Guest Post: Whole Foods Revolution

You are in for a SPECIAL treat. During a conversation with my mom about the new Whole Foods that recently opened in her neighborhood, I suggested she put together a guest post about this organic food wonderland. And she did!

Enjoy....


The excitement in the neighborhood was almost palpable: People were counting down the days. They were planning their schedules around it. Some even called in sick just so they could be there. A presidential motorcade? A film crew using Friendship Heights as the background for a new movie? Close. The new Whole Foods across the street was finally opening!

I have always disliked grocery shopping. For as long as I can remember, it’s been a chore to plan the meals, get the list together, drive to the strip mall, and do the deed. Lines were long, shelves often empty, lighting glaring, and the checkout people… well, just not happy to be there either.

All of that changed when Whole Food Market came to our neighborhood last month. You walk in on the upper level (where the coffee and flowers live) so that the store spreads out in all its avocado-and-clementine glory below you. I never knew vegetables could be so beautiful.

The store—it’s actually more of a total culinary experience—has broad areas to stroll around in. They’re not exactly aisles, more like zones. I am particularly fond of the pasta zone, the cheese zone, and the oh-so-seductive bakery zone. Some of the zones are interactive, where you can grind your own cashew butter or customize your trail mix. And people actually seem happy to be working there. Not in an in-your-face kind of way, but genuinely happy to be helpful. It’s amazing.


I was dazzled by the salad bar, where the spotlighting makes everything look like jewelry. Are those emeralds I see? No, sparkling green beans almondine. Rubies over there? Nope, a gleaming tomato and mozzarella salad. And there is a person smiling and keeping it spotless every time I’ve been there (daily since it opened).

The very complexion in the neighborhood has changed. There’s a lot more foot traffic now. No longer do I have to shop for a week at a time and try to guess just how many bananas will last me until I can muster up the energy to go again. Now I can buy just what I need for today because I know I can just walk over again tomorrow!

There are classes, demos, newsletters, and cookbooks at Whole Foods. I have actually been eating more fresh produce lately, a goal that has eluded me for most of my adult life. And I have fresh-squeezed OJ every morning now. Heaven.

Whole Foods is lots of things: It’s a meeting place (a great new neighborhood spot to meet friends for coffee or lunch). It’s an education center. (Interested in finding out how to properly pair cheeses? Sign up for a class!) It’s even an entertainment venue. (There was a terrific steel band playing there recently.)

Marc, the store team leader, greeted me early one rainy morning that first week. Recognizing him from the billboards in the Metro station, I asked, “Aren’t you the guy I see on the walls in the Metro station?” With more cheer than anyone had a right to muster that early on a gloomy morning, he said, “Yes, I’m Marc! Welcome! Would you like a sleeve for your wet umbrella?”

I was home.