A World Market in Decatur

A Busy Market open DailyPhoto byDLP Library

Known as Your Dekalb Farmers Market, the food colossus was founded in 1977 as a compact urban produce market. Today, the company operates a world market in a 140,000-square-foot facility near Emory University in thriving Decatur, an Atlanta suburb.

I’ve been a regular customer from the market’s debut, attracted by not only the fair prices but the availability of fresh food that encompasses all I’m looking for that will transform recipes into meals.

The market provides a variety of services: a spectacular in-house bakery, with more than 175 varieties of fresh baked breads, rolls, bagels, muffins, cakes, cookies and pastries; a floral department, with fresh and exotic flowers from Holland, Hawaii, Georgia, California and Florida; and a recycling center. It has a butcher shop, with beef, pork, lamb, chicken, duck, turkey and a seafood department you won’t find inland anywhere in the region.

The deli is a center of activity with sliced meats and a large variety of artisanal cheeses including Georgia’s own varieties. The produce department is a football field-sized room of shelves with seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, juices and specialty products and is one of the few in the country where each is identified by origin.

Then, there’s spices: a huge selection at a fraction of the price sold in local chain supermarkets. The wine shop is a place for bargains, particularly if you know a little about varietals and geography, with selections that will keep you focused and entertained.

The customers-a variety of people who reflect Atlanta’s diversity-are interesting and friendly.

3000 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.

Decatur, Georgia 30030

dekalbfarmersmarket.com