Our Town Revisited: Produce Stands in Laurel
LAUREL, De. – Take a last and final trip down memory lane, we’re checking on people and their produce! Back in 1999, former anchor and reporter Kelly Rouse went to the town to see what they had in store.
Bayside Seafood and Produce 1999
A favorite stop along the road is the produce market. you can find them on just about any road on Delmarva, boasting the bounty of our farms and bay. Pumpkins piled high, a blaze of mums…and the promise of good eating from local produce are all part of the lure of the roadside market.
We found Bayside Seafood and Produce just north of Laurel on Route 13 and asked owner Charles Rizk what’s fun about running a produce market. “Most of the fun of running a produce market is getting to meet the people going up the road. Been on vacation or passing by, get some nice fresh Delmarva produce to take back north with them.”
He says it’s also a real hands-on operation, right down to gathering the goods for sale. “We also get to go to the farms, meet the farmers for yourself. Go down to the auction and pick up fresh stuff… We carry mums, pumpkins, scarecrows, corn, all the stuff that goes with Halloween. And we’ll carry wreaths and stuff that goes into Christmas too.”
Rizk also carries the season’s best in seafood. This roadside market is a sure stop on the way home for dinner.
Cory’s Produce Farm Market 2025
25 years later, Bayside Seafood and Produce is no longer in operation. However, in Laurel there’s another produce stand who has taken on the task of feeding the locals and has become a staple in the community.
Cory’s Produce Farm Market is just a mile down the road from when he started selling as a youngling. “A little bit of history, when I was 10 years old, I started with a roadside stand on Fire Tower Road, started out as a table.”
And he didn’t stop there!
By 2000, Cory Atkins and his father sold goods by wagon, and in June of 2024, he and his wife Kate opened the market. As a registered dietitian, Kate says knowing where your food comes from is important.
“First of all, we like supporting our local community partners, so a lot of the spices and sauces are also local to our community… I want you to be able to make a full meal. I want you to be able to have your produce and your meat, and your seasonings and your bread and your dessert all in one place.”
From Bison to Broccoli
They have it all, and above all, Family is important to the Atkins. Cory says after losing his mother and grandmother just months apart in 2016, he decided the best way to remember them is by recreating family recipes.
“Coming for this year, hopefully, we’ll have my grandma’s relish… I never ate the relish as a kid, but I always grew the stuff; the family raved about it. So, I found the recipe after she passed; my sister had it, and we asked Twin Oak to make up a batch.”
Cory says with a pinch of this and a dash of that, Twin Oak Farms whipped up relish that tastes just like family remembers it. They respect local traditions, and Kate tells me all about their U-Pick, and trust me, it’s a fun time.
“It was our first season with U-pick strawberries; we had a big strawberry festival this past weekend, and that is actually a throwback to when this store used to be the Hen House. They also had U-Pick strawberries same place we did and did a strawberry festival. That was a really big hit for the community, so we really wanted to bring that back.”
Kate grabbed a juicy batch!
They say the community has been asking for a roadside stand, and they plan to be here for the next 25 years to serve them.
“I’ll tell you one of the things people come here for, is they have been customers of Cory since he was 10 on Fire tower, and he is known for his high-quality produce… The people are great; they still come they support you. If something happens, they stand behind you, whether it’s a car accident or illness, the community in Laurel is one that is top notch.”
Cory’s Produce Farm Market is located at 11485 Sycamore Rd in Laurel, and if you have any questions or need to place a large order, feel free to find them on Facebook or call 302-855-3402.
