It seems an unlikely home for the epicurean purveyor. But here at the end of Fulton Street, near the rudely jostling tourist buses on South Street and the noisy rumble of cars on the FDR Drive above, the Fulton Stall Market opened May 22 and continues, two days a week, through the end of the summer.

Spilling out from the shadow of old fishmonger stalls is the bounty of locally produced foods and spirits; from wine out of North Fork, L.I., vineyards, to homemade chutneys from Peconic, N.Y., to a Manhattan coffee company that roasts its artisanal beans by hand. 

Plus there are plenty of the ultimate crowd-pleaser—free samples.

Stephanie Plack of Brooklyn was there with her friend Laura Vroomen, who was visiting from London. They had just left one of the most popular booths—Brooklyn Oenology, where the owner was serving shotglass-size samples from their line of eight wines.

“Motley Cru was my favorite,” Plack said enthusiastically. “It was an amazing blend!” As a result of their visit, the women were making plans to visit the winery in North Fork.

Robin Puskas, the guest chef on this day, was also giving out samples. As she deftly sauteed filets of bluefish with a compote she prepared on the spot from tomatoes, garlic, lemon and capers, she noted ruefully that “people feel bluefish is a little scary.” But, she said, brightening, “I’ve been making converts!” A few stalls down, one of the 12 vendors, Cupcake Express, was selling three-inch-high cupcakes at $4 each. “They’re a meal,” claimed Fred Stellato, the owner’s brother, who was manning the stand. Of the hundreds Stellato had sold that day, the most popular, he said, was the banana cupcake with butter cream frosting sprinkled with caramel and banana. 

Shawn Wajswol, working the cheese stand from Long Valley, N.J., noted that the day before, the first day of the market, there had been mostly tourists, who were not interested in  food shopping. “We don’t know the market yet,” Wajswol said, “but we are looking for residents.”

Michael Sheridan, who was shopping in the market with his five-month-old daughter, sleeping soundly in a Snugli, was just the customer she was looking for. Sheridan and his family had recently moved to nearby John Street from uptown.

“This is the real New York, with history and old buildings,” he said with passion as he gestured at the remains of the 100-year-old fish market. “This is the reason we moved down here.”

“My wife and I have gone to the 14th Street market, but it’s so packed and crazy,” Sheridan said, pausing from the “awesome” peanut butter cookie he had just bought. “Things seem a little looser down here. There’s something sort of sane about this.”

Fulton Stall Market on South Street between Fulton and Beekman Sts. Open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the summer.