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By Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Just as the weather starts to feel more wintery, things are starting to heat up at the Denville Farmers’ Market. The Denville Farmers’ Winter Market is open every other Sunday 10 am to 1 pm, with January 10 as the next market in the Bloomfield Ave. parking lot.

This season, DFM will have the most winter market vendors offering products ranging from produce, soups, cheeses, juices, desserts and more. On the lineup for DFM Winter Market are mainstays from the regular season, including: Spoon Me Soups, Sweet-Niche Bakery, Chickadee Creek Farms, Gooserock Farms, Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse, Mo Green Juice, Happy Harvest Hydroponics, Nutty Novelties, Picklelicious, Silver Birch Kitchens, Fontanarosa, Mini Mac Farm and Stefan’s.

To round out the Winter Market, there are several new vendors. Stonud is bringing warm and freshly made donuts to the winter market. The latest addition to the market is DiningWild, a foraged food provisioning company whose focus is on sustainably harvested wild foods, including herbs, greens, mushrooms, roots, nuts and berries.

Chickadee Creek Farm will be selling various greens and storage crops based on availability, such as carrots, Watermelon Radishes and turnips. Chickadee Creek Farm is unique because they’re one of the only farms in New Jersey that can grow and harvest in the winter. Customers can also buy and hand-roll their own oats at Chickadee Creek Farm’s booth. According to Farmer Jess Niederer, the hand-rolling process allows oats to release oils at the germ layer. Unlike a commercial product that may lose the healthy oils when heated for shelf stabilization, healthy oils can be enjoyed in the freshly rolled oats.

“It is fantastic to support the ever green growing local food market, where knowledgeable customers are driving the need for the market to become better and bigger. Vendors are being creative to meet the local food demand. Chickadee Creek Farm is installing high tunnels to be able to grow greens in hardiness zone 7 all winter,” says Denville Farmers’ Market Manager, Liisi Lascarro.

Denville’s own, Happy Harvest Hydroponics, is able to grow their lettuce and herbs all year long. H3 describes their process of hydroponically grown produce as space effective, soil-less, growing environment, which allows them to offer their selection even in the middle of winter. “We offer farm to table produce—roots and everything,” says co-founder of Happy Harvest Hydroponics Cris Tuhy. New for Happy Harvest, customers can order their selections online Monday-Friday and then pick up at the market.

At DFM, many customers enjoy tasting treats for breakfast and lunch in between shopping. With that in mind, Sweet-Niche Bakery will be making hot and fresh Belgian Waffles on-site for $7. To make things even sweeter, customers can choose from four different toppings: Nutella, Bananas Foster, apples and cinnamon and a cinnamon roll glaze. Sweet-Niche will also be selling many of their popular desserts, such as their Classic Crumb Cake, Pignoli Cannoli and cheesecake.

Fontanarosa will be featuring their selection of homemade ravioli and pasta. Alongside of Fontanarosa’s tent will be new concept and new vendor to the winter market, Stonud’s. Developed by the culinary creatives at Fontanarosa, Stonud’s hot donuts will be “flipping” and fresh onsite. Choose between six flavors: Salted Caramel, Apple Cider, Tiramisu, Chocolate with Peanut Butter Glaze, Maple Glazed Bacon and Hot Chocolate. These sweet treats will run you $1.00 for Apple Cider donuts and $1.25 for the other flavors.

Look for other vendors who are keeping things going this winter. Silver Birch Kitchens will be dishing out their culinary creations. SpoonMe Soups will have several soups available. Gooserock Farms will feature their honey and other products. Mo Green Juice will be selling their selection of juices. Some of these juices have 4-5 servings of veggies in each bottle. Nutty Novelties will have their gourmet nut butters onhand. Bobolink will be selling their cheeses from Grass-Fed Raw Cow’s milk and breads. Denville Farmers’ Market stalwart, Picklelicious, will have their popular pickles and relishes as well.

Known as one of the area’s Farmers’ Markets to offer a varied selection of sustainable goods from local vendors throughout the year, expect to see everything from hot soup to fresh leafy greens to sweet treats made on-site at Denville Farmers’ Winter Market in the coming months.

For more information, visit denvillefarmersmarket.com, where you can sign up for bi-weekly newsletters to keep up-to-date on featured items and surprise vendors who will be added closed to spring. Like Denville Farmers’ Market on Facebook.

Photos Credit: Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In the center of Downtown Denville, the sign on the door at 32 Broadway is subtle and sweet. It conveys a bold statement on the exterior, and leads to a delicious gateway to baked treats on the second floor. Upon entering the door heading to Sweet-Niche Bake Shop, impeccably-baked masterpieces could be smelled on the way up the hot pink staircase.

Owned by Lisa E. Rossetto, Sweet-Niche Bake Shop is tucked in the back corner of the second floor above Sweet Expressions. Rossetto’s shop doubles as a bakery and storefront that churns out baked items from scratch from recipes developed by Rossetto herself.

To understand and truly appreciate the essence of Sweet-Niche Bake Shop, you have to get to know the baker first. Her story is one that harnessed her passion and penchant for baking, and ultimately, fueled by love and friendship. Rossetto says she developed a love of baking from her grandmother and mother. Her friends who love her baked treats urged her to open her own bakery. However, it was Rossetto’s friend, Isy’s love for her biscotti that made a profound impact. When Isy fell ill, one of the only things she could stomach was Rossetto’s biscotti. Following her heart, after many years in the corporate world, Rossetto took the leap and opened Sweet-Niche Bakery. As Rossetto’s business began to flourish, her friend succumbed to her illness, further solidifying how life is filled with bittersweet moments and milestones.

Rossetto still makes Isy’s favorite biscotti, which are officially called O.M.G. Biscotti and are made with apricot, white chocolate and almond.

With a pastel pink fridge, cotton-candy colored walls and a covet-worthy hot pink Kitchen Aid mixer, Sweet-Niche Bakery is a girls’ dream come true. Rossetto embraces Sweet-Niche Bakery’s boutique bakery niche and proudly confirmed that all of her baked goods are carefully crafted in small batches.

Sweet-Niche Bakery is one of the original vendors at the Denville Farmers’ Market. “This will be my sixth year. I’ve never missed one; Sweet-Niche has been there for every single one!” Rossetto says.

Of all the tasty treats, Sweet-Niche Bakery’s crumb cake, brownies and biscotti are the signature treats.

“We’re set up two hours before the market starts and we have customers before it opens. It’s a cult-like following!” says bakery employee and Rossetto’s right-hand woman, Deb.

Sweet-Niche has a defined following, and that includes the canine variety. Sweet-Niche’s unofficial mascots are two beautiful white dogs named Loki and Tyra Banks who drag their owners to Sweet-Niche’s booth, specifically for the poundcake.

Local Denville Market Visitors aren’t the only ones who crave Sweet-Niche Bakery treats. “The thing about the crumb cake: I ship them all over the United States. I ship it to California because they can’t get crumb cake there. People hear about them from their friends here and request it. I also ship to South Carolina and Georgia, too!” The 11-lb. crumb cake “brick” is no joke and has some serious crumbs.

Rossetto set up shop on Broadway in Denville three years ago and attributes the trajectory of her business to her presence at the Farmers’ Market “I’m hoping one day to have a first floor storefront,” Rossetto confided.

Until then, visit Sweet Niche at 32 Broadway on the 2nd floor, right above Sweet Expressions. You can also find Lisa Rossetto at the Denville Farmers’ Market, every Sunday from June 14-November 22 at 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Sweet-Niche Bakery
32 Broadway, 2nd floor, Denville, NJ
(973) 527-5273
www.sweet-niche.com
Owner: Lisa E. Rossetto
Years Open: 6