"Fall In Love With My Cheese"

I’m not going to lie. I didn’t expect to find something to actually be excited enough about to dedicate an entire blog to, let alone for that something to be on the first walkabout. But the Sugarhouse Farmer’s Market really impressed me.

Our group arrived promptly at three o’clock. Most people were still setting up—talking and laughing with each other and at first it was a little weird that we were the only non-vendors there. But that quickly went away as we were included in the vendor’s conversations from all sides.

I went up to his booth because he was giving out free cheese. I love every aspect of that phrase: free cheese. Cheese is my absolute favorite thing to eat and the fact that it was free just makes it that much better. Generally I feel very acutely that awkward moment in between when one sees the sample and actually gets to eat it. Then after you eat it, you always have to ask them questions, as if that will distract them from the fact that you have absolutely no intention of buying what it is they are selling. It is all just a lot of awkward effort, and I have been known to avoid sampling before because of it. It was different here though. The man at the booth, Brent, was friendly and easygoing; I didn’t have to force conversation with him. He invited me to “fall in love with his cheese.” (Which I quickly did, I ended up getting the smoked cheddar; it was delicious.)

In fact, I began to realize that everyone that we walked up to was like Brent. They were passionate about what they were selling, and more interested in telling you about it than actually getting you to buy it. To them, making friends is more important than making money, and making a difference actually means something. They want you to share in what they are passionate about, and that is what I feel the Sugarhouse District is all about. I loved it.

Written By: Stephanie Pugmire