Hickory Farms has popped up once again in Riverbank at the Crossroads Shopping Center for a second year in a row offering a variety of gourmet products for gatherings and celebrations or gifts. Last year they popped up next door to Save Mart and this year they are located in the old Westamerica Bank next door to Queen Bee Nails and Spa.
This is Hickory Farms Manager Kim Shewmake’s second season with Hickory Farms and she is delighted to be back once again. Sales Associate Helen Escobedo is a fan of the products and is going on her third season with Hickory Farms.
They offer a variety of gift boxes, gift baskets, popcorn tins, tea collections, coffee, cookies, Snowflake pretzels, Meltaway Mints, Peanut Butter Meltaways and nut samplers. Some of their top sellers are the beef and turkey sausages, the mustards, sauces, Hot Pepper Bacon Jam, and of course the cheeses that include the cheese balls and the cheese spreads.
“We go through a lot of cheese balls,” stated Shewmake. “This is not a corporation. We are independently owned. We offer great gifts. We have all different price ranges. We are local. There are so many different combinations you can do besides eating it on crackers.”
The Give Back gift box has meats and cheeses but what makes that gift box extra special is that with each purchase $5 is donated to No Kid Hungry to fight childhood hunger.
“I like the gifts because you can eat it and enjoy it,” said Escobedo. “You don’t have to dust it and you can share it with everyone.”
Last year they sold out of their gift boxes so the team is there to also help customers build their own boxes. They have almost everything for the perfect charcuterie board.
From the great employee discount to the great tasting products, Escobedo is thrilled to be a part of Hickory Farms and likes to share some of her recipes and favorite combinations with customers.
“There is something for everybody,” remarked Escobedo about the Hickory Farms store in Crossroads. “If you eat there is something here.”
For example, she suggests taking one of their summer sausages, cutting it up and putting it into a homemade chili. The cheese spreads can be scooped into mashed potatoes or in a baked potato like the bacon and green onion or garlic mozzarella. The Chipotle Ranch sauce when added to mayonnaise can be used as a salad dressing or dipping sauce for French fries. Another suggestion from Escobedo was to use the Honey Pineapple Mustard as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken.
“If I had a favorite it is the savory turkey or the New York Cheddar,” added Escobedo. “You take the New York Cheddar and put it on a sliced baguette with some fig jam; it is so good.”
They have new lids that can fit on two of their gift boxes to customize it for a special occasion like a birthday, the holidays, football or just as a thank you.
Unfortunately, the store was broken into this past Saturday night. They discovered missing inventory the next day when the store was opened on Sunday. So some time in-between Saturday night after closing at 6 p.m. to opening the store the next morning someone cut the lock and took thousands of dollars of product according to Shewmake. They are not a corporation and the independent owner is taking the hit. They had to close on Sunday to do inventory and restock shelves so another day of lost sales. Riverbank Police Services has an open investigation.
They will continue to remain open and try to recoup some of the loss. If anyone has any information contact Riverbank Police Services.
Hickory Farms is no longer located in the mall. Besides the one in Riverbank they are located in Turlock, Livermore, Clovis, Visalia, and Bakersfield. With the locations scattered they see customers from Stockton, Sonora, Manteca, Modesto, Ripon, and Tracy.
They are open seven days a week and will be open through New Year’s or until they sell out.
