It's big, beautiful, not quite finished, and easy to miss unless you are looking for it. This week my husband Dan and I checked out Healthy Living Market at its new location, 222 Dorset St., in South Burlington. We were curious, since they sell many products grown or made by people we know, as well as carrying our own cheeses.
The first thing we noticed was that the inside is a deconstructed version of a chain supermarket; there are no blindingly fluorescent lights or straight lanes. There aren't any overhead signs (yet), and customers (including ourselves) become disoriented in what employees call "the maze" at the center.
My advice is that if you go here, keep to the left and make forays from the outer rim to the interior, unless you have a compass and a lot of time to spend backtracking - or else navigate to the right and pick up a map from customer service. Healthy Living had to vacate their previous location before they were ready (at the end of last year), and it shows in minor ways like the odd unfinished wall and the aforementioned lack of signage.
Many things set them apart, besides the design. There is a dedicated mini-kitchen for product demonstrations (it was chocolate chip cookie day), a cafeteria with hot food and a large salad bar, a manned coffee kiosk with a tempting array of goodies including chocolate tarts, sticky buns, and freshly baked croissants. For non-standard fare in ready-to-eat meals, we found salmon stuffed with goat cheese, and samosas (little savory or sweet fried pies), as well as the expected sandwiches and wraps. We were too early in the day for the case to be fully stocked.
Dan's favorite was the meat counter. In addition to hard to find flat-iron, hangar, and 2-inch thick beef steaks, there is fresh buffalo, beefalo, venison, ground beef from Boyden Farm (Cambridge), pork from Jericho Settlers' Farm (Jericho), smoked and fresh duck breasts, Vermont quail, chickens and guinea hens, fresh and dried sausages, and American prosciutto.
My favorite was the expanded cheese selection, with a separate case for products from Vermont. This area is really feeling the lack of signage. I was hoping to see featured cheeses with tasting notes - and country of origin, or at least translations for labels not written in English or French. Specialty cheese is an intimidating product and when deciding which to buy, the majority of customers stick to what they know. Dan says I am far to close to the subject to be objective, but I want our cheese to do well here.
Besides mainstream gourmet items, Healthy Living carries products that are available in a limited supply, small production, locally grown, organic, and sustainably grown or harvested. I especially liked that they had a large gluten/wheat-free aisle, even though I had to be lost to find it.
If you find yourself driving by, it's worth the stop to see this locally owned independent market. They have much to offer.
