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R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s 6 3 S u n d a y, M a y 1 7 , 2 0 1 5 FOOTHILLS IGA: A GEORGIA PEACH OF A MARKET By Lorrie Baumann Foothills IGA is located Marble Hill, Georgia, a community of around 30,000 people in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains, about 75 miles north of the Atlanta airport. The store was recently named an IGA 2015 USA International Retailer of the Year. Owner Jeff Downing started his career working for various grocery companies and was a vice president of A&P before deciding to go into busi- ness for himself in 1996. His first ven- ture on his own was the purchase of a store in North Carolina that had been an A&P. He was living in Atlanta and had a weekend home in Big Canoe, a gated resort community that's adjacent to Marble Hill, so when he decided to expand his company, he looked around the neighborhood close to his weekend home, where a shopping center was under construction. The development company heard he was looking and got in touch with an offer for the storefront in which the Foothills IGA is now located. "It just fell into place," Downing says now. Foothills IGA broke ground in 2001 and opened in January of 2002 with a mix of gourmet products and everyday staples to meet the grocery needs of a very diverse customer base – the town has an estimated median household income of around $50,000 and about half of Foothills IGA shop- pers have high-end incomes and want better wine, organic produce and all- natural beef while the other half buy more pantry staples. "It was the intent to appeal to everyone to succeed because we have very few people," Downing says. "The needs of some require more thought, more research, a little more seeking out of products.... In a lot of ways, we're like a big-city market." Downing moved permanently to Big Canoe in 2000 and sold the North Carolina store in 2006. His store is about 10 miles from the closest big-box grocer, and to keep his clientele shopping with him instead of taking their business to Kroger, Publix or Walmart, Downing stocks his 25,000 square foot market with a great produce department, a full service flo- ral department, the first lobster tank in the county, certified Angus beef and 1,800+ SKUs of wines. On top of that, breads are baked fresh daily, USDA choice and prime meats are cut to order, and the seafood selection includes fresh fish and seafood from the Georgia coast and elsewhere. Whole chickens are cut in the store to supply shoppers with what Downing calls "an enormous amount of fried chicken." He added a pharmacy in 2008, and today, that department rep- resents what Downing calls "quite a nice business." "We do a large wine business in our store," he says. "We get as much variety as we can in our store while staying very, very close to what our customers want." Downing's research into products that bring something special to his store while staying very close to what customers want recently took the form of an appointment as a judge in an annual Flavor of Georgia Food Product contest sponsored by the Georgia Department of Agriculture that includ- ed 30 finalists among the entrants, who were all local food producers. "From that I made contact with several of those who had very interesting prod- ucts," he says. "We need to be compet- itive with big box stores, so if I can do something different, I like to do that." That includes the 14 to 16 differ- ent salads that are offered in the store's deli case on any given day. A couple of them are made by Nadine's Classic Cuisine, which sends staff into the store a couple of days a week to make salads that have made Nadine Wardenga a two-time finalist in Flavor of Georgia contests as well as the White County (Georgia) Chamber of Commerce's 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year. "She couldn't handle the demand of a big box store," Downing says. "It's a point of differentiation." Today, Downing and his staff have renewed their efforts to source organic produce, which he says has always been a challenge. "You have to have enough variety so the consumer can plan a meal," Downing observes. Local organic farmers are small-scale operators who sell their produce in farmers markets and to local restau- rants, where they get a premium price, partly due to their ability to make direct contact between farmers and buyers. Dogged effort has improved Foothills IGA's produce supply lines for a whole range of products from potatoes and squash to apples, organic lettuces and organic wines to the point at which the store has been able to negotiate prices that keep organic pro- duce prices at the independent store competitive with the big box grocers. Foothills IGA is also doing good business in gluten-free products, with about 500 SKUs in store and integrat- ed into the center store shelves. "It's a growing category for us," Downing says. "We have all manner of gluten- free items in our store and are con- stantly looking for more." Of course, big-city access to pre- mium products can't take the place of home-town feeling, and Foothills IGA strives to create that through special events throughout the year that are built around community involvement when the opportunity arises. During football season, the high school band comes out to play in the Foothills IGA parking lot, and hot dog wagon sales help fund the school's booster club. The winter holiday season is celebrat- ed with a variety of events, and there are other special events throughout the year. "It's fun to walk out on Saturday morning and hear the band playing," Downing says. "It helps us to become the community center that we have always strived to be as an IGA opera- tor.... We're proud to be the Foothills IGA and proud to serve our communi- ty, and the community in turn supports us very well." PREVENTION MAGAZINE NAMES BOULDER CANYON ANCIENT GRAINS WINNER OF 2015 CLEANEST PACKAGED FOOD AWARDS For the second consecutive year, Boulder Canyon Authentic Foods has been named a recipient of Prevention magazine's Cleanest Packaged Food Awards. This year, the brand's Ancient Grains Sea Salt snack chips received praise for its use of seven old-school grains, nutty flavor and boost of fiber. The annual awards feature the best, healthiest, and cleanest boxed and bagged foods, with winning products meeting strict criteria, including that the product must not contain GMO ingredi- ents, may contain no more than 10 grams of added sugar and must have less than 200 mg of sodium per serving (or 400 mg for meals). Award winners must also be delicious. "The Boulder Canyon brand was founded on the notion that clean-eating and real food ingredients do, in fact, taste better than processed foods," said Steve Sklar, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Inventure Foods, Inc., which owns the Boulder Canyon Authentic Foods brand. "To be part of Prevention's distinguished Cleanest Packaged Foods Awards for the second straight year provides proof of that con- cept and we're thrilled by the honor." Ancient Grains blends together quinoa, millet, chia, amaranth, brown rice, brown teff and sorghum to create a crack- er-like chip that is thin, yet hearty. The chips are lightly seasoned with just a touch of sea salt so they are naturally low in sodi- um. In addition, they are cooked in better- for-you sunflower and safflower oils that are low in saturated fats and high in monounsaturated fats. The suggested retail price is $3.49 - $3.99 per 5.5-ounce bag. Boulder Canyon's Ancient Grains are a source of 10 whole grains and fea- ture zero trans fats, no cholesterol and just one gram of saturated fat. In addi- tion, each serving provides two grams of fiber and protein as well as boosts of cal- cium and iron. The chips are certified gluten-free, kosher certified and contain no genetically modified organisms. ANTHONY CAVALLO AND DAN DIENEMANN AT BEER & BARREL Anthony Cavallo is general manager and Dan Dienemann is chef de cuisine at Barrel & Bushel, a contemporary American-style restaurant and bar inside the new Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia. "I am thrilled to be a part of Barrel & Bushel in Tysons Corner Center. The restaurant's location makes for a great opportunity for to connect with the com- munity," said Anthony Cavallo, General Manager of Barrel & Bushel. "Barrel & Bushel will offer the best in handcrafted and locally sourced food, as well as the finest local and craft beers with more than 20 selections on tap. As a barrel-for- ward restaurant, we will create a fun and social atmosphere and provide our guests with food offerings that pair well with our craft beers and 30 select bourbons. Barrel & Bushel will offer a unique com- bination of a neighborhood favorite, des- tination dining, and escape from the daily rush. It will be the perfect break from the crowds for shoppers; the go-to stop for a business breakfast, lunch with clients or happy hour with friends; and ideal for dinner and late night dining options with friends and family." Cavallo has been in the culinary industry for more than 24 years and recently owned a restaurant prior to join- ing Barrel & Bushel. Dienemann brings more than 25 years of experience in the culinary indus- try to Barrel & Bushel, and a passion for creating unique, hand-crafted items for guests. "I am looking forward to leading our culinary team to create unique flavors with the freshest ingredients that will only be found at Barrel & Bushel," said Dan Dienemann, chef de cuisine of Barrel & Bushel. "Barrel & Bushel will offer patrons fun, handcrafted food items such as fresh sausages, house-made hot smoked salmon, pork belly lollipops, fresh milk farmer's cheese, signature handmade fudge, as well as unique sig- nature dishes including smoked prime rib hash, grilled cheese Benedict, and more designed to delight any palate." Prior to his position at Barrel & Bushel, Dienemann worked as a research and development chef, food and beverage director, and corporate executive chef for various restaurants including The Mina Group, Ritz Carlton, Cheesecake Factory, Bottega Louis, and Farmers Restaurant Group. He has worked with celebrity chefs including Michael Mina, Todd English, and Wolfgang Puck. Living in Washington D.C. and London, England, Dienemann was exposed to many cultures which sparked his passion for food at an early age. He received two culinary degrees from Santa Barbara Culinary, two certificates from The Cordon Blue and has earned the title of certified executive chef from the American Culinary Federation.