Connecticut Declares Stew Leonard's Day

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared Dec. 9 Stew Leonard’s Day in the state in honor of the independent grocery’s 50th anniversary. The company now operates seven stores, with four in Connecticut, and serves more than 11 million customers across the country.

Also to celebrate the anniversary, and founder Stew Leonard Sr.'s birthday, the mayor of Norwalk, Conn., Harry Rilling, issued a proclamation in honor of Leonard on Dec. 4. Immediately following the proclamation, the Norwalk store held its annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

As part of the year-long celebration of the milestone anniversary, Stew Leonard’s conducted its first customer survey to find out its shopper’s 50 favorite products in seven categories: bakery, dairy, deli, meat, prepared foods, produce and seafood. Overall, the favorite product was overwhelmingly Stew Leonard’s signature soft-serve ice cream, which garnered 54% of votes, followed by kettle chips at 32%. Rounding out the top five general favorites were chunky guacamole at 26%, olive oil at 24% and a tie between ice cream and rice cakes at 15.72%

The 50 favorite products will be celebrated with various promotions through the end of the year.

The top three products for each of the categories were:

Bakery:
Apple Cider Donut Holes – 17%
Bagels – 15%
Chocolate Chip Cookies – 11%

Dairy:
Stew Leonard’s Milk – 22%
Butter – 17%
Chocolate Milk – 9%

Meat:
Filet Mignon – 24%
Porterhouse – 20%
Stew’s Naked Chicken – 11.5%

Seafood:
Shrimp – 23%
Lobster – 20%
Sea Scallops – 14%

Deli:
Mozzarella – 16%
Specialty Cheeses – 14%
Sliced Turkey/Olive Bar (tie) – 13%

Produce:
Jumbo Cherries – 17%
Corn – 15%
Local Apples – 13%

Prepared Foods:
Hot/Cold Bar – 18%
Rotisserie Chicken – 14%
Wing Bar – 12%