Ribs and muscles—looking like illustrations from a biology textbook—line the walk-in freezer at Padanaram’s newest restaurant, Farm & Coast Market. Executive Chef Chris Cronin said he prefers it that way.

“We’re not buying any kind of boxed beef that comes from dubious origins. We’re kind of closing the gap between farmer and consumer and butcher,” said Cronin, who credits YouTube for his “self-taught butcher” title.

The cafe-meets-deli-meets-farmers-market opened on July 21, with Cronin and General Manager Jody Cote leading the way. They’re still working out the kinks, but the 50-person staff handmakes breads, butchers meat, and stocks shelves daily.

“We offer people what’s in their own backyard,” said Cote, referring to the dozens of farms on the South Coast that inspired the store’s name. The team currently sources from local farms, including Apponagansett Farm on Elm Street, Eva’s Garden on Jordan Road, Copicut Farms on Copicut Road, and Ivory Silo Farm in Westport.

“I’ve been to every one of these farms,” said Cronin. He said he personally tours each farm, asks farmers about their practices, and usually becomes friends with his colleagues. “It takes a little bit of work to source locally, but that’s the most valuable resource.”

The market started about a year ago as a coffee stand across the street, using the kitchen at Little Moss Restaurant to stock baked goods, breads, sandwiches, and coffee. “The Window,” as Cote refers to it, is still functioning, but mostly services passersby.

Now, they use the market's full-size kitchen at 7 Bridge Street—complete with a wood fire rotisserie—to service The Window. The new storefront offers beer and wine, cheese, charcuterie, local vegetables, and even Nutella chocolate covered house bacon… which you can find in the bakery section.

“The best thing for me is talking to customers directly over a meat counter,” said Cronin, a “restaurant guy” who worked in Greater Boston’s Washington Square Tavern and Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse, and also got Padanaram's Little Moss up and running as executive chef. “This is my first retail experience.”

Cronin said the same faces are already coming into the market two or three times a week. “There’s a real yearning for people to reconnect with their food,” he said. While Cronin enjoys offering tips—“sear both sides for 12 minutes”—he said that he would like to eventually start offering cooking classes.

“It’ll get a lot more interesting come the holiday season,” said Cote, who can’t wait to see what people will be cooking when they have fuller tables.

In the meantime, the store is focusing on more immediate challenges.

“We purposely hired a young staff from the local area so that we can support local families,” said Cote, explaining that it would’ve been easier to reach out to Johnson & Wales University for trained foodies, but they wanted to keep the staff as local as their vegetables.

There’s also a road blockage at the end of Bridge Street. “We just opened and less than 200 feet away…,” said Cote, pointing to the detour signs around the Padanaram Causeway. For now, Cote—who has 35 years experience managing local grocery stores—is focused on making the market a destination.

“We’re further bolstering our ties to the community,” said Cronin referring to the Farm to Tapas event they did for the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP) on July 31, and the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust’s (DNRT) Barn Bash on August 27.

“[Food is] what’s always going to bring people together,” said Cote. “Why not let it be local food?”

Cronin said the team spent the morning making its own hot dogs, but that’s not all that’s in store for the market.

“We’d like to get into boat service, providing food by the docks” said Cote. She also mentioned that they recently served a wedding party. “We’re not ready to go out and cater events, but we do special orders.”

When the day is done, all the trash goes back to the farms in the form of compost or pig feed, said Cronin.

“Nothing goes into the trash. Bones go into stock and we make soup. Eventually we’ll be doing dog bones,” he said.

Cote suggests calling the store in the morning—(774) 992-7093—for the daily menu. “The food changes based on what the farmer has,” she explained.

“That’s the way it should work,” said Cronin. “[Farmers] say, ‘I have a ton of this. What can you do with it?’” Cronin explained that by being flexible and creative as a chef, he can use what farmers grow in season and help eliminate waste. “It makes sense as a way to eat and as a way to cook,” he said.

By using every part of the crop or animal, Cronin has gotten to utilize some unheard-of items, including the sunchoke—a.k.a. the Jerusalem artichoke—which tastes like a tomato and sunflower seed crossed, he said. There’s also the “porkahouse,” he said, which looks like a T-bone steak, but it’s more like a pork chop on a bigger scale. “It’ll feed a few people.”

Cronin, however, recommends the lamb and mountain mint sausage, made in-house. “It’s mintier than mint. It’s one of our best sellers,” he said.

Cote said she loves the sliders. The market’s chefs grind fresh beef daily, said Cronin.

The restaurant is also run by Floor Manager Mimi Powell and Kitchen Manager Susin Igler. Farm & Coast Market is open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit farmandcoastmarket.com for more information.