I am so sad to report that Ida Papert passed away last night. Mama Ida has been a driving force behind the Dallas Farmers Market since the mid-50s. Her tireless efforts to make the Farmers Market a vibrant force in downtown Dallas are well-known among foodies, farmers, and bureaucrats alike. In 1991, she formed the Dallas Farmers Market Friends, an advocacy group that boasts more than 400 members, and, in 1993, she joined forces with the American Institute of Wine and Food to start cooking classes in the Market’s Shed No. 2.
Each summer the Dallas Farmers Market Friends hosts the Mama Ida’s Ice Cream Social. Local culinary students and kids from the Dallas County Youth Village are given local ingredients and a chance to compete for a cash prize. She was a tireless fighter for farmers and local ingredients. Personally, I can not imagine a world without Mama Ida. She was a dear friend and the most loving, giving person I’ve ever know.
Mama Ida, we will miss you. I think we should organize a effort to name one of the sheds after Mama Ida.
