This Farmers Market in Miami Sells Some of the Hardest to Find Produce in America

South Florida's best-kept culinary secret is hiding in Broward County at Yellow Green Market.

Miami is finally getting its due as a global dining destination. With a recently launched Michelin guide and growing James Beard recognition, along with a ton of acclaimed spots like Boia De and Cafe La Trova on Calle Ocho — even World's Best Restaurant winner Massimo Bottura, owner of famed Osteria Francescana, is preparing to debut a new rooftop dining destination in the Arts District sometime this year — it's a city that guarantees a good meal. And not just in its high-end establishments but right down to its local farmer's markets, too. In fact, South Florida's best-kept culinary secret may just be hiding 30 minutes north of the city in Broward County at Yellow Green Market.

"It's literally my favorite thing to do in South Florida," Whitney Fair, a Fort Lauderdale local and Yellow Green Market regular, says about the 100,000-square foot farmers market, filled with tropical produce, quirky shops, multiple bars, and incredible international dining options. "It is just a great place for so many reasons. There's so much diversity in food, there's such good people watching, and there's just something for everyone."

Visitors can sample a wide range of cuisines, from regional Thai food, Argentinian alfajores, and  Cajun Gumbo to one of just a handful of Ethiopian spots in the state. But Yellow Green Market is not your average food hall. The giant farmers market is home to diverse vendors selling lychees, dragon fruit, and other subtropical specialties that are hard to find anywhere else in the United States. There's also a wide array of shops offering everything from handmade soap and beauty products to unique plants, and such an extensive selection of crystal purveyors that even Gwenyth Paltrow would be impressed.

"We have almost 700 booths right now," Gustavo Larranaga, manager of Yellow Green Market, says. "I'm always going to markets, sharing my business cards, and looking for new businesses to set up here."

When Llanera Wood-Fired Meat chef-owner Jonathan Bromet first visited the market in 2017, he knew he wanted to be a part of it. "The first time I looked at the market, I felt amazing vibes," he says. "It was a mix between a Colombian food market and La Boqueria Market in Barcelona, Spain — I felt so at home that I decided to go into the office to ask about setting up shop."

Bromet and his sister Valerie, who hail from Cali, Colombia but spent ample time visiting their uncle and cousins in the country's cowboy country, Llanos, have been serving that unique style of South American barbecue at the market ever since. "Our style is from our Colombian and Venezuelan cowboys, is from a part where both countries have the same style of food, music, and culture," says Bromet. "It's one of the ways our Latinos Cowboys do their roasts on a stick with indirect fire with a slow cooking."

Though the market has been around for 13 years, it saw some major upgrades when it reopened after its pandemic closure. It now boasts multiple tiki huts providing shade and seating and a main stage featuring live entertainers.

Those improvements have made it even more popular among locals and have helped its vendors grow their businesses significantly.

Wicked Bread Co., which debuted at the market just four weeks before the pandemic shut down, was able to pick up enough steam during those initial weeks to set up an online mail-order business for their locally beloved cinnamon rolls that helped to keep the burgeoning business afloat during the closure.

When the market reopened in 2021, owners Eddie and Betty Diaz were able to refocus their business back on the market. They felt so confident about their growth that they secured a larger booth that they've dressed up with a giant sign emblazoned with their trademark red-eyed witch.

"Once we opened up, we didn't skip a beat," says Eddie. "I think the smell brings people in — a lot of people tell us, 'We've been smelling you from the moment we walked in and followed the aroma all the way here.'"

Now that the couple has settled back into the market groove, they're planning to start online sales again this month; even so, they're ardently loyal to the totally unique-to-South Florida farmers market that gave them their start. "It's such a melting pot for diversity as far as ethnicities," says Diaz. "If you want to try a bunch of new things, it's definitely the place to go."

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