Retailer profile: Choices Markets

We have great news for our friends in British Columbia. Select Yorkshire Valley Farms products are now available at Choices Markets! We recently spoke with Tyler Romano, Marketing Manager at Choices Markets, to learn about the Choices history and operating philosophy that has helped them to become Western Canada’s largest local retailer of natural and organic food.

The beginning of Choices Market was a bit of a happy accident. The first store opened in 1990 in Kitsilano, BC. The initial idea was to offer shoppers a broad range of choices – any kind of food customers wanted – hence the name, Choices Markets. However, in the early days, Choices unintentionally ordered a large shipment of organic rice cakes. The rice cakes sold out in record time! Realizing they were on to something, the Choices team decided to focus on offering healthier, better for you organic options and they haven’t looked back since.

Part of the Choices philosophy is to offer a warm, attractive, family friendly shopping experience. Each store has a dietician on site to answer questions. You can even take a complimentary store tour to get guidance on shopping for specific diets or lifestyle needs. Choices has also been a pioneer in offering a range of gluten-free products, including a dedicated gluten-free production facility (which also acts as a storefront) where they make fresh additive-free and gluten-free products daily.

When it comes to meat options, Choices knew their customers were concerned with two things: knowing where their meat comes from and knowing that the animals have been treated ethically. Offering Yorkshire Valley Farms organic chicken products allows Choices to satisfy both these concerns providing a product that is free of additives and that is ethically raised. The frozen Yorkshire Valley Farms organic chicken nuggets, fillets, and burgers align with the values of the Choices meat department, making our partnership an obvious one!

You can learn more about Choices Markets on their website choicesmarkets.com or visit one of their seven locations: 4 stores in Vancouver, 1 in Burnaby, 1 in Kelowna, and 1 in South Surrey.

 

Game Day Grub: oven-baked wings with Buffalo-style sauce

Game Day is almost here.

According to the U.S. National Chicken Council’s 2014 Wing Report, 1.25 billion wings will be devoured during Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday February 2, besting last year’s total by 20 million. That’s enough to put 572 wings on every seat in all 32 NFL stadiums!

To help you prepare for your football festivities, all this week we’ll be sharing the best Game Day Grub ideas from the YVF Kitchen, as inspired by the YVF Home Office Team.

We’re kicking things off with, well, what else…wings!

Apparently 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the first “Buffalo Wing” being sauced and tossed at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. In honour of this milestone birthday, and because Buffalo-style wings are a game day classic, the YVF Kitchen offers you this DIY recipe for oven-baked crispy wings with spicy Buffalo-style sauce.

Basic oven-baked crispy wings
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
24 Yorkshire Valley Farms organic chicken wings, tips removed, and/or drummettes

Preheat oven to 425F/220C.

Combine dry ingredients in a plastic bag or medium-sized mixing bowl. Toss wings until coated. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle wings with melted butter. Using tongs, turn wings to coat with melted butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip wings over and bake for another 15 minutes. The wings should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

To make Spicy Buffalo-style Wings, coat with the sauce (recipe below) while warm and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

Spicy Buffalo-style sauce
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Cholula Original Hot Sauce 

Melt butter. Add cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and add in the Cholula Original Hot Sauce. Stir until well blended. This sauce can be refrigerated for two days. Ensure the sauce is fully cooled before transferring for cold storage.

Substitutions
At the YVF office, Alex, our Director of National Accounts, is often looking for gluten-free options, so in the YVF Kitchen we make up a batch of these wings using organic quinoa flour instead of all-purpose wheat flour. They are just as crispy. You can also substitute sunflower oil for the melted butter if you prefer.