On a recent trip to Los Angeles, I took some time to visit a couple of the most influential local grocers/co-ops, and unique restaurants. Yep, the entire day was about eating. I’ve made this same trip each spring to check on many of the same stores to see how they interpret changing customer demands and the food trends they create.
Erewhon
First stop Erewhon, a small, trendy co-op that is heavily focus on fresh prepared foods, primarily made in store. Based on past experience, I have found they are on the forefront of food trends and tend to adjust their assortment and space merchandising quickly based on changing tastes.
Fresh is King – Fresh floral leads inside the front door followed by a large endcap of fresh grab and go items that call out that they are made in store.
Vegan, Animal-Free, Humane – this trend comes with many different names, but is a larger movement to consume fewer animal and animal products. In the past, it has been a small subsection (the bottom or top shelf), but the space has grown considerably this year and now contains an entire four foot section in each category
Low Sugar – There have always been dessert endcaps in the grab and go section, but this year they replaced a couple rows of the assortment with fruit to offer a natural, no added sugar dessert option. Note: not even this store is willing to stop offering dessert.
Naturally Occurring Fat is Good For You – We’re not just talking about butter and avocado any more. New brands and types of fats are hitting the market every day. Each has its own flavors and uses. Hemp Fat (Lower Right) was new to me.
Cookbook
Next stop was Cookbook, a neighborhood grocer with about as much retail space as Erewhon’s floral department uses. This tiny assortment resembles European markets where local residents can stop in to find anything they need to make dinner tonight or grab a quick lunch.
Fresh, made-in-store, hand-harvested – This store carries only fresh and local foods and has a vibe that entire store was curated for each individual in the neighborhood.
Starbucks Reserve Roastery
I drove past a Starbucks Reserve Roastery and decided to swing in for some coffee. I’ve read that Starbucks is pinning its future growth on expanding this concept to defend against small local coffee shops.
Super Premium Coffee Shops – I loved being able to choose between four single-origin coffees and then four different brewing methods; yes, it took 20 minutes to get my coffee, but as a coffee junkie, it was worth the wait (I may have tried three or four). I think the concept is well positioned to compete with Blue Bottle and other high-end coffee shops, but I question if the model can scale outside of dense urban environments where there is a critical mass of coffee experts. The suburban drive-through line would take hours.
Jeni’s Ice Cream
The only way to follow up that much coffee was with ice cream. Luckily, it was just two blocks down the road at Jeni’s.
Alcohol flavors – Alcohol is a great vehicle for flavor and pairs well with many fruit varieties to create amazing ice cream. Flavors like Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet and Frosé Sorbet (frozen Rosé) create crisp summer flavors.
Dominique Ansel Bakery
This beautiful European inspired bakery is set in the Grove and brings a taste of European patisseries to LA. Though they claim to have invented the cronut (croissant-donut), I thought theirs was sickly sweet and worth a hard pass. The DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann) a proprietary caramelized croissant, on the other hand, was an amazing pastry that was just sweet enough, and was the perfect complement to all the Starbucks coffee I was still carrying around.
Grand Central Market
Having just watched the documentary “City of Gold” about LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold’s favorite LA haunts (note, most of them are small, family owned, ethnic restaurants in strip malls), I ventured to Grand Central Market for authentic Mexican and Filipino food. The quality, amount, and diversity of food being created in this space is second to none, and well worth the trip. Come hungry, you’ll want to try lots of stalls.
Theodore Schweitz 