Residents of coastal North County no longer have to trek south for specialty foodstuffs that they normally buy at Whole Foods or other distant gourmet shops. And inhabitants of metro San Diego in the meantime may want to make the jaunt to Carlsbad and see what’s eventually coming their way.

The Sonoma Valley Market, which opened earlier this year in the Village Faire Shopping Center in Carlsbad, offers foodies a plethora of fine comestibles from hundreds of the best producers in the world. The 2,500-square-foot retail space features everything from artisan cheeses and savory deli dishes cooked on site to fine wines and dreamy cakes and tortes from Extraordinary Desserts and Sweet Streets.

Several food items in the store can’t be found anywhere in San Diego County, such as boxed chocolates by famous Chocolatier Jacques Torres of New York, or Redondo Iglesias proscuitto (still on the hoof), which gourmands consider to be the best on the planet. And it’s the only place on the West Coast that carries Charlie Trotter foods from Chicago, such as tea-and-ginger smoked salmon, dessert sauces and marinades, all inspired by recipes from Trotter’s celebrated namesake restaurant.

According to Assistant Manager Jay Harbison, the market was three years in the planning and serves as a flagship store that will expand toward San Diego in the next few years. “At this point, we’re looking at opening three more locations down the coastal corridor. We’ll keep them relatively close to this store at first,” he says, referring to the market’s 800-square-foot kitchen that will supply the initial chains with daily-made deli entrees and salads.

The big sellers from the lineup so far include Spinach-Feta Puff Pastries, Double-Stuffed Potatoes, Mushroom-Proscuitto Tortellini and Mandarin Salad, although dozens of other picture-perfect offerings reside in the display such as soups, lump crab cakes and gourmet lasagna. Freshly stuffed olives play into the mix as well – about 12 different varieties that sell for $8.99 per pound.

Additionally, a loaded inventory of non-perishable items gives home chefs and party hosts the kind of shopping experience that feels like a cross between Whole Foods and Dean & DeLuca. Consumers will find everything from quality pestos and tapenades to exotic marinades, pasta sauces and “never fail” cream sauce mix. Some products hail from small local vendors, such as the Ruby Red Strawberry Barbecue sauce from Carlsbad Gourmet and fresh pastas from Lotsa Pasta in Pacific Beach.

Owner Kris Wold says the store is a mosaic of nearly 50 different specialty outlets that he visited throughout the U.S. before opening Sonoma in January. “I took the best ideas that I saw at similar markets and put them into one store while invoking the ambience of wine country.”

The quaint wine section brims with about 180 different labels from California, Australia and Europe. And there’s also an espresso and tea bar featuring steamed ciders, iced coffees, smartly packaged teas and a manual espresso machine, which Harbison adds, “keeps the craft alive.”

Sonoma Valley Market is located at 300 Carlsbad Village Dr. It is open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (until 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays); and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call (760) 720-7700.