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Artisanal L.A. will be returning to the L.A. Mart this weekend, just in time for your Mother's Day shopping. They'll be bringing over 200 edible and home good makers to the show, including plenty of new vendors on Saturday and Sunday.
Want to know what's in store? We talked to the event's founder, Shawna Dawson, to about what to be excited about -- beyond the baby goats that will be in attendance of course. She's also shared a gallery of some of her favorite new purveyors. Check it out.
What's been the most exciting part of watching the festival grow?
What's most exciting is seeing the proliferation of local food crafters since our first show in 2010, much of which has to do withCalifornia's new cottage food law that recently went into effect. When we were getting our event off the ground we had to hunt and peck to root out new food crafting talent since so many were essentially developing their budding businesses underground, but all of that has changed now, and there seems to be an endless well of talent emerging... It's also been exciting to see secondary distribution channels like Good Eggs sprout up to support these food crafters and close the loop beyond the market testing and promotional value of events like ours.
What are some new twists that people can look forward to this year?
We've expanded programming with happenings every hour on our main stage, plus the return of Sow Swell's Urban Farm, the Skylight Books Pop-Up Shop, and a new demo stage where the New School of Cooking and Gourmandise School will be doing cooking classes and demos alongside cocktail workshops with downtown's Greenbar Distillery.
Are there any surprises you have up your sleeve?
We'll be welcoming back one of our most popular panels -- craft beer -- with Eagle Rock Brewery, Angel City, Golden Road, Monkfish and Craftsman. This is the first time our attendees will also have the opportunity to sample many of the beers we'll be talking about in an impromptu local craft beer garden, which hasn't been publicized yet, and should be a fun surprise for most guests.
Did you learn anything from curating the yurts at Coachella that you'll apply this time around at Artisanal?
Even festival goers want local, handmade festival food and the locavore movement is here to stay. Our summertime favorites like Bon Puf and Sweet Clementine's were a big hit at Coachella...There's a lot going on all weekend long, so just like you would for any festival, we recommend downloading the guide on our website to your smart phone so you can plan ahead and don't miss out on anything. And never leave home without a bandana. You never know when you might need a bandana.
Tickets for Artisanal L..A are $12 and can be purchased here.
