Wedge
Grocery/Bakery/Deli
Deli
Area's largest natural foods co-op
Large selection of vegetarian, vegan, natural and organic foods. Includes deli, juice bar, and bakery.
Added by Matt Mackall on Feb 25 03 (updated Jan 28 04)
Reviews
I swung by here when I was in the neighborhood one day to see what vegan options were available in the bakery. They were able to offer some very delicious cupcakes, which was about it. But they were still pretty good.
I asked about any vegan cheesecake options, which they didn't have - the clerk seemed rather annoyed at my question and mentioned that if I gave them 24 hours they would be able to do something. I thought it never hurts to ask.
I was super excited to try their vegan soft serve ice cream so I made a special trip there just for that. It was cold, creamy, and sweet, but I think the oat taste was too prominent. I would get it again because I like that it's homemade and it's well priced, but I don't think it's as good as Tofutti, Soy Delicious, or Temptation ice cream.
I didn't purchase anything else from the store, but I admired their selection of vegan products, especially their vegan cheese selection. I've noticed a lot of places only carry Follow Your Heart or Vegan Rella, but Wedge had both, plus some others.
Not the best choice, service is poor compared to others, staff is almost to the point of disgusted, if you you are not a member. There is a great selection of cold items; to go; but the hot items always look like slop. The Selections of juices "appears" to be worth mentioning if I had not ever gone to a Coop before. However Seward has a better sele'cion of choice juices and grab and go breakfast items (Muffin's-...). Macro-dieters wont find most of the items needed you'll have to still head to WF or an Asian Market. I'm not completely vegan i make fresh choices and in most cases I still have to run to one of the local Roundy's. Prices are higher on some items to other Coop's however I suspect this is because of the location. The primary reason for the low rating is the service ( cashiers, ...) the majority of the staff seem very angry, which is why I choose to go the extra mile+ for a smile :)
I don't eat at the hot bar often, but the store has lots of good vegan stuff. They carry a lot of the Tofutti products I love (vegan pizza, cream cheese, cuties, etc.) but they don't have others (Tofutti vegan cheese slices). They do usually have some Follow your Heart vegan cheese, and Hip Whip, and good vegan chocolates and marshmallows and lots of seitan, tempeh, etc. They used to have the Morningstar Tuno (vegan tuna), which was really good, but I haven't seen it lately. The deli case has some super vegan butterscotch pudding, and there's a wonderful vegan soy nog parfait in December, and I've had some very good vegan peanut chocolate desserts from the bakery. It can be hard to find a vegan store-made bread, and they do have an unfortunate lot of meat, but they really have lots of good vegan stuff too.
While I deplore the fact that The Wedge does not carry Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese (or if they do they keep it well hidden), I am always thrilled with the selection of vegan baked goods in the bakery section. I recently tried the vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, and it tasted exactly like how I remember the homemade animal-ingredient cookies from my childhood tasting: Crisp around the edges, chewy on the inside, and not too soft. Their baked goods are WAY better than French Meadow's, whose vegan cookies are always a bit too dense, soft, and flavorless for my taste-buds.
While their baked goods still tend towards the dry side and some of their food is rather bland, the Wedge's deli offerings have improved in past months. The garlic lover's pasta (veggie but not vegan-friendly) is totally addictive. The sandwiches made to order are good, but a bit pricey (the pre-packaged ones can be soggy). I tried some walnut-pecan pate the other day that was good (again veggie, not vegan). Nice to see the food quality improving even if it still has a ways to go.
Yes, I shop there. It's close, and they do have organic food. Plus, the husband works there, so we get a discount.
However... The place sure doesn't make much of an effort to be vegan friendly. No matter how many comments they seem to get about the deli being crap, they don't change anything. They bang themselves on the back for having vegan options, but their options are awful. The deli was good years ago, with african mock chicken, and all sorts of vegan hot deli items, but they have gone way downhill in recent years, and I don't even bother to look anymore. The baked good are almost always dry, and you can do much better at Whole Foods, or baking for yourself. I think they're generally over priced and underconcerned with catering to their vegan clientele, which is really stupid in my opinion, because word gets 'round in these circles. It's also frustrating when people interested in veganism go to a frickin' health food store thinking they'll be able to try some of that vegan food they've been hearing so much about, only to find that it's unappetizing and freaky.
Then there's the meat and seafood department. I am personally disgusted that an organization that claims to be so concerned about the protection of the environment, and being resposible consumers, and all that warm fuzzy stuff would push the meat thing so hard. It actually makes me angry that they pride themselves on their organic meat counter, and refuse to aknowledge how awful meat is for the environment, not to mention the animals. They like to kid themselves into thinking that they're so great because they have humane meat... okay, I have to stop. It's clear I'm not a fan.
I would like to see a more vegan friendly atmosphere in all the co-ops, including vegan pet food! Vegans are trying to make the wortld a better place; They should have options readily available. These co-ops owe it to the public to have these options available so that society can improve.
The Wedge's concern for organic issues far surpasses its concern for animals. There is a disgustingly large meat department, yet they refuse to carry some vegan cheeses due to non-organic ingredients. It's not that I don't support their position on organics, but their position on animal products should be just as strong. If they justify the sale of organic meat with the argument that meat-eaters will be exposed to more ethical foods, they should do the same for non-organic vegan products.
It's unfortunate that all of the natural foods shops in the Twin Cities appear to sell meat -- in Britain, for example, few (if any) do.
Still, the Wedge does continue to carry a number of hard-to-find vegan products.
The Wedge, while still vegan-friendly, has been getting progressively less so over the past couple years. In recent months, this seems to have accelerated. The deli now contains very few items, hot or cold, that are vegan. The few items that are vegan are generally not very good. The bakery too seems to have reduced its number of vegan options. The muffins and scones are still good, but most of the cakes, except the tofu cheesecake, range from mediocre to downright bad.
If the Wedge wants to become a yuppie paradise and ignore it's vegan customers, I see no reason that vegans shouldn't head over to Whole Foods, which only seems to be getting more vegan-friendly while the Wedge becomes less so.
I assume that pretty much everyone has been to the Wedge and knows of it's wonders, but I thought that I would articulate my love of the Wedge through a list of some of my favorite things. (You can sing the song in your head if you want to.)
1. The muffins. My favorites are the classic blueberry, orange almond and chocolate raspberry.
2. The scones, a bargain at $1.69.
3. Vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. Food of the gods.
4. Seitan stew over rice. Why can I not make stew this good?
5. The fact that a membership is a super-bargain, and entitles you to some great member specials.
6. Oatscream. Really. I love the strawberry.
7. Dallas and Brandon *both* work there.
And I think that their selection of pretty much everything is hands-down the best of all the co-ops in the area.
The Wedge is a happening place with a great selection of frozen and unfrozen vegan foods, along with eco-conscious products for the home. They also have a cafe and food bar with numerous vegan sandwiches, hot entrees, desserts and drinks. Prices on the prepared food were reasonable, though not dirt cheap. My only grip is that the food area is not 100% vegetarian. In the end, though, this is a great community gathering spot with great foods and products for conscientious consumers.