Supermarket Sampler has said goodbye, ending a quarter-century of syndication.
Our final goodbye’s have been said over two week’s time in newspaper across the nation, as well as online.
Here’s at taste those farewell columns…
04/01/2012 This week we depart from our usual format of reviewing three new products to think about the 4,000 products we’ve reviewed for this column in the past 25 years.
We’re saying, “Enough! It’s time to push away from the table.” Yes, we’re ending Supermarket Sampler.
Ironically, we have an unsuccessful new product to thank for our start.
Carolyn: It was New Coke. Coke had changed its formulation and people were going crazy! I was reading all these news stories about whether New Coke tasted better than old, but there were no experts to answer that question. My years of eating processed food led me to believe I could be that person. Since I had no formal food training or background, I took the idea to my registered dietitian/food writer friend, Bonnie.
Bonnie: With her love of Spam and Chips Ahoy! cookies, and mine of shopping the store’s perimeter and cooking from scratch, I couldn’t imagine writing a column together unless we each had our own voice. We fought over that — and have been fighting ever since.
Carolyn: I actually prefer Keebler Chips Deluxe.
Bonnie: See what I mean? After much arguing — I mean, discussion — we decided to spend these final two columns sharing some of what we’ve learned and reviewing some highs and lows of our 25 years of writing Supermarket Sampler.
….to read more by clicking here
04/08/2012 “This is our last Supermarket Sampler column. Instead of leaving you bereft, we’re sharing the accumulated wisdom of 25 years of sampling new supermarket foods that have found a permanent place on our respective grocery shopping lists.
Bonnie: I can now finally admit that I never looked forward to sampling the processed, chemically laden foods for this column. It was a real detour from my usual diet of fresh foods, which I found at the perimeter of the supermarket and at local farms to make meals for my two sons!
In contrast, when we sampled fresh salads, steamed veggies, whole-wheat pasta, beans, cheeses and other real foods, I savored each and every bite. Those products include packaged salads such as Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Arugula or Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine, fresh produce like Melissa’s Ojai Pixie Tangerines (currently in season) and Peeled Baby Red Beets, prepared fresh produce like Wholly Guacamole, prepared pasta like Monterey Pasta Company Creamy Ricotta Florentine Ravioli, Ocean Spray’s Craisins, Kerrygold unsalted butter, Island Way Sorbets in Natural Fruit Shells, McCann’s Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal, Saco Dried Buttermilk Blend and Chocolate Chunks, Swanson Organic Chicken Broth, McCormick Black Peppercorn and Sea Salt Grinders, and a plethora of wonderful goat and cow’s milk cheeses (including Jarlsberg Original and Lite, and Cabot Clothbound, Private Stock and 50 Percent Reduced Fat Jalapeno cheddars).
….to read more by clicking here
A big thank you to those who’ve been following the column over the years…
And thanks so much to all who’ve emailed, facebooked or contacted me separately with comments, thoughts and wishes!
– bonnie
Follow @BonnieBOTB
I am sad that Supermarket Sampler is ending. I’ve enjoyed reading them to learn of new products, and to see if Carolyn or Bonnie agreed with my opinions on new products! Good luck to you both.
I am going to miss your column in the newspaper, but happy I made it to your website.