News
A Thursday evening at the Chief Ladiga Farmer's Market
Woodwork, local honey, pound cake, and pepper seasonings at Piedmont's weekly market behind Pinhoti Pizza, every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m.
Written by Nate Butler · July 31, 2026
Farmers markets are an excellent way to get some fresh air, meet local people, and find hidden gems that people bring. Piedmont, Alabama, is hosting the Chief Ladiga Farmer's Market at Pinhoti Pizza every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. I took a trip downtown this past Thursday, July 30th, to check it out.
The first thing to catch my eye was some beautiful woodwork by Johnny Floyd. He handcrafts birdhouses, cutting boards, spice racks, fridge magnets, and more from quality sourced wood such as black walnut, cherry, and maple. Some of the wood was even retrieved from his own yard when the 2018 tornado came through the Calhoun County area, and he repurposed it into high-quality, durable, hand-carved work. I purchased a beautiful black walnut cutting board I'm excited to start cooking with.
Johnny got into woodworking while working with the Learning Tree, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational, residential, and support services for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, including autism. Johnny said he began doing woodworking with some of the young people at the Learning Tree, and it was a great outlet that taught patience and became a hobby for him ever since. He has worked with the Learning Tree for decades. He loves working there and is amazed when some of the students still reach out to him years later recounting the memories they had with him. He still works there three days a week.
Kelley Atkerson was also at the booth. She had a great selection of coasters, oven mitts, bags, shirts, pickles, okra, tomatoes, and something I had never seen before: watermelon jelly! They are very kind people who love to frequent farmers markets and have things worth seeing if you can find them.
Johnny gets some of his wood from Michael and Melissa DeVoe. They had a booth selling their local honey! Michael and his wife have been raising bees since 2020 and currently have about 50 hives.
After picking up the black walnut cutting board, I went to see the other booths. I made my way to Goosies lemonade stand, run by Haley Hyde's daughter Milas, and purchased a refreshing glass of blueberry lemonade. Milas helped make the lemonade and served guests with a smile!
Next, I stopped by to say hello to two gentlemen who worked as golf course marshals for decades at the RTJ Silver Lakes Golf Course in Gadsden, Alabama. Today, they enjoy their retirement by doing woodworking, creating toy trucks, animals, planes, and tanks! They are a perfect gift to keep in the family. The wooden cat on wheels I bought from him has been sitting on my computer desk.
If you are a fan of spicy food, Rebec Valley Farm is for you. Keith Rebec grows all types of rare and exotic peppers and sells his homemade spices and seasonings at local farmers markets. He has so many flavors of seasonings and even carries his own local honey! I love grabbing different packs each time I go and experimenting with them when cooking. His smash burger seasoning is a local favorite! Keith even has an online store and ships his products, which you can find on his website (listed below).
Carol Miller has participated in farmers markets for four decades! She and her husband Joe Morgan were there with their baked goods, jams and jellies, salsas, breads, culinary vinegars, and more! Carol has a wealth of knowledge of the uses of various plants for cooking. She carries jars full of all different types of jams. The homemade vinegars are delicious, carried in beautiful glassware.
The last time I visited the farmers market, I picked up some of the dill and garlic vinegar. It was amazing. This time I picked up some of her lemon pepper fennel culinary vinegar. She was inspired by a trip she took once. When she went out to eat, she found a place where they served food made with a highly prized gourmet spice, fennel pollen, and she has loved using it in her cooking ever since. I love seafood, and she recommended this for my salmon. I am getting hungry as I type this. I am about to go and cook up some salmon and am excited to give this a try!
My next stop was Heavenly Treats by Mendie. Mendie loves farmers markets and bakes all types of homemade treats like cakes, cookies, and cake pops. I bought one of the chocolate and peanut butter cookies. It was tasty!
After that, I went to another heavenly booth called Slice of Heaven owned by Chantay Walker. If you like pound cake, this booth is for you! Chantay makes some of the best homemade pound cakes I have ever had with their own secret ingredients. They frequent farmers markets around the area. I recommend getting there early because on busy days she sells out of some items by the end. I bought another slice of strawberry pound cake this time from her booth.
Everyone in the South knows that in the summertime, bugs like mosquitoes are no joke! Summer Welch and her husband had a booth selling their homemade natural bug sprays, tallows, and balms. They even make their own natural flea, tick, and mosquito deterrent for dogs! I grabbed some of the bug spray, which I know will come in handy this August. Summer and her husband are well respected and loved in the local farmers market community. Summer has a big role in helping to run the Jacksonville market.
A great addition to the Piedmont farmers market lately has been the booths selling homegrown vegetables! There was a booth selling watermelons as well. There was even a food truck from Jefferson's out at the market this past Thursday.
Farmers markets are one of the best places to go to feel the heart and soul of a community. Getting to see the crafts, hobbies, and types of foods from local small businesses and meeting the people behind them is great. People there can be such a wealth of knowledge about many different things, and I learned so much just from chatting with them this past Thursday.
The Piedmont farmers market is totally worth checking out this summer! Every Thursday behind Pinhoti Pizza in Piedmont, Alabama. 107 S Main St, Piedmont, AL 36272.
Keith ships his seasonings and honey from his website.
Find them on the Lantern
Directory pages for vendors from this story:
From the readers
No comments yet. Yours could be the first on the board.
Keep reading
News
A new Piedmont business celebrates its grand opening
The Shops at Macy's On Main celebrated its grand opening on August 1, 2026.
August 4, 2026
News
Murder on the Buffalo Express sells out the Piedmont depot
The Southern Ghost Girls Tours sold out Saturday night's murder mystery at the Southern Railroad Depot Museum, with a storm-dodging dinner assist from Shell's Downtown and JB's Wings N Things.
August 3, 2026
News
Local businesses fill Coosa Landing for the 13th annual Business Expo
The Etowah Chamber held its Celebrate Local Business Expo and Taste of Etowah on Thursday at The Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden, drawing dozens of businesses and a steady crowd through the afternoon.
July 30, 2026