Urban Oasis
STORE PROFILE G illes Desaulniers built San Francisco's Harvest Urban Market as an oasis in the urban food desert. A couple of hundred people live above his 12,000 sq. ft . corner market which is a model of sustainability. Andrea Mangan, who manages the kitchen has created a hub of healthy foodservice off erings from a hearty vegan breakfast through late-night snacks. Urban Harvest stocks thousands of items, many natural and organic. I wanted a neighborhood store where people can buy what they need throughout the day, not just what the big supermarket chains can get cheap, says Desaulniers, who has lived in the city's SOMA (South of Market) neighborhood for 26 years . Unlike suburban strip mall supermarkets, Harvest Urban Market is a place where customers visit two or three times a day. Th ey purchase small quantities, get what they want and just what they want, says Desaulniers . I know this neighborhood. I know what it likes and it needs, he says, explaining that parking is limited and parking tickets are $80 per violation. Traffi c races by on one-way streets and screeches to a halt at congested intersections. All that leads to frustration. No one in these apartments and condos wants to get in a car and lose two hours driving outside the city to shop. Th ey are tired of cars by the end of the day. And when they are hungry, the area's rough looking convenience stores and fast-food outlets never sell what you need for a healthy meal. Desaulniers is a food freak about stuff . I notice the subtle diff erence in quality and I try to buy direct from local suppliers. He illustrates with a quick walk to produce, returning with a handful of slightly misshapen bright red dry-farmed tomatoes that he slices. Th e fl esh is fi rm, its intense sweetness bursts in the mouth and there is no acidity... these tomatoes are truly fruit of the vine. Smiling at the eff ect, he says that in marketing organics I use all the senses, I let them feel, touch, and smell. To connect to people, I say: `Try this.' I don't explain the diff erence until later. Th ese tomatoes are certifi ed organic, he says, grown without irrigation since 2001 within sight of the Pacifi c Ocean by a couple and their two teenage children. Each Wednesday Mark and Nibby Bartle leave their Two Dog Farm to drive 70 miles north from Davenport, in Santa Cruz County, to San Francisco's Heart of the City farmer's market. Th ey leave with a full truck and they always return home empty no matter how high By Dan Bolton Natural Food Network Editor GROCER GILLES DESAULNIERS KNOWS THE NEIGHBORHOOD Urban Oasis This urban market was constructed as part of a 162-unit, rent-subsidized housing project. 10 Natural Food Network