Buehler's - Dover

Had a very fun time at a field trip/cooking class/tour at the Buehler's grocery store in Dover in Tuscarawas County.
We had a very small group of only 5 children, but the staff there did not treat us any differently than if there were many. The cooking class teacher, Cheryl, first showed the children how to make "turtle bread" and then, they were each allowed to make their own. My 3 year old really enjoyed being able to do it herself. After our breads were ready for the oven, we all walked to the bakery together. We were able to see our bread as it spun on racks in the huge convection oven, which was really neat, and we learned that Buehler's makes all the items sold in their bakery, many of them from scratch. We watched the bread slicer machine with all its interesting gadgets, and asked questions about many different machines we saw in the bakery.

The children and parents were enthralled by the cake decorator, who saved an ordered cake to decorate as we watched. She took a plain white cake and made it a beautiful gift for someone's birthday in spring pastels. She was very patient, answering questions and lifting the cake to show the children each step she made.

We also toured the store rooms, the cooler, the freezer, the produce section and met a lobster in the meat department. A few of the children decided to touch him.

It was a very nice time, and I would love to go back for one of their regularly scheduled cooking classes.

Giant Eagle - Amherst

A small group of field trippers had a treat at their local Giant Eagle store last December, and one of the moms was gracious enough to share her thoughts about the field trip. Thanks, Lynda!

"Just thought I'd let you know about our tour. Our "guide" Pat, Mrs. B. was
excellent. We had a small group, however, we had 3 younger (5-7yo) and 4 older kids (11-14).
The woman did a great job including all the kids in the information. Even the
moms thought it was a great field trip.

The children got "treats" that went
along with the different departments and food groups. We sampled celery,
apples, and a star fruit; a multi grain European bread that was yummy, fresh
from the bakery and was warm :) and a sample of shaved turkey lunchmeat and
American cheese. And at the end, we got a cookie and each child received a
goody bag. Oh yeah, they even were able to touch a live lobster! The
children enjoyed going behind the scenes in the Bakery, Meat department, and
the back room where the deliveries are unloaded and we even got to walk in
the various large freezers.
We were pleased with the amount of information and "freebies". I would
strongly suggest this fieldtrip."

For more information about scheduling a field trip at a Giant Eagle near you, check out Field Trip Factory.