Day 1: Rising Tide in Glen Cove, New York


It was a beautiful, clear day to be riding to Cornucopia's closest "relative" in INFRA, Rising Tide Market in Glen Cove, New York. Rising Tide and Cornucopia share a common birth in 1976, the common goal of providing our respective communities with natural, healthy, and allergen-friendly food options, and the common culture of Long Island.  Glen Cove is located on the north shore of and is surrounded by some of the most gorgeous neighborhoods that Nassau County has to offer.  It's the perfect place for a nice, long, bike ride... if you enjoy all of the best hills this island has to offer!


My favorite part of Rising Tide is clearly the staff! The owner, Jerry, is not only someone who I have great respect for as an associate in the natural foods industry, but chatting with him in the store, it was quite clear he was a well-loved and authentic member of his community. Rising Tide is the kind of store where the owner knows every customer's name, knows exactly what they are looking for, and quickly extends a line of credit to a regular in a jam. It's the kind of store where you can chat up the supplement specialist about a niche problem and wind up getting detailed advice for a half hour (which I did!).  Jerry and his staff truly live the lifestyle and I've come to learn that the only good natural/health food stores out there are the ones who are filled with those kinds of owners and employees.  That passion comes out in the product selection, the choices in the prepared foods, and the customer care that everyone receives.  You can't fake that stuff!


Rising Tide makes great use of their small space and the store is full of all the essentials, and more! Looking around, it was wonderful to see that their product standards are as good - if not better - than my own personal ones. I especially liked their carefully curated produce department which sported only the freshest items possible (including some delicious figs!) and plenty of locally sourced options for the season.  They had a really cool packaged salad company from "across the pond" in Connecticut and what has become a new staple in the health food world; pre-cut zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash, and beet "noodles" made with just the veggies.  Oftentimes I find that big, corporate stores may have huge spaces dedicated to their produce departments, but they don't have anything fresher, higher quality, or a better selection of items than the smaller, local guys.  Places like Rising Tide are quickly turning over what they have in the store and have a vested personal interest in carrying everything they could possibly want to cook up in their home kitchens.  That personal touch certainly comes through here.


Another commonality that Rising Tide and Cornucopia have are our dueling delis; both stocked full of freshly made, creatively devised offerings whose ingredients have been carefully sourced.  While I will have to maintain that Cornucopia has got them beat (personal bias!), the place is loaded up with delicious options, including a sweet burrito bar.  Every one of them sounded great and they have plenty of choices for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike.

 I suppose I owe them a debt of gratitude; Jerry introduced Cornucopia to the INFRA organization and I don't think I would ever have wound up on such a cool journey if it hadn't been for him.  So it's fitting that they would be my first stop on this ride!  Rising Tide is certainly a rare gem on Long Island; boasting both the small town charm of a local shop and the knowledgeable product selection of a top-tier business in their field. I would call it a can't miss for anyone living on or passing through beautiful north shore Long Island!

Rising Tide Natural Market
42 Forest Ave, Glen Cove, NY 11542
(516) 676-7895
http://risingtidemarket.com/

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