Only one Black woman-owned farmer’s market in Minnesota makes better nutrition available to everyone.
Chaz Sandifer’s Lakeview Terrace Farmer’s Market in Robbinsdale is in its second year of providing the community with access to healthy food, wellness, and community building. According to WCCO, Sandifer’s market features farmers from across the region who offer customers locally grown, in-season produce. Vendors at the market sell fresh meat and artisan baked goods, jams, juices, and crafts.
“We have a lack of food access. We have lot[s] of food disparities and health disparities and the root cause— people don’t have the access or the knowledge to
healthy food,” Sandifer said in an interview on WCCO Radio. Shoppers at the market can access meals, coffee, and snacks prepared on-site from various food trucks and booths.Sandifer shared that food is one of many enjoyments patrons will experience at the Minnesota market. “We have free fitness classes every Saturday at 9:30 a.m,” she shared, which will be hosted on-site in partnership with
Fitness Sisters, according to the website. “We’ve got music, art classes with the city of Robbinsdale, cooking demonstrations and competitions, and back-to-school events later in the season. We want the whole community to come out,” Sandifer told WCCO. Visitors can watch Knife-Offs featuring local chefs from across the region and join in on the annual Back to School Bash and Backpack Giveaway.
Although the market is Black-owned, Sandifer clarified that it “doesn’t mean it’s just for Black people,” It is an experience where everyone is welcome to gather. She added, “We are going to have so much fun this summer!”
Sandifer sponsors and manages the Lakeview Terrace Farmer’s Market through her small business theNEWmpls, in partnership with the City of Robbinsdale.
The Lakeview Terrace Farmer’s Market will run from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. every Saturday through Sept. 23, 2023. Residents and visitors of Minnesota can locate the market at the northeast corner of Bottineau Boulevard (CR 81) and Lakeland Avenue, in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, across from Hy-Vee.