There were booths and tables of mouthwatering handmade food, from chocolate-covered caramels to cheese. Did I mention it was the perfect day? I arrived wide-eyed, and I wanted to eat it all.

Over the weekend, I attended a two-day artisanal food market, aptly named The Emporiyum, in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the event’s inaugural year and featured an impressive lineup of food purveyors, including Bryan Voltaggio, the chef at Volt, and a Top Chef finalist. Vendors came from the nearby Mid-Atlantic and from as far as Oregon.

The brain behind The Emporyium is event consultant and Baltimore resident, Mindy Shapiro. After visiting Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg market, Shapiro, a native New Yorker, and self-professed foodie, realized Baltimore had nothing like it.