When Phillip Crawford noticed that the grocery chain he worked for switched from fresh-cut to prepackaged meats, he saw a business opportunity.

“People like buying meat that’s cut fresh exactly how they want it,” Crawford says. “They enjoy getting special cuts and being able to buy their meat fresh daily instead of buying a lot and freezing it. That’s something you can’t do much anymore.”

So Crawford and his business partner, Kevin Hill, launched Asheboro Fresh Cuts Butcher & Seafood Market, just one of the many places where Asheboro and Randolph County residents can buy fresh food.

“We carry all-natural, grain-fed Angus beef that we raise on our farm eight miles west of Asheboro, and we’ve got all-natural chicken, too, that has no preservatives or hormones,” Crawford says. “I’m also fond of our seafood line. We get our seafood fresh from the North Carolina coast, and it’s all about three days off the boat.”

The most popular products in Crawford’s seafood line include flounder, mahi mahi, tuna, shrimp, salmon and scallops. The market also carries beef and pork roasts, stew meat, pork chops, country sausage, hormone-free milk and locally produced eggs, butter and ice cream.

Another place to get seafood is CS Distributors, which also stocks a wide variety of fish, including catfish, tilapia, scallops and shrimp, as well as an assortment of local produce, ranging from sweet potatoes and squash to apples and oranges.

Another hot spot with buyers looking for fresh food is the Downtown Asheboro Farmers Market, which opened in 2006 and has grown to include 35 vendors toting everything from strawberries and watermelons to fried pies and sourdough bread. There are also vegetables, plants, handmade crafts, cakes, jams and jellies, and hanging baskets.

“Some unusual things people sell are homemade spices for cooking, extremely hot homegrown peppers, and Korean fruits and vegetables,” says Kristen Terry, program assistant for Asheboro Parks and Recreation. “In the summertime, you can smell the strawberries and peaches before you reach the produce stand. In the fall, there are lots of colors with the red radishes, yellow squash, green peppers and purple eggplants.”

The farmers market draws its biggest crowds on special-event days such as Peach Day in July and Watermelon Day in August.

“The market is family-oriented, and lots of people bring their children,” Terry says. “There’s a sitting area near a fountain made from a grist mill stone, and children love to throw coins in and make wishes. The vendors appreciate the market’s safe, clean atmosphere, and the buyers love the fresh, homegrown products they sell. It’s been very successful.”

Consumers can even find locally made wine within county lines. Family-owned-and-operated Zimmerman Vineyards grows 5 acres of grapes in Trinity and produces French varietals such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Viognier and Cabernet Franc.

Another plus of buying fresh food? Unbeatable customer service.

“I love being able to talk with customers without feeling rushed,” Crawford says. “I make sure they leave happy, and that’s why 80 percent of our clientele are repeat customers. Working at a chain store, you don’t have time to give people that kind of service.”