STEW LEONARD'S NEW HOLIDAY GIFTS BY MAIL
CATALOG ARRIVES IN STORE AND ONLINE

New Items, Improved Web Site and Traditional Favorites for Delicious Gift Giving

NORWALK, Conn., September 29, 2005 – Stew Leonard’s holiday Gifts by Mail catalog arrives in store today, accompanied by a newly designed web site (www.stewleonardsgifts.com) that is even easier to navigate and user friendly.

Among the nearly 40 farm fresh food baskets, trays, towers and decorative tins available are eight new items specifically designed from customer feedback, with reusable snack trays and foods that go from appetizers to dessert, such as:

• The Great Entertainer which contains a selection of gourmet cheeses, sausage, crackers, cookies, peanut brittle, praline pecans, popcorn and Stew’s fresh roasted coffee, all beautifully presented on a wooden cutting board for $49.99.
• Stew's Moo Munchies, a delicious combination of sweet and savory snacks that includes chocolate covered cranberries, chocolate chip cookies, butter toasted peanuts, Belgian chocolates, praline pecans, peanut brittle, and Stew's new "Moo Munch" – buttery popcorn, cashews and almonds drenched in toffee combined with chocolate dipped toffee popcorn -- packaged in a wooden snack tray for $39.99.
• Cheese and Snackers is a perfect hostess gift. Packaged in a shaker style tray is a selection of cheeses including "Clover" the cheese cow, smoked salmon, pepperoni, crackers and dessert items including coffee, chocolate chip cookies, and Belgian chocolates for $49.99.

Also available are Stew Leonard’s hand-packed fresh fruit baskets that rival the competition in quantity, quality and price, including a new Fruit, Cheese and Nuts basket. Back are the perennial favorites, from the No. 1 selling Sweet Treats basket (page 7) to the gigantic Stew’s WOW (page 3) and Holy Cow (page 18) baskets that make a lasting impression.

"Stew Leonard’s Gifts are unique – just like our famous food stores. Each basket is packed by hand with the most popular items from the store, including farm fresh fruits, popcorn popped right in the store, Clover-the-cheese-cow and products from our bakery," said Beth Leonard Hollis, who founded the gift center in 1982 after a loyal customer asked her to send a selection of Stew Leonard’s famous products to 50 of his clients at Christmas. "The biggest compliment is the fact that 70 percent of our orders are from repeat customers, which means happy customers."

While Stew Leonard’s Gifts by Mail are available year-round, the holidays are by far the busiest time, with more than 100,000 baskets shipped out in November and December and 2,000 visitors a day to the online gift center. In 2003, Stew Leonard's launched a separate web site just for the gift center, www.stewleonardsgifts.com. This year, Stew Leonard’s unveils a new user-friendly design for the online gift center, with extra customer service features for tracking orders, along with being even easier to search and navigate the site.

For corporate gifts, Stew Leonard’s offers customized logo tins filled with brownies, chocolate covered and peanut butter filled pretzels, gourmet nuts or snack mix. To ensure holiday delivery, logo tins can be ordered through November 15 by calling 1-800-SAY-STEW.

While more than a third of orders are placed online, customers can also pick up a Gifts By Mail catalog at any Stew Leonard's store (Norwalk and Danbury, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y.) or request a catalog by mail by calling 1-800-SAY-STEW (729-7839). All items in the catalog are available through summer 2006 and come with a "100 percent money back guarantee" if for any reason a customer is not satisfied.

The company has received worldwide acclaim for excellence in customer service and quality and was named among Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the last four consecutive years. In addition to the original store in Norwalk, Connecticut, Stew Leonard's has stores in Danbury, Connecticut, and Yonkers, New York, with additional stores planned in Orange, Connecticut, and East Farmingdale, New York.

About Stew Leonard’s
Stew Leonard's is legendary in the food industry. The store is a favorite among celebrities and television personalities that live in the New York City metro area, and has also become the media darling of foodies worldwide. In addition to their renowned customer service, Stew Leonard's has catapulted to cult status by focusing on selling only the freshest products, most made right in front of the customer, and selling them in a fun atmosphere – a combination that has earned Stew Leonard's the nickname, "The Disneyland of Dairy Stores." More than 300,000 shoppers visit Stew Leonard's each week for the farm fresh foods combined in a country fair atmosphere, complete with costumed characters, entertainment and free samples throughout the store.

The company has received worldwide acclaim for excellence in customer service and quality and was named among Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the last four consecutive years. In addition to the original store in Norwalk, Connecticut, Stew Leonard's has stores in Danbury, Connecticut, and Yonkers, New York, with additional stores planned in Orange, Connecticut, and East Farmingdale, New York. Visit www.stewleonards.comfor more information.