Rouses JAN-FEB_2017_FINAL-flipbook

FAMILY LETTER

On the Cover Quinoa, Bulgar Wheat and Legume Salad Recipe available at www.rouses.com. • • •   WHAT I’M EATING We have great salad bars in our stores. Occasionally, I treat myself to Thousand Island dressing, but my go-to dressing is Rouses olive oil and balsamic vinegar. WHAT I’M COOKING With the weather cold and the holidays behind us, I’m focusing on hearty (but healthy) dishes. I love roasted broccoli and okra. The vegetables need to be really crunchy. I use a little lemon juice, lime juice and Rouses olive oil and seasonings. Cook at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. I’ve also been eating a lot of cauliflower. I’ve discovered a great way to make a cauliflower pizza crust. The trick is to use dried, cooked cauliflower. Grind the raw cauliflower, then boil it for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain it through a strainer and transfer to a piece of cheesecloth. Roll the cheesecloth into a ball and squeeze out all of the cauliflower juice — you can save it to make cauliflower soup. Get Donny Rouse’s cauliflower pizza recipe at www.rouses.com. WHAT I’M DRINKING Iconic is a lean protein drink made by locally owned Be Well Nutrition. I like the café au lait flavor. I’ve been drinking a lot more water — Evamor natural alkaline artesian water and Aquahydrate, which is a fitness water. When I go out, I order vodka and soda. I like Ciroc, which is made from grapes instead of potatoes.

Donny Rouse

I want to say a word to our team members. First of all, thank you. Each of you brings your skills, effort, loyalty and dedication to your job every day. I’ve always believed great people make a great company. You are the foundation of our organization, why we have been successful for three generations, and why we will continue to be successful for generations to come. Because of you, last year was our best year ever. We celebrated a number of important milestones, including opening our first stores in Baton Rouge and Ponchatoula, and reopening our Denham Springs market four months and a day after it was flooded. By far our biggest move of 2016 was completing the acquisition of nine LeBlanc’s Food Stores, bringing our total number of locations to 54. In 2016, we also welcomed some new members to our senior management team. I am happy to introduce Steve Black as our new President and Chief Operation Officer. Steve joined us in December. He brings more than 30 years of key management experience to our Rouses organization. Steve shares my family’s passion for the business. His fundamental principles of success, and strong focus on teamwork, will help lead us into the future. At Rouses, our values have always been more than just low prices.We believe in supporting good people and good causes while contributing to the neighborhoods where we work and live. These values have been the core of our company’s culture and the guideline by which we’ve done business since 1960. Every day, you help us share them with our customers. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. We couldn’t do it without you. Donny Rouse , CEO 3 rd Generation

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