Eleven years ago, our market and the world had a very different look. John Sweet, the founder of Niedlov’s Bakery & Café, partnered with Sequatchie Cove Farm and a few others to begin our marvelous Main St. Farmers Market in 2009 in the bakery parking lot. Fast forward to 2018, many moons after Erik Zilen purchased the beloved bakery and just when Zoe Brilakis became pastry chef. No matter the changes throughout the years, the goal that “community is a guiding principle” has remained the same while their menu expanded.

And now today, listed in Southern Living Magazine as one of the South’s best bakeries of 2021, Niedlov’s has expanded from wholesale buns to an inviting café offering breads, croissants, cruffins and scones along with full breakfast, lunch, and Saturday brunch menu. All this growth while they still stay grounded with taking care of surrounding neighborhoods (donate to Community Kitchen), supporting local farmers (with food waste going to pigs and other livestock as well as sourcing local) and doing it while being environmentally conscious (compost and recycles diverting over 15K pounds of waste from landfills).

So with their success of the storefront, why would they want to vend at our market?

“We consider our community in all that we do,” Zoe said during their market inspection, “I have been wanting to get back to a farmers market to be inspired by what’s seasonally and locally available.” In her travels before Niedlov’s, Zoe worked at other farmers markets and has craved the energy and inspiration a local market provides.

Already using Sequatchie Cove Farm eggs and Crabtree Farms veggies just to name a few, Zoe loves growing the bond between farmer and baker then creating from that connection. Since it’s peach season, she is going to make a few different peach pastries; one going to be a peach galette with a spelt crust and it’ll be available this Wednesday. As Niedlov’s is enjoying their return to the Main St. Farmers Market, they are still working out a market schedule. Currently attending every other week, you can still stop by their Main St. storefront Monday through Saturday.