Saturday Spotlight “Late Edition”: Chef’s Store

a preppers & homesteaders shopping paradise

 

We chose to feature the Chef’s Store because they offer so many great deals for those who store long-term food storage. They have three locations only, but if you do not live near one I do suggest making the trip! They can be found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Columbia, South Carolina. There is no membership fees or requirement's, as it is open to the public. They sale bulk and individual items at wholesale prices.

 

 We were really impressed by the prices, cleanliness of the store, and the helpful & friendly staff.  My hubby even got to teach one of the associates about deer hunting   They sale food items such as produce, meats, seafood, cheese, milk, spices, dry goods and so many more, food storage items, cooking utensils and large appliances such as commercial freezers, fryers, and 6 burner stoves.  I am enclosing some of the pictures and prices we noticed while there this past Friday.

 

(This was a large refrigerated room of produce, cheese, eggs, butter, and milk)

 

(Top Shelf 25lbs. All-purpose Flour $5.98, Lower Shelf 50 lbs. Flour $12.68)

 

(50 lbs. of Long Grain White Rice $18.68)

 

(50 lbs. Pre-Washed Pinto Beans $36.88)

 

(5 lbs. Mashed Potatoes $7.68 & I believe the right hand pic was ‘20’ lbs. $12.38)

 

(These were gloves you could purchase by the box or case, $3.48 a box or $52.88 a case)

 

(Whole Lambs approx. price $95)

 

Prices We Noticed:

25 lbs. All-purpose flour $5.98
50 lbs. All-purpose flour $12
15 dozen eggs $15
50 lbs. of yellow onion $10
50 lbs. of Potatoes $12-15
25 lbs. of White Sugar $17
1 lb. Containers of Spices $5-$9
10 lb. rolls of Hamburger $1.88 a lb.
1 lb. block of Margarine .48
Cases of milk 4 gal. per case $12
Duck was $2.38 a lb.
Cases of Bacon was $30
Cases of Smoke Sausage $19

 

We Ended up Only Getting a Few Things, But Will Definitely Go Back Often !

 

(We Bought 15 dozen eggs $15, 25 lbs. All-purpose Flour $5.98, 24 Dinner Rolls $2.34, and 12 4 1/2 in. Hamburger Buns $1.99)

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The Three Locations of the Chef’s Stores:

 

Oklahoma City

To serve you better, the CHEF’STORE is open 7 days a week with convenient hours and a great location easily accessible from anywhere in the Oklahoma City area.

Monday—Wednesday: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

515 W I-240 Service Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73139

Phone: 405-634-3060

 

Charlotte

To serve you better, the CHEF’STORE is open 7 days a week with convenient hours and a great location easily accessible from anywhere in the Charlotte area.

Monday—Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3304 Eastway Drive
Charlotte, NC 28202

Phone: 704-531-4610

Fax: 704-536-6301

 

Columbia

To serve you better, the CHEF’STORE is open 7 days a week with convenient hours and a great location easily accessible from anywhere in the Columbia area.

Monday—Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

655 Saint Andrews Road
Columbia, SC 29210

Phone: 803-772-8585

 

Visit The Chef’s Store Online: http://www.usfoods.com/about-us/chef-store.html

-The Trailer Park Homesteader is No Way Paid or Offered Incentives to Advertise or Market the Chef’s Store-

 

BTW:

Our Facebook Page Friend Mary Jo Rodriguez  Reported Her Trip to the Chef Store yesterday was a Success !! She Scored 2 1/2 Pounds of Shrimp for $10.00 & 15 lbs. of Cajun Seasoned Crawfish for $15.00 !!

 

If YOU Go, Please Let Us Know What You Scored !!

 

Saturday Spotlight: Prepper Chicks

  Since We have been Discussing Food Storage, Here are some great tips from the prepper chicks!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Steps to

 

Food Preps

 

 Begins HERE !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DO NOT

Buy a "Big Package" of food!

DO NOT

Buy food you don't know how to use!

DO NOT

  Freak Out! 

DO NOT

 

               Buy food that YOU or YOUR FAMILY would not eat!

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Take a Deep Breath. 

There are so many options on the market for survival food. 

How on earth would you know which one to pick?

DON'T PICK ANY.

  The Average Family Eats only about 20 Different Meals.  That's it!

 

 

#1  Write down the meals that your family eats.  Include everything you can think of including special dishes you might only serve on holidays.

 

 #2   Make a meal plan for 3 days using the foods you listed in Step #1

 

 #3  Put together a list of ingredients for each of these meals. Don't forget to include any seasonings or oils you may need to make these recipes!

 

  #4  Think about how you would store these products separately from your standard groceries.  A tote?  Shelving in the basement?  The average temperature of the area you will be storing in needs to be taken into consideration ~ not to hot ~ not to cold.

 

  #5  Since this is only for 3 days, it may be possible to gather these products at one time.  Place them in a tote or in your designated area along with a copy of the  Recipe Cards and Meal Plan that you created earlier. 

 

You now have enough food preps to help you and your family survive for 3 days! 
 

Now GO FOR A WEEK!

Now ~ Go for 3 WEEKS!

A MONTH!

3 MONTHS!

6 MONTHS! 

Double it and GUESS WHAT?

You now have A YEAR!

Some Personal Thoughts:

 

1.  If your child only eats Mac & Cheese ~ PLEASE, add Mac & Cheese into your meal plans.  One thing you do NOT want to have on your hands in a Down Grid situation is a cranky child who doesn't want to eat his 4th meal of rice and beans.  It WILL also throw his system off balance to eat foreign foods and you could be dealing with a whole other set of issues!  Can you say Diarrhea anyone?

 

 2.  I am a consultant for Shelf Reliance food products ~ one of those big companies that sells the packages of survival food.  *GASP*  "WHAT?" you ask since I said don't buy one of those packages.  My train of thought is as follows:  Use the product once you have a firm grasp on your food storage.  Once you want to start implementing these products into your meal plans, start with products you can't grow/can/dehydrate yourself.  Green Beans are not a part of my shopping with Shelf Reliance since I have a ready supply of them on hand.  Mushrooms, on the other hand are and I purchase a lot of flour, dehydrated milk and freeze dried meats from them.

 

 3.  Learn how to cook your recipes in various forms.  Can you make a mean Tuna Noodle Casserole on your grill or over a fire?  If there were no electricity, you may need to.  Improvise your recipes, Adapt to the Situation and OVERCOME any situation you may be in!!  YOU'VE GOT THIS!

 

4.  Practice NOW!  Flip that breaker for the weekend and TEST YOUR PREPS!  Work out the kinks now ~ Not when it's to late!

 

  5.  Write everything down and keep the recipes and meal plans with the food preps.  WHY?  Because something could happen to you.  How will the rest of your family figure out what to do?  This step is more for their benefit than yours.  It is a hard reality that you must face.  Do it. 

 

   6.  Know the Shelf Life of the product you are storing.  Write the date of purchase and the expiration date on the item itself.  Once you have reached about 6 months worth or the end of an expiration of stored product, you will want to begin a rotation process.  Use the OLDEST preps first ~ pull out that 3 days worth of product and either utilize it for your own benefit or donate it to a food bank.                                                                             

 REMEMBER FIFO (First In-First Out)

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*This Article was Shared With Prior Approval From Prepper Chicks*

You Can Find SO Much More Information From Prepper Chicks Regarding Various Topics at the Following Links:


Prepper Chicks Website: Prepper Chicks
Prepper Chicks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrepperChicks
Prepper Chicks Blog: http://prepperchicks.blogspot.com/

 

A Very Special Thank You to Prepper Chicks
 For Allowing Us to Feature Your Article in Our

Saturday Spotlight!

 

Food Preps...

 

Long-term Food Preps

 

 

 

MRE's & Non-Perishables



Some of the best long-term food items that preppers tend to stock up on are Meals Ready to Eat, or MRE's. These can either be purchased or similar products can be made at home using non-perishable items.

One resource I found to find (what appears to be a good deal) on MRE's if you chose to purchase them, is from Major Surplus Survival. You can get 2 cases (24 MRE's) for $100, or 3 cases for $150 (36 MRE's).

Major Surplus Survival:

http://www.majorsurplus.com/MREs-The-Basic-2-Cases-24-Complete-Meals-P16564.aspx

Another awesome resource is Mountain House freeze dried products. These have a 25 year shelf life and can either be left in their containers or divided out and resealed in mylar for individual MRE's. They have a combo special for $295.00 of 12 (1 gallon) cans that include:

• MAIN DISH ASSORTMENT #1:
• Chicken Stew
• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Lasagna w/Meat Sauce
• Chili Mac
• Beef Stroganoff w/Noodles
• Beef Stew
•  
• MIXED PACK #2:
• Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn
• Cut Green Beans
• Garden Green Peas
• Scrambled Eggs w/Bacon
• Rice and Chicken
• Spaghetti w/Meat and Sauce

This special can be found at:

http://www.majorsurplus.com/Mountain-House-10-Can-Combo-Special-P15361.aspx


If your interested in learning how to break these down in individual meals there are many video resources I found on Youtube. Even though some of the videos show meals in a "jar", you can easily skip the jar and use mylar bags.

Find these videos here:

Meals in a Jar by Obsessiveprepperaz:   http://youtu.be/G834X0LhVLs

Meals in a Jar by Linda's Pantry:   http://youtu.be/wcI7SqVeUhs



You can also stock up other non-perishable items such as: rice, noodles, oatmeal, beans, flour, dehydrated meats, veggies, and fruits, dry soups, dry sauce mixes, powdered milk & eggs, drink mixes, etc.


Make a list of items you would like to stock up on and also make a reasonable budget. Build it week-by-week if you can.

Remember:

 Do what you can, with what you have!
 

MEALS IN A JAR using food storage! Great for Preppers, Hunters and Camping!

How To Make Meals In A Jar...