Chalk and Cheese Chronicles: Meals

Getting Kid Friendly at Whole Foods Blossom Hill (San Jose)

The long awaited grand opening of the new Whole Foods Market Blossom Hill is today!

I got to tour the store a day in advance of its opening and let me tell you, this is a store that was thoughtfullly built, with emphasis on eco-friendly and energy efficient development and design. That said, I toured the store from the perspective of a parent shopping with young kids. The sheer size of all these massive new Whole Foods Markets makes it not kid friendly in my book. When I'm pressed for time or have kids in tow, I need to be in and out of a grocery store fast.

So let's have a look...

Coffee Bar

The first thing that caught my eye was the location of the coffee bar. It was right there at the entrance where I could hit it on the way in or on the way out. The coffee bar serves Allegro coffee and organic, soft-serve Straus frozen yogurt which I know my children will love. For Kombucha fans, the elixir will be available on tap.

Restrooms

Restrooms are on the front right side of the store, not far from the in-store dining area. Each restroom is equipped with a swoon worthy Dyson Airblade hand dryer which is always fun for kids to use.

Grind-Your-Own Nut Butters

One of the places in Whole Foods where I always stop with my kids is the grind-your-own nut butter section. It's a fun way to show kids how peanut butter and almond butter are made. Of course, once my kids spot the chocolate chip blend, they aren't content with grinding up plain old peanuts.

Healthy Eating Specialist

There are store tours just for moms as well as classes and free consultations with the store's in-house, full time Healthy Eating specialist, Georgia Brown. Georgia caught my attention when she re-quoted the warnng that "this might be the first generation of children who might not outlive their parents" due to unhealthy lifestyle choices. You can bet I'll be seeking out Georgia's advice whenever I'm in the store.