"It's always fun to run around the market and buy stuff," the Saigon-born chef says, adding that being in the market is nostalgic. "My grandma had a noodle stall in an open-air market, and I did a lot of errands for her."
This time the chef wasn't really running around, but he did poke his nose into many of the stands to garner inspiration for the dish he would create. All he brought with him was his knives, rice paper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and his favorite ingredient of all time: crispy shallots.
The first buying stop took us to the Fresh Herb Co., a Boulder-based farm that grows plenty of gorgeous flowers, plants and herbs. Tran picked out a large bunch of fresh mint for $5. "I think that I might do a summer roll," he explains.

The Denver Botanic Gardens displayed some beautiful chives, complete with blossoms.
Linnea Covington
After tasting through the portfolio of dressings at Bloombox Foods, Tran picked up some honey-sherry vinaigrette, a blend the company makes specifically for kale. He also hit up ACRES at Warren Tech for flowering pok choi (like bok choi, but a little sweeter), tender and lemon-tinged red-veined sorrel, and multi-colored nasturtiums. With that, his shopping was completed and we headed back to the pop-up kitchen in the middle of the market.

Chef Thach Tran of Ace Eat Serve whips up a market-fresh green salad to put into his spring summer rolls.
Linnea Covington

A quartet of spring summer rolls, made by chef Thach Tran at the Union Station Farmers' Market's chef's demo on May 26, 2018.
Linnea Covington
Once completed, the spring summer roll looked like an edible cigar of pressed flowers. It tasted of the season, with strong green-vegetable notes, a bright lemon essence and a floral note from all the edible blossoms. Chef Tran cut up samples, and guests of the market dived into his newest creation — something, says the chef, that will likely appear as a special on the Ace Eat Serve menu soon with a coconut-hoisin dipping sauce.
"I kind of winged this [recipe] after I found the beautiful dressing and just made it," the chef told one of the patrons. "I get inspired by what you see in the market, and then I make something out of it."
Come by the next two weekends for more chef's demos, with Ian Wortham of Tavernetta on June 2 and Franco Ruiz of Fruition on June 9. The demos run from about 10 to 11 a.m. and are free to the public.
For more photos, see our complete slideshow of the Boulder Farmers' Market chef's demo.