When I moved here four years ago one of the biggest shocks to my system was that my new town was without a Whole Foods. And a Costco {but that’s another post}.

Whole Foods in Chicago was a thing all in itself. Perhaps I remember it incorrectly, but it didn’t have that ‘whole paycheck’ thing going – a reputation I find rampant here in Michigan. There were so many, it was often the neighborhood grocer. And there were much pricier, boutique-style grocers down the block {anyone in Chicago remember Fox & Obel in it’s heyday? Now that place was fun!}.

It was my neighborhood grocery store, and I went there for everything. You could head over to Whole Foods to grab a great morning coffee when the line at Starbucks was too long. There were always so many different things to sample. One of the best thing about Whole Foods was that they stocked such a great variety of foods. You never had to wonder whether or not you could try a new, fancy recipe that called for some crazy ingredient – Whole Foods always had that crazy ingredient. Their produce section always had so many unique fruits and vegetables, you could always experiment with something new. A great many of my favorite ingredients were the Whole Foods 365 brand – in fact, it’s my daughters favorite brand of instant oatmeal and I stock up every time I go to Chicago.

When I moved, I wondered where I would find all of these foods and ingredients I was used to having at my finger tips. The main grocery store, Meijer, doesn’t always have non-traditional or rarely used ingredients. The local organic store was so expensive I’ve only been there twice in four years.

Over the past years, I’ve learned where to shop. I still have access to all of the foods from my Whole Foods days, I just had to learn where to look for it. Because of all the incredible agriculture in the area, the local farmer’s market is a wealth of amazing vegetables, fruits, cheeses, butter, eggs, grass fed meats, and even fish. The butcher shop has any meat I need at a reasonable price (definitely NOT the boutique-style butcher here). Meijer has even evolved greatly in the past four years with some truly incredible offerings.

So why bring all this up? Why now?

This week (after several delays) Whole Foods opens in our town. The thing is, while I’m happy and greatly looking forward to it, I’m not as excited about it as I thought I would be. I’m not sure why either. I will be able to sample gelato, sip wine while I shop, purchase my 365 ingredients again, and so much more. I think it’s because I know it’s not going to be my neighborhood Whole Foods this time. It’s the only one for 75 miles, it’s going to be busy and crowded all the time. Will I still be able to linger over the produce or the cheese, dreaming up my next concoction?

There’s a huge opening celebration. Will I go on opening day??? Probably not. I’ll wait a day, let the crowds go down a little (maybe) and see what new finds I’ll discover with our new Whole Foods.