In her heart, you'll always be Cash & Carry
Costco alternative awaits underneath the freeway
Should rumors of Stadium Fred Meyer’s closing prove true, Northwest grocery shoppers would have more options than they might realize. Under Interstate 405, just off a gritty stretch of Northwest Thurman Street that makes West Burnside seem tame, lies the no-frills US Foods Chef’Store. It isn’t just for restaurants, as it may appear, and it’s open 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. every day at 1825 NW 19th Ave. Think of it as a trip to Costco without actually having to go to Costco or be a member.
It used to be called Cash & Carry and was located a few blocks south for years. The good news is that little besides the name has changed.
At Chef’Store, you will discover large quantities of … almost everything. And you’ll probably see your neighborhood coffee shop owner or local restaurateur buying supplies for the day and hear good songs on the PA system. There are huge walk-in coolers for meat, dairy and produce, filled with salad mix and frozen fruit.
Richard Solomon, a longtime Pearl resident who has moved downtown, loved going to Cash & Carry for the pork loin, which he brought to neighborhood parties.
“What I most enjoy about US Foods Chef’Store are the hard to find items, like gallon bottles of maraschino cherries, packages of barbecue pork and boxes of Andes mints,” Solomon said.
My dad also had a thing for Cash & Carry, a fondness that started around the time Fred Meyer stopped selling hardware. Soon, he referred to Fred Meyer only as “the chicken store” because he liked its fried chicken, but it was otherwise dead to him.
But at Cash & Carry he enjoyed freewheeling “if you like them, have them” shopping. This meant a year’s-plus supply of orange and vanilla Dixie Cups, the ones with the little wooden spoon wrapped inside; huge jars of Spanish olives; and a case of marmalade single-servings, like those packets you find at a diner. I liked the red Sterno EuroVenetian candles like you see in classic Italian restaurants, the imitation silver platters and paper cake doilies.
When I moved out of my house last year I needed boxes. I asked if I could have a few of the cardboard boxes (with handles!) stored in the bins outside the store. “Take as many as you like,” a smiling young man told me.
About the location: While it’s tempting to make an illegal turn into Chef’Store from Thurman Street, you have to approach the store from the north if going by car.
 | A guest post by
|
Cash & Carry was where my little brother and I rode around on a flat bed cart, sitting on a box of potatoes while our parents shopped for their restaurant when I was growing up in Medford. It will always be Cash & Carry to me, too! The fact that I can WALK to one from my condo fills me with joy.