Reagan is a tad bit busy getting the store and his team ready for the Grand Opening in just a few days. We caught him this morning having a meeting with part of his management team, going over expectations and important details. Judging by his tone and excitement, he is certainly positive the store will have a stellar assembly of managers and associates. It is fun to be around a group of people who are so passionate about what they do and take pride in making sure everything is done correctly. This evening Reagan with join Bob and Randy for an associate Hoopla for the entire Station Park team to get everyone pumped up for the opening on Monday. This will also be a time to celebrate all the hard work that has gone in to creating the new store and wonderful team atmosphere.

While there is still a lot to do to get the store in tip-top shape, most everyone seems to be surprisingly calm and cheerful. Everyone here will be anxious to open and meet you on Monday morning.

Derick, Produce Manager

What you think about, you bring about.  I am thinking Spring!

Spring is still coming and we need to be ready with colorful flowers to welcome its belated arrival. Come check out our Harmons Garden Shop. We are proud to offer a great selection of bedding plants, tomatoes, planters and hanging baskets to brighten your flowerbeds, patios and porches. All our plants are grown locally by CK Farms in American Fork, UT. That means fresher stronger plants, that have not been sitting on a truck shipped from across the country. Come compare the quality for yourself and help bring  Spring!

Shauna, Cheese Monger

I had a customer ask the other day why the Bries in France taste so different than what we have in this country. The simple answer is raw milk. A lot of the traditional soft cheeses in France are made with raw milk. Most of the soft cheeses in the states are made with pasteurized milk. So why does the raw milk cheese taste different? Bacteria. Those beautiful tasty little bits add a depth of flavor that most pasteurized cheeses do not have. Not to say that pasteurized cheese are not good. There are some very good and flavorful pasturized cheeses out there. There are also some amazing raw milk cheeses. You will not find any raw milk fresh cheeses. All cheese aged under sixty days by law have to be made with pasteurized milk here in the United States, so you will have to try a more aged cheese. So next time you are at the cheese counter, have the cheese monger sample a raw milk cheese and pasteurized cheese and see if you can tell the difference.

I would like to take the opportunity to say goodbye to all my customers at Bangerter Crossing. I am moving to our new store at Station Park in Farmington. I am excited to start a great new venture but I am going to miss all of you in Draper. It has been a fun three years and I have met some great people. All of my wine and cheese class participants, the Saturday shoppers and all the kids that I talked into trying cheese – Thanks for everything and hope to see you at Station Park.

Dave, Gluten Free Advocate

There are so many different types of gluten free flours out there that it can be hard to make sense of them all, or know what you are supposed to use with which recipe. Most gluten free cooks agree that most gluten free flours work better in a mix, and there are many that you can buy like Grandpas Kitchen that are pre mixed, or if you like to experiment and try new things you can make your own flour blends that are suited to your own tastes.

The one thing that you must remember before making your own mix is that these flours do not contain gluten, and as I mentioned in a previous post, gluten is literally the glue that holds wheat bread or wheat baked goods together. So, you will have to add something that will mimic gluten’s properties in your recipe. There are several ways you can do this. The easiest way is to add eggs to your recipe, but remember that eggs will make your recipe heavier. You can also use either guar gum or xantham gum to accomplish this. (I generally use guar gum because it is about a quarter the cost of xantham gum and accomplishes the task just as well.) So here is a list of GF flours and their uses: Continue Reading »

. . . But we’re not telling yet. The votes for your favorite kids ad art have been collected and we know who’s art will be part of the Harmons Station Park Grand Opening ad. We’re glad we didn’t have to make this decision by ourselves, especially since the voting was very close. Look for which one you selected as your favorite on Sunday, May 1st in The Standard-Examiner, Davis Clipper, Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News. Thank you to all who voted!

Reagan, Station Park Store Director

We are only one week away from the Grand Opening of the new Harmons Station Park Store! I’ve been lucky enough to be the Store Director involved with the opening of two other Harmons stores, The District and Bangerter Crossing. Every opening is exciting and special in its own way. (With a bit of chaos and nervousness.) One constant with new store openings are the great feelings that come out of being able to offer Harmons’ signature items, fresh food, great selection and exceptional service to a new community. Another perk of opening a new store is the chance to work with so many more great people. We have some familiar faces opening this store, but we also have a lot of wonderful new people who were eager to become part of the Station Park team. Join us during our Grand Opening on Monday, May 2nd at 10am to meet all of your new department managers and amazing associates.

Chef Bob, Executive Chef

Two and a half years ago when the American economy took a nose dive, I thought that our cooking class enrollment would do the same. Imagine my surprise when classes started filling!

My chef’s ego led me to believe that I had been doing a good job of communicating the health and economic benefits of cooking fresh foods. After speaking with several of our new enrollees, I found out the truth. Our customers who were spending upwards of $100 for a date night out, or were into spending the weekend in Vegas or Wendover, couldn’t afford to do so anymore. They also couldn’t afford to spend money on eating out as many times a week as they had been, thus forcing the need to learn how to do more cooking at home.

Harmons provides the best quality and selection of fresh foods and groceries possible. It’s a perfect match to pair up our grocery store with the facilities to learn how to cook with these excellent products.

With two new instructors, one new classroom, and one more coming next year, Harmons is poised to provide you with classes that will not only entertain you, but give you information to extend your food budget and increase the nutritional content of your meals. I’m not even going to expound on how great the food is that you will prepare. Oh, and one more thing, we’ll be starting a “Date Night” at our new Station Park store in Farmington! Come check us out, you won’t be disappointed.

Carrie, Green Team Member

You are probably hearing a lot of things about Earth Day all over the news today. Most local businesses, including Harmons, are celebrating this day with a number of activities and events. In our stores today we will be using only paper or reusable bags and when you use your reusable bag you can be entered to win a Go Green Picnic bag valued at more than $50. Instead of giving you more sustainability information (because I have 18 more chances to do that this year), I would like to announce a fun new contest we are starting today.

I’ve been involved with our Harmons Go Green bags since I placed our first order in the fall of 2007. Did you know we completely sold out of our first order of 20,000 bags in fewer than 4 days?! I personally think these bags are awesome and I love when I see them around town for other uses than just grocery shopping. You, our shoppers, do an amazing job of bringing back those bags and we have been able to decrease our disposable bag use by more than 10% each year since we started.

We are now giving you the opportunity to show off you, your family, and your Harmons Go Green bag. Send us a picture of you and your Harmons Go Green bag, any color or size, and we’ll post it on our web site. At the end of each quarter we will pick a few winners to receive Harmons Gift Cards. Check out our “Where has Harmons Go Green gone?” contest page to view the details and to submit your photo. We’re excited to see all the fun places your bag visits.

Stay posted for more information about an eWaste recycling event being held in May. Happy Earth Day!

Jessica, Registered Dietitian

Are you?

Despite all of the cold and rainy weather we’ve been having, I can’t help my excitement for the season. Rain or shine, fresh fish is coming – some is already here! Have you checked out our fresh halibut this season? If not, you’re missing out, so catch it while you can. I can’t forget our fresh Hawaiian varieties . . . I’ve been experiementing with different fish I’ve never tried before and none have disappointed me! I really loved the Mahi-Mahi tacos with Harmons fresh pineapple salsa I made a few weeks ago. And I really can’t wait for fresh Sockeye salmon to arrive early this summer, that is a real treat!

Do you get as excited about fish as I do? If not, you’re not alone. In fact, most Americans eat less than 1/2 the recommended amount of fish each week. The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans that were released earlier this year recommend eating 8-12 ounces of fish every week. That may sound like a lot, but eating just 4 ounces twice a week will get you there. Our seafood associates would be more than happy to cut you a 4 ounce portion of any of our fish to take the guesswork out of portioning. Continue Reading »

Jason, Artisan Baker

Friday, April 22nd will be Good Friday, which coincidentally corresponds with Passover. Passover, which last for seven days (eight days outside of Israel) involves the removal of chametz (leaven; sounds like “hum it’s” with the Scottish ch) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the “puffiness” (arrogance, pride) from our souls. Chametz includes anything made from the 5 major grains of wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt, that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after coming into contact with water. Some also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, and beans. All of these items have been used to make bread, thus use of them was prohibited to avoid any confusion. We are sorry if this causes any inconvienence for those who enjoy their Challah bread each Friday. We are simply trying to respect all faiths and beliefs. We will resume the Challah bread Friday, April 29th. I also want to add I am by no means an authority on Jewish customs, so if this information is inaccurate please comment.