The second-annual Detroit Holiday Food Bazaar will be held this Friday, 12/9 from 5 to 11 p.m. in Eastern Market above Cost Plus Wine. Launched in 2010 by Noelle Lothamer, co-owner of Beau Bien Fine Foods, the Detroit Holiday Food Bazaar is an event that celebrates Michigan's independent artisan food producers. While you might recognize names like McClure's Pickles, some of these vendors are only available via direct sales at events such as this. Consider the Food Bazaar a well-curated selection of the best of Detroit's micro food producers – it doesn't GET more local than this.

This year's list of vendors has increased from 16 to 25, and there will be some non-food vendors as well: the winner of the first-ever Hatch Detroit competition Joe Posch will be representing his winning concept Hugh with vintage dishes and cookware; there will also be other cooking accessories like cutting boards, aprons and linens available for purchase (can you say Christmas presents?). Detroit photographer Marvin Shaouni will be selling prints, and DJs Ash Nowak (from Haute to Death) and Amy Kaherl will be tag-teaming the event. Cost Plus will be open too, and be sure to come hungry and bring cash (most vendors are cash-only)!

Here's a sneak peak of just some of this year's vendors:

Pete's Chocolate Co.
Pete Steffy makes French-style hand-rolled chocolate truffles with a little bit of a kick: think cinnamon cayenne, candied ginger and blackberry brandy. You can find him on weekends at Ferndale's Rust Belt Market, and also order items for pick-up or delivery through his website peteschocolate.com. For the holidays he will have an order form online with different pick-up dates, or you can just visit him at the Bazaar where he will also be serving his vegan hot chocolate (made with coconut milk).

Perkins Pickles
Tom Perkins got into pickles for a rather simple reason: he was making the pickles he wanted to eat. His pickles are cold-packed, meaning they are never heated which keeps them fresher and crisper (but also that they can't really be shipped directly and have a much shorter shelf life). You can find his pickles at Traffic Jam and Snug and Woodbridge Pub in Detroit, and he also sells at Rust Belt Market and Eastern Market. He will be at the Bazaar with his pickles as well as his red cabbage and green tomato relish. Also find them on Facebook.

Corridor Sausage Co.

 Corridor Sausage Co. was founded in 2009 by Zachary Klein and Will Branch to bring handcrafted artisan meats to the Detroit market. They use all-natural, hormone- and antibiotic-free proteins and only fresh herbs and spices, never any dry or pre-made mixes. Their best-selling items are Vietnamese Chicken Sausage, Green Curry & Pork Sausage, Moroccan Lamb Sausage and a Bacon & Beer Brat with Aged Swiss, all of which will be available at the Bazaar as well as a Citrus & Spice Duck Rillette and a Country Terrine. You can also find their products for sale at local farmers' markets. Visit corridorsausage.com for more info. 



Beau Bien Fine Foods

 Beau Bien Fine Foods, launched in 2010 after Michigan passed a law allowing for the growth of the cottage food industry, is a partnership between Noelle Lothamer and Molly O'Meara. Their focus currently is on unique all-natural jams that often meld the sweet with the savory; flavors that will be available at the Bazaar include Plum Cardamom, Strawberry Sichuan, Peach Basil, Pear Rosemary, Plum Honey, Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb and more. All varieties use a minimal amount of sugar and no artificial pectin. They will also have organic Moroccan preserved lemons. And look them up on Twitter when you get the chance (twitter.com/BeauBienFoods).

Miette
Pastry Chef Chris Wick has a background in traditional French pastries. With Miette (which means "little crumb" in French), he focuses on using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients. He uses only locally-milled flour, free-range and organic eggs from nearby farms, organic butter and locally-grown fruit. He uses REAL butter and ONLY real butter because, as he states, margarine and shortening "will never be butter." Miette can be found at the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market when in season, and is currently selling at Comet Coffee and Sparrow Market in Ann Arbor or at miettesweets.com.

Detroit Institute of Bagels
When the Bagel Brothers Ben and Dan Newman got bested in the first-ever Hatch Detroit competition, their fans, the bagel-starved 99 percent of Detroit, were grief-stricken. But all is not lost. They are SO CLOSE YOU CAN ALMOST SMELL THE SWEET SWEET SMELL OF BAGELS BAKING to starting buildout of a brick-and-mortar location (possibly/probably in Corktown), so Detroit can finally have an officially-official bagel bakery and be a bagel desert no more. They'll have mini-bagel sandwiches at the Bazaar made with their bacon cheddar and rosemary/sea salt/olive oil bagels. Head over to detroitinstituteofbagels.com for more info.

Suddenly Sauer
Blair Nosan is a big fan of fermentation. She makes a variety of fermented vegetable products from locally-sourced produce, including classic dill pickles, squash kimchi, "Dilly Beans" and "Hot Head Cauliflower." She also teaches workshops on different forms of food preservation and experiments with specialty non-dairy ice creams and cultured dairy products (yogurt, cream cheese and butter). She'll have Dilly Beans and Hot Head Cauliflower available at the Bazaar, or over at suddenlysauer.com.

McClure's Pickles
McClure's Pickles really needs no introduction, since they are probably one of the best-known independent food producers in Detroit. Their reputation precedes them with items like their incomparable Bloody Mary Mix (it's just THAT good), which you can make into a proper Bloody Michigan Mary using Valentine Vodka, or try something a little new that they're debuting: the Bloody Mezcal. Pickles and Bloody Mary Mix will be a $1 less than retail price, so stock up (and learn something about pickles at mcclurespickles.com).

The Rogue Estate
Bob Perye of the Rogue Estate promises that his BBQ sauce is even better than seeing a unicorn or catching a falling star, that with one taste you will utterly forget the name of that one BBQ spot in Corktown. They'll be sampling this magical sauce made to serve with magical meats, and will be selling two of their bottled sauces for your own in-home consumption. Keep tabs on what's popping at the Estate at rogueestate.com.

Al Meida
Warda Bouguettaya emigrated from Algeria to the United States seven years ago, and that is when she became very interested in Algerian cuisine. It was a way for her to recreate the meals and memories she missed from home. She makes traditional Algerian pastries, which she was selling this summer at the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market. Pastries include Makroud, a semolina pastry filled with spiced dates paste and hand-dipped in honey; and Kaab El Ghzal, a tender pastry encasing a homemade almond paste scented with orange blossom water. Every pastry is handmade from the dough to the filling and use only natural ingredients with no artificial flavoring or chemicals. Check them out at facebook.com/almeida.pastries. | RDW

the holiday food bazaar will be held at 2448 market street in detroit (in eastern market, above cost plus wines), running from 5-11 p.m. on 12/9. for more info, please visit facebook.com/DetroitHolidayFoodBazaar.