Feature: Menlo Park Farmers’ Market vendors share their stories

The farmers’ market in downtown Menlo Park reflects another side of Menlo Park. Starting at 9 a.m. each Sunday, community life changes at the parking lot on Chestnut Street, between Santa Cruz and Menlo avenues.

Button-down shirts and business casual workwear are replaced with flowing dresses, T-shirts, sandals and sun-protective hats. Parents linger with their kids over what bakery treats to buy; people stand and listen to street performers.

Locals come out in force – by car, bike and foot – to the weekly market to buy fresh produce, chat with the farmers who grow it, and catch up with friends.

And what do the people behind the produce counters think about their work and the Menlo Park market? The Almanac took advantage of an informal celebration of the market’s 25th anniversary on July 9 to talk to some of the market’s longtime vendors.

McGinnis Ranch

Howard McGinnis of McGinnis Ranch, a 17-acre farm in northern Monterey County, said he began farming full-time in 1970. “I got tired of working for wages,” he said with a grin.

At the time, he said, there weren’t many farmers’ markets. He had been working at a market in San Francisco when he was approached about the opportunity to join the new Menlo Park market. He took it.

“We always wanted to have something superior to the grocery store – that’s what it takes to survive in the farming operation,” he said. “If your stuff is better, they’re going to come to you.”

Now his daughter runs the farm, which produces flowers, berries and vegetables, he said.

Lucero Organic Farms

Curtis Lucero Jr. of Lucero Organic Farms, located in Lodi, California, is a third-generation farmer. He worked at the July 9 market with his father, Curtis Lucero Sr., selling their produce.

The family operation sells produce at markets across the Bay Area, including in Berkeley, Palo Alto, Oakland and San Francisco.

The Menlo Park market, Mr. Lucero Jr. said, is one of the more “relaxing.” He’s been coming to it since he was a kid, he said. “I have a bond with everybody and the other farmers.”

The family lives on the farm and works seven days a week to grow and sell their food, he said. Produce includes plus, oranges, peppers, squash and tomatoes.

The year revolves around the beginning and the end of the harvest season, Mr. Lucero Sr. said. Excitement sets in with the first week of tomatoes and keeps a breakneck pace until the year’s crops are harvested. With the end of the harvest comes a sense of relief, he said.

“This is it. This is what we work for,” he said.

Twin Girls Farms

For Christyna Sanchez, the Menlo Park market is one of the places where she grew up, playing under the tables and helping out behind the counter.

“I learned everything at market,” she said.

Now, Christyna said, she manages commercial shipping at the 600-plus-acre farm in Fresno and Tulare counties. In previous years, she said, she’s limited her shifts to help out at markets during cherry season. “You get tired fast,” she noted.

She and her twin sister, Serena, are the market’s namesakes. They have a younger sister, Savannah, who, their mother, Cassi Sanchez, insists is not left out. They incorporate Savannah’s name into peach and apricot varietals they develop.

Halog Farms

Emilia Padilla, 30, works on her mom’s farm in Merced. Growing up, she worked at the farm and at markets. Knowing where fruits and vegetables come from, and getting to know the people who produce them, she said, has made her feel more grounded.

“Markets are a good place to meet people,” she said. “There’s a sense of community every time you come here.”

Info:

The Menlo Park Farmers’ Market is held each Sunday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot at Chestnut Street between Menlo and Santa Cruz avenues. The market is hosted by the Menlo Park Lions Club and raises money for its charitable initiatives. Some leftover produce is donated to local food service agencies.

• Related story: Menlo Park Farmers’ Market celebrates 25th anniversary.

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