Lucy Greer of Greer's Markets - May 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
It says news Radio seven to ten WNTM. Uncle Henry
here once again with Lucy Greer. Lucy Greer, thank you
for coming back to news Radio seven to ten WNTM.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Thank you for inviting me back.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
I always love talking to you. As you know, I'm
a big fan of Greers and shop at Griers every week.
And it was so much fun. I want you the
listener to know that when Lucy Greer was coming into
the building, I went downstairs to let her in the building.
We couldn't get in the building because there were ladies
that wanted pictures with you. Now does this happen to

(00:40):
you all the time? People say hey, can I have
a picture?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Come have a picture? It does, and I love it.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
People are so kind and nice and the funniest thing,
and it happens often is I will be in a store,
whether it's Greers or somewhere else and people will hear
my voice and I'm sure the same thing happens to you,
and then they'll come around the corner and say, I
would know that voice anywhere. And so people are a
lot of fun. I love meeting people.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Now do you are you ever out? And and you
don't you maybe you're not dressed for pictures. Maybe you're
you're You're just you're trying to be an ordinary human
being like you are, and somebody wants to take a
picture with you when you don't feel like you want
your picture taken.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
That does happen and I think, oh, well, this is me.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
It doesn't matter, so I'm not too self conscious.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Now we're going to talk about all things. Grier's here
with Lucy Greer. Before we do that, I want to
say I was watching you cooking on TV. I see
you every week on Studio ten, and I know you
cook also with John Nodar and w K or G.
I'm just curious. You've done this for years now. Have
you ever cooked on TV and the dish didn't turn

(01:49):
out the way you wanted it, or it didn't look
the way you wanted it to look.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yes, and out of all of these years, I can
think of which is pretty lucky. I should knock on
wood Two time specifically, things didn't turn out quite right.
One time I was making a gingerbread cake and I
didn't measure the flour properly. Oh it was the color

(02:13):
of chocolate it, you know, instead of a light, pretty
ginger color. And then the other time I was whipping
up some fresh cream and instead of getting it whipped
up until it was almost ready and then adding my sugar,
I accidentally added the sugar at the beginning, which, of
course it won't whip into cream if you do that.

(02:33):
And so those were the two times I kind of
I kind of flubbed on the air.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
But nobody's perfect, is it.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Do you ever get nervous before you cook on TV?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
No? Not anymore? Not anymore.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Okay, that is a good sign that you're you're comfortable
there cooking on TV telling everybody about griers. Now we're
getting into a different season where people are outdoors more often.
I know a lot of people stop at grears on
the way to the beach to get all the stuff
they need to go and have fun eating there on
the beach. Do you have a lot of people getting

(03:08):
meat for grilling season to grill out?

Speaker 2 (03:10):
We do.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
And you know what's great about, of course, our area
of the country is that a lot of people cook outside.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
All year round.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
We're fortunate enough to be able to do that. But
of course during this time of year, the people buying
meat and grilling really ramps up. Entertaining really ramps up
as far as family re unions and people getting together.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
At the beach and other places.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
And our meat department, un Glenny, and I know you're
a greer shopper, Saale, I know this, but if you're
not a greer shopper, the quality of our meat department
is really, I would say, can beat anybody out there
in the market. We still cut our meat and house.
We have meat cutters, men and women, and we're always

(03:53):
hiring meat cutters and training. So for anyone coming, you know,
out of high school or in their early twenties, not
sure they know what to do yet, we you know,
can train you in the grocery industry skills. So I
always keep that in mind. Meat cutters are, it's very
skilled in detailed and you know employment that they do.

(04:16):
And we have black Angus beef. We cut all of our.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Beef in house.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
We have Prairie fresh pork. The quality of our pork
is it's just outstanding. I had somebody say the other
day that they will not buy pork anywhere else.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
People say that all the time about our meat in general.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
And we also have Uncle Henry a Pick five program.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Have you looked at that.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
I used to pick five. You do because yes, because
I shop at Greers. And when you when you can
get a great value on meat like that, I always
feel like I've got to get the value on the meat. Yeah,
I pay attention to the Pick five program.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
That's a great a great program that our that our
meat team does a wonderful job with because it has
a combination of fresh cut meat, also frizen vegetables, you know,
package smoke meat. So there's a lot of variety where
you can pick five items for a certain price. So
if you are shopping, you know, for a family, it's great,

(05:12):
but if you're shopping for an individual, it's great.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Now, speaking of grilling and grilling meats from Griers, you've
got recipes online at Greers dot com, including a category
for grilled meats. Now, is this something that you experimented with?
Have you always been somebody who grilled or did you experiment?

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yes, this is a funny story.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
So as soon as I went.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
To Auburn, I got my business degree and then I
went to culinary school, I always knew I was coming
back to be in the in the Greers grocery business.
And so when I came back to work full time
and I started working with the Deli bakeries. We had
a chef that was working in our fair Head location
that was doing grilling with Greers segments with John Notar
right at the time. Well, he turn in his notice

(06:01):
and he took another job, and so they said, well, Lucy,
you need to go. You need to go down there
and get on TV with John Notdar. I said what,
And so I really am not a great griller. I
my husband, Spiro, he does all the grilling in our house.
And so I started doing these cooking segments with John,

(06:22):
these grilling segments, and so I did that for years,
which is where most of those recipes came from. And
then I eventually said I don't want to grill anymore
with John. I want to be in the studio. So yep, hey,
even I can't mess up our meat on the grill.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
Though, Is that good?

Speaker 1 (06:39):
That is fantastic. Well, I knew that you did your
first TV with John Odar grilling. I didn't know that
that was also your first time really getting into grilling. Yes, well,
you the listener. If you are a first time griller,
you can go to Greers dot com and look at
the recipes for grilled meats. Now the cookbook. The last

(06:59):
time of You're here, we talked all about the cookbook.
I told you how much I enjoyed it because it's
not just a cookbook. It's almost like a memoir where
you're talking about why you like certain dishes and when
you had them during your life and how you developed them.
What has the reaction been since we first talked about it.
It was just newly out. Now it's been out for

(07:20):
a while for a few months. It's available in every
Grier's location and on Amazon dot com. What are people
saying to you about the book?

Speaker 3 (07:27):
People are saying similar to what you said in that
they are reading it like a book instead of page
by page. And so many people have told me that
they have sat down and read it cover to cover,
and which of course just thrills me that people are
enjoying reading it besides just the recipes and people. I

(07:50):
love nothing more than to receive text messages from people,
you know, especially friends, that pictures of their families eating
something or you.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
Know, we're making this again.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
I have a friend that has made the spinach and
turkey meatballs and the yoki for her family multiple times,
and everybody loves it.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
So people are saying that they like.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
The simplicity of the recipes, which is that's all I
like to share with people because you know, with time
is hard to come by these days, and a lot
of people, you know, want to cook, but they don't
want to spend a ton of.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
Time doing it.

Speaker 1 (08:27):
Well, that's absolutely the case. And I think I mentioned
the last time you were here, the first things I
cooked out of the cookbook were your meat low recipe
and your rice casserole recipe. Very basic but both just outstanding.
The rice castrole, I believe I told you, was a
revelation to me. I didn't realize that something like that

(08:48):
could be so savory and such a great side dish.

Speaker 3 (08:51):
I'm glad that you like that, and it's funny that
you brought that up, and hopefully my mom's listening at
the teller, because that is it was always favorite meal
growing up, meats and rice castrole, and she, you know,
would make that rice cast role all the time, and
I just I love it.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
I agree with you.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
It's just so savory and a great side dish for
a lot of different to go with a lot of
different proteins.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yes, so that cookbook available at your local Greers and
an Amazon dot Com. Now, speaking of your local Greers,
there's there's three of them. I frequent during most weeks,
but I spent a lot of time at Greer Saint
Louis Market. Like a lot of people do love Greer
Saint Louis Market, are you. I'm sure you get feedback

(09:34):
on it all the time because it's become such a
part of the community in downtown Mobile.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
It has and the evolvement of Saint Louis Street, the
continued businesses arriving there offices. There are so many people
really in that corridor now, more so than there were
when we open the store a little over.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
Three years ago.

Speaker 3 (09:56):
And we get so much positive feedback on the store.
And I will tell you, and it's not an exaggeration,
we get an equal amount of compliments on our team
in that store. We have the greatest team members in
that store, a lot of which have been there since
we opened the doors down there, and they are really

(10:19):
the ones that, yes, we designed and put the building
and you know, put the products in there, but that
team really has made it the special place I feel
that it is.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
They're great, well, it is and the first interview you
and I did, you told me that you went to
culinary school and you knew you were going to work
at Greers, but you realized that you did not want
to be in the restaurant business. But the food that
you have at Greer Saint Louis Market, it is as
good as any restaurant's food. I think I've complimented different

(10:54):
dishes to you through the years there. It's just always
so good, even real disparagus. I felt like I had
to tell you, yes, I don't know that I've ever
enjoyed asparagus like I did at greg Saint Louis Market. Now,
one more quick thing and I do the Uncle Henry's
show there usually during Loda Art Walk when when I

(11:16):
can make it there, I always have a great time.
I've noticed over the past couple of years so many
people head in there just they're for meals. Now it
has really become a spot that people go after work
for meals.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
It really is, and the kids love it. So many
of my friends who live downtown or other parts of
the city, their kids want to go. They want to go.
They call it the fun Griers, and they call it
the ice Cream Griers because we have Chimmi's old Dutch
down there.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
They call it, you.

Speaker 3 (11:49):
Know, the Greers with the roof, and so it's definitely
a place where the whole family can go.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
It's really appealing to to all age groups.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
And it's just a place where you can go get
good food, a great place to meet up, and just
you know, be able to experience downtown in a different way.

Speaker 1 (12:07):
Well, I saw the news a few months ago that
somebody's building something next door where people are gonna be
able to live right next door.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Here's your opportunity.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yeah, there is an opportunity there. Yes, I don't know.
I don't know. Uh, I'd have to develop more discipline
and how I eat if I lived right next door
to Greer's States Market. Now, one more thing about Greer
Saint Louis Market. I this past Tuesday, a week ago Tuesday,
I got married. Seriously, Yes, seriously, I got married. It

(12:39):
was it was a last minute thing where my we
were gonna get married later in the year, but my
bride decided at the last minute she wanted to get
married on her the anniversary of her father's birth, on
her father's birthday, so it was not a ceremony situation.
This was a we wanted on this date. So we
went to the courthouse and did this. She wanted Greers.

(13:01):
I hope she didn't get mad of me for saying this.
She wanted Greer's hamburger steak on rice, which you have
at Greer Saint Louis Market as a meal ready to go.
I don't know what you call those meals. But anytime
we don't want to cook, she says, can we go
to Saint Louis Market? And we go because we know
what you've got there. Yes, big fans of the poppy
seed chicken. She loves the she likes rice's. Aside this

(13:26):
so hamburger steak on the rice. I just wanted you
to know that was a part of our wedding.

Speaker 2 (13:31):
I'm so happy for you. I did not know you
got married.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
Hamburg Well, and she's a very nice, respectable person. I believe, very.

Speaker 3 (13:39):
Nice, respectable person, and that I'm so happy you told
me that.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (13:44):
But it's but it's the rice that makes it. Otherwise
it would be meat loaf. But the meat loaf is
with mashed potato.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
Yes, right, And the hamburger steak is with the rice.
Down there. Yeah, those take her meals are great.

Speaker 1 (13:57):
They are. And one more thing about that. I know
that Johnny Gwenn. I don't know if you know him,
but Johnny Gynn is a frequent guest on the Uncle
Henry Show. He and a couple of his friends fell
in love with the meat loaf. He says. Sometimes these
guys when they get together to work on projects and things,
they go and get three of the meat loaves because
they love that. So a lot of fans for those

(14:18):
males that are ready to go right there at Greers
Saint Louis Market. Now, I've seen news stories about how
people are a lot of people. I think eighty eight
percent people say that they shop differently these days than
they did a few years ago. Because of all the
inflation in the country. People shop for groceries different I
know that Greers has made value a big part of

(14:42):
the mission of Griers for over one hundred years.

Speaker 3 (14:45):
Yes, you're absolutely right, and I was gonna say that
when I heard you start talking. Our vision at Greers
is to bring at a joy, well being and value
to people's lives. Value in the price, of course, value
in just being a part of a community, whether you're
working in our stores or shopping in our stores, being

(15:07):
part of that community, and you're exactly right. You know,
price used to be it's always, of course on people's
list of important criteria for shopping in a certain place,
but it is just skyrocketed to the top. And I
feel like that that has been what has made are
our careers cost plus stores so valuable to people is

(15:28):
that you can still get like we talked about our
fresh cut meat, we still have national brands across the store.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
We also have two or really four really great.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
Private labels, which you know are store brands. We have
Best Choice, yes, we have always saved. We have a
line called Clearly Organic, and we have a line called
Superior Selection. So that's some more specialty things. And you know,
we have Deli Bakery, we have fresh produce, and so
you can really get everything you need but at a

(16:01):
great price, a competitive price, so you don't have to
feel like.

Speaker 2 (16:04):
You have to go to a big box store to
get that price.

Speaker 1 (16:08):
It is so important, and all those brands terrific brands.
I've got a lot of best choice in the pantry myself. Now.
While you were talking about this and just a few
minutes ago you talked about the team at Greer Saint
Louis Market. I know that voting is underway in the
month of May for the Nappy Awards. Greers is nominated

(16:29):
in numerous categories in the Nappy Awards. But did I
see that you're also you're nominated in the category of
good places to work.

Speaker 2 (16:37):
Yes, yes, yes, we are so so I know.

Speaker 1 (16:42):
You're always looking for good people.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
We are looking for good people if anyone. And like
I said earlier, you know, the the people are gonna
have to eat. Man Jan always says people got to
eat right, and people.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
Are There's been, of course a shift to eat e
commerce and online shopping, which we do offer those services,
but you know, people are always going to want to
come into.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
A store for some reason or another. A lot of
it is the community and it is just an industry
where you can grow, you can make a career out
of it. You know, our store directors and our department
heads are skilled people and it is a very a

(17:28):
very competitive industry, but it's a place that you know,
you can really make a home.

Speaker 2 (17:33):
So Greers careers.

Speaker 3 (17:35):
Dot com is where you can go and see all
of our job listings.

Speaker 2 (17:38):
But we're always hiring.

Speaker 1 (17:40):
Well, it's a wonderful thing. I know you're always hiring.
I and I'm at Greers careers dot com because it's
it's on Greers dot com a link to career. Uh.
At a time where you're looking for workers, you're nominated
as a great place to work in then happy wards.
So that is a great thing, thank you so Uh.
And that's the best way is people applying online.

Speaker 2 (18:02):
Yes, that is the best way.

Speaker 3 (18:03):
And in that way, we you know, our stores and
our our operations team looks at those daily to see
kind of who's coming in. And the great thing about
us we operate in three states and we've had people
that you know, are working at a Greers in Mississippi,
they're moving to Alabama or Florida.

Speaker 2 (18:21):
You know, in transfer. So we have a lot of transfers.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
And of course in our mobile area, there's so many
opportunities just because we have so many stores around here.
So we love to love to interview and you and
have you join our team.

Speaker 1 (18:33):
All right, h again, that's uh Greers careers dot com.
If you'd like to go to work for Greers now,
we're almost out of time here. Uh. In this interview,
Lucy Greer. Now this year, is it going to be
one and nine or where where are you going to
be with the the number of years Greers has been
in existence.

Speaker 2 (18:52):
You are right, one hundred and nine, one hundred numbers
one or nine.

Speaker 3 (18:57):
So we always celebrate our anniversary in the month of July, okay,
and yeah, so that will be coming up here shortly,
and so yeah, it's it's hard to believe.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
That we've been around for five generations.

Speaker 3 (19:10):
But like I said, meeting people is one of my
favorite things, and especially when I meet those generational shoppers
that have been shopping with Greers with their grandparents and
their parents and now them and their own children.

Speaker 2 (19:22):
So people are just growing along with us.

Speaker 1 (19:25):
All right. Well, Lucy Greer always a pleasure to have.

Speaker 3 (19:27):
You know.

Speaker 1 (19:27):
You can find her book on Amazon dot com or
just go into your local Greers and purchase the Lucygreer Cookbook.
And if you want to find out more, you can
check all the weekly ads get all kind of info
at Greers dot com. Lucy Greer, thank you for coming in.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
Thank you see talk to y'all next time.