Lexington, KY - Haley Lawson is one of the newest vendors to join the Lexington Farmers’ Market family and has done so in a unique way.
The Lexington native and proprietor of Wildflour Scones and Tea is utilizing homegrown goods from local farmers for her creations.
While Lawson is new as a vendor, she has been around the market all of her life.
“We went every Saturday since before I could remember, seeing the farmers that are always there. I always loved it,” she said. “The farmers’ market was a big part of our weekend.”
After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Lawson moved to San Francisco with her husband and attended culinary school, focusing on baking and pastries. After finishing her studies she worked for a few different bakeries knowing that she wanted to create dishes that were “yummy and pretty to look at.”
Additionally, she said the local food movement is very much a standard in San Francisco, and while there she became immersed in working with a variety of interesting ingredients she had never worked with before.
So the knowledge and experiences gained in San Francisco played a big role in the kind of business Lawson would start after returning to Kentucky.
“I wanted to work for myself and I had always loved the farmers’ market so I wanted to do something incorporating as much of the farmers’ produce that I could into my products,” she said.
Lawson enjoys introducing her friends and family to new foods and she has included that idea in her work, combining flavors like rhubarb and strawberries creating a surprisingly “yummy” combination.
Of course when commodities are more in season, Lawson has lots of items to choose from. But for the winter months, she said she has done research to see what things she can store and use to add to her scone recipes; fruits like apples, pears and pumpkins were some she noted.
It’s for sure, however that the off-season months challenge her creativity.
“It’s a little bit difficult but there are some cheeses that I use and I try to use local eggs when I can. It’s a little tricky in the winter but there are enough interesting things that work,” she said.
During the winter season, the Lexington Farmers’ Market is located in the atrium of the Victorian Square Shoppes and since Lawson has been a vendor there she said the business has been well received.
In getting started, Lawson said he visited local farmers, from whom she had used products, armed with a business card and a batch of scones to let them sample her concepts and win them over through their tastebuds.
“I really like the idea of it; working together and showing people they can buy local products and produce,” she said. ‘There are lots of cool things you can do with it.”
For example; Lawson is working on a scone recipe that would incorporate some of the beer cheese that is produced in Central Kentucky.
It is that sort of thing that is making a name for her business and giving local producers another venue in which to sell their products or gain exposure for them.
In the beginning, Lawson’s expectations were to sell a few scones on Saturdays, but she has found a regular group of customers that come to buy from her every week. She said the winter market really thrives on those regulars.
“They welcomed me into their weekly routine, which I really appreciate,” she said.