One thing I know is if you want to change my mood, food always helps. Food can gloss over some difficult challenges. Whenever I plan an event, I look for a good food element, because notoriously, food is an important part of the whole experience.

I’ve relied on food to cover up my inadequacies. Several years ago, when I was first asked to teach religious education, I had no idea what I was doing. I decided to go to a religious education workshop given by a nun. She spoke of the importance of hospitality in the classroom, and I remember her energetic solution: “Feed them!”

Now, I’m sure she was referring to spiritual food; however, it was nearing lunch, and I was ready for a food break. I interpreted her recommendation to a physical level, and from that day forward, have always made sure that there would be food in my religious education classroom. The point is: Food forms community and makes people feel at home.

These days, I feel right at home at my local grocery store, and it keeps getting better. Last Saturday morning, in a celebration not to be missed and worth getting up early for, Hannaford celebrated the grand opening of our newly renovated, hometown supermarket.

Both my husband and I went, arriving early in hopes of being the first ones through the door. But when we got there, it was obvious that others felt the same way we did. Nonetheless, there we all stood, outside waiting for the official ribbon to be cut. A podium was set up on the crosswalk – this was a big deal.

Scarborough has come a long way when it comes to grocery stores. I’ve lived in Scarborough since 1986, and remember the old Shop ‘n Save with two check-outs in the old K-Mart building.

When the new Shop ‘n Save was built in the current location, I recall wondering: Why on earth are they building the store way back there? It’s so out of the way. Obviously, developers know the food element hook – locate near a grocery store, and you’ve got a captured audience. Sure enough, the banks all followed. Today, Hannaford Drive is my convenient shortcut to the library and the school and invariably, on my way by, I remember something that I should pick up at the grocery store.

You would think that grocery stores have an easy business. After all, everyone needs to eat. But in fact, the business operates on thin profit margins. For the most part, the standard aisle-after-aisle, basic grocery store is what we know – but hardly what I love. Grocery shopping for me had become a mundane task – as high on the list as laundry, housekeeping, and ironing. What would motivate a grocery chain to do anything else?

Competition! As small as the grocery margins are, there’s one mass retailer that chose to jump into the grocery business years ago. Wal-Mart now holds the No. 1 spot in total U.S. grocery sales. Grabbing up grocery shares and having buying power to reduce prices, Wal-Mart has threatened the traditional grocery store. But let’s not forget that many years ago, the small butcher shop, local bakery and farm stand became sparse because of the arrival of the one-stop grocery store. As the task of getting groceries became more utilitarian, the shopping experience, and the sense of community, whittled away.

Living in Switzerland, I saw the value of all the specialty shops and what they did for community. I would see the same people shopping in these little markets each day, and they became a part of my living experience. I was introduced to many new foods that I never knew existed. Small talk and friendships were formed, and if I didn’t see someone on a particular day, there was a loss. Moving back to the U.S., I yearned for this experience.

Now, I see positive signs of hope in Scarborough. The arrival of the Cheese Iron by the Centervale Antique building is a dream come true for those in search of a more worldly food experience. Lois’ Natural Foods has an established clientele, and a nice community feel. And now, the newly renovated Hannaford offers the experience of small specialty shops under one roof.

I applaud Hannaford for putting the experience, expertise and enthusiasm, selection and creativity back into what had become an average grocery store. As a consumer, I know that this won’t come at bargain prices. But I’ve come to discover that long lines, huge packages of empty-calorie convenience foods and withered, low-price produce don’t do it for me.

It would appear that the pendulum is swinging back toward quality over quantity. A Wal-Mart super center will appeal to the volume/price conscious consumer. Our specialty shops and newly renovated Hannaford will appeal to those willing to pay for the broader selection and overall grocery experience. Shaw’s maintains the standard, grocery store option. It would appear that we have the sustainable winning formula: Do we really need Stop & Shop?