The Prepared Foods section at Heinen’s provides extremely unique and exciting selections for you to take home, heat and eat. And while they have some good standard everyday fare such as Chicken Romano and roasted potatoes, they also offer higher-end options that are fabulous, well-thought-out and really above and beyond everyday dinner. But the best part is that Heinen’s reinvents their Prepared Foods menu for every season and is now offering a full selection of tailor-made fall options at their Barrington store.

Part Two in a Three Part Series

We’re taking a look at Heinen’s Fall Foods today in Part Two of a three-part-series about some of the most exciting seasonal offerings to be explored at Barrington’s newest grocery store.  To learn more about the new fall offerings in their Prepared Foods counter, we spoke with one of the company’s corporate chefs and learned that they truly think before they create, taking into account the demographics of their eating audience.  They profiled our area and say they discovered that we like finer things but also happen to love good old-fashioned comfort food.

Prepared Foods Counter at Heinen’s

The results of their research equal creamy rich goodness paired with delicate seasonal ingredients and include items such as rich Pumpkin Bisque, delectable Truffle Macaroni and Cheese and multifaceted Risotto Cakes…

Heinen’s Risotto Cakes with Truffles

Heinen’s Corporate Chef Jackie Novotny, who has been with the company in Ohio for 16 years, let us in on the inspirations for their fall foods menu.

Heinen’s Chef Jackie Novotny

“Our Fall focus is on comfort food, meaning items that will warm you up and also give you earthy flavors like bacon, mushrooms, blue cheese and grains.

This time of year people have a tendency to revert back to a different way of eating, such as wanting what we loved when we were kids.”

Sweet potatoes, root vegetables and squashes are all part of that fall mix and can be found in the Prepared Foods section in mashed and baked forms.

“Our Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes are extremely popular with the comfort food crowd.  They’re very creamy and the sharpness of the Parmesan just sets them apart.”

In addition to traditional macaroni and cheese in the to-go cabinets, you’ll find fun spins on the hearty favorite prepared with ingredients like truffles or sundried tomato.  “Mac and cheese is so warming and we take it to a new level.”

“Our gourmet mac and cheeses are absolutely beautiful because they are layered and baked and can be cut in squares or triangles for serving.”

Heinen’s Truffle Mac & Cheese

Fall meats are in the baked, sautéed and braised categories with items like hard-to-come-by Osso Bucco and Chicken Marsala.  Also look for stuffed meats like chicken breast stuffed with a cherry gouda cheese, turkey breast with ancho and kale stuffing, bacon-wrapped pork loin stuffed with blue cheese and pork tenderloin stuffed with crouton dressing.

Heinen’s Pork Tenderloin with Crouton Dressing

Heinen’s always has five soups hot and ready plus others prepackaged for reheating, like Chili and Chicken Noodle which are staples.  For the fall, expect the others to be things like Pumpkin Bisque, which is rich and velvety with the perfect amount of spice, Quinoa Chili, Chicken Paprikash plus Buttrenut Squash & Apple Soup.

Heinen’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Jackie says, as the holidays approach, we can expect to see more stuffings anywhere from the traditional, to quinoa sweet potato stuffing or sausage and cranberry.  But their unique stuffings are already making an appearance in their ever-changing assortment of prepared fall meats.

Heinen’s Fall Meats

And when the holidays are here, Jackie says you will be able to serve your family practically à la carte with the traditional options available in the cooler cases and at the Prepared Foods counter. According to Novotny, “We’ll have everything from cooked turkey to stuffing to mashed sweet potatoes down to the green bean casserole.”

Heinen’s Prepared Foods

We’ll take a closer look at the range of solutions for effortless and memorable holiday entertaining coming up in Part Three in our series about Heinen’s seasonal offerings.  To review Part One in our series, CLICK HERE to meet the experts guiding shoppers in Heinen’s Wine, Beer & Liquor Departments.

Heinen’s Fine Foods – 500 N. Hough Street in Barrington, Illinois

The new Heinen’s Fine Foods store is located at the Shops at Flint Creek, 500 N. Hough Street, in Barrington, Illinois. They’re now open from 8:00 a.m. To 8:30 p.m., 7 days a week. Click HERE to follow them on Facebook or find them online at HeinensBarrington.com.

If you know a local business or organization you’d like to see featured in a series of reports here at 365Barrington.com, please CLICK HERE to let us know by filling out the form in our suggestion box.

You’ll also find more information about our new promotional offerings by visiting 365Barrington.com/Advertise.

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About the Author

Kelly Donlea is a Barrington mom, chef, cookbook author the owner of Organizing Dinner, a company that brings sensible cooking solutions to busy people. She has published several cookbooks and one of her specialties is helping parents plan family meals with fewer trips to the grocery store. Kelly also offers cooking classes and demonstrations in your home or public facility. To learn more about Kelly, her recipes and her services, you’ll find her Facebook page by clicking HERE and her website at OrganizingDinner.com. Kelly is going to be sharing recipes, cooking tips and special features about chefs and popular menu items at area restaurants right here at 365Barrington.com.

Please join us as we discover local culinary treasures and new kitchen classics in our regular Friday food feature here at 365Barrington.com called “Barrington Eats” with Kelly Donlea!

If you’d like to us to feature you favorite chef, restaurant or food store or if you have a food related question that you’d like Kelly to answer, make a quick stop at the 365 Barrington Suggestion Box and leave us a note in the form which you’ll find by clicking HERE or simply leave your comment in the box below.

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