FORT MYERS, Fla.–In 1952, Christine and R.V. Green had a vision of serving a home-cooked meal to farmers who delivered produce to the farmers’ market before returning to their inland Florida homes. Now, 70 years later, their dream lives on through Betsy Barnwell and her family.
“We just want to keep a good thing going and be part of the community,” Barnwell told The Epoch Times during a visit to the restaurant on Edison Avenue.
The fare consists of generous servings of southern comfort food using family recipes. It has expanded since its original menu, which was made up mainly of produce that was brought to the market—collard greens, okra, and strawberries that were baked into pies.
The Farmers Market’s loyal following spans generations.
“If these walls could talk, they would tell you that this restaurant has seen and fed presidents, governors, and almost every mayor the city of Fort Myers has had,” Barnwell said. “Deion Sanders has told national media outlets that this is his favorite restaurant.”
While that is an honor in and of itself, she said, serving the people who live and work in the community remains her main purpose.
Barnwell, the restaurant’s third owner, reflected on its 70-year history:
“Farmers Market has been owned by only three families: the founding owners--the Greens, Claire Williams, and the Barnwell family that took it over in 1980,” she said. “I took over after my father-in-law retired a few years ago.”
Little has changed over the years except for the décor, she said, pointing to the walls. But the advertising concept has. Putting her degree in accounting and marketing to good use, Barnwell has devised ways to “get the word out” via social media.
For decades, a familiar face at the establishment has been Joann Mow.
“I’ve been here since 1967,” she said with a smile. “I remember we made $1 a day in salary and maybe $5, $6 in tips, but the money went further back then.”
In 55 years on the job, Mow said she has been a server and a manager and would “pitch in where necessary.” After a couple of recent back surgeries, she works mostly as a cashier.
Retirement is not in her vocabulary.
“I don’t plan on retiring,” the spry octogenarian said. “It’s something to do–something to look forward to. I know that there’ll come a day that I can’t do it, but that is a long way away.”
Christine Yellen came to Farmers Market in 2011 after making desserts in a restaurant setting since 1975. When the restaurant where Yellen was working closed, Barnwell said she didn’t think twice before recruiting her.
Yellen enjoys her work and believes she brings joy to people through her desserts.
“I make all kinds of pies,” she said shyly. “I enjoy making coconut cream pies. But the special thing about this place is that everything --from the rolls to the vegetables-- is made fresh.”
Although her specialty is desserts, Yellen will occasionally “jump in” and make breakfast items.
“Sometimes, if we’re short-handed, I will help out with breakfast,” she said. “I just like bringing joy to people with food.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnwell said they endured and adapted, but that was “nothing compared to the inflation” she is seeing now.
“When we had to shut down during COVID, we learned to adapt,” she said. “This was something you just never foresee coming.”
She recalled that she had approximately $40,000 in food when restaurants across the state were ordered to shut down. But Barnwell said the food costs were not her main concern—it was the welfare of her employees.
“I needed to pay the bills, but I worried about my employees. How were they going to make it?” she said. “So, we basically set up an unemployment office in the restaurant. I brought in my daughter and a few laptops, and we helped our employees apply for unemployment benefits.”
Most importantly, Barnwell decided to utilize her food trucks and serve barbecue until the kitchen could reopen.
People would drive up in their pickup trucks, with portable tables and chairs in the back, and set up their own dining areas in the parking lot, she said. It was that kind of community support that she wants to honor at the April 30 event.
“Our customers hung in there with us and supported us,” Barnwell said. “We survived because the local people came out because, at that time, we had no tourists.”
A firm believer in customer service, she said she would “do whatever it takes to make the customer happy.”
“I’m sure we’re not going to be perfect, but we have to make it right,” she added.
At the upcoming anniversary celebration, employees will be on hand to meet and greet guests. Some will be sharing memories or have photographs on display.
Mow said she has pictures from the time she was a server and laughed as she described the uniforms they wore “back in the day” with different hats and aprons.
But most of all, she treasures the memories of her customers.
Over more than five decades, “I have seen families come through those doors,” Mow said. “Then I started seeing their children and their children’s children. That’s a lot of history.”
Barnwell said that most of the older workers at the restaurant have been there for 30 to 50 years, and it is because they are “treated like family.”
“Any time you work for a smaller, local place is a good thing … I would do anything for them,” she said of her employees. “We have lost a few recently, but you can still feel them here … If these walls could talk.”
