NJ SPICE

Brace yourself, Trader Joe’s is FINALLY opening on Friday at the The Square at West Windsor on Meadow Road (across Rte. 1 from Marketfair on the northbound side of Rte. 1).  Foodies rejoice!

So, here’s what I’ll be looking for:

Nuts – Trader Joe’s has a great nut “program” and their selection of dried fruits is good too.

Coffee – ditto, look for great prices on coffee.

Whole Wheat English Muffins – I hope they still have these, because theirs are the best I’ve found. I’ve driven all the way to Marlton especially for those in the past.

Mexican/Southwest Foods – while I am resigned to their not stocking the extensive selection of high-quality tortillas and other Mexican and Southwestern food items I have lugged back from trips out west, I hope to find some good ones there, since they originated and are based in California. I’ll look for other ethnic foods, too, especially interesting items to take to work for lunch.

Chocolate – this is a great place to stock up, especially on large bars for baking projects. Other sweets too; interesting cookies and candies abound. They are often just like the more expensive versions in other stores.

Olive oil and more- they have good olive oils, and other staples like organic ketchup, salsas, granolas. Oh, and a nice dairy case. 

Serendipity – I never know what new thing I’ll find at a Trader Joe’s, and while sometimes I wish they’d carry a particular item forever, they are constantly updating the mix to keep things “fresh.”  As a past retailer, I have a lot of respect for that strategy. Every day an adventure, right?

Trader Joe’s stores are not huge. Their goal is not to have everything, but to cover all the major foodie food groups. The key to much of this is their extensive private label program that keeps prices reasonable, which over the years has created a huge fan base for Trader Joe’s – we’ll drive a long way to get to one, but now locals won’t have to anymore.  Hooray!