HobNob Events Will Launch a New Union Station Farmers' Market This Summer

Boulder County Farmers Market may have pulled out of Union Station, but another organizer is stepping up to put a market in the neighborhood.

"When somebody is trying to build community, they call me," says Nicole Jarman, owner of HobNob Events. She's run the South Pearl Street Farmers Market since 2007, started the Highlands Square Market in 2013 and took over the Central Park Market in 2020. After taking a few years off from Highlands Square, she's back at the helm of that market this year. And now she's adding a new rendition of Union Station's weekly event to her lineup; it will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday from June 4 through September 10.

"It was mid- or late February when [Union Station] reached out," she says. That's late notice fororganizing a farmers' market, but it was an opportunity Jarman couldn't pass up. "What's really exciting for me at Union Station is the opportunity to do some chef-focused things," she adds, noting that she already has relationships with many chefs thanks to the other events she runs, including Steamboat Food & Wine and Cherry Creek North Food and Wine.
She's now in talks with several chefs to form a chefs 'advisory counsel and is planning to have weekly chef demos at Union Station. For starters, Jennifer Jasinski, the award-winning chef behind Union Station's Ultreia, as well as Stoic & Genuine, is planning to make big pans of paella on the eatery's patio through the market's run. "I want it to really become a Saturday morning spot where chefs see each other," Jarman says. "I see it becoming really, truly that community social gathering spot for food lovers."

She's optimistic about the positive impact the weekly market could have on the Union Station area. "I feel really conformable down there," she says, "and just having the expectation that positive activity is happening is half the battle."

"We are excited to be working with HobNob Events to bring an energetic farmers' market to the Denver Union Station Plaza this summer," says  Ed Blair, the general manager who oversees Denver's Union Station. "We can't wait to shop for fresh Colorado produce and products and enjoy delicious culinary creations from our LoDo neighbors and other top Denver chefs."

There will be around thirty vendors in all, including Beyond Microgreens, Bjorn’s Colorado Honey, Centennial Cuts, Hearth, La Montagne Des Saveurs, Morton’s Organic Orchards and Pastamore Gourmet Foods. The focus will be on food, so expect more jams, olives oils, ready-to-eat foods and produce than the artisan crafts or other non-edible goods that you find at some markets.

After two years of a Union Station market that felt more grab-and-go, this new rendition is designed to be a spot where you can spend a leisurely Saturday morning. "This is a great way to bring the community together," Jarman concludes.