Virginia Saussy of New Orleans-based confectioner Sucre hands out samples of chocolate while Marc Jones, senior vice president of The Fresh Market, discusses the store’s offerings in front of its international aisle during a preview of the store prior to Wednesday morning’s grand opening. Sucre will have a whole section featuring its drinking chocolates, artisan bars and candied pecans, and Saussy said The Fresh Market is helping it place products in stores up to 100 or even 300 miles away. “Their local program is really incredible,” Saussy said.
The Fresh Market, a North Carolina-based chain of upscale groceries founded in 1982 that now has 119 locations, will open its St. Charles Avenue location at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the former Bultman funeral home that was a Borders book store for several years after Hurricane Katrina. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
The produce section features 400 fresh fruits and vegetables with signs that mark “local” items from within 100 miles, and “regional” items from within 300 miles, Jones said. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Jones shows off the meat counters, which are full service with meat cutters always on duty. All ground beef in the store is ground fresh that day, Jones said. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Demonstrations and sampling events are frequent features in The Fresh Market, says Gwen Huffman, a private chef who cooks in area Fresh Market locations on Fridays. On Tuesday evening, Huffman blackened a steak, added red wine and bleu cheese, and handed out samples. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Made-to-order rotisserie sandwiches are a specialty item at The Fresh Market. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Andrea Butson of the New Orleans Ice Cream Co. in the French Quarter hands out samples of flavors such as Hubig’s Apple Pie and Lemon Doberge to eager hands. Butson said The Fresh Market is helping her business grow. “We’re still a small little company, but we’re trying to expand into every store in New Orleans,” Butson said.
A wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is stamped with official seals of the Italian governmental inspectors. The wheels, which can weigh 75 to 100 pounds and cost as much as $1,800 whole, must be made from the milk of cows that graze in the Parma region, and are aged for 24 months, said Joe Dellicolli, a vendor from North Carolina.
Excuse me, sir, where might I find the Mousse Truffee? Ah, yes, right next to the hot dogs. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Sharon Clary of New Orleans Coffee Company in Mid-City prepares a cup of the company’s CoolBrew, a condensed cold-drip coffee. The Fresh Market will have coffee samples available nearly every day, Jones said. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Tuesday night’s preview was part of a “Tweet peek” for local writers and food bloggers. Here’s what others saw and had to say about it:
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Kareena