Stock up like the chefs and be prepared for spring celebrations

(NC) Spring marks celebration, surviving winter, honouring ancestors and finally breaking bread. Whether it’s a cozy Easter brunch at home, Suhur, or perhaps a family game night, everyone celebrates with food in different ways.  

Fortunately, festivities don’t need to go away because of COVID. Although it might look different, there is still opportunity to celebrate a new year, a birth, or a unique cultural tradition.  

Proper celebrations require restaurant-quality food, but any meal is only as good as the planning that leads up to it and the quality of ingredients used. Unfortunately, curating food for special events is trickier with COVID, and making multiple trips to the grocery store is discouraged.  

“Shopping in bulk is a great way to safely cut down on trips outside the home while also receiving restaurant-quality foods to support whatever delicious feast you are preparing your family. I like a mix of seasonal favourites and also frozen classics to be ready for whatever my family throws at me,” says Sherri Vanderleeuw, director of Sysco@Home, the new home food delivery option from the long-time industry supplier for restaurants. 

Shopping in bulk requires planning and consideration for an extended period when most of us are used to only shopping for one week in advance.  Although ordering in bulk during months of celebrations requires careful planning, it can be beneficial for budget and time management.  

Start with a quick inventory of the supplies, consider each special occasion and make the shopping list. Then visit Sysco@Home to check availability where you live and get additional inspiration from special offers and seasonal items.  

Edit the shopping list accordingly and begin the shopping. 

Choose wisely and consider necessary items as well as foods that are hits with the family. Steaks are great in springtime, but if most in the household are pescatarians, then perhaps salmon is a wiser decision. This versatile choice nicely complements a brunch or special dinner and can even used as a topper for an easy salad at lunchtime.