Written by Melissa Vatterott, Food and Farm Coordinator. Originally published August 2015.
Their Food Story: The Schlafly Bottleworks brewery and restaurant hosts a Wednesday afternoon producer-only farmers market April through October and a once a month Saturday morning winter market November through March. Schlafly also grows seasonal produce in a less than 1/7 acre garden that supplies the Bottleworks and Tap Room restaurants.
A Person Behind the Project: Brian DeSmet manages the Schlafly Farmers Market and Gardenworks. He has been working and volunteering at St. Louis area farmers markets since 2008 and was an EarthDance organic farming apprentice in 2009, the first year of the program. He has grown food for himself and others in Ferguson and in several south St. Louis neighborhoods. In 2013, Schlafly Farmers Market began accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or colloquially referred to as food stamps) as a form of payment after several months of work by Brian. He then worked with other producer-only farmers markets in the region to create a double dollar program for SNAP recipients at farmers markets, SNAP 2 It!
Organizational Websites: www.schlafly.com and www.schlaflyfarmersmarket.com