Image courtesy of Artisanal LA and used with permission.
When was the last time you handcrafted a wooden spoon?
Or, for that matter, made a fizzy tea as a healthier substitute for soda…whipped up your own goat cheese…or learned the ins and outs of beekeeping?
This weekend, you’ll get all those opportunities–and more–as Artisanal LA returns to downtown Los Angeles for their Fall 2013 show!
“We have…nearly 40 workshops, demos, panels and book signings,” says Artisanal L.A. founder Shawna Dawson. “We now have an entire floor (of the L.A. Mart) dedicated to education and workshops.”
These workshops, though, are just one aspect of the event. Artisanal LA is a seasonal, weekend-long showcase of the best artisanal food vendors from all over the country. Rainbow-colored macarons from Hollywood, nut butters from Brooklyn, and meats from San Francisco are just three of the specialties available. And as you stroll, taste and learn, you can also find some very cool handcrafted gifts.
“We’ve also expanded, this year, to officially feature both home goods and edibles, since the two so naturally go hand in hand,” Shawna explains. “This year, we planned to feature 150 vendors, and we ended up with 178.”
Shawna says the artisanal food movement has blossomed since she created Artisanal LA and coordinated the first Fall Show in downtown LA, in October, 2010.
“At the time, there were numerous craft maker events, but nothing that really focused on food…and the makers and stories behind them,” she explains. “When we started out, we had about 70 vendors at the show…and we had to search under lots of rocks to find them!”
That search became easier. A “Holiday Pop-Up Show”, followed Artisanal LA’s October debut, and a Spring 2011 show came next. Attendees responded to the series with enthusiasm.
“Each of our past events has drawn a larger crowd than the previous (one),” Shawna recalls.
So much so, in fact, that the 2013 Artisanal LA Fall Show has a new and larger venue: the L.A. Mart, in downtown Los Angeles. This fall’s show includes a shopping area at Magic Box, on the second floor, and the workshops and book signings Shawna mentioned at Maker City LA, on the eleventh floor.
“We were fortunate to have L.A. Mart and Maker City LA reach out to us about their space,” Shawna says. “The L.A. Mart space would allow us to practically double the size of the event to three-hundred-plus vendors over the next year or two.”
In the midst of all this growth, though, Shawna hasn’t deviated from Artisanal LA’s mission.
“I hope…all of our programming inspires attendees to rediscover the simple pleasure of making,” she comments, “be it a wooden spoon, a loaf of bread from a starter, something as simple as their first jar of jam or as lofty as bringing beehives into the backyard. All of which you can learn about at the event!”
Want to learn, taste, and shop? Artisanal LA takes place this Saturday and Sunday, October 12th and 13th, at the LA Mart, on 1933 Broadway near Washington in downtown Los Angeles. Hours are from 11 am to 6 pm, both days, and tickets are available online. All programming and workshops are included in ticket prices unless otherwise noted on the schedule.