The parking lots of 7600 Arlington Blvd. in Bethesda and 11806 Rockville Pike in Rockville are bustling with activity and action every Saturday and Sunday as hundreds of visitors peruse the produce and products at the Central Farm Markets.
Featuring more than 70 vendors between the two locations, the Central Farm Markets offer a range of artisan food, meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, dairy products, breads, vegetables and ice cream (just to name a few).
Voted best farm market by Washingtonian and Bethesda magazines, the markets were created and founded by food industry and marketing experts Mitchell Berliner, Debbie Moser and Ann Brody Cove with the Bethesda market coming first in 2008, and the Pike Central market established in 2011.
“We’re a community-minded organization who wanted to do more than just set up tents and sell food,” explained Moser, who added that Central Farm Markets now employs six people to ensure all the behind-the-scenes aspects run smoothly. “We have really evolved into a community gathering place and a place where people can come to hang out and enjoy being a part of our family.”
In addition to the spectacular spread of food and produce, the Central Farm Markets offer visitors musical entertainment, activities for children and families, nutritional information, cooking demonstrations by area chefs, outdoor yoga classes, community contests and fundraisers for area charities. Most recently, the staff at Central Farm Markets put together a holiday blog (www.centralfarmmarkets.com) featuring recipes for the upcoming holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, and for Chanukah, which this year falls in November.
“We really want to keep up the consistency and quality of these markets and want to continue to create a fun and welcoming place for the community,” said Moser. “They really have become the go-to farm markets in the area.”
The Bethesda Central Farm Market is open Sundays from 9-1 p.m. year round and is located at 7600 Arlington Blvd. at Old Georgetown Rd. in Bethesda. The Pike Central Farm Market is open Saturdays from 9-2 p.m. from April through the last weekend in December and is located at 11806 Rockville Pike between Old Georgetown and Montrose Roads. For more information visit, www.centralfarmmarkets.com.
