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FeedGourmet Grocery Guide: Produce
The best meat, produce and more inside the city’s top grocery stores
PHOTOS BY JODI MILLER
Rife for the Picking
Rife’s Market, 1417 W. Fifth Ave., Grandview
Rife’s itself seems like an anachronism. You pull up to the small storefront and there’s fruit outside, lovingly arranged in boxes with handwritten signs. It’s not a retro affectation—it’s just how they’ve sold their produce for the past 76 years. It’s essentially a farmer’s market that keeps regular, year-round hours. Inside, a map of Ohio studded with push-pins points to every farm or small-time producer whose products they stock. But the real magic of Rife’s is how much they care about their customers: if you give them your phone number, Mary Kay Rife, the great-granddaughter of the store’s founder, will give you a call to let you know when the newest batch of local produce has arrived all through the harvest season—she recently made a couple dozen calls for the season’s first black raspberries.
Don’t miss: Rife’s also has an in-store butcher, with a meat selection that rivals the city’s bigger markets.
World Tour
CAM International Market, 889 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side
CAM is an ideal starter market for ethnic grocery newbies, in part because of its bountiful produce selection. Look for stellar deals on herbs at one end of the aisle, and more mushroom varieties than you can imagine at the other (we’re fascinated by the two-inch-thick eryngii mushrooms wrapped in plastic on Styrofoam trays). CAM is user-friendly, and the entire produce department is marked with signs describing what each vegetable or fruit is, how to prepare it and its health benefits in both Chinese and English. Don’t miss: Any time you’ve got a need for full-size fish, check out the recently swimming selection in CAM’s freezer case.
While you’re out... gluten-free pie crust
Peak pie season is upon us, and that’s joyful news—unless you struggle with gluten intolerance. Luckily, Columbus has the Raisin Rack, a label-reader’s paradise with aisle upon aisle of gluten-free goodies, like this almost-instant pie crust mix from Breads from Anna that’s safe for those concerned about a laundry list of food issues.
($7 at Raisin Rack, 2545 Schrock Rd., Westerville)
Homegrown Heroes
How Ohio Proud helps small-time farmers sell to big-name stores
While wandering the aisles of your closest Meijer or neighborhood co-op, you’ve probably noticed a sharp uptick in locally made, well, everything. Ohio Proud, an offshoot of the state’s agriculture department, is partially to thank. Since 1993, they’ve helped small-scale producers get their products into increasingly bigger stores. Ohio Proud now has close to 500 members.
Program manager Lori Panda says there are plenty of paths local businesses can take to make it onto a market’s shelves. These are some of the most common:
Store Seeking Salsa: The group’s website includes a database of every member and the products they sell. Producers pay a $25 membership fee to be included; stores can use the database to find the perfect product.
Training Day: Ohio Proud created a one-day class for small producers, guiding them from making a few jars of jam to taking over a Whole Foods shelf. “It’s a great educational opportunity for these guys, who don’t necessarily have experience figuring out how much inventory to have or how to price their product,” Panda says.
Love at First Sight: For the ultimate match-making experience, Ohio Proud organizes what Panda calls “speed-dating” events. Producers and farmers set up stands in a conference room, and store buyers tour the stands, tasting items they find interesting. Then, the buyers set up 15-minute interviews that day with all their favorites. “A lot of stores and wineries want to purchase local products,” Panda says. “People want to support their local economy, and the demand is driving retailers.”
Illustrations by Paige Vickers
