Seaside Market Fed Hundreds During Power Outage

Encinitas, like the , was without power for about 10 hours last night. Instead of shutting its doors,  in Cardiff opted to make lemonade out of lemons with an impromptu community cookout.

“We just worked our way through our meat case because it was going to go bad anyway, so we figured why not feed the community,” said Kelly McMullen, marketing coordinator for the grocery store. 

The idea was a hit, as evidenced by the line that wrapped around the building for a good three hours. While everyone waited their turn for dinner, grocery store owners John and Peter Najjar passed out ice cream bars and sushi, two other items that would have otherwise spoiled without power. When all was said and done, about 1,000 locals made their way to the neighborhood grocery store.

“Everyone was really patient and understood we had their best interest at heart,” McMullen said of the customers, who were treated to grilled ahi tuna, swordfish and tri-tip sandwiches. “It was a really great community experience to see everyone come together and make the most of the situation.” 

Customers were also allowed to enter the store a few at a time to shop by candlelight for essentials to help them make it through the night.

“Each person got their own ‘personal shopper’ to help them walk through the aisles safely and buy the items they needed,” McMullen said. “Hot sellers for the night were ice, water, batteries, candles and beer.”