HOBART — Every Friday evening, the village green, off Maple Avenue in Hobart transforms into something more than a small-town farmers market. Opening May 30, from 4 to 7 p.m., the Hobart Farmers’ Market offers more than fresh produce and local fare — it offers an experience.
Judy Stewart Vidal, a goat farmer at Roam on the Range, remembers when the market nearly disappeared.
“Our customer base dwindled because of the growing number of farmers’ markets in the area,” she said. “When vendors announced they weren’t coming back last season, Ayhan and I just couldn’t let the market die.”
Ayhan Dargin, a Turkish beekeeper who moved to Hobart from the Bronx with his wife, Mony, and young son, said the couple leaned into their cultural roots when reimagining the market.
“Tea in Turkish culture is a must,” Dargin explained. “It’s not just a drink — it starts conversations. People come to drink tea together, but really, they come to talk.”
He’ll be preparing and serving complimentary traditional Turkish black tea on-site — steeped in a double teapot, gently filtered, and served with or without sugar — as a gesture of hospitality. Visitors are encouraged to linger at the café-style tables under the trees, sipping and chatting. Donations for tea are welcome, but not required.
The emphasis on community connection is part of what sets Hobart’s market apart. It’s intimate, globally inspired, and deeply local — both in product and in spirit.
“We’re really maximizing our origins,” said Vidal. “Ayhan is Turkish, Mony is from Thailand. I’m of French descent. We’re offering what we grow and what we know.”
Mony will sell a wide array of heirloom seedlings — from dinosaur kale and arugula to Chinese broccoli and chamomile — alongside fresh herbs, lettuces and beans. Later in the season, she hopes to offer tomatoes and peppers grown on the family’s 67-acre riverfront farm.
The couple’s farm also supplies local honey and pollen, thanks to the constant bloom of wildflowers on their land.
“It’s perfect for the bees,” Ayhan said, who’s been beekeeping for eight years.
Meanwhile, Vidal will offer a curated selection of goat meat cuts, including her signature goat merguez, a North African-style sausage processed locally by Solinsky Meats in Stamford.
“What makes our meat special is that it’s cabrito — young goat, under a year old,” she said. “It’s tender, and raised completely on grass. No corn. Just forage.”
She herds her goats the traditional way, by walking with them through 30 wooded acres. “They get to choose what they eat. It’s like a buffet,” she said with a laugh. “And I’m there with them — as the shepherd.”
The Friday market is timed to serve both locals and the influx of weekenders who arrive from metro areas. With support from the Hobart Community Foundation and the Thompson Family Trust, the team has invested in infrastructure — tables, signage, and social media promotion — to attract broader attention.
“We want it to feel like an event, not just a shopping trip,” Dargin said. “Visitors will meet locals. Locals will meet each other. We’ll talk. That’s the point.”
The market’s revival reflects something deeper than commerce — a belief in Hobart as home.
“We moved here without even seeing the house first,” Mony admitted. “But we’ve never regretted it. We wanted our son close to nature, close to people. Not just buildings.”
Vidal nodded. “I feel I belong here,” she said. “And this market — it’s our way of celebrating that.”
Hobart Farmers’ Market
Fridays, 4–7 p.m. | Village Green, Maple Avenue
Opening Day: May 30
