Hidden behind The Monument Café, The Monument Market customers often tell Manager Michelle Perry they had no idea the market, which offers deli sandwiches, wraps, quiche and salads all made with locally sourced foods, was there, Perry said.
But once inside, she said customers tell her they are excited to find a place to get a quick and healthy lunch.
“All of our food is made using whole foods all made from scratch,” Perry said. “We try to keep it simple, delicious and fresh and support our local growers and artisans.”
Perry said co-owners Clark Lyda and Rusty Winkstern, who also own The Monument Café and El Monumento, had the vision of a market offering fresh, locally grown and organic vegetables, fruits and other food as well as body products made locally when they opened The Monument Market at its current location at 500 S. Austin Ave. The pair opened the market in May 2011.
Perry said about 95 percent of the fruits and vegetables sold in the market come from local growers and producers.
“There are so many people in Texas making high-quality products,” she said. “There is so much talent close to home.”
Perry said the market has a new seasonal menu for summer that features summer produce, such as cucumbers, greens, squash, tomatoes, melons and berries.
“Right now we are in the most delicious part of the year,” she said.
Some menu items depend on what vegetables are ready for harvest from the market’s gardens, she said.
However, there are menu items available year-round, she said, including rotisserie chickens, which are cooked every day at 4 p.m. using chickens sourced from a local farmer. The rotisserie chickens that are not sold are used to make the deli’s homemade chicken salad, which is sold in bulk or used for sandwiches, she said.
Perry said other popular menu items include the house smoked turkey sandwich ($8.95), which is served with apricot honey and Texas-made goat cheese, and the Nutty Kale smoothie, which includes kale, banana, peanut butter, and apple and orange juices.
The market also features coffeehouse drinks and kombucha—a fermented, sweetened tea—on tap as well as call-ahead ordering.
Seasonal produce
The Monument Market Manager Michelle Perry said each season produces foods best-suited to the time of year, including heartier vegetables in fall and winter and refreshing fruits in summer.
Summer produce
- Baby arugula
- Beets
- Blueberries
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Green beans
- Leeks
- Melons
- Peaches
- Plums
- Radishes
- Sweet peppers
- Squash
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
Source: Texas Farmers Market Association/Community Impact Newspaper
