Hesperia Community Farmers Market features GPT’s Ta-Licious Bites, Supreme Smoke and Grill
Hesperia Community Farmers Market Operational Manager Michael McQuown and his wife Darlene own and operate Ohana Smoothies at the farmers market.
The McQuowns have been food industry trendsetters in the High Desert for many years, running Maui Wowi Hawaiian smoothies and coffees in Phelan for years and currently set up each Thursday at the High Desert Farmers Market in Victorville.
Handmade and homemade
McQuown agreed to step in as the onsite go-to contact for Hesperia when founder Alexandra Dinsdale was overseeing other projects and often out of town.
He assists in providing an assortment of fun country or street fair activities as well as maintaining joyful shopping and eating experiences for those perusing the works of area artisans whose handcrafts include everything from a wide range of artistic endeavors to creations of the culinary sort.
The farmers market food court is filled with vendors creating original recipes and marketing their very tasty results.
GPT’s Ta-Licious Bites
The name is intriguing ─ GPT stands for “Grand Pa T” ─ and his “Ta-Licious Bites” are delicious morsels of southern fried seafood available as a combo plate or ala carte. GPT’s debuted at Town’s End in Apple Valley in March 2023 and joined the Hesperia Market the following May.
Francesca Person said her husband Roy is the force behind the GPT’s concept, which has been a dream of his for quite a while. They and daughter Shainah worked together on everything from setup to menu.
Their menu banner includes desserts, drinks and specialty entrees and sides.
Combo plates start with your choice of entrée (catfish, salmon, tilapia or shrimp), two sides (select from green beans & potatoes, fried cabbage & peppers or rice and gravy) and a cornbread muffin for $15.
You can add a second entrée for $5 more.
Salmon is available the first and last week of the month, and other items are available from time to time.
Currently their banner includes smothered chicken bites. Desserts include sweet potato pie cheesecake, banana pudding, peach cobbler cake and other seasonal options, each $5 plus tax.
Drinks are sweet tea or bottled water.
Recipes come from both sides of the family, originating in Louisiana and Texas and tweaked to please the palates of those waiting to order. Shainah gets credit for creating the mac and cheese, their immensely popular side.
Catering services are offered, and enticing pictures and more are available on their Instagram account gptstaliciousbites, or call 760-906-0390. Their business card has a QR code to scan, too.
Supreme Smoke and Grill
Offering “wood-smoked, Texas-style brisket, ribs and more,” Supreme Smoke Barbecue kicked off their delicious food vendor adventure in Hesperia in July 2023.
The meats are slow cooked using white oak to fuel their fancy offset smoker ─ a fire box with two grilling compartments that slow-roasts the meat, ribs and sausage while the smoke is drawn from the box and through the grills to exit from the pipe at the end.
They arrive with six briskets, three racks of ribs and plenty of jalapeno-cheddar sausages. The lines of hungry customers are long.
Simple rubs of salt, pepper and garlic leave a “crispy cookie-like crust” on the meat, but do not overwhelm that delicious, natural smoked brisket flavor.
Every Saturday Jesse and Karina Lopez and son Eli hitch up their smoker and haul to Hesperia, fire it up and prepare to serve six briskets, three racks of ribs and plenty of sausages as well as the sides to make a delicious meal.
The Lopez family carefully planned their new business, making it a venture that got a running start.
Once the items are ready to serve, customers may choose from several sides including brisket beans (pinto beans and spices with chopped smoked brisket added), red potato salad, and mac and cheese with Supreme Smoke’s special sharp cheddar blend.
Prices are $5, sausages are $7, a pulled pork sandwich with one side is $17 and the combo and platter plates start at $20.
Available for concerts and other events as well as catering for private parties, Supreme Smoke Barbecue is happy to discuss menus and more.
Visit them on Instagram @SupremeSmokeand Grill and leave a message.
When you go
What: Hesperia Community Farmers Market, 15833 Smoke Tree St., Hesperia.
When: Every Saturday, weather permitting, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Information: Facebook and Instagram, @hesperiacommunityfarmersmarket.
Dining Around
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This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: What to eat at Hesperia Community Farmers Market
