Since 1997, San Antonio residents have been enjoying Central Market and all of its creative foodie glory. It far surpasses any notion of being just a neighborhood grocery store. It is a destination-shopping extravaganza for people all over San Antonio and miles around. There is so much culinary energy pulsing through Central Market that one could never experience boredom.
The doors open at 7 a.m, and the excitement begins. From breakfasting, to shopping, to lunching, to floral arranging, to smoothie inventing, to product tasting, to afternoon caffeinating, to culinary learning and so much more, it’s a place of sheer action until the doors close at 10 p.m. Widely known as the gourmet grocery store with every specialty item imaginable, it is also the place to go for lunch. A stroll through Central Market’s vast cafe area with its many food service counters can be mesmerizing — lunch and snack possibilities seem endless. One could eat lunch at Central Market every day for weeks on end before cycling through something twice. Lunch fans cite creative culinary expertise, convenience, customer service and community as reasons for their loyalty.
From its inception, Central Market has sought out creative culinary expertise as a pillar of its business, setting it apart from other grocery stores and driving expansion across Texas. Locally, Central Market had the recent good fortune and wisdom to hire Jesse Perez as its new executive chef, a culinary powerhouse formerly of the acclaimed Arcade Midtown Kitchen. I visited with chef Perez regarding some of his new ideas soon to roll out, and he explained, “We’re not going to make such sweeping changes that we eliminate old favorites like chicken salad, for example, but we are going to offer a quarterly rotation of some thoughtful and seasonal chef specials that will be weather-friendly.”
He added, “Let’s say it’s the middle of the summer … we’ll aim to present several choices that would be more appropriate for extreme heat, like a refreshing gazpacho in place of a spicy chili.” In the cafe, he plans to incorporate more local, Southwestern and Latin flavors in place of the current pan-Asian influenced items. In the big picture, chef Perez is bringing his impressive culinary talent and experience to the Central Market table and making tweaks and updates as needed.
When it comes to convenience at lunchtime, Central Market is convenient with a capital “C” and quick with a capital “Q.” Park, walk in, and select which type of food you want — there are about nine different prepared food sections calling your name. If you have eight to 10 minutes to spare and prefer something made or cooked to order, try the sandwich station or the cafe, which utilizes the expeditious cooking methods — wok, grill or saute. Upscale hamburgers are on the menu, along with an interesting array of international dishes like Asian stir-fries and specialty sandwiches, my personal favorite being the Vietnamese banh mi. Their version consists of marinated spiced chicken topped with cucumbers served on either a baguette or nan bread.
On weekends, satisfying brunch options are available. On Sundays, our family orders from the café, and before our food is ready, we purchase one of the “sushi” options from the nearby refrigerator section. Our children have come to love this healthy appetizer tradition. They end up eating less of their entree, but it allows me to pack up their leftovers for their lunchbox the next day.
Most of us are familiar with the other food service areas that take no time at all and include the soup and salad bars, “grab and go” shelves, hot food line, chef’s case, sushi bar and others. The deli, however, is often overlooked as convenient. Consider, for example, assembling a sophisticated European-style lunch with olives (from the olive bar), paper-thin slices of prosciutto, a baguette, a wedge of cheese from the cheese shop, some pre-cut and packaged fruit (across from the salad bar) and a bottle of chilled Pellegrino near the check-out area. Smoothies, located near the coffee bar, are also convenient in many ways. They are easy meals to eat on the road or in a hurry but also on a diet — most diets, that is. Central Market can fortify smoothies
with additions, including protein powder, antioxidants, flax seeds, greens and others.
Customer service is another tremendous attribute for Central Market. They are very accommodating, seeking to help customers as much as possible. And tasting is instrumental in their customer service model. Sales reps offer tastes whenever possible. Chef Perez is expanding ways for customers to taste in the cafe even more, the latest option being soups. He reasoned, “How can customers choose a soup based on merely smell and appearance? They must have the opportunity to taste.” Chef Perez is also exploring another avenue of customer service —answering requests for more gluten-free items.
Community is also among the attributes of Central Market. Human nature is meant to thrive in the context of community, and Central Market provides a vehicle for individuals to encounter it. The theme song from the old sitcom Cheers captures it best, concluding, “You wanna go where everybody knows your name.” It’s a rare day when I walk into Central Market and don’t see at least one person I recognize. Spontaneous lunch gatherings have resulted from running into friends. When the weather is nice, the outdoor patio is lovely — a perfect perch for people-watching. The inside eating space is nice in other ways; there are more seating options for larger groups. Central Market has a way of bringing together people of all ages and stages.
Their gelato bar might have something to do with it, but most of all, it’s the people element. A community highlight for me is when I see “Sharon,” a Central Market employee preparing recipes on the floor (near the cheese counter) using ingredients from the store. She always greets me warmly and gives me a sample. Then she explains the recipe and we catch up for a minute. When my children are with me, she greets them with equal warmth and hospitality. If this isn’t community, I don’t know what is!
Lunch at Central Market is not only a creative and delicious departure from the norm, it’s also convenient, and it fosters a community-building experience whether you are in a hurry or not. With seasonal changes ahead and old standbys locked in, creatures of comfort and creatures of adventure are sure to be pleased under the new leadership of chef Jesse Perez.
BY LAUREN BROWNING
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANICE THACH
