The rumor mill is abuzz this week with all kinds of food news. First up is to separate fact from fiction. Encinitas is getting a 2nd Farmers Market which really is the 1st one as it's been in the works for years. But to block off roads/parking lots, getting permits, enough people to help out, etc. is a bit of work so it's taken quite some time to nail down an official starting date.; that looks to be though this Wednesday the 25th of April. The word from the Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association is: "A weekly farmer’s market focusing on local organic farm fresh produce.
'Every Wednesday Rain or Shine'. 4pm-7pm October through April and 5pm-8pm May through September. At Parking lot B 600 s Vulcan Ave, Corner of E and Vulcan. The market is intended to fill the need for a mid week farmers market in Encinitas. DEMA has a long history coordinating farmer’s market but unfortunately the proper location has not been available until now. Carris Rhodes, Program Assistant at DEMA was the lead on the project and is thrilled to introduce a night time farmer’s market to downtown Encinitas. DEMA has been the main coordinator of this farmers market and aims to bolster foot-traffic in the downtown Encinitas district while giving residents more access to fresh, organic local produce. This market will be taking a different angle than most in the county and will have no prepared foods vendors or arts and crafts vendors. The market will focus on specialty food items such as cheeses meats, honey breads and local gourmet organic produce. The market has a strong partnership with Whole Foods Market and the North County Transit District. This will be Encinitas’ second farmers market; it is intended to be a compliment to the Sunday Farmer’s Market coordinated by DEMA’s sister organization, The Leucadia 101 MainStreet. The Leucadia Market is held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday at Paul Ecke Elementary on Union Street.
On the other end of the spectrum is 2 fast food joints coming to town (or at least 1 and the other is rumored). Construction on Chick-fil-A has started on the old Baja Fresh location near Encinitas Blvd. and El Camino Real (in the Kohl's shopping center and across from Five Guy's Burgers). It should be open before summer (place your bets: What will be open first- Wal Mart or Chick-fil-A?). So with the addition of Chick-fil-A, I think Encinitas has 1 of every fast food establishment now. Oh- wait- no In-N-Out Burger! Yet...
The
original rumor, almost a year to the date, was for In-N-Out Burger to go into the old golf store where the Circuit City mall used to be (now replaced by Big Lots). It hasn't happened yet so the rumor mill has turned it's attention to the Del Taco on Encinitas Blvd. and I-5 Freeway (i.e. behind Oggi's Pizza). It's kind of a Catch-22 rumor; the Del Taco isn't that busy so seeing it go out of business wouldn't shock me. But on the flipside- why would you replace it with another fast food joint? I guess you can argue In-N-Out Burger is no Del Taco. Regardless, I won't believe it until I see a fence go up around Del Taco and the remodelling crews get to work this summer. In the meantime, I'll get some fresh produce at the Farmer's Market and live to see another day.
