Connie’s Kitchen at Shelburne Farmer’s Market: “Making a living doing what she loves”

August 20, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Marni Walsh

When Connie Arteaga retired from working at the Toronto Star, she took the advice of her children and started “making a living doing what she knows and loves.”

That love is growing vegetables, cooking, baking and canning good, wholesome food.

Connie’s Kitchen can be found every Thursday afternoon from 3 – 7 p.m. at the Shelburne Farmers’ Market on First Street.

Her large, attractive booth is bursting with beautiful, fresh produce, canned goods and specialty Italian baking.

This is her second season as a vendor at Shelburne Farmers’ Market.

Based out of Mono Township, Connie and her husband Rafael are in their second season as food entrepreneurs.

Connie arrived in Canada at a young age in 1970; later, when she and Rafael married, they raised their family in Barrie for 25 years.

Now that the children are grown, the couple settled for a smaller home on more land. They farm about ten acres between the 1st and 2nd line of Mono just north of 30th Sideroad and recently put a sign at the lane for fresh vegetables for sale.

Connie calls their business “a very rewarding hobby that they hope will serve the community.”

“We grow our own food to eat good quality food and want to provide the community with the same things we like,” says Connie.

For Connie, this means not only good food, but good food grown close to home.

This season, the couple expanded their vegetable garden and harvested syrup from the maple bush of about 300 trees at the back of their property. Next year, they plan to further increase their syrup production. Connie incorporates the syrup in her baking recipes.

One of Connie’s bestsellers is her home-made tomato sauce.

When she made her tomato sauce for her kids’ friends, they said they just couldn’t go back to store-bought sauce – and so she started making it to sell.

Other favourite delicacies out of Connie’s Kitchen include Italian dishes, bread and cookies, including biscotti in a variety of flavours, as well as jams, jellies, soups, farm fresh vegetables and canned goods.

One of the greatest rewards for Connie and Rafael is getting to see their four children more often.

Connie says they have been blessed with four great kids, who enjoy coming to the farm and spending time in the open space and fresh air, and of course, shopping for good food – from who else, but their busy Mom in Connie’s Kitchen.

Connie’s Kitchen serves its surrounding area and the GTA.

For orders, inquires and more information please call 519-925-4380 or emailorders@connieskitchen.ca.