If you haven’t already tubed it to High Street Kensington to check out the latest rage of Whole Foods Market, the food retailer extraordinaire, which recently hit the high street then you are certainly more clever than I. Yes I queued for 25 minutes in front of a rope and wired security dude on a Sunday afternoon to check out the latest in organic offerings. I don’t think I’ve ever queued in front of the hottest night club in N.Y. nor London for that long. But one satisfied customer meandering her way out the front door informed the masses that it was “well-worth the wait!” I personally had to find out first hand what all the fuss was about…

To put all this into perspective, let me give you a little history: Whole Foods Market originated in Austin, Texas in 1980 and was the brainstorm of three local businessmen who decided the natural foods industry was ready for a supermarket format. At the time there were less than half a dozen natural food supermarkets in the U.S. The original store in Austin, Texas staffed a total of 19 people. When it opened its doors it was an immediate success!

Fast-forward to 2007 and you are looking at the Whole Foods Market chain comprising over 39,000 employees, with locations in North America and now the U.K. The average store size is 32,000 square feet.

Keeping in mind that the average waist-line in the UK is growing at a rate faster than the bald spot on Prince Charles’ head, I’m thinking organic healthy options can’t be a bad thing. So 150 pounds lighter, and I’m not referring to my waist-line here, I left the store with a bag boy (no not carrying my Balenciaga) to help me get my tasty offerings to my car. Perhaps this is when I realized the Whole Foods people might have given more thought to location. Granted High Street Kensington has all the buzz with commuters, but there is no parking lot and no easy access for getting the groceries to your pay and display parking slot. So I’m thinking this location is simply designed for the commuter on the go looking to make it a lunch time stop or to pick-up something healthy for dinner on their way to the tube. Pricey? Oh yeah, makes M&S look like a real bargain! Healthy? Most certainly!

In my opinion, the just-right climatized cheese room is not to be missed! Whether it is a fabulous savory Gruyere from the Swiss Alps you are craving or a perfect goat cheese from the mountains in Italy, you are certain to find just the right cheese to satisfy the most discriminating cheesy palate.

So does the Whole Foods Market meet the UK expectations? I think it is worth a visit, and perhaps the worst thing that might happen is that you sample your way through your lunch hour for free.

Like all good things, there is always a flip side: The CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, has led a bizarre anonymous online attack of one of his competitors Wild Oats. Mackey used a pseudonym on financial message boards to bash rival Wild Oats as a bad business not worth its stock price. He’s now making a move to buy it. Illegal? Unethical? Perhaps not one of his better moves. I’m thinking this organic, natural, wholesome, pure company has one bad apple!!! But now that the seed is planted, let’s leave it to the universe to balance things out…