By Dennis Marrero and Nicole Potenza Denis

outstanding retailer awards

From a newly minted store in Wyoming to a new 
outpost for a century-old retailer in Missouri, this 
year’s selections show what great sourcing, premium 
services and true culinary passion can deliver.

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Specialty Food Magazine and the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) present the five Outstanding Retailers of 2009, as nominated and selected by the members of the NASFT. Each award-winning store exemplifies traits of a successful specialty food establishment while remaining true to its community and its customers.

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TONY CAPUTO'S MARKET & DELI
An on-site affinuer, innovative restaurant concept and 300 varieties of 
chocolate bars are hallmark features of this Salt Lake City retailer.

This specialty food store is powered by wind energy and the culinary passion of its knowledgeable staff.

Established in 1997 in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, the 8,000-square-foot market, which is housed in what was once a 100-year-old cheese factory, today carries more than 2,600 SKUs of Mediterranean specialties from Italy, Spain, Greece, France and other southern European countries.

There are more than 200 fresh farmstead cheeses in a cheese cave where customers can watch Troy Petersen, the store’s affinuer in action. (Tony Caputo’s does not carry pre-packaged cheese and buys everything in full format, such as hard-to-find Capocetto Rosso, a fresh unpasteurized cheese from Italy’s Piedmont region wrapped in a pine strip.) The deli also has an in-house salame maker from Piedmont who house-cures salame using all-natural pork from Utah.

Tony Caputo’s boasts one of the largest selections of artisan chocolates in the country, including a library of more than 300 chocolate bars, all ready to sample. The selection is due in part to Tony’s eldest son, Matt Caputo, director of marketing, whose food fanaticism is transforming the market. 

“You can’t have 300 of the world’s most expensive chocolate bars and not know how to sell them,” says Matt. “We dive in with both feet with a highly educated and enthusiastic crew that knows how to get customers excited about all our products.”

 In an innovative move, in May the merchant converted its retail space in the evenings into a new 60-seat restaurant, Tipica. The menu is based on either risotto or pasta and the eatery uses the market as its pantry, featuring products from local artisans. 

Last August, Tony Caputo’s converted to wind power in its store, sourcing its energy from nearby windmills. Solar panels are slated to be installed by 2012.

“There is a climate of constant change here that propels us forward; we won’t be found resting on our laurels,” notes Matt. Contact: Matt Caputo, Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli, 314 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101; 801.531.8669; caputosdeli.com. –N.P.D.

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THE MARKET & MORE
This new kid on the block in Casper, Wyoming, features popular takeout, 
abundant sampling and deep chocolate brownies to die for.

With just more than 50,000 
people, Casper, Wyoming, is not one of the nation’s larger culinary capitals, but Juanita Jungck, owner of The Market & More, says the community atmosphere and strong customer support is “energizing for me.” After graduating from culinary school in 2005, Jungck considered moving to a larger, more food-centric destination, but opted to stay in Casper, where she saw a need for a specialty store. “A lot of people will go to Whole Foods in Denver,” she explains, “but Denver is four and half hours away from us.”

Four years in the making, The Market & More opened in February 2008. The 2,500-square-foot space has quickly become a premier specialty food store, deli and bakery with catering and takeout services. While the biggest draw to the Market is Jungck’s famous deep chocolate brownies, store revenue is evenly divided into prepared foods and retail sales.
 
Part of the appeal is the aroma of daily-rotated prepared dishes, such as pork shoulder that has been brined overnight and encrusted in herbs. These aromas are an unintended side effect of not having large commercial fans in the kitchen area—a logistical choice that has turned out to boost sales.

Jungck encourages customers to try everything. On Saturdays, The Market & More hosts tastings that highlight a particular product, such as Tom’s Rub with Love on an Angus steak, to let customers taste the product and also see how it will work in a recipe. This has led to products selling out in a single day.

Profits, however, come “secondary to the needs of my customers,” she says, and the store’s involvement in fundraisers ranging from Alzheimer’s awareness to children’s theater makes that clear. Jungck’s motto stems from a quote from cookbook author Anna Thomas that decorates the store’s wall: “Feeding people graciously and lovingly is one of life’s simplest pleasures; a most basic way of making life better for someone, at least for a while.” Contact: Juanita Jungck, The Market & More, LLC, 112 E. Second St., Casper, WY 82601; 307.577.7777; 
themarketandmore.net. –D.M.

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STRAUB'S MARKETS
A landmark St. Louis retailer creates a 40,000-square-foot supersized 
specialty food emporium.

In 1901, William Straub opened the first Straub’s store in the Webster Groves community of St. Louis, Mo. With its loyal clientele, staff commitment to customer service and knowledgeable butchers specializing in USDA prime beef, Straub’s was soon a destination for food lovers all over St. Louis. Over the years, Straub’s opened three locations in Clayton, Central West End and Town & Country, Mo., all about 12,000 square feet. 

Then in 2008, Straub’s unveiled its biggest store yet: a 40,000 square footer located in Ellisville, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. “Our most recent opening before Ellisville was our Town & Country store back in 1966,” says Trip Straub, III, third-generation owner. “There was a learning curve for this store. The size was not as much a factor as the details involved in building a new store, like picking equipment and designing space. This larger format allowed us to add a bulk section, among  other things,” he adds. 

The Ellisville store, staffed by more than 120 associates, has a large kitchen and a production bakery. A full-service cheese counter boasts artisan cheeses from around the world, including aged Asiago, Triple Cream St. André and 12-month-old Manchego. An 1,100-bottle wine room, which is available for tastings, meetings or occasion dinners, complements a growing wine and spirits department. Fair Trade, 100 percent organic coffee is roasted in-house for customers as well as for the four other locations.

The store’s newest addition, the 60-seat Straub’s Culinary Center, hosts cooking classes and business events. The roster includes a hands-on pastry class and a kid’s cookie decorating class. 

According to Straub, the Ellisville store makes the chain more “complete” by following through on customer-requested features such as culinary classes, wine tastings and restaurant-quality foods. Next step for the company is focused advertising plans to help grow its volume and solidify its position as St. Louis’ destination for food lovers. Contact: Trip Straub, III, Straub’s Markets, 8282 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105; 314.725.2121; straubs.com. –N.P.D.

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TASTE UNLIMITED®
Cooking classes, wine clubs and A commitment to local sourcing keep this 
established virginia beach retailer fresh and customer friendly.

Remember the Remington razor commercial where the company’s owner said, “I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company?” A similar thing happened to Taste Unlimited® Owner Jon Pruden, who says that after shopping at Taste since childhood, he had to buy it.

The specialty food and wine chain, which now includes six stores that average 2,000 square feet each, revolutionized the food world of Virginia Beach, Va., when founder Peter Coe opened more than 35 years ago. The store became known for offering distinctive products such as fresh Parmesan, homemade peanut butters and ethnic delicacies, which people couldn’t find elsewhere at the time.

Pruden and his father, Peter Pruden III, purchased Taste Unlimited from the Coe family in October 2006. But not much is different, he says. “We have been careful not to change Taste’s high standards of food quality or otherwise do anything that would create a perception that the new owners changed a long-standing recipe for success.” For instance, the company’s signature sandwiches, such as Roast Beef & Havarti with House Dressing on French, are still best sellers.

The Coe family still works closely with the Prudens, and Peter Coe hosts multiple cooking classes throughout the year. Three of the stores also feature wine clubs that explore a different theme each month; Peter Coe hand-selects cheeses to accompany the wines.

These programs and the ability to stay ahead of trends are crucial to success. “We have gained perspective by seeing various food movements come and go throughout 35 years in business,” Pruden says. For instance, he notes that the “buy local” movement that is topical now “is not just a trend [for us], but a longtime strategy.” The retailer offers a selection of more than 100 Virginia wines and food products including hams, nuts and signature cheese spreads.

As for the future, Taste is “evaluating options to bottle our famous house dressing for shipping and possibly wholesale,” says Pruden. Contact: Amy Jordan, Taste Unlimited, 213 36th St., Virginia Beach, 
VA 23451; 757.425.3011 (ext. 14); 
tasteunlimited.com. –D.M.

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WOODSTOCK FARMERS' MARKET
Locally grown produce, international flavors and creative prepared foods 
help distinguish this ever-evolving Woodstock, Vermont retailer.

Woodstock Farm-ers’ Market (WFM) has been making great food and service accessible to the Woodstock, Vt., area since 1992. It has evolved from a farmers’ market with a small mix of local products to a deli with distinctive prepared foods and sophisticated specialty items.

“Our bizarre and eclectic array of both traditional local foods and cool European specialty items grew over the years from the demands of our customers,” notes Owner Patrick Crowl, a.k.a. chairman of fun/mail order guy. WFM’s selection of regional artisan foods and locally grown produce and meats speaks to everyone, not just the ‘gourmet’—a word banned from the market’s vocabulary because, Crowl continues, “it implies exclusivity and we believe anyone deserves to eat and/or create great food.”

The 5,000-square-foot market’s attachment to the local artisan community is evident throughout the store. Specialties from Judy’s Vermont, Vermont Wholesome Foods, Woodstock Granola and Trail Mix, Co., Farmhouse Inn Marshmallows and others have starring roles next to worldly items such as Nunez de Prado Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Villa Mandori Organic Balsamic Vinegar and Russian Kusmi Tea.  

The market prides itself on its motivated employees and high-energy atmosphere. It has rigorous hiring practices and preaches personal responsibility. “Our staff enjoys coming to work and enjoys giving great service. Our guests feel that positive energy and that translates into sales,” says Crowl.

Crowl and his two equity partners, Amelia Rappaport, grocery buyer and manager, and Lisa Battilana, executive chef, have a strategic plan that stretches into 2015. It includes a recently relaunched website to include a mail-order division—expanding on the culture of great service for its customers. “It’s our road map for the future,” says Crowl. “No one wants to work for an organization that is all over the place. We have a plan and we intend to stick to it.” Contact: Patrick Crowl, Woodstock Farmers’ Market, 468 Woodstock Rd., Woodstock, VT 05091; 802.457.3658; woodstockfarmersmarket.com. –N.P.D.