David’s Natural Market | 871 Annapolis Road, Gambrills | 410-987-1533
David London’s grandfather, Matthew, worked as food broker selling goods to the old A&P food chain. But Matthew wasn’t happy with the quality of foods he was purveying.
“He was selling products he didn’t really like the ingredients of,” London recalls. “There were a lot of candies with a lot of artificial colors and flavors and sugar. If he wanted to sell food to people, he wanted to sell good food.” And that, in turn, inspired the family business.
It was actually his son Dennis—David’s father—who opened the family’s first organic food store in 1971, Nature’s Cupboard of Love in Glen Burnie.
Today, Dennis’s son, 61-year-old David, owns stores in Gambrills, Columbia, and Forest Hill, all called David’s Natural Market. The market’s specialization is a distinctive selection of local, domestic, and international foods, including organic and natural produce, specialty items for diets and nutrition, and vitamins and supplements.
Zack England, David’s step-son, is the fourth generation of the family to get involved in the food business. The 25-year-old manages the Gambrills store, which is the fulfillment of a life-long dream.
“I wrote a book in the first grade and my goal was to work at my step dad’s store.” England explains.
We recently sat down to talk to David London and Zack England about their stores selling all organic produce, the store’s natural and holistic approach, and having a nutritionist on staff.
Zack, what makes your place unique and what separates it from others?
We are an independent, full-service, organic retailer. That’s what we refer to ourselves as. We stock more local products. [Versus] a corporate structure, [in which] customers complain about not getting products in as quickly or they get products in and they never see them again.
Are there other places that have all organic produce?
Not really. A lot of places have organic and separate the non-organic. Maybe some farmers’ markets may have it. Grocery store-wise, there are not many that have all organic.
Please talk about your café and what you offer?
We have premade sandwiches and sandwiches made-to-order. You can get whatever you want on it. We make fresh soup every day. Our Columbia store has a full-service kitchen and lunch specials every day. We make a bunch of prepared food over there, and bring over to Gambrills three days a week. Things like crab cakes, chicken breast meals, sandwiches, and salads.
You have a nutritionist on staff in your Columbia story?
Her name is Courtney Carpenter. Some products our customers want, but you need a practioner’s license to order. So, she is able to order those supplements for people. She is very knowledgeable about all the supplements and all the new trends coming out. She has worked for us for close to 20 years and been in the industry for 30 or 40 years. She can build a supplement plan for anyone.
David, what is the long-term vision for the company? Any more locations?
We will probably just consolidate. The store in Forest Hill (near Bel Air) is a small store. It’s only like 5,000-square feet. It’s tough to compete with big stores like Wegmans opening around us. The lady who owned it before is my manager up there. She is getting ready to retire. It might be easier to let it go, and concentrate on the other two because they are larger stores. I have my hands full with them.
When did you go all organic for your produce?
We did that when we first started doing produce in 1986. It was probably around 1992 when we really started carrying a large variety of produce. We were kind of all organic, all the time anyway. But later, we really started expanding the produce. Most customers would rather buy organic. I think it gets confusing at other stores when they co-mingle the two. Mistakes are made. Did the other store put the sign up in the right spot? We don’t have any doubts since all of ours is organic.
Is having all organic food appealing to the customers? Are people willing to drive a long distance because you offer that?
I think people appreciate the organic food. So, they don’t have to look and say, “Is this organic or not” like they do when they are at other stores. I have customers that come from the Eastern Shore just for our organic food.
Where your do source your produce, meats, and seafood?
We try to get as much local as we can with the produce, but in the winter time that’s tough. There is a group of organic farmers that are up in northern Maryland that we buy a couple of times a week. We get some from the Eastern Shore and Anne Arundel County, too. We also get as much meat and seafood locally as possible.
Who do you source your salmon from and what makes it special?
It comes from the Faroe Islands, which is North of Ireland. It’s special because it’s Var Salmon. It’s completely non-GMO (genetically modified fish). It is really raised correctly. The feed they give the salmon is very excellent. It’s probably the best salmon in the world that is not caught live. You can get it year-round.
Why is an all-natural and holistic approach so important to you and customers?
It empowers the customers to take care of themselves and live a healthier lifestyle. So, they don’t have to use as much prescription medication. There are so many things out there you can try that are natural for people’s ailments instead of getting a prescription or opioids or an anti-inflammatory.
What supplements are selling the most and what trends are you seeing?
We are selling a lot of CBDs right now. That’s part of the cannabis plant. That’s a big trend right now. It doesn’t have any THC in it, so it’s THC free. But you do get benefits of it. For people who have anxiety, it seems to relax them. You can rub it on or take it internally. It seems to relieve pain and help for sleep.
Salmon Roasted with Green Herbs
6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 to 2.5 lb. skinless salmon filet
- 1/4 cup olive3 oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup minced scallions (white and green parts = 4 scallions)
- 1/2 cup minced fresh dill
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Place salmon fillet in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel roasting dish. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle evenly over salmon. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the scallions, dill, and parsley. Scatter herb mixture over the salmon on both sides—coat generously. Pour the wine around the fish filet.
Roast salmon for 10–12 minutes, until almost cooked in the center. Cover the dish tightly with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut salmon crosswise into serving pieces and serve with lemon wedges.
