Soup To Nutz

I recently read that July 2012 was the hottest on record and that by the year 2080 the average daily temperature for July will be 110 degrees. I am sure I won’t be around to see them, but there certainly was a preview with many days over 100 last month. Is it too early to buy mums?

Brodheadsville, PA was the center of the universe the first weekend in August. Not only was there NASCAR racing at the Pocono Raceway, the Kinsley family opened the “world’s largest ShopRite.” At 95,000 square feet and more than seven years in the making, the store is almost double the size of the family’s former store around the corner and employs 390 people. There is more to this place than groceries. The store will be a destination, not just a trip to the market. Some of the features, including both an animatronics clucking chicken and a mooing cow, an original wood-paneled 1926 Model T which will stay in the front of the store and have seasonal displays around it according to Chris Kinsley Sr., skylights throughout the produce department and antiques are placed throughout the store to welcome customers. The checkout area is also unique. Trains, a hobby of founder Robert Kinsley, go around the checkout area over customers’ heads. Additional features include: a fresh bake shop that can create custom wedding cakes to rival anything seen on a cooking show; a full-service butcher with a smokehouse; fresh seafood delivered daily; a full-service floral department and pharmacy, a dry cleaner; and a broad selection of ethnic foods. One of the coolest features in the store is the Beer to Go department, making it one of the few grocery stores in the area to offer this one-stop convenience. There are empty six-pack containers with more than 10 refrigerated doors filled with mainstream and craft beers so customers can mix and match their favorite brews. Another new addition will beDoris’ Café, which features a wide variety of chef-prepared meals from sushi and Asian specialties to sandwiches made-to-order and brick oven pizza. The store was built from the ground up using some of the industry’s “greenest” technologies to help reduce waste, protect the environment and create a more energy-efficient shopping experience. In fact, the store was awarded the Green Chill Award from the EPA for their green initiatives. It’s worth the ride to make a visit to this lodge like destination.

Once again customers at Giant/Carlisle and Martin’s Food Markets showed their overwhelming support for local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals through the grocers’ annual in-store paper balloon campaign. From June 24 through July 7, customers purchased paper CMN balloons at the checkout for $1 donations. This year, customers raised a record $553,616 through the campaign. Since 1996, Giant/Martin’s has raised more than $25 million in support of children’s hospitals in the Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Danville/Altoona, PA, Baltimore, MD, Washington, DC and Richmond, VA areas. “Our customers’ and associates’ compassion to the cause of helping the youngest members of our community is why Giant/Martin’s continues to rank among CMN’s top 10 fundraisers in the country,” said Jeff Beaulieu, vice president of sales and merchandising. “Your record-breaking donations are making a difference as thousands of kids throughout the regions we serve continue to fight for good health.” Customers can still show their support for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals by purchasing a limited edition reusable CMN bag now in stores while supplies last. Giant/Martin’s will donate ten cents of every CMN reusable bag sold to benefit local CMN Hospitals throughout its market area.

This year more than ever, efforts to lure consumers to begin their back to school shopping have begun early. The Fresh Grocer has also started early, but on a different track. They have welcomed local elementary school students back from summer vacation with the unveiling of a new health-focused supermarket field trip program customized for grades one through three. The Fresh Finds field trip is a fun and interactive supermarket adventure designed in-house to help teach students about the six food groups and introduce them to new tasty and healthy foods. The Fresh Grocer is excited to launch the Fresh Finds program as part of an ongoing initiative to decrease childhood obesity in their communities. The Fresh Finds field trip program is centered around the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food pyramid. Healthy eating begins with understanding the different food groups and the benefits that each has to offer. Fresh Finds helps teach students about the six food groups outside of the classroom with fun-filled games like scavenger hunts and Quizzo. Students will also be introduced to complimentary healthy snacks like seasonal produce and fresh fruit smoothies. “Educating children about health and nutrition in a fun and interactive setting is a great way to get students excited about healthy eating at a young age,” said Fresh Grocer president and CEO Pat Burns. “Fresh Finds offers students the basic tools needed to make healthier choices and gives them a chance to try new foods that not only taste good but are also nutritious, affordable and available at their local grocery store.” The Fresh Grocer continues to strengthen this mission with the development of Fresh Finds as an organization committed to improving the health and wellness of its associates, customers and community. “Our goal is for the students to be able to take their experience home with them so that the next time they are shopping with a parent or guardian they ask for fresh cantaloupe instead of a sugary snack,” said Burns.

Goya Foods, America’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, is donating 40,000 pounds of Goya products to charities across the nation in the name of musical artists Marco Antonio Solis, Chayanne, and Marc Anthony as part of the 2012 Gigantes concert tour. As part of Goya’s continued commitment to create awareness of MyPlate/MiPlato, a nationwide campaign led by Goya Foods and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’sMove! initiative, Goya will sponsor nine shows in eight markets. “It has become a Goya tradition to incorporate a food donation to various charities around the nation for each of the concert tours we have participated in,” says Rafael Toro, director of public relations at Goya Foods. “These donations are our way of showing our appreciation to our consumers who have supported us over the years. Each charity in eight of the concert tour cities will receive a donation of 5,000 pounds of products. Those receiving donations in our area areUnited Way of Hudson County in New Jersey, St. John’s Pentecostal Outreach Church near Atlantic City and Mercy Housing & Shelter Corp. in Hartford, CT. Other cities include Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando and Miami. Each of these concert series is a great way to make a difference within the community and this year, it has become an opportunity to create awareness of MyPlate/MiPlato and healthy eating.”

Jim Hulihan (SJU ‘84) is celebrating 35 years in the food industry this year. Jim owns Premier Product Source Company, serving the food processing, wholesale baking, foodservice, in-store, candle, pharma, and industrial trades in the Philadelphia market. He was vice president of sales and marketing at Mid-Atlantic Vegetable Shortening, Kearny, NJ, for 15 years prior to opening his own business. Jim is the third generation in his family to be in the food business. His father, James A. Hulihan Sr. (1913-1999), was a retail/foodservice food broker from the late 1940s until 1984, was first president of the Philadelphia Food Brokers Association, and was one of the founding members of theAcademy ofFood Marketing atSaint Joseph’s University. His grandfather, also named James, owned James J. Fardone Fruit and Produce Distributors, on Second and Dock Streets inPhiladelphia dating back to the early 1900s. Together with his wife, they have more than 55 years of experience, so Jim assures that Premier’s customers and principals are very well taken care of.

The circle of life continued this month when the entire industry was shocked and saddened to hear of the untimely death of Bruno Garisto, Weis Markets’ vice president of center store merchandising and sales. I remember Bruno from his days atSaint Joseph’s University. He interviewed with us (Maggio Cheese) for a summer internship. He was very self-assured even at the tender age of 20, and I kept my eye on him as he climbed the proverbial ladder in the retail food industry. We had a respectful friendship, and I will miss seeing him in the trade.

Helen M. Campbell McCaffrey, mother of James J. McCaffrey III, owner of McCaffrey’s Markets, died August 5 at home. She was 97. Born in Philadelphia, she was the beloved wife of the late James J. McCaffrey Jr. and daughter of the late George and Edith Shanahan Campbell. She was predeceased by two daughters Helene M. Hoffman and Patricia A. McGovern, four grandchildren, one great-grandchild and a brother.

In addition to James J. McCaffrey III and his wife Lisa, Mrs. McCaffrey is survived by her devoted children and their spouses: Rosemary P. Hardgrove and her husband James, Judith J. Walmsley and her husband James, and her sons-in-law William Hoffman and Terence McGovern. Also surviving her are 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

Contributions in her memory may be made to either St. Mary Medical Center Cancer Center1201 Langhorne-Newtown Rd. Langhorne, PA 19047 or the Christine McCaffrey Community Emergency Fund c/o 2200 Cabot Blvd. Suite 3 Langhorne,PA19047.

Freda Gordon, 83, passed away August 10 after a long illness. Together with her late husband Sam, she founded Samuel Gordon Associates in 1963. Mrs. Gordon was predeceased by her youngest son Ian in 2002 and her granddaughter Shalyn Paskel. Mrs. Gordon is survived by her sons Jay (Kathy Trahey) of Sales Management Partners and Lane (Lynda) of Key Impact Sales and Services and her daughter Merrill (Leonard Paskel); five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Please take note of AMR/MAFTO’s new contact information for the trade: AMR/MAFTO; 2612 Whittier Avenue, Reading, PA 19608. Their phone number is: 267-295-3730. Email: [email protected]. AMR/MAFTO is planning many exciting events for the fall season. If you are not receiving the email blasts about upcoming events, please get in touch with them at the above mentioned places.

Birthday shout outs for the lazy month of August go out to: Jeff Bilk, Burris; Michael Bozzuto, Bozzuto’s; Marty Delinski, Supervalu; Frank Frazier, retired, Cargill; Judi Ostroff, wife of Nate Ostroff, Network Food Brokers; and Alvin Schwartz, LAS Associates. Buon Compleanno a tutti!

Celebrating wedded bliss this month are: Nate and Judi Ostroff, Network Food Brokers; and Lynda and Richard Szybowski, retired Acme Markets. Special best wishes to Best-Met’s own Kathy and Dick Bestany and to our business manager Bill Speakman and his wife Ann of Talbot Management. Congratulations!

Quote of the month: The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live. Norman Cousins