Ghirardelli...A Pox on your House! (A HUGH!!!!11 Rant)

[KitchenWitch]

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One of the winter solstice cookies I bake calls for chocolate mint wafers (think large chocolate chip only dark chocolate with a hint of mint in the chocolate :9 ). Anyhow, it has been near impossible to find the wafers for a few years. Last year I found them at Trader Joe's and I was practically dancing in the streets (these are by far my favorite solstice cookie). So I made a couple of batches of the cookies last year and all was happy here.

Today I went to Trader Joe's to go pick up the wafers and they were not in stock. So I asked the manager when they were going to get them in, and he said that Ghirardelli (Trader Joe's' supplier for that particular item) was no longer making them, but they were trying to find another vendor.

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Bah Humbug.

I want my black eyed suzies! :cry:

[Cabcere]

1. I felt the same way when Coke Blak was discontinued.

x( Seriously, I loved that stuff (although apparently I was in the minority). :( :hug:

[KitchenWitch]

2. I am so mad.

I can't bake my cookies...

x(

[Cabcere]

3. I know, that really sucks.

:( (Btw, I wasn't trying to be sarcastic - it really is frustrating when you can't get something that you like and were counting on being able to obtain.) :hug:

[KitchenWitch]

8. I did not take your post as sarcastic!

You are good with me... :D

[Cabcere]

10. OK, cool

:) After I posted it, I realized it might have come across that way...and it's hard to tell on teh internetz sometimes, you know. ;) :hi:

[KitchenWitch]

11. Yah.

I haz a pretty thick skin on here, because of that!

:D

[TommyO]

22. I was in the test market area for Pepsi Kona

Picture a perfect blend of cola and coffee flavors. Not surprisingly it didn't make it.

[begin_within]

4. Ghirardelli chocolate is icky anyway. It's like brown wax. Can't you just substitute

any mint wafers?

[KitchenWitch]

7. If I could find them

They are more like large flat chocolate chips (1 inch in diameter) than mint wafers. They have been exceedingly hard to find of late.

[begin_within]

12. Is there a Henry's Market near you? They have bulk bins with all kinds of candies

Henry's Market might have something very similar to the Ghiardelli chips you need.

Store locator: http://www.henrysmarkets.com/h/find/

Or, possibly Tom's Farms along I-15 just south of Corona, in Riverside County might have it, they have a large candy section.

http://www.tomsfarms.com/page/TF1/CTGY/Chocolates

[KitchenWitch]

13. I will check at the Costa Mesa store

I have to make an IKEA run anyway...

[begin_within]

15. Well, if we don't hear from you in a month,

we'll organize a search expedition all on one rope through IKEA.

[KitchenWitch]

26. I am back from both stores.

I had no idea about the wonderfulness that is Henry's. Back in MN, some of the regular stores have the bulk food bin area. And I have been searching for the same thing here, to no avail. Yes, I have gone to Whole Paycheck, but even their bulk food is expensive.

I love the bulk food section at Henry's!

:woohoo:

They did not have the mint chocolate wafers though, but they had CFL lightbulbs in packages of 4 for $1.99.

I am going to order the wafers online.

[begin_within]

28. Henry's is a godsend to me. It's like a Whole Foods market, but for real people.

Between the bulk food section and the fresh produce, you can eat very well, and healthfully, for a reasonable budget - if you're willing to cook all the time. They really do have quality fruits and vegs. all year, at prices substantially less than supermarkets like Vons and Ralphs, and lots of specialty health foods at prices lower than Whole Foods. Between Trader Joe's, Henrys and Costco you probably never need to go anywhere else for food. Sorry you didn't find any mint wafers though.

[KitchenWitch]

29. Yah, no mint wafers, but THANK YOU for turning me on to Henry's

I have so been looking for a store like Henry's since I got down here.

[begin_within]

32. You're welcome - there is an odd story about Henry's

Henry's is a California chain that started 30 years ago as "Boney's" and has about 35 stores. Wild Oats, the midwestern chain similar to Henrys, based in Boulder, Colorado, bought the Henry's chain, I think in 1999. But they still kept them as Henry's. Early this year, Whole Foods bought the entire Wild Oats company, and thus became the owners of the Henry's market. Originally, Whole Foods announced that they were going to "rebrand" all the Henry's stores to be Whole Foods stores. I thought that was the end of it all, for me, since Whole Foods is too expensive for me. But they never did that conversion, and recently sold off the 35 Henry's stores, so Whole Foods is no longer the owner. I'm not sure who owns the Henry's chain now. But they did remodel a lot of the Henry's stores, the one near me has a more upscale look and stocks a lot of things they never used to, but the prices don't seem to have changed all that much.

[haele]

34. Side note - there are two of the orignal "Boneys" still around - one around

North San Diego County, one in town, and one off 805 and El Cajon Blvd that been renamed "Pancho Villa's" - but that one is more a local produce store + generic IGA type store/Mexican foods than the normal Boneys. All three are owned by the cousin who kept the stores and the family name instead of "incorporating", then later selling to Wild Oats as happened to the stores left to the children.

Haele

[begin_within]

35. I shop at the Pancho Villas market on El Cajon Boulevard about once a week.

Great selection of Mexican foods, and an in-store tortilla factory. A good enough produce section, with an excellent selection of chilis both fresh and dried. However, not as many produce items to choose from as at a Boney's/Henry's market, even though the produce section of Pancho Villas is supplied by Henry's. The Henry's market just about 1 mile to the west has a larger selection of produce items, but not as many fresh or dried chilis. Great mangos though, at certain times! That market on El Cajon Blvd. was a Food Basket grocery store when I first moved here 25 years ago, then it became a Lucky store, then it was an Albertsons', then it closed down and was empty for at least one year before opening up as Pancho Villa's market. Now it's packed with people all the time and the prices are good, but the customers can be a little pushy and there are often little kids running around. But it's still a great place for avocadoes and fresh tortillas.

[Tektonik]

5. Get back to C&B!

[KitchenWitch]

9. WOOHOO

eleny totally rocks.

:D

My Solstice is Saved.

:woohoo:

[Maine-ah]

6. they're full o'shit. they still make 'em

http://www.ghirardelli.com/foodservice/specialty.aspx

look at the bottom where it says "specialty industrial"

if you have a local foodservice they may have them in stock or special order them for you. I used to work for a foodservice (husband still does) and they do this kind of thing all the time.

[KitchenWitch]

14. Yah,

They probably did not want to sell them to Trader Joe's anymore...

[Adsos Letter]

16. Here, this may help...

:D

[Lady Freedom]

17. Try using dark chocolate and mint flavoring

works for me with some of my recipes.

[Connonym]

18. Could you provide the recipe?

Sounds fabulous. Of course if I can't find the damned chips it will taunt me but still...

[KitchenWitch]

19. I will PM it to you either today or tomorrow.

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. Ooooh! Those sound so delish!

[VenusRising]

21. I saw some of them at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

I can't remember exactly which one. Maybe you can call your local store and check.

I'm sorry for you, though. I search high and low for the Hershey's raspberry chocolate chips every year. Sometimes I can find them, most times I can't. x(


:hug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

23. You can order them

http://shop.ghirardelli.com/product-exec/product_id/161/nm/Ghirardelli_Logo_Tube_with_Milk_or_Mint_Wafers

[KitchenWitch]

24. Thank you!

Must not have clicked on the right spot on the Ghirardelli site. Wonder why they no longer will make them for Trader Joe's?

[Marrah_G]

25. Yikes

Step away from the cauldron slowly!

http://shop.ghirardelli.com/product-exec/product_id/268/nm/Intense_Dark_Mint_Bliss

Maybe they can over night you some?

[Oeditpus Rex]

27. R U aware that you're disrighteously bashing

one of San Francisco's most coolest and belovedest bidnesses? x(

[KitchenWitch]

30. I am completely and entirely aware of that.

In fact, when I was a wee teenager, I actually toured the factory.

:D

[Oeditpus Rex]

31. Ah

Well... okay, then.









Why is there no "Righteous wind sucked completely out of sails" smilie? :shrug:

[KitchenWitch]

33. Well I have now found a solution to my problem

I have ordered the wafers online...

And if you like to bake cookies, here is a thread with the awesome recipe.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x7209054