Farmers’ Friend

Catt White of Little Italy’s Mercato Speaks to Us From Paris

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

It was the vacation she had been waiting for.

Since reigniting her twice-weekly Mercato in Little Italy after two years of shutdowns and dizzying health protocols brought on by Covid, farmers market operator, Catt White, was finally able to break away to savor the divine cheeses and fresh fish readily available on the streets of Paris.

Her extended visit to the city last month picked up where she left off prior to the pandemic; she always takes one of her nine grandchildren on vacation there, when they turn 12.

This trip was a year overdue for the lucky grand kid in line. It incorporated a side jaunt to London as well as routine visits to farmers markets, which have long given White inspiration for running similar ones on San Diego turf as the CEO of San Diego Markets.

We caught up with White one evening while she was still soaking in The City of Love (sadly by phone rather than in-person, where we might have caught a glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe) to chat about her Little Italy Mercato and the challenges facing our local farmers.

Downtown Condo Guys: Where and when did you launch your first farmers market?

White: It was the Mercato in Little Italy, in 2008. We had 43 vendors on opening day, operating within a little more than one block. On Saturdays, we now have 175 vendors on six city blocks. Our Wednesday market is smaller. That takes up two blocks, although it will possibly extend into a third block this summer.

Downtown Condo Guys: What led you into creating the Mercato?

White: I’ve been a serial entrepreneur with a distinct thread of having all my businesses related to food. I owned a restaurant, a food-industry trade publication, worked as a project manager for a construction company that built restaurants, and was a marketing consultant for restaurant clients. So I knew a lot of farmers, chefs, bakers, and small-food makers.

Downtown Condo Guys: What other markets have you run in San Diego?

White: We were asked to come in and turn around the North Park Farmers Market in 2011. I operated it for eight years as well as the Pacific Beach Farmers Market for almost 10 years. By the time they became strong, we had slightly different visions on what each of them wanted for their neighborhoods. So it was time to let other operators take over. The excitement for me is growing a market.

Downtown Condo Guys: And you teach others how to operate farmers markets as well?

White: Yes, I consult through Farmers Market Pros, which started as a vendor-101 class in 2010 for teaching farmers and food makers how to start businesses and learn about permits—and there are many. We also have a podcast called Tent Talk that we’ve been producing for more than three years.

Downtown Condo Guys: What type of vendors best qualify for the Mercato?

White: We focus on farmers and promote them. It’s important to keep farmers farming. When you buy an avocado for $1 at a farmers market, the farmer keeps the dollar. When you buy an avocado at a grocery store, the farmer keeps 9 to 11 cents, by the time you take out all the layers of overhead.

We also look for foods and products that are made in San Diego—or at least in Southern California. There is no re-selling of produce or flowers and not too many vendors selling prepared foods because 85 percent of businesses in Little Italy are restaurants. Our mission is to be a grocery store on the street because there are no grocery stores in the neighborhood.

Downtown Condo Guys: How do the farmers markets in Paris differ from their American counterparts?

White: The city of Paris requires each arrondissement to have at least one farmers market a week because they believe it’s a human right. And the city shows its support of the markets by putting poles in the ground for vendor tents and supplying water and electricity. In America, vendors have to bring and do everything themselves.

I modeled the Mercato in Little Italy after French and Italian markets, where the markets are considered essential. Fresh fish and meat, for example, were not available at farmers markets in San Diego, and I brought them in from the start. They’re not as abundant as in French markets, but we’ve definitely made progress.

Downtown Condo Guys: What are the biggest challenges facing our local growers these days?

White: The price of water. We’ve been in one level or another of a drought for seven years now. It’s a scary thing for farmers. And the price of land and labor in San Diego County is also high. Labor costs are even trickier now because there’s big business growing cannabis in California. Cannabis sells for a lot more money than zucchini, which means cannabis farmers can pay more for their labor than the farmers growing fruits and vegetables. Also, we’ve had really oppressive immigration laws, which has hit farmers really hard in terms of labor.

Downtown Condo Guys: Favorite farmers market purchases on this trip?

White: Here in Paris, I go most often to the Bastille Market on Wednesdays and Sundays, where I like to buy cheese, salted butter, fish—and during this time of year, asparagus and leeks. I always stay at an Airbnb, so I have a kitchen to cook in.