Tag Archives: Mitchell’s Independent

Here is Someone Else Who Won Free Groceries at Independent Last Week

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From–Did You Win Free Groceries in Carleton Place Yesterday?

Another winner has come forward! This was one of the people that won free groceries at Mitchell’s Independent store in Carleton Place last Sunday. The folks that won also made a matching donation to our Lanark County Food Bank.  So thank you for sharing!

If you won free groceries last week let me know!!

Author’s Note: Did you know that everyone behind the rope who was not eligible for the free groceries still got a $25 Independent gift certificate from Jeff Mitchell?

Donate to the Lanark County Food Bank every week if you can and especially take part in the challenge on November 12th–The Food Drive Blitz is coming!!

Related stories—

Did You Win Free Groceries in Carleton Place Yesterday?

Here is Someone Who Won Free Groceries at Independent

Donate to the Lanark County Food Bank November 12th–The Food Drive Blitz is coming!!

 

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Here is Someone Who Won Free Groceries at Independent

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From–Did You Win Free Groceries in Carleton Place Yesterday?

I received this yesterday from a customer who was one of the people that won free groceries at Mitchell’s Independent store in Carleton Place on Sunday. They would like to remain anonymous-but here is how they felt and what happened. So thank you for sharing!

 

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The store was having “market madness” and handing out free samples. There was also a quartet band playing and cake being served at the entrance to the store.  When were in the checkout line, a group of employees and the owner/manager of the store came to the front with confetti canons.  They were yelling excitedly and then the owner/manager gave a speech about supporting local community and the store.  Then he announced that everyone in line at all of the cashes would be getting their groceries for free.  It was pretty fantastic.  Our bill was close to $200 and they were covering up to $250 per person without any charges.  It was a complete surprise and very much appreciated.

Author’s Note: Did you know that everyone behind the rope who was not eligible for the free groceries still got a $25 Independent gift certificate from Jeff Mitchell?

 

Did You Win Free Groceries in Carleton Place Yesterday?

Did You Win Free Groceries in Carleton Place Yesterday?

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At high noon yesterday something wonderful happened at your local Mitchell’s Independent store in Carleton Place.  I had been in the store earlier grocery shopping and had heard all the managers had been called in to work– so felt something was afoot.  In fact, I later heard that the managers and employees didn’t know what was going to happen until 10 minutes before it was announced!

 

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So what happened?  They gave out free groceries to all the customers who were standing in line at the checkout! That’s right– your grocery order was free! If you got free groceries yesterday –I would love to hear your story– so drop me a line if you did so we can share your happiness with Lanark County– no the world!

 

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Sigh–I was two hours too early but I did get pieces of cake for me and Steve and an awesome awesome hat. Thanks Martha Linklater McNeely- I took this picture for you..LOL I can balance two pieces of cake on a grocery order. LOL

Thanks to Joyce and Jeff Mitchell and all the wonderful staff for such a treat to Carleton Place.. So don’t forget to email me if you won groceries

sav_77@yahoo.com

 

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Janice Tennant Campbell just sent this photo my way: Thanks Janice!!!!! I can’t do this alone!

Hi Linda I just noticed you story about CP Independent. I was there later in the afternoon so unfortunately missed out on the free groceries. However there was a live band entertaining us while I was there. Thought you might be interested.

 

 

Related stories

Meet Jeff Mitchell from Mitchell’s Independent Grocery Store

Don’t Be a Banana Beater- We’ve Got Juice!

Sometimes You Just Have to Write About Doughnuts

Found– Maple Bacon Doughnuts in Carleton Place

Does an Upscale Look Cost You at the Grocery Checkout?

 

Don’t Be a Banana Beater- We’ve Got Juice!

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Happy Honey Dew Melon! We’ve got a fresh pressed Juice Bar in town. It hit me Sunday when I walked in there.

Mitchell’s Independent in Carleton Place is offering us an alternative, serving up fresh, healthy and nutritious options. From what I can see their juice selection will be created entirely from fresh fruit & vegetables. Ideal for the fast moving, urban set looking to compliment their active lifestyle with easy, healthy, cool and on the go choices. Memories of California for me…

On the other hand let’s not forget those Maple Bacon doughnuts!!! Or was it the Caramel Salted Chocolate… naaa I think it was the Peanut Butter Chocolate..

I mean healthy is as healthy does LOL

 

 

Related Reading

Sometimes You Just Have to Write About Doughnuts

Found– Maple Bacon Doughnuts in Carleton Place

Meet Jeff Mitchell from Mitchell’s

Serge Robichaud – Know Thy Carleton Place Neighbour

Does an Upscale Look Cost You at the Grocery Checkout?

 

Sometimes You Just Have to Write About Doughnuts

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Today I wrote a piece about our beloved Lanark County icon Carman Lalonde and then finished a short speech for the Dunlop/ Walsh dedication Saturday at 10am. Both subjects have been deep in my heart for the past couple of days. One was a beloved friend, and the other –a 52-year-old promise is about to be realized Saturday in Carleton Place. Add that to seeing my niece today for the first time in 20 years today– and well you get the drift.

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Right now I am looking at the screen mentally exhausted and I figure another subject might stop the emotions I am feeling now.  So, let’s talk about doughnuts.

As you know I covered the ever important Maple Bacon Doughnut from Mitchell’s Independent last week, and this week I tried the Peanut Butter Chocolate one.

Moist doughnut covered in rich dark chocolate topped with a sweet peanut butter glaze swirls. These practically taste like Reese’s. I am sure these peanut butter/ chocolate doughnuts are sure to start your day off right when you have them for breakfast. But don’t quote me on that.

Next week the Salted Chocolate Caramel whatever one🙂 Or you can try it for me and send me your opinion:)

If you see Jeff Mitchell ask to see his finger- Now that’s a story! A painful one.

 

 

Found– Maple Bacon Doughnuts in Carleton Place

Found– Maple Bacon Doughnuts in Carleton Place

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I was in Mitchell’s Independent today in Carleton Place and low and behold in the rear of the bakery department were Maple Bacon Donuts— also Chocolate Glazed Salted Caramel and Chocolate Peanut Butter ones too.

I assume they will be not be making them every single day, but they were good. They are not the heavily iced luxurious ones I have had at Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland Oregon-but you know what?  For the price–they will do LOL! I wish I could have taken a picture, but they were scoffed down pronto, they were so delicious. However, they do look like the photo above.

Author’s note–Jeff– not enough bacon LOLOL– One can never have enough bacon.

 

Update- from Joyce and Jeff Mitchell on those Maple doughnuts.

Hi linda I will be sure to tell the bakery to add more BACON…..We just started making these, and i was fortunate to do the first taste test! We are going to have them available for demos for everyone to try within the next few weeks! Sara the bakery manager says she makes them every day for the bulk unit!

 

RELATED READING

Meet Jeff Mitchell from Mitchell’s Independent Grocery Store

Serge Robichaud – Know Thy Carleton Place Neighbour

Does an Upscale Look Cost You at the Grocery Checkout?

Lisa Occomore’s Left Breast — First World Problems

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I used to write just about politics, crime and humour, but sometimes you just need to take a break from the history and today is the day. I just HAD to do this..:)

Our Carleton Place Valley Granite and Tile gal Lisa Occomore posted this picture on Facebook today with the caption:

“Yesterday we got home from the grocery store and I slipped into something more comfy. Started lunch, but I noticed something that has me scared…

Is it normal to have one breast bigger than the other????

I normally don’t post provocative photos but I’m seriously worried”.

 

First of all Lisa, why would you post about such a private matter girl? Have some dignity! But, if you are going to get down to basics I just love the 34Fs and 32A’s I buy at Mitchell’s Independent Grocers. Personally I believe it just means that the butcher was left handed that day and slapped those bigger breasts as a bonus in the container.

I swear, get women talking about their chicken breasts and one thing quickly becomes apparent. Hardly any of us are happy with what the grocery store gives us. Some of us feel our chicken breasts are too big, some too small. But what if, like Lisa, your chicken breasts are different sizes and oddly shaped?

A recent survey suggested 99 per cent of us buy different sized breasts to some degree, with a staggering 40 per cent of us return some of them that are two cup sizes bigger than the other. It’s such a hot topic that there are hundreds of online forums and support groups for chicken breast sufferers.

Actually Lisa, it’s something I’ve been only too aware of since my early-20s, when I finished puberty, but I thought no one else had noticed. But, a former boyfriend informed me at a Christmas party many years ago that he enjoyed my Barbecue chicken plate especially the breasts on the left side, ‘because there was more to look at’. I was horrified — not only at his lechery, but the fact that my uneven purchases were so visible. Since then, like you Lisa I’ve done everything I can to disguise it and make it an awareness issue.

So why the wonkiness in chicken breasts? Well, no one really knows, although genetics are thought to play a part and chickens possibly going through pregnancy and menopause — both hormonal events — can lead to a change even in non-matching breasts.

Interestingly, it is the left breast that is the more common one to fill out in abundance. This is because it is placed near the heart, and there are more arteries, veins and a protective layer of fat surrounding the heart located beneath it. We also all have a muscularly stronger side, too, normally the one which you write with.  This makes sense to anyone being left-handed, and on closer inspection I found a left thigh on a recent chicken purchase looked chunkier, too. At this point I decided to give up looking for other failings of symmetry.

We just have to make peace with the fact that sometimes you get one smaller than the other, no matter where you shop. Of course sometimes you can get a complete chicken that is lopsided too. In real life buying a bra is a nightmare, and so is buying chicken!

Incidentally, I personally have one breast bigger than the other, more noticeable since menopause, and lately have been looking for choices on how to disguise the obvious. I was very pleased to find this informative piece on Facebook this morning and know I’m not the only one with a ‘querk’. Apart from a close shave with a hungry husband, a chicken fillet and the George Foreman grill, I’m thrilled with the solution. My assets and chicken breasts are finally back on a level playing field.

But, isn’t it really what’s on the inside that counts?

So Lisa, just call it a variety pack and move on. Next week we shall talk about the bull’s testicles (*Rocky Mountain Oysters) and which one is bigger. I hear it’s the middle one.

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*What are Rocky Mountain oysters? They are that part of the bull that is removed in his youth so that he may thereby be more tractable, grow meatier, and behave less masculine. When the calves are branded, the testicles are cut off and thrown in a bucket of water. They are then peeled, washed, rolled in flour and pepper, and fried in a pan. They are considered to be quite a delicacy. Like other organ meats, testicles may be cooked in a variety of ways – deep-fried whole, cut into broad, thin slices, or marinated. At roundups in the old West, cowboys and ranch hands tossed the meat on a hot iron stove. When the calf fries exploded, they were done?

Eating animal genitalia dates back to ancient Roman times, when it was believed that eating a healthy animal’s organ might correct some ailment in the corresponding human organ of the male person eating it. Because of this belief, the practice continues to the present day, especially in Asia, where animal genitalia are considered an aphrodisiac.

The rugged folks of the Rocky Mountain region are not squeamish. Testicle festivals are held every spring and fall in Montana. These festivals can be very rowdy and may not be the best place to bring your children. If you can’t get to a festival, many restaurants and bars in Montana, Idaho, and Kansas serve Rocky Mountain oysters all year long and with less fanfare.

Relate reading:

Can We Please Stand Up and Cheer Valley Granite & Tile?

Does an Upscale Look Cost You at the Grocery Checkout?

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Mitchell’s Independent grand opening in Carleton Place was this past weekend. For months we have watched the renovations transpire and now that it’s done, instead of congratulations I hear some locals complain that prices are going to increase to pay for those renovations. Food is expensive enough now some say, so why would I want to pay more for the sake of décor? I try to be fair to everyone, but I do get annoyed when I see improvements to make Carleton Place a better place get knocked around. First of all Mitchell’s will not personally raise their prices because everything is governed from the head office, which dictates store prices.

As for rising prices, more and more produce and grocery items are now being imported from the USA. Local distributors are now even sourcing from Mexico and elsewhere, and as summer and fall now turn to winter, produce prices will increase as well. How about looking at that box of Special K Original in big letters, where on the bottom it says new recipe and now imported. To put it simply, a decline in our dollar means it costs more to import food as it is all paid in US funds, so that is why your prices are creeping up — don’t blame your grocer– we need to get back to business in Canada.

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WalMart is waging a battle on the discount end and American company, Whole Foods entry into Canada is now commanding the higher-end market. The conventional grocers are now shifting their interests from discount chains to sprucing up existing mid-market spaces like our local Independent store. Instead of adding square footage, the majority of the spending is moving towards renovations. This is all being done to meet the pressures of more sophisticated consumer demands for what has been called “on-trend” experiences. Shopping habits have changed; if they can’t get it on the internet, most consumers now want it all under one roof. Staying in business these days means staying fresh, staying relevant–and meeting that demand for convenience.

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If you live in a city, then competition is the name of the game. In rural settings an all inclusive store is a necessity. In the end it will be the consumer who determines who thrives or falls. if you are going to compare a Canadian company like Mitchell’s Independent to discount grocers then don’t, because that is not what they are. They have competing prices if you take the time to check local flyers. You know, that’s what’s great about a free economy – you have the freedom to make your own choices about where to buy; but please don’t make assumptions about prices. Compare and choose for yourself.

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Adam Dowdall from Producefreshaa

Jeff Mitchell and his family chose to bring the Independent store in Carleton Place up to a caliber you only find in the city. Heck, they even added a Joe Fresh outlet and hired more local employees. They put their money where their mouth is and to misquote a great song “they’re here for a long time not a short time.” Mitchell’s Independent packaged up choice and quality and brought it to a place where you walk out onto the dock on a summer night in cottage country. What more can you ask for? Thank you for caring about Carleton Place!

Job well done!

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What is Jeff Mitchell eating?

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Okay a picture of the paninis was necessary

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Serge Robichaud and Joyce Mitchell

RELATED READING FOR IMPROVING CARLETON PLACE AND BELIEVE YOU ME WHAT THE MITCHELLS DID WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND..

Dream 1 for Carleton Place–

Back to the Future— Carleton Place—- Project Tim Horton’s

Crikeys! The Elves Have Been Busy in Carleton Place

Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place

Serge Robichaud – Know Thy Carleton Place Neighbour

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Years ago I used to know all my neighbours. I was lucky to have great people like: Mrs. Cummings, Laurel McCann, the Johnstones, and the Nephins live near me. Joyce and Stuart White lived across the street, and Howard McNeely’s sister, Muriel Simpson, lovingly ruled us all like Margaret Thatcher.

I have to admit after many years I lost track who lived where. I still miss the bagpipes that I used to hear daily, and when some short-term neighbour told me it was “the little, old, white haired ladies that you had to keep an eye on” I gave up.

What do you really know about your neighbour? I have to admit I knew very little about my Carleton Place Person of the Day until a few years ago. I could see he was a family man, because I waved to his kids playing road hockey on Brick Street. But, it wasn’t until I talked to him at Mitchell’s Independent, that I began to really know who Serge was.

I knew he was not only the manager, but also a Goodwill ambassador at the grocery store. This man can carry on a conversation about anything! But, in doing some research, I found out Serge helped raise 8605 pounds of food and $1000 in cash for the Lanark Food Bank among a lot of other things.  In 2012  he was awarded the first-ever Carleton Place Community Builder Award for his work in trying to make the town Kraft Hockeyville.

The Canadian Gazette reported that Serge had a dream like a lot of us, and he shared that dream with others. He brought together the town of Carleton Place and area to show their support for the cause. Robichaud put his time and energy into a Kraft Dinner lunch kick-off, street hockey events, a Hockeyville dance, and even tie-ins with Hockey Day in Canada.

He was quoted in the Canadian Gazette that the $100,000 in prize money to fix up the Carleton Place arena was almost incidental to the bigger prize of town pride.
“$100,000 won’t do much, but it will showcase our community,” he said of the competition. “I want to showcase our town of Carleton Place.”
Living next to someone these days has changed, and now a good neighbour is considered one who does not put a password on their WiFi. You can always change friends, but not neighbours. As former mayor Wendy LeBlanc said,

“Thank you Serge for your dream, your passion, your ability to inspire, and for your time.”

Yes thank you Serge for the love you show our town, we all salute you!


Tilting the Kilt, Vintage Whispers from Carleton Place by Linda Seccaspina is available at Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street, the Carleton Place Beckwith Museum in Carleton Place, Ontario and The Mississippi Valley Textile Mill in Almonte.  available on all Amazon sites (Canada, US, Europe) and Barnes and Noble

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