Secrets Trader Joe’s Employees Won’t Tell You But She Will - Episode 123
In today's episode, I had such a fun and eye-opening chat with Cherie Mercer Twohy, the author of The I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook! We talked about how she turned her love for Trader Joe’s into a bestselling cookbook series and why the store is a hidden gem for smart shoppers. From budget-friendly meal ideas to tips on making the most of seasonal deals, Cherie shares how Trader Joe’s can help stretch your dollar without sacrificing flavor.
About our guest
Cherie Mercer Twohy is a food writer, culinary tour leader and unabashed Trader Joe's stockpiler. After 15 years of teaching thousands of students to fall in love with Trader Joe's, Cherie moved to a tiny town on the Oregon coast, where she sees whales from her window. She lives 60 miles from her closest TJ's but still makes frequent provisioning trips. With four I Love Trader Joe's books to her credit, she is currently at work on a novel about a cheese whisperer. She always carries a corkscrew and a cheese knife.
Contact email: cherie@ilovetraderjoes.com
Cherie Mercer Twohy Amazon Books
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TRANSCRIPT:
Naseema: [00:00:00] Sheree Mercer Tui is a food writer, culinary tour leader, and unabashed Trader. Joe's stockpile. After 15 years of teaching thousands of students to fall in love with Trader Joe's, Sheree moved to a tiny town on the Oregon coast where she sees wells from her window. She lives 60 miles from her closest Trader Joe's, but still makes frequent provisioning trips.
With four. I love Trader Joe's books. To her credit, she is currently at work on a novel about a cheese whisperer. She always carries a corkscrew and a cheese knife. What's up? What's up? My financially intentional people? I'm joined here with Cherie Mercer Tuy, and she loves Trader Joe's and I love Trader Joe's. And she wrote a cookbook, all about Loving Trader Joe's called the I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook.
And we are gonna talk all about that because I think Trade Joe's just goes hand in hand with [00:01:00] making better financial decisions. To me, but welcome Cherie. I'm honored to have you on.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Thank you so much. Na, it's wonderful to to find out what you love about Trader Joe's and share a little bit about what I love and have loved over the years.
Naseema: Yay. So how did you build like this passion for Trader Joe's? How did this come about?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: So I grandmother lived in Altadena, California, and the first Trader Joe's were in Pasadena. So
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: as probably a 10 or 11-year-old, going with my mom. And the first memory, how smell is. They say that's the connector to memory.
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: remember the sharp, sweet, delicious smell of the fresh orange juice machine.
They used
Naseema: Oh,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: that. This is back in the day now, [00:02:00] and they had it right by the front door, so you could smell that citrus and it just got you ready for some fresh orange juice and whatever else you would find in Trader Joe's that day.
Naseema: oh, I wish they still had that. I love me some fresh please. Orange juice.
Yes, definitely.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: So that is my first memory of Trader Joe's and really because I grew up and lived in Southern California almost my whole life, they were always around. And I always, even as a teenager or once I, was shopping on my own, I just found a trip to Trader Joe's to be so much more enlivening than a trip to the grocery store.
Trip to the grocery store is a chore trip to Trader Joe's is an adventure.
Naseema: It is a tree, isn't it? Like it always feels like that to me too.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: A little bit like a treasure hunt because you don't ever know what you're gonna find or what you [00:03:00] go to find, and it isn't there, sadly. But that's what we deal with.
Naseema: Yes or all. I'm always like learning new stuff or finding new stuff like, oh, I didn't know you guys had this. Okay.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Yes. One of my favorite things, this is a little bit sad, but one of my very favorite experiences in life is when I go up to the checkout counter at Trader Joe's and I put my stuff on there and the cashier says, oh, I've never seen this before. I'm like, oh, win. I.
Naseema: Definitely, definitely. I've had those moments too. Yes.
Yes. It's one thing to like just really love Trader Joe's like I do, but to get to the point where now you have a cookbook and it's in its 15th edition at that, like, how did we get there?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: So here's how we got there. I had a cooking school
Naseema: Oh.[00:04:00]
Cherie Mercer Twohy: California, and among many other offerings, we offered Trader Joe's classes. The reason for that was every time someone would come over for wine or for dinner, they would always say, oh, this is so interesting, this cheese, this top nod, where did you get this?
And. was always Trader Joe's. And then people would say I never see this stuff when I go can I tag along with you? And I thought that would be annoying, but what can we do here? And so I started offering Trader Joe's cooking classes and they quickly took off and very popular. I went to a professional culinary conference and. didn't take any cooking school sessions, which was weird because I had a cooking school. I took all writing and getting published and things like that. I didn't really have a, cookbook in mind at that time,
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: but I was always very [00:05:00] interested in that and I found out it was very hard to publish a cookbook.
And unless you have a platform and you're on food, tv, or you have a big restaurant, nobody's interested in you. had a good time 'cause it was in New Orleans, so I ate
Naseema: Oh.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: a great fun anyway, and I came home and just continued on with my Happy Cooking school and about four months later I got an email out of the blue.
And of course I thought it was a scam from a publisher. Who was looking for someone to write a Trader Joe's cookbook, and I know that what happened was they had the idea and they went to Mr. Google and said, cooking class Trader Joe's.
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: And there I was standing out there on my little internet platform that I didn't even know I had, and the rest is history.
They wanted it real fast and luckily I had been doing the Trader Joe's classes for. I don't know, close to 10 years at that point. So I had a [00:06:00] lot of, a reserve of recipes and that I just had to go back and make sure that they still had those items and things like that. And that was the first cookbook 15 years ago.
Naseema: Wow.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Then they asked me for a Trader Joe's party cookbook, which I'm updating right now. That'll be out I think at holiday time. then a, Trader Joe's around the World Cookbook. and then we got into the college and been a while since I've been in college. And now you find somebody else for that.
And the vegetarian, which I would've at this point, I would be happy to do. But at that point I was like, yeah, I eat meat. I don't really know that somebody else eat that. So that's really how they came about and I've been very fortunate that people have loved them.
Naseema: Yeah. I don't see how they couldn't love them, but okay. So you've been doing this stuff for Trader Joe's for so long. Is there any kind of Trader Joe's affiliation? Are [00:07:00] you nationally recognized by Trader Joe's as their official cookbook writer?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: That is a really, really good question. No, the lawyers talked to the lawyers and blessedly, all Trader Joe's asked for was a disclaimer that says it's an independently authored product book. That was all they asked for, which was, so
Naseema: Hmm. Yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: asked me why it's not carried in the stores, and I think first of all, they don't carry books.
Naseema: Yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: And also because are known for being discontinuous by nature, that's what we love and hate about them. It would be quite annoying if, people were, saying, I just bought this book from you and this isn't here anymore, this particular hummus. So we have lots of strategies for dealing with that in the book, and I'm very grateful to them. still a big fan for allowing us to promote their products like that.
Naseema: That is [00:08:00] very gracious. 'cause they could be like you're using our name and our likeness. And it might not fall on you, it might fall on the publishers to be like, no, you have to pay this royalty. You have to do this. And yeah. So that is very gracious.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Because I lived very close to the corporate offices of Trader Joe's. I was lucky enough to have a lot of Trader Joe's employees as students. I
Naseema: Oh
Cherie Mercer Twohy: one gentleman who would come in every Christmas and he would get 30 signed cookbooks for his staff, which I took as a great, great compliment.
Naseema: yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: that, the corporate offices never mention any sort of outside promotion like this, but he said once in a memo, book was mentioned positively,
Naseema: yes. That does sound like a big win, but I love that. But like you said, trader Joe's is one of those kind of places that do discontinue things. One of the things that they [00:09:00] discontinued that I am very upset about still to this day, is I love sunflower seeds, and it's What I like have a long commute and what's keep me going during my commute is like eating my sun par seeds and keeps me up.
'cause I work at night when I'm coming home and then they had the best sun par seeds. They were only a dollar for this big old bag. And then one day they're right there and I was so sad. But yeah, Turner Joe's is known for discontinuing things, so that kind of has to be problematic for a cookbook that depends on ingredients from the store.
So how do you mitigate that?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: One thing I learned when I was writing the first book was if I'm calling for a jar of, let's say, a particular salsa, let's say the corn and chili tomato list salsa, which is one of my favorites,
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: will tell how much is in that jar so that if it's out of stock or, or. Lord forbid, discontinue, you can wing it with another [00:10:00] similar corn salsa or something like that.
So the
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: are always there you, after you've played around with recipes for a little while, you can figure out, okay, they don't have this corn salsa. But I remember it had a little bit of a vinegar taste and a little bit of this. So there's lots of tips in the beginning of the book. For how to substitute and things like that
Naseema: Okay, good. And yeah. And then you come out with a new book every year. What are some of the biggest edits that you have to make?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Sometimes I was, and still am a very big fan of a particular lettuce that's called Mosh
Naseema: Hmm,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Soft. It's not a crunchy green, but it's soft and a little bit nutty and it's beautiful. It looks
Naseema: hmm,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: a little flower rosette.
Naseema: hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I used that a lot in the first book and. not there anymore and it's not coming back, I don't think. So those recipes [00:11:00] had to either go away and be replaced by new ones, or we needed to figure out another sort of a green that would take its place. So
Naseema: Hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: luckily with the updates someone from the publisher goes and sends me a list so I don't have to take my book in there and look for every single thing that's gone. But most of the time I find that if. Something's been gone for a while. Let's say a few years. There's something else that's very, very similar that's come to take place. I'm really curious about your sunflower seeds. That seems were they in the shell?
Naseema: Yes,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: that takes you a little while and they have no shelled sunflower seeds to this day?
Naseema: no.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: After we get off this, if you not. I dig into that because.
Naseema: I need to know, acquiring mine, need to know come on, like where do my go? And I know they always sold out because I would go and I would buy like 10 at [00:12:00] a time. And then there would be times like I'd have to go to different Trader Joe's because they would sell out, or I'd say my friends to Trader Joe's.
And like obviously there was demand for this. What happened?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: You have just pinpointed a critical Trader Joe's hack, which is if they're out and you can even ask them to call the
Naseema: Yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: local store and see if they have it. And then you've got to hoard. Yeah. That's just, it's not a pretty hoard, but we have to do it.
Naseema: I was at the point where they already knew, like I would go, like sometimes I'd be like, so when is the next shipment coming in? Because I need my shipment. And then it got to the point like when like they didn't, I don't know that they knew it was getting discontinued 'cause they was like, it's saying it's at the warehouse, but it hasn't come.
And then all of a sudden there's none in any Trader Joe's and they're not coming back. And they're just like, no, we don't have it anymore. And I was just like, oh, that's so sad.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I'm definitely gonna be digging into this because that seems so odd. It's not like it's a Tootie fruity [00:13:00] flavored yogurt.
Naseema: Yeah.
Yes. That's just like one of a whole bunch of things that Trader Joe's like swaps in and out. But that's the thing that you love about Trader Joe's, right? You love that they're going to always have new ingredients and can you even point to one thing that has been tried and true that they haven't changed since you've been writing your cookbooks?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Well that same corn and chili tomato salsa, I think that's why it came to mind. I love that stuff. And I go into Trader Joe's, now, I live three hours round trip
Naseema: goodness.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Joe's when I used to live, 10 minutes from. From five different ones. So
Naseema: Right.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: different now, when I go in, I'm looking at every new product I see as an ingredient instead of just the jar and stick a chip in there
So that corned tomato list chilies. Tomato [00:14:00] salsa has been there for quite a while, and I use it in soups. I use it in salads, I use it, in burritos and eggs. I just, there's just a million things and I always get nervous if I see that it's only two jars behind each other because it usually is four jars wide. Sometimes that just means they're waiting for the shipment, but I. I do get a little twitchy and I will take those four jars. I'll take those. Yes.
Naseema: Okay, so like the structure of your cookbook, like how is it written? How do you want people, how do you to navigate through this cookbook?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I know that a lot of people who use cookbook recipes specifically will just go to the recipes,
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I would really beseech ask and beg people to read the front section because it is. of [00:15:00] hacks and tricks to make Trader Joe's work for you. And if you see something that you love that has gone from a four across display to a two across display, it's time to ask some questions. It's, it's time to go up front to what I call the altar, which is where the captains. Live and have the computer and say, Hey, what's up with this? I'm just worried because it's one of my favorites. First say that because that, they do give feedback to corporate office and what's happening with this?
Is it discontinued? Is there just a, a delay because you've changed suppliers or things like that? That's, that's the kind of thing that the strategies, so reading. Through those strategies. There's a lot of information in there about their return policies and their sampling policies and all that.
That's good information. If you wanna work your Joe's.
Naseema: I love that working the Joes. So [00:16:00] for our money conscious people, what are some hacks that are in the front of that book?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Eggs. Eggs, eggs, eggs. now it's all about the eggs.
Naseema: Oh my God.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: have chickens, so I like the colored eggs. You
Naseema: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: for sure. I went to the regular grocery store last week. Now I know it's Easter. They were $10, 10 whole dollars. Now that's insane. I'm sorry. That is insane.
A Trader Joe's, I believe they have a limit now, but they have held their egg prices tight and that's great. Cheeses are another thing. I am a cheese lover first of all, their selection is amazing and really always rotating in that Trader Joe's way,
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Cheese is expensive and their prices are more than reasonable,
Naseema: Yep.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I think that is a really good place to save [00:17:00] some money.
Naseema: Yeah, I love that. Oh my god, eggs, the egg prices today is enough. I'm like, woo, don't waste the egg in today. I'm like, people, people doing real Easter eggs this year,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I didn't even think about that, I'm not a big proponent of plastic, but those plastic eggs, you can use them every year.
Naseema: Every, believe me we do.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Oh my Lord. Eggs this year. I didn't even think about that.
Naseema: Yes, but let's talk about cheeses. 'cause I love cheese and, but I love going to cheese shops because I never know what kind of cheese to get how do we pick out these cheeses? And I know Trader Joe's has 'em all, and I love their breeze and they are super affordable. And I just what are the cheese hacks we need to know?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I have a dog who is a dairy focused dog, and she's also very discriminating,
Naseema: Mm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: but she [00:18:00] knows the sound of the unexpected cheddar cheese wrapper, which I have only found that cheese at Trader Joe's. I think it's either made or packaged for them, and it's a white cheddar, it ha, you know how when you get a really good Parmesan cheese, you have those little crystals in
Naseema: Yes, it's crystallized.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: It has that, it's called Tyne crystals
Naseema: Mm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I call it the cheese pop rocks. And that is a fabulous cheese. I hesitate to say this just because I don't want people to abuse this, but I know that your listeners and and viewers would never. The Trader Joe's policy. Now, this is a while ago.
They may have changed it because I don't have the inside scoop of Joe's anymore, but it used to be that A, anything that you wanted to try other than. or vitamins or something that they needed to warm up for you, could take it to a crew member and [00:19:00] ask them. And especially I know that here in Oregon where I live, they have started up the sampling area again.
You take it back there, they will open it and they will let you try it right on the spot, and then they will let 10 other people try it and probably sell some cheese that day. So that is an option, obviously, as I said, we don't wanna abuse that. And the second option is. Their other policy is if you try it and you don't like it, you don't have to make up an excuse that you know something was wrong with it.
You just come back and say, I tried that she's dipped in Merlott or whatever, and it wasn't for me, and they will refund it. Just like that, which is a amazing policy and to be used judiciously. But
Naseema: Yeah,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: you can go wrong with their cheeses. Just all, I haven't had one I didn't like, but it's good to know that you could do that.
Naseema: Andar.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: It's called Unexpected [00:20:00] Cheddar.
Naseema: Is it in the bag section?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: It's not, you know what? That's funny that you should ask because they have a very limited amount of pre graded cheeses. But
Naseema: Uhhuh.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I was there, I saw the unexpected cheddar grated. I haven't tried the bagged one,
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: in a square.
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Maybe that big. I wanna say that the label is maybe orange and green and it's says Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar.
I highly recommend it,
Naseema: Ooh, I'm gonna have to check that out.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: so does mo's, my dog, that's her favorite.
Naseema: is your favorite recipe to use that in? Or did you just eat it?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I do just eat that cheese more than use it in a recipe because it's just so good on its own. But of course on a charcuterie board or anything like that, now that I have seen grated, I'm gonna have to try it. I think on eggs it would be fabulous. Either
Naseema: Mm.[00:21:00]
Cherie Mercer Twohy: in an omelet, that's gonna be my first go-to.
Naseema: I love that. What is your most popular recipe of all of your cookbooks?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: That is hard to know. Know that friends have asked for a couple of recipes when they're traveling. they're at a, rental house or
Naseema: Yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: hey, I need. This or that. I know that one recipe that one of my friends says she's not in allowed in the door for Easter if she doesn't have this.
Speaking of timely things is a gt, so it's an open face tart, and it can be made either with their pie. Crust or with their puff pastry, which is seasonal. So again, you gotta hoard that. You gotta make sure you got at least four boxes in November in your freezer, because it starts to run out in
Naseema: Wait, I wanna, I wanna talk about that. So there are seasonal things at Trader Joe's that you, [00:22:00] that's why that's another hack in the book Stock up on those seasonal things. Okay. Thank you.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: their puff pastry is amazing. It is all butter, which is what puff pastry should be, and it is absolutely amazing and a great price. So I. I like to have six boxes by November in my freezer, and I am one person, but I do entertain. And that puff pastry, I'm telling you, including baking in 25 minutes, you can have an appetizer that people are not going to believe you made.
It just, you just your nails and say, oh, I just whip that up. I only knew I was invited an hour ago. So the Bri and pear gt basically? Yeah. It's just sliced pears and Bri and they don't have to be completely ripe 'cause you're gonna bake 'em. So that will soften 'em up a little bit and sip pecan. I think that's it. [00:23:00] I'm just trying to remember off the top of my head. But I think that's it.
And you bake it and
Naseema: So you just do the puff pastry, the Bri sliced apples, and Oh, the pecans. Listen, look at me. I'm like,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: spiced pecans.
Naseema: Oh.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: about it now, that hot honey is all the rage
Naseema: Yes.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I would put, I would drizzle a little hot honey on that when it comes out of the oven.
Naseema: That sounds amazing. That sounds amazing.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Okay, look that one up please.
Naseema: Oh, yes. I'm, I have the cookbook, of course. I'm just like gonna go through there and pour through that. But that's ooh. I wouldn't, I'm not a, I don't like, I don't like to bake because I don't like to measure stuff. But that right there, I could do all day, all day.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: measure anything for that. You could eyeball the whole thing. 'cause the crust is the baking part and it's already done. Let me give you a tip about that crust. People get concerned because the best way is [00:24:00] to thaw it overnight in the fridge
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: let it sit on your counter depending on how warm your kitchen is. minutes to an hour so that it's pliable. It doesn't have preservatives or chemical additives in it. So when you unroll it, it's gonna break apart. It doesn't stay together like the ones that are full of chemicals do. So the trick is between, its two pieces of, plastic that it's rolled up in and roll it with your rolling pin just between those two pieces of plastic and it'll come right back together so you don't have. Worry about it being, not as pliable as the plastic because it's not plastic, it's real food.
Naseema: Nice. Oh, I love that. Oh, goodness gracious. So in this day and age when people like heavily rely on like the tiktoks and the YouTubes and the internet for recipes where do you feel like the place [00:25:00] for cookbooks are.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I'm really happy to report that. sales have been really steady. A
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I'm trying to think of how long ago it was, and I was hearing doom and gloom about, published cookbooks. They're expensive, especially people wanna picture with every recipe I. Et cetera, et cetera. It becomes very, very expensive. But are still up. And I have heard from so many people, especially when my kids were younger, that when they were college age, Christmas evening, they would start getting texts, Hey, look what I got for Christmas from their college friends.
Naseema: Oh.
That's refreshing to know. I love a good cookbook because like unlike any other books that are just like texts, it's the images like that that really do [00:26:00] something for me. So Yeah, I know those are, and those are not inexpensive to make, yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: with the ones that don't have pictures, we, I just try to, draw you in with the words about how this looks and tastes and give a description for, so to get you thinking about using that ingredient in a different way. Even if you don't make that recipe there, you can think about it some other way and just get your cook brain going.
Naseema: With the later additions, have you had to add any kind of multimedia pieces into it
Cherie Mercer Twohy: here we are unexpectedly, and you can see how new that is for me.
Naseema: right?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: But we're just starting to do that.
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I'm a Mimi. I'm not on all the, I'm not on all the socials, and I know that if I hadn't had a successful cookbook for so long, I would not be considered as a first time author because I don't have that internet platform.[00:27:00]
Naseema: Yeah, I.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: do have I do have an email on the back of the book and it has dropped off a bit lately, but people do me with a question about a recipe and I'm happy to reach out. I love to hear that the recipes are being used. It's just, I hear from my former students now that my cooking school is closed, I use that recipe every year.
You should see my copy of that recipe. It's that my book falls open to that recipe, and all of that is just wonderful.
Naseema: I love that what I've found is that sometimes like the newer cookbooks, will have a QR code to like the videos of them preparing the recipes. Has there been put a push for your publisher, from your publisher to do any of that? Yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I haven't heard of that. It would be, it would be
Naseema: I.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: in the day, it would've been very easy when I had the cooking school. Now, a little bit trickier,
Naseema: Yeah, it sounds like we're gonna put those grandkids to work.[00:28:00]
Greg Mimi said, you need to make videos of these recipes of you making these recipes so she could put the QR codes in her cookbook. Just kidding.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: There're three in one at this point, so
Naseema: Oh this. It will be even more interesting. Even more that'll, that will go viral.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: That be the Mimi Cook.
Naseema: Just them in, first of all, them and Trader Joe's going crazy 'cause the kids love Trader Joe's second of all them in the kitchen. Like just throwing stuff together. Hey.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: is a cook already. I'll
Naseema: Oh.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: you, his, his mom is a cook as well, and he is yeah, he's got some interesting strategies going.
Naseema: I love that. I love that. All right, so when people wanna get this book, where can they get this book?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Anywhere the books are sold, it's online. But I'd prefer that people go to an [00:29:00] independent book seller, and if they don't have it, ask for it
Naseema: Yes.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: get it and they'll, they won't get one copy, so they'll have it on their shelves as well.
Naseema: Do you have a website where you sell 'em? Are you just, it's just out in the, out in the.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I'll tell you, when I moved here, I thought that a lot of things were in my past because I had closed my cooking school and moved 1500 miles and all of that. And when they came me to update the first book, I thought, I'm not in that anymore. And I almost said no. And my grown kids said, mom, about this.
There's a lot of people who. to Trader Joe's as a destination.
Naseema: Yes.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: They don't live close and they take a cooler and they have these
Naseema: Yes.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: now I'm able to add those strategies to the mix and I'm glad I did it, say no, because the books are, in a lot of people's hands and that [00:30:00] makes me happy.
Naseema: I love that, and I remember being really, really far from Trader Joe's and being so sad, but when I came back, like I had. My things, like I lived in Texas and they didn't have it at the time where I lived there, and then I would come to California, I'd be like, let me get my stuff. Let me make sure I stock up on, oh my God, my mango lemonade, which I don't even think they have anymore by the
Cherie Mercer Twohy: What three things would you get now? if you were back in that situation,
Naseema: mm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: would be on your grab list? I always love to hear.
Naseema: Okay. You know that, first of all, this says a lot because I don't even eat cake. Okay? But this says a lot about this Trader Joe's cake. So there's this vanilla bean sheet cake. It seems so basic, but it is decade tin like it is
Cherie Mercer Twohy: eat is not big enough. That's a pillowcase
Naseema: like this.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: sheet. [00:31:00] Oh, queen
Naseema: That,
Cherie Mercer Twohy: also, but
Naseema: that is good. The hatch. Chip, pepper, macaroni and cheese would be one of those things. And then their lemonade like that. They used to have the mango lemonade. They used to have a jalapeno lemonade too that was so good. Or was it a limeade or something? But like all of those things.
Yeah. That, those are the three things I would get. Okay.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Those are three good things. And you know that lemonade might be a seasonal thing because
Naseema: Mm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: and margaritas and that stuff, so keep looking for it.
Naseema: The other thing that is seasonal that I always make sure I get is the Novo wine. The two buck Chuck. It used me two bucks. I don't know how much it is now.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: That's right. Depends on the state
Naseema: Yes.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: the liquor laws.
Naseema: Yeah, so we call it Two Buck Tuck. It's the Charles Schwab, but always during the holiday they have a mold red wine called Nouveau, [00:32:00] and oh my God, I love that.
Like I would just buy that in cases so I could have it year round. I don't even know if I, I haven't gotten it in year, so I don't even know if they make that anymore, but that used to be my jam and everybody used to be like, where that come?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: That is, that is another for your financially intentional listeners and watchers. wine, if you indulge,
Naseema: Oh my God.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: an excellent bargain. Not just the Charles Shaw, but all of
Naseema: Yes. Yes.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: their private labeled. If it says private reserve or, I'm trying to think of what a cup Trader Joe's bottled for them.
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: If that's a $15 bottle on their shelves, it's a $45 bottle. I
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: it is the quality of a much more expensive that you would find
Naseema: Oh, I, I, I have never gone wrong with anyone that I have gotten from trade show's. Let me just say [00:33:00] that.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: I have to.
Naseema: Yeah. Yes. Do you have wine and cheese pairings in your book, in your cookbook?
Cherie Mercer Twohy: In the new, in the new party book that isn't released yet, but will be by holiday time. We're just working on the edits now.
We had to invent some new holidays 'cause we had covered most of them in the book. So we did a board game night and there's lots of boards and
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: are some pairings in the charcuterie realm.
So yeah,
Naseema: Yay.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: look, yeah, I'll share that. Unexpected cheddar with maybe a Zinfandel
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: No, another soft, you don't want a big cabernet
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: it 'cause
Naseema: Mm-hmm.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: freeze, but I think that would be really nice.
Naseema: Oh, I love that. I love that.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: on the unexpected cheddar.
Naseema: Oh yeah, I'm definitely gonna check it out. But yeah, I love that. And I love [00:34:00] that you ha have this new holiday book coming out and I'm just like, Ooh, I gotta get that too. So anyway, Shereen, this has been incredible. Like I love this. I. First of all, I just, again, love Trader Joe's and being able to talk through this with you and just see how things have evolved over the years.
Like you are one of those very few people that could say that you've been rocking with Trader Joe's from the beginning.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: From the fresh squeeze orange juice
Naseema: Yes, yes, yes. And to get that perspective and for you to be able to package that up in a cookbook is super magical. So I, for everybody to go out and get the, I love Trader Joe's cookbooks, wherever books are sold nationwide, get those recipes and get them updated and then check out this holiday edition that's coming out this year.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: There you go.
Naseema: Yeah.
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Thank you so much, Sima. This has been really you. You're great at what you do, and it's a pleasure to meet you [00:35:00] and be part of this today.
Naseema: Thank you so much and this is my selfish podcast episode that anybody doesn't notice because this information has been just such a joy for me, so I appreciate you being on, being able to share with me Sheree
Cherie Mercer Twohy: Thank you so much.
Hey there I’m Naseema
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