Orange County sets trends for suburban living


Despite the media portrayal of Orange County as a the new Peyton Place overrun by blondes and bikinied teenagers, this county of over 3,000,000 people is really America's suburban bellwether. Its melting pot demographics of 32% Latino and 16% Asian population defines a multicultural suburb that, by virtue of its trendsetting SoCal pedigree, is ground zero for propagating the new suburban lifestyle trends.

After hearing rave reviews about the new Whole Foods located in the District shopping center next to Irvine, I had to visit before going to the airport. The press release says it all better than I can:

Since its opening in 1980, Whole Foods Market has helped transform the way Americans eat and think about food. "We want our shoppers to celebrate the joys of eating and living well. We hope Whole Foods Market will continue to prompt change in the way people think about and shop for food" said John Mackey, Whole Foods Market CEO and co-founder.


Highlights of The District at Tustin Legacy Include:
  • Wine and Tapas Bar — featuring amazing wines from around the world, along with delicious cheeses, charcuterie, olives, nuts and more.
  • Extensive Wine Department with more than 1,200 selections to match any occasion, meal or budget and enomatic wine machines so shoppers can taste various selections before they buy.
  • Smokehouse and Seafood Grill — Chicken, beef and seafood cooked or grilled to order — from fish and chips, seafood pasta, barbecued beef and pulled pork sandwiches, along with wine by the glass and seasonal draft beers — all offered in a sit-down venue within the store.
  • Butter Bar — with hand crafted flavored butters made daily.
  • Sit Down Tea Bar — with tea specialists to answer all of your questions.
  • Churrascharia and Taqueria — featuring South American rotisserie style meats including garlic top sirloin and lamb and Brazilian sausage. The Taqueria offers made-to-order burritos, nachos, tamales, enchiladas and more.
  • Fresh Donuts — made by the hour. Savory bakery treats made fresh daily including pretzels, foccacia, ham and cheese croissants.
  • Produce Department — 6500+ square-foot featuring more than 600 items daily.
  • Tortilla Machine — making fresh corn and flour tortillas.
  • Chocolate Island — with more than 50 chocolate choices and white and dark chocolate fountains.
  • Free Wireless Internet Access.
The press release forgets to mention the sushi bar staffed with chefs who speak Japanese (many Californians will recognize this as a rarity except in California's only true Japantowns within Torrance and Irvine).

The conclusion? This Whole Foods pays homage to all cultures ... with much more authenticity than Epcot Center. And with free wifi, lots of dining space and a wine bar, it has no problem opening up their generous space to the community. Brilliant positioning for a "grocery store", it blew me away. Why can't real estate offices recreate themselves from "offices" to community space? All they need are coffee bars, wifi and free fresh donuts.


 

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  • 2/16/2008 7:24 AM Jeff Dowler wrote:
    Great article about OC, my neighbor to the north. Whole Foods is terrific - we had one back in Cambridge, MA and they are building one in Encinitas, right next to Carlsbad where I work.
    Reply to this
    1. 2/16/2008 11:05 AM Pat Kitano wrote:
      Hey Jeff, your ears were ringing, Roberta and I were hanging out Thursday discussing San Diego bloggers... I'll let you know when I'm in your area again (pretty soon)...

      Reply to this



  • 2/16/2008 1:40 PM Gena Riede wrote:
    My ears aren't ringing!

    However, in terms of Whole Foods...they typically don't open a store in an area that is not doing well financially. So, this speaks volumes to this location.
    Reply to this
    1. 2/16/2008 3:46 PM Pat Kitano wrote:
      Well, Gena, your ears should be ringing because Roberta and I were also surveying all the California bloggers... what's most important about Whole Foods being on the consumer cutting edge is it's forcing the Safeways to match up to be competitive... I still prefer Safeways for the $4.99/lb NY strip steaks...

      Reply to this





  • 2/17/2008 6:10 PM Helen wrote:
    Pat - you really must consider eating from food groups other than red meat! Even if the strip steaks are on sale, you can have a salad with...

    H.
    Reply to this
    1. 2/17/2008 9:01 PM Pat Kitano wrote:
      Thank you so much for considering my health Helen! I'm planning on taking your advice...

      Reply to this





  • 2/20/2008 1:27 AM Laurie Briggs wrote:
    Hi Pat,
    just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your seminar the other day. You and Kevin are informative and very entertaining! I sincerely appreciate you. By the way, if you are going to eat red meat, try Vic & Anthonys inside the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. Most delicious steak I have EVER eaten.
    Hugs
    Laurie
    Reply to this




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