It’s never too early for a taco trio.

At Tacos El Ingeniero’s Latino Farmers Market (LFM) tent, you can order three pastor, steak or chicken tacos for $15. Garnish with your own rainbow — you’ll find tubs of fresh lime slices, cilantro, diced onion, pineapple, radishes and more at the table.

But don’t stop there. A few feet from El Ingeniero you’ll find Java Joes—grab an iced latte and keep moving. With more than 30 vendors to visit, you’ll need the fuel.

“I think more people every week are starting to figure out that the market is here,” says Leopoldo Beltran Jr. of Leedstown Farm. “Farmer Polo” and his wife, Becca, have been setting up shop at Rockwood Park since the market’s inception in April 2024. They bring asparagus, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, tomatoes and more from their farm every Saturday.

In the summer, “people love our watermelons,” says Beltran. “On one Saturday alone, at two markets, we can sell more than 100 watermelons.”

Beltran’s parents have been working at the Colonial Beach farm since 1989 and took over ownership in 2002. Beltran started working alongside them in 2016, “We’re basically two farms in one.” Between the older Beltrans and junior, Leedstown Farm sells fruits and veggies at markets from Maryland to northern Virginia and all over Richmond.

Beltran says even though the commute from their farm-adjacent home to Rockwood Park is about an hour-and-a-half, the drive is worth it. “The market is our main revenue; we really don’t have anything that compares to that.”

That’s the goal.

“These vendors selling every Saturday, they are out here making real money,” says LFM founder America DeLoach. “This year has been amazing—how much we have grown, how much I’ve learned. And the vendors that started the first year have gotten that shyness taken out of them, they have more courage,” says DeLoach.

DeLoach knows just how much a strong farmers market presence can mean for a small entrepreneur. She formed her first business, Salsas Don Sebastian, in 2016. She started selling her homemade salsa — using a recipe from her husband’s family — at the middle school where she taught before moving on to her neighborhood and then, local farmers markets.

Today, Salsas Don Sebastian is available in 250 grocery stores from Whole Foods to Kroger — plus mom-and-pop shops — from Virginia to New York. DeLoach wasn’t satisfied with this commercial success, though. She couldn’t help but notice that at all the farmers markets where she was vending, there were few — if any — Latino purveyors. “I thought ‘this can’t be it,’” says DeLoach. “I know we are more than that.”

When Chesterfield County administrator Joseph Casey came to visit her salsa factory, he handed over his business card. “He said ‘If you ever need anything, let me know,’” says DeLoach. “He didn’t know who he gave the card to.”

The charmingly pugnacious DeLoach let Casey know about the simple — but brilliant — idea that had taken root in her mind: a farmers market highlighting local Latino growers, chefs, makers and more. She told him she planned to create a market, with or without the county. But the county jumped, they found a location, and in spring 2024, the LFM took off.

“The whole idea became a little monster,” laughs DeLoach. The 2024 market ended their season with 30 vendors — there are now 45 vendors, some permanent, some rotating, that show up to Rockwood every weekend. And even more have inquired about participating in the 2026 lineup.

The market operates every Saturday from April to the first weekend of November. That means there are only two Saturdays left to visit.*

While food is certainly the focus here (come hungry) there are also vendors hawking handmade goods like crochet toys (adorable!), soap, permanent jewelry and dog treats. There is always lively music blasting from the parking lot’s speakers, and certain Saturdays will see live music and dance performances, though marketgoers are always encouraged to shimmy on their own.

DeLoach will host an occasional bilingual story time in partnership with Chesterfield Public Library; she says there are even local schools who send students to the market to practice their Spanish. When they record themselves interacting with vendors they receive extra credit.

“Everyone here speaks English,” notes DeLoach. “But if you want to come and practice your Spanish, this is the place to do it, no one is going to judge you.” DeLoach says she has everyone from students to retired couples coming each week to use the market as their own Duolingo.

A few vendors have also recently launched live cooking demos, including caterer and personal chef Kendra “Kay” House, one of the original market participants and founder of Cuba Rico.

On a recent Saturday morning, House served up warm cups of elote en vaso — aka esquites — sweet grilled corn cooked with onions, garlic and ancho chili then topped with chili powder, fresh green onions, crema, cotija and Tajin. Market goers could scan a QR code to get the recipe for themselves.

House and her husband, Russell, own and operate Baking Bread Company. Under this umbrella, they create global fusion menus tailored to events and clients — every Saturday at Rockwood you’ll find the Cuba Rico concept.

House, who identifies as an Afro-Latina chef, says that Cuba Rico pays homage to her late grandmother, Dorothy, who had both Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican lineage. “This particular concept has helped me learn a lot about my grandmother’s roots that I never got to explore growing up,” says House. “My journey with Cuba Rico is synonymous with the Latino Farmers Market.”

A few tents down and around the corner, Chef Anderson Abreu also has an abuela to thank for his culinary journey. Abreu has been operating Mama Luisa Latin Fusion, named for his great-grandmother, for three years; he joined the market this 2025 season. “It’s been wonderful for us,” says Abreu. “It’s more than a place to sell food.”

You can’t miss Mama Luisa. You may smell the mofongo, an homage to Abreu’s Dominican roots, or the chopped cheese, an homage to his New York upbringing, before you spy the bright teal truck, adorned with whimsical paintings of the ingredients he so deftly prepares.

“The market is a place to connect with other vendors and the community,” says Abreu. “I feel there’s no competition — people love on you and try to share and guide you and just pour into what you’re doing.”

*The last two markets take place at Rockwood Park (3401 Courthouse Road) from 8 a.m.- 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 1. There will be a special Dias de los Muertos market on Nov. 1 with a traditional ofrenda (altar) honoring those no longer with us, plus traditional face painting. Market-goers can bring their own framed photo to add to the ofrenda by Saturday, Oct. 25.