About Cookin' the Market

Cookin' the Market is a program of cooking demonstrations in farmers' markets and other community events that show just how quick and easy it is to cook with fresh, locally-grown ingredients.

The Cookin’ the Market program was developed as a pilot program in 2005 in a partnership between the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association (PCFMA) and Kaiser Permanente San Jose. The goal of the partnership was to develop a fun and interactive way of teaching people about the importance of nutrition in their overall health and to inspire them to try new ways of incorporating healthy foods into their diets.

The success of the pilot effort led to a long-term partneship between Cookin' the Market and Kaiser Permanente. In late 2005, PCFMA was the recipient of a three-year community benefit grant from Kaiser Permanente Northern California to support an expansion of the program that allowed Cookin' the Market to hire full-time chefs and begin to expand its efforts from cooking demonstrations to include more hands-on cooking classes.

In 2008, PCFMA entered into a longterm partnership with Fresh Approach, a nonprofit organization committed promoting a stronger local food system in the Bay Area and to helping local residents make better-informed choices about food and nutrition. Cookin' the Market continues today as a partnership between these two organizations with PCFMA contributing its network of farmers' markets and connections with hundreds of farmers throughout California and Fresh Approach contributing its network of community organizations that share a commitment to building a stronger food system and increasing access to healthy foods.

Check out our Upcoming Demonstrations page often to find out which market we will be cooking at next, and check our recipes page for great healthy recipes you can make with your fresh and healthy products from your local farmers' market.