I have been a Hiller’s shopper since we moved to Novi 13 years ago. Usually I shop at the Northville store because it is the closest, but have often shopped at the other stores on Haggerty Road (Plymouth and Commerce Township). We eat a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish. Hiller’s always has the freshest produce and fish.

One thing that sets Hiller’s apart is the international foods sections. I have a friend from the U.K. who generously shares her recipes. I can always find the right ingredients at Hiller’s.

When my children were in elementary school, their Japanese classmates brought food items for lunch that my children requested. We became familiar with Pokey sticks and Japanese jello. It was great fun to try new things.

We are relatively new to the gluten-free foods arena. My daughter, Liz, was diagnosed with gluten allergies about six months ago. I visited every store in the area to see what was available. Baking is an entirely different process without gluten, and the learning curve is steep! We found all the special ingredients necessary at Hiller’s.

I have really enjoyed the Namaste line of mixes. All you need to do is add a couple of ingredients and you are done. The Namaste brownies, muffins and cakes are as delicious as gluten-filled alternatives.

We also like Hiller’s wide selection of gluten-free noodles. I make pasta salad with brown rice pasta, and my friends can’t tell the difference.

One of the more difficult aspects of a gluten-free diet is finding good food to-go. My daughter attends Mississippi College and travels with her school’s soccer team. When the rest of the team is eating pizza, it’s difficult for her to find a quick, easy meal on the road.

The “Gourmet on the Go” product from St. Dalfour is a good alternative. The “tin” is microwavable and comes with a fork, so it could not be simpler. It’s quite tasty – especially heated and eaten with corn chips.

Thousands of people swirled through the Union Lake store on November 8, for face painting and tattoos, clowns and balloon animals, free hot dogs and Sanders sundaes. Product samplings throughout the store included Hiller’s own Polly’s Pastries and Chef Rick’s gourmet mac-and-cheese plus much, much more. Hiller’s: The Place To Feed Your Family.

When I was little, as a treat when I’d visit my dad every other weekend, he used to take me to Hiller’s (at 14 Mile and Haggerty Road) to get twice-baked potatoes and chicken and rice. We started going to Hiller’s when I was 9 or 10. I was a huge Beanie Baby fan (one Christmas, my dad decorated his tree with Beanie Babies instead of ornaments – I was delighted!) and we’d go to the little toy store near Hiller’s, then to get some weekend foods – an artichoke, twice-baked potatoes, chicken and rice from the deli counter.

We’d eat dinner Friday night, most likely the artichoke and a steak, bean soup, chili, pepper stake – all homemade. My dad loves to cook and eat. On Saturday and Sunday, we’d eat the chicken and rice and twice-baked potatoes.

When I started high school, I learned Japanese. Then I loved going to Hiller’s even more, to look at the Japanese foods – especially the unique snack foods! I’d sometimes buy Japanese pop, Ramune, with a marble in the neck of the bottle – you’d have to drink it a certain way or the marble would stop the flow of the drink.

But the potatoes and chicken dishes were my favorites. The chicken and rice wasn’t like anything else I’d ever eaten – and I have not yet succeeded in finding something like it since I left Michigan. I remember the wild rice and almonds and a very light sauce. Everything tasted really good.

The store was always clean and organized. Sometimes, we stopped at the bakery to get chocolate treats. My dad would kinda spoil me on the weekends he had me.

My dad told me he liked shopping at Hiller’s because the food was fresh and always tasted good. And, there was a good supply of fresh produce – artichokes especially; I have a hard time finding good ones like I’d find at Hiller’s.

Hiller’s carried everything we liked, especially items we couldn’t find in other stores. I first tried stuffed grape leaves from Hiller’s. It became our tradition to go there when we were together.

Now, I’m 21 and live in Fort Collins, Colorado. We stopped going to Hiller’s together when I was 18 or 19 – when I stopped going to my dad’s house every other weekend and started college.

I’ve looked everywhere for a recipe to make that chicken and rice but can’t find it. I would love to have a Hiller’s nearby. So many good memories.