Newest Sunset Foods, in Long Grove, open for business

Sunset Foods opened its fifth gourmet grocery store Wednesday in Long Grove, where the community has been waiting for this day since it was first announced several years ago.

Customers crowded into the new grocery at Route 83 and Aptakisic Road, which joins the family-owned chain that has been around since 1937. Other stores are in Highland Park, Libertyville, Lake Forest and Northbrook.

Sunset Foods considers the Long Grove store to be its most ambitious. Besides the chain's commitment to local producers, the Village Grille, and the other amenities common in all their stores, the 50,000-square-foot building has a reflective solar roof membrane, recycled building products, high-efficiency heating and cooling system, energy-saving refrigeration and lighting systems, and high-efficiency flooring and siding.

For Long Grove, however, it's more — a real shot in the arm.

“This is a big deal,” Village President Maria Rodriguez said Tuesday night at the ribbon cutting, pointing out the grocery could bring up to 200 jobs to the area.