Today I visited Farm Boy Whitby for the first time, and I can already say I’ll be back. I wrote last week about the grand opening and the events to come this Saturday, August 29th, but I decided to stop in to see the store for myself today.
The biggest thing I noticed was that I couldn’t actually purchase anything bad for myself! I really needed chips to get me through the weekend (I am a HUGE chip fan), and I couldn’t find them. Why? Well, they aren’t exactly healthy, but I was provided with all kinds of alternatives. I picked up some of Farm Boy’s own tortilla chips and salsa in the place of my beloved chips.
The store is packed full of everything good for you! At the checkout instead of rows of candy bars you find organic candy and gum. It’s a real change from the average chain grocery store.
The produce was incredibly fresh, and there were a few options you don’t always see at the grocery store like coloured carrots, and sliced up fruit samples in the isles.
My favourite part of the Farm Boy Whitby store is the fresh meals you can eat there or bring home! We are always on the run, so sometimes I need something quick to feed the family.
I couldn’t belive all of the options. The meat section had all kinds of marinated steaks, fish and chicken all ready for the oven or BBQ. It was a bigger selection than I have seen at a regular grocery store. The deli and cheese section had fresh products ready to be cut and packaged, and again had lots of ready-to-go options as well.
The salad bar is pretty amazing. It’s got everything from pre-made Ceasar salads, to a section where you can create your own salad, all kids of potato and pasta salads, and then other mediterranean style salads. Every kind of possible salad combination could be put together there. There was also a section to package fresh soups made daily, and even a section with hot meals like pasta and butter chicken.
There was a separate area where you could have a stir fry made on the spot, and a sandwich section where you could have it warmed up on a grill. There was also a fresh sushi spot, and a full service bakery.
The pizza area was really impressive. You could choose the toppings on your pizza, and watch it cook in a fire burning oven before it’s boxed and ready to take home.
There was a great seating area both inside and outside to eat which was nice as well.
I picked up quite a few items from the Farm Boy brand like fresh orange juice, mediterranean salad dressing, and their tortilla chips and salsa.
I don’t think my shopping cart has ever looked so healthy!
I didn’t notice too much of a price difference between Farm Boy and the other grocery stores I normally shop at. I often buy organic fruits, vegetables, and gluten free treats for my son and I found the prices very comparable to where I usually shop and what I usually buy in that regard.
I really loved that they had many pre-packaged lunches and snacks to take on the go as well. How great is this lunch in a bag? It includes a sandwich, drink, cookies, an apple and a granola bar!
For someone like me who doesn’t always have time to make dinner but has good intentions for serving something fresh and healthy to my family, I was very impressed with what they had to offer for meals to go.
Overall I loved it, and I will be back often!
Farm Boy Taunton Gardens (Whitby) is located at 2 – 360 Taunton Road East, Whitby, Ontario.