It must have felt like the longest winter for the folks over at the Chicago French Market in the Ogilvie train center.

The market opened in December, not exactly prime time for locally grown produce, which is purportedly a big focus of the year-round operation.

It drew big crowds during opening week. Traffic has been somewhat steady or downright sloooow since, according to vendors I've talked to. One told me she has been disappointed thus far in what she sees as a lack of marketing on the part of the market's managers, the Bensidouns.

But things are looking up. For one, a couple new vendors have signed on, including Zullo's, which hawks its melt-in-your-mouth zeppole at Green City Market and is supposed to open any day now. And on Tuesday, the market is launching a weekly demo and tasting, as well a month-long partnership with the Gene Siskel Film Center for discounts on movies when you show a food receipt from the market, and vice versa. The tasting will be every Tuesday; Zullo's chef Greg Christian is first up at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. He'll make a pasta with seasonal veggies.