Community Connections: Meet Erin Leiker, the New Manager of the Lovejoy Basics Market
Basics Market is a locally owned market with a purpose: nurturing strong, healthy communities through food. Simplified selection. Fresh ingredients. Healthful recipes.
It’s a new year and we have a new face at the Lovejoy Basics Market! We would like to introduce you to Erin Leiker, the new store manager. Drop by (safely, of course) and say hello!
Erin Leiker—Basics Market’s New Manager!
“I’m so excited to be a part of the growth in the Pearl District, bringing focus to the great businesses in the Pearl, participating in outreach and community activities, and increasing the profile of the Pearl to draw neighbors and shoppers to the district. There are so many wonderful things about the Pearl District it’s hard to choose just one. I love the vibrancy, diversity, and walkability!”
Originally from Kansas but in Portland for the past 15 years, Erin is a musician and talented foodie with a zest for cooking. She’s worked in the grocery industry for almost 20 years and her incredibly diverse experience with many customers, communities, and food systems and has shaped how she connects with people.
“Not surprisingly,” she said, “the passion I have for food comes full circle from my daily work into my home life I am constantly on the hunt for the best version of ANY recipe and it doesn’t bother me in the least to spend an entire day cooking.”
Stay at home time includes both Erin and her musician husband playing for an audience of two: Otis and Millie, the household cats.
As a grocery professional closing in on a whopping two decades in the industry, Erin has some perspective on what makes a grocery store a good one. Here’s what she had to say about what sets Basics Market apart:
“I absolutely fell in love with the Basics concept of integrating items from our own farms and innovative facilities into the space where we connect one-on-one with our community.”
“What differentiates us from so many other businesses is our vertically integrated structure, carrying our own brands. We have our own house-made prepared foods, we are locally owned, have our own brands and supply chain, and ALL of our private brand items are LOCAL. We want to offer our customers amazing products with the knowledge that they have a connection to their food and where it comes from.”
Nourishing News from Basics™ Market
This past year has been a challenging one, to say the least, and while the flipping of a calendar page won’t magically make challenges disappear, a clean slate can feel refreshing and inspiring.
Basics™ Market ushers in 2021 with new Sunday hours, online classes, and an expansion of our house-made prepared foods – soups and stews, sandwiches, creative salads, ready-to-heat entrees and lots of sides. Join Basics’ brands sourced from our own farms and dairies: Gwendolyn’s™ Organic Eggs, Lulubelle’s™ Creamery milk and cheese, Silver Sage Farms™ Beef, and Aurora Valley Organic™ poultry, all from right here the Willamette Valley.
Basics Markets healthy suggestions for a nourishing new year: Make time for yourself. Take care of yourself. Nourish your body and soul. The Nutrition Team shares these top five tips to support you on your journey:
Tip #1 - Find time to breathe and partake in activities you find relaxing.
Yoga
Meditation
Take a walk in nature
Pick up a new hobby that will help you relax and have fun
Try to find something to smile every day😁
Tip #2 - Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Add fruit, herbs, and/or vegetables to water to enhance flavor without adding simple sugar. Plain water can get boring quickly, so try some of these pairings to make it a little more exciting!
Sliced cucumber and mint leaves
Strawberries and mint leaves
Lemon slices and rosemary leaves
Minced ginger and lemon slices
Orange and lemon slices
Sliced kiwi and strawberries
Tip # 3 - Eat breakfast.
Incorporate protein sources.
Gwendolyn’s™ Organic Eggs
Greek Yogurt
Nut Butters
Incorporate healthy fats.
Chia Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Nut Butters
Avocados
Tip # 4 - Set a goal to prepare most meals at home.
Cooking at home may have increased for you this past year, great job.
To keep it exciting, try a new recipe each week or get other family members involved in preparing meals.
Visit our markets and website basicsmarket.com for more recipe ideas.
Tip #5 - Incorporate naturally occurring probiotic drinks and/or foods daily.
Did you know over 70% of your immune system is housed in your gut?
These little microorganisms are friends to your gut and benefit your overall health.
Probiotics drink/food list
Kefir
Kombucha
Naturally fermented sauerkraut, pickles, etc.
Cultured yogurts (dairy or plant-based)
Kimchi
Natto
Tempeh
Miso
For more nourishing tips, recipes, and online classes, visit basicsmarket.com.
930 NW 14th Avenue
(971) 300-0689
Monday – Saturday: 8am-9pm
Now Open Sundays: 10am-7pm
