ALTA BAJA MARKET OPENS AT SANTA ANA’s 4TH STREET MARKET TO
CELEBRATE FOOD & CULTURE ABOVE AND BELOW THE U.S.MEXICO BORDER
SANTA ANA Alta Baja Market — celebrating food and culture in Mexico, the American Southwest and California — has opened in Santa Ana’s popular downtown food hall 4th Street Market.
Alta Baja Market is in its soft opening phase now, with a grand opening and fiesta to come in the early summer. We are currently raising funds through our Kickstarter campaign to help finance the final equipment, tools and displays to make this first of its kind shopping and eating experience come to life. Our campaign can be found at http://bit.ly/ABMkkstr.
Created by Natasha Monnereau and Delilah Snell, the market is a love letter to the unique fare and rare finds from above and below the border including kitchen items, dry goods, gifts, books, wines and beers, chiles, moles, heirloom beans, spices, fresh produce, aguas frescas from backyard fruit, and gourmet meats and cheeses from California, Arizona, New Mexico, Tijuana, Ensenada, Valle De Guadalupe and beyond.
“Latinos make up a significant percentage of the population in Southern California and Orange
County. Mexican food is incredibly popular and now, more than ever, the border is an important topic of conversation,” said Delilah Snell, one of Alta Baja Market’s owners. “We will celebrate culture and bring community together by sharing, discovering and enjoying the foods that connect us.”
The market will also host cooking classes and lectures, hands-on activities, and monthly community dinners using 4th Street Market’s incubator kitchens. Guest chefs from professional and home kitchens will host popups; coops and artisan makers will be highlighted regularly.
“Alta Baja Market is the perfect fit for the area. Delilah is heavily immersed, involved, and most importantly, respected, in the community. The Alta Baja Market team brings a level of expertise, connectivity and programming that will take things to the next level,” said Ryan Chase, 4th Street Market owner. “This market will be an important bridge for our Latino and non-Latino communities, which is an important bridge for Downtown Santa Ana and the community as a whole.”
Additional background information:
Delilah Snell is a workshop instructor, consultant and lecturer on environmental education,
event production, food sustainability and small business. She is the co-founder of PatchworkShow (a maker festival in 3 California locations for nearly 10 years) and Craftcation Conference (a conference for creative businesses in Ventura, Calif.). A former master food preserver, Snell first achieved local attention for her award-winning ecoboutique/
sustainable workshop & lecture space, The Road Less Traveled Store, which she ran for eight years. She has started a nonprofit for building healthy communities in Santa Ana, ran local farmers markets, hosted community supported agriculture for a decade and more.
Natasha Monnereau has her accreditation as a Level I Sommelier from the Guild of Sommeliers and is a Certified Wine Specialist through the Society of Wine Educators. Natasha
has also received a Certification in Wine Studies through UC Irvine and UC Davis, and leads
private wine tasting, education, and pairing classes. She comes with over 11 years of event
management and production experience and over 15 years combined experience in print media production, advertising sales, student advisement, management, events, programs, and journalism ethics. Natasha is a New Mexico native and has strong ties to the OId Town Portal Market in Albuquerque and the city’s the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, vendors, artisans, food growers, and producers.
About Downtown Santa Ana:
Downtown Santa Ana is the heart of Orange County, in a city filled with historic buildings, a
vibrant creative movement and a large and diverse Latino community. It’s a city we have felt
close to for years, and we hope Alta Baja Market will further contribute to this dynamic town.
One of our first items of business is to create bimonthly tours on topics including history, food, drinks and art. We have plans with local community groups and nonprofits to provide
internships, lectures, selling platforms for community members and workshops to assist the
needs and desires of the area.
Some of our unique items include:
Oaxacan crafts
Guelaguetza mole and michelada mix
New Mexican specialty grains: red and blue corn flours, red and blue atole, blue corn
bread/cookie/waffle mixes, bizcochito mixes, blue corn pozole
Hatch chile mixes (we will be producing our own mixes within the month)
New Mexican jellies and beef jerky (carne seca)
Baja olive oil (Misiones, very limited availability in the U.S.)
Talavera serving pottery (lead free)
La chamba cooking pottery
Oaxacan chocolates, chile paste and salt
Rancho gordo beans (heirloom)
Veggie seeds
Cards
Organic candy
Sodas
Frozen Hatch Chili
Burritos la Palma tortillas
Tucson Tamale Co.
Frozen hatch chiles
Ristras
Mexican Chia oil, avocado oil, bean flour, rice flour
All things at Alta Baja are seasonal. We will be rotating things depending on seasons and
availability.
