AUGUSTA — More Maine students would eat locally grown food for lunch under a bill designed to support the expansion of “food hubs,” where small-scale farmers can store, cut or clean their products and more easily distribute them to larger markets. Critics question why question the government should fund food hubs, but supporters say the […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Portland restaurant closes after failed inspection
PORTLAND — A long-time Congress Street Mexican restaurant closed its doors this week in an abrupt manner. According to the city’s Public Health Division website, Mesa Verde failed two food safety inspections since June, including one on Jan. 17. The report documents a litany of problems from fruit flies in the kitchen to food not properly refrigerated. […]
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Posted inBusiness, Oxford Hills, sj-web
Shaner’s to make way for Family Dollar
The decision has been complicated for Shaner. Though a choice ‘any businessman would make,’ he said selling the restaurant he’s called home for 29 years was the most difficult in his life. ‘My philosophy has always been I like the good side of life, I hate the bad.’ The sale of the iconic restaurant, located […]
Posted inOxford Hills, sj-web
Owners unable to see through winter, the Norway Trolley House closes
NORWAY —A fter months of decreases in business, the Norway Trolley House closed their doors Saturday. On a message posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page, owners Jon and Willow Ochtera, along with staff, thanked supporters. ‘This has not been an easy decision to make. We put our hearts into making this happen, as did our […]
Posted inOxford Hills, sj-web
Association of Churches meal program serves thousands
For more than two decades, the Oxford Hills Area Association of Churches has bound together several different churches in Oxford Hills for the greater good of feeding people in the area. Organized in 1991, OHAAC has had three main objectives in mind; promoting better understanding among churches involved, studying the common mission of area churches, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Food purchasing bill fails to get enough votes to override LePage veto
AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate voted along party lines Tuesday to sustain Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill that would have encouraged schools and state government agencies to purchase locally produced food. With a 20-13 vote, majority Democrats in favor of the bill fell two votes short of the 22 needed to pass […]
Posted inFranklin, sj-web
Celebrating life and foods Down Under
Those attending dined on authentic Australian fare, including pumpkin soup with ANZAC (Australian-New Zealand Army Corps) biscuits, Australian meat pie, minted green beans and Lamington cake (a sweet cake with coconut) with ice cream and Australian Tropical tea. During the meal, Erik Verrill entertained diners by playing a didgeridoo (also known as a didjeridu), a […]
Posted inbPlus
Super Bowl Eats: Time-tested offerings score big at Minot couple’s annual party.
When it comes to Super Bowl Sunday party eats, “simple, fast and delicious,” says Julie Zink of Minot, “is good.” Judging by her menu for the day of the big game, “delicious” is a sure win. Though they’ve made New England home for more than a decade, Julie and her husband, Richard, grew up in […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Advocate wants more EBT transactions at farmers’ markets
PORTLAND — A push is on get more Maine farmers’ markets to accept payments from low-income residents who use electronic benefit transfer cards. Colleen Hanlon Smith, director of the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets, says the organization could conceivably expand EBT acceptance this year to about 50 of the state’s 139 markets. She tells the […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston might post restaurant inspections on web
LEWISTON — The city may post restaurant inspections to its website, councilors said Tuesday. City councilors favored a plan to let residents view and download detailed inspection reports for Lewiston’s roughly 166 restaurants, but Councilor Nathan Libby suggested a change like that deserves a public hearing. “I feel like this is a change of policy […]