Byerly’s, the Edina, Minn.-based supermarket chain whose spacious upscale stores are a tourist attraction in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, has officially opened its first store outside the Twin Cities, this one in Highland Park.
But two days before the store’s “soft,” or unofficial opening, about 1,200 supporters of the Chicago Botanic Garden received a food-filled sneak preview.
Called “From the Garden to the Table,” the party was co-hosted by Byerly’s and the Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society to benefit the education programs of the Botanic Garden’s Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Garden.
Although the crowd admired such obvious attractions as pastry chef Rebbecca McCormick’s spectacular wedding cakes and the cooking school kitchen where four-star chef Charlie Trotter was demonstrating how to make vinaigrette, not many people noticed the store’s wide aisles and easy-to-reach top shelves (“The top of a product on the top shelf shouldn’t be higher than 6 feet,” Byerly’s President Dale Riley said.).
They were busy eating their way through Wolfgang Puck’s four-cheese pizzas, the deli’s cheese and pate delicacies, Carlos’ chef Jacky Pluton’s sauteed salmon with curried vegetable compote, Trotter’s twice-baked potatoes with black truffles, and Le Titi De Paris chef-owner Pierre Pollin’s peppered pork loin with cider-braised red cabbage. Not to mention a dessert table that included chocolate-dipped strawberries and pears.
When asked what she thought of the store, Highland Park art gallery owner and Botanic Garden supporter Eva Cohon said, “All I’m doing is eating. How could I see the store?”
Dorothy Rehm of Lake Forest and friend Mary Enenbach of Northbrook solved that problem by arriving a few minutes before the party. Because the food was not ready for serving, they toured the store first. Then they dug into a plate of Puck’s Chinois salad. (The famed California chef didn’t put in an appearance, but the store boasts a Wolfgang Puck food station.)
“It’s nice to be able to come to this before it opens,” Enenbach said.
Their conclusion: The store’s 70,000 square feet of attractively displayed produce, breads and specialty foods was impressive.
“I’ll be back. But I can’t see just running in for a bottle of milk,” Enenbach said.
“I like it, but it’s very large,” Rehm added.
The women, who both estimate their Chicago Horticultural Society affiliation goes back 30 years, were pleased that the supermarket chain chose the Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Garden’s programs as the evening’s benefactor.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Rehm said. Enenbach added, “They couldn’t have chosen better.”
Dale Riley explained that company officials turned to people in the northern suburbs for help with the decision. “We wanted to benefit something that was used by many people in the surrounding communities. We thought the garden was a very good match,” he said.
As did Woman’s Board President Penny Horne of Barrington Hills. “It’s just wonderful that they have done this for us. There are a lot of natural connections here,” Horne said.
The event raised more than $35,000 for the garden, with most of it going to education programs.
As Janet Rosenbaum of Highland Park said, “It was a way to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak–you go for the Botanic Garden and to see Byerly’s.”
