🎙️ Episode 5Ashley Nathe: The Season Starts Here📝 Episode Description

For generations, the Minneapolis Farmers Market has been more than a place to buy produce—it has been a meeting place, a community hub, and a living connection to Minnesota’s agricultural roots.

In this episode of Midwest Meets Mediterranean, Chef Laura Bonicelli sits down with Ashley Nathe, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Farmers Market, to explore the history, culture, and evolving future of one of the region’s most iconic public spaces.

Ashley’s connection to the market runs far deeper than her professional role. Her father has been a vendor at the market since 1976, and Ashley herself grew up immersed in the rhythms, relationships, and traditions of the market community. In many ways, her leadership reflects a lifetime of lived experience inside the institution she now helps guide.

Together, Laura and Ashley discuss the market’s surprising history, the role of family farming today, food accessibility initiatives like SNAP and EBT, the importance of the Hmong farming community, and how the market continues to evolve while preserving its deeply rooted identity.

This conversation is about much more than produce. It’s about place, stewardship, and the people who keep local food systems alive.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

• The history and evolution of the Minneapolis Farmers Market
• How Ashley Nathe’s lifelong connection to the market shapes her leadership
• Why family farming still matters in Minnesota
• How the market supports accessibility through SNAP and EBT programs
• The important role of the Hmong farming community
• What makes the Minneapolis Farmers Market unique today

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

00:18 – Welcome

01:09 – Ashley’s Background

04:06 – Market Family

09:20 – Ashley’s Parents’ Story

11:32 – Surprising Market History

12:57 – The Unique Market Board

15:39 – Decisions for Longevity

22:42 – SNAP and EBT Access

25:10 – Farming Today

29:57 – The Hmong Community

32:59 – Other Unique Vendors

39:38 – Variety and Ashley’s Leadership

👤 About the Guest

Ashley Nathe serves as Executive Director and Market Manager of the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Her leadership is rooted in a lifelong connection to the market community—her father, Dave Nathe of Riverside Farms, has been a market vendor since 1976. Growing up within the market culture gives Ashley a uniquely personal understanding of the institution, its vendors, and its role within the broader Twin Cities food community.

Under Ashley’s leadership, the market continues to balance tradition with innovation through community outreach, food accessibility programs, and support for regional growers.

🔗 Resources & Links

Bonicelli Cooking Club

https://bonicellicookingclub.com/

Minneapolis Farmers Market

https://www.mplsfarmersmarket.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/MplsFarmersMarket/

Instagram

@mplsfarmmarket

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