Over a century ago, a tight-knit network of Italian American families started selling local produce in Portland’s Central Eastside. It began on a single city block and expanded from there — carts and wagons overflowing with fresh fruits and vegetables often arrived before dawn to set up shop. It was “farm-to-table” before “farm-to-table” needed a special name.

Eventually, this area in the Central Eastside grew to be known as Produce Row, and many of the food traditions that helped make Portland a foodie paradise were born in those unassuming warehouses along the Willamette River. Today, generations later, many of those same families are still there, proudly carrying on the traditions of their parents and grandparents.