New! Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting
Weekends usually mean running around from planned activity to planned activity for PhillyBoy and I. This weekend, for the first time in what seems like many months, we had no scheduled plans! Yes, we had lots to do in the house, and yes, our to do lists are miles long, but with no strict schedules we were able to have some fun.
A new Whole Foods opened in Plymouth Meeting, PA, about 20 minutes from Center City Philadelphia, and I have wanted to go and see it for weeks. This store is one of (or THE) biggest in our area, and being brand new, I knew it would have many of the great qualities of my local Whole Foods in Cranston, RI. Saturday the opportunity to shop there came when we heard about The Great Parmigiano Reggiano Wheel Cracking Extravaganza . Hundreds of Whole Foods across the nation, Canada, and the U.K. came together to crack large wheels of parmigiano reggiano cheese at exactly the same moment, breaking a previously made world record.
For more information on parmigiano reggiano, visit the Behind the Rind blog on the Whole Foods Market website.
The event promised cheese samples, recipe demonstrations, and wine & beer tastings where available. When PB, my mother in law, her husband Ed, and I arrived at the store, it was packed. Snowstorm warning packed. Early Saturday morning packed.
We were happy for our little adventure though!
This Whole Foods was the best one I have ever visited. I found some ingredients and products I haven’t been able to find anywhere else in this area, and I noticed that the variety in the store is tremendous. I could have stayed there for hour visiting each aisle and learning what it had to offer. I was especially impressed with the selection of produce, noting that they had lots of local fruits and vegetables, but also a great selection of imported unknown produce that I wished I had the time to learn more about. The staff, like at any Whole Foods, was knowledgeable and kind.
Fun fact! Hangry Pants Heather’s brother is the Specialty Foods Team Leader at a Whole Foods in Rhode Island! Speaking of Heather, I bid on her version of Dreena’s Super Charge Me cookies for the Online Bake for Haiti and won! They are so incredible and taste just like Girl Scout samoa cookies. I put them in the freezer and have been pulling out two a day to add to my greek yogurt snack. YUM,
Back to Whole Foods, Plymouth Meeting: PB and I made salads in the extensive prepared foods section and ate a quick late lunch before the event.
The four of us made our way over to the cheese area at 2:59 PM, and at 3:00 PM exactly (with a countdown) the cheese expert made the final cut in the parmigiano reggiano wheel, opening it for all to see. The cheese area was packed!
The final countdown:
5!
Four!
1!!!!!
It was really fun! I actually don’t like cheese when it is not mixed in foods so I do not sample any, but PB, my mother in law, and her husband all said it was extremely flavorful! The cheese expert must have passed out over 100 samples in the first few minutes alone.
We were all happy.
They also passed out samples of a basic pasta topped with parmigiano reggiano.
Whole Foods does it right.
Congratulations to the Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting- you are doing everything right! We can’t wait to move closer… just to have access to your amazing store.
***Don’t forget to enter my delicate soles giveaway!!
Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting, PA is located at 500 W. Germantown Pike Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 and is open from 8:00 AM- 9:00 PM seven days a week. Contact phone number: 610.832.0010.
18 Responses to “New! Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting”
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That looks like such a fun, foodie time! I have to admit I was REALLY excited when the largest WF in NE opened in Dedham and went on day 1
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that looks SO fun! i love cheese by itself, and am slightly obsessed with Italian food, so i would have eaten that up (literally!) hope you’re having a fabulous weekend
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OMG I could probably eat half of that wheel of parmesan on my own, I love it! The Whole Foods here in NY did the same thing, but I didn’t get a chance to make it to the event so thanks for sharing! Whole Foods really is the best.
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We are headed to WF tomorrow. We drive 1 1/2 hrs to get there! It is worth it. So lovely…an adventure. I go with my PB who grew up on S Broad St.
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Oh gosh that is like my mecca…cheeeese.
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My brother was in the cheese competition, but he didn’t win!
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Looks like fun, and that cheese looks really good! There’s nothing like whole foods
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How fun!!! My hubby and I visited a new grocery store for fun this weekend called Fresh and Easy. We weren’t impressed you visit looks MUCH MORE fun.
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Your salad creation looks fantastic! I love Whole Foods, but rarely make the trip to the Art Museum to shop there for some reason. They have the BEST bulk granola — so much better than the bagged stuff I end up buying at the store down the street from me.
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The salads look yummy!
I would’ve been all over those samples! I love cheese!
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ohh man WF packed is a little nutty, but I’m so happy just seeing the salad bar there..mmmm so tasty!!
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There is a whole foods opening up by my work soon…I cannot wait!! They had me at salad bar!
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The Plymouth Meeting WF is the best ever! I live 5 minutes from it and go there way too many times a week!
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Do you think it would be okay to use old fashioned oats instead of quick oats in the Super Charge Me cookies?
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RhodeyGirlTests Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:50 am
@Maggie, Heather of Hangry Pants (hangrypants.com) who made the cookies said she used old fashioned and they came out fine!
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A great event!!!! Go IAN!!!!
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I am so thrilled that WF is in this area. When I first moved here, I saw that it was opening in the winter and when it finally did, nirvana. All those ingredients for the recipes I couldn’t make before were finally available. I’m sad I missed the Parm cracking event tho. Great pics!
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Yay whole foods!! The Crack event did make WF very crowded. I felt claustrophobic the whole time!
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