Winn-Dixie Lets Mardi Gras Good Times Roll
Let the good times roll with Winn-Dixie during Carnival season this year. The grocer is now offering freshly baked king cakes in more than 50 different varieties, including traditional cinnamon, cream cheese, strawberry and chocolate – as well as two new flavors, cannoli and Chantilly. (Photo: Business Wire)
Let the good times roll with Winn-Dixie during Carnival season this year. The grocer is honoring its long-standing heritage by celebrating time-honored traditions and flavors locals know and love. From king cakes to parades, Winn-Dixie has all the classic food and fun to make this year’s Mardi Gras memorable.
Jennifer Robertson, regional vice president, said, “We are incredibly proud to serve the unique communities in Louisiana for nearly 70 years. It is a privilege to honor the long-standing local traditions that make our home truly special, and we are excited to join hands with our neighbors to revel in the spirit of Mardi Gras again this year. This Carnival season, Winn-Dixie continues to celebrate the fun-filled culture and decadent flavors that connect us all to the heart of the Gulf Coast. Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
A Carnival season staple, Winn-Dixie is now offering freshly baked king cakes in more than 50 different varieties, including traditional cinnamon, cream cheese, strawberry and chocolate – as well as two new flavors, cannoli and Chantilly. To pair with its tasty and unique king cakes, Winn-Dixie also offers a variety of party-ready foods, including a selection of freshly prepared finger sandwiches and delicious assorted wings. Customers can conveniently shop for Mardi Gras themed décor and apparel, plus award-winning beer, wine and liquor options at their neighborhood stores.
Winn-Dixie is proud to infuse local stores with the spirit of Mardi Gras and celebrate with customers throughout the season by hosting several free events across the Gulf Coast. Local community members can enjoy fun-filled revelry to celebrate while they shop at their neighborhood stores. Festivities will include:
- King Cake Sampling in Louisiana: To give locals a taste of the season and energize their Carnival spirit, Winn-Dixie stores across Louisiana will host free king cake sampling events every Friday (Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9) from 5 to 7 p.m. leading up to Mardi Gras.
- Long Beach Winn-Dixie Pre-Parade Party: Ahead of the Carnival Association of Long Beach’s annual Mardi Gras night parade, the Winn-Dixie store, located at 109 N. Cleveland Ave. in Long Beach, Miss., will host a family friendly community party on Saturday, Feb. 3 from 3 to 6 p.m.with music and delicious food for pre-parade snacking.
- King Cake Decorating Parties in Greater New Orleans and Pensacola areas: Select Winn-Dixie stores in the greater New Orleans and Pensacola areas will host free king cake decorating parties on Saturday, Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for families to revel in the season together.
- Airline Drive Winn-Dixie: 5901 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70003
- Luling Winn-Dixie: 12125 U.S. Highway 90, Luling, LA 70070
- Covington Winn-Dixie: 2100 Collins Blvd., Suite 132, Covington, LA 70433
- Gramercy Winn-Dixie: 1803 LA Highway 3125, Gramercy, LA 70052
- Eastgate Winn-Dixie: 7135 N. Ninth Ave., Pensacola, FL 32504
- Cantonment Marketplace Winn-Dixie: 1550 S. U.S. Highway 29, Cantonment, FL 32533
- Meet-and-Greet with Local Artist, Becky Fos: In partnership with Coca-Cola, Winn-Dixie will host four meet-and-greet events for customers to receive a free signed print from popular local artist Becky Fos in select Louisiana and Mississippi stores:
- Wednesday, Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kenner Winn-Dixie, located at 2104 Williams Blvd., Kenner, LA 70062
- Wednesday, Jan. 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mandeville Winn-Dixie, located at 4100 LA Highway 59, Mandeville, LA 70471
- Thursday, Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Gause Blvd. Winn-Dixie, located at 2985 Gause Blvd., Slidell, LA 70461
- Thursday, Feb. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.at the Gulfport Winn-Dixie, located at 11312 U.S. Highway 49, Gulfport, MS 39503
On Feb. 13, Mardi Gras day, Winn-Dixie will join two krewes in Louisiana to celebrate with parade-goers. Neighbors are encouraged to look for the Winn-Dixie float at the Krewe of Bogue Falaya in Covington and the Krewe of Argus in Metairie. Riders will throw the grocer’s signature items including specialty beads and cups, SE Grocers snacks, Winn-Dixie swag items and coupons. Local stores will remain open during normal business hours on Fat Tuesday to serve customers as they partake in the merrymaking.
With nearly 100 years of experience serving southeastern communities, Winn-Dixie remains steadfast in its goal to provide customers with a localized experience focused on superior value and convenience. The grocer is committed to providing extensive selections of local favorites and everyday brands with winning prices to make every “making groceries” experience easy and convenient. For more information, customers are encouraged to visit www.winndixie.com.
Founded in 1925, Winn-Dixie grocery stores and liquor stores serve communities throughout five southeastern states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is a subsidiary of Southeastern Grocers, an omnichannel retailer and one of the largest conventional supermarket companies in the U.S., serving customers in brick-and-mortar grocery stores and liquor stores as well as online with convenient grocery delivery and curbside pickup throughout the Southeast.
Southeastern Grocers Inc. parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is an omnichannel retailer and one of the largest conventional supermarket companies in the U.S., serving customers in brick-and-mortar grocery stores and liquor stores as well as online with convenient grocery delivery and curbside pickup throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and caring associates and a strong commitment to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, visit www.frescoymas.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
For more news of interest to the grocery industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Sprinkles Promotes Murakami to Chief Operating Officer
Sprinkles Bakeries and Picnik Restaurants has promoted Justin Murakami to chief operating officer, recognizing his exemplary contributions and leadership in steering operational growth and innovation. His promotion signals a pivotal phase in executing Sprinkles’ growth strategies domestically and internationally.
Dan Mesches, president and CEO, lauded Justin’s appointment, affirming, “Justin’s strategic foresight and operational expertise have been instrumental in our company’s success, especially in expanding Sprinkles’ global footprint and Picnik’s domestic expansion. We’re confident that under Justin’s leadership, we’ll continue to exceed expectations, scale efficiently and solidify our position as industry leaders.”
Since joining Sprinkles in 2017, Justin swiftly became an integral part of the company’s evolution. His instrumental role in developing and implementing foundational systems and processes laid the groundwork in expanding the brand’s physical footprint with both company-owned and franchised locations, domestically and internationally.
Notably, under his stewardship, Justin took the brand’s iconic cupcake ATMs beyond their brick and mortar locales and launched the non-traditional Cupcake ATM business. With over 50 ATMs and counting, Sprinkles ATMs can be found in airports, malls and lifestyle centers across the country. Justin was also instrumental in the successful launch of Sprinkles’ National Shipping Program, creating another channel for significant growth.
With an impressive career spanning 25 years in the hospitality sector, Justin has navigated through the ranks starting as a host, then becoming a GM at the Cheesecake Factory to an Area Director overseeing multiple brands with Lettuce Entertain You and Hopdoddy Burger Bar. His vast experience has honed his abilities and insights, propelling him to craft and fortify infrastructures conducive to sustained business growth.
As COO, Murakami will lead operations, training, supply chain, culinary, franchise operations and new bakery and restaurant openings. His responsibilities include partnering with cross-functional departments, identifying opportunities and gaps, formulating and implementing robust processes and systems to ensure scalability and ease for the team.
Murakami expressed his enthusiasm about the promotion, stating, “Assuming the role of chief operating officer at Sprinkles and Picnik is a tremendous honor. I am devoted to leveraging our team’s strengths, harnessing operational excellence, and charting a growth trajectory that maintains our commitment to exceptional guest experiences. I am excited about the opportunity to not only drive innovation and sustainable expansion for our business, but to continue nurturing and developing the people I work with every day.”
For more news of interest to the bakery industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Walker’s Shortbread Leader Marjorie Henderson Walker Dies
Marjorie Henderson Walker, who grew her family’s business Walker’s Shortbread “from one village bakery employing 20 people into an international business employing over 1,000 people,” died peacefully in Aberlour, Scotland, on Oct. 22.
The company posted an obituary on its website:
Marjorie, fondly known as ‘Marj’, was born in Inverness on 17th July 1940, daughter of the late James and Winnie Walker, a younger sister of Joe and older sister to James.
Marjorie is survived by her son David, daughter in law Beverley, grandson Josh and great grandchildren, Evie and Jack. Sadly her younger grandson Brodie passed away in 2018 at the age of 23.
Since she was a child, Marjorie had a huge love of all things nature – the countryside, farming, birds and animals, with a particular love of both horses and dogs.
Marjorie attended school in her home village of Aberlour. After school, Marjorie followed her passion attending equestrian schools in both the Cotswolds and Germany. During her time in Germany, Marjorie unfortunately suffered a bad knee injury, which ruled out the equestrian career she had dreamed of.
In 1962, Marjorie returned home to Speyside and joined her family business Walker’s Shortbread. She was made a full partner in the business with brothers Joe and Jim and was one of the three founding directors in 1980, when the Limited Company was formed.
During her 40 year career with the business Marjorie did a fantastic job for the company. She oversaw administration, and in the early days attended key events and food shows as the Walker’s brand was beginning to grow. As time went on, she managed the finances, and took on the role of Company Secretary later in her tenure. Marjorie also passionately managed the company’s five bakery shops, a responsibility which she greatly enjoyed, and they thrived under her management.
Marjorie was a real people person, like her father, and was full of kindness. Marjorie was popular with staff and managed customer relationships very well, in the process making good friends both at home and abroad. She was a composed and magnificent ambassador for the family business and an accomplished bridge-builder when there were disagreements to overcome.
Marjorie’s role in the development of Walker’s was highly significant and she was both a motivated and motivational businesswoman. During her time with the business, it grew from one village bakery employing 20 people into an international business employing over 1,000 people.
With great enthusiasm for animals and agriculture, Marjorie fulfilled her lifelong ambition of buying a farm with her son David who manages the farm to this day. Marjorie was a loving mother to her son David, and later to her grandsons Josh and Brodie all of whom she adored and championed passionately.
Marjorie was enormously loved by many people around the world, especially colleagues and customers. She will always be remembered as a fun-loving passionate and dynamic woman who will never be forgotten.