Arroyo’s Partners and Donations for June 2009

by arroyo, July 7, 2009 | Permalink

South Central Farmers

As we move into another month (yikes! Already…), we would like to take an opportunity to express our gratitude and honor to the many groups, organizations, businesses, and people that we have been so fortunate to work with both this past month and beyond. We thank our community for your tremendous support and for bringing such life, excitement, and perspective into our store. We love our neighborhoods, and our proud to be apart of these dynamic communities.

June 2009: We have either donated, supported, sponsored, or partnered with the following during the month of June (in alphabetical order): Another Year in L.A., Camp Laurel, Coalition for Clean Air, Councilmember Ed P. Reyes’ Vegan Bake Sale for the Los Angeles River Keepers, Downtown Women’s Center, Fallen Fruit, Friends of Levitt Pavilion, Integrative Nutrition, L.A.C.E., Lioness L.A., Los Angeles Historic Italian Hall Foundation, Marengo Elementary School PTA, Old Town Cooking School, Options for Youth, Project Angel, Side Street Projects, South Central Farmers’ Cooperative, Southern California University of Health Sciences, South Pasadena Educational Foundation, Pasadena Library, Pasadena Moms Club, Talent 1 Media Film Festival

If we forgot any, we apologize! We will update this each month, so our community can see our reach. Thank you all and have a wonderful month.

Seafood Standards i.e. What is MSC?

by arroyo, May 30, 2009 | Permalink

We’re careful about how we source all of our seafood – we ranked #1 in Greenpeace’s survey for seafood sustainability among retailers! Here is a quick detail about our seafood, and specifically MSC certified seafood. Hope this helps explains our commitment. And if you ever have questions about seafood, please just ask our seafood department. We have so much information and passion to share!

·         For a decade, we’ve been offering seafood from MSC-certified sustainable fisheries.  

·         Look for the blue Marine Stewardship Council sticker on seafood packaging.

·         By choosing MSC-certified products, you reward sustainable fisheries and encourage other fisheries to be responsible too.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC):

·         The MSC is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to creating sustainable fisheries around the world by using market based incentives.

·         The organization is committed to the long-term viability of the global fish supply and healthy marine ecosystems.

·         They have set up a third-party certification program to deem well-managed, responsible fisheries sustainable.

·         Customers purchasing this seafood can rest assured that their fish was not overfished or harvested in ways that harm the ocean.

Breakfast for Berry Season

by arroyo, May 23, 2009 | Permalink

Its my favorite season right now: Berry Season! We have raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries on sale right now, and they are just spectacular. And new this week, we have cherries! Our red cherries are on sale too, for $3.99/lb.

So with these prices in mind, I wanted to share my new favorite breakfast. I look for a high fiber (5g or more) and high protein (5g or more) cereal for the morning, which might not be the most exciting cereal to break my fast with, but you really have to be careful about what you put in your body first thing in the morning. You need to combine protein with any kind of sugar (fruit) in order to slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. My solution is to use my “good for you” cereal, and add a little bit of the tasty cereal I crave on top, over assorted berries, and topped with hemp milk. This way, I get fiber, protein, fresh fruit, and an added bonus of omegas from the hemp milk, plus the taste of the “naughty” cereal gets me excited to eat in the morning, which can sometimes be tough for me.

Are there any other delicious breakfast solutions for our new season out there?

An end to poverty on our Whole Planet?

by arroyo, March 17, 2009 | Permalink

Whole Planet Foundation’s annual fundraising campaign has already reached its goal of over 1 million dollars to end poverty worldwide, and it has only been 4 weeks.

For anyone who doesn’t already know about it, Whole Planet Foundation is a 501c3 organization which has as its sole mission the eradication of poverty in the world. That’s it. That simple.

How do they accomplish this goal? Through microcredit to those impoverished individuals. Whole Planet Foundation works with the Grameen Trust, which was created by Nobel Laureate Muhammud Yunus. We locate communities where we source product, and begin centers to bring the women of the area together. The target of the loans is women, because children and women are the poorest people on the planet. And when a woman’s income grows or changes, it has direct impacts on her family.

The Foundation was started about 4 years ago, and we are now in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, East Timoor, and Queens, NY. The loans on average are $200, which the women use to start their own business. The business has nothing to do with Whole Foods Market- they don’t have to sell product to us, or check with us on their decision.

There are more than 1 billion people living on less than $1 a day (in US currency). Today through March 31st at all U.S. Whole Foods Market locations, you can empower the poor. Make a donation of $1 at the registers and help raise $1 million for microcredit. Last year, thanks to shopper generosity, we were able to expand into Africa to fund microcredit loans for the very poor in Ethiopia and Kenya. This year we are expanding to a community in Peru where Whole Foods Market sources onions, with additional potential projects in communities in Mexico, Haiti, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay.

I met some of the women who have received these loans. The success they have had is immediately apparent on the faces and in the lives of their children. For many, it represents a chance at education, and ending a family cycle of poverty. Check out more information at: http://www.wholeplanetfoundation.org/about/

Rawk n Roll!

by arroyo, February 26, 2009 | Permalink

Raw food fans, inquisitors, and skeptics alike- take note! Robyn Chadonnet is the mastermind and chef behind Nude Foods. Her cheesecakes sell like…well, hot cheesecakes. She hosted a raw-kin’ hand-on non-cooking class on Monday night, which successfully lifted me out of the no-football blues that Monday nights often bring on these post-bowl days. But really, I didn’t miss the pig skin at all. Accompanied by her raw-some assistant, Mat, the more than 2 hour demonstration allowed us all to get down and dirty with delights of raw food.

Sometimes overwhelmed by scope of the job of going raw, Robyn reminds us to take it slow. You don’t have to go from 10% to 100%! Just add some new recipes into your repertoire, mixing and matching. Start simple, and of course, have fun. And what’s not fun about a delicious pistachio dip, Creamy Tomato Soup, or Jicama Ravioli with Pistachio Pesto? And you won’t believe the finale: Nude Foods Cheesecake and Apple Mixture with Macadamia Nut Whip Cream.  YUM~!!!!!

Wine Mania!

by arroyo, February 13, 2009 | Permalink

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, flight and four-legged friends, our 20% wine promotion is INCREDIBLE and going fast! Six bottles of wine or more will grant you 20% off! I would like to take an opportunity to run down the choices for the VIPs… the smart and loyal following of Arroyo Parkway. In order to get the full scoop, I talked to our Associate Team Leader and Beer and Wine Specialist, Randy Clemens:

Me: “So Randy, can you tell me how to get the most out of this three day promotion?”

Randy: “Well, Arroyo, (my code name) there are a few secret ways to use this sale to your advantage. One technique is to purchase 6 of our fantastic $10 wines, which would bring your average bottle price down to only $8! Another fantastic trick I just witnessed was purchasing an expensive bottle of wine, and then filling up the six-pack with some of our least expensive wines. That way, the 20% really counts against a bottle of wine that you might not otherwise purchase. And then of course, you can really make a splash if you load up on the higher end wine, and save it for your special occasions.”

Me: “Wow Randy, you have really thought this out!”

Randy: “Not only did I give you my low down, but my friend is getting married in April, and he purchased all the wine and champagne now! He will just store it until his big day! Now that is planning ahead.”

Amazing savings! One and half days left folks. And you can count on getting the inside scoop here.

Lost in Winter Sale

by arroyo, February 3, 2009 | Permalink

I was walking through the store, and noticed a strange sale sign, which caught my eye and made me double take. Next to the Nut Station, a funny looking Sale Sign highlighted that it was a “Manager’s Special”. Well my friends, these special signs denote incredible deals, so I dove deeper… and got lost in the winter-wonderland of beer. Lost Coast Winterbraun is on Manager’s Sale (which means this location only!) for $5.99 a six pack (regular price is $8.99)! And it doesn’t stop there! Anderson Valley Winter Solstice in on Manager’s Sale for only $6.99 a six pack- regularly $9.99! These two delicious winter brews from two Californian breweries are melting into a Spring memory fast, so put on your parka and ski, snowboard, sled, or telemark your way over to the Arroyo store to pick up these sixers… afterall, in sunny Southern California, winter won’t last long!

Seafood University Begins!

by arroyo, February 2, 2009 | Permalink

As we are shifting our focus inside our kitchens, spending time with family and friends and enjoying the simpler life, join us for our Seafood Cooking Classes in February.  Our in-house seafood know-it-all Clint Anderson will walk us through the riptide of terms, our porgrams, and of course how to cook up some delicious meals, easily! The first three Wednesdays in February, at 7pm, we host these complimentary workshops better known as Seafood 101, 102, and 103 for the expert levels!