As customers turned the corner out of the cheese and prepared food section of Kroger, women in traditional Spanish dress danced flamenco on a stage while other customers watched on, sampling wine and tapas.
Thursday was the first day of Kroger’s Taste of Spain event, running from April 7-20 at the Kroger located at 1175 S. College Mall Road. The grocery store will also be holding a flamenco demonstration, tapas and a red wine tasting Saturday.
“We’ve brought in authentic, imported Spanish products throughout the store,” Jackie Howard, community outreach and event coordinator at Kroger, said.
Taste of Spain is a part of Kroger’s Savor the World program, which focuses on highlighting different cuisines and bringing them to the Bloomington community, Howard said.
This is a part of Kroger’s wider efforts to draw in more customers, Howard said.
Kroger has brought in 12 new wines and more than 20 new food products for the event, many of which customers can sample on the Kroger patio, Howard said.
Tapas included goat cheese-stuffed olives with chorizo, marcona almonds and manchego cheese. But the event is driven by the wine, Howard said.
Unlike most white wines, which are known for their sweetness, Spanish white wines are generally dry and fruity, said Whitney Meeks, a distributor for chain grocery stores at Glazer’s.
“This is a great educational opportunity for customers,” Meeks said. “It’s getting people into the summer atmosphere.”
Albariño and verdejo, white wines, and Bella Conchi cava, a Spanish champagne, were also available for customers to try.
The Kroger executive chef also prepared paella as a part of Kroger’s daily “What’s for Dinner?” series. This series highlights a unique, easy-to-make meal which customers can sample and take the recipe for, Howard said.
Howard arranged with the Arthur Murray Dance Studio to bring in a flamenco dance group, led by Bette Lucas.
Lucas said her only previous dancing experience at a supermarket was belly dancing at Sahara Mart, so at first she was uncertain about performing flamenco at Kroger. Nevertheless, she agreed.
“We’ll go dance anywhere because we love it so much,” Lucas said.
Thursday night the flamenco group taught sevillanas, a beginner’s flamenco dance.
Some men from Spain were at Kroger and saw the women teaching sevillanas and joined in.
“They were so happy to see sevillanas,” Lucas said. “It was so nice to dance with a Spanish man.”
Lucas has danced Flamenco for 20 years and said she is a Spain freak and loves everything about the country.
She has visited Spain five times, and she said she hopes to go again next year.
Kroger customer Lisa Franklin said she has also visited Spain multiple times. She decided to stop by the Taste of Spain event when her husband called her and suggested she stop by.
Though it’s the Hoosier Kroger version of Spain, and it’s not the most authentic, Franklin said she is glad she came.
“It’s weird that this is all happening in a Kroger, but the wines were excellent,” Franklin said. “What’s notable is that the cava was still bubbly even after an hour.”
Kroger is focused on providing new experiences for customers and letting them try new things.
“We not only feed your stomachs, but we feed your spirit,” Howard said.
