Published: September 23, 2006 07:36 pm      

Gourmet Gallery readies to celebrate anniversary

EDMOND — PATTY MILLER

The Edmond Sun



Edmond foodies need to mark their calendars as Janet McDonald and Cindi Utecht at Gourmet Gallery get ready for their company’s fifth anniversary celebration beginning Friday and Saturday.

If anyone knows how to entertain, it is these two women. Their store is filled with unusual, hard-to-find or just plain delicious food ideas to make entertaining or just whipping up a delicious quick meal easy for the rest of us.

Right now they are in the midst of their yearly reorganization of the store adding shelves and new food lines to the hundreds they already have including the Barefoot Contessa’s line of packaged baking mixes, preserves, marinades and dressings.

This time of year signals the beginning of holiday season for the Gourmet Gallery and filling custom gift baskets.

Baskets line the ceilings standing ready to be filled with holiday items for corporate as well as individual gift giving.

“Our corporate business is growing larger and larger each year as businesses are finding that our gift baskets are not only beautiful, but they are also memorable,” McDonald said.

The store assembles literally thousands of baskets starting at $25 during the holiday season and orders already are coming in for Christmas. The only thing limiting the amount spent is the customer’s imagination.

“We recently filled an order for 45 gift baskets including, among other things, our beautiful Riedel crystal,” McDonald said.

“The sky is the limit on what you fill your gift baskets with.”

Their gift basket side of the business has grown so large the baskets are now assembled at another location and delivered or shipped out from there. Filled gift baskets also may be picked up at the Gourmet Gallery.

“Don’t forget our gift bags,” Utecht said.

Bags can include one or more items for that person on a budget who wants to remember someone

special.

“Our baskets and bags aren’t just for the holidays. They may be sent for birthdays, house warmings, anniversaries or sent to families who have lost a loved one,” Utecht said.

The Gourmet Gallery Gourmet Club — with more than 275 members — is educational as well as a great deal.

Each month the women choose a theme and fill a bag with gourmet items for club members.

The price of the items in the bag is always greater than the $25 cost paid by club members.

“For $25, our customers not only get a bag full of products, but they also get a 10 percent discount on all items purchased as well as recipes, tips and a wine list that The Edmond Wine Shop chooses each month to coordinate with the bag of gourmet food items,” Utecht said.

The women are always informing and educating their customers daily, and they also have Saturday Tastings each week.

The business owners welcome the public to come by and help celebrate the Gourmet Gallery’s fifth anniversary between 4-7 p.m. for the Friday Tasting, or from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Saturday Tasting.

All customers will receive a 20 percent discount Friday and Saturday on purchases during the anniversary celebration.

Gourmet Gallery is at 1532 S. Boulevard.

(Patty Miller may be reached via e-mail at pmiller@edmondsun.com.)