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GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2018 www.gourmetnews.com Retailer News RETAILER NEWS 1 2 BRIEFS Goods for Cooks Offers Fare for Foodies Vallarta Supermarkets Donates to Education Vallarta Supermarkets, one of the nation's largest Hispanic supermarket chains has announced it is contributing $110,000 to local education organizations to support Latino students seeking a university or college education in markets the company serves. With Vallarta Supermarkets' roots founded upon an immigrant family success story, the company values its customers and is proud to serve as a beacon for all, immigrant and non- immigrant, seeking quality grocery products and services. That beacon extends to our team members as well, many who like the founders, have strong immigrant roots and depend on their employment with Vallarta Supermarkets to provide for their families. WinCo Foods Names Grant Haag Next President The WinCo Board has appointed Grant Haag, currently WinCo's Senior Vice President of Department Operations, as the next President of the company. Haag will serve as President for the next year, before taking over as CEO when current CEO Steven Goddard officially steps down. Trader Joe's Launches First-Ever Podcast Series Trader Joe's, a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores, launched its first-ever podcast on May 1. "Inside Trader Joe's," a five-part series, literally takes listeners inside the company for the scoop on what makes Trader Joe's – Trader Joe's. Throughout the podcast, Trader Joe's Crew Members, including the company's CEO, President and COO, President of Stores, Executive Vice President of Marketing & Merchandising, and Store Captains, open up about the way the retailer does business, what sets it apart from other grocers, where and how it discovers its products and what customers can expect in the future. If you have ever wondered about Trader Joe's parking lots, whether or not the retailer plans to sell products online, or what it takes to get a Trader Joe's in your neighborhood, those questions are answered, too. "Inside Trader Joe's" can be found on the Trader Joe's website, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Ralphs Grocery Company Joins Effort to Combat Opioid Abuse Ralphs Grocery Company has joined in the effort to help the communities its stores serve combat the opioid epidemic. Ralphs currently stocks naloxone, an opioid overdose-reversing drug, in its 79 in-store pharmacies in southern California. All Ralphs Pharmacies dispense naloxone without the need for a prescription – making it easier for families, friends, caregivers and those at-risk individuals to have the drug on hand if needed to save a life. Naloxone, which can be administered as a nasal spray or an injection, helps a person suffering an opioid overdose wake up and continue breathing. The drug must be administered while also calling 911 for medical assistance. BY LORRIE BAUMANN Sam Eibling, her brother George Hunting- ton, and her husband, Doug Eibling, bought Goods for Cooks, in Bloomington, Indiana, last September with the thought that previ- ous owners Andrew and Charlotte Appel had a good thing going on. They just wanted to try to honor the legacy that the previous owners had created. "We're the fifth set of owners," Sam Eibling says. "It started in 1973 with Charlotte [Zietlow] and Marilyn [Schultz], who passed it to Bob [Swanson], and then to Beth Hollingsworth. … Each owner had presided over the shop anywhere between eight and 12 years, and the busi- ness celebrates 45 years this year. It's been a fixture in the community." For the Eiblings, Goods for Cooks is also a chance to put down deep roots into the community where Sam and her brother were born and raised. Before their return to Indiana, where Doug now works as a de- velopment officer for the Indiana Univer- sity School of Optometry, the couple had moved around the country in connection with Doug's job directing tournaments for the LPGA Tour. As they moved around, Sam worked in restaurant management, corporate leasing and marketing and retail, including a stint at Pryde's Kitchen & Ne- cessities while the couple was living in Kansas City. Five years ago, they decided to come home to Indiana, where Sam contin- ues a career as a yoga instructor, a role she still relishes around her responsibilities to Goods for Cooks. George Huntington had stayed in Indi- ana, where he owned a small grocery store called Shortstop for about 13 years. Follow- ing that experience, he was a manager for the local food co-op for the next 21 years. Life was humming along when George read in the local newspaper that Andrew and Charlotte Appel were looking for new owners for Goods for Cooks who would keep the store going. They closed the deal on the business on September 1, 2017, and although there have been changes as the new owners imprinted their own experience onto the shop, the heart of the business remains the same. A new sign just went up on the building, and the new owners are expand- ing the selection of foods offered in the store, but overall, it's still the go-to supplier for Bloomington's foodies that it's always been. "We really do feel that we are stew- ards of something that's a little bit bigger than us. It's the place that people go to to talk about food, to explore their connection with food. We really feel like it's a great place to be — near the downtown restau- rants who come and buy stuff from us, and close to the farmers market," Sam says. The store, which has about 2,400 square feet of display space, is housed in a store- front built in 1929 on Bloomington's down- town square. It's across the street from the county courthouse and about a mile from the IU campus. It's a block from the B-Line Trail, a multi-use trail through Blooming- ton's downtown, and it's about two blocks from the local farmers market. There's a cook- ing school downstairs in the same building. The store is divided by a glass-walled hall- way that separates the area where food is sold — about a third of the space — from the kitchenware side of the business. On the kitchenware side of the store, Sam has ad- justed the inventory mix a bit away from a focus on high-end goods, in an effort to at- tract customers who aren't yet confident enough in the kitchen to know where they want to make a real investment in their equipment. "We are committed to carrying high- quality products at a variety of price points with the intention of making cooking and entertaining accessible to all," Sam says. "We are dedicated to serving the serious cooks and connoisseurs, as well as the novices, the curious and even the frustrated cook. Food is life, a means of connecting and nourishing those we love, honoring traditions and expanding world views — we want to foster this." The store counts chefs and cooks from the local restau- rants among its customers, both for quick pick-up items like cocktail picks and for knives and pans. Goods for Cooks c a r r i e s WUSTHOF and Shun as core cut- lery lines, supple- mented by Chroma, Global, Victorinox and Kyocera. "WUSTHOF continues to be well received and well regarded," Sam says. "We like to place a knife in people's hands and let them feel how it's weighted, how it's riv- eted, how it's bolstered. We ask the chefs and cooks what they're using a particular knife for. It helps to know how the partic- ular person is using their instrument before you suggest products. There are chefs and cooks who are looking for workhorse knives for the restaurant kitchen, but they also want a beautiful, quality knife for their own kitchens." The store carries cast-iron cookware from several manufacturers, including Lodge, FINEX and Le Creuset. "We are in love with the versatility of iron cookware," Sam admits. She sees resurging interest in cast iron cookware as part of a trend away from large multi-piece sets and toward thoughtful pur- chases of indi- vidual items chosen on their own merits and the needs of the cook who's going to be using them. "People are more confident about what they're put- ting into their kitchen, based on their in- terests, lifestyle and tastes," she says. "Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all sets and everything needing to match." On the grocery side of the store, Goods for Cooks offers a cold case with cheeses and charcuterie. "You could basically come into our store and buy everything you need to put together a charcuterie plate," Sam said. The cheese selection includes about 10 cheeses at any given time, with the focus on Parmesan and other hard Italian cheeses as well as Vermont Creamery's offerings. Tea and coffee are sampled every day, and the selection also includes several different pastas and polenta. A vinegar and olive oil tasting bar offers a large assortment of olive oils, and the shelves also hold jams, jellies and compotes as well as cookies, choco- lates and candies. "It's like a mini gourmet entertaining grocery store," Sam says. "It's a great place to buy a little treat for yourself or a gift for a friend." Food currently represents about a quar- ter of the store's revenues, and that share is growing "… as we educate through social media, our website and other marketing av- enues," Sam says. "Everyone eats, so everyone's our cus- tomer. That seems very broad, but hat is lit- erally the intention behind this business," she adds. "We're looking for people who are still exploring. We have customers who want to learn, and also customers who don't want to learn — maybe they just want some salami and cheese to take to a party. But we also have people coming in to look for knives or a tagine or a coffee. We strive to meet each customer's needs. We strive to cultivate a space where everyone feels com- fortable, no matter their level of interest or experience regarding food." GN

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