Kings Location Adds Wine & Spirits Store
Kings Food Markets is marking the May 2 grand reopening of its Ridgewood, N.J., store, which now features a wine and spirits store, with a weekend-long tasting event for the surrounding community. The event will enable customers to visit the refurbished location and learn about the best pairings from Kings' wine and spirits team, headed by wine, cheese and specialty food expert John Coleman. The store offers more than 600 wines, 250 liquors and a variety of local and craft beers.
To fill the position of fine wine and spirits manager at the store, Kings has hired Paul Guarino, a local executive chef and wine expert. Bringing more than 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry to his new role, Guarino owned and managed the Beverage Barn in Northvale, N.J., for 10 years and attended the Culinary Institute of America in 1995. His most recent position was an 11-year stint as general manager and executive chef at the Colonial Inn in Norwood, N.J.
"Paul is a great addition to our team," said Kings President and CEO Judy Spires. "He is going to make Ridgewood's new wine and spirits department the ultimate destination for our shoppers, providing them with a unique opportunity to not only purchase their favorite specialty cheeses, 'top-of-the-catch' seafood, fresh and organic produce, quality meats -- as well as all of Kings' other gourmet food offerings -- but also select combinations of fine wines, spirits and local craft beers to pair with that food. Between the new offerings and Paul's extensive knowledge, our shoppers in Ridgewood will now have the perfect resource for all their entertaining needs, whether that's just dinner with the family or party for friends and neighbors."
Ridgefield, N.J., Kings Reopens
The reopening ceremony will feature the upscale grocer's signature pasta-ribbon cutting ceremony and special remarks from Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn, as well as Spires, Kings COO Rich Durante, and Store Manager Vince Gramuglia. Among the store's other new features are a mezze bar and an outdoor café.
In honor of the occasion, the company will also make a monetary donation to the Ridgewood Social Service Association, a not-for-profit organization that assists local residents with food supplies and other services, and launch a one-week food drive on May 3 to benefit the Ridgewood Social Service Association's food pantry.
Additionally, as part of the grand-reopening activities, on May 2, customers can receive free in-store consultations from nutritionist Deborah Orlick Levy and take part in an in-store contest and giveaway of three culinary baskets, each including recommended beer, wine and liquor pairings and a $100 Kings gift card to purchase selected alcoholic beverages (for shoppers 21 and older).
Parsippany, N.J.-based Kings operates 25 stores in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.