MARKET PREPPED FOR OPENING WHOLEFOODS TO BRING UPSCALE EATS, ORGANIC MEALS TO VALLEY.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

VALENCIA - From the gelato bar to the aisle of herbal remedies that range from ashwagandha root to Valerian passion flower, workers at Whole Foods market in Valencia scurried about Monday in preparation for Wednesday's grand opening.

This fast-growing Austin, Texas,-based chain, specializing in organic and natural foods and products, will open at 8 a.m. at the Valencia Crossroads shopping center, at McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard.

On Monday, store executives, clad in Whole Foods casual jeans and shorts, offered a sneak peek at the 39,000-square-foot, 100-employee store.

Whole Foods is a mixture of Trader Joe's, a fancy food court, a ritzy grocery, an international liquor store and a specialty bakery. Prices are comparable to other chains for the staples, but mount quickly for the unusual.

``We have to have competitive prices for something that compares to Trader Joe's, but if you want the best in the world, we have that, too,'' said Bill Jordan, vice president of Whole Foods' Southern Pacific Region.

There's the trademark olive bar - two dozen different olives from which to pick and choose, as much or as little as the buyer wants, for $9.99 a pound. The meat counter boasts ostrich steaks and ground venison, and buffalo rib-eye steaks and free-range beef, all free of antibiotics and hormones. There are three aisles of prepared salads and other foods, as well as nooks offering Asian and Italian cuisine and sandwiches.

What you won't find at Whole Foods, is any product with artificial colors, flavors or preservatives or hydrogenated fat. The rule applies to fresh food, frozen products, prepared ready-to-eat offerings, beverages and health and beauty products.

The chain roasts its own coffee on site, and batches it doesn't sell in seven days go to the break room for employees. Produce and fresh meats are cooked into stews, soups, chili and other dishes for the mealtime crowds rather than sitting an extra day on the shelves. Organic waste is composted at a Bakersfield site; paper and plastic bags are made from recycled materials and bring a nickel apiece if returned to the store for reuse by a customer.

And while the concept of ``natural'' is simple, the array of products is mind-boggling. Next to the wine section is a cheese section boasting products from sheep and goats as well as standard items. A few aisles away, there are scores of different olive oils, ranging from about $3.69 a bottle to $29.99. Rice and legumes are sold in bulk; self-serve aromatherapy concoctions are tantalizing and homeopathic remedies line a series of shelves.

The chain contracts with independents - be it a winery in Italy, a coffee bean farmer in South America or an apple orchard just over the Grapevine in Kern County - to provide one-of-a-kind products.

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4 photos

Photo:

(1) Claude Ruau-Choate looks over the cheeses at the new Valencia store, which will open on Wednesday.

(2) Carlos Miranda heaves a sign for the opening in front of the new chain market specializing in organic foods.

(3 -- 4) Above, employee Jerry Garret gets a massage - a service that will be available to shoppers - from Diane Stacy. Left, the hot dog case at the new Whole Foods is a far cry from Pink's, offering tofu dogs and other alternative wieners.

David Crane/Staff Photographer