Key Food Stores Co-operative Inc., a chain of primarily independently owned and corporate grocery stores, recently introduced a brand new banner into its supermarket family — Gala Fresh.

As this new banner continues to roll out, customers can expect to see a growth of locations, ensuring convenient access to Gala Fresh and its offerings. To kick off the roll out of this new banner, Key Foods Stores hosted a grand opening of its first Gala Fresh location at 2485 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, NY on Friday, Dec. 18.

County Executive Ed Mangano, Comptroller George Maragos, Senator Michael Venditto, Councilmember Erin King Sweeney, Legislator Laura Curran, a representative for Congressmember Kathleen Rice, and Key Food executives including Chief Executive Officer Dean Janeway, Chief Operating Officer George Knobloch, and Vice President of Business Development John Durante attended the event. The grand opening celebration featured a ribbon cutting ceremony as well as an appearance by Z100’s Greg T and free giveaways on Friday, pictures with Santa on Saturday, an appearance by Z100’s Garrett Vogel, a Stuff-A-Truck food drive with Long Island Cares on Sunday, and vendor sampling.

“The Gala Fresh banner is a very welcome addition to the Key Food family of supermarkets,” said Vice President of Business Development John Durante. “The Jorge family has worked so hard to create a shopping experience that answers all of the community’s needs, and they’ve truly done just that. Customers are going to love the quality and selection Gala Fresh has to offer.”

At 25,000 square feet, this new Gala Fresh will offer customers an extensive selection of fresh seafood, delivered to the store each day. There will also be an assortment of hot food, sushi, and fresh bakery items. Their produce department caters to all customers’ preferences with both organic and conventional produce to choose from. Fresh coffee will also be available for purchase by the pound. Every Tuesday, senior citizens and veterans can enjoy a 10 percent discount.

"We are very excited to open the doors of the first Gala Fresh,” said storeowner Franky Jorge. “We have been working hard to bring the community something special, and are happy to finally give the area a great shopping experience."