Kingstowne Farmers Market: A Fun Way to Spend Friday the 13th

Ferid Rama and his son, Andy, exchanged the kind of glance only a parent and adult child can share when they have become friends. Andy seemed to enjoy ribbing his father about running late, because he had arrived on time to set-up their stall at the Kingstowne Farmers Market as the gray sky threatened rain for the second week of shopping.

Running late might have felt a bit unlucky for Rama on this Friday the 13th, but it was probably lucky for shoppers anxious to try the baked items from his Beladeva Fine European Pastries. Rama said the early birds bought almost all of his pastries when the market opened for the season the week before. Most items were “gone in two hours,” he said.

Beladeva offered more than a dozen pastries, including a flaky apple tart, flourless chocolate cake, pecan diamonds, and miniature key lime pies. For those with a distinctly European palate there was savarin, the famous French ring cake about the size of a donut filled with pastry cream and berries. “Lots of people like that stuff,” Rama said. Who wouldn’t?

Rama opened Beladeva in Manassas 16 months ago. He worked for Hyatt for more than 15 years before opening his shop, including a stint in Northern Virginia and as pastry chef for Hyatt’s ski resort in Beaver Creek, Colorado. When he got the chance, he returned to the area to pursue his life’s work. “This is what I love to do,” he said. Beladeva is one of almost 20 vendors at the Kingstowne Farmers Market on Fridays through October. If you’d love a taste of Europe without going far from home, get in line as early as you can.

Farmers market veterans head right for their favorite vendors, and it was obvious that Beladeva is rapidly becoming one of them. Newer shoppers seemed to enjoy strolling past every stall to savor the scent of fresh strawberries, beauty of colorful vegetables and tasty samples. Judging from the smiles and swinging shopping bags, even a cloudy Friday the 13th couldn’t dampen the high spirits of the day.

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Beladeva Fine European Pastries

7549 Gary Rd., Manassas, VA 20109, 703-366-3131

Kingstowne Farmers Market Hours: Fridays, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.