Akron-Canton Area Shoppers Discover The "Ooooo" In Food

GREEN, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the success of the recently opened Solon Market District, Giant Eagle, Inc. introduces a whole new world of food to the Akron-Canton area with the opening of the new Green Market District located at 1700 Corporate Woods Parkway.

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Food Network Star, world-renowned chef and author Tyler Florence will participate in the store's grand opening celebration, greeting customers and signing autographs. Florence joins the long list of the world's most prominent chefs who have been wowed by the Market District experience. Martha Stewart called Market District a "veritable retail wonderland," and Guy Fieri "the Disneyland of grocery stores." Adam Richman, host of the Travel Channel's popular show, "Man vs. Food", called Market District "heaven's gift to foodies."

"Food is the focus at our new Green Market District , where customers will be able to sample exotic meats, cheeses and produce from around the world, plus signature dishes prepared by our team of skilled Market District chefs," said Giant Eagle President and Chief Operating Officer John Lucot. "The Green location is the next exciting step in our Northeast Ohio expansion, which will continue with future store openings in Strongsville and Cuyahoga Falls."

The new Green store showcases an in-store restaurant with a wealth of freshly prepared foods including stone hearth-baked pizzas, hot and cold food bars featuring a variety of home-style favorites and authentic international entrees, and The Sizzling Wok, which specializes in made-to-order stir-fries as well as authentic pho and pad thai. The comfortable 16-seat bar also features a fresh Sushi Station, providing the perfect setting for a work lunch or dinner on-the-go.

In addition, the Green store brings unique culinary elements to consumers, including an expanded selection of fresh, regionally grown produce, an enhanced  selection of international foods including natural, organic and specialty, and a vast variety of bulk foods. Customers will also be delighted by the ongoing celebrity appearances, daily cooking demonstrations and interactive events. The spacious and inviting in-store café also features wine by the glass, more than 850 microbrews, craft and specialty beers, and growler refills of craft brews.

"We are so excited to bring the sights, smells and tastes of new and delightful foods to our amazing Green customers," says Green Market District Store Leader Michelle O'Brien. "Additionally, our Team Members have undergone extensive food and service training, and are ready to provide unparalleled service to the Akron-Canton area."

The Best of the Unique & the Everyday

Inspired by the open-air markets of Europe, Market District offers a world-class shopping and dining experience cultivated by Team Members who bring the experience to life by sharing new products, recipes and culinary ideas. Many Team Members are graduates from the Culinary Institute of America, Ohio State University and Akron University. Their knowledge and skills complement the company's certified cheesemongers, butchers, dietitians and other trained food professionals.

At the new Green Market District, Team Members share a passion for food by offering the best of everyday and specialty food items like these to captivate and delight customers:

• Sizzling Asian Wok, offering a sit down bar setting with options like made-to-order stir-fries with fresh meats, vegetables and seafood, pho and pad thai.
• Hot and cold food bars, featuring a variety of home-style favorites, authentic international dishes, garden-fresh vegetables and fruit, and a variety of dressings and salad toppings.
• A spacious and inviting in-store café, with wine by the glass, more than 850 microbrews, craft and specialty beers to enjoy with a meal or to take home, growler refills of craft brews and free WiFi access.
• More than 2,000 wine labels and trained experts to suggest wine pairings.
• An artisan cheese shop featuring 400+ artisan, local and imported cheeses hand-selected by Market District Cheesemongers.
• An enhanced selection of international foods including thousands of natural, organic and specialty groceries.
• Sushi chefs making classic Japanese maki rolls, Nigiri, Sashimi and Bento with the freshest seafood and organic rice. Pick a house favorite or ask the Chefs to make one of yours.
• Stone hearth-baked pizzas, made with housemade dough and sauce, and all-natural cheese.
• House-roasted meats such as smoked turkey, roast beef and Calabrese ham, as well as the finest in charcuterie: imported, cured meats from countries such as Italy and Spain, and unique artisan finds such as La Quercia Heirloom Prosciutto and Mocetta Bresaola from Creminelli.
• Fresh-cut meat, including dry-aged beef, chicken sausage made in-store, hard to find exotic meats and game, Nature's Basket meats; all natural, with no added antibiotics or hormones -- and more, all expertly selected and cut by in-store butchers, who will also sharpen your knives for free. Just ask for knife sleeves and bring them in.
• Fishmongers who bring in high-quality seafood from sustainable sources such as Alaska salmon and Gulf of Maine cod; a wide assortment of shellfish including wild American shrimp, jumbo sea scallops, live clams, oysters and lobsters; salmon burgers, crab stuffed salmon and jumbo lump crab cakes.
• A Sweets Shop featuring the finest chocolate novelties hand-dipped in Belgian chocolate, specialty and artisan confections, and nostalgic candy classics like Necco Wafers and Pixie Stix, as well as hand-dipped caramel apples and fresh, just-spun cotton candy, and house-popped popcorn in a variety of flavors.
• An expanded assortment of gluten-free products.
• A bulk foods section that includes a trail mix bar, a bulk olive oil and vinegar bar, over 100 bulk spices and hand-selected foods, plus grind-your-own nut butters, specialty salts, granolas, rice, beans, seeds, dried fruits and mushrooms, grains, candies and snacks.
• Fresh-baked treats from the Bakery frosted with housemade buttercream, as well as specialty layer cakes, authentic French croissants made with real butter, fresh-from-the-Bronx bagels, and housemade Market District cookies.
• A bounty of garden-fresh produce that features domestic, specialty, locally grown, seasonal varieties and more than 100 organic fruits and vegetables.
• An in-store chef demonstration kitchen complete with flat-screen monitors and an enhanced sound system for viewing expert culinary demonstrations.
• 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 expanded Health, Beauty & Wellness department filled with natural and organic cosmetics, vitamins, supplements and personal care products, and staffed with a licensed skin care professional and a registered dietitian conducting ongoing wellness classes and activities.

In addition to specialty and unique offerings, the Green Market District also features many of the products, promotions and other savings opportunities that customers have come to expect from Akron-Canton area Giant Eagle locations, including the retailer's recent price reduction efforts, great weekly specials, a strong pharmacy offering with seasonal free antibiotics and free prenatal vitamins, doubling of manufacturer coupons up to 99¢, and more! Customers will also still have the opportunity to earn fuelperks! rewards when using their Giant Eagle Advantage Card.

About Market District from Giant Eagle
The Giant Eagle Market District destination store offers an enhanced food shopping experience geared toward food enthusiasts. Market District offers specialty and unique items not found elsewhere in an environment where customers' passion for food is cultivated by a staff of food experts. In eight locations, four in Ohio and four in southwestern Pennsylvania, the Market District stores feature teams of chefs and other culinary professionals preparing fresh foods from scratch daily. Market District also offers customers the rare opportunity to find natural, organic, specialty and other unique items paired with the convenience of favorite national brands and everyday needs, all under the same roof. Further information can be found at MarketDistrict.com.

Giant Eagle Inc., ranked 29th on Forbes magazine's largest private corporations list, is one of the nation's largest food retailers and distributors with approximately $9.9 billion in annual sales. Now celebrating the 25^th anniversary of its Apples for the Students program, Giant Eagle is a recent recipient of Grocery Headquarters' Retailer of the Year Award and the EPA's ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year Award. Founded in 1931, Giant Eagle, Inc. has grown to be the number one supermarket retailer in the region with 229 supermarkets and 190 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia and Maryland.

SOURCE Giant Eagle, Inc.