Brace yourself, Boulder. We’re about to have the best Whole Foods in the nation right here in Boulder. America’s “foodiest”small town is going to have an enormous new Whole Foods, and I had the pleasure of touring part of the new building just days before opening.

It’s only appropriate that Whole Foods name the new food stations after Boulder and Colorado places, landmarks, products, etc. For starters, the new juice bar, called 5430, celebrates our elevation above sea level. We’ll be able to enjoy freshly made juices, kombucha, and Allegro coffee at the coffee bar right around the corner from 5430.

The new addition is something like 26,000 square feet larger than the original cozy (or uncomfortably cramped) Pearl Street store. In other words, it is huge! And, with all that size comes more seating areas both inside and outside, more space to move around, and lots of new foodie features, like prepared foods, made-to-order foods, and other specialty items.

Whole Foods is bringing us something new- a Greens, Beans, and Grains station that will be super healthy, maybe deceptively healthy, thanks to a classically french-trained chef-turned low fat, low salt, low sugar, gourmet chef. Whole Foods will be continuing to embrace their “Health Starts Here” campaign and the Greens, Beans, and Grains will be the station to visit for healthy meals on the go. Other Whole Foods throughout the nation will hopefully have a Greens, Beans, and Grains bar soon.

And then, there’s sushi and wok-stir-fried Asian foods…

The Bear Mountain BBQ, which is said to rival even the best southern BBQ available.

A Taqueria which will have lots of different street tacos for $1.99 as well as a nice selection of Mexican foods.

The Lefthand Sandwich Company

A huge new bakery which will feature naan, pita, and flatbreads as well as every other type of baked goods imaginable.

This is really cool- it is the flat top oven that will bake naan, pita, and flatbread in approximately 2 minutes.

There’s going to be an impressive charcuterie station and Whole Foods will be featuring some in-house-roasted meats as well as some of the highest quality salumi you can get in the US.

I’ll probably be hanging out at the Cheese counter where we’ll be able to purchase cut-to-order cheeses. The cheese counter is right next to the fresh dried pasta bar. Yum!

Saturday, December 18 is the day to come out and see this with your own eyes. Hopefully you’ll get to taste a lot, too. The entire store renovation won’t be completed until next spring, but what is about to be unveiled is a foodie’s dream come true.

I’m not a big candy person, but JJ’s Sweets just might be my new favorite candy company. I have great things to say about the four sweets I tried and, as I write this, feel a longing for a Cocomel.

What is a Cocomel? It’s a coconut milk caramel and it is fantastic. Fantastic! I tired the original, java, fleur de sel, and vanilla cocomel and enjoyed them all. I actually scarfed them down, to be completely honest.

Cocomels are not only lip-smackingly delicious caramels, they are vegan and gluten free. They’re locally made in Boulder, CO, so that’s a plus, too.

JJ’s Sweets doesn’t only make the soon-to-be-famous Cocomel- they also make “unique hard candies” and I have a new favorite sweet: Fennel and Anise Seed Brittle. I’d never had such a flavor combination in a candy, and I’m looking forward to having it again. The fennel and anise go together so well, and it isn’t too sweet, but sweet enough to satisfy an after-dinner sweet tooth.

The Tangerine Dream hard candy was the best tasting tangerine candy, period. I don’t know much at all about making hard candies, but these were perfectly hard, and my taste buds approved while the candies slowly dissolved. No artificial junk added. That’s the kind of candy we should eat when we indulge in candy.

And the last treat that I reluctantly shared was the Fleur de Sel Chocolate Covered Cocomel. I’ll take a dozen, please.

JJ’s Sweets can be found at the Boulder Farmers Market, as well as local holiday markets. But, don’t worry non-Boulder-locals because they ship! So, order some online for a unique holiday gift this year. That’s my plan.

If you live or work in Boulder and have not yet eaten from the COMIDA food truck, I think it would be a good time to check out their website and make an effort to track the pink truck down for a deliciously fun food experience.

Lucky for me, COMIDA makes stops at Asher Brewing Co, which happens to be across the street from my home. I can just walk over and indulge in their chicken quesadilla (center) or fish tacos (right). The real meat-eater at home ordered a number of meaty tacos and was completely satisfied. Licked the foil clean…

But, one reason I especially like COMIDA, besides a super friendly staff that jams out to music while they work, is they have a number of vegetarian offerings that are more elevated than a simple salad. Go COMIDA Go! Can’t wait for some food tonight.

There is something so seasonal about sipping maple scotch on cold nights, and it always reminds me of my dad’s bar, which is one of my favorite places to go. I plan to have some maple scotch in stock all winter. Here’s how I made it…