Fans of the Food Network will find the obscure ingredients they need to complete a recipe at Harbor Greens Market, including bamboo-smoked sesame seeds and cornichons. The store also carries Simple & Crisp blood orange dried fruit crisps and Brittany Bay Gourmet salad dressings. Apart from stocking the unusual, this gourmet grocery emphasizes local freshness and quality.
“We have the freshest produce you can get as it’s delivered to us each morning from local farms,” says Scott Teodoro, co-owner. “In the summer we have the lion’s share of fruits and vegetables from nearby farms, about 70 percent of all our produce.”
Using produce, proteins and other ingredients from the Market, blogger Kate creates easy-to-follow recipes to post on the store’s blog at harborgreens.wordpress.com. Stuck for dinner ideas? Then visit Kate’s blog. Or pick up take-out from the delicatessen.
When the Gig Harbor location opened seven years ago, the most popular area of the store turned out to be the deli. Teodoro and his business partner, Chad Roy, were surprised to see people line up to order handcrafted sandwiches, salads and soups. So when they opened their University Place location in March 2013, they included a larger dining area, with seating for 28, where customers can enjoy their deli purchases in the market.
When you enter the store, you can see all four corners, unlike a big-box warehouse where you don’t know what’s around the corner. From the butcher shop and seafood case on the left to the thoughtful selection of wines on the right, the store bursts with color and tempting items. Best of all, helpful and approachable staff working throughout the market are also eager to answer your questions or help you locate a product.
Their passion for food and entrepreneurship shines when Teodoro and Roy talk about the small businesses they’ve helped put on the map by featuring their goods before anyone else. Heritage Distillery, 7 Seas Brewery and Lynnae’s Pickles are just a few of those local businesses. It doesn’t get much more community minded and fresh than Harbor Greens Market.
HEATHER LARSON
5225 Olympic Drive SW, Gig Harbor
253.851.7911
2620 Bridgeport Way W, University Place
253.460.2901
harborgreensmarket.com