For many people the subject of this post may conjur up visions of rotisserie chicken spinning in their heads, but be assured, I write of the Public market which has just opened today in Boston.
Reminiscent of many other urban markets such as Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal, the BPM is trying to establish itself as an all local, all season, food market. I stopped by at the height of rush hour as streets were gridlocked with cars trying to get out of town ahead of an approaching storm and the swirl of humanity moving through the streets made the crushing humidity unbearable outside. Some vendors were not quite ready for today’s grand opening and the venue at the Haymarket MBTA stop was much too chaotic today for a full assessment. What follows then are my first impressions…
Once in the BPM I found salvation in the cool air and serenity amongst fresh flowers and produce organized neatly in rows, vendor by vendor. I spoke with one charcuterie purveyor who’s products all come from Rhode Island where they raise pigs and cure meat. She handed me a free sample of Soppresata and I later noted that even the packaging was from a local collaboration with students at the a Rhode Island School of Design. Around the corner I picked up a small bunch of parsley for tonight’s dinner from an all Vermont farmstand. Among other things, here they offered the soft creamy bonne bouche coated in its ash rind from Vermont Creamery. On the other side of the market I saw a vendor selling fresh made pastas in a variety of extruded shapes across from a separate stall of well stocked produce both verdant and varied.
Overall the Boston Public Market has the potential to be one of the city’s great treasures.
I’ll be sure to go back but for now here are some pictures I snapped on day one…
- bits of grass - 
It looks great and comes alive through your writing.