Thirty years ago, G.B. Russo and Son's was basically the only grocery store in Grand Rapids that sold gourmet and ethnic foods. To its credit, Russo’s is still going strong, offering a wide variety of high-quality food and ingredients from around the world. During the past three decades, however, growing diversity in Grand Rapids has also brought new tastes, cuisines, and international grocers to the area.
Hoping to cash in on the increasingly sophisticated palettes of local food enthusiasts, large supermarket chains such as Meijer continue to expand their cultural food departments. But aspiring gourmets are sure to find a special delight in discovering the growing number of small entrepreneurial markets with the foreign fare and culinary expertise that truly bring global gastronomy to Grand Rapids.
A Taste of the Middle East
Do you like falafel? If so, it's available ready made at the Middle Eastern Market located at 2417 Eastern, just north of Burton. But what if you want to try making it fresh yourself? Just grab a recipe off Epicurious, the popular food Website, and head to this market in Alger Heights for the raw ingredients. Owner Emad Karaein is from Jordan and he carries all the necessary foodstuffs to make almost any Indian, Pakistani, African or Middle Eastern dish.
The Middle Eastern Market offers a broad selection of ingredients - chick peas, garlic, filo dough, hummous, spinach pie, babaganoush, and the list goes on. One specialty is the pita bread. Shipped fresh from Detroit and Windsor, two places with large Middle Eastern communities, the bread is the size of a Frisbee, thin, and really tasty.
Another special draw is the spices. Karaein buys the seasonings in bulk, repackages them, and sells them at reduced rates. Bags the size of a small purse filled with fennel, sumac, dill, and coriander go for as little as $1.39. Standard prices in a typical grocery store range anywhere from $3 to $6 for two ounce jars.
A Plethora of Asian Delights
The Hong Kong Supermarket offers a vast selection of fresh, frozen, and dried ingredients for just about any Asian dish. The market is located at the Golden Bridge Plaza on Division Street between Wei Wei Palace (which serves fantastic dim sum all week long) and Pho-Soc-Trang, a restaurant whose specialties include beef noodle soup.
Fresh ingredients include Chinese eggplant and broccoli, manila mangoes, tamarind, red spinach, sweet potato leaves, bok choy, okra, and mushrooms of every type. Shoppers will also find specialty items such as frozen sting ray and squid and fresh pig kidneys, sticky noodles for Pad Thai, and fresh banana flower. And, of course, the market features an assortment of rice grains and flavored teas.
The Hong Kong Supermarket also offers an impressive array of bowls, sieves, chopsticks, knives, strainers, and other kitchen utensils to help prepare and eat the feast in proper fashion.
The Real Mercado
There are numerous high-quality Mexican markets in Grand Rapids. And most are authentic enough for shoppers to practice their rusty Spanish while seeking out the ingredients to make home-made tamales, mole, or gaspacho.
One of the more popular authentic grocers is La Carreta, which specializes in fresh fruits and vegetables from California and Mexico. Misael Nunez keeps the produce stocked with fresh poblano peppers, manila mangoes, platanos, jalapeno and cerrano peppers, tomatillos and more.
During my visit, Nunez offered me a sample of "tuna," which is actually a cactus pear. It was fresh, mildly sweet, and delicious. In fact, La Carreta is such a popular and respected local purveyor they actually service a number of the city's Mexican restaurants, such as El Ganadero on Bridge Street.
High-quality American Ingredients
Martha's Vineyard, a thriving downtown grocer located in Heritage Hill, offers American food of the highest quality. Located at the corner of Union and Lyon Streets, Martha's sells herb rubs and dry marinades for meat and grilling, white and dark balsamic vinegars, coffees, prepared salads and hors d’oeuvres fit for the swankiest soiree. They also carry all the ingredients necessary to make your own sushi and a wonderful selection of tasty cheeses from around the world. Try the Maytag blue cheese from Iowa.
The prepared desserts and candies are also tempting. As I looked them over, a friendly clerk recommended that I try Vosges chocolate bars from Chicago. One bar costs as much as a typical lunch. But they are delicious and, because they're so rich, difficult to eat in a single sitting.
Already got your selected ingredients? Martha's also offers one of the city's most extensive selections of wine and beers to complement any meal.
Food Reflects Change
Whether you’re in the mood to cook up an ethnic feast or just pick up some fresh ingredients or prepared food, the selected international grocers listed above represent a mere sampling of what’s now available in Grand Rapids. They also symbolize a progressively more diverse culture and adventurous culinary scene in the metro area.
Casey Bell, the executive chef at San Chez Bistro and Mezze, typically buys ingredients in bulk for his popular restaurants. But he regularly stops into the smaller grocers for specialty ingredients and inspiration alike.
“I like to visit our local ethnic markets and talk to owners,” Bell said. “That’s one of the ways I get my best recipe ideas.”
Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved