Imposter syndrome is a thing. For me, it happens most intensely when I visit Shoppers Corner.
I know it sounds weird. But it’s real. All the team members there are so friendly, I wonder: Why are they so happy to see me? I am not this likable.
The hot Corner is on my mind because The Best of Santa Cruz special issue now appears on newsstands, and S.C. cleans up among S.C. voters, deservedly so. The community pillar took home seven honors, including Best Cheese Selection, Best Wine Selection, Best Butcher, Best Grocery Store, Best Produce, Best Mural/Public Art and Best Green Business.
FWIW, I’d vote for Shoppers Corner for Best Vibe, too (new category!). It’s one of my happy places, and I know that’s true for many, including third-generation owner Andre Beauregard.
“We like to have fun while we are getting it done,” he says. “That’s kind of [our] philosophy here.”
Another special issue will feature Shoppers Corner when Good Times’ Visitors Guide lands next month.
The Best Of publication and the Visitors Guide remind me just how many remarkable spots this community has. Shoppers Corner ranks near the top, and that was before it set out to evolve its impact further.
The grocery store earned certification from the California Green Business Network a half decade back but didn’t stop there.
By installing solar panels, limiting energy consumption, managing waste streams (including food scraps) and practicing mindful landscaping, among other undertakings—including partnering with vendors on their habits, which creates a swell of cascading benefits—Shoppers is now up for CGBN’s Innovator Tier of green business certification.
It has a chance to be the first grocery store in the state to earn that status.
“People might be surprised by the behind-the-scenes things we are always working on,” Beauregard says. “We have been examining all the details of our environmental policy, taking it as far as we can.”
TRUCKIN’
Food Trucks A Go Go is back and revving up flavor 5-8pm Fridays starting May 19 in Scotts Valley. Scrumptious Fish & Chips, Epoch Eats, Kuki’s Bowls, SNB, Parker Presents Oysters, Tacos El Chuy, Cracked Cookies and Aunt LaLi’s all participate. The SVEF Beer & Wine Garden flows freely (and benefits local schools). Brenda (one-name artist respect due) paints faces. Santa Cruz Voice broadcasts a live remote. Parking is free. foodtrucksagogo.com
WINE TIME
Santa Cruz Mountains Passport Days hit May 20. A wealth of quality wineries customizes tasting experiences against the backdrop of the surrounding hills as tasting flights await ticket holders at each winery. Off to Bargetto and Beauregard, Fellom Ranch and Fernwood Cellars, Windy Oaks and Wrights Station, a few of the three dozen participating spots.
winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/events/passport
HOOKED UP
Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust perpetuates its thoughtful support for local fisherfolk and undernourished communities with the latest installment of Get Hooked! at Home in Soquel on June 8. A chunk of the proceeds from Chef Brad Briske’s predictably incredible multi-course oceanic feast will directly support the Community Seafood Program, which provides healthy seafood meals to those in need. montereybayfisheriestrust.org
