NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Chef and New Orleans' Culinary Ambassador Gary Netter is trying to encourage his community and this city to embrace fresh produce, at the same time revitalizing a Central City corner.
In two days he will open the Wholistic Culinary Market, a fresh food marketplace. Chef Gary Netter has a plan, he told WWL Louisiana, "As the culinary ambassador for the city of New Orleans I just wanted to bridge the gap and work, and here's a better solution re-programing what we eat, re-thinking what we drink."
He plans to introduce affordable, fresh food to his community in Central City.
On the corner of Jackson and Simon Bolivar Avenues, sits a warehouse. The property has sat vacant for years, but two years ago Chef Netter started working on a plan. A plan that has finally come to fruition called the Wholistic Culinary Market. A space he's brought to life in the neighborhood he grew up in.
Chef Netter, "When I was coming up, I know we used to have different stores right here on Dryades Street... We had grocery stores on the different corners, but it was more mom-and-pop they don't have any of that anymore."
Chef Netter says the space is a healthy corner store, not a food hall, a place where people will be able to buy fresh produce and get meals made filled with only fresh produce. He says he wanted to make a difference, so he started looking at how different food types impact different parts of the body.
"I just started researching, riding around, and seeing what's in these areas, you know we have a lot of corner stores, but they're not healthy corner stores."
Chef Netter says while New Orleans is renowned for its rich culinary heritage, the city's vibrant food scene often overshadows the importance of fresh produce in people's diets.
There will be an official ribbon cutting Wednesday, Jul. 17 and the market will be open to the public Thursday, Jul. 18 at 11 a.m.
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