Companion, this city's premium local bread baker since 1993 and voted one of the "Top 10 places to get Artisan Bread" by USA today, has over the years stayed ahead of its competitors often by using the simplest of ideas...first by getting their breads into grocery stores, then by opening cafes to further increase visibility. The "CollaBREADtive," a collaboration between Companion and local chefs is now in its third year (this month's recipe is Bill Gideon's Three-Way BLT on Companion's English Muffin); and one year ago, the Early Bird Outlet appeared, a weekends-only store with prices at 35-40% below retail.
One month ago, Companion announced another simple, but brilliant, twist on an established idea. "Gathering Sacks" are box lunches with a minor twist. This sack lunch comes with one of 10 award-winning sandwiches, a side or salad, and a dessert for $10...the difference is simply in how they cut the sandwich: a small piece is sliced from the end of each sandwich, for "sharing." You ravenous lunchers jonesing for a bit of their neighbor's sammie are now in luck...
From day one, Companion has been socially active and passionate about supporting the local community. "Gathering Sacks" is a simple, but perfect example of its philosophy of sharing.
