21 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,July 8,2021 insidehalton.com When you stop into Oakville's newest Farm Boy location (Bronte and Lakeshore) and ask about any product -- say it's the artisan sausages, the lemon garlic dressing or the ultra-popular spicy edamame dip -- you're not just going to hear, "row five". As part of the fresh food retailer's commitment to out- standing customer service, you will be walked directly to the item, and asked if there's anything else you're shopping for amongst the fresh produce, butcher quality meat, and hundreds of chef-tested-and-inspired Farm Boy Private Label offerings. "All of us at Farm Boy share the same goal -- it's a daily pursuit of a tremendous shopping experience for our customers," says Josh Drache, VP of Farm Boy's Product Development and Restaurant Operations. "Our standards are very high and the experience is very intimate." Drache says it's this sincere commitment plus a near-ob- session with top-quality food that has recently seen scores of customers flock to Farm Boy's many new locations popping up across Toronto and the GTA. "If it isn't delicious, it's not going into our stores," says Drache, pointing to such popular items as Farm Boy's gour- met burgers and in-house-bakery treats. "When it comes to our own products, we start with the purest and best quality ingredients and we don't add shelf-life extenders. The goal is that the customer buys it tomorrow and eats it the next day." Drache adds that another major priority for Farm Boy is to be inclusive of the many cultural and dietary needs of Farm Boy's customers and families, offering as an example that the stores have just launched a line of vegan artisan cheeses. "They're really outstanding," he says. "We've got smoked gouda, feta, parmesan, vegan cheese curd…We're truly trying to feed everybody." Having just opened its 40th fresh market location in Oakville, Drache says he's confident the location's full-ser- vice hot bar and salad bar, grill station for eat-on-the-go options, abundance of local farm fresh produce and organic in-season offerings will help to further enhance what's bound to be a very special summer. "We want to help customers to enjoy this season to the fullest," says Drache. "Whether it's snacks or a meal paired with picnicking, hiking, road trips and cottaging or a simple evening spent at home -- it's our goal to help customers savour the summer and tap into a newfound love of food." It was the same sentiment that prompted Farm Boy's recent launch of its Dinner for Two program -- an inspiring endeavour that has seen customers take away pre-prepped, chef-inspired start-to-finish meals for intimate one-to-one dinners. Drache adds that the themed menus now cross the globe and come with simple instructions for preparation and plating. "At Farm Boy we've come to recognize that when people celebrate, they come to our stores. That's special and we take it seriously." Contributed Farm Boy has great summer flavours for you to savour Farm Boy has great summer flavours for you to savour Enjoy Farm Boy's fresh-market take on perfect summer meals whether you're picnicking, cottaging or spending a simple evening at home "In my opinion we've got the most delicious sea scallops you can get on the market," says Drache. "Sautee them in a little bit of our single source Spanish olive oil, flip them and serve on some sprouted grains (I love our Farm Boy™ Organic Ancient Quinoa Sprouted Blend) along with your favourite seasonal vegetables. There you have it -- a perfect summer meal." "If you're passing by our meat department with dreams of a barbecue to come, give our Farm Boy™ Caramelized Onion & Swiss Gourmet Burger a try," says Drache. "We are constantly caramelizing those onions -- it's the slowest process -- so much love goes into those burgers. And our Monterey Jack & Jalapeño Artisan Pork Sausage are another favourite -- grab some jalapeno corn bread and grill all of it up for any summer meal. You won't regret it." Savour the Summer with these chef's favourites " "For more local fresh food and meal ideas, visit farmboy.ca. NOWOPEN! 2ruO nd elilvk OaOa n!oitacoL n!oitacoL Our 2nd Oakville Location! 2441 Lakeshore RdWest, at Bronte Rd(Enteroff Jones St.) FARMBOY.CA