Basis for Comparison
A brave new grocery store will make local affordable
The only drawback to buying local ingredients is that they're often more expensive than their supermarket counterparts. But when Basis Good Food Market opens its doors, we'll be able to buy some of our area's freshest ingredients at sub-supermarket prices.
This Meatpacking District shop will be the retail branch of Farm to Chef, a distributor that links small farms and producers with top restaurants like Gramercy Tavern, Convivio and Bklyn Larder.
These relationships will allow Basis to keep prices down--way down, in many cases: A half-dozen cage-free eggs from Feather Ridge Farm will sell for $1.75, about half the price of supermarket eggs shipped from afar. And just-bottled organic milk from Hails Family Farm will be cheaper than the dubious Horizon brand.
"We could charge more, but our focus is on value," says Basis founder Bion Bartning. "Our motto is ‘good food for all'--not ‘good food for rich people.'"
Basis will also emphasize traceability: You'll be able to follow everything the shop sells--from produce to pantry staples to house-prepared foods--back to its source.
The first Basis Good Food Market will open later this year at 324 W. 14th St. (with more, hopefully, to follow), but you can preview it--for free--next Saturday at Basis's pop-up farmers' market, which is part of the NYC Wine & Food Festival. See all the details here.
BRINGS YOU RECIPES,
MARKET-FRESH
INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN WISDOM FROM TOP CHEFS, ALL FOR FREE.
