CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS
FIRST
LOCAL FOOD HUB

Maker to Main is the evolution of the Lettuce Be Local Food Hub, which began in 2012 by connecting, aggregating and delivering locally grown food to chefs, farm stands, small stores and breweries throughout Central Massachusetts. 

Farmers and Chefs both faced challenges in connecting locally grown food from the farm to the plate so Lettuce Be Local was created to ease their struggles. With one adventurous restaurant willing to create dishes from local, seasonal food, ten farms and a one beat-up truck, the crazy idea of distributing seasonal product from local farms directly to the people and businesses came to fruition through Lettuce Be Local, the very first local food hub of Central Massachusetts.

HISTORY

The Lettuce Be Local Food Hub (LBL) grew to 40 accounts and over 150 farms in just a few years, but the mission to make local food accessible to everyone has always remained was still the main objective. On Friday, February 21, 2020, the Lettuce Be Local Food Hub officially became Maker to Main Market in downtown Worcester, when it softly opened its doors to the public. The new brick and mortar market would be reminiscent of the “good ol’ days” where people knew their butcher, the milkman, the baker and florist; collectively building a community surrounded by food, small goods and each other. Because of our beginning as LBL, we here at Maker to Main already knew the milkwoman, the florist, the farmers and the small makers, but and the new market allowed us was the perfect chance to introduce all of them to you.

OPENING DURING COVID-19

Maker to Main (M2M) was set to Grand Open on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, with a ceremony and ribbon cutting, commemorating the city’s first downtown locally-sourced market since the 1940s. Instead of a celebration, M2M went into survival mode with the state mandated shutdown due to the pandemic and shifted, pivoted, adapted, then changed again and rode numerous hurdles introduced by COVID.

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It was during those first few difficult months, where we met many of our regular customers. Our loyal guests are the ones we’ve listened to, laughed and even cried with; because we know that as you too have struggled to make sense of the difficult pandemic years. We looked forward to your visits to our Market, because you kept M2M and all of us going when we needed it the most. You motivated us, you encouraged us and you brought us so much joy. Your decision to build this community with us is fierce and we cannot begin to express our gratitude to those who have stuck by us.