Metro Jacksonville

Quoteby Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
A restaurant returns to the Jacksonville Farmers Market in about three weeks as food service veterans Andy and Jack Akel open Andy’s Farmers Market Grill.

The brothers will use the fresh produce at the West Beaver Street farmers market on the menu. They plan to open May 3 and will serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The new cinderblock building sits just inside the entrance to the farmers market, not far from where Sandy’s Steer Room operated years ago. It can seat up to 30 people.

There are few restaurants with such close access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

“That’s one difference customers will really be able to taste and appreciate,” said Andy Akel, 43, who will own the restaurant with his brother, Jack, 42. “We focus on good food fast at a quality price, and the fresh produce will help us provide the best dishes we can.”

Andy has been working in the food service business for about 25 years. He and his brother own Andy’s Sandwich Shop at Lane Avenue and Interstate 10, so the new restaurant will be their second.

“It’s great work,” said Andy. “My favorite part is meeting different people.”

Akel will have the chance to meet more people at the new restaurant, which joins one of Florida’s oldest farmers markets. The Jacksonville Farmers Market offers produce from about 200 farmers and year-round vendors and attracts thousands of visitors who stop by the market each week.

The Akel brothers will staff the restaurant with another four to five people.

The restaurant is one of many improvements planned for the Jacksonville Farmers Market. Another building for vendors is in future plans, as well as converting a former grocery store, Premier Foods, for use by vendors at the market.

“It’s just part of the plan to continue to improve the market,” said Jeff Edwards, CFO of Beaver Street Fisheries, owner of the farmers market. “It’s a great opportunity for them and helps us provide a variety of products.”

Akel’s goal is to provide good food fast at a good price. A sneak peek at the menu revealed a listing for eggs, sausage, grits and toast, with coffee, going for $3.99 plus tax.

“We plan to keep the menu reasonable,” said Akel. “We expect to see a mix of blue-collar and white-collar customers. There are vendors and farmers working at the market, but there are also offices located nearby and we expect to get some traffic from them.”

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=530775

This is a companion article:

QuoteFarm fresh on Beaver Street

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04/15/2010
by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer

Workspace: Jacksonville Farmers Market

The vast expanse of Jacksonville allows residents to discover places that they didn’t know about, even if those places have been open for business for more than 70 years.

Such might be the case with the Jacksonville Farmers Market at 1810 W. Beaver St.

Formerly known as the location of one of the best steaks in Jacksonville, Sandy’s Steer Room, the Jacksonville Farmers Market is about five minutes from Downtown along Beaver Street or the same amount of time from Riverside via Stockton.

Its vendors sell goods from all over the Southeastern U.S. and customers include restaurant operators, grocery store owners and families looking for fresh produce.

Schools also visit the market to view the combination of agriculture and commerce.

“We had a teacher from Douglas, Georgia, call us today to set up a visit for her students,” said market manager Greg Tison. “It’s just one of the many things that makes us unique.”

Another special aspect of the market is its ability to meet the needs of different markets.

“I don’t think there are too many other markets that cater to both wholesale and retail customers,” said Jeff Edwards, CFO of Beaver Street Industries, which owns the market. “Our vendors meet the needs of restaurants and grocery stores as well as the needs of the general public.”

Customers can find familiar Florida offerings, including oranges, grapefruit, watermelon and strawberries, as well as exotic items such as cactus leaves, ginger root and mangoes. There’s sugar cane, too.

“We also allow other items to be sold at the market like fresh fish and Mayport shrimp,” said Edwards.

There also are bottles of syrup, honey, sauces and spices for sale.

These items can be sold in a variety of different ways. The market rents out covered and open stalls to vendors for varied amounts of time from a day to a year. The market boasts about 200 year-round vendors and the regular vendors who rent normally work to build displays to better show their merchandise. Others can simply come for the day, park their truck in a stall, drop the tailgate and sell their produce.

Edwards also dispelled a myth associated with the year-round vendors.

“There’s a misconception about buying produce from a vendor,” said Edwards. “People think that they aren’t supporting farmers if they buy from a vendor, but farmers don’t normally want to sit here all day and sell their produce. They sell to the vendors so they can get back to the farm and take care of their crops.”

The vendors not only make it easier for farmers to do business, but they are also trying to make purchasing easier for customers. The market has developed a program to allow vendors to accept credit and debit cards with the help of card terminals with cellular connections. Not all vendors offer the service, but it is becoming more popular, Edwards said.

The terminals are also able to process EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) Cards, which are the newer form of food stamps.

This is considered a win-win for the vendor and the consumer. The vendor can offer the produce at a lower price than some chain supermarkets because of the lower overhead. This allows the family receiving government assistance to get more food for the dollar.

The market is in a constant state of development. A new restaurant will soon be open to serve breakfast and lunch near the entrance of the market. (See story page 4A)

Beaver Street Fisheries also purchased the land to the west of the market that was the former home of Premier Foods. The former grocery store is being renovated for use with the farmers market.

The market is easily accessible from Interstate 10 and I-95 from Stockton and Beaver Streets. People who live or work Downtown can take the free Beaver Street Trolley provided by JTA.

New Restaurant:

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