N.J. ShopRite Unveils Culinary Center
ShopRite of Greater Morristown has debuted the Village Food Garden Culinary Center, a space offering home cooks and foodies the opportunity to develop their talents in the kitchen while socializing with like-minded locals.
“Cooking and seeing others enjoy a dish you have personally prepared is a wonderful way to bring people together,” explained Perry Blatt, director of community relations at the Cedar Knolls, N.J., store, one of 29 owned by Springfield Township, N.J.-based Village Super Market. “Our hope is that the Village Food Garden Culinary Center becomes a community gathering place that enhances our customers’ appreciation of food and cooking."
The center, situated in the store’s year-round patio and featuring a fully equipped kitchen and demonstration area, will provide free interactive classes five days a week, as well as weekly themed workshops and classes for adults and children, all led by Executive Chef Danny Arturo. Class themes will change monthly according to the season, and the center will additionally serve as a venue for special events with celebrity-chef cooking demos (such as the one held by Ingrid Hoffmann, above) and book signings. A full schedule of events is available online.
Shared Passion
“I love sharing my passion for food and helping to make cooking even more enjoyable by teaching our customers time-saving tips and tricks, and putting a modern twist to traditional favorites,” said Arturo. “In addition to the scheduled classes, we can host a private cooking party or corporate team-building event. The classes also make great holiday presents!”
Reservations can only be made in-store at the Guest Relations desk. Children under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Keasbey, N.J.-based retailer-owned cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. With more than 250 ShopRite supermarkets throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than 6 million customers each week.