Shopper’s Corner customer spotlight: Brittany Barrios and Scott Williams

For over 80 years, Shopper’s Corner has been a staple of the Santa Cruz community, serving fresh produce, specialty products, and high-quality meats. The market’s longstanding reputation for quality and friendliness has earned it a loyal customer base, including Scott Williams and Brittany Barrios.

Scott Williams, a project coordinator for Mint Systems, has been a customer of Shopper’s Corner for 33 years. He attributes his loyalty to the market to his family’s history with the store. Williams’ grandfather and Bud Beauregard, childhood friends, purchased the store for a dollar in 1938. Williams’ father later owned 50% of the store with Jim Beauregard, and Williams himself worked at Shopper’s Corner when he was 14.

Brittany Barrios, a wholesale customer service rep/buyer for Buell Wetsuits, has been shopping at Shopper’s Corner for 13 years. Barrios was first drawn to the market for its fresh produce and friendly staff. She now shops at Shopper’s Corner every other day for a variety of items, including fresh ingredients for cooking and specialty products for entertaining.

As the holiday season approaches, Williams and Barrios plan to continue their tradition of shopping at Shopper’s Corner. They both have their eyes set on the market’s prime rib, ham, fresh produce, and hard-to-find specialty products. Williams notes that Shopper’s Corner carries the best wine selection in town, while Barrios raves about the market’s small quantity offerings of cheeses, marinated olives, jams, store-packaged chocolates, sweets, nuts, and more.

(Paul Eisenberg)

For those new to the Santa Cruz community, Williams and Barrios highly recommend Shopper’s Corner for its family-owned and quaint atmosphere, high-quality products, and fair prices. Williams emphasizes the market’s expertise in breaking beef, a lost art in today’s market, while Barrios appreciates the friendly conversations she has with other customers in line.

Overall, Shopper’s Corner’s longstanding history and reputation as a friendly, high-quality market make it a beloved institution in the Santa Cruz community.

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Get to know Brittany Barrios and Scott Williams

Brittany Barrios, 13-Year Customer, Santa Cruz
Occupation: Wholesale Customer Service Rep/Buyer, Buell Wetsuits
Hobbies: Skateboarding, art, bike tinkering, family life, cooking

Scott Williams, 33-Year Customer, Santa Cruz
Occupation: Project Coordinator, Mint Systems
Hobbies: Skateboarding, dirt biking, disk golf, family life, cooking

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Recipe of the Week

Perfect Filet Mignon

Ingredients

• 2 Filet Mignons
• salt & ground black pepper to taste (season generously!)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 cloves garlic peeled
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Instructions

• Prep: Remove fillet steaks from fridge 30-60 minutes before preparing. Unwrap, season and let sit on a plate on the counter. For best results, do not skip this step.
• 2 Filet Mignons, salt & ground black pepper.
• Sear: Once ready to cook, heat oven to 360°F. Place a medium cast iron skillet over high heat for 3-5 minutes. Once hot, carefully add oil (watch out for splatters). Sear the Filet Mignon for 2-3 minutes per side (1-2 minutes for Petite Filet Mignons), until browned with a nice crust. Immediately remove skillet from heat.1 tablespoon oil
• Finish: Carefully add butter, garlic and rosemary to skillet. Place skillet in oven and bake for 2-8 minutes, depending on preferred doneness (see notes for internal temperatures; remove skillet from oven once internal temperature is 5-10°F below desired temperature).
• As a rule of thumb, 5 minutes will yield fillet steaks cooked to about medium. 3-4 minutes will yield medium-rare fillet steaks. 2 minutes will yield rare fillet steaks. 6-7 minutes will yield medium-well and 8 minutes well-done fillet steaks. The exact timing depends on your exact Filet Mignon weight and thickness.
• Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 5 cloves garlic, 4 sprigs fresh rosemary to the pan.
• Rest: Remove steak from skillet and place on a plate. Tent with foil, then rest for 5-10 minutes (do not skip rest). Serve with garlic cloves and butter from skillet.