PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — The highly-awaited James Beard Public Market has received its biggest donation yet.
Project leaders revealed on Tuesday that Yamhill County couple Brenda Smola-Foti and Frank Foti allocated $500,000 toward the development, bringing its total of monetary gifts to $3 million.
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The market’s upcoming opening was announced in October . Named after lauded Portland chef James Beard, it will serve as an arts, culture and culinary destination with a teaching kitchen, cheese shop, bookstore, fast casual dining, event spaces and more.
One of its recent donors, Smola-Foti, runs Tabula Rasa Farms in Carlton. Her husband Foti helped co-found The Ground, the hospitality destination connected to the farm.
“Frank and Brenda’s businesses, rooted in rural Oregon, exemplify a belief in fostering connections between rural communities and Oregon’s largest city, demonstrating what can be achieved with vision and commitment,” James Beard Public Market Executive Director Jessica Elkan said in a statement.