The new Santa Barbara Whole Foods sure knows how to make an entrance—and a memorable one! I was there at opening time this morning, and I can tell you: It was quite the scene. The opening was more like a red carpet movie premiere, with a long line of people down the block anxiously waiting to enter the newest Mecca for health nuts, granola heads and gourmands alike.

Traffic jams clogged streets within a half-mile radius from the store, with nearby businesses guarding their parking lots with vigilance to keep the Whole Foods riff-raff out. Miraculously, I found one spot in the Whole Foods parking lot. It was located near the main entrance marked as “reserved for low emitting vehicles.” Yes! I thought that would be me, or rather my beloved hybrid Prius. One fellow foodie asked me, “had you been waiting to park for a long time?” No, I smiled, “the spot was free because it’s reserved for low emitting vehicles, which my Prius is,” I told her, still smiling. Other people standing in line and in other cars were looking at me with envy and I walked by them gloating unapologetically.

I walked to the back of the long line to join all the die-hard foodies, who were clearly ecstatic to be at the grand opening of Whole Foods in Santa Barbara after years of waiting. I took a shiny, never-used shopping cart and made my way into the store—but still took the free EO sanitary wipe scented with essential oils, located by the entrance, available for germophobics who like me are into disinfecting everything. Don’t judge! It’s flu season—you can’t be too careful.

Upon entering the building you could immediately feel the positive energy vibrating through the crowded store. Even the local farmers, whom I usually shop from at farmer’s market, were there soaking it all in. I saw at least three of them, and they seemed to be having a good time.

The store is not very big. At just over 40,000 square feet, they’ve done well with the lay out, creatively making the most of it. They have a nice bulk foods section, though I do think they should have more of their bins filled with healthier foods (more grains, beans, nuts and seeds and fewer sweets). I bet CEO John Mackey, who recently admitted that Whole Foods sells "a bunch of junk," would agree with me.

I was also disappointed to see that the store doesn't have freshly ground almond butter. They have two nut grinders for freshly made nut butters, unfortunately, they use both for peanut butter: one for regular peanut butter and the second one for honey-roasted peanut butter. At Lazy Acres, the other big health-oriented grocery store in town, you can make your own freshly ground peanut, almond and even cashew butter. Lazy Acres even offers both conventional and organic almond butters in the grind-it-yourself bin section."

The produce section is surprisingly small, though it might be because Santa Barbara is blessed with an abundance of locally grown produce. We have local farmer’s markets within driving distance almost seven days per week, year round. The prepared cold food section features fresh salads and cooked proteins, including tofu, chicken, fish and beef free of hormones and antibiotics. All of their freshly made salads feature produce from local growers. They had a sign indicating that all their salads are made with locally grown produce from John Givens Farm, which is just about six miles from the store. It doesn’t get much more local than that. Givens farm is one of my favorite organic farms, and they grow just about every kind of vegetable (too many to list) and the sweetest and juiciest strawberries you'll ever taste. You can always find them at the farmer’s market, and they offer some of the lowest prices.

Not surprisingly, Whole Foods in their eagerness to provide customers with a delightful experience, does it again. There were team members (employees) everywhere attentively helping customers. My shopping cart, along with the food in it, disappeared somehow. I picked up a few other items and was carrying them in my arms. A team member ran to get a hand basket and brought it for me to use. And boy, did I need it. Their thoughtfulness is unparalleled.

They were serving samples galore, and quite generous size portions—I ate a couple of meals worth before leaving the store. The food was out of this world. I’ve been to a lot of Whole Foods, but they were serving a few things I’ve never seen anywhere else. The vegan black garlic pizza with apples and red cabbage tasted divine. I also enjoyed a delicious vegan beet salad and a fresh corn and arugula salad, also fabulous. My favorite items from their “make-to-order” sandwich section are the vegan grilled Portobello mushroom with red onions and the vegan grilled tempeh sandwich with baba ghanoush—my mouth is watering just writing about them. I ordered a tempeh sandwich to bring home to my husband to try, and a curious thing happened. They were having technical difficulties with their price label printer. Rather than writing the price by hand or making me wait, they wrote something on it, which the cashier told me meant it was free. That’s what makes Whole Foods stand apart. They really provide a memorable experience to their customers whom they actually consider their “guests.” It's a smart policy because they’re creating customer loyalty.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the store manager, who seemed to be everywhere making sure things were running smoothly. The marketing manager was doing the same. All hands were on deck, and they all seem enthusiastic and happy to be there. From my vantage point, everything seemed to be going well. And I think there is enough room in Santa Barbara for both Whole Foods and Lazy Acres to serve all the enthusiastic foodies and health nuts here. My request to Whole Foods: add chia seeds to the bulk food section, have a nut grinder for freshly ground almond butter and carry the Wildwood Sproutofu, I’ll be a doubly happy camper. Welcome to Santa Barbara, Whole Foods! Glad to have you.