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The day is finally here! We are joining other supermarkets and food manufacturers nationwide in celebrating the first Supermarket Employee Day. FMI–The Food Industry Association has proclaimed this day to recognize retail associates at every level for the work they do feeding families and enriching lives. There is a commemorative day for almost everyone and everything, and now there is one JUST FOR YOU!  Congratulations, it is so well deserved. 

All 8,000 members of our Village family come to work each day, keep shelves stocked and provide our customers and communities with the essential food, medicine and groceries they need. You have continued to adapt throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and are truly frontline heroes. Today we want to honor and celebrate the essential role you play in our communities.

Think about some of these amazing points about our industry:  

Supermarkets are the backbone of our communities.

• The food and grocery industry is a critical cornerstone of our society’s infrastructure.
• There are more than 40,000 stores that sell food and grocery items in the U.S. alone.
• Supermarkets are the center of our respective communities touching every life around them.

Supermarket employees have always been frontline heroes during periods of crisis.

• In the face of natural disasters – hurricanes, blizzards, fires and floods – supermarket employees keep communities going.
• Supermarket employees maintain the critical pipeline of food and health supplies that sustain the health and well-being of their customers.
• Supermarket employees also volunteer countless hours and contribute valuable support to community service.

Supermarket employees are helping us to stay strong during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• When COVID-19 shut the rest of the world down, supermarkets stayed open.
• Food retailers work with consistency so everyone else can stay socially distanced.

Supermarket employees have earned our gratitude.

• Despite supply chain disruptions or work-force reductions, supermarket employees have demonstrated trojan efforts to keep communities going.
• Supermarket employees have personified compassion and courage when communities have most needed to be encouraged.
• Supermarket employees have redefined the term community service.
• Supermarket employees are heroes.

Celebration Station: Please visit your breakrooms to safely enjoy a snack and take a selfie in the breakroom!  

Photos: Show us your spirit! Take selfies or photos with your coworkers and send them directly through us on the Media Upload Center OR share them on your own social channels to show your friends and family that today is Supermarket Employee Day.  Don’t forget to tag us and use the two hashtags, #supermarketheroes and #supermarketemployeeday, to join along in the conversation.  We’ll be sharing these photos on our social media and on this blog post!

 

 

 

New York Division

 

Ever wonder if you can do anything except slather butter on Irish Soda Bread? Wonder no more! Check out these three tasty takes on how to make the most out of this classic St. Patrick’s Day staple.

Irish Grilled Cheese

Serving 1 Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of Irish Soda bread (1/2 inch thick)
• 3 thin slices of cheddar cheese
• 4Tbl Kerrygold salted butter
• 3 large eggs (beaten)

Get cooking:

1. On medium heat, melt all the butter
2. Construct the sandwich (bread, cheese, bread)
3. Place the sandwich in the pan with the butter and flip over so that butter gets on both sides.
4. Cook both sides on medium-low heat until cheese starts to melt (1 min each side)
5. With a spoon gently pour 1/2 the beaten eggs onto the exposed side of the sandwich top.
6. Flip and repeat egg procedure
7. Cook until eggs are firm and cheese melted

 

Irish French Toast

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1tsp cinnamon powder
• 1tbl vanilla extract3 Large eggs (beaten)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (4oz)
• 1 Tbl Kerrygold salted butter (divide into 4 pieces)
• 4 slices of Irish Soda Bread (1/2” wide or finger width)

Get cooking:

Liquid mix:

• In a medium-size bowl, combine nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, eggs, and maple syrup. Whisk until smooth, no lumps visible.

Yields: 1 cup liquid mix

Frying the toast:

• In a nonstick pan melt 1 piece of butter on high heat while simultaneously soaking 1 piece of Irish soda bread in the liquid mix, on both sides. Make sure that the egg mix is whisked before soaking so that the spices don’t settle at the bottom of the bowl. Be gentle with the bread as it tends to be brittle.
• Place the soaked Irish soda bread slice into the hot pan and cook until golden brown. Approximately 1min on each side at medium/ high heat. Use a spatula to flip without breaking the toast. Repeat this process for the remaining 3 slices.
• Serve with warm maple syrup and Kerrygold butter.

 

Irish Charcuterie Board

Add sliced Irish Soda bread to your green themed Charcuterie board featuring Irish cheeses.

 

Ease your way into your loved one’s heart with these simple and delicious Valentine’s Day dinner ideas!

While some people may be going the take-out delivery route, we know that the foodie within you would rather create a wonderful, heartfelt meal at home. And if you’re wondering what are some easy Valentine’s Day dinner ideas, here are our five favorites!

 

Cajun Filet Mignon

2 Servings 

Ingredients:
2- 8oz Center-cut Filet mignon
2 Tbl Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tbl Pereg brand Cajun Seasoning – Use a brand that has a very low sodium content

Get cooking:
Set oven to 350F
On a plate marinade the steaks in all of the Worcestershire sauce for 5 min.
Coat the steak in the Cajun spice on all sides. Gently pat and press to make it stick.
Using a non-stick pan on medium heat, sear all sides of the steak until a toasted crust has formed. Move the steak around to avoid burning, rubbing the steak on the hot pan.
On a sheet tray or oven-safe pan, put the steaks into the oven and cook to the desired temp.
Let the steak rest on a room temp surface for at least 5 min before serving.

 

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

4 Servings 

Ingredients:
1 Lb of easy-peel shrimp (16/20)
2 Large Lime (or 4 Tbl)
2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
2 Tbl Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
2 Tbl Fairway olive oil
1tsp salt
1tsp black pepper
1tsp Chili flakes
Bamboo skewers (optional)

Get cooking:
Cilantro lime Sauce:
Combine the Juice of the lime with all of the salt, black pepper, chili flakes, cilantro, olive oil and garlic. Combine well.
Skew 4-5 shrimp (optional)
Using a cast-iron grill pan on high, grill the shrimp until pink and grill marks are visible. Or, use a sheet pan greased with olive oil in the oven at 350F for 9-15 mins until shrimps are pink

Serve by drizzling the cilantro lime sauce over the shrimp

 

Garlic Thyme Shrimp

4 Servings

Ingredients:
1 Lb peeled & deveined shrimp (16/20 tail on)
1 Large Lime (or 2 Tbl)
3 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Tbl Fresh Thyme (chopped)
4 Tbl Unsalted butter
1tsp salt
1tsp black pepper

Get cooking:
Using a large sauté pan melt all the butter
Add in all of the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and combine well
On medium heat add in all of the shrimp and coat well with the butter mixture
Squeeze in all of the lime juice and combine well
Cook for 15 min or until shrimp turns pink

Serve using pan juice as a drizzle

 

Herb Broiled Lobster Tail

2 Servings

Ingredients:
2- 3oz Lobster tail
2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
2 Tbl unsalted butter (room temp or soft, not melted)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (finely chopped)
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
.5 tsp salt
1tsp black pepper

Get cooking:
Preheat oven to 500F or broil setting
Herb butter: Combine well – all of the salt, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic & butter.
Lobster:
Using kitchen shears, butterfly the backs of the lobster tails
Use a fork to lift the meat up and halfway out of the shell
Add 1tbl of the herb butter on top of the meat of the lobster (1/2 TBL ea)
Cook buttered lobster tail in the oven for 3 min.

Serve by melting and drizzling the balance of the herb butter over the tails.

 

Herb Butter NY Strip Steak

2 Servings 

Ingredients:
2 8oz PDA N.Y strip steaks
3 Cloves Garlic (crushed with the side of the knife)
4 Tbl unsalted butter
5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
5-6 sprigs of fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1tsp salt
1tsp black pepper

Get cooking:
Combine salt and pepper and use this to season your steak on both sides
Using a very hot cast-iron pan or skillet, sear the steaks on both sides for approx. 5min each side. Do not remove steak from the pan.
Add in butter and tilt the pan to one side so that the butter gathers on the tilted side.
Add in garlic, thyme and rosemary then cook until garlic starts to turn brown. DO NOT BURN
Using a tablespoon bathe the steak with the melted garlic herb butter in the pan. If the butter stops sizzling slightly increase the heat and cook until the desired temp.
Let the steaks rest on a room temp surface for at least 10 mins before serving.

Serve topped with the warm roasted garlic herb butter that is in the pan.

Tax season has begun! We’ve started to mail out W-2 Forms; the guide below will show you how you can expect to receive them. There are three possible scenarios — find the one that applies to you to learn how you can receive your W-2 form.

SCENARIO 1: If you are an active Associate that signed up to receive your W-2 electronically before mid-October 2020:

Forgot your password? Visit bit.ly/passwordblog for simple instructions on how to recover it.

 

SCENARIO 2: If you are an active Associate who did not sign up to receive your W-2 electronically, or signed up after mid-October 2020:

Your W-2 Form will be mailed to your home address. Here are some key things to know:

• In November 2020, we requested addresses changes — the W-2 Forms will be sent to this address. If your address has changed and you did not notify Village, ask your store’s Bookkeeper for a change of address form.
• If your W-2 is sent to an undeliverable address, we will send them to your store to be picked up from your Bookkeeper. Please understand this will take some time as the undeliverable mail is sent back to the Main Office, which is then sorted and shipped to stores.
• If you sign up for electronic W-2’s now, you will be able to access them for tax year 2021. You will not be able to view your 2020 W-2 electronically this year.

 

SCENARIO 3: If you are a terminated Associate who did not receive your W-2 in the mail:

Visit paperlessemployee.com/wakefern to create an account. Once you create your account and login, you’ll see the same prompts as Steps 3 and 4 in Scenario 1.

 

If you tried these options and need further assistance, please contact Village.Payroll@wakefern.com.

This is the password you use to access your paystubs, W2 form, Axonify, Kronos, LINK, or PeopleSoft. It’s easy to manage yourself! Do not call the Wakefern Help Desk as they no longer handle password resets.

There are two ways to set up/reset your password:

1. You can visit myaccount.wakefern.com, or
2. You can download the Sailpoint app on your iPhone or Android device

They both do the same thing so it’s your choice!

That’s it! You don’t need to wait on hold with the Help Desk to manage your password. If you’d like more detailed information than is covered here, a complete help document is available here. Please contact your CSM if you need further assistance.

For over 80 years, Village Super Market, Inc. has been a proud supporter of local farmers. We believe that buying and eating local goes a long way in “Helping Families Live Better.“ Our stores receive local produce deliveries three times a week through our partnership with over 20 local farms in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

This year, we’re making a big push to emphasize our local produce items and we need your help to get this message to our customers!

 

Why is “local” important to our business?

According to Nielsen, 58% of consumers state that buying local produce is important to them:

Not only that, but U.S. consumers are increasingly concerned with food-related social issues and local tops the list:

Our customers have made it clear: “local” is important to them and affects the way they shop. They’re discovering the benefits of buying from farmers within their communities:

• Locally grown food tastes better. Produce harvested locally and more recently is fresher and has better flavor than produce that travels across the country.
• Local produce is better for you. Studies show that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.
• Eating local is better for the environment. When your food doesn’t travel long distances, you’re promoting better air quality and reducing pollution.
• Local food supports local farm families. When you buy local, you support family owned farms and as a result those families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.
• Local food preserves open space. Open farming lands will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.

 

How is Village involved with “local”?

In addition to our numerous partnerships and long-standing support of local farms, we offer our customers a huge variety of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs during the growing season, including…

Corn, Eggplant, Green & Yellow Squash, Cubanelle Peppers, Hot Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Cherry Peppers, Green Peppers, Plum Tomatoes, Jersey Tomatoes, Grape Tomatoes, Heirloom Tomatoes, Boston Lettuce, Cabbage, Basil, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Peaches (Regular & White), Nectarines (regular & white), Blueberries, and white Eggplant, and a full herb variety.

Our partner farms also provide certain items year-round:

• North Jersey – Edible Garden (Belvidere, NJ) for herbs and living lettuce.
• North Jersey – Aerofarms (Dream Greens) Newark, NJ – for greens.
• South Jersey – Fresh Water Greens (Shrewsbury, NJ) for herbs and living lettuce.

 

What can I do?

It’s all about the customer experience! It’s our job to improve the perception of our program so they understand that ShopRite is a prime destination for locally grown produce. It starts at the farm and ends with the dinner table, and we all have a role to play in the chain.

This year, we’re providing plenty of marketing materials to support you in the store, including ceiling danglers, farm stand displays, outdoor/indoor banners, window signs, and more! Your scanning departments will also receive “We ❤️ Local” 7×11 templates so we can proudly display our goods.

 

 

We’re also offering Jersey Fresh Produce Boxes this year as a convenient way for our customers to purchase a preselected set of fresh, local produce from our partner farms, which they can buy online or through our Deli & More App. They will also be in-store at select locations — check out this huddle topic for all the details.

Everyone should remember how locally grown products intersect with our business so you know why we care so much about it. It helps us to see things from the customers’ perspective, and allows us to bring new customers on board who may not yet know the benefits of local produce!

A great way to familiarize yourself with these products is to try them at home. We’ve come up with some simple, delicious recipes you can make with your family to taste the freshness for yourself! Click the image to watch or download a video of the recipe.