Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market kicks off summer season

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Salt Lake City's Downtown Farmers Market opened, featuring 300 vendors and live music.
Beehive Freeze Honey Slush, a new vendor, gained popularity with unique honey sorbet.
Plans are underway to expand the market year-round, possibly adding a permanent venue.

SALT LAKE CITY — When the music starts, the stands go up and the crowds begin to gather — it's a sure sign the Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market is back.

"I feel like the first opening week of the farmers market is like, summer is here! Right?" said Carly Gillespie, director of the Downtown Farmers Market.

The market at Pioneer Park is a Salt Lake City tradition. It brings together roughly 300 vendors, live music and food trucks every Saturday through October.

But among the produce and handmade goods this year, one unique treat is getting a lot of attention: It's called honey slush.

"We have five flavors," Ellie Magleby said to a customer.

Magleby is one of the owners of Beehive Freeze Honey Slush. It's a new vendor at the market this season.

She and her partner, Branden Bryers, first discovered the product while living in Hawaii.

"So, honey slush is a sorbet, that's how we describe it. It is made with raw local honey and fruit," Magleby said.

They worked for five years at a café on Oahu that invented the dessert as a healthier alternative to shaved ice.

"We sold it for them for about five years at their farmers markets. And then we came here and they said, 'OK, if you want to take it there to Utah, then go for it.' So we did," Bryers said.

Now, back in Magleby's home state, they're introducing Utahns to the refreshing treat with flavors like pina colada, strawberry and passion fruit. They also rotate a different flavor into their mix every week.

The Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday. The market is an annual tradition that brings together over 300 vendors, food trucks and live music from now until October. (Photo: Mark Less, KSL-TV)

They have been to other farmers markets across Utah last year, but wanted to give the Salt Lake City Downtown Market a try this year.

"I mean, I think it's the biggest market in Utah," Magleby said.

It didn't take long for their booth to become one of the most popular. In fact, they sold out before the market even ended.

"Oh, it's amazing. It's so refreshing," said Nicole Terzi, a Salt Lake City resident who tried the product for the first time.

"Especially with this heat, it was amazing — and then you get that honey, for the Beehive State, right? It was amazing," added Sadie Clark, another local.

Next time, Magleby and Bryers plan to be even more ready.

"Yes. Definitely. We're going to bring probably a couple more coolers," Bryers said.

"Well, we sold out an hour and a half early, so we better bring more next week," said Magleby with a laugh.

Expanding the market?

The Downtown Farmers Market isn't just a place to spend a Saturday morning; it is where many now-familiar Utah food brands got their start, including Bruges Waffles and Rico Brands Mexican Food.

There's even talk of expanding the market into a year-round event, with a permanent building at Pioneer Park to house vendors during the colder months.

Until then, vendors like Beehive Freeze will be there every weekend — if they don't sell out first.

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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Alex Cabrero

Alex Cabrero has been reporting for KSL since 2004. During his time in Salt Lake City, he has covered several high-profile Utah stories, including the Crandall Canyon mine collapse, the Trolley Square shootings, and the Susan Powell missing person case. He has also covered national and international stories for KSL with Utah connections, such as Hurricane Katrina from the Gulf Coast, the devastating California wildfires, and the earthquake disasters in both Haiti and Nepal. Alex has covered seven Olympics for KSL; 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2014 Sochi, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2018 PyeongChang, 2020 Tokyo, and 2022 Beijing. Alex is a 12-time Emmy Award winner, including a National Emmy for his reporting during a standoff in Tennessee. He also won an Emmy in 2016 for the best local TV news reporter in the Rocky Mountain Region. In all, Alex has won more than 50 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Utah Broadcasters Association. Before coming to Utah, Alex covered the September 11th terrorist attacks, training for the first wave of soldiers from the 101st Airborne who would be sent to Afghanistan, and Country Music star Johnny Cash’s funeral. Prior to KSL, Alex reported for WTVF in Nashville, TN; WRCB in Chattanooga, TN; KPVI in Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho; News 55 in Twin Falls, Idaho; and Cable 6 TV in Middletown, New York. Alex is from Rock Hill, New York. He graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Communications from Orange County (NY) Community College and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Production from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Alex is an Eagle Scout, played college baseball, and was a volunteer firefighter/rescue SCUBA diver for the Rock Hill Fire Department He enjoys visiting National and State Parks, exploring the remote areas of Utah, and playing baseball for the Utah Rockies in the Utah Mens Adult Baseball League.