I’m a private chef who shops at Trader Joe’s. Here are 9 of my favorite things to get for my family of 3.

I’m a chef who loves shopping for ingredients at Trader Joe’s. 

As a private chef, I like to shop at Trader Joe’s for everything from charcuterie-board ingredients to high-quality snacks.

Although my wife, teenage stepchild, and I have various food allergies and preferences, we find Trader Joe’s offers a wide selection of items to suit us all.

For example, the retailer carries ample gluten-free items for me, vegan-dairy options for my wife, and delicious snacks for our ever-growing teen.

Here are nine must-haves I grab at Trader Joe’s for my family.

I love the flavor of Trader Joe’s French-roast whole-bean coffee.

I brew a pot of Trader Joe’s French-roast whole-bean coffee every morning. 

This Trader Joe’s product is our go-to whole-bean dark-roast coffee.

My wife and I typically brew a pot and a half each morning, occasionally sharing a small cup with our teenager, topped with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick “straw.”

In the summer, we refrigerate any leftovers for iced coffee.

Trader Joe’s totally ripe organic avocados are great for making guacamole in a pinch.

We use Trader Joe’s totally ripe organic avocados in salads, tacos, and more.

We crave avocados all year round, but it’s a hassle to pick them up at most grocery stores because they all have different levels of ripeness. Plus, I usually forget to use them all before they go bad.

So, I usually grab Trader Joe’s totally ripe avocados the day before I need them for use on tacos, to make guacamole, or to top toast (my wife’s a millennial, so you know she loves some avocado toast).

The Sun Lovin’ Medjool dates are one of my favorite ingredients.

The Sun Lovin’ Medjool dates have a great sweet flavor. 

Trader Joe’s Medjool dates are the star of my favorite summer salad.

The dates, grown in Palm Desert, California, pair well with chopped romaine, roasted corn, tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, avocado, and grilled chicken or salmon.

I top everything with a delicious honey mustard or berry vinaigrette for an entrée salad that the whole family loves.

Driscoll’s raspberries taste like summer to me.

My entire family loves Driscoll’s raspberries.

My family eats lots of berries in the summer. When our strawberry patch stops producing, we buy Driscoll’s raspberries from Trader Joe’s.

The raspberries are tart, sweet, and a pure bite of summer in your mouth. We use them to top oatmeal and yogurt, sprinkle them in mocktails, and add them to a savory raspberry vinaigrette.

Trader Joe’s gluten-free cauliflower pizza crusts make dinners so easy.

Trader Joe’s gluten-free cauliflower pizza crusts are delicious.

These pizza crusts are a lifesaver for us. They make pizza night with a gluten-free family member easy and affordable.

We always keep four in the freezer, so they’re ready for when we need a no-fuss dinner that can be on the table in 10 minutes.

Trader Joe’s extra-virgin olive oil is one of our favorite items from the chain.

Trader Joe’s extra-virgin olive oil is great for making viniagrettes.

This bottle is our favorite out of all the Trader Joe’s olive oils. It’s mild tasting and buttery without an aggressive olive or green flavor.

We use this for so many dishes, but it’s an essential ingredient in my vinaigrettes, where I like to let the other flavors shine.

The BBQ-cut fresh Atlantic salmon is another staple in our kitchen.

Trader Joe’s BBQ-cut fresh Atlantic salmon is delicious when grilled.

Trader Joe’s BBQ-cut fresh Atlantic salmon filets can be grilled (they take about 10 to 20 minutes) or seared on the stovetop and finished in the oven. We just brush the filets with olive oil and sprinkle them with flake salt and pepper.

I’d recommend brushing on your favorite sauce before cooking or pouring a dressing on top afterward — we like a vegan pesto with whatever greens look good at the farmers market.

I love to snack on Trader Joe’s California premium walnut halves.

Trader Joe’s California premium walnut halves are a staple in our kitchen.

For me, these are the Cadillac of Trader Joe’s walnuts — each bag comes with consistently sized halves with a delicious umami flavor that toasts up perfectly.

These walnuts are a baking, salad, and snack staple in our kitchen. I also use them to make vegan pâté for crudités or charcuterie platters.

We store them in the freezer and toast as needed to add flavor and texture to various dishes.

The dried, pitted, tart Montmorency cherries pair well with savory ingredients.

I love the sweet flavor of Trader Joe’s dried, pitted, tart Montmorency cherries.

These tart cherries are the star ingredient in my spinach salad with toasted walnuts and creamy Danish blue cheese.

They add a sweet-tart element that pairs beautifully with a honey-mustard dressing. They’re also great in baked goods, on oatmeal, or blended into a berry vinaigrette for a sweet salad dressing.