Price Chopper Holiday Entertaining Event

Last Updated on September 23, 2020 by Ellen Christian

So you may remember me mentioning that I was invited to the Price Chopper Holiday Entertaining Event last Friday (11/4/11). Now that things have settled down a bit, I wanted to give you a sneak peek into all of the fun I had. For those that don’t know, Price Chopper is a supermarket chain and one of my favorites.

The event was held in Price Chopper’s Schenectady, New York office building. When we first arrived we were taken to a huge conference room. Around the edges of the room were tables that each featured one of Price Choppers departments. There were tables for flowers, baked goods, meat, seafood, sliced meats and cheese, produce, soups, coffee, etc. I think I gained weight just looking at all that food.

We were encouraged to visit each table and sample some of their delicious foods. I had no idea that Price Chopper could put together so many different types of platters and desserts to help with holiday entertaining. I was also thrilled to find out that some Price Choppers carry Boar’s Head meats which are gluten free. Unfortunately, my location in Rutland, Vermont does not carry Boar’s Head. I really hope they change that soon because Boar’s Head is amazing.

One of my favorite tables was the dessert/bakery table (of course). I have never seen so many unbelievably decadent looking desserts in one place in my entire life. Price Chopper has a whole dessert menu you can choose from when planning your party including cakes, tiramisu, croissants, eclairs, cheesecakes, bombes, cupcakes, fruit tarts, pies, coffee cakes and cannolis! They also have seasonal desserts that change with each holiday/season as well. As much as I love baking, I know that one of these desserts would surely wow my guests.

We also got to visit the meat table where we learned some hints on safe meat handling and how to properly prepare and carve different cuts of meat. No Price Chopper meat has any water or salt added, ever. We had the opportunity to sample some of the Certified Angus Beef which just melted in my mouth. I learned that for the best flavor, you should look for marbling in the meat for added juiciness and tenderness. Their All Natural Beef is fed a 100% vegetarian grass and grain diet with no hormones, anitbiotics or artificial ingredients.

There were so many fantastic tables to visit and learn about while we were there and everyone was super nice to talk to and willing to teach us new things. I learned that when you put together a cheese plate you should start with a mild cheese like Brie and finish with a stronger cheese. Did you know the inside of the cheese of called a paste and the outside is a flurry? Make sure you add nuts, figs or grapes to your cheese plate as well. If you don’t want to make your own, they can make one for you at Price Chopper.

We also learned a bunch of neat holiday entertaining tips. There a lots of ways to save time including preparing things ahead and freezing what you can. Dry ingredients can be assembled ahead of time as well. Another great tip is to make sure you have enough ice. You need to have one pound of ice per person. You can use a permanent marker to write your guest’s names on a disposable cup to help avoid the spread of germs. For those looking to watch calories, graham cracker crust has less fat than a traditional pastry crust. Use low fat cheese and dairy products and make sure to cook your meat on a rack instead of letting it sit in the drippings while it cooks.

At the end of the event, there was a raffle where lots of people won flowers, wreaths, fruit baskets and gift baskets. I was lucky enough to win a gift basket!  Everyone also got a cheese board, cheese spreader, sausage and five blocks of imported cheese.  Then they brought out big shopping bags full of some of the Price Chopper products you find around the store including a cookie sheet, a Bialetti eco-friendly sautee pan, potato chips, frosting, chocolate chips & lots more.

Check out this cool spider shaped bread. Isn’t he adorable!  I had such an amazing time and met a lot of other bloggers in this area.  You can check out all my photos on Google+.

Disclaimer – I attended this event free of charge and received gifts as disclosed.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.