Fresh, colorful and aromatic fruits and vegetables are just a sampling of products now available for yacht chefs in Ft. Lauderdale at Marando Farms.

Crew in port can provision with fresh produce from organic, locally grown and pesticide free farms in south Florida. There is no plastic packaging, forced ripening, waxed or coloredproduce, so chefs may grab a basket and handpick just what they need to serve owners and guests.

Chef Victoria Allman, of M/Y Cocoa Bean, shopped at Marando Farms market recently to add to her repertoire of recipes. After a morning visit she created Marando Farms Market Salad (featured following this article). “Local markets really get the creativity going. They’re the best to get what’s fresh and available,” said Allman.

“When a chef pulls into a port, he may not know the regional foods. A great way to learn is at a farmer’s market where you can talk to the growers and locals. Chefs can’t get that in the chain grocery stores.” Owners Chelsea and Fred Marando had long dreamed of building a nursery with a farmer’s market, but it took Fred being laid-off from his job this year to push them into action. 

With a new and expanding business, the couple have their eyes open to opportunity. Chelsea drives the farm country to pick up the produce and often finds new farms along the way. She brings back fresh eggs and dairy products including goat cheese, kefir, yogurt and feta cheeses. Enticing local honeys, organic granola, specialized hummus, taboule, grape leaves and baba ganoush are for sale and cheese and garlic breads are made during the night and delivered fresh by morning.

The farmer’s market is open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. but the full-service nursery is open during the week at their location near 17th St. and Andrews Ave. Aside from a nursery of plants, they have an extensive system of pumps,filters and PVC pipes loaded with growing herbs and the Marandos have plants in every stage from seedling to potted plant.

The couple is expanding Chelsea’s passion, aquaponics, the propagating system which uses a closed cultivation system of water to grow fish and plants in a symbiotic relationship. This currently yields fresh herbs and soon they will grow Tilapia fish for chefs to buy while in port.

Marando Farms Market Salad
By Victoria Allman

4 bunches Marando Farms hydroponic baby lettuce

1 container Simon’s Fresh Goat Cream Cheese

4 red beets

4 Temple oranges

1 bunch asparagus

12 sprigs Ruby Red basil

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

6-10 grinds of fresh peppercorns

1 loaf freshly baked Levinois Bakery ciabatta bread

Pre-heat the oven to 400.  Remove the greens from the beets (reserve and sauté with garlic, olive oil and sea salt) Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes (depending on size) until soft. Allow to cool.

Peel the beets and slice in rings.

Snap the stem of the asparagus to remove the tough root and boil in salted water for one minute.  Immediately plunge into ice water to retain the bright green color.

Segment the oranges by using a sharp knife to remove the peel.  Run the knife between the flesh and skin of each segment, gently pulling just the flesh away from the skin.  Squeeze the juice from the skin into a glass for fresh-squeezed juice.

Whisk together 3 tablespoons of juice, sherry vinegar, olive oil, and sea salt.

Divide beets, oranges and asparagus between 4 plates and drizzle half the vinaigrette over.  Toss the rest of the vinaigrette with the lettuce and pile on top of vegetables. 

Arrange three balls of Simon’s Fresh Goat Cream Cheese around the salad and top with basil sprigs and ground pepper.

Serve with sliced ciabatta bread as a salad or light lunch.

Serves 4

About the Author

Dorie Cox

Associate Editor