New weekly market in Bradenton serves up produce, wine, Italian street eats

A new weekly event in Village of the Arts in Bradenton invites locals to shop the bounty of a farmers’ market with some Italian specialties sprinkled in.

At Ortygia Food and Wine Market, Wednesday visitors will find vendors offering fresh fruits, vegetables and canned goods, discounted wines, olive oil and vinegar, breads and baked goods.

The idea was cooked up by Gaetano Cannata, owner and chef of French-Sicilian eatery Ortygia, and his business partner April Childers. Childers saw a local produce supplier looking for opportunities to partner with other businesses and struck up a conversation, Cannata said.

When the owners of Myakka City-based Samantha and Jorge’s Mobile Produce agreed to the idea of a weekly market, the restaurant partners started looking for other vendors to add.

It came to fruition last week, the first event held in a socially distanced format outside of Ortygia restaurant at 1418 13th St. W., Bradenton.

Shoppers can sample most items at the market, according to Cannata. He will also be whipping up a different Italian street food every week.

For week two, the chef chose Arancini, a deep-fried rice ball stuffed with beef and spices that Cannata says is the first thing he seeks out upon arriving in Sicily.

“They are just incredible. It’s actually stuffed with a cinnamon Bolognese. In Sicily, they still have vestiges of the Renaissance in their cooking, so they’ll use cinnamon, like they do say in North Africa.”

And then there’s dessert.

A gelato vendor will be on site selling sweet and chilly delights made with ingredients sourced from Italy. And Cannata will also have a supply of specialty Sicilian chocolate bars for sale.

The market’s first outing was a success, the chef said.

“It gives businesses a place to sell, and people something to do,” Cannata said. “We had an incredible showing. People loved the whole idea.”

The market will continue on a weekly basis throughout the summer as long as it remains popular, Cannata said, with plans to possibly continue as a monthly event once the Bradenton Farmers’ Market resumes in the fall.

COVID-19 precautions include social distancing between vendors and personal shoppers that are available for customers who would rather stay in a vehicle.

Ortygia Food and Wine Market

Details: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays. Ortygia, 1418 13th St. W., Bradenton.

Info: ortygiarestaurant.com.

This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 10:00 AM.