1. www.ediblesouthshore.com | 31www.ediblesouthshore.com | 31
continued >>
Summertime is a special time of year for locavores, foodies,
and home cooks who appreciate and seek out high-quality
ingredients. As the days grow longer and the temperature rises,
the variety of fresh local fruits and vegetables steadily increases
at farmer’s markets and roadside farm stands across southeastern
Massachusetts. Yet, while the preparation possibilities for seasonal
ingredients are limitless, inspiration and creativity can sometimes
elude even the most accomplished chefs and home cooks.
Since 1914, Sid Wainer & Son in New Bedford has been provid-
ing restaurants, retail outlets, hotels, cruise lines, and culinary
professionals worldwide with wholesale sustainable ingredients
sourced from the South Coast, New England, and around the
globe. To give family, friends, and the public an opportunity to
purchase the same high-quality ingredients previously only avail-
able to chefs, Sid Wainer & Son opened The Gourmet Outlet in
Friends Plaza on Purchase Street. The outlet also served as the per-
fect venue for market testing new items, as well as supporting local
farms and producers. Over the past several years, The Gourmet
Outlet has garnered a reputation as a must-visit culinary destina-
tion for personal chefs, avid home cooks, and vacationers alike.
The Gourmet Outlet at Sid Wainer & Son
by Kate Strassel
A Global Culinary
Destination:
www.ediblesouthshore.com | 31

2. 32 | edible SOUTH SHORE & SOUTH COAST Summer 2016
Opening Doors to a New World
The short hallway leading from the front doors to the outlet leaves
first-time visitors little time to fully prepare for the culinary dis-
coveries awaiting them. Mouth-watering aromas draw visitors to
an open professional kitchen and daily cooking demonstrations.
Here, fresh ingredients are melded with spices, condiments, and
other provisions from The Gourmet Outlet to create simple, yet
creative dishes which can be replicated easily at home (recipe cards
are readily available in the outlet as well as online). The cooking
demonstrations are an integral part of the shopping experience at
the outlet. “I wouldn’t buy something if I didn’t love the way it
looked and tasted,” says Henry B. Wainer, son of Sid Wainer and
grandson of founder Henry Wainer.
Beyond the demonstration area, The Gourmet Outlet is a mecca
for foodies searching for unfamiliar and interesting ingredients.
The grain section of the store offers the expected culinary staples
such as basmati and jasmine rice and quinoa, yet also showcases
lesser known grains such as millet, barley, farro, and kaniwa. On
the opposite side of the outlet, the towering shelves of sweet and
savory condiments—everything from ketchups and chutneys to
marmalades and barbecue sauces—often necessitates the switch
from a hand-held basket to a shopping cart.
Adjacent to the jars of jams and bottles of salad dressing, custom-
ers may involuntarily gasp at the spice section, the likes of which
are never seen at any supermarket or kitchen store. Sid Wainer &
Son’s own Jansal Valley brand comprises the bulk of this section,
offering every herb, spice, and seasoning you’ve ever heard of,
as well as exotic and unusual spices and flavor enhancers; think
burgundy wine and Worcestershire powders, and heirloom tomato
salt. Jansal Valley spices are used by chefs in professional kitch-
ens all over the world (if you’re a fan of the Food Network series
Chopped, take a close look at the labels on the spices in the pan-
try—they’re Jansal Valley spices!) The spice selection alone makes
The Gourmet Outlet a required stop on any culinary adventure.
A Field Day in Produce
Towards the rear of the store on the left-hand wall, a set of au-
tomatic sliding glass doors leads to a foodie’s paradise: a walk-in
cooler filled with a bounty of fresh, sustainably grown vegetables,
herbs, and fruits. Much of the produce is sourced from Sid Wainer
& Son’s own 49 acre Dartmouth farm. Until May 2016, it oper-
ated as Jansal Valley Farm, a fusion of Henry Wainer’s children’s
name. While other specialty products continue under the Jansal
brand, the family wanted to highlight its commitment to the local
farming community and sustainability as a whole. Thus, the farm’s
produce now is sold under the brand Wainer Family Farm. Other
local farm sources include Wilson Farm in Lexington, Lookout
Farm in Natick, Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon, and Backyard
Farms in Maine. Whether it’s ingredients for a green summer
salad, vegetables to throw on the grill, or herbs to brighten a meat
or seafood dish The Gourmet Outlet will satisfy your needs and
exceed your expectations for freshness, quality, and sustainability.

3. www.ediblesouthshore.com | 33www.ediblesouthshore.com | 33
continued >>
Picnic Makings
Summertime in southeastern Massachusetts is prime
season for packing picnic baskets and beach coolers, and
The Gourmet Outlet has everything you need for a satisfy-
ing snack or a fantastic al fresco meal. The charcuterie
section features cured and smoked meats, sausages, and
patés, all carefully selected for taste and quality from local
purveyors whenever possible. Always on hand are locally
baked breads and pastries; a variety of gluten-free baked
goods are also available. For easy portable snacks while bik-
ing, hiking, or spending a day at the beach, choose from the
many olives, nuts, dried fruits, and granola offerings.
Say Cheese!
You may have noticed that a certain category of gourmet food
has yet to be mentioned because I saved the best for last. At the
rear of the outlet, visible through a floor-to-ceiling glass wall, is
a climate-controlled international cheese room. Here, cheeses
hailing from southeastern Massachusetts, New England, the
United States, and abroad are neatly categorized and displayed in
wedges and small rounds on tables: cheddar, blue, goat, brie, feta,
mozzarella, Swiss, and more. The selection is almost overwhelm-
ing (but not quite because really, can you ever have too much
cheese?). So captivating are the tables of cheese that many people
are slow to notice the pièce de résistance which runs the length
of the left-hand wall of the cheese room—the shelves filled with
whole wheels of cheese. There are cave-aged cheddars, bloomy
goat cheeses and bries, blue-veined Stiltons, and dozens of variet-
ies from France and Italy just begging to be deposited into your
shopping cart (and by the time you reach the cheese room, you
will most definitely have a shopping cart). No matter the occa-
sion, the perfect cheese awaits you at The Gourmet Outlet.
If you are an aspiring chef, a top-notch home cook, or just
someone who enjoys discovering new ingredients, flavors, and
cooking techniques, then a visit to The Gourmet Outlet at Sid
Wainer & Son needs to be at the top of your summer excursion
list. The store is less than an hour’s drive from Boston, Provi-
dence, and the upper Cape and is easily accessible from routes
18, 140, and 195. Bring your cooler, family and friends, and
passion for culinary discovery and spend a morning or after-
noon browsing the diverse and unique selection of high-quality,
sustainable products proudly offered to the public by the Wainer
family. It may just be your most memorable—and certainly your
most delicious—trip this summer.
www.ediblesouthshore.com | 33

4. 34 | edible SOUTH SHORE & SOUTH COAST Summer 2016
The Gourmet Outlet
SidWainer & Son®
2301 Purchase Street
New Bedford, MA 02746
(508) 999-6408
www.SidWainer.com
eSSeeS
Kate Strassel is a freelance writer and editor from East Bridgewater.
Her number one priority when traveling—especially during the summer
months—is to learn about an area through its cuisine.
by Sid Wainer & Son®Summer Salad
Developed exclusively for edible South Shore & South Coast
• ½ cup JANSAL VALLEY® Pineapple Pulp Vinegar
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
• ¼ cup JANSAL VALLEY® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon JANSAL VALLEY® Sesame Oil
• kosher or sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups cooked and cooled JANSAL VALLEY®
Kaniwa, or other whole grain
• 2 cups baby watercress
• 1 cup watermelon or other mild radish,
scrubbed and thinly sliced
• ½ cup ‘English Barrel’ peas (pods opened),
or snap peas, diagonally sliced
• ½ cup L’ESSENCE DU FROMAGE® Greek Feta
or your favorite feta, crumbled
In a medium bowl with a whisk, or in a blender, combine
vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, and tarragon. While whisk-
ing or blending, add the olive and sesame oils gradually until
an emulsion forms. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a mixing bowl, toss together the cooked kaniwa, watercress,
radish, peas, and feta. Drizzle with the dressing, lightly toss
again and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Get your fresh local produce on the table in an irresistible
guise. Adapt this formula to incorporate your favorite whole
grains and the freshest veggies from the fields as the season
evolves. More great ideas at sidinthekitchen.com.