Community hotspot Phoenix Public Market Cafe celebrated one year of business with an evening filled with live music, delicious food and a farmers market last Wednesday.
The restaurant and bar, located just off Central Avenue on Pierce Street, opened its doors last May after being renovated from a past grocery store into a full-blown dining location.
“I used to go to the public market when it was a grocery store and I was really sad when they closed,” said downtown resident Sarah Stadler-Ammon. “When I saw that it was now a restaurant with all of the same specialties and local food as the grocery store, I couldn’t be happier.”
The restaurant has become one of the most populated and locally supported businesses in downtown Phoenix, according to Phoenix Public Market Cafe manager Drew Decker.
“We’re really proud and happy with how far we’ve come,” Decker said. “We’ve become a place for the community to gather.”
The restaurant’s one-year celebration reiterated Decker’s opinion. When last week’s anniversary event began, the line was already out the door and the food trucks parked in the lot next door were calling out orders every few minutes.
The evening celebration, complete with a beer garden, fresh barbecue, food trucks, live music and a farmers market, showed how the Phoenix Public Market Cafe has become a staple for downtown Phoenix. On regular business days, the Phoenix Public Market Cafe offers breakfast, lunch and dinner along with a coffee bar that also serves specialty cocktails and beers on tap.
“We’ve grown with the community, we’ve grown with the students at ASU and we hope to continue to grow for as long as we can,” Decker said.
The restaurant sees plenty of cooperation with its next-door neighbors, the Open Air Market. The farmers market is adjacent to the restaurant in the parking lot next door and is held every Saturday morning and Wednesday evening.
“I really appreciate the partnership between the farmers market and the Phoenix Public Market,” Stadler-Ammon said. “It’s a place where people can gather with friends and family and enjoy a fresh garden salad, just like I am right now, catching up with my coworker.”
The Open Air Market, which began in 2005, is a program of nonprofit Community Food Connections, which strengthens sustainable food systems by supporting small farmers and businesses and producing healthy products for the Phoenix community.
“They have the most delicious food in the Valley, at least in my opinion,” said downtown resident Kerice Doten-Snitker while snacking on a bowl of fruit. “I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they use local ingredients.”
The Phoenix Public Market Cafe’s one-year anniversary was not only a celebration for owner Aaron Chamberlin and the entire staff, but also for the local farmers, creators and the community as a whole.
“It’s unusual to see downtown full of people walking around, but the Phoenix Public Market has created that for us,” Doten-Snitker said. “I see people in and out of this cafe all the time and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.”
Contact the reporter at Natalie.Crandall@asu.edu
