Marks seventh of the format for company, first in area
Inspired by the open-air markets of Europe and a true passion for food, Giant Eagle Inc. opened its first Northeast Ohio Market District food store Thursday.
The 94,000-s.f. culinary, dining and shopping destination is located at 34310 Aurora Rd. in the Solon Village Shopping Center in Solon. The Market District store replaces the Solon Giant Eagle, which closed Wednesday.
Market District appeals to food enthusiasts who enjoy the sights, smells and tastes of fresh, new and exciting foods, Giant Eagle says. The Solon Market District, the seventh Market District store for the multi-format food retailer, delivers a food utopia to Northeast Ohio residents with a mix of the best in everyday offerings and unique foods from around the world, according to the company. The store also features a Curbside Express online grocery ordering service.
Michael Symon, host of ABC’s “The Chew,” helped Giant Eagle celebrate the grand opening of Solon Market District on Thursday. He was joined by Giant Eagle’s CEO Laura Karet to cook one of the Iron Chef’s latest recipes in the Market District’s state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen.
The Market District store employs 400 as part of its team, which includes graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, Ohio State University and University of Akron, complementing Giant Eagle-certified cheesemongers and other food professionals.
Solon Market District customers can sample restaurant-quality dishes and find unique meat, produce, cheese and grocery selections from around the globe. While Market District offers unique items not available elsewhere, it also sells everyday items like brand-name detergents, cola products and a number of other items
Giant Eagle reports that the Solon Market District store also features many of the products, promotions and other savings opportunities that customers have come to expect from Cleveland-area Giant Eagle locations, including the retailer’s recent price reduction efforts, weekly specials, pharmacy offerings highlighted by the $4 and $10 generic prescription drug program, doubling of manufacturer coupons up to 99 cents and the fuelperks! customer loyalty program.
In addition to the Curbside Express online grocery ordering service, Market District features:
• Garden fresh produce that boasts domestic, specialty, regionally grown and seasonal fruits and vegetables, including more than 120 organic varieties;
• A gourmet burger station that features grilled hamburgers made from meat that is fresh ground in store by Market District butchers, with housemade burger sauce and hand-cut french fries. Special: Solon Burger with smoked Gouda cheese and pepper smoked bacon, $5.99;
• A sweet shop features hand-dipped chocolate novelties, gourmet confections and nostalgic candy classics like Necco Wafers and Pixie Stix, as well as fresh-roasted nuts, hand-dipped caramel apples, just-spun cotton candy and homemade kettle corn;
• A smoke and fire slow-roasting rotisserie includes fire-grilled roasted meats, ribs, chicken and more;
• A variety of hot and cold food bars feature a smorgasbord of home-style favorites, authentic international dishes, spicy wings, garden-fresh vegetables and gourmet toppings;
• Market District sushi chefs transform fresh seafood into classic Japanese maki rolls, nigiri, sashimi and bento with organic rice;
• An artisan cheese shop offers 400-plus handcrafted domestic and imported cheeses, including fresh hand-wrapped mozzarella, goat and sheep’s milk cheeses from Europe and the Americas and an array of Goudas, Blues and mountain cheeses;
• In-house roasted meats, as well as charcuterie, showcasing imported cured meats from Italy and Spain, and artisan products like Fra’ Mani Handcrafted Salumi and La Quercia from Iowa;
• Fresh meat and seafood, including dry-aged beef, chicken sausage made in-store, hard-to-find meats like grass-fed beef, bison and game, Nature’s Basket antibiotic-free meats and poultry and more; high-quality seafood from sustainable sources, such as Alaska salmon and Gulf of Maine cod; an assortment of shellfish, including wild American shrimp, jumbo sea scallops, live clams, oysters and lobsters; and salmon burgers, crab-stuffed salmon and jumbo lump crab cakes;
• International foods with more than 10,000 natural and organic items, international items and specialty groceries;
• A bulk foods section that includes 12 varieties of olive oil and vinegars, 28 varieties of teas, 48 spices and more than 60 bulk foods items, including rice/beans/grains, nut meats, granola/cereals, dried fruit, trail/party mixes and confectionary;
• Artisan bread baked fresh daily alongside made-from-scratch cookies and donuts, as well as boiled and hearth-baked bagels;
• A beverage bar with coffee roasted on site to brew cappuccinos and lattes, seasonal specialty drinks, mulled cider, eggnog and fruit smoothies made with fresh-squeezed juices;
• An ongoing schedule of in-store events to entertain and educate shoppers, including live music and daily cooking demonstrations from resident and celebrity chefs;
• An in-store restaurant featuring free Wi-Fi and real tableware;
• A beer and wine store with more than 1,800 wines from around the world and a selection of more than 800 beers. In addition, a full state liquor agency carries more than 1,000 spirits; and
• An expanded health, beauty and wellness department filled with natural and organic cosmetics, vitamins, supplements and personal care products, and staffed with a licensed skin care professional and a licensed dietitian conducting ongoing wellness events and activities.
The store will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition to the new Solon store, Giant Eagle operates two other Market District stores in Ohio and four in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1931, Giant Eagle Inc. has 229 supermarkets and 188 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia and Maryland.
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