Lemon Tree Grocer & Zest's Gallery of Treasures!

We thought it would be nice to share some of our new pictures with you from all the tastings, Beer Geek Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays, etc. So please peruse the photos, and let us know what you think? (You never know- you might actually be in them) How far have we come since Lemon Tree Grocer & Zest's opening days? You tell us! (A special thanks to Nancy Dunlop for the amazing photos)

Happy Father's Day from Lemon Tree Grocer!

Not sure about you, yet Father's Day is always a great holiday! Dads just want to grill, chill, and drink some brew (yeah sorry we couldn't keep up the rhyme) So, if you haven't set your grills in stone yet, then get over to Lemon Tree Grocer for our Father's Day Cookout!

Lemon Tree Grocer has an entire schedule filled with a bit of grilling education from Owner Tim Canning himself, a dunk tank to shut the trap of loud parents and children;), and best of all (think about those Monday night burgers that you all love so much) Niman Ranch will be not only supplying the grilled products...wait for it...Steve Heun the Niman Ranch Hog Farmer will be here to educate us as well!

This costs everyone a whopping nada, no reservations, and you get 10% off your spirits for the rest of the month!! (Who can argue with that) Aw yeah!

Last but not least, if you didn't have a moment (or you just plain forgot- we won't tell) to pick up a gift for pops; Lemon Tree Grocer has some great gift ideas you can sneak in and pick up while Dad is learning about open flame cooking!

Let's do this people; Sunday, Lemon Tree Grocer/Zest, starts at 10:15am, and don't forget: Happy Father's Day!!!!

Would You Like Some Extra Money to Spend at Lemon Tree?

So, we're really excited for every single one of our fans, and we want to thank you for all the support you have given Lemon Tree since we've opened. You are the reason why Lemon Tree was chosen by the Downers Grove Junior Women's Club as the Local Business of the Year!!!!

How does winning some extra cash for Lemon Tree Grocer sound as a thank you? We thought you'd like that, so here's the deal: we really would like to reach 2500 Facebook Fans, and we'd appreciate your help;)

All we're asking is that you share Lemon Tree with your local friends, family, neighbors, etc that aren't already fans of the Lemon Tree Grocer Facebook Page! This way they can be as informed as you are about contests, tastings, special events, giveaways, and more! We know our fans like to share, and so do we! So, lets continue to make Downers Grove the place to be!

We want to thank everyone in advance, and can't wait to give out some extra Lemon Tree cash to help you purchase whatever your heart desires!

P.S. We hope you like some of the pictures from our "Swine, Wine, and Hops Dinner" with Ari Weinzweig!

Memorial Day Goodies at Lemon Tree Grocer!

What are your plans for this Memorial Day weekend? Let's hope that this summer weather finally shines through and we can do all the fun outdoorsy activities we've been planning for the past month ;p

Whether you're heading to a friend's cabin, throwing a big bbq, sitting out by the pool, or just having a social gathering with some friends: you're going to need tasty food & beverages! What better place than Lemon Tree Grocer to fulfill these needs?

Make sure you stop by the deli and see Yuriy for the amazing deals we have on Boars Head meat, and you can even ask for your favorite sandwich prepared right then and there! Plus, we have super sales on grocery items (only this weekend) that Brittney would love to direct you to.

If you're doing any kind of barbecuing- you must see Meat Mike for the best meat in town to slap on that grill, and then you should definitely feed the sweet tooth by picking up some pastries from Anne (we know those pictures have you drooling).

Finally, who can have a fiesta without the booze? Don't forget to see Ryan if beer is on the brain, and Melissa if you want to stick your pinky in the air while swirling some tasteful wine around those gums!

If this sounds like too much for you- just cater the darn thing! Let Stephanie know you want us to do all the work while you sit back and relax.

See; we have unlimited options for you to enjoy that extra day of fun...See you this weekend!

"Swine, Wine, & Hops" with Best Selling Author, Ari Weinzweig

If you haven't heard yet, or can't tell by the Blog title: Ari Weinzweig of the famous Zingerman's of Ann Arbor, Michigan will be entering the Downers Grove area next Tuesday, May 24th for the awaited "Swine, Wine, & Hops" Event! He'll be at Lemon Tree Grocer/Zest allowing you to dine on 5-course bacon inspired meal comprised of recipes featured in Ari’s acclaimed “Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon” and creations by Head Chef and Restaurateur Tim Canning.

What more can you ask for from this James Beard Award winning man? He's going to sign autographs, let us pick his brain, and more importantly- we get to eat BACON!

If you hurry- you can still get tickets to this exquisite event for only $42 and the optional beer pairing for just $18! The information is all right here at "Bacon Lovers Unite"

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so you better get on the Zingerman bus, or you just might regret that you missed "Swine, Wine, & Hops" To get your tickets before they're all gone; please, make sure you call 630.969.9869 ASAP & talk to anyone at Zest!

Gotta run; time to prepare for Baconmania!

Win Mother's Day Brunch at Zest...

Who believes their mother, sister, wife, aunt, girlfriend, grandma, (whatever she is to you as long as she's a mom) deserves some extra attention and pampering this Mother's Day?

We at Zest certainly do; which is why we're giving away BRUNCH FOR TWO! The contest is really simple, yet you only have until tomorrow to get your entry in. Write a post on our Lemon Tree Grocer Facebook wall of why you think your mother deserves to Win. It can be anything your little heart desires, and the winner will be chosen by our fans with the most "likes"

So, if you can't think of exactly what you should give to your mother this Mother's Day; at least give her a compliment on our wall. Then, you may even come out with the Grand Prize! If not, at least you took the time to write how amazing your mother is for all of Lemon Tree's fans to see!

We can't forget......Happy Mother's Day!

Lemon Tree Grocer brings the Official Thirsty Thursday to Downers Grove..

So, I'm sure you've got wind of this special thing we're trying to do here at Lemon Tree Grocer called Thirsty Thursday! Now we're doing wine tastings every Thursday for the winos and the last Thursday is dedicated to you beer drinkers!

We've got samples from Goose Island, Lagunitas, Windy City and more today. We also started off this week right with a Three Floyd's Gumballhead keg we tapped on Tuesday for Beer Geek Week! (2 year wait to get your hands on a keg of Gumballhead, can we say...Lemon Tree feels the love) Beyond the nice warm weather we hope is coming, this nonsense is only getting started! Lemon Tree also has Beer Club of the Month for those of you who have excellent taste in the beer you choose to consume.

Stop in and say hello to James the Beer man who has your BEER interests at heart..hehe Finally, here's to the first beer dedicated Thirsty Thursday; if you miss it you'll have to wait until next month...and by then you might be a little parched!

Lemon Tree attends the Family Farmed Expo..

Well, as some of you may know there was an amazing Food Expo called: Family Farmed that happens every year. If you haven't been, and you're a true foodie, lover of food, chef, supporter of local food vendors: you need to get your act together and attend this Expo!

People; this is exactly what Lemon Tree Grocer stands for: supporting local companies, organizations, vendors, and more! We would like to give a shout out to Square Organics who we had a nice chat with, and took the lovely picture above with as well....

So, have you ever been? There's something for all ages with cooking demos, workshops, local restaurants, tastings: it truly is a food lover's dream!

Our big adventure was learning how to work with local sustainable growers while sourcing new products for the shop..Stay tuned to find out more, and as always: thanks for being a fan of Lemon Tree Grocer!

Feel free to tweet us @LemonTreeGrocer if you have comments, or just want to say hello!

Sean Minor Event is a Success!

So, I'm betting you're wondering what this blog is about? Of course it's covering the wonderful Sean Minor event we had last night at the Lemon Tree. We can't say it enough; thank you to everyone that came out, and for whomever missed it; we want to do more events like this one.

The most important factor about this event, as always, is bringing great people together to eat delectable food, and drink even more amazing wine. I know we go on about this all the time, yet we couldn't do any of this without you, our fabulous staff, and a bit of sanity ( yes just a bit).

Sean Minor was an excellent host and educated us all (thank gosh) on how to appreciate wine. Next, we have the chefs who prepared the succulent six-course meal we undoubtedly feasted on. Finally, the servers that presented our wine and food did a fabulous job as well.

So, let's stop all the chatter, and take a look at the awesome pictures taken last night by Nancy Dunlop. We want to thank you Nancy. The pictures truly capture the essence of the evening.