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FOOD
FINDER
Meet a rising food star who travels theworld to bring specialty food products to
increasingly adventurous eaters.
BY LORI STACY
PHOTOGRAPHYBYRYANCLARK
FOOD
Fresh Focus
F
For those of you not convinced that the new stars of the food
world are the suppliers — farmers, fishmongers, cheesemakers,
and the like— allow us to introduce you to
JustinMarx
, a
fifth-generationmeat, seafood, pantry, and produce supplier
who startedMarxFoods.com to let consumers get a taste of
exotic, edible, and delicious ingredients.
Marx—alongwithhis twobrothers—grewup in themeat
business, and knew fromanearlyagehewas destined tobe in the
foodbusiness. All threebrothers dideventually join their father at
New Jersey-basedMarx Foods, but in2002Marxmoved toSeattle
for his then-girlfriend (andnowwife). His dadofferedhima chance
toopenaWest Coast office,whichevolved intoMarxFoods.com, a
purveyor of specialty foods and truly exotic ingredients.
Much ofMarx’s research takes place on the road. “Nomatter
where I go, I beeline to the local foodmarkets,” he says. “I have
traveled to about 30 countries, mostly in the developingworld.
I always spend a disproportionate amount ofmy time browsing
foodmarkets from horrific to haute. It’smy dad’s fault; as kids,
we couldn’t go anywherewithout touring themeat counter.”
It was, in fact, our search for new and exotic ingredients
for the “Fresh Focus” story that led us toMarx Foods, and to
Marx himself, who proved to be an encyclopedia of exotic-
food informationwith a passion for tracking down unique
items. We asked him to share some of this knowledge.
Favorite farmersmarket
: That’s easy. University District
FarmersMarket in Seattle.Whilemany farmersmarkets have
craftmakers andmassage therapists and prepared food, this
market focuses on ingredients. They havemost ofWashington
state’s best producers, and the early bird gets the best worms.
I try to go early every Saturday, and I am also one-by-one
converting them into our vendors.
Most unusual customer request
: Capybarameat during
Lent. That’s right — theworld’s largest rodent. Many people
believe they count as a fish under Catholic doctrine.
Most underrated produce item
: Heirloompotatoes
[pictured]. These spuds are beautiful and incredibly delicious. Each
variety is distinctive. And they are highly sustainable. They are
grown in a closed loopwithbeef cattle: The cattle eat potatoes
and the potatofields are fertilizedwith cowmanure. Plus, they
are dry landpotatoes, whichmeans they don’t require irrigation.
Fall 2012
celebratedliving.com
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