miadish

Are you ready for Whole Foods Coral Gables? Tomorrow is the grand opening and Whole Foods folks are hoping it will be as big a draw as say, an IKEA in Sunrise. Well, I don’t know if it will be that huge, but this is only the second Whole Foods in Miami Dade (the other is in Aventura). The monolithic store stands across the street from Sunset Place on 6701 Red Road. Some call it “Whole Paycheck” for good reason, but there are some tempting perks. They will custom grind any of their beans to make your cup of coffee, grill or smoke any meat you purchase, dry aged beef, offer olive, salt and sugar bars (lavender salt anyone?), and they’ll make you sweet potato juice if that’s your fancy.

During Monday’s “Sneak Preview” of the store, I noticed a plethora of California signs around the produce area. I’m grateful for the full disclosure, but it’s still disappointing. I spoke briefly with “Organic Steve,” the top produce guy. I asked him about local produce. He said that he has already toured some of the farms in Homestead, and that he will be speaking with local farmers at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in November. Whole Foods served some longans from Homestead’s Red Dragon Fruit Company during the tour. Roger Washington of Red Dragon was busy unloading his fruit in the background. Hopefully, Whole Foods will honor their pledge to have as much local produce as possible.

Festivities begin 8 am tomorrow for some free breakfast, followed by a “bread baking ceremony.” The doors will open at 9 am. There will be kids’ activities, free samples, and live music throughout the day. They will repeat the festivities on Saturday (12 noon to 6:30 pm) and Sunday (12 noon to 6:30 pm).

I’m excited to see that they will be offering lots of classes in their “Whole Lifestyle” kitchen/classroom area. The “Learn from a Local” series will feature local entrepreneurs showcasing their products and giving some cooking classes. Jennifer Behar of Jennifer’s Homemade will be demonstrating how to make biscotti on Sunday from 1 to 2 pm. I’ve never had the biscotti, but her rosemary flatbreads are crunchy and flavorful.

Other future events are an organically grown sangria tasting (Thursday, Sept. 27, 7 to 8:30 pm) and a cooking with pumpkin class (Oct. 29, 7 to 8:30 pm, $5 fee). The online calendar spells out all of the goings on during the grand opening, as well as the class/tasting schedules.

Where: Whole Foods Coral Gables
6701 Red Road
Coral Gables, Florida 33143

Hours: 8 am to 10 pm everyday

Phone: (305) 421-9421