It was a pretty bad choice, considering half of them were shriveled mess once I saw what was under the husks.
I had to let Henry know...
_____________________________________________________
From: Jon Castillo [mailto:castillo_jon@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 9:26 PM
To: HenrysInfo
Subject: Tomatillos
To Whom It Make Concern:
Let me start by saying that I love your market. You always have the best produce and at a great price.
Now, I have to be honest, I normally don't buy my "tools" for chile (salsa) at Henry's because habaneros are not available for purchase. However, in a recent visit I decided I would do without my habaneros and make a green chile using the jalapenos and tomatillos available at Henry's.
Both were at a decent price so I had no problem adding both to my basket. I got 10 jalapenos and 12 tomatillos.
If you've ever dealt with tomatillos you know you have to remove the husks and clean them throughly before using. They have this sticky film on them that would make a late-night Cinemax actress blush.
Much to my dismay, I discovered that you were hiding green raisins in the husks. The little shriveled replacement for the tomatillos cried in embarrassment as I laid my eyes on them. Thinking about your other produce selection I thought that you had to be unaware of what a real tomatillo should look like.
I've attached a photo of how it should look with the husk removed for your reference and so this does not happen again.
I still used the tomatillos because I had a hankering for chile con carne. Problem was, when I pureed the green grapes disguised in the tomatillo husk, they just started singing NSYNC songs.
I think this is because they are the opposite of the red grape raisins AKA the California Raisins, who sing Mo-Town or Blues.
Needless to say, I am not a fan of NSYNC and my chile con carne came out worse than Chris Kirkpatrick's career after the band broke up.
Happy hunting for the correct tomatillos.
My Stomach is Yours,
Jon
_____________________________________________________
From: HenrysInfo
Subject: RE: Tomatillos
To: "Jon Castillo"
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011, 9:39 AM
Please allow me to convey to you my sincere apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced recently with respect to the tomatillo selection at one of our stores. Thank you for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. We do appreciate hearing from our customers, as your feedback is vital for us to continue improving our business.
We attempt to maintain an appropriate quality and variety of produce to meet the varying demands of our diverse customer base.
Clearly we fell short this time. I'd like to offer you some form of recompense. If you could provide me with the store location, where you made your purchase, I can have the store director follow up with you as well as the produce department.
Thank you for offering your perspective and please know that our produce buyers will keep it under advisement when evaluating future produce purchases.
Again, I am sorry for any inconvenience or annoyance this may have caused you.
We continue to be committed to providing you and all of our customers with the highest standards of service and product selection in the industry.
Thank you again for contacting us. We appreciate your loyal patronage and hope that you will continue to allow us to serve you. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.
Yours in service,
Erika Maring
Customer Service ~ Henry's/Sun Harvest
HenrysInfo@henrysmarket.com
15420 Laguna Canyon Rd. Ste;150
Irvine, Ca. 92618
_____________________________________________________
From: Jon Castillo
Subject: RE: Tomatillos
To: "HenrysInfo"
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011, 11:10 PM
Dear Erika,
Thank you so much for getting back to me.
The purchase was made at the Fullerton, CA location off of Harbor Blvd. I hope I don't get any one in trouble. I merely want to make sure the tomatillo world is all smooth.
I wonder how the tomatillo sales are at that store, would you be able to get that information?I'm just curious to know how many more people are in love with them like me.
I have a "mean green" chicken tortilla soup I make with the tomatillos being the main catalyst. Would you like the recipe? Or do you want me to send you my green chile?
I was thinking about starting my own chile/salsa line since I am not satisfied with what's sold on store shelves. Do you know how I would get into that? I know Henry's has the "Sun Harvest" line. Maybe we can collaborate on a Sun Harvest green chile? Actually, talking about it right now made me realize that no one at the OC Marketplace sells a green chile, only red salsa/chile.
This is great! How about cheap jars and label makers? Do you have a hookup for that?
I also make a red chile but I don't use tomatillos in that.
Well, all this talk about chile has made me crave it so I have to go now. Talk later.
Chile Later,
Jon
_____________________________________________________
From: Jon Castillo [mailto:castillo_jon@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:45 AM
To: HenrysInfo
Subject: RE: Tomatillos
Hi Erika,
Just making sure you got my email...
Didn't mean to scare you away with my prospect of working with Sun Harvest.
Thank you,
Jon
_____________________________________________________
Dear Jon,
I did receive your e mail.
We appreciate your interest in offering your products through Henry's/Sun Harvest and we are sure your product is a high-quality, healthy solution for what consumers may be looking for today.
As you may have heard, we are in the process of merging with Sprouts Farmers Markets and expect the transaction to be closed in the next 30 to 60 days. As such, we are not setting new vendors or items for a period of time as our time and resources are focused on developing and executing plans to ensure a smooth transition and integration of both companies.
Once approval has been granted and the transaction has closed, we will be communicating to our vendors plans on our integration and how we will be moving forward. At such time, we will, once again, begin meeting with and setting up new vendors/items to ensure that we have the best products at a great value for our consumers.
Subsequently, we not only require that suppliers have 2 million in product liability coverage but also have generally enough quantity to cover at least 1/2 of our locations. Local farmer's markets or flee markets would probably make better sense for production capabilities.
Regards...
Erika Maring
Customer Service ~ Henry's/Sun Harvest
HenrysInfo@henrysmarket.com
15420 Laguna Canyon Rd. Ste;150
Irvine, Ca. 92618
_____________________________________________________
From: Jon Castillo [mailto:castillo_jon@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 2:42 PM
To: HenrysInfo
Subject: RE: Tomatillos
Sounds good, thanks Erika.
So will that Henry's-Fullerton location now become Sprouts? Or will it remain Henry's?
And will the tomatillos be looked at so I know if it's a good idea to purchase from there?
Thanks again,
Jon
_____________________________________________________
Your e-mail has been forwarded to our Fullerton store director and you should be hearing from them shortly.
For answers to questions regarding the merger, please visit www.1farmersmarket.com .
Thank you again,
Erika Maring
Customer Service ~ Henry's/Sun Harvest
HenrysInfo@henrysmarket.com
15420 Laguna Canyon Rd. Ste;150
Irvine, Ca. 92618
_____________________________________________________
To be continued... assuming I hear from the store director...
