It's like Disney World for foodies. About 2 weeks ago, Columbus finally arrived (at something, anyway,) and received our very own Whole Foods. Like many of my ilk, I was plotting and drooling and researching the company and their products in breathless anticipation. And then it arrived. And I realized something. But we'll get to that later (a-haha! You must keep reading!!)
The one problem with Whole Foods is its success: numerous salespeople at the store told me that the Columbus opening had the highest sales in Whole Foods history; and this is the second largest store in the company's chain. I can't confirm that, it's just here say, but it is a testament to what our city is lacking in grocery experiences. The problem is that the store is very crowded, with wide-eyed suburbanites trying to figure out what the heck one might do with Swiss Chard.
First a little about Whole Foods, for those of you who might be unfamiliar (MOM - they have a lot of gluten-free products, and are opening soon in Charlotte). Whole Foods is a grocery store dedicated to sustainable farming practices and sells mostly organic and all-natural products, from mop heads to monkfish, as you'll see later. I was surprised also to see the amount of prepared foods available; surely a joy to anyone working in the area who can afford the rather high prices.
Now that we have that out of the way, here are some of my impressions (continued in extended post, with pictures):
When you walk into the store, be sure not to miss the kitchen just past the floral section; when I was there on Thursday morning, a very nice pair of ladies was cooking up treats and slicing strange (for most people) fruits and vegetables, and there was a lovely little buffet from which you could snack. This is perfect for people for like me, who have a tendency to shop when hungry, which everyone should know is a huge mistake and can only lead to overspending. I should note that when I was there today, a Monday, the kitchen was empty. You can purchse housewares, however, including Le Creuset
The produce section at Whole foods is enormous and visually stunning. Although they have many pictures of local farmers on the walls, there didn't seem to be very much in the way of local produce; in their defense, Ohio is coming to the end of its growing season, and the awkward timing of the store opening in relation to the local growing season might have meant there was inadequate time to build relationships - and therefore large stocks of specific goods - with local farmers. They do meticulously label the origin for every item.
One very nice thing about Whole Foods is that they have a lot of hard-to-find produce items, such as whole banana leaves (used in many cultures for steaming), dragon fruit, varietal grapes beyond red, green, and black, at least 5 kinds of beets and radishes, lettuces, herbs and micro greens galore, sprouts of every variety, and a giant mushroom collection:
As for the mushrooms, their selection did look better than any other I have seen in this city; I can only gripe about the state of their Yellowfoot Chantrelles and their black trumpets. I have one benefit over most people, though; I work in a restaurant where mushrooms are supplied by George Vaughn of Mushroom Harvest (in Athens, Ohio, you can find him at the Athens Farm Market, according to their website), and can get almost any mushroom that can be cultivated at wholesale. There are some benefits to working in a restaurant!
The fish at Whole Foods is very reasonably priced; on average, it seemed to be about 70% of the cost of purchasing from Bob the Fish Guy or Weiland's Market. Of course, much of this probably relates to the stock they are able to carry and go through in a given time period. They receive fish every day except Monday and Thursday (one does have to wonder who is delivering to them on Sundays; I might have to stake it out one early morning), however, the fishmonger said they have been so busy they are seriously considering having deliveries every day. This probably means that they have some of the freshest fish available in the city, at least that you can buy (again, with the exception of Bob the Fish Guy, who sources his own fish for the most part, I am firmly convinced that all of the best fish in Columbus goes to the best restaurants in the city). The selection was nicely varied and began with all manner of shrimp, scallops, different varieties of salmon, perch, flounder and grouper and went all the way up to black and sea bass, and even monkfish - something you rarely find outside of a restaurant. It even appeared that someone with some amount of skill cut it into steaks (monkfish is notoriously difficult to clean). All fish at Whole Foods is certified sustainable. (Pictured below is a monkfish ((isn't he ugly? poor thing)) - notice the shrimp hanging out of its mouth; at least they have a sense of humor!)
I was very surprised by the amount of prepared foods available. About 40% of the store seemed to be devoted to prepared foods, which were legion; numerous cases offered fresh salads and oven-ready take home options, while an entire wing of the store is devoted to carryout type foods. There are two salad bars, a sandwich station, a sushi station, meat carving, pizza, Indian selections, American comfort foods, a chocolate-dipping station, an enormous selection of lovely-looking desserts, and a large bakery (pictured below) for old-world style breads. To be true, the prepared foods are extremely expensive, and Husband and I sampled about 8 items which were all pretty unexciting. Of course, all of this is just one girl's opinion, and comes from someone who does a lot of cooking; I have no need for most of their prepared food and found them really disappointing. We have enjoyed their breads so far.
There is a large bulk selection, and there is a section to grind your own nut butters (pictured below). I couldn't resist this, and selected honey-roasted peanut butter (which was delicious, by the way), while peanut-butter-hating-Husband looked on in absolute horror. He actually said - I kid you not - "I would rather watch you put a cat in that grinder than grind peanut butter." Just wait 'til I tell the cats.
There is also all manner of other things I haven't covered - they do have my favorite Mrs. Meyers Clean Day (lavender please) cleaning products, which was very nice. They have Paul Newman's cat food that gets the chicken feet and innards from Bell & Evans chickens, if you can afford to spend $17 on a 5 pound bag. They have lots of herbs and cosmetics and even baby clothes. They have everything! Go! Spend! But then again...
Here's my conclusion, if you're still reading. I like Whole Foods. I like their giant selection of produce, primarily, and that's what I assume I will drive all the way out to the suburbs for, once the farmer's market is finally at an end. I can be assured that I will find almost anything there I seek (except baby bok choy, which could not be had today. Fortunately I live within spitting distance of 3 great Asian supermarkets). I also really like their fish selection and price range.
The thing is, I've built up a pretty good thing while avoiding the major grocery chains (except for paper products. There will be no recycled bathroom tissue in my house, I'm sorry). I purchase nearly all of my produce from whatever is at the local farmer's market. I get all of my meat from the great folks at Weiland's, where it is local and responsibly raised, or I purchase it from local farmers (like JB King) from my chef. I buy almost all of my canned goods and prepared foods from Trader Joe's. And although I don't shop there as much as I did when I lived in the Short North, the North Market is of course the best place for one-stop shopping for picking up dinner. Their produce is great, as are their meat and poultry stands and their cheese shop. And of course, their wine selection is great for their limited space. And where else can you get Jeni's Ice Cream for breakfast, like I did today? I didn't even get to the cheese or wine selections at Whole Foods! Furthermore, for prepared foods and a quick lunch, nothing beats the selection at the North Market - Indian, Mexican, Mediterranean, 3 delis, sushi, Chinese, Vietnamese, Whole Foods has nothing on the North Market in the lunch category. Of course, at this time, there's really no competition, as Whole Foods is about a 30 minute drive from downtown.
It all comes down to this: think before you shop. Do your best to shop responsibly while supporting your local merchants and farmers. They have to work really hard to keep up with the huge competition from large (even responsible) corporations like Whole Foods and Wild Oats. Your local merchants are far more likely to give you individual attention. They're more likely to learn your name and your tastes. They're more likely to be owners of the store in which they are working. They're more likely to be the ones who care about what they sell and what you put into your body.
Info: Whole Foods Market 3670 W. Dublin-Granville Road Columbus 614.760.5556 and coming soon the Charlotte, at Elizabeth Ave & Hawthorne, opening date TBD.
North Market 59 Spruce Street Columbus 614.463.9664
Weiland's Gourmet Market 3600 Indianola Ave Columbus 614.267.9878