Fresh Market opens in Dulaney Plaza: Round of parmesan in lieu of ribbon

To open the brand new Fresh Market gourmet grocery store in Dulaney Plaza on Aug. 24, company officials cut open a 75-pound round of Parmesan Reggiano, an Italian cheese made from 150 gallons of high quality milk.

"Cracking of the Parmesan" is Fresh Market's gourmet version of a ribbon cutting, according to regional vice president Brian Wittman.

It was fortunate the weather was cool for the brief 8:30 a.m. ceremony. For the grand opening of their store on an incline in Peoria, Ill., "It was so hot outside that the cheese began to sweat and started moving as it was cut," Wittman said. He half expected it to roll off the table and end up across the parking lot in the Sears store.

The parmesan stayed in place on Wednesday, as Fresh Market introduced its 21,260-square-foot Towson store while workmen put on the finishing touches and swept the parking lot.

The trademark cupola that will be placed on the new roof of the store — and unexpected necessity — will arrive in just a few weeks, according to Nick Colangelo, the store manager.

The store at 838 Dulaney Valley Road is one of 107 in the Southeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast offering "a warm and friendly, old-world European atmosphere with superior customer service." The company plans to expand into other areas of the country, building on its focus on freshness and quality perishables and billing itself as "an extraordinary food destination store. "

"I've never seen so many meats and cheeses in one place," said Nancy Hafford, executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, "and an unbelievable selection of olives.

"It's not just another grocery store; it's a shopping experience you need to give yourself time to explore."

Indeed, the olive and antipasto bar offers 36 selections.

There are more than 30 barrels of coffee beans priced at $10.99 a pound., including almond amaretto, creme brulee, chocolate cherry kiss and cinnamon hazelnut.

A pound of bananas range in price from 69 cents to $2.99 depending on whether they are Costa Rican conventional, South American plantains, Costa Rican conventional red or Costa Rican organic.

Of course there is honey on the shelves, but there is a choice of clover, wild flower, blueberry blossom, raspberry, orange blossom or organic honey.

"It's a lovely store," said Campus Hills resident Margaret Donavan. "I saw a variety of things I don't see in other stores."

"It is a nice store," agreed her neighbor, Mike Brazeal, "but it's out of my price range. I'm more of a Walmart shopper."

Towson resident Michael Kujawa was already a convert. His wife's orthopedic doctor's office is at Quarry Lake and they have shopped at the Fresh Market there.

He finds the prices reasonable for the products the store is offering. "They are something different," he said.

"The vegetables are great, their baked goods are excellent, they have a very good cheese bar and I love sushi. "

If the store is "beautiful," as Kujawa said, it's not accidental.

"A lot of the pop of the store is the way we merchandise products," Wittman said. "Believe it or not it's harder to do it this way instead of just stacking things. We take pride in our merchandising flare and in the cleanliness of the store."

The results speak for themselves, though Hampton resident Justin Eyler also had something to say as he was picking out produce.

"It really does have a European market feeling to it," he said. "It's not as big as I thought it would be but it's nice."

Colangelo is proud of the new store. He managed a Fresh Market in Toledo, Ohio, before moving to Towson three months ago and taking an apartment in the Towson Promenade complex just up the hill.

He wanted to be close to the store, he said, and meet people in the community in which it's located.

A lot of people who remember the SuperFresh that used to be on the site will be pleasantly surprised," he said.

He likes Towson, he said. "You can walk everywhere, and taking in restaurants has been a lot of fun, but my biggest challenge is the traffic outside Towson. For a Midwestern boy, it's a lot of traffic."

The store couldn't open quickly enough for some.

"We've been waiting and waiting and waiting," said Nancy Surosky, who presented a proclamation from her boss, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. "It's adding to the whole revitalization of Towson."

"We're very excited to see it open," said Lawrence Taubman, managing partner of Taubman Properties, which owns Dulaney Plaza, and knows foot traffic for the other businesses in the shopping center will increase.

"It's just a beautiful store," said Towson Councilman David Marks. "It fills a vacant site and fills the niche that places like Trader Joe's have established. A lot of people in Towson want healthier foods."

"And they are willing to pay for them," said Deb Moriarty, president of the Towson Chamber of Commerce. "It's a great boost for Towson in general and certainly for this area. It's a perfect fit."

For more information, visit http://www.thefreshmarket.com.