David Kim or "Dave" as he likes to be called, is the creator and owner of Dave’s Gourmet Korean Food. A former acupuncturist, Dave had the idea that eating could not only provide nutrition, but could also heal the body by consuming foods that have medicinal properties.  With that in mind, Dave created a full line of traditional Korean side dishes that have a special twist.  He has replaced the usual shellfish and seafood that is commonly used in Korean fare, with items like fermented Daikon Radishes that help eliminate the toxins accumulating in our fat cells and Korean Seaweed Salad loaded …

James Derner's passion for natural skin and hair products began with a book his boss gave him to read during a part-time job selling wholesale vegetable oil. Experimenting with raw ingredients and essential oils, Derner's first all-natural concoction cost him 2 ½ years of study, and thousands of dollars in trial and error.   However, since that initial sale (which began at a farmer's market), Derner's line, called Clean Living, has expanded considerably thanks to customer requests. Venturing beyond his 15 fragrances of soap, the collection now includes skin and hair products such as body …

Using flowers, fruit, and herbs from local farmers markets--Jessica Mortarotti, founder and flavor developer--of Carmela Ice Cream and Sorbet gives an elegant spin to a summertime favorite: ice cream.  Flavors like Salted Caramel, Lavender Honey, and Lemon Basil Sorbet have allowed her to receive praise in the Los Angeles Times, Bon Appetit, and Bravo's Top Chef--with more television appearances happening in the fall... Employee and long-time friend Bob Brindley sells the ice cream in the farmers markets with his "actor" charm--diddling his words with a tune or two.  When customers ask him …

Born in the French Alps, Laurent Bonjour has an expansive knowledge of cheese. His customers call him "The French Cowboy," "The Cheese Master" or simply "Monsieur" as they stop by his refrigerator truck to sample some of his 75 varieties of cheese. Sporting an Australian leather hat, Bonjour offers them a taste as well as recounting the history, legends and lineage of his tasty treats.     Laurent Bonjour's Cheese Corner can be spotted at five Southern California Farmers Markets.  This is an ongoing Patch series about "Stories from the Farmers Market." Got a vendor you think we should feature…

The wind-driven, soothing melody of clanking cutlery draped in the breezy archway of Laurie Najim's market canopy draws curious onlookers like flies to an old-fashioned American pie. The chimes are made from discarded items Najim has picked up from garage sales, friends and even the side of the curb.  Working as a buyer in the corporate garment world for nearly 25 years, Najim said she's got a flare for style, and enjoys it when people notice the little nuances of her work--say, a gold knife dangling amid a collection of silver. The unique chimes immediately catch the eye while their song …

Ten years ago, Gary Silverstein was working a steady 9-to-5 job, stuck in an office sorting through financial medical records. Today, he's sharpening knives and scissors for the wardrobe departments at Fox, Paramount, the Ahmanson and Mark Taper Forum, to name a few.       He said the idea of a career change came to him in a vivid daydream, where he saw a mobile knife sharpener pull up in a truck where he and his buddies were playing stickball. After awakening from the daydream, Gary quit his job and researched extensively online to teach himself this obscure trade. Gary's Knife Sharpening …

As a child in Northern Africa, Anis Bennaman had never tasted hummus. That changed when he moved to the United States in 2005.  Today, his business, Baba Foods boasts a factory in San Diego, business with Costco, and five Southern California regional managers. The secret, he said, is a constantly changing blend of spices. "My partner and I met this man who taught us how to make hummus, and when he moved to New York, he gave us the recipes," he said.  "We added our own spices, and we change them all the time." According to Bennaman, he sees thousands of customers a day at the local farmers …

Don't be fooled by the word "sugar" when it comes to Raw Cane Super Juice, a healthy form of all-natural, non-fat juice, packed with antioxidants.  The special cane concoction found at Culver City's farmers market is 100 percent raw grass (much like bamboo), meaning the sugar taken from the cane is never boiled into refined sugar, so you get the sweet taste without the side effects.    In fact, the juice is a nutritious, alkalizing stew of ingredients, including chlorophyll, minerals and proteins.  It only contains 15 percent natural sugars, as compared to other fruit juices that are loaded …

Dexter Scott grows 37 different types of beans and sprouts on his 50 x 50-foot backyard potting pad.  Coupled with the magic of photosynthesis, Scott germinates the seeds in canisters using a technique learned from his mother in the 1920s. But it isn't his green thumb that gets the job done--it's his fingering.  Every morning Scott serenades his sprouts with personalized jazzy variations based upon  old classics such as "It Had to Be You," "Tenderly" and "Misty."   "These are people," Scott said.  "You have to treat them like different people.  Each one gets their own song, and if they're a …

Dirk Hermann, owner of LAFungHi, was a personal chef for more than 25 years.  Now he carries 40 to 50 varieties of mushrooms in his refrigerator truck, carting collections from Europe, Africa, South America and his fields and forest in Northern California to eager buyers at the Culver City Farmers Market.  From an early age, Hermann established an affinity for cooking and a passion for mushrooms. By 18 he owned his first restaurant, Gasthof Drexle, in the Bavarian Alps.  During Hermann's ownership, a mushroom hunter named Heini would frequently drop in with several varieties.  Hermann would …