By Catherine Adcock
By February, Southlake andbrsurrounding towns will be home to a virtual cornucopia of specialty and naturalbrfoods grocers—Central Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, The Fresh Market andbrSprouts. You might be tempted to think they're all the same, but like siblings,breach one has its own traits and quirks. Lucky for you, we shop each store regularly,brand we're here to help sort out the kale from the chard in this increasinglybrcompetitive field.
Sprouts Farmer's Market — Southlake
The Gist: Thebrfastest-growing grocery chain in the United States combines the value and feelbrof a farmer’s market with the added convenience of traditional grocery-store aisles.
Best To Shop
When: You recently crunched thebrnumbers and couldn’t believe the staggering amount of money you spend on food.brIt’s time to cut costs, and you want a healthy, down-to-earth and friendlybrplace to do so.
Sprouts Says: “What’s unique about Sprouts is that we’re positioned at the intersectionbrof health and value,” Donna Egan, Sprout’s director of communications, told us.br“For years, healthy food has been largely unaffordable for the average grocerybrshopper. What Sprouts has done is offered everyday low pricing on those fresh, naturalbrand organic items.”
Did You Know? Sprouts is known for its produce, and prides itself on heavily sourcingbrfrom local farms, perhaps one of the reasons it keeps prices lower thanbrcompetitors.
Special Tip:For the gluten-intolerant, Sprouts gathers all the gluten-free products intobrone section, rather than spreading them through the store.
Don't Miss:Visit the Old-Tyme Butcher Shop, where real butchers will help you find thebrbest cuts of meat—and don’t miss the over 20 varieties of in-store hand-groundbrsausages.
Can't Live Without: The Bulk-Foods Section. It’s not just about value inbrthis expansive section of self-serve bins; it’s about variety—with bins for everythingbrfrom gummy candies and dried fruit to quinoa and flax seed. And there’s somethingbrabout measuring out your own food—and the lack of extra packaging—that makes youbrfeel better about the purchase.
Whole Foods Market — Colleyville
The Gist:Founded in Austin in 1980, Whole Foods came to Colleyville in July 2014. Thebrstore is considered to be the final word on what healthy and sustainable meansbrand drives eco-friendly standards in the industry.
Best To Shop When: You’re finally ready to treat your body as the temple that it is whilebrstill honoring your taste buds—and when you really want to know exactly wherebryour salmon came from.
Whole Foods says: “The overarching theme about Whole Foods Market that makes us differentbrthan ordinary grocers is that element of choice,” says Dennis Berryman, Store Team Leader. “We started a produce-ratingbrprogram and animal-welfare rating system in our meat department. Even our cleaners have a rating system. Forbrpeople for whom the eco-system is important, or for people who are arebrconcerned about what’s in the food, it’s their choice. We don’t tell shoppersbrwhat to buy, but we want to offer that choice.”
Did You Know? Want to get on the health-food train, but don’t feel like you canbrafford the ticket? Be sure to check out the value tour at the store (or take abrvirtual value tour online), keep an eye out for their weekend sales and pick upbrthe store’s bi-monthly value book for extra savings.
Special Tip:Whole Foods definitely goes the extra mile when it comes to convenience. Don’tbrwant to spend your time wandering the aisles? Call the concierge desk to havebrthe shopping done for you for a nominal charge. Need to get some shopping done sansbrkiddos? Head to Whole Foods at 11 a.m. on Monday during story time. The kiddoesbrwill be entertained with a reading and a snack, while you knock out yourbrgrocery list in record time.
Don't Miss:The soon-to-be certified Neopolitan Pizza Oven, which cooks pizzas at 900brdegrees in 90 seconds. Each pizza is built to exacting standards set by thebrexperts in Naples, and the pizza bakers are specially trained. Kids will lovebrthe wonder of a fast-food style pizza, and you can revel in all of itsbrdelicious flavors.
Can't Live Without: The BBQ Bar. We regularly walk right past the gourmet salad bars andbrdelicious ready-to-eat concoctions for what is, possibly, the most wonderfulbrthing we’ve ever found in a grocery store—a place where we can fill our lunchbrpail up with mouth-watering ribs, brisket and sausage.
Central Market — Southlake
The Gist: ThisbrTexas-grown H-E-B offshoot provides everything that home chef could possiblybrneed inside a traditional grocery store.
Best To Shop When: You’re ready to get out of your rut of a dinner routine, or you simplybrwant to wow your next dinner guest with newfound culinary prowess—CentralbrMarket has your back with inspiration, information and ingredients.
Central Market Says: “Here in Southlake, we are a neighborhood grocerybrstore,” says Heather Senter, public relations representative for Central Market.br“People come here for their staples, but we’re dedicated to helping customersbrin being cooks. If an ingredient appears in a recipe, we’re going to have it.”
Did You Know? Central Market delivers on variety, ensuring the home chef will havebrplenty of options. If you haven’t’ experienced the Central Market cheese aisle,brbe prepared for an overwhelming selection of more than 400 varieties. That’s tobrsay nothing of the 20 varieties of shrimp, 255 types of pepper and dozens ofbrvarieties of apples, just to name a few.
Special Tip: Tired of trips to more than one grocery store? Here you’ll find abrselection of traditional grocery store staples in addition to the specialtybrproducts.
Don't Miss:All the home-town paraphernalia, including an outdoor playground for with abrGreen Dragon, and of course, the sweet and tart Green Dragon apple available inbrthe produce section.
Can't Live Without: Love Dip, available in the dip bar. The recipe of herbs that go intobrthis creamy dip is kept hush-hush and for good reason—love never tasted sobrgood.
Trader Joe's – Opens in Southlake in Feb. 20
The Gist:This California born chain prides itself on offering high-quality gourmet andbrspecialty goods you can’t find anywhere else—at low prices around.
Best To Shop When: You want to cheat on your go-to meals and snacks, but don’t want tobrfeel guilty about it. With low-prices, a curated selection of delicious goods,brand even a “Reduced Guilt” line of low-cal items, Trader Joe’s has you covered.
Trader Joe's Says: “When webrwere founded, we started packaging innovative, hard-to-find, great-tastingbrfoods under the ‘Trader Joe’s’ name. That cut our costs and saved you money.brStill does. And that’s important, because ‘value’ is a concept we take verybrseriously,” says Trader Joe’s Website (Trader Joes does not comment on storebropenings and declined an interview).
Did You Know? Looking for something specific? If you see something that looksbrsuspiciously similar to your favorite name-brand item, chances are it is, inbrfact, that name-brand item, from the same source, but with Trader Joe’s packaging.br
Special Tip:Don’t get turned off by Trader Joe’s small foot-print. What it lacks in space,brit makes up for the highest amount of must-haves per square foot that we’vebrever seen. Be prepared to stock up on snacks and finger foods that you neverbrknew existed—and had no idea how much you needed—like Cookie Butter, AlmondbrCocoa, Pirate’s Booty and more.
Don't Miss:Famous for its low prices on high-quality vino, Trader Joe’s provides anbrexcellent selection of tasty local and imported beers as well. Whatever yourbrpoison, you’re likely to find a new favorite (or three).
Can't Live Without: Trader Joe’s Reduced-Guilt Greek Yogurt Spinach Kale dip. At 40brcalories a serving, never has something that tasted so unhealthy been so goodbrfor you.
The Fresh Market — Opens in Southlake Jan. 14
The Gist: Opening Jan. 14 in Southlake, this NorthbrCarolina–born store combines high-quality and specialty goods with everybramenity taken care of—all served up with healthy slice of Southern Hospitality
Best To Shop When: You’ve got a dull headache from rushing through the day, and a grocerybrstore trip is sure to trigger a migraine. The Fresh Market’s abundantbramenities, soft classical music and beautiful displays (we dare you to find anbroverripe piece of produce) will sooth your senses.
The Fresh Market Says: “We define ourselves as a gourmet specialty marketbrwith a focus on high quality products and customer service,” says RachelbrBooker, Fresh Market new store hire coordinator. “Our stores are smaller inbrsize. We have dimmed lights, classical music, beautiful floors and coffeebrsamples all-day. Our stores focus more on interaction. You feel like you’vebrwalked into grandma’s house, and you know us, and we know you. It’s not likebryou walk in the store and can’t see the end of it. “
Did You Know? While you might not find the largest selection of any given item at ThebrFresh Market, what you will find is products of the highest quality, and abrfocus on locally and regionally sourced products. Be on the lookout for specialbrtags noting products that originated within 100 miles and 300 miles ofbrSouthlake.
Special Tip:Unsure if you want to purchase something? From produce to bags of chips, everybritem in the store is sample-able, just ask one of the staff to open it up forbryou. Are you a sample lover? Be one of the first 1,000 customers when the storebropens on Jan. 14 and snag a free reusable shopping bag.
Don't Miss:From fresh cookies for kids to complementary umbrellas and grocery walk-outbrservice, this store doesn’t miss any opportunity to make you feel well takenbrcare of.
Can't Live Without: Kitchen Sink Cookies. These delicious concoctions roll all yourbrfavorite cookies into one, with rolled oats, white chocolate, dark chocolate,brnut and raisins rounding out the ingredient list.