A local take on local food

Bob O'Neal is the co-owner of Della Zona, a local brick oven pizza restaurant located on East State street. Along with his business partner Christine Hughes, O'Neal operates not only Della Zona but Village Bakery as well. 

Both restaurants specialize in using locally-grown organic  foods almost exclusively. By doing this, O'Neal explains, he is not only supporting the local economy, but offering food that is more healthful than most other restaurants. 

"There is no alternative for me," O'Neal said. The act of choosing local, organic food is very simple once you realize the facts of the situation, he said. O'Neal cited the use of chemicals and "slave labor" by food producers around the world as reasons why he uses as few non-local food producers as possible.

"There is the health crisis, which is directly related to the food that people are eating today," O'Neal said. Many producers use inhumane methods to create their food because it is cheap, even though those methods are not healthful for people who eat the food,  he said. 

O'Neal instead buys his vegetables, milk and meats from local sustainable farms. These farmers do not use harsh pesticides on plants or give steroids to animals, he said. Instead, these farmers utilize reusable composting methods and ecologically sound farming practices that produce better food, he said. 

Della Zona uses food from farms and farmers that we know, O'Neal said. "We know that it's healthy," he said.

O'Neal said that he works with local farmers to make sure that they are producing food that lives up to his high expectations of sustainability and healthfulness. Of course as a restaurant owner, O'Neal must make sure that he has enough product to satisfy his customer's cravings. In this capacity, he works with local producers to procure enough of a year's yield to ensure that he will have enough vegetables and meats to last the year, especially when certain necessary vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, are not in season. 

O'Neal said that even though he goes to great lengths to find the perfect food to make his pizzas with, certain foods just cannot be found in Ohio, so he must go elsewhere. Olive oil and artichokes are two things that we get from outside ohio, he said. But the artichokes are organic, at least, he said. 

O'Neal said that there is a thriving local food initiative among students in Athens, but it is difficult sometimes for undergrads who are living in the dorms to cook their own food, especially considering they must eat dining hall food the first two years of college.

Below is an interview conducted by Athens F.M. with Mr. O'Neal. In it, this local foodie discusses everything from local farms to Ohio University students to maple-roasted rhubarb.

A One-of-a-Kind History

In the early '70s, there was talk amongst local farmers that Athens ought to have a farmers market. After setting up shop in metered spots on Court street to sell their goods, these local farmers were told by the city move elsewhere. John Millar, a district conservationist in Athens at the time, was put in charge with finding a suitable, permanent place for Athens' new farmers market. Many places were offered, including the county fairgrounds, but Millar and the others chose the East State Street Park and Recreation area. Bylaws were drafted, and it was decided, like many other farmers markets, that only producers of t

he products would be able to sell their goods at the market. 

With the official thumbs-up from Athens' mayor at the time, Donald Barrett, the market began selling its products to the surrounding community on "a summer day in 1972," according 

to the Athens Farmers Market Web site. The market was to be held Saturdays at 10 a.m. from April to Thanksgiving at the East State Street City Park, on a paved lot near the tennis courts. 

Ten years after the market first offered its produce to outsiders, it was moved to a new parking area that was closer to East State street. As the market grew in size and clout, more producers chose to sell their products through the once-weekly market (or twice, depending on what time of year you are going).

The market made a dra

stic change when in 1995 it was decided that the market should stay open year round. Also, the city passed a levy that would allow for the creation of a community center that would take up the space that was, at the time, being used to host the market. 

In 1998, the managers of the farmers market were allowed to relocate to the University Mall parking lot. The new location allowed for more producer stalls and wider aisles for customers to walk through. Also, it naturally allowed for more traffic flow because of the added space for customers to park their cars, which used to be a problem for the market at its previous location because the community center lacked adequate parking. 

In 2004, to boost attendance from campus and up-town residents, the city held a Sunday morning market downtown once a month. But with lackluster attendance, the promotional market was ended in after one year. 

In 2006, market managers outlined a plan to develop a permanent pavilion at which the market would be hosted weekly. The plans foiled, however, after the owners of University Mall pulled out of negotiations. According to AFM's Web site, the market was set to move back to its beginnings in the community center parking lot in 2008, but to this day the market continues to be held in the University Mall parking lot, serving the community from its home on East State street.

The preceding history was condensed from information on the Athens Farmers Market Web site. 

The two pictures are from Flickr. The first one is of some vegetables at the Farmers Market in Jackson, Miss., and it is by NatalieMaynor. The second photo is from the San Francisco Public Library's online photo archive. It depicts the San Francisco farmers market on its 10th anniversary in 1953.  

Welcome to Athens F.M.

Hello all, and welcome to Athens F.M. a place for those new to the Athens Farmers Market. Athens is a small town ripe with culture. Housing Ohio University, this community an hour and a half southeast of Columbus prides itself on its Appalachian heritage, home-grown aura and neighborly demeanor. Nowhere else can those characteristics be more tangibly felt than at Athens Farmers Market. Bundled in the close-knit quarters of the University Mall parking lot on E. State Street, hundreds of visitors snake past the vendors every Saturday morning, considering the newest offering of fruits, vegetables and breads from local growers. Local musicians fill the air regional tunes for shoppers to tap their foot to. Many regulars just go there to talk and catch up on recent events their respective lives. There is no one reason why so many return week in and week out. The pull of the market for every person is as unique as its visitors. 

Although many local residents know of the Athens Farmers Market and visit it regularly, not as many Ohio University students are aware of its existence, let alone shop at it. I was one of those students until recently. But after experiencing the Athens Farmers Market in all of its gastronomical glory, I believe that I must alleviate the problem by introducing more OU students to all that the Athens Farmers Market has to offer. So I hope that you enjoy the site, visit it often and learn something about one of Athens' great landmarks, the Athens Farmers Market.