News for Augusta, GA

(Augusta, GA) As the FDA continues to investigate the source of the 17-state salmonella outbreak Earth Fare has removed all produce in question. “Due to the ongoing investigation by FDA we have voluntarily pulled any and all tomatoes grown in areas that the FDA has not cleared in their investigation. We value the health and safety of our guests and our teammates. We will continue to monitor and act proactively to the findings from the FDA”. Says Shaiyu Chandarana Category Manager of Produce and Floral at Earth Fare. Customers who have purchased tomatoes in question may return product for a full refund.

Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak confirmed FDA officials. Also not associated with the outbreak are raw red Roma, red plum and round red tomatoes from Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands and Puerto Rico. The following tomatoes remain on the sales floor at Earth Fare and have been cleared by the FDA: Red Cluster Tomatoes – Canada, Hydro Beef Steak Tomatoes – Canada, Campari Tomatoes- Canada, Strawberry Tomatoes – Canada, Roma Tomatoes on the Vine – Canada, Yellow Tomatoes – Florida, Organic Grape Tomatoes – Florida, and Organic Cherry Tomatoes –Florida.

Consumers looking for detailed information can visit www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html. Earth Fare Market and Café was founded in Asheville, North Carolina and has grown into a premier chain of natural and organic markets located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Despite a chilly morning, people passed through Fort Discovery eager to unload their stash of electronics and glass. Earth Fare was on hand providing breakfast and lunch to volunteers and passing out recyclable Earth Fare tote bags. (Each time you bring your own bag to bag groceries with, Earth Fare will donate 10 cents to our Friend of Earth Fare that month.) Thank you for letting us participate in this wonderful event! Special thanks to Cheryl Wynn for your efforts!

Red and Purple filled the Community Room to overflowing Wednesday as the Red Hatter's came out for an afternoon of socializing and festivity! Theresa Provenzano was Queen Mother for the event and a gracious host for the dazzling luncheon. Thank you to everyone who came out to participate! It was quite a success and fun for us all!

Saturday the 29th was a fun day for everyone, not just the kiddies! The event was held in the afternoon with crafts, food and a festive atmosphere. A special thanks to Jean Embry for her wonderful story-telling! We all were enthralled with the stories in a magical way that brought us back to our own childhoods! And thank you to Teen Miss Aiken County, Teen Miss Western Carolina State Fair, Young Miss Teen Murrells Inlet and Miss Western Carolina State Fair for your participation and help with the event! All in all, we had a wonderful and successful day to benefit our Friend of Earth Fare, Golden Harvest Food Bank. Thanks to you for today and for a great month!!

Live music, good food and a festive atmosphere set the tone for our Acoustic Sampling Dec. 6th and Dec. 13th. Folks came out to Earth Fare’s Community Room and Café to snack and sing (or hum) along with some popular tunes performed by Pat Blanchard Thursday the 6th and Armen Boyajian the following Thursday. It was a delightful evening with all donations received benefiting Golden Harvest Food Bank. Thank you to all musicians and to our Earth Fare customers for your support of this worthy cause!

Thank you to Palmetto House at Seven Gables for inviting us to the premier party of HGTV’s “If Walls Could Talk” which featured the local lore and history of the home. It was quite a festive occasion for Palmetto House and the community of North Augusta and Earth Fare was honored to share in the revelry.

Guests enjoyed sampling a vast selection of gourmet foods ranging from Piedmontese prime rib, petite crab cakes and sushi grade tuna au poivre to brie layered with fig chutney, chocolate dipped strawberries, and almond toffee bars. Live music provided by Patrick Blanchard and his Riverside band created a festive backdrop that had guests dancing in the aisles. Vendors and Earth Fare team members were present to talk to guests about their products and address the advantages and benefits of organic and natural shopping.

Admission to the party was a recommended donation of $10 per person, and thanks to the generous donations from partygoers and Earth Fare, the Arts Council was able to raise $13,000 in approximately 2 hours. “The Greater Augusta Arts council is honored to be chosen as the beneficiary of the Grand Opening Celebration. We are pleased that the Augusta Area now has a healthy shopping alternative and such an extraordinary addition to our corporate community, Earth Fare” said Executive Director Brenda Durant

“The partnership between Earth Fare and the Greater Augusta Arts Council was a natural fit. Both believe in improving the quality of life in the communities they serve. Earth Fare does it by offering the best organic, natural and local foods and the Arts Council through its support and promotion of the fine arts,” says Heather Parker, Community Coordinator. “We are excited and humbled by the warm response we have received from the Arts Council and the CSRA community.”

The grand opening of the new 35,000 square foot Earth Fare store took place the following day on November 14 at 8 a.m. Customers were welcomed by eager Earth Fare team members and received a free Earth Fare recyclable tote for their groceries as a way to reduce the use of plastic and paper bags. Food and beverage sampling was available down almost every aisle and customers packed the store all day long. “The crowd we had on opening day is a clear sign that the community of Augusta was literally starving for high quality, organic and natural food,” said Troy DeGroff, director of sales and marketing for Earth Fare. “We are thrilled by the response and hope to serve the CSRA well.

Customers can expect the grand opening fun to continue throughout the holiday season. The Greater Augusta Arts Council is the Friend of Earth Fare for November and has more great events planned. Be on the lookout for event details at Earth Fare. For more information, please contact Heather Parker at aug310community@earthfare.com or visit www.earthfare.com.

(Augusta, GA)— Augusta is preparing for its first full service all natural and organic food store just in time for the holiday season! Earth Fare, Inc. is excited to be opening its Augusta location November 14th on Fury’s Ferry Road. The natural food store will be bringing the largest selection of delicious, all natural foods including artisan cheeses, sustainable seafood, local air-chilled chicken, a full service delicatessen and much, much more.

“We are grateful for the warm welcome from the community and can’t wait to offer the Augusta area the best in natural and organic food,” says Heather Parker, community coordinator for the new location.

The store is located in the Earth Fare Plaza directly off of Fury’s Ferry Road. Earth Fare's 35,000 square foot market will be one of the largest locations today within the Southeastern chain.

Tuesday, November 13th, from 6-8pm, Earth Fare will host a benefit party for the Augusta Arts Council. The evening will kick off at 6pm with a ribbon cutting by the Augusta City and Columbia County Chamber of Commerces. Guests will enjoy a variety of decadent dishes such as petite crab cakes with roasted garlic aioli, North Carolina pulled-pork sandwiches, cocoa espresso tri-tip steak, local marinated heirloom tomato salad, brie layered with local chutney, and a variety of wine and beer. Admission is $10 and all proceeds will go directly to the Arts Council to help bring the arts and cultural awareness to the Augusta/Martinez community. The benefit party will include live music provided by local artist.

The Grand Opening of the Martinez store is Wednesday, November 14th. All month long customers will have a chance to sample many of the wonderful items offered at Earth Fare. Earth Fare, Market and Café, offers Augusta customers a one-stop alternative to traditional supermarkets, gourmet food stores, and specialty shops. Customers will be able to experience organic and natural farmer's market fresh fruits & vegetables, a wine shop with unique small vineyard selections, scratch made deli with many ready to go meal options, full service nutrition and body care department featuring the highest quality supplements and personal care items, and much, much more.