Rancho Bernardo Certified Farmers Market Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Most of the dew has evaporated from the shrubs by the time  shoppers begin strolling through the Rancho Bernardo Certified Farmers Market between 9 a.m. and noon on Friday mornings. The open-air market is nestled at the entrance to the Bernardo Winery.

While the winter weather might have impacted other farmers markets, this has not been the case at the Rancho Bernardo market which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, manager Mike Manchor said.

“We’ve been lucky,” he said. “It hasn’t rained on us.”

In addition to overseeing the farmers market, Manchor and his wife, Catherine, sell macadamia nuts, large juicy bear limes and exotic varieties of avocados such as Zutano and Bacon for their own business, Rex Ranch Avocado & Citrus of De Luz.

“We get a lot of mothers with children who visit us after the Hullabaloo Concert,” Catherine Manchor said. The sing-a-long is held at 10:30 a.m. in an adjacent building.

Mike Manchor said there are about 30 vendors selling everything from organic bamboo clothing, handcrafted wooden sculptures and women’s clothes to fresh produce.

“The flower guy is the highest seller,” Catherine Manchor added.

Many visitors arrive hungry so they can fill up on a smorgasbord of delicacies from crepes to Greek food.

Eduardo Diaz has been selling his Gourmet Tamales since March 2000 when he bought the business from its original owner, who decided to return to his native Guatemala. Diaz said he was working for his uncle, who has a produce stand  called Valdivia Farms of Carlsbad, when the opportunity presented itself.

“We had a selection of 12 tamales when I bought the business,” he said. “Now we have 23 varieties.”

Just two years after buying the business, Diaz won first place for his Squash Blossom Tamale at the Indio Tamale Fest.

He also sells his Gourmet Tamales to Whole Foods in La Jolla and Tustin and Mother’s Markets throughout Orange County.

“Every three months I deliver an order of 1,000 tamales to the Lindo Michoacan Restaurant in Las Vegas,” Diaz added.

Three 8-ounce tamales cost $7.50.

The most popular combinations are chicken with green sauce for carnivores, chile relleno for vegetarians and black bear for vegans.

“The black bean tamale with green salsa and feta on top is my favorite,” Diaz said. “I’m a vegetarian myself so quality is important. That’s why I buy my vegetables locally from my uncle in Carlsbad.”

On the other side of the farmers market, Rancho Bernardo resident Cosmo Behzadi was busy selling imported table linens and hand-painted ceramics from the south of France at below-market prices. A laminated round tablecloth from Provence that would sell for $85 in a store is $59 through his business, Desire. A large woven jacquard tablecloth that would retail for $180 costs $110 at the farmers market.

“My prices are 30 to 35 percent lower than what you would pay in a store,” Behzadi said. “I am sure about that—customers can check for themselves.”

 He says he loves the Rancho Bernardo market because of its proximity to the winery and a loyal customer base.

“If you go into the Café Merlot you'll see that the tables are all covered with my tablecloths,” Behzadi said, smiling.