vendor at the market, but hasn’t always worked in the food space. He has a business marketing background, but left the hustle and bustle of an office for the hustle and bustle of the life as one of St. Louis’s most popular chocolatiers. Kakao has astorefront in Maplewood where you can buy all sorts of delicious chocolatey treats. Tale to Table is located in Maplewood, featuring everything you need to create a homecooked meal, including cooking and pairing classes.
Dave Smith, affectionately referred to as ‘Mushroom Dave’, knows everything there is to know about mushrooms! He runs a small farm in Augusta, MO focusing on gourmet mushrooms and microgreens. Through his local network, he is able to bring fresh produce, eggs, and canned goods sourced within 2 hours of St. Louis to the market. Dave is an adventurous and devoted father, making time for volleyball games and family trips with his son and daughter when he’s not out and about delivering mushrooms.
Newer Additions
Ronald Jones (Be) from HOSCO & North Sarah Food Hub is passionate about bringing food equity to the St. Louis region. He can be counted on as a friendly face and genuinely wants to know how your day is going. If you’re new to the area, ask him for his St. Louis recommendations – you won’t be disappointed! HOSCO is WashU’s partner for the Community Supported Agriculture program, and helps support equitable access to locally grown food in the region.
Laura and AJ (pictured here) are bringing a little bit of Mexico to the market with Brew Tulum. After starting their business in Tulum, Mexico, they transitioned to Laura’s hometown of St. Louis. They love sharing their passion for sustainably and ethically sourced coffee with the WashU community!
While not yet an established vendor, The Dip Dispensary is likely to become a crowd favorite. The Dip Dispensary is a specialty spice shop established by husband and wife, Tony and. Melissa left her job in healthcare at the start of 2023, and within a few months they worked to kickstart their business. Within a month they found out they were pregnant, which was an even bigger motivator to make their new business venture work. They now have their own shop in Elsberry, MO where they produce spices and herb blends in their commercial kitchen to bring to local farmers markets. Melissa and Tony welcomed their healthy baby girl earlier this month!