Pittsburgh Consumers Have New Place to Discover "Ooooo" in Food

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The world of food keeps getting bigger.

Embodying a culinary destination for food aficionados paired with the convenience of a full-service market, Giant Eagle, Inc. today unveiled its fifth Market District location in five years – and its first in Pittsburgh's North Hills suburbs.

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Located in the Township of Pine at 155 Towne Centre Drive, the newly expanded 90,000 square foot culinary, dining and shopping destination is celebrating its grand opening with in-store demonstration and autograph signing appearances by food celebrities including Bravo Network Top Chef competitor Mike Isabella, Food Network Ask Aida host Aida Mollenkamp and Master Chef Martin Yan. Additionally, TLC Network's "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro will be on hand to unveil a one-of-a-kind larger-than-life cake he and his team created.

"The opening of the new Market District in the Township of Pine is a milestone for our company, the fifth Market District store in slightly more than five years," said company spokesman Rob Borella. "We are so excited to bring our customers in the North Hills the very best food experience imaginable – fresh, unique, delicious, colorful – all of the things someone thinks about when they taste something new and incredible."

"When customers visit this new store, they will enjoy a world-class shopping and dining experience all in one place, bursting with amazing food from 19 countries around the world, combined with food expertise with everything from daily demonstrations to celebrity chef appearances and interactive events."

When first introduced in 2006, Market District stores delivered a new world of food to Pittsburgh. Since that time, the company has also taken the banner to Columbus, Ohio and has received rave reviews from Food Network chefs who have visited, including Guy Fieri who called Market District "the Disneyland of grocery stores."

Borella added that the approximately 350 Team Members led by Executive Store Leader Don Deane are passionate about food and provide exceptional service by sharing new products and recipes and offering new culinary ideas. Township of Pine Market District Team Members include graduates from schools such as the Culinary Institute of America, the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute (PCI), le Cordon Bleu in Texas and the New England Culinary Institute, as well as Giant Eagle-certified cheesemongers and other trained food professionals.

"Our food training is extensive," said Borella. "Our people experience food from producers located all over the world, from small farmhouses to large suppliers. They then utilize this knowledge to help satisfy the culinary curiosity of our customers, sharing techniques, recipes and ingredients so customers are inspired to try new things at home."

The new Pine Market District offers numerous opportunities to discover the "oooo" in food:

• A Smoke and Fire Slow-Roasting Rotisserie that includes fire-grilled, tender, juicy roasted meats, ribs, chicken, vegetables and more.
• Hot and cold food bars, featuring a smorgasbord of home-style favorites, authentic international dishes, wings, garden-fresh vegetables and gourmet toppings.
• A spacious and inviting in-store cafe that features wine and draft beer by the glass, a vast selection of more than 500 microbrews, craft and specialty beers to enjoy with lunch or dinner meal, and free WiFi access.
• An artisan cheese shop with hundreds of artisan, local and imported cheeses hand-selected by our cheesemongers. These offerings include Beemster Goudas, Point Reyes Farmstead Original Blue, Sevre et Belle Bucherondin, Gelmini extra creamy Gorgonzola, Charles Arnaud Comte and Market District's house made fresh mozzarella.
• Stone hearth-baked pizzas, made with house made dough and sauce, and all natural cheese.
• The finest in charcuterie showcasing imported cured meats from countries such as Italy and Spain, and unique artisan products such as Creminelli, La Quercia from Iowa and Pittsburgh-based products such as Parma Sausage.
• Expertly selected and cut fresh meat and seafood including dry-aged beef, steaks and roasts; fresh game meats like duck, venison, buffalo, rattlesnake and rabbit; Elysian Fields lamb; homemade chicken sausage; 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, steamed and flavored shrimp, crab stuffed salmon and jumbo lump crab cakes all prepared on-site.
• A cornucopia of more than 7,000 natural, organic and specialty items.
• A bulk foods section that includes 12 rotating varieties of olive oil, balsamic vinegars, 40 salts and spices and hand-selected foods including fresh roasted coffee, granolas, trail mixes, rice, beans, seeds, dried fruits, grains, candies and snacks. The section also offers an array of baking ingredients such as sugars, flours, sprinkles and more.
• Straight-from-the-hearth artisan breads, crafted at dawn and fresh-baked daily are showcased alongside made-from-scratch cookies and donuts, pies and cakes, pastries, specialty desserts, and boiled and hearth-baked bagels in the Market District bakery.
• A beverage bar with coffee, cappuccino, latte, seasonal specialty drinks, as well as fruit smoothies made with fresh-squeezed juices.
• A bounty of Garden-fresh produce that features domestic, specialty, locally grown, seasonal and more than 125 organic fruits and vegetables.
• A Sweet Shop that features the finest chocolates, gourmet confections, hand-dipped chocolate novelties, homemade fudge and salted caramels, fresh-roasted nuts, organic truffles and a wide selection of tree-nut, dairy free products for those with special dietary needs.
• An in-store chef demonstration kitchen complete with flat screen monitors and an enhanced sound system for viewing demonstrations and samplings where culinary experts showcase recipes from across the store.
• Authentic sushi chefs making classic Japanese maki rolls, Nigiri, Sashimi, and Bento with the freshest of seafood and organic rice.
• 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 and wellness department that is filled with natural and organic cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, and personal care products, and staffed with a licensed skin care professional and a licensed dietitian conducting ongoing wellness events and activities.
• Culinary stars and celebrity chef appearances to celebrate the grand opening include:
  • Mike Isabella, award-winning restaurateur and Bravo Network's Season Six Top Chef contestant. Thursday, January 12 at 4:00 p.m.    
  • Whitney Miller, America's first Masterchef winner and author of Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm. Friday, January 13 at 3:30 p.m.
  • Aida Mollenkamp, host of the Food Network's Ask Aida. Saturday, January 14 at 11:00 a.m.
  • Sean Kanan, star of the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless and author of The Modern Gentleman:  Cooking and Entertaining with Sean Kanan. Saturday, January 21 at 11:30 a.m.
  • Martin Yan, certified and celebrated Master Chef, food consultant, cooking instructor and prolific author.  Sunday, January 29 at 3:30 pm.

"Market District welcomes customers from all across the area to a new world of food, where they can sample restaurant-quality dishes, and find unique meat, produce, cheese and grocery selections from around the globe, hand-selected by our dedicated Team Members," said Borella.

"But Market District also satisfies customer needs for a full weekly shop. While customers can find unique items not available elsewhere, they also can purchase everyday items like national brand detergent and popular beverages under the same roof."

Borella added that Market District is the place for food enthusiasts, but the banner's tie to Giant Eagle's family of 229 supermarkets is not forgotten. Market District features attractive promotions, weekly specials and pricing, free antibiotics and $4 generic prescriptions, and ability to earn fuelperks!^® and other rewards with the Giant Eagle Advantage Card^®.

About Market District from Giant Eagle

The Giant Eagle Market District destination store concept 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 can be cultivated by a staff of food experts. In five locations in the southwestern Pennsylvania region and Columbus, Ohio, the Market District stores feature teams of chefs and other culinary professionals preparing fresh foods from scratch every day. 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., is one of the nation's largest food retailers and distributors with approximately $9.3 billion in annual sales, which would make the company the 27^th largest privately held company on Forbes magazine's largest private corporations list. Giant Eagle is also a recipient of Grocery Headquarters' 2007 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 175 corporate and 54 independently owned and operated supermarkets in addition to 168 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, north central West Virginia and Maryland.

SOURCE Giant Eagle, Inc.