Ismael food guru in Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland – For me one of the great things in Geneva is shopping at “Ismael’s.” I am not talking about a fancy shop but rather a very friendly vegetable and fruit vendor that comes to my neighborhood twice a week.

All fresh, edible things found in my house come from the mobile stall that he sets up in Saint-Jean every Tuesday and Friday.

Ismael Novoa has been my veggie guru in Geneva since we moved to Switzerland. “That’s called Choux and it is very commonly used in Geneva for hearty winter soups,” he says in his thick Galician accent. Once I grabbed a bunch of heavy, pale green pears which I thought would make a great snack for my constantly hungry daughter.

“No,” he chuckled.

Those are not pears, they are vegetables and are used for soups only.” A pear-shaped vegetable that according to Ismael is a typical Geneva delicacy found only in the dead of winter. “Only true Genevans ask for them,” he says. “No one else does.”

Fresh veggies at outdoor food markets in Geneva

I go out of my way to go his food stall every Tuesday. For me, it is an important, if subdued, social connection in Geneva.

Ismael picks the best of the assortment for me and I have become such a regular customer that odd centimes regularly disappear from my bill.

A new vendor has now joined our very small neighborhood market: Gaëtan Servoz, a cheese vendor who travels from Thonex every Tuesday with the stinkiest cheeses known to mankind. I think I can tell when he has parked his car a block away from my home if you know what I mean.

Servoz also sells “cow” and “sheep” yogurt with flavors ranging from vanilla to blood oranges and verging on the insane with chocolate and mango flavours.

Gaetan and his cheese, yogurt and sausages stall

Although his prices are a bit higher than in the supermarket, they are much cheaper than in the fine delicatessen of the fancy stores on Rue de Confederation.

I like shopping from his stall because 90% of his products are artisan or have been produced in the region.

One frequently asked question is, how to find outdoor food markets? Well, the city of Geneva publishes a list of markets by neighborhoods. So, finding the closest to you is very simple.

All stalls are setup by 6am and start selling by 6:30 a great option for those having to leave early for work. All outdoor food markets in the city close at 13:00.

Gotta go food shopping now!

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