Whole Foods Market, Wichita - Opening Soon!

Disclosure: I was chosen to be a Whole Foods Market ambassador. I was chosen because of my interest to help grow the store. This does not influence my opinions on the Market.  As you know, The Procrastinating Mommy cannot be bought!

Whole Foods Market will open its first ever store in Wichita, Kansas on September 3rd.

The 30,900-square-foot Whole Foods Market store located at 1423 N. Webb Rd, Suite 101 – will employ approximately 120 full-time and part-time team members in various departments: Bakery, Bulk, Coffee & Yea, Grocery, Pets, Whole Body, Produce, Beer, Cheese, Meat & Poultry, Prepared Foods, Seafood, and Wine (ß sign me up for that Wine gig!).

Fun Facts about the Wichita store:

• The store décor will include features that salute the culture and spirit of Wichita in three areas; aviation (examples include field patterns, aviation themed messaging, and repurposed airplane parts), reflection of the state’s natural beauty (shown through sunflower patterns, rays of sun, and color palettes) and a not to the retro, classic architecture of the city.
• The store has an in-house smoker that will be used to make monthly bacon flavors and flavored sausages on a daily basis.
• The store will host cooking and education classes, kid’s club events, tasting fairs, and samples throughout the store.
• Whole Foods Market Wichita has a commitment to supporting local organizations and will give to local non-profits on a regular basis.

While the new Whole Foods Market doesn’t officially open until September 3^rd, the public can get a sneak peak this Saturday, August 30^th with an all-day event lasting from 8:40am to 8pm.  The event will feature tours of the store, samples, live music, food trucks, and a bouncy house in the parking lot.  The store offered tickets for tours on their Wichita Facebook page but it sold out faster than you could say “organic”. Store managers have made mention that they will attempt to accommodate as many as they can and still urged interested patrons to join the fun in the parking lot!

Here's what the August 30th event will feature:

The Food:

11-2pm

The Flying Stove 

Funky Monkey Munchies 

Let ‘em Eat Brats 

4-7pm

Hopperoni Express 

Brickhouse BBQ

BS Sandwich Press 

Kona Ice 

The music:

11am - 12pm: Micha Castillo

12:15 - 1:15pm: Tony Ngo

1:30 - 2:30pm:  Jordan Minnis

2:45 - 3:45pm:  Emily Deaver

4 - 5pm: Uche

5:15 - 7pm: Choro Cats

Check out a short sneak peak video, featuring interviews with Mayor Brewer, Reverie Roasters, and shots of what's to come in the store available here:

You want the scoop on the Grand opening??  I got the scoop…

WHEN:

The official opening ceremonies will begin at 8:40 AM and doors will open at 9:00 AM on September 3rd. The program will begin with a literal “bread breaking” with the community (featuring a 4-foot challah bread from Kansas City’s Farm to Market Bakery) and an opening ceremony to award five area non-profit partners with $1000 each in support of their life-giving missions:

• YMCA Cooking Matters for Adults*
• The United Methodist Open Door*
• Wichita Children’s Home*
• Wichita Clean Streams
• Kansas Food bank Food 4 Kids

* In partnership with United Way  

                                                           

Later in the day, 40 winning community members will receive an exclusive BBQ class by Pit Master Kelly Wurtz of 4Legs Up BBQ in Great Bend, KS at 12 PM and 6 PM.

4 Legs Up BBQ Team is the BBQ World Champion and won the Jack Daniels World Invitational BBQ Championship; Wurtz and his team have also won:

• 30 Grand Championships
• 18 Reserve Championships
• 107 top ten finishes
• 68 -1^st place category finishes

Schedule:

8:40 – 8:43 AM

Opening Remarks – David Bisek, Marketing & Community Relations

8:43 – 8:44

Partner Remarks – YMCA Wichita – Tammi Krier, Greater Wichita YMCA Healthy Eating Director 

8:44 – 8:45

Partner Remarks – United Methodist Open Door – Jeremy Kindy, Development Director

8:45 – 8:46

Partner Remarks – Wichita Children’s Home – Janet Pack, Director of Development

8:46 – 8:47

Partner Remarks – Wichita Clean Streams – Rebecca Lewis, City of Wichita Environmental Health

8:47 – 8:48

Partner Remarks – Kansas Foodbank – Brian Waker, President and CEO

8:48 – 8:50

Mayor of Wichita – Carl Brewer

8:50 – 8:52

Store Team Leader – Angela Schmidt 

8:52 – 8:57

Rocky Mountain Region President – Will Paradise

8:57 – 8:59

Community Bread Breaking

9:00 AM

Doors open

WHERE:

Whole Foods Market Wichita, 1423 N Webb Rd Suite 101, Wichita, KS 67207

About Whole Foods Market®

Founded in 1978 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com) is the leading retailer of natural and organic foods and America's first national “Certified Organic” grocer.  In fiscal year 2013, the Company had sales of approximately $13 billion and currently has 386 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market employs more than 80,000 team members and has been ranked for 17 consecutive years as one of the“100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by Fortune magazine.