A new segment from FCFM, ‘Featured Vendor’ will focus on one vendor from our Market and will allow you to learn about that vendor and what they sell through a blog post or video. I (McKenzie) will be interviewing vendors and (hopefully) traveling around to the different farms to show you a first hand look at different farm operations. This week, I interviewed Veroncia Gayle from Daily Bread. Read on to learn about the interesting reason she and her sister started Daily Bread, the local ingredients they use, and Veronica’s favorite item she bakes…
“Daily Bread is the product of a vision to contribute to the sustainability of our local market. When the Farmers market started in our county we were so thrilled that we decided to become vendors. Technically we do not have a farm but we do have enough land to grow herbs so that's how we began. Not having done any kind of market research, we had no idea that the demand for herbs was practically nonexistent back then. So we started thinking about how we could showcase herbs in a medium that spoke to the average person. Bread was an obvious answer. Having come from a long line of great bakers and having been baking bread since I was about five years old, it was a good fit. After doing some homework, we decided artisan bread was the right choice for herb breads so we, Veronica Gayle and my sister Connie, began working on recipes. As our market presence grew we added more products including jams and jellies, sweet breads and pastries.”
Daily Bread has been at the Franklin County Farmers Market for 4-5 years, and offers artisan breads, homemade jams and jellies made with seasonal fruit, sweet breads like zucchini, banana, friendship and tropical bread. They also offer pastries including gourmet cookies, scones, and seasonal treats.
Veronica adds “Our philosophy is that bread should be fresh and made with the best ingredients available. As a result, all of our artisan breads are made with flour from the Weisenberger Mill in Midway, [KY]. Weisenberger is a Kentucky Proud company and produces fresh ground flour with no additives or fillers. We grow some of our herbs and other ingredients in our products are locally sourced. Our jams and jellies are made from locally grown produce, much of which comes from other market vendors. For us it's about producing quality product that is delicious, nutritious and beautiful - the kind of food we would serve to our family.”
I asked Veronica what her favorite item to bake is and she said “I enjoy making bread. It is therapy to me because there as something so organic and natural about the process. And I love it when people enjoy what we produce.” If you haven’t had the opportunity to try any of Daily Bread’s amazing treats, I’d encourage you to order from her this week. My favorite of hers is the blueberry scones, served perfect with a cup of coffee!