Welcome to the Chef's Corner, part of our e-newsletter, Your ShopRite Connection! The Chef's Corner includes culinary tips and delicious product picks, written by our very own Chef Faith Alahverdian, Executive Chef for the ShopRite Culinary Workshop.

As Chefs, feeding folks is what we do. Food is a source of sustenance, joy and sharing.For some, food can also be a source of stress when finances make it impossible to provide food for one’s family.

Despite frequent and large donations of food from ShopRite and other individuals and organizations, many cupboards are still empty. Agencies that help families cope with hunger rely on their local foodbank for the food their clients so desperately need. Unfortunately, even the foodbank this year are suffering a lack of food. This summer, ShopRite’s Chef Instructors joined together to pack food at the NJ Food Bank one afternoon. We saw personally the large empty spaces in the local Food Bank’s warehouse. Hunger unfortunately never goes away. This is why ShopRite is always committed to fighting hunger. Hunger may be affecting someone you know personally without you being aware. Hunger affects a person’s feeling of dignity. In this nation of great abundance, hunger is something we constantly strive to alleviate.

This month, ShopRite kicks off a year-long celebration of ShopRite Parners in Caring’s 10th Anniversary, to coincide with newly designated National Hunger Action Month. Since its formation in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has grown to support over 1,400 charities with $2 million in donations each year. Through 2008, ShopRite Partners In Caring has raised and distributed more than $18 million to hunger-fighting organizations in NY, NJ, CT, DE & PA. Hunger Action Month is an opportunity to engage in the fight against domestic hunger.  America's Second Harvest and its 205 member food banks will host events across the United States that directly benefit hunger relief efforts.  From food drives to concerts, volunteer outings to advocacy work, there’s something everyone can do to be a part of Feeding America.

ShopRite’s Culinary Workshop Program and all of our chef instructors support this initiative and encourage you to volunteer at your local food bank. If you do, please present a note on food bank letterhead that you volunteered (at least 3 hours) and you will receive a free ShopRite Culinary Workshop (a $20 value) at a store that has the Culinary Workshop Program near you. To find the food bank nearest you, go to www.feedingamerica.org and click on food bank locator.

In addition, ShopRite’s Culinary Workshop supports numerous charity events that benefit the hungry including the upcoming Taste of the NFL Benefit at Giants Stadium on Monday, October 6th. This Taste of the NFL event features several dozen top restaurants offering up generous samples of their delicious specialties and ShopRite’s Culinary Workshop Chefs serving an elaborate dessert extravanganza. To top it all off, guest get to mingle with past and present NY Giants players and raise money to support Partners in Caring. To purchase tickets, please call 201-935-8111 or go to www.giants.com.  

That very same week…October 11& 12, ShopRite sponsors the Grand Tasting Pavillionat the NYC Wine & Food Festival. The ultimate foodie experience, each 3 hour session will feature delicious samples from New York’s top restaurants along with many gourmet foods. ShopRite is the major sponsor of the event and will be sampling delicious specialty recipes from our Culinary Workshop program. Tickets are $150 and the proceeds benefit the NY Food Bank and Share Our Strength.For more info, go to www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com.

On behalf of all of ShopRite’s Culinary Workshop Chefs, we thank you for helping fight hunger! 

Now, you’re probably getting hungry yourself and wondering what’s for dinner tonight! Back-to- school is a hectic time often leaving many with little time or energy for a home cooked meal. Even though you may feel over stretched, greasy fast food doesn’t have to be the solution. A great homemade sandwich and a salad can become dinner on one of those nights when you’re tempted to eat un-healthy takeout. Make this a family activity and give yourselves time to enjoy each other. Here’s how… 

Rotisserie Chicken Ciabatta Club Sandwich & Salad

By Chef Faith Alahverdian

Ingredients

1 ShopRite Rotisserie Chicken

Lowfat Mayonnaise

Romaine Lettuce leaves

ShopRite fresh baked Ciabatta rolls

Ripe tomato slices  

ShopRite Ready to Serve Bacon, if desired

Avocado slices, if desired

Sandwich Picks

Directions

1. Remove chicken meat, discard skin and freeze the bones for stock.
2. Using a serrated knife, slice off a thin slice off the top of each roll and reserve.
3. Prepare a layered club sandwich using the above ingredients and inserting the thin slice as a center layer.
4. Serve with a mixed green salad tossed with: ShopRite Extra Virgin Olive Oil and ShopRite Imported Chianti Wine Vinegar 

When you’re ready to get back to real cooking, register for our great hands-on Culinary Workshops in a store near you !

The school year has almost begun; are you searching for a reservoir of new energy to keep up?

Chef's Product Pick: Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Juice 33.8 oz. bottle

Try this great juice! When my energy is low, this is what I drink. It’s available in the produce department in the refrigerated case. Pasteurized and fresh packed at a 4th generation family farm, located in California’s Joaquin valley , it contains 14 powerful nutrients along with wheatgrass, spirulina, spinach, blue green algae, kiwis, mangoes, bananas , dragon fruit and phytonutrients. Try it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Kids love it too.

Back to school snacks:

Of course, you are packing fresh fruit and vegetables in your kids’ lunchbags. Here’s another snack you can feel good about.

Chef's Product Pick: Kind Brand Fruit & Nut Bars

These awesome all natural fruit and nut bars are made by a socially conscious company who donates 5% of profits to the peaceworks foundation, a foundation whose programs hope to foster co-existence in the world. A stern reminder for the adults…you have to share.

Back to school immune support:

When kids go back to school, the whole family is affected by the onslaught of colds and flus brought home from friends at school. Reinforce your healthy intestinal flora by eating probiotic yogurt or kefir. Those products will put healthy bacteria in your system so the unhealthy bacteria can’t survive. Look for them in your ShopRite dairy department.

Chef’s Product Pick: Lifeway brand Kefir

It’s probiotic and contains10 live cultures. Tastes like a yogurt smoothie.