First dates at the farmer’s market

Sasha Piligianof May Microbakery is part of what market correspondent Gillian Ferguson calls the microbakery movement in Los Angeles — a group of bakers who have gone out on their own to create cottage industries. Piligan is known for her layer cakes made with seasonal produce. Her fall cakes include Carrot Coriander and Turmeric, Passion Fruit Vanilla White Chocolate, and Chocolate Date Tahini, for which she is folding Halaway dates into the buttercream, creating a caramel chew. Also, Alvaro Bautista calls end-of-season barhi dates “liquid gold.” His family grows varieties that ripen on the trees up to 60 feet high.