Photograph by George Sakkestad

Jesse Baker, 6, and her mother, Lisa Baker, serve themselves at Whole Foods' extensive salad bar.

Whole Foods' expanded deli offers a plethora of choices

By Suzanne Cristallo

At 6 p.m. any weekday, it's take-a-number time at the Whole Foods deli in Los Gatos, as hordes of commuters pick up entrees, side dishes, salads and desserts for a sit-down dinner at home. A few of the hungry have been seen swiping a bite from their take-out boxes while waiting to pay. Others who can't wait take their fare to the convenient booths and tables and eat on the premises. Those who wait until 8 p.m. find hot food items marked down 50 percent.

"The salad bar has been absolutely popular from the first day," says Gary Ramirez, manager of the prepared foods section of the market. The store specializes in organic produce and natural foods made without artificial additives.

At the beginning of the year, the deli was remodeled to boost its size by 50 percent, and the salad bar was increased from a modest five-foot section of a food display case to an 18-foot-long, free-standing buffet with nearly 50 items.

"It was so big, it scared me at first," Ramirez says. But timing was such that the Fresh Choice Restaurant next door closed its doors precisely as Whole Foods opened its remodeled deli. Customers flooded the place.

Beyond standard salad items, customers come for the array of organics and "health foods" including jicama, soy nuts, spring lettuce mix, baby spinach and tofu, and for the fresh melons, pineapple and other fruits. Each day there are also two vegetarian and two meat-based soups, like butternut curry, chicken gumbo or tortilla. "We're adding tuna, chicken and turkey [to the salad items] since there have been so many requests for meat items," Ramirez adds.

The hot case has a selection of up to eight entrees, averaging $5.49 a pound. There are grilled vegetable or low-fat spinach lasagna; teriyaki chicken breasts; whole rotisserie chickens, ducks and turkeys; beef ribs; and teriyaki sesame drummettes. Sides include mashed potatoes, sautéed or Szechwan veggies, rosemary potatoes and tofu stroganoff.

Cold cases offer prepared pasta and rice dishes, fresh sushi and a variety of quiches. Additionally, in the spirit of the store's policy of encouraging employees "to become part of the process of responding to customer needs," head chef Gregorio Trejo makes Hispanic specialties like Diablo casserole, which consists of spicy corn tortillas, cheeses and green chiles.

"The difference between us and a big chain deli is we make the [prepared foods] here, and it's all natural," Ramirez explains, adding that the store has strict guidelines to prevent additives in its vendor-supplied pasta and bakery goods. "We're adding ovens to our store here by the end of summer, so we'll have on-the-spot baking," he says. A juice and coffee counter offers espresso drinks, smoothies and vegetable and wheat-grass juices. The deli also caters.

Whole Foods has nine stores in Northern California and about 100 nationwide. It was started in Austin, Texas, by the present CEO, John Mackey. He and his wife bought a small health-food store that subsequently was inundated by a flood, forcing them to rebuild. They eventually incorporated, expanding in Texas, Louisiana and finally California, where the chain has been for the past five years.

Ramirez, 39, is a New Orleans native who arrived here in 1973. He commutes from Oakland, spending three hours a day on the road to and from the Los Gatos position he has held for the past 19 months. Arriving at the store as early as 5:30 a.m. to oversee the preparation of deli foods, he puts in up to 10 hours each day. One bonus for the long hours: "I've learned to be an amateur cook on the job."

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Whole Foods Deli, 15980 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos. Open daily 8:30 a.m.- 9 p.m., Bakery open at 7 a.m. 358-4434.

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