Bringing fresh produce to the northside

LAFAYETTE, La. — On Tuesday, Parc de Oaks announced via Facebook that there will be a new addition to the lot in the coming year.

Parc de Oaks, a food truck lot on Moss Street in the northside of Lafayette, has released the renderings for the new farmers market pavilion that is set to be finished this spring.

The renderings, made in collaboration with Petitjean Architecture, reveals the features of the pavilion, including:

• a covered area with booths for four or five vendors
  

  

  Photo Courtesy of Christopher and Andrea Amos

• two ADA-compliant public restrooms and one employee restroom
  

  

  Photo Courtesy of Christopher and Andrea Amos

• two beverage bars to serve lemonade and fresh juices
  

  

  Photo Courtesy of Christopher and Andrea Amos

  Photos courtesy of Christopher and Andrea Amos
• a water fountain station for pets

Parc de Oaks owners Christopher and Andrea Amos say this addition has been highly requested since the opening of the food truck lot in the summer of 2023.
"Well, we're hoping to bring some healthier options to people. People have been asking about that since we've opened up," Christopher Amos said. "They were looking for healthier, you know, food options and also, you know, invite people to, you know, come out and see that, you know, you don't have to go on the southside to get some healthy groceries and stuff like that and also and encourage, you know, local entrepreneurship."

Christopher describes the northside of Lafayette as a food desert, meaning affordable fresh food is hard to come by. In response, he and Andrea have decided to build this pavilion to give local farmers the opportunity to showcase and sell their fresh produce.

Once the pavilion is finished, the farmers market will be open on Saturdays, though the Amoses say they are open to the idea of extending that time into Sundays, if there is a demand for it.

"I think it will definitely bring more people," Andrea said. "They've been asking for us to have some type of fresh produce farmers market on the weekends, so we'll be able to do that and maybe throw in some craft vendors, as well, with that."

Besides promoting the health and wealth of Lafayette's northside, the Amoses are also using this new addition as an opportunity to further connect with the community.

"In the future, this will also give opportunity for us to partner with other organizations to be able to host community events and also private events, as well," Andrea said. "We want to partner with local schools, maybe have field trips here. We can also give educational classes from local farmers, where they can speak to them about the health benefits of eating better."

If you would like to keep track of what Parc de Oaks is up to, you can visit their website or follow them on Facebook.