Wednesday, October 10, 2001

Cowtown gets a touch of class
Story by Kristina Iodice

There is a new store in North Texas, and Fort Worth has never seen anything like it.

Grocery shopping isn’t usually high on anyone’s to-do list, but H-E-B’s newest Central Market, which opens today on Hulen Street and Interstate 30 in the Chapel Hill Shopping Center, is a 76,000-square-foot theme park for food.

It isn’t about one-stop shopping. It doesn’t sell pet food, major brand-named beers or hardware that are usually found in ordinary grocery stores.

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Rather, shopping at Central Market is about the shopping experience, an experience enhanced with food samples and cooking demonstrations regularly in place throughout the store.

“Grocery shopping is traditionally seen as a chore, but shopping here is entertainment,” said Greg Beam, Central Market general manager.

Central Market overloads the senses, and no wonder.

Even though the 22-pound lobster will only be seen on opening day, “Protein Alley” has 75 feet of glass cases holding fish, seafood and other meats. Twenty different kinds of sausages are made daily from Central Market’s collection of 60 recipes.

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The bulk item section has everything from basic candy to rice and flour, a section that is sure to appeal to college students since the items are sold by weight, Beam said.

Each day the produce section boasts about 700 different kinds of fruit and vegetables with color-coded signs for local and organic produce. Each sign says where the item came from, whether it is lilac bell peppers from California or wonder beans from Kentucky.

“We want our customers to be educated about where things come from,” said Cathy Moates, the community relations manager.

Customers select and weigh their own produce, which saves time at the registers, she said. The electronic scales print out stickers with more than name and price: Specific details for the selected product and the date are also printed.

The produce section also has an area of “prepless” produce - meal kits that are prepared daily. The kits have everything for a dish, such as tortilla soup or vegan chili, measured and all set to be cooked.

Fresh food and customers are priorities at Central Market. Customers can ask to try something they are unfamiliar with and the company also has a risk-free policy.

The bakery operates 24-hours a day, said bakery manager Robin Heim. Everything is made from scratch and the bakery has challah and a selection of certified organic breads every day.

Even though cost might be an issue for students on a tight budget, shopping at Central Market would be a treat, Heim said.

Beam said there is value throughout the store, especially in the areas where customers decide how much they want, like in bulk foods and the dip, sauce and salsa bar.

What the store doesn’t have are the long straight aisles associated with most grocery stores. The snake-like maze shelves and bins encourage customers to linger, look and learn, and Central Market makes sure someone is always around to answer questions.

Some of the more than 400 employees are designated as “Foodies.” They wander the aisles, easy to spot in their green and white aprons, offering culinary advice and meal solutions.

“We have great products, but we also have people who know their product and are passionate about food,” Beam said.

A Foodie would be able to explain differences between products that may seem more or less the same. He or she could explain the distinction between Blue Bell ice cream and Italian gelato. Ice cream has a lighter texture because air is mixed into it and it has a higher fat content whereas gelato is a softer mix of eggs and milk served at a warmer temperature.

Central Market’s location near the university is a bonus. Beam said he thinks Central Market is a natural location for students to bring their parents and for tailgate parties, since the store has indoor and outdoor seating with a stage.

Several students work at Central Market in a variety of jobs and Beam considers Provost William Koehler, “a confirmed Foodie.”

Koehler began cooking with his mother at a young age and he said he is excited about the cooking classes and resources.

“I love to cook, that’s my hobby,” he said. “It’s simply evolved from a necessity to a creative outlet.”

He said Central Market is for people who love to eat and those who love food.

Jen Revercomb, a senior nutrition major, and Ashley Hungerford, a senior radio-TV-film major, are excited about the addition to Fort Worth fare.

Revercomb said she heard about the new store from friends and is already planning to take some of the cooking classes offered by the store.

“It brings high-style cuisine to (anyone),” she said. “Things you would normally have to shop all over town for, you’ll be able to find in one place.”

Hungerford has been shopping at Central Market since elementary school when her family would drive to Austin. She has always enjoyed the imported foods that are hard to find in the United States and everything is reasonably priced. There are also more healthy options at Central Market than at the average grocery store, she said.

“Your typical grocery store pushes chips, cookies and (Coca-Cola) but Central Market pushes their produce and their health food,” Hungerford said.

Central Market will order any product or find a substitute if a customer can’t find it in the store.

“We’re here to provide great products,” Beam said. “You don’t want to miss anything when you come in.”

This is not the kind of store where you run in for a few things. The winding aisles are worth a meandering shopping trip.

However, a quick entrance caters to those wanting to pick up a prepared meal. The Chef’s Case of cuisine dishes is prepared daily by a staff of 60 chefs.

Café on the Run offers a large selection of healthy packaged meals and a variety of serving sizes. Single meals range from $4 to $8 and every day “Dinner for Two” features a chef-prepared meal with entrees and sides packaged together and ready to pick up for only $9.99.

The Fort Worth Central Market is the fifth store to open in Texas and the first venture for H-E-B in North Texas.

“We want to build a network of Central Markets and this is the first step in a long-term plan,” said Stephen Butt, vice president and general manager of H-E-B North Texas division.

A store in Dallas and another in Plano are scheduled to open sometime next year.