Tonight's Featured Vendor is...

Mucci’s Sweet Treats!

Marinda Mucci became an enthusiastic customer on the Virtual Market some time ago. When after months as a regular customer she inquired as to the Market’s needs when it came to new vendors, I was thrilled. Not only because she well knew how the Market worked but because we were already looking for a new baker who specialized in candies and sweets. Her quality products filled that void, in the most delectable fashion – from gourmet brownies and luscious fudge to unique pizzelles and chewy cookies!

I laughed outright when one of our mothers brought her brood along to customer pick-up one Tuesday. The kids peered at their mother’s order, and as all eyes fell upon a package of irresistible cookies from Mucci’s Sweet Treats, the mother pulled them aside, hugged them to her chest, and sighed, “Oh no, these are a Mommy Treat!” I couldn’t disagree – the professional packaging and cute labels appear to contain a fancy delicacy to savor on any day, whether one when you’re particularly frazzled or a special occasion… with or without the people you love ;-)

Finding new vendors who can supply us with an interesting niche in our established customer base has worked beautifully as we’ve gained not only Mucci’s Sweet Treats but JM Gardens, Rosy Toes Designs and Sacred Rosie that way! Being a customer first, Marinda proved how vested she was in our community venture by putting her money where her mouth is – supporting her fellow vendors and showing she truly believed in the importance of shopping local, not simply her own bottom line.

And many of our long time vendors are our most frequent shoppers. Innisfree on the Stillwater, McGuffey Herb and Spice Co, Becky’s Buckeye Naturals, The Farmhouse Bakery… they can appreciate the passion and effort which goes into their favorite Market products because it’s the same care which goes into their own.

We also want to encourage vendor collaboration, whether it be 6635 StudeBaker incorporating Sugar Grove Maple Products and Pumpkin Patch Honey in her baked goods or Tin Roof Mobile Food using King’s Poultry chicken products in their food truck. It only makes good sense for us to work together!

It was unavoidable – I had to chuckle when someone recently questioned why the Virtual Market was open during the summer – weren’t we afraid we’d “steal” customers from the Downtown farmers market? If the vast majority of folks in even our immediate area eat 3 times a day, no one farmers market should be able to sustain that amount of need! We’re certainly not hurting the big box store’s bottom lines (hey, there’s a goal!) And if the demand for multiple farmer’s markets with honest to goodness local products isn’t there, why not? What can we do about it? I am still in shock after someone else commented how surprised they were I tried to promote the other area markets – for goodness sakes, why the heck wouldn’t I?! They’re not competition – they’re neighbors, friends, and fellow business owners – we should want each other to succeed!

I’m not in the business of selling things because I love being a salesperson – I love love LOVE when customers come in with a smile, sharing recipes, inquiring how we handle this pest or store this vegetable, appreciating the care we put into their food, expressing their gratitude, asking the “How do you do’s” because they genuinely want to know how things are… If I didn’t truly believe we had something special going, I’d stay home on the farm with my little (ok, kinda big and growing) family (I’d certainly have to look no further to find the most honest critics and most appreciative eaters I know!).

Sure we might not be able to offer fresh ripe local tomatoes in February, but doesn’t the anticipation make those first June tomatoes that much sweeter? Anyone who’s ever eaten a truly ripe tomato off the vine must agree – a hothouse grocery store variety just can’t compare. No different than Carmen’s pies from The Farmhouse Bakery or Deb’s StudeBaker sourdoughs… you pick them up on Tuesday and they’ve only been out of their oven for a couple hours! THAT’S the kind of fresh and local goods we want to provide customers who are looking for the real deal.

In order to supply that real deal, we vendors have to be our toughest critics – just one more reason I appreciate Marinda. After a certain Market Manager gently encouraged her to become our new pretzel vendor, she brought two different versions of soft pretzels in for us to tell her which we preferred. Well my children were useless, because they just thought both were “perfect”. My husband and I thought we were honest critics, but it’s difficult to give a useful critique when you simply want to say, “This is really good! Do you have any more handy?” :-) But Marinda wasn’t willing to make anything available for sale that she didn’t feel was perfect. I was surprised, no, impressed how hard she was on herself, and loved her attention to detail, whether playing with the addition of this and that for the pretzels or spending the time on her brownie icing to make them look too pretty to eat. That’s something hard to fathom when you’re used to baking with your children and often times the dough never makes it into the oven!

Growing up she relished the time spent baking with her mother and sister. Marrying an Italian opened new culinary delights. And her friends and coworkers have been grateful guinea pigs for years. Now turning her sweet tooth and her own appreciation for yummy food into a business was the next logical step – and aren’t we glad!

There’s a reason why each and every participating vendor is currently selling on this Market, whether farming is their sole occupation, producing food is supplemental income, or perhaps simply a beloved hobby. What we all have in common is a dedication to quality, a commitment to local, and a passion for the delicious!

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