Saratoga Farmers' Market

Saratoga Spa State Park

Submarine Sandwiches with a Mediterranean Twist

By

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Sabreen Samman of Petra

Sabreen Samman stands by a panel of windows at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park. In front of her are serving trays holding her savory Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, made with lamb and beef, ready to be topped with onions, peppers, and melted cheese.

A customer approaches. With a smile, Samman fills the order.

“I like cooking and I like feeding people,” she says. “When people come back and tell me how much they enjoy the food, I feel good.”

Samman calls her business Petra, after the ancient city in Jordan, where she is from. She started the business as a farmers’ market enterprise and joined the Saratoga Farmers’ Market in 2018.

Petra is an ancient city, known for beauty and historical significance. For Samman, it is like a taste of home.

Samman’s early work years were at a desk. She left that life and in 2014 started a restaurant, the Falafel Den, in Saratoga. The long hours of restaurant work tired her out, so she sold her share in the business to her partners. Still, she wanted to keep cooking.

As she developed Petra, she realized it was a perfect fit. She could cook in a creative way, with more time for herself.

She initially began offering pocket pies, which were modeled after a food common in and around Jordan. The pies, like the accompanying recipe, were made with pizza dough; filled with combinations of vegetable, cheese, and meats; seasoned with spice blends of the Mediterranean; folded at the top, and then baked.

Samman has always liked to surprise market goers with different ingredients and styles of snack or lunch foods. Along with pocket pies, she has brought salads and gyros to the market in the past. She looks forward to mixing things up with sub rolls and fillings and plans to offer chicken and vegetarian combinations this spring.

Response to her Philly steak sandwiches has been quite favorable, she says.

For her, the cooking and the selling come together as a pleasurable experience. “It’s meditative and soothing,” she says. “And when I’m done, I feel refreshed.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park through April. The market moves outdoors to High Rock Park in May. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market moves indoors on Saturday November 3rd

By

by Kristin Cleveland

Tomorrow, November 3rd, is Opening Day for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market winter season! The market will be held from 9 am to 1 pm every Saturday, from now through the end of April, inside the Lincoln Baths building at 65 South Broadway in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

Just before the 9 am opening bell tomorrow, Saratoga Mayor Meg Kelly, NYS Parks Assistant Regional Director David Barone, Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau president Darryl Leggieri, Spa State Park General Manager David Guest, and longtime local conservationist Barbara Glaser will share in a brief ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the start of the winter market season and the benefits of having the year-round Saratoga Farmers’ Market. 

Then, at 9 am, customers can head indoors to shop from over 40 farmers, specialty foods vendors and local artists, hear acoustic music, and enjoy the camaraderie of connecting with the community on Saturdays throughout the winter in a beautiful and fully accessible historic building. 

Saratoga Farmers’ Market indoors at the Lincoln Baths. Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

The musical guest for November 3rd will be an unplugged version of the ever popular Running the River band; information about additional upcoming Saturday musicians, sponsors of children’s activities, and other guests can be found on the calendar page of www.saratogafarmersmarket.org. Also on the website is a link to sign up for a weekly email newsletter, making it easy to find out about seasonal vendor offerings and special community events.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market has been in operation since 1978 with a commitment to providing local products from Saratoga county and surrounding Schenectady, Rensselaer, Washington and Warren counties. For the next six months on Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths, customers will find a wide variety of fresh, locally grown autumn and winter vegetables, fruit and mushrooms. Also available all winter season will be locally produced meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt, milk, homemade baked goods, jams, wine, spirits, soap, and freshly prepared and ready-to-eat foods. New farms at this year’s winter market are Ramble Creek Farm, Squashville Farm, Green Jeans Market Farm, and Saratoga Urban Farm. 

In addition to farm products, the winter “Holiday Market,” offered every Saturday in November and December, provides unique hand-crafted clothing, jewelry, elegant glass art, gourmet dog food and treats, baby items, and other artisan goods perfect for gifts for everyone on a holiday list.