The produce department at Hiller’s Plymouth store became a beautiful backdrop for the StyleLine Magazine June 2009 fashion photo shoot. Look for glamorous photographs with Hiller’s as the set!

Thousands of people poured into Hiller’s Market at Union Lake and Commerce Roads March 21-22 for the first Michigan Foods Fair. More than 35 home-state vendors offered samples and product explanations during the two-day fair. Stay tuned for more Michigan initiatives from Southeast Michigan’s largest and oldest family-owned grocery!

My husband started shopping at Hiller’s quite a few years ago when he visited Ann Arbor for business and needed to make food purchases for Passover.  Hiller’s had the best selection.

When our family moved to Ann Arbor in May of 2003, we continued shopping at Hiller’s.  It is convenient, clean (which is a big draw for me-I don’t like cramped, poorly-lit and dingy stores) and employs helpful and intelligent workers.

We shop at Hiller’s because the variety is amazing, the staff is still wonderful and as a Jew, I appreciate that you have a Kosher deli section and a wide range of Kosher food-both frozen and fresh.

I also like your produce section and my family, big fans of lox, especially enjoy your periodic sales of lox. We also love the cherry pecan chicken salad.

We also thoroughly enjoy your bakery department and especially the Best brand of chocolate chip cookies.  When my son comes home from college during breaks, I always head to the bakery department for those cookies, they are his favorite.

We purchase mainly chicken and beef at Hiller’s.  The top round roast with the Char grill seasonings is excellent.  The filet mignon steaks grilled on our Jenn-Air are wonderful and we enjoy buying ground sirloin freshly packaged by your meat department staff.  Your prices are reasonable enough that we tend to buy an extra quarter pound of your meat for our very beloved dog Suzy.

Really, the Hiller’s variety keeps us coming back. Plus, the attention to detail. Two years ago, we bought lovely party platters from Hiller’s for our son’s high school graduation party.  Our guests are STILL talking about the food.

I mainly buy for my household which consists of my husband, son, dog, rabbit and guinea pig.  I mention the animals because I buy organic vegetables for them and they are very fussy eaters.  I can only buy excellent looking produce for them and you have it.

by Melissa Preddy

Hiller’s — and Elly — have loyal fans far beyond Michigan borders, as my sister’s family proved at their recent holiday gathering in St. Claire, Missouri.

Michigan native Lisa Preddy loves her “Show-Me State” home — but misses Hiller’s quality so much that relatives have been known to transport tenderloin in carry-on luggage during visits, much to the delight of the Missouri clan, who also get a kick out of the ”Find Elly” feature in Hiller’s sales circulars. Perhaps that’s because their canine companions outnumber the humans at most family get-togethers.

Knowing all this about my sister and her family — and since I share her sentiment as a frequent Hiller’s shopper myself – I crafted an elaborate beat-the-clock party game using several months worth of Hiller’s flyers and other props including a timer, a sealed answer key and a magnifying sheet to aid the searchers.  Then I glued a photo of Elly’s face onto a Santa-motif gift box and shipped it all off from Metro Detroit to St. Clair.

“Chuck and I could barely restrain ourselves from playing right away,” Lisa e-mailed, when the jolly package arrived.  But they held out until after the family’s holiday feast.

Here is Lisa’s report: ”There were a few tense moments when teams thought they had found the hidden Elly, only to be told that the Elly on the gift card or “We ID” sign was not the Elly they needed to locate! Round 1 was extended for 3 minutes when no team was able to find Elly within the originally allotted five minutes. Finally, one of the teams found Elly — cleverly concealed in a bouquet of flowers. They were awarded a dog bone as their Round Prize (much to the delight of the assembled canine onlookers).”

The teams swapped flyers and played round after round of the Find Elly game. “As the rounds progressed, the play became more competitive, with players calling out false clues and hoarding the magnifying sheet,” Lisa said. “At the end of five rounds, Team #3 had found three Ellys and was declared the champion. After a celebratory ‘high five,’ they were presented with a winner’s trophy — a brass 2008 Christmas Tree ornament adorned with a picture of Elly — and bragging rights until next year.”

Next year?  Guess I’d better start working soon on the new, improved 2009 version of “Find Elly.”

We’ve been shopping at the 14 Mile and Haggerty store every three or four weeks since the store opened. Now that you have a Union Lake Road location – we’re there every week.

We prefer Hiller’s over other grocery stores for the following reasons:
A.  Fresh produce.
B.  Clean, well-organized merchandise.
C.  Staff – clean, dressed appropriately (not sloppy), friendly and knowledgeable.
D.  Variety of products available.

Shopping at Hiller’s is always a good experience. At least three or four staff members greet us with a smile and ask if we are finding everything we need. Even the department managers take the time to stop and talk. We’ve lost our grocery list and coupons – they helped us find them. We left nuts in the shopping cart … we called and they were at the customer service counter waiting for us to come pick them up. During the holiday season, the service was even better, to meet  additional demand.

And the variety of items – the deli is terrific, the produce fabulous, the meat fresh, the shelves fully stocked with a vast assortment of items. The only department that we don’t frequent is the bakery. It looks delicious – we just can’t indulge.

All of this distinguishes Hiller’s from other stores. I appreciate your coupons and the fact that I can also use manufacturer’s coupons. Plus, Hiller’s has a variety of sale items in every department.
I guess it’s safe to say – we love the store!

I remember Shopping Center in Berkley. I grew up on Greenfield between 10 Mile and Lincoln in what was then Royal Oak Township. My mother was instrumental in forming and serving on the Charter Commission that formed the City of Southfield! There were only three families in the half-mile from 10 Mile to Lincoln; people drove from the city to buy corn, tomatoes and melons from the local farm at the corner.

Widowed young, I raised my son alone. When my parents retired, they sold their Greenfield house and bought two duplex townhouses in Oak Park. My son and I lived in one, and I managed the rentals in the other units. More than 35 years ago, we moved to Union Lake (now West Bloomfield).

We had trouble sleeping there – it was so dark and quiet, no streetlights, no ambulance sirens in the middle of the night.

My son is a teacher now and a father. He lives in Cadillac and I visit my family monthly. I still live in West Bloomfield and work in Bloomfield Hills four days a week as a legal assistant.

As soon as I realized my neighborhood store was a Hiller’s, I was there. I remember my mother having involved conversations with the meat guy at Shopping Center in Berkley. Mom was a great cook. I still cannot make gravy or rolls like Mom and Gramma. They never measured a thing – a handful of this and that and out came wonderful biscuits, dumplings, cakes, pie crusts.

I remember vividly our weekly visits to that Berkley store. We always got what was on her list. Mom planned, budgeted, shopped, cooked. I remember the comforting smells of that grocery and feeling like there was so much on those store shelves from which I could pick and choose.

I truly feel like Hiller’s is MY store. If you have never tried anything from the deli counter – get there ASAP! Almost every Sunday I buy a couple of entrees so I have work lunches I don’t have to make myself – salmon with leeks, rosemary grilled chicken, lots of grilled veggies. It costs less than going to a restaurant and it’s just as delicious.

The brown rice, tofu and edamame salad is a weekly staple in my house. And, Hiller’s chefs make vegetarian-friendly dishes. Where else can you shop and meet the chefs who come out from the kitchen to talk to you?

Once you shop at Hiller’s, it’s difficult to go to another store. Hiller’s is always clean, bright, well-stocked and fresh.

If your recipe has unusual ingredients, Hiller’s has them. If you can’t find something, Hiller’s will order it. Groceries are groceries. You want the best for your family at a fair price. Families on a limited budget, in this tough economy, would do well to check out Hiller’s.

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.

Being involved with food for so long, I receive many solicitations from organizations requesting my participation in fundraisers.  Due to time constraints, I can only do a few.

One of my favorites is the Slow Food Movement. In 1998, a friend in the wine business brought me the “Slow Food Manifesto,” a proclamation of passion from Italy.

In 1986, on the eve of the opening of a McDonald’s at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome, a member of the Italian Gastronomic Association, Arcigola, was offended by the introduction of low-quality American fast food in one of the world’s gastronomic capitals.

In response, the International Movement for the Defense of, and the Right to, Pleasure, was formed. We know it now as Slow Food International.

Other countries were quick to follow.

In 1989, at the Opera Comique in Paris, food lovers from many countries endorsed the Slow Food Manifesto:

Our century…invented the machine, and then took it as its life model.

We are enslaved by speed, and have succumbed to the corrupting virus [of the] Fast Life, which … forces us to eat Fast Foods…A firm defense of quiet, material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life.  May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow enjoyment preserve us from the … mistake of frenzy for efficiency.

The manifesto recommends starting at the table, rediscovering the sensual quality of slow bites of flavor and savory regional cooking. It proclaims that real culture is defined by developing taste rather than demeaning it.

We have a Slow Food group close to home, in Ann Arbor. We are all guilty of forgetting the pleasure of time, how it feels to slow down.

Take time when you shop. Prowl the produce section at Hiller’s, and plan your evening meal from the bounty of our local harvest. Look for Made in Michigan shelf tags and create meals from locally produced delights.

Share your family’s heritage as it relates to food traditions. Learn your ancestry through the flavors that have endured. Search for favorite family recipes and recreate them for your family.

We will all benefit from living life instead of rushing through it.

– Rick Halberg, Hiller’s Director of Culinary Services