Finally Open - Cordova Farmer's Market

It's been four months since I first posted about the impending arrival of the Cordova Farmer's Market but the store is finally open for business. Over the weekend I saw numerous Facebook posts from friends who were happily exploring the new market on Germantown Parkway near Macon. Like the original, still-open Winchester Farmer's Market, which has been one of my favorite places in the city to shop for years now, the new store is actually a gigantic international grocery store not a traditional farmer's market.

I got a chance to look around myself on Wednesday. At first I thought the store seemed strangely empty compared to the overflowing Winchester store, but I'm sure it will be steadily adding new products onto the shelves. One exciting difference I immediately noted was that the northern side of the store has been reserved for a food court where vendors can rent spaces. Right now an Italian place is the only tenant but hopefully others will follow soon. It seems like a natural spot for a sushi place, a taqueria and other ethnic options.

The reason I think it seems like a natural spot for a sushi place is the tremendous amount of fresh seafood the store stocks.

When I say fresh, I mean fresh.

 

 The new Cordova location has a much larger seafood selection than the Winchester store although it doesn't have as huge of a variety of other meats as the original Hickory Hill location. I don't mean that it doesn't have a large variety -- you can find everything from Halal meats to pork ears, snouts and kidneys. But it doesn't currently stock the beef testicles and whole cow and hog heads that make a walk through the Winchester store's butcher section such an adventure. I'm sure part of it is just the new store trying to figure out exactly what the area customers are looking for.

Like the Winchester store, the produce section is stocked with piles of exotic produce that are fun to look at and wonder exactly what you would do with them. There were still plenty of empty bins but the selection is already astounding and I'm sure it will only grow from there. Walking through the original store always made me want to sample the unfamiliar fare when cooked by someone familiar with it. Hopefully the international food court in the new location really takes off with a variety of affordable options. It will make the sprawling grocery even more of a must-visit destination for Memphis-area food lovers.  

 

 

 

Also like the Winchester location, the Cordova store doesn't mess around when it comes to stocking rice.

UPDATE: I stopped back by on August 18, 2012 and the produce section is now fully stocked and every bit as impressive as the one at the Winchester store. Also, since a lot of people seem to be interested in the store's operating hours, the Cordova Farmer's Market is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week.