VIDEO: Whole Foods opens its doors for the first time in Palm Desert.
Sharing the joy and love of food became a reality for Whole Foods Palm Desert, which opened its doors Sept. 24.
A line of customers stood waiting well before the established 9 a.m. opening in marking the first Whole Foods store in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County.
“We satisfy and delight in satisfying our customers,” says Abbigaile Urioste, marketing team leader for Whole Foods. “We do have a set of core values in place, and not only do we speak about that but we live up to it.”
Whole Foods has incorporated 30 local vendors into its Palm Desert location.
“Sourcing locally is very important to us,” says Urioste. “It’s part of how we give back to the community. It’s also better for our shopper. The product is less traveled and you’re eating what is in seasonal to the environment we’re in.”
Whole Foods, 44-459 Town Center Way, Palm Desert. Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m daily. 760-797-8200, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/palmdesert
(From left) Whole Foods employees Crystal Palacios, Nataly Ritchie, Jose Escobar, and Ashley Zurita. Whole Foods customer Jose Delgado picks out some cheese. Whole Foods Palm Desert gives the grocery chain more than 360 stores nationally. (From left) Whole Foods employees Lena Pereira and Maria Mugica. (From left) Whole Foods customers Bart Montez, Liam Montez, and Jayden Montez. Whole Foods cashier checks out Linda Pearson and Melissa Pearson. The first customers enter Whole Foods' official grand opening Sept. 24. Palm Desert Mayor Van Tanner talks about the opening of Whole Foods. Whole Foods employees John Kirkpatrick (eft) and Gilbert Ayarb prep the fresh fish. (From left) Tracy Clow with Patrick Bradley, Whole Foods Market regional president. (From left) Whole Foods employees Jose Luis Rodriguez and Rachael Whiting. Serafina Palandech and Becky Miller help a Whole Foods customer. Whole Fooods employees Jordan Stalma and Victor Jalapan. (From left) Andre Lomeli, Abbigaile Urioste, marketing team leader with Whole Foods, and Nicholas Javier. Whole Foods customer Sally Nguyen. Palm Desert Mayor Van Tanner (left) with Jordan Schnitzer, president of Harsch Investment Properties. A table of specially branded Whole Foods bread greeted customers as they entered the store. Abbigaile Urioste, marketing team leader for Whole Foods, with Patrick Coyle, son of store manager Casey Coyle. (From left) Whole Foods employee Bernardino Oliva with customers Jack Beattie and Janet Beattie. Kristen Kirkegaard with customer Gary Faye. Wholes Foods stores open with a traditional breaking of the bread. (From left) Whole Foods employee Rosie Robinson hands out cookies to customers Helen Freeman and Gifford Barstow. (From left) Megan Jenkins and Elizabeth Nungaray. Whole Foods employees Rafael Rodriguez and Todd Pinner. Whole Foods customers Hilda Molina and Marlene Aguirre. Whole Foods employee John Kirkpatrick. Whole Foods employee Rebecca Rivas checks out customer Sky Renfro. Whole Foods employee Jennifer Caplinger servers customer Gerber Walters. Whole Foods customers Lori Koefer and Gigi Martin. Whole Foods employee David Owens. G. P. Gerber and Michelle Gerber. (From left) Thersa Olivares, Linda Coyle and Patrick Coyle. Whole Foods customers wait in line for the Palm Desert store to open Sept. 24. (From left) Whole Foods employees Ashleigh Bonilla and Shalene Davis. Whole Foods customers make their first purchases at the new store. Whole Foods employees applaud the entrance of customers. (From left) Patrick Bradley, Whole Foods Marketing Regional President; Casey Coyle, store manager at Palm Desert, and Mike Bowen. Whole Foods employee Robert Ramirez.