Middling coleslaw. Lackluster lasagna. Soup that doesn’t evoke strong emotions. A single one of these bland foodstuffs can ruin your day. And heaven forbid if you serve any of them to your guests around Christmastime. Your Great-Granny Gertie would be mortified if your Christmas salsa failed to stir the senses.
If only there were some way to invite every home chef in America to a single potluck, take home all their most inspired dishes, and enjoy them at your leisure … wait! That would actually be a lot like shopping at Kowalski’s Markets. The main difference is that one is an impossible hypothetical scenario, whereas the other is a family-owned grocery chain exclusively serving our Twin Cities, with a location right here in town.
The Creation of Terri's Tuna Twist Salad
“We’re not expert chefs or high-caliber foodies,” said Kris Kowalski Christiansen, CEO. “We just … eat! And like anyone else who eats, we understand that fresh, quality ingredients are half the battle.”
“The other half is the recipe itself,” added Mary Anne Kowalski, owner. “We’re small compared to the national and regional chains. We don’t do market research. We don’t hire chefs to come up with ideas, either. If we put our name on a baked good, deli item, or Grab & Go entrée, it’s only because we love it.”
“A great recipe can come from anywhere,” continued Kris. “Many of our signature items began as beloved family recipes; for example, we owe our ever-popular potato salad to my own Great-Aunt Nettie. Many more are invented by Rachael Perron, our inestimably talented culinary and branding director. Others originated as chance discoveries, like our almond cookies with brown butter frosting. I fell in love with them at a coffee shop in Montana. After listening to me attempt to describe them, Kristine Schaak and our baking team managed to create an exact copy.
“Sometimes we happen across a marvelous recipe totally by accident. Take Terri's Tuna Twist Salad, for example. Its creator, Terri Bennis – a close personal friend, who recently retired from the company after working here 30 years – didn’t think it was remotely special when she served it to me one day. She was being too modest, which is a classic Minnesotan trait. But it really and truly was awe-inspiring tuna salad, so I had our kitchen set right to work replicating it.
“At first Terri thought I was joking. When she realized I was serious, she started insisting it couldn’t be done. But now that it’s one of our top sellers, Terri doesn't seem to mind taking credit too much.”
“We’re Number Two!”
“Our grocery store deli was voted second best in the 2024 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards,” said Mary Anne. “We feel that is an enormous achievement in light of our smaller size. The average number of locations for an honoree in that list is 207. We have 11. We were also recently named fourth best foodservice retailer in the nation by Supermarket News.
“Maybe I’m not being modest enough, but I think we really deserved those accolades. We put so much time, energy and research into everything we serve at our deli. We know and vouch for every ingredient that goes into one of our recipes, too. And because we can’t prepare many of our items in-house, we have several local partners who help us live up to our exceedingly high standards.”
“Those standards are why Kowalski’s will always remain a uniquely Twin Cities affair,” said Kris. “We have spent decades fostering close relationships with our vendors. The thought of doing it all over again in a different market … well, it just doesn’t occur to us, which puts expansion totally out of the question. For now and forever, Kowalski’s will stand for the best groceries and prepared foods in the Twin Cities and the Twin Cities only!”
Don’t alienate your friends and family by serving them anything less than nonpareil goodies this holiday season. Don’t mistreat yourself, either. The food, flower and gift shopping experience you so rightly deserve awaits at 16500 W 78th Street in Eden Prairie. kowalskis.com
"We’re not expert chefs or high-caliber foodies. We just … eat!"
"Many of our signature items began as beloved family recipes."