New market prepares for winter

PALMER — While it might seem like “just another Palmer market,” the Top Shelf Artisan Market brings coconut-themed products, fresh meat and produce and a taste of Italy to the table, all through the winter months.

Initially known as “The Valley Market” or “Good Food Fridays,” Top Shelf has set up shop inside the Downtown Palmer Plaza, between Turkey Red and the Downtown Deli. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Friday, shoppers can scope out high-quality foods from Choose Food Wisely, Country Health Foods and LaGrassa Pastas in the comfort of a heated building.

“The food there is top-notch,” Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce CEO Ralph Renzi said.

“Personally I’m a big supporter of (the) market,” he said. “I’ve been down there every week since it opened.”

Julie Meer of Choose Food Wisely, who sponsors the market, said she started Top Shelf with nutrition and selection in mind. Meer is also a holistically certified health coach, she said, so choosing food wisely is more than a personal affair for her.

One of her unique wares, kombucha coffee, uses the good bacteria of the scoby mushroom — used to make regular kombucha — to tone down the typical acidity of coffee but leave the caffeine, so buyers can have that necessary wake-me-up with less damage to their stomach lining.

Meer’s signature treat, however, is bacon-flavored coconut, a healthier alternative to croutons or potato chips, she said, which makes it perfect for salads or snacking. Renzi said he was such a fan of it, in fact, that he’s “sworn off potato chips completely,” in favor of the “C Bacon.”

Choose Food Wisely also markets full-fat coconut kefir, kefir rootbeer, blueberry soda, kombucha chai and teas made from peonies and honey harvested at Farm 779 near Lazy Mountain.

All Meer’s food products are probiotic, which especially help with digestion, but also cancer prevention, according to Meer. The coconut products, she said, help stabilize glucose and insulin levels, providing instant energy and food to the brain, making it a healthy choice for people with or without dairy or wheat allergies.

Country Health Foods may not have the “shock value” of kombucha coffee or coconut bacon, but there’s something to be said for getting back to basics.

Manager Duane Clark offers a “wide variety of things,” he said, marketing just about everything from smoked cod and goat cheese to “Panquake” mix and farm-fresh produce. Clark and his business partner, Alex Davis, don’t produce much, he said, but instead sell products for small farms and businesses who may not have the time or means to market their own stuff in Palmer. Alaska Flour Company in Delta Junction, Northern Lights Mushrooms, Alaska Black Cod, Bee Natural Honey and Alaska Blue Mussels out of Kenai all count on Clark and Davis to get their harvests out to the public.

Davis, who owns A.D. Farm Organic, also sells his produce at The Center Market in Anchorage on Wednesdays.

Like Davis, Karl Reed and Rebecca Martin with LaGrassa Pastas started selling their products — handmade, hand-cut pastas — at The Center Market, but have decided to expand their business out to the Valley.

Seven or eight years ago, Reed said, he and Martin met at the Culinary Institute of America in New York as they began their journey to become professional chefs. Last year, the classmates spent six months in Italy, three of which consisted of 8 to 10 hours a day, six days a week at La Vecchia Scoula Bolognese.

“We had the best experience,” Martin said.

Not only that, but it seems they learned a thing or two about making (and spelling the names of) pasta. LaGrassa Pastas makes and sells pappardelle, ravioli, tagliatelle, fettuccini, strozzapreti and quinoa chitarra, a spaghetti-like noodle and grain dish. Their raviolis, Reed said, have seasonal fillings; last week, their ravioli was stuffed with ricotta and kale.

Turkey Red also offers freshly baked goods made with local and organic ingredients at the market.

Shoppers can visit the Top Shelf Artisan Market every Friday at the Palmer Plaza,

550 S. Alaska St.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.