A dedicated WFM_Symphony follower’s day at the Marathon

by Chuck O., April 17, 2009 | Permalink

DIARY FOR MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009

8:00am    Wake up, shower, check the news and weather.  Eat part of fresh fruit cup I got at Whole Foods last night.  Good thing they make them there fresh everyday!

8:20am    Hoping for a tweet from WFM_Symphony.

9:00am    Head out the door

9:15am    Meet friends at Whole Foods- Symphony for breakfast.  They have French Toast with Maple Syrup and Bacon and Broccoli Quiche and those great Breakfast Burritos…  and Iggy’s Bagels.  Did you know they hide the little cream cheeses and butter pats by the cream pies?  Almost forgot coffee!  Allegro Breakfast Blend the other day; today????

9:30am    Eat breakfast oustide just staring at the “Husky Card” sign.  I’m glad they got the chairs and tables back out here.  I was tired of sitting on the concrete by the windows.

3 for $10.00

9:45am    Run back inside the store for Newman-O’s on I saw on sale, apples, and water for later.  Other guys are still trying to fiugre out which muffins to get- Glorious Morning or Corn or Apple Streusel.

10:30am  Arrive on Boylston and wait for the runners.  Getting hungry again.

10:45am  Open the Newman-O’s and pass ‘em around.  Drink water.  Eat an apple.  Hand out the rest.

10:55am  Wondering why no WFM_Symphony tweets.  They must not be on Twitter today because of the holiday.

11:00am  Out of food.  Back to WFM.  Pizza’s ready.  Should I get that?  What soups are good?  No soup tweet today.  OK, pizza it is!  Love the “by the pound” price.  I always ask the guy for three dollars’ worth :-).  And a 365 Cola.  Should I have gotten lunch for everyone else?

12:00pm  At the register.  Gumdrops look excellent.  Grapefruit flavor?  Meyer lemon?  Acai?  Pomegranate?  OK, grab a container.  Pizza for me; gumdrops for the rest.

12:30pm So many people out here.  Crowds everywhere.  Got to get back to Boylston to see who wins.

1:00pm  Almost there.

2:00pm  Made it.  I missed the winner?  Where is everyone?  I’ve got pomegranate gumdrops.  Mmmm… worth tweeting about!

2:30pm  Back at Whole Foods in search of what to make for dinner.  Guess I have time to cook.  Deli looks really tempting.  What are all these yellow signs!??!?!?  Madness?  What the-?  Steak tips $4.99?  Beef.  It’s what’s for dinner.  I’ve heard that somewhere before.

2:40pm  In produce now.  Got my steak tips and a bunch of asparagus and some Olivia’s Organic crunchy salad mix and heading for Bakery.

2:45pm  Focaccia!  2 for $5.  I only need one.  That’s just $2.50.  I’m a mathematical genius.

3:00pm  On my way home with a bag full of dinner.  Can’t wait to tweet about this.

You know by now that this might have been written by someone before it actually happened or maybe it didn’t really happen but we think it most likely did happen or may happen to someone.  Anyway, you, too can follow our store on Twitter.com.  We’re WFM_Symphony.

Madness, where everyone’s a winner

by Chuck O., April 15, 2009 | Permalink

Whenever I’m with a group of friends- or strangers- and I mention I work at Whole Foods Market, inevitabley there’s a contest to see who can be the first to shout out something about the high prices at our stores.  Usually, it’s a tie with most everyone a winner since both Whole Foods Market shoppers and non-shoppers are under the impression that our prices are higher than other markets.  Some popular comments-

“I can’t believe how much your seafood costs!” 

“Why is your produce so much more than ____?”

“The pasta salad at your stores is so good but why is it higher than down the street?”

Rather than focus on product differentiation here and the fact that our pasta salad is prepared in the store with pasta we cook and vegetables and a dressing and doesn’t arrive in a “milk carton” container or the fact that our seafood is delivered to us 6 days a week from our own facility in Gloucester, I am going to talk about an event which happens periodically at our stores and is very heavily promoted on the radio.  So, in case you take the T to work or walk or listen to your iPod instead of the radio, I am letting you know that it’s time for the Whole Foods Market

You’ll find avocados at 5 for $5- that’s $1 each for those who are mathematically-challenged- and sirloin tips for $4.99lb.  Mike from our Meat Team says the tips make great fajitas!  Anyway, I challenge you to find products of the same quality at a lower price!  The sirloin tips are $3 off our regular price and $2.30 a pound lower than I saw elsewhere on my way to work this morning.  OK, you may find a deal on avocados on Saturday afternoon at the Haymarket but I guarantee they won’t be as large or in as good a shape as ours.

Continuing, we’ve got extra virgin olive oil from Italy and some sweet and tasty bay scallops plus pasta primavera, crostini, and in-store baked focaccia!  The cool thing is that this sale lasts for two whole weeks so you can stock up over time.  Plus you don’t need a card of any sort and you can purchase as much as you need- so everyone wins… like in the shouting contest my friends enjoyed before Madness began!  (Note:  please call ahead if you need to purchase cases of a product.)

At this point, I assume I’m temporarily out of danger of being beat up for the price of beef at my store this coming weekend.  On second thought, I may not see many of the “Let’s trash the prices at Whole Foods” crowd until the Madness Sale ends.  Chances are they’ll be shopping or enjoying a homemade meal of beef fajitas with fresh guacamole; hopefully, by the time they are done eating, I’ll have access to specials for May.

Definitely not your grandmother’s mint jelly!

by Chuck O., April 8, 2009 | Permalink

Spring.  It’s the time of year for two very important religious holidays.  Passover, during which Jews commemorate the flight of the Israelites from ancient Egypt, is beginning as I type and lasts for 8 days.  On Sunday, Christians will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  My family tradition is Christian so we celebrate Easter but, since we are also Italian, there’s always been more focus on food than on church.  (The same is true at Chrsitmas, too!)  In this case then, I will write what I know about:  food.  To make things more interesting though, I am going to let my dual roles as Marketing Team Leader and Local Forager guide us through a menu for Easter.

Before we begin planning for dinner, I’ve got two Easter treat ideas for the kids-small or big as the case may be.  Sandra Rhoads of Starlight Creatives in Lynn makes the most amazing all natural, sugar cookies we’ve ever seen or tasted!  Each “theme packet” contains a large and several small hand-decorated treats which will please any child.  Or, choose a chocolate bunny or eggs from Lake Champlain Chocolatier in Burlington, VT.  Easter Shopping Hint:  The selection of both items will be better if you arrive sooner.

Back to dinner.  Although not everyone does, many folks plan Easter dinner around a ham or a leg of lamb so we’ll start in the Meat Department.  If you want to go with a ham, we offer both Wellshire Farms and Niman Ranch.  Looking at the hams, the Wellshire looks more like what my mom prepared for us but I’ve tried the Niman and have to say that it’s lean and tasty.  Unfortunately neither of these is produced in the local area but in places like Iowa and Michigan and Minnesota.  That’s still a little closer than our featured lamb which is from New Zealand.  It’s very tender and is delicious with traditional rosemary and mint preparations.  My final answer here?  Call the store at 617-375-1010 or come on in and talk with Steve or Mike, our Meat Team Leader and Associate, or any member of the team and ask them questions and hear what they have to say!  Ask them for recipe ideas!  These guys- and gal- know what they’re talking about!

Now for the local touch!  Whether you choose ham or lamb you could start with a pasta course the way we Italians do.  Who cares if you won’t be hungry by the time the main course is ready?  Personally, I’d prefer a plate of NJ’s Severino Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Pomodoro & Basilico made right in Somerville by Tessa and Paolo at Sauces ‘n Love.  If you prefer soup, why not try one from our Prepared Foods Department?  Two suggestions:  Carrot & Fennel Bisque or Spring Vegetable Orzo.  Both of these are expertly made at the Whole Foods Kitchens in Everett, MA.

You can serve the salad whenever you’d like; Italians sometimes serve it last- just before dessert.  But can there be such thing as a local salad for Easter when the holiday falls so early in April this year?  Yup.  We’ve got Olivia’s Organic Salad Mixes which are packed locally in Chelsea so to me they seem to stay fresher than the others.  Slice some Backyard Baby Tomatoes from Madison, Maine, and top with your favorite Vermont-made Drew’s All natural Salad Dressing.  Don’t have a favorite yet?  Now’s your chance then.

When that ham or lamb roast is ready to come out of the oven, be sure to have some fruit spreads from Deborah’s Kitchen (Littleton, MA) ready to serve along side.  Deborah, who concocts these recipes and makes them herself in small batches with real fruit and a little sugar and no high fructose corn syrup, suggests the Peach Melba or the award-winning Pear Lime Limbo with lamb.  This is definitely not your grandmother’s Mint Jelly!  I personally think the Apricot Joy would complement a baked ham- either on the side or in a sandwich for lunch on Monday- which would, of course, be made with a local rye bread from When Pigs Fly (York, ME) or Nashoba Brook Bakery (W. Concord, MA).

The day would not be complete without a slice of our famous Easter Egg Cake from the Bread & Circus Bakehouse in Medford.  We’ve got many designs to choose from- all made with real butter and eggs without any artificial colors!  And, to end the meal on a local note make your coffee with beans roasted in Acton by the George H. Howell Coffee Company (GHH) or Jim’s Organic Coffee in W. Wareham.  On Friday, April 10th, between 4:00pm and 7:00pm, Nathaniel from GHH will be here doing a coffee tasting.  Stop by if you can.  Oh, yeah.  did I mention that the Easter Egg Cakes are on sale through Easter Sunday for just $13.99?  That’s $6 off the regular price of $19.99 so buy two and freeze one for Patriot’s Day!  After all, cake is cake.

As I was writing and this was becoming longer, I started thinking about those who might not be celebrating Easter or those who can’t/don’t/or hate to cook.  What will they do?  Another Easter Shopping Hint:  Call us at 617-375-1010 and order a pizza; It should be ready to pick up within 20-30 minutes.  And you can surprise the pizza people by checking the menu online ahead of time!

Whatever you decide, have a Happy Easter… or a Happy Sunday.