Market Concessions

On the first Saturday of most months, customers at the Delcambre Seafood & Farmers Market start gathering around 9:15 at the beverage concession stand to order one of the market’s famous Bloody Mary’s made by Tammy Bertrand. (The sign says “world famous,” but no one has disputed that.) Around 10 am, they shuffle a few yards over to the food concessions to order one of a couple delicious lunches on the menu. Sounds early for lunch, but customers know to order early before the meals sell out.

The food and drink concessions of the market have come a long way since 2017 when we were cooking samples of fish on a small griddle atop a folding table. As the case for most vendors, the learning curve has been huge. When we first added Bloody Mary’s – and Mimosas – to the refreshment menu, we could have never imagined their popularity. Now, Tammy and volunteer Mary Moore sell some 200 Bloody Mary’s each month.

In 2018, when we began offering lunches, the idea was to give customers a taste of the fresh seafood sold at the market – like the pan-seared black drum with crawfish etouffee first introduced. Now, from the market’s mobile food trailer, lunches are prepped by Patrice Doucet and Jordan Courtois and served by Monica Theriot to 80  or more. Customers have dined on everything from crab melts and shrimp and grits to our popular gumbos and chargrilled oysters – all with side dishes.

“We want to give our customers a different experience than they might expect,” says Market Director Wendell Verret, who has made many of the meals. “This year we’ve also incorporated some healthier dishes to the menus in keeping with our health and wellness program.”