Fall 2024 Showcase Wolffe

Oxford native, Kate Bishop opened Chicory Market with her husband, John Martin in 2017, purchasing the Farmer’s Market Store from Liz Stagg and Frank Coppola. Mission driven, Chicory has become an Oxford-Lafayette County staple connecting consumers to locally produced, fresh food. In January of 2024, Chicory moved to its current location on North Lamar. It has grown considerably alongside the population and local food movement, now offering meat and produce from nearly fifty local farmers and foodmakers.

In this oral history, Kate and I discussed the challenges expanding into a full service grocery, attitudes towards seasonality, reflections on the Oxford food economy, and her future goals for the store.

Turner Wolffe grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. He completed his B.A. in History at Loyola University New Orleans where he studied foodways and environmental history while also working in restaurant kitchens, bakeries and butcher shops. He is currently an M.A. candidate in Southern Studies and Documentary Expression, planning to further explore the future of sustainable, equitable food production.