“The Papoose Club Annual Holiday Bazaar will be held on the first full weekend of December at the Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum. The Holiday Bazaar is a juried arts show that features wonderful hand-made gifts from more than 70 artists from across the Intermountain West.
Saturday, December 2: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, December 3: 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Wood River Valley’s top market for buying gifts for friends and family: sweets, ceramics, handblown glass, clothing, jewelry, handbags, birdhouses, decorative objects, textiles, and more.”
— HOLIDAY BAZAAR | Papoose Club, 2023
My husband and I had never been to a holiday market this vast, diverse, and of such high quality — and we’d been to plenty.
The annual Papoose Club Holiday Bazaar features real artisans showing off the results of their craft: fine, chunky, far-out jewelry, fuzzy, imaginative, felty ornaments, French bread and infused oils, vinegars, and vanilla, glass-made nightlights, thick cutting boards hewn with care, essential oil CBD emollients, and festive treats.
We happened to be in Ketchum, ID this past weekend for our 33rd wedding anniversary, staying at the pet-friendly Knob Hill Inn.
Much needed.
We checked in early Fri. afternoon, got situated, grabbed a few slices as a quick snack at Wise Guy Pizza Pie, then fine-dined on lamb lollipops, Wienerschnitzel, and roast polenta chicken at the Inn’s highly-rated Grill at Knob Hill.
After watching the local news about the holiday bazaar, we woke up early the next day to check it out. Immediately, we were overwhelmed with sights, sounds, and the most delightful scent of sugar, cinnamon, and spicy, comforting pozole volunteers were doling out in the school cafeteria.
What to do? Where to go?
Restrooms first, then off to see what we could see — and maybe buy a few Christmas gifts.
We picked up a nice loaf of “French bread” from the Farmer’s Daughter, Queen of the Hills lemon-ginger honey, essential oil lotion for aches and pain and winter blues from Sun Valley Remedies, and Mountain Mutt cheezy-bacon Cookies.
But hey, what’s this?
A tiny little stall in the back corner of a room showcased cute little, frosty gingerbread men, houses, stars, and — are those Linzer cookies with shiny garnet-blush raspberry jam peeking through?
I almost missed the alfajores.
It’s only when I saw the sign in passing that I did a double-take before walking back over to talk to the lovely lady in the red Santa apron. Her name is Nadina Ottley Jaichenco, owner/chef-on-the-run of Devoto Gelato & Boba, recently opened in Hailey, a short drive from Ketchum.
Jaichenco is special, lyrically soft-spoken as Argentinians tend to be, and immensely, naturally kind. She took all the time in the world to describe her world, where she came from (Buenos Aires), what she does (a lot more than holiday cookies), and what she wants to do, while gently encouraging us to enjoy.
“Try the chocolate,” she said, with a gentle smile. “They have brandy and orange.” The alfajore was covered with more chocolate and tasted divine.
My eye went directly to my heart, the dulce-de-leche alfajore of my foodie dreams. I bit into it, swooning with delight. Heaven. Pillowy sweet, with a hint of caramel.
Suddenly, I didn’t care about anything else but these cookies. I was a kid again, jumping up and down and dancing in place. I could hear Chef Jaichenco chuckle in surprise.
Her craft could not be disputed.
I’d wanted to try my hand at alfajores at home, but chickened out. I didn’t want to buy dulce de leche (sweetened, cooked down milk and sugar) in a can, but make my own. The shortbread dough is also more fragile than the typical Ina Garten American version, too, which makes cutting out the circles without leaving cracks a bit trickier.
I saw none of these problems in Jaichenco’s. I only saw maternal perfection.
After half-heartedly browsing more booths and even suggesting her cookies to a CBD vendor (pictured in my IG post below), we went back for the Linzers, which had a nice, proper snap (the shortbread shouldn’t be too soft).
Jaichenco initially came here with a group for a food competition, where they impressed with their Italian cuisine. She plans to make empanadas with chimichurri.
Did you know she can also make sushi?
Everyone at the Holiday Bazaar seemed nice, friendly, and welcoming. But she was the loveliest of them all.
In many ways, she made our trip.
“I don’t need to look at any more. I’m good now,” I proclaimed to nobody in particular, dancing in place in the middle of the bustling school, surrounded by oblivious holiday shoppers still looking for their gift.
I’m good, I found mine.