Rosauers bagger is best in the country

A Rosauers employee is scheduled to appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” tonight after being named the top grocery bagger in the country. David Tochinskiy works at the supermarket chain’s Five Mile store and recently won top honors at the National Grocers Association Best Bagger Championship. Tochinskiy, of Spokane, defeated 24 competitors from across North America in the contest, held at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last week. He took home $10,000 in prize money along with a “Golden Grocery Bag” trophy. The 29th annual competition was emceed by Food Network star Duff Goldman, executive chef at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and part of the reality show “Ace of Cakes.” Judging included bagging speed, technique, style, attitude and appearance. To compete at the national level, Tochinskiy had to first win the state competition. “Rosauers is thrilled by David’s winning attitude and accomplishment, and we are proud to have him as part of our team,” Jeff Philipps, president of Rosauers, said in a news release. According to his biography on www.nationalgrocers.org, Tochinskiy “loves to work on cars and ride his dirt bike every chance he gets.” He’s also 6-feet, 5 inches tall, and has five brothers and five sisters. Rosauers is headquartered in Spokane and operates 22 stores in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.