Chefs cook with what's in season, every weekend
Our chef tent runs through the peak season at both markets. Local DC chefs cook simple recipes using whatever is at peak that weekend, and customers get to watch, taste, and take home the recipe.
How the demos work
Every demo runs about an hour. The featured chef walks the market in the first hour, picks out what looks best from the farmers, and then cooks live in the chef tent. The crowd watches, asks questions, and tastes whatever comes out of the pan. Recipes are printed on cards and free to take.
Demos are designed for home cooks, not chefs. The point is to show that whatever's at peak that weekend can become a great meal at home with three or four ingredients and 20 minutes. Past demos have covered everything from a 10-minute summer gazpacho to fall braises, knife skills, sourdough basics, and "use the whole vegetable" demos with carrot tops, beet greens, and pea tendrils.
Demo schedule
During peak season (roughly May through November), the chef tent runs every Saturday at 14&U and most Sundays at Bloomingdale. Demos are typically mid-morning, around 10:30am to 11:30am, when the markets are busiest.
Outside peak season, Bloomingdale runs a smaller demo schedule, usually pegged to seasonal milestones (winter root vegetables, early spring greens, holiday tables).
Past chefs
Over the years our chef tent has hosted chefs from Kapnos, Thip Khao, The Dabney, Pizzeria Vetri, Barcelona, Boundary Stone, Matchbox, Sweetgreen, and many more. We also bring in food educators, cookbook authors, kids' programming partners (Kid Power), and nutrition educators. See our season recaps for highlights from past seasons.
Want to cook a demo?
We're booking demo slots for the 2026 season at both markets. We particularly welcome: chefs from DC-area restaurants, cookbook authors, kids' cooking educators, nutrition-focused programs, and home cooks with a strong sense of what's in season.
Demos are unpaid — what you get is exposure to the most engaged farmers-market crowd in DC, plus access to peak-season produce at vendor prices, plus a captive audience of food enthusiasts.
To pitch a demo, email [email protected] with what you'd like to cook and which weekends work, or read our Cook at Our Markets page for more details.