The East End Food Market will be open year-round.
The market, which moved to new space in the former Homeside Florist building last fall, will be open from May through October on Wednesdays and Fridays, beginning May 4, said Kate Fullam, executive director of the East End Food Institute, the organization that took over operation of the Riverhead farmers market in 2019.
“It’s been very successful,” Fullam said.
The market has been open on Saturday mornings and will continue to operate on Saturdays November through April.
Every Saturday morning, the market is a crowded with shoppers who visit dozens of vendors offering a wide variety of locally sourced food and other goods — from fresh-caught seafood, local cheeses, vegetables, baked goods, jams, local honey and wines, to houseplants, cut flowers, candles, soaps, and more. See the market’s vendor list. The market accepts SNAP benefits and also offers Double Up Food Bucks, which matches SNAP purchases up to $20.
“We know a lot of people work in Riverhead and are maybe not out here on the weekends,” Fullam said. They could take advantage of the one-stop shopping for farm-fresh produce the market will offer in-season. The Wednesday evening hours will be a good time for restaurants to shop, too, Fullam said. And the market provides them with access to different vendors in one location.
The market is currently accepting applications from vendors for the May to October season.
“We’ve had an enthusiastic response,” Fullam said. “We’ve received many applications for both days or one of them,” she said. Information for vendors is available on the organization’s website.
The East End Food Institute is beginning a fundraising campaign to support the construction of a community kitchen at the site, Fullam said. The kitchen would provide processing and production capabilities and incubator space for local food startups, similar to its current facility at the Stony Brook Southampton campus. See prior story.
To help raise money for the kitchen, East End Food Institute has launched a sunflower card campaign. Supporters who make a donation of $20 or more get a card with their name on it posted on the wall at the market.
For more information, follow the East End Food Market on Instagram and Facebook.
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