Farmers' Market Finds: Cooking With Ty Leon of Mizuna

Linnea Covington August 22, 2017 7:59AM

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Linnea Covington

Finished Colorado stone fruit pie with ingredients from the Boulder County Farmers Market at Union Station; August, 2017.

Each week, farmers' markets fill up with glorious produce from local growers all across the state, but for Denver's chefs, none shine quite as bright as the Union Station Farmers' Market (run by Boulder County Farmers' Markets). Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 28, this market rolls out the jewels of the earth, from ruby-tinged tomatoes to amethyst-hued eggplants to emerald-green lettuces. There are new finds each week, which make it a marketplace perfect for a chef looking to try something fresh, new and grown nearby.

This week we hit up the stands with Mizuna executive chef Ty Leon, who picked up some tasty raw ingredients to add to his menu and to feed his staff. "I like to look around and see who has cool things," says Leon, who always adds a dozen tamales from Esmerelda Tamale House into the mix for his own snacks. "I also like to see what fruit there is for me to take on a hike Sunday or Monday." After a trip through the market, we followed him back to his kitchen to see what he'd cook up. With ripe peaches, local cheese and bright purple flowers, here's what what he found and created with the bounty. All photos by Linnea Covington.