The Cupboard

If you're a regular at health food or natural grocery stores, the size of Cupboard Natural Foods, "The Cupboard" to locals, won't surprise you. But the first few years I shopped there, mostly for Aubrey Organics, produce, and milk, I thought, "How do they stay in business? They're so small!"

Well.. Years have passed, my Dr. tells me my lab work looks good, and I find not only should I eat organic, whole foods, I want to. Frankly, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils freak me out. (Though I will not argue against the deliciousness of a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie - even if there are like no actual food ingredients on the label!)

ANYWAY

Turns out you can shop very nicely at The Cupboard. With the exception of fresh meat, they have everything. And they DO have meat - it's just frozen, but you know I get my meat from Burgundy Pasture.

I think the Cupboard has just gotten better and better over the years. And as my reliance on, and preference for natural food has grown, I find they DO have pretty much everything I need - even Ketchup and sweet pickle relish.

What do I buy there? Well, besides the aforementioned:

Mychelle 

Wolf Creek veggies and herbs; they're local! 

New Chapter Vitamins 

Boar's Head and Applegate Farms cold cuts (and bacon!) 

Bulk nuts, seeds, and cacao nibs - for my trail mix and just for hand-to-mouth snacking 

Nature's Baby conditioner - not just for babies! 

Burt's Bees moisturizer 

The occasional chair massage - from the good folks at the Kneaded Touch 

Rice Crackers - gluten free! 

Ezekiel Bread - low glycemic index! 

Lindt dark chocolate - just delicious! (OK - it's an anti-oxidant too.)

I know Target has a selection of organic produce and frozen food, and while I applaud them, it's way the hell across town, has one of the worst parking lots in the city, and it isn't a local business. And I love that about the Cupboard. Even the hippies, sweet or sour, working the registers are - say it with me - local. And their parking lot? Lovely.

I know I've mentioned the cafe in a previous post, and now they have a new menu! Breakfast Panini? Bison tamales? Oh man! How can you go wrong? If you're feeling like a grab and go, you can always hit the soup and salad bar. Sure, you always feel virtuous getting soup and salad, but now you can feel superior and righteous - eating organic and natural. And y'all, with the heavy vegetarian audience, you know this is a bad ass salad bar.

Also, don't forget to check out the community bulletin boards and hilarious customer comment cards, conveniently located by both sets of doors. Be sure to find the note from the guy I refer to as The Barefooter. You'll know his comments when you read them. And then you'll think, "Oh, I've seen this guy!"

And I hope I see YOU there, my dears.