The ‘shop around the corner’ is back! It’s so obvious that even I see them pop up everywhere in town. Not like in the old days with a clumsy stock of lifesavers and other alibi food, but now as a stylish place where products for sale are chosen with a curator’s care.
Related to this phenomenon is the increasing focus on regional products and cuisines. Recently I read in the newspaper that members of the parliament demanded Dutch food made of local products during state banquets instead of having products flown in from all parts the world.
The closer the better has become a mantra so vegetables, dairy products, fruit, bread coming from a village not far from town suddenly are immensely popular.
A perfect illustration of this trend is the Warmoesmarkt on Warmoesstraat 135, a classy bio-supermarket in the red-light district. Andy Verdonk, is one of the initiators behind Warmoesmarkt that opened in the summer 2008 and he explained the concept to me. 80 percent of the assortment comes from Amsterdam’s backyard or other Dutch regions and the remaining 20 percent (products such as wine, oil and balsamico) comes from Europe. Andy, a professional chef himself, owns one of the farms (Anna Haen) which supplies the shop.
Instead of cozy decorations and studied arrangements, a noticeable simple interior indicates that Warmoesmarkt is all about food. Although plain with wooden crates and neon lights, the ambiance in Warmoesmarkt is warm and friendly.
A volière at the end of the shop and a little herbarium, where strange looking mushrooms are cultivated, invite the curious visitor to linger around in the shop just a bit longer.
At the moment guests can enjoy five different Dutch cheeses (of course) at the workshop table. But I hope that in the near future the people behind Warmoesmarkt will realize their plan to offer take-away and arrange picnics – all with the delicious bread and pastries from the nearby De Bakkerswinkel.
Not only does the Warmoesmarkt fit perfectly into Amsterdam’s mayor Job Cohen’s master plan to ennoble De Wallen (the red-light district) once again. It is also a genuine enrichment for the neighborhood.
DE BAKKERSWINKEL, Warmoesstraat 69, Amsterdam
