The search for new, quality products never ceases. Each year the market receives samples, information and sales pitches on thousands of new products. Jim Canepa, the market's gourmet foods and specialty foods buyer, spends hours at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco sampling and tasting. And Bob Canepa attends national trade shows, as well as grocer and natural food conventions around the state.

A surprising number of our specialty items have been brought to our attention by loyal customers. "If you visit your grandma in Mississippi and you find a Cajun sauce you can't live without, I'll try to get it," Jim said. We try them. If they're really good we give them a chance. Some make the grade and some don't. We let our customers make the final decision.

To us, specialty is not restricted to the hard-to-find or unusual. We place the same emphasis on providing a wide range of natural and organic foods as we do esoteric or imported items. The result is an extravaganza of quality, gourmet food items, a range of products that boggles the mind. Sampling each olive or jam, or trying every variety of olive oil or balsamic vinegar, would be quite an undertaking.

But having such a wide array of products isn't important if our customers can't find them. Because we want to make shopping easier for you, we don't segregate specialty, organic or gourmet foods. If you're looking for jam, you'll find all the jams in the same location. All the mustards can be found in the same place, as can all the pasta sauces. Whether the finest Dijon mustard or French's, the choice is yours to make, not ours.

If you're looking for a product you can't find elsewhere, or want to try something different, browse our aisles. We know you'll be pleasantly surprised. The San Francisco Chronicle discovered " . . . 80 kinds of honey, 50 brands of green olives, 72 vinegars, 152 salad dressings, 280 types of soup, 311 jams and preserves, 110 mustards and more chutney than found under one roof anywhere in California, perhaps the nation, possibly even the world."