Fast-casual chain sweetgreen has announced a late summer menu with new fruits and vegetables to highlight the season such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, summer corn, and peaches.
For the late summer menu, sweetgreen is working with more than 160 suppliers across the country to source local, sustainable produce for each market.
New on the menu for the season:
Pesto Ratatouille Plate: a whole chicken thigh, roasted eggplant and peppers, heirloom tomatoes, basil, shaved parmesan, warm wild rice, with a pesto vinaigrette
Peaches + Yogurt: a classic combo of of peaches and cream featuring a tangy cashew yogurt sauce
Sweetgreen was founded in 2007 by Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru, and Jonathan Neman and now has over 100 locations in the United States. Find more information at sweetgreen.com.
I worked out of cafes all day in the pre-pandemic era so I’ve been trying to adapt to being home more and still finding a way to explore different coffees. In a way getting coffee delivered is a big game changer since I am more inclined to buy coffee from around the nation than usual.
A friend recommended RoosRoast based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I decided to give them a try. I ordered myself an 8 oz. bag of Portland in the 90s ($8) and 8 oz. bag of Lobster Butter Love ($8) to try. Both darker roasts.
RoosRoast is rated in the Top 10 in Michigan by MLive.com. Like many entrepreneurs, John Roos started his business in his garage. The business has now grown to have multiple locations and is sold at major retailers.
I loved the packaging of the coffee and the way it was delivered with a personalized postcard. I feel like the little touches definitely improve a customer service experience, especially since I can’t actually travel to Michigan at this time or really anywhere.
The Lobster Butter Love.
The first roast I tried was the Lobster Butter Love. Upon first opening the coffee bag, I almost felt like I was smelling seafood which was interesting (there is no lobster though of course). I ran the coffee through my IMUSA moka pot first.
The coffee has strong buttery element as the name implies and is smooth. It is a very easy coffee to enjoy. The flavor is a little overwhelming and great for one cup – but I probably would not enjoy it as a big batch.
I actually fell deeply in love with with the Portland in the 90s dark roast. This coffee I could drink over and over and waking up to this coffee was truly a delight. The smell and flavor was excellent. I would order this one again.
Both coffees were great as pour overs, but honestly I was quite happy with them in my moka pot as well and preferred it in there for a more bold flavor instead of the light, clean flavor that the Chemex gives for these coffees.
Overall, I recommend both coffees from RoosRoast although Portland in 90s is my choice out of the two and would order from them again. The half pound pricing makes it quite easy to try different roasts as well.
Tampa Bay-based craft distillery Dark Door Spirits is releasing an essential vodka called “Pandemic at the Disco” in support of the hospitality industry that has been adversely impacted by COVID-19.
“Just like the essential workers that have bravely kept us going for many months, this is the essential vodka that has the power to make the best of any situation – even the hot mess that is 2020”, said Dark Door Founder and CEO Matt Allen.
Thousands of bartenders and support staff have lost their jobs and livelihoods due to the virus that has hit the United States and Florida particularly hard. Some estimates suggest over 51% of Floridians could be at risk for eviction.
Over 1 million people are currently waiting to be placed on financial assistance in the state as the unemployment rate passes 10% in Florida.
Pandemic at the Disco essential vodka. Image Credit: Dark Door Spirits.
Fifty percent of Dark Door Spirits profits from sales of Pandemic at the Disco will be donated to charitable organizations supporting the local hospitality industry, including the U.S. Bartender Guild COVID-19 relief fund.
Pandemic at the Disco is available through local distribution from Pepin Distributing Co. and Great Bay Distributors as well as many local liquor stores and restaurants in the Tampa Bay area.
Luekens and Drizly will be retail partners for those who want to enjoy responsibly at home.
“We’re doing this now because we see a need in the community – a need for something to benefit the hospitality industry and a need for a laugh while not sugar-coating the mess we’re in,” Allen said.
“We want to support the people who have supported us all these years. Creating a great product with a fun label seemed like one thing we could do.”
“By ordering Pandemic at the Disco by name at their favorite bar or restaurant, Tampa Bay residents are helping their friends and neighbors in the hospitality industry at a time when they are struggling to make ends meet”, Allen said.
Dark Door Spirits was founded in 2016 in Tampa Bay by Co-Founders Matthew Allen and Brandon Marshall focusing on “crafting unique and unexpectedly delicious spirits”.
COVID-19 has impacted numerous industries around the country. One of the hardest hit industries is the bar industry where bartenders have constantly found themselves in shutdowns with rent still due and clothes that needs washing.
Recently, Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation closed bars and breweries around the state as virus cases continue to spin out of control due to very little regulation or engagement from Tallahassee.
I talked recently with Justin Gray from the United States Bartenders’ Guild chapter in Tampa Bay, a long time supporter of the industry and one of the best local bartenders I know.
I wanted to get the story behind how they ended up partnering with a non-profit called Current Initiatives and their Laundry Project which is “committed to educating and mobilizing communities to be Hope Dealers” for a project called A Drink Pocalypse that is raising money for bartenders and also for Current Initatives.
Supporters can purchase videos on cocktail techniques from experts around the Tampa Bay at the low cost of $10 and help support the industry and those who need it most.
Carlos Eats: What’s the story behind the partnership between USBG Tampa Bay Chapter and Current Initiatives?
JG: There isn’t a backstory – there is the reality of restaurant closures and the response to COVID-19. It was unexpected and something that none of us knew how to prepare for.
When it happened more than anything it was kind of a sense of emergency. I don’t think it was something light-hearted. We need something now.
USBG and bartenders…we’ve had meetings and conversations. A Drink Pocalypse happened in late April, while restaurants and bar were initially closed in March. We as an industry hadn’t figured it out.
There was a sense of urgency.
Carlos Eats: So survival pretty much?
JG: Sam Adams did something. Guy Fieri too. However too many people are impacted for one of those to have an actual lasting effect. Seeing how many people lost their jobs nationally, there is no way for those programs to guarantee that the assistance would come into our zip codes.
We wanted to do something where all funds would be kept right here in Tampa. Open to anyone throughout the Bay Area. The candidate pool was smaller.
That’s what drove us.
Carlos Eats: How can people help?
JG:Current Initatives has been around. When the restaurant closures happened, they extended their programs to include the hospitality programs.
What a lot of people aren’t thinking about. One of the most unfortunate things is the number of places that are permanently closed. We aren’t counting how many places have closed permanently or indefinitely.
Even though some restaurants are open, we are going to continue to provide help as long as we can.
Cocktail videos from bartenders from M. Bird, Copper and Shaker, the best bars in Tampa will show you different cocktail techniques. The video is a learn video.
As a bar manager or owner, you can purchase this video and they have incredible techniques that can be implemented. Sales go directly to Current Initiatives.
Carlos Eats: What do you think the state or city should be doing to help?
JG: I don’t want to make this sound like it is only a bartender phenomenon. If I can get sick at a bar, I can get sick anywhere else. The policy is inconsistent.
The situation is like this: either people go hungry or people lose their lives. Either people pay rent or people pay their lives. It’s an impossible situation and it is absolutely necessary that institutions – that they be there.
Stimulus checks can be good or bad. We need to halt rent payments. Our government has to care enough about us. The numbers in Florida are record breaking, at the same time people cannot afford not to have money.
None of us citizens are able to stop the coronavirus. There is nothing we as citizens can do besides looking at our government. Please continue to provide support. People are not able to work.
It’s time for us to look at how the government can continue to extender rent or mortgage deferments. The government is the only one who can help us.
Everyone needs help.
The more people that buy the video the better.
I then wanted to get more of the story behind Current Initiatives so I talked with the Founder Jason Sowell. He is a native Floridian who has worked in the non-profit sector for 20 years. He is a public speaker, writer, non-profit entrepreneur, missionary, wedding officiant & podcast host.
18 families washed 246 loads of laundry during today’s #LaundryProject as we kicked off Week 17 of our COVID-19 Relief efforts!
— Current Initiatives (@engagecurrent) July 14, 2020
Carlos Eats: Can you start off with the history behind Current Initiatives?
JS: Current Initiatives started 12 years ago. Our first initiative was The Laundry Project. Out of learning stories about families that live in the area, I learned laundromats are expensive and not a fun place.
Lots of families struggle between groceries or laundry. I sought to turn laundromats into community centers and provide free laundry for those in need. I had big expansions plans for new locations and citizens, then the pandemic happened.
Things shut down. I pivoted back to Tampa – which is my home that I love. Recognizing that it is not just lower income families. People are out of work. The hospitality industry is hit hard. People will struggle to do their laundry.
I sat down with Mayor Jane Castor and TPD and I said we need to keep doing this. I told them I hope they will keep laundromats an essential business.
Carlos Eats: Would volunteers be helpful?
JS: We typically use volunteers, but shut down most of it due to the pandemic. A few bartenders and servers are personal friends that were laid off and hadn’t participated before then offered to help.
The hospitality industry got involved as volunteers and for 3 months teams of hospitality workers have worked 3 days a week to help in laundromats. 1 day a week is for hospitality workers. Bartenders went to bars and restaurants and told people about the project. Whoever needs can sign-up.
Carlos Eats: How can the general public help?
JS: Donations are what we are seeking. People can contact to volunteer when things get better. The need has been great. Typically we do 80 projects in a year, but in 16 weeks we have done 48 projects. Much more than usual. We don’t have plans to slow down.
Carlos Eats: What policy solutions could be used to help?
JS: A huge block of citizens who use laundromats are there by force. Prices at laundromats are what they are due to policy decisions. At home you pay for water by the gallon, but laundromats pay in tiers which strains operators and raises prices on citizens. It’s a slim-margin business.
Carlos Eats: How else can the government make a difference?
JS: Government assistance is usually only for food. People cannot use it for household supplies. Nor can they use it at a laundromat which is a problem.
Also – lower-income families are operating on cash. Politicians are pushing cashless which is harder on lower-income families who may not have bank accounts for contact-less payments and the hospitality industry which is paid in cash from tips.
There is a coin shortage due to a shutdown at the mint. Politicians need to get creative to get quarters to help families who need to wash their clothes. Bad policy can make things worse for people already struggling.
We as a society need to think about doing things in way that is dignifying for people getting help or empowering. Decisions during the coronavirus unintentionally are hurting lower-income families because leaders are not thinking things through.
Carlos Eats: I agree. The shutdown of bars and breweries is a perfect example of rushed decision making.
JS: Yes – that shutdown depends largely on license types. If you are coded for a restaurant you are allowed to operate, while other businesses close.
If I had to home in on a temporary measure we need to take, we need to make it easier for people out of work to get funds for things they need. Unemployment access.
Some bartenders have spent weeks and months helping other bartenders that need help, while struggling themselves to get on unemployment. That needs to change.
Carlos Eats: Thank you for your time. I know I learned a ton.
//
Support the United States Bartenders Guild in Tampa Bay at A Drink Pocalpyse (www.adrinkpocalypse.com).
The pandemic has been a doozy but one constant in Florida has been the veryvocalargumentsbetweenanti-mask shoppers and regular people trying to survive in grocery stores and society in general. Ironically, most polls show that the anti-mask people make up a very small but loud minority. The issue has been widely politicized much to dismay of healthcare experts nationwide.
You would never know from the coverage of masks as a "political debate" or "controversial issue" how overwhelming the support is for wearing them in public. pic.twitter.com/R8ibBBkBST
Masks are one of the only defenses that society has against the Coronavirus.
Recent studies show that wearing a mask not only protects others from you, but also protects you from other people who are shedding the virus. It really helps explain why cases are so much lower in other countries who never shutdown but distributed masks widely, although many of them have also instituted other aggressive methods as well such as contact tracing and strict criminal penalties for violating pandemic laws.
Publix initially resisted employees who wanted to wear masks and then eventually came around to providing plexiglass and social distancing guidance as well as masks, but still refused to enforce masks in their stores for customers. There have been several cases of COVID-19 documented from employees at more than 20 Publix stores who were likely exposed to the virus by shoppers who didn’t care about the people bagging their groceries.
It’s disturbing how few @Publix customers are wearing masks today in Riverview. The pandemic is not over.
— Carlos Hernandez (Carlos Eats) (@carloseats) June 8, 2020
Once re-opening began in May, many Publix shoppers stopped wearing masks at all and it was business as usual as the virus started to spread faster and faster. On one visit on June 8th, I witnessed an entire produce aisle filled with dozens of people not social distancing or wearing masks. To be frank, I was horrified. I did not go back to Publix for weeks.
— Carlos Hernandez (Carlos Eats) (@carloseats) July 8, 2020
Once Hillsborough County and City of Tampa passed emergency mask ordinances in late June, I had to run to the store and decided to give Publix another shot nearly one month later. To my surprise, 100% of the shoppers were wearing masks and so were the employees. A huge difference. The mask orders have made a difference.
Unfortunately, these actions have come late and Florida’s COVID-19 growth is out of control. Florida added 100,000 cases in 10 days. The daily death toll and hospitalizations are climbing.
We are heading towards another shutdown that will have devastating economic impacts on the state. 6 Tampa Bay Publix locations had virus cases in July so far despite mask orders. Imagine if companies and politicians would have acted early to stop the spread instead of removing responsibility from each other.
Finally – now Publix is saying that they will mandate masks for all shoppers except children and those with medical conditions starting Tuesday, July 21st.
It’s late – but always better than nothing. They are not alone as other big names like Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, and other retail companies begin to mandate masks nationwide. America is in a crisis.
I hope these mandates will at least help the “essential” workers who have been forced into this mess without any leadership until now.
Here’s a great recipe for refried black beans that I get from my Mom. These go great with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I love them with eggs for breakfast, added in sandwiches, and also as a side to any meat dish. Just dipping some bread in them is also good!
You’ll need a pressure cooker, blender, and a frying pan. I use an Instant Pot Duo (6 quart) to make my beans, but you can also use a regular pressure cooker as well.
To me the signature ingredient in this is Worcestershire sauce. If you find yourself unwilling to make all these things at once you can also make the black beans first, put them away and then bring them back out to make the refried beans (you can even freeze them for long-term usage).
Make sure to keep a 3-1 ratio on the black beans and water so you have enough broth to make the refried beans.
Put washed black beans, water, 1/2 of an onion cut up, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 1/4 of a green bell pepper, and 2 cloves of garlic in a pressure cooker.
Set to pressure cook for 30 minutes if using an Instant Pot (set to sealing) or if using a regular pressure cooker put on the stovetop. Quick pressure release when finished on Instant Pot.
Throw away the garlic cloves.
Now set your Instant Pot to Saute Mode and cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes until the beans thicken (if using a regular pressure cooker cook on stovetop). Add Sazon, Cumin (2 shakes), Sugar (1 pinch), Garlic Salt (6 shakes), 2 tbsp. of sofrito, salt to taste as you cook the beans. Feel free to adjust the other ingredients as you taste.
Once the beans have thickened turn off and prepare to blend.
Remove beans and liquid and separate (do not throw out the bean broth).
Make the refried beans mix:
Put beans in a blender with 1/4 of an onion.
Pour bean liquid up to where the beans are – do not pour over it. The mixture should be mostly beans.
Blend beans and onion together until mixture softens. You can pulse the beans if you want to maintain some of the beans in the mixture.
Put aside and prepare stovetop.
Make your refried beans:
Add 2 tbsp. of cooking oil (I used grapeseed oil) to your frying pan and 1/4 of an onion cut up. Cook until onions infuse with the oil. You can either take out the onions here or leave them in – the choice is yours. I leave mine in.
Add refried beans mix into the frying pan. Cook on low to medium heat. Add Worcestershire sauce (about 6 shakes) to the beans. You can add more to your liking. Taste to see if any extra salt is needed and add if so.
Cook until your refried beans thicken.
Enjoy!
You can add toppings like queso fresco on top, sour cream, or crema. Once we make a batch we normally refrigerate and use these over and over with different dishes. They also go really great in quesadillas! Hope you like them as much as I do!
Refried black beans that go great with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Ingredients
2 cups of black beans
6 cups of water
1 whole onion
1/4 of a green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves – whole
1 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
Sazon (use your own mix or buy it premade)
Sugar (1 pinch)
Garlic Salt (approx. 6 shakes)
2 tbsp. Sofrito
Salt (to taste)
2 tbsp. of cooking oil (I use Grapeseed Oil)
Directions
Put washed black beans, water, 1/2 of an onion cut up, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 1/4 of a green bell pepper, and 2 cloves of garlic in a pressure cooker.
Set to pressure cook for 30 minutes if using an Instant Pot (set to sealing) or if using a regular pressure cooker put on the stovetop. Quick Pressure Release on Instant Pot when finished.
Throw away the garlic cloves.
Now set your Instant Pot to Saute Mode and cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes until the beans thicken (if using a regular pressure cooker cook on stovetop). Add Sazon, Cumin (2 shakes), Sugar (1 pinch), Garlic Salt (6 shakes), 2 tbsp. of sofrito, salt to taste as you cook the beans. Feel free to adjust the other ingredients as you taste.
Once the beans have thickened turn off and prepare to blend and put away excess beans.
Remove beans and liquid and separate (do not throw out the bean broth).
Put beans in a blender with 1/4 of an onion.
Pour bean liquid up to where the beans are – do not pour over it. The mixture should be mostly beans.
Blend beans and onion together until mixture softens. You can pulse the beans if you want to maintain some of the beans in the mixture.
Put aside and prepare stovetop to make refried beans.
Add 2 tbsp. of cooking oil (I used Grapeseed oil) to your frying pan and 1/4 of an onion cut up. Cook until onions infuse with the oil. You can either take out the onions here or leave them in – the choice is yours. I leave mine in.
Add refried beans mix into the frying pan. Cook on low to medium heat. Add Worcestershire sauce (about 6 shakes) to the beans. You can add more to your liking. Taste to see if any extra salt is needed and add if so.
2020 is filled with twists and turns. #GoyaBoycott and Goya are trending right now after the CEO of Goya Foods praised Trump at the White House and said we’re “blessed to have a leader” like Trump.
There’s a large sense of irony to Goya Foods which primarily sells to Latinx audiences joining forces with President Trump just as the President is caught in numerous scandals including rising Coronavirus cases, preparing a new lawsuit to kill DACA, separating children from their parents at the border, allegations of supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin despite bounties on American soldiers, an investigation by SDNY for tax fraud and evasion, among other things.
Let’s not forget that time that Donald Trump threw paper towels at Puerto Ricans as thousands of them died from Hurricane Irma and Maria and then left the island in the dark.
Twitter immediately responded and began to trend nationwide.
The CEO of @GoyaFoods is at a White House event saying we're "blessed to have a leader" like Trump.
Re: Goya In 2017, they withdrew their sponsorship of the Puerto Rican Day Parade because Oscar Lopez Rivera was being honored, right after being freed from federal prison.
Though Goya was founded in PR, the Unanue's immigrated from Spain in 1936. https://t.co/k1mYplYaEo
— Frances Solá-Santiago (@frances_sola) July 9, 2020
Let’s be clear @GoyaFoods President Trump has left Latinos and many Americans hungry. Cages Latino Children. Has forgotten the Latino community through this pandemic. Has called Mexicans rapist. We are blessed? I think Latinos we are being mistreated….. https://t.co/50LtQFCR0X
— Please wear a mask! Do it for USA, please… (@chefjoseandres) July 9, 2020
I've been waiting for this moment my entire life. I make sazón and I'm not a Trump supporter. If you support Goya you support Trump. We have sazón, spicy sazón, and saffron sazón. We sell in bulk as well as these four ounce tins. 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷 https://t.co/q355Ll21YIhttps://t.co/XNnAYAs64kpic.twitter.com/QQM3T8Isyo
I have left a message with media person at @GoyaFoods, requesting for comment about appearance and have also emailed company to see if they will address the current #BoycottGoya hashtag happening now as a result of their CEO at the WH this afternoon. We will see if Goya responds.
— Natalie Montelongo (@natimontelongo) July 9, 2020
The nice thing about never again purchasing a Goya Foods product is that it requires zero sacrifice. Nada. The effort to find a replacement involves looking, maybe, two feet away on the same grocery store shelf. Buh bye, Goya! https://t.co/yXcj0ZuodJ
No more Goya in our Miami house. You can support who you want, but understand that means you also support Russian bounties on our soldiers. That's real blood money. Your beans just aren't worth it.
I usually get my sazón from Goya so I'm delighted to buy both spicy sazón (!!!!) & sofrito from someone who isn't a Trump supporter! https://t.co/Qd4g5QQsLo
.@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations.
Now their CEO, Bob Unanue, is praising a president who villainizes and maliciously attacks Latinos for political gain. Americans should think twice before buying their products. #Goyawayhttps://t.co/lZDQlK6TcU
Many people have more time nowadays than they simply know what to do with. There is something really important that YOU can do today though. Register to VOTE.
It’s easy just go to www.vote.gov to find out the correct information for your home state. Each state has different deadlines to register. For those in Florida you can simply go to registertovoteflorida.gov to register.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020.
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If you have already registered, you can check your registration status to make sure your information is correct before Election Day approaches.
Did you already register to vote? GOOD. Register a friend or family member. All you have to do is send them them the link to register to vote. It’s as simple as sending them the link http://www.vote.gov. Registering someone to vote could make every bit of difference in our future.
No matter your party affiliation, everyone should make their voices heard this November. It is your civic duty.
I know it’s hard to think about things like voting with all the things happening nowadays, but voting is vital to our future and to our democracy. Make a difference.
At the end of an uninteresting 4th of July weekend, I was scrolling on Instagram as I heated up some leftovers and read a post from The Lab Coffee in North Hyde Park that infuriated me.
A customer told them they will be hearing from the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) and City of Tampa for refusing them service without a mask.
During a time when Tampa Bay is ranked 3rd in the nation for growing Coronavirus cases with over 19,000 locally and growing, the least thing you can do as a decent human being is wear a mask.
If you’re unable to wear a mask for some reason, you should order delivery or make your own food at home.
What you should not do is harass a local business that has been through one of the biggest interruptions of our time with your pompous attitude that literally nobody cares about and threaten them with a lawsuit.
A friend of mine who owns a local salon told me she encountered a similar situation and had to involve lawyers. What she found out is that customers can be turned away because it is a violation of OSHA for workers to be put at risk with the Coronavirus which is even worse for employers.
Other lawsuits are underway around the country including 32 lawsuits against Giant Eagle supermarket in Texas for requiring masks and several lawsuits around Florida to drop mask mandates and ordinances all together.
Folks. A mask is NOT a political statement. Masks are about saving lives.
It is proven that masks can help save lives and the refusal of customers and especially Floridians to take action to protect their fellow Americans is exactly why hospitalizations are on the upswing and cases are out of control. Florida added nearly 30,000 cases in one weekend.
If we do not stop the spread eventually Florida will be forced into shutdown like Arizona and Texas…then businesses will be forced closed again and millions of people will lose their jobs and livelihoods again. Is that what you want?
Be responsible. Wear a mask. Don’t torture others because you don’t want to be considerate and stop being a jerk.
All of the sudden there seems to be a large number of restaurants and bars in Tampa Bay reporting cases of Coronavirus among their staff members. Some are closing and some are not.
This is occurring at the same time as Florida coronavirus cases are spiking and fears of a shutdown are coming back into play. Governor DeSantis has swore there will be no shutdowns and this is the “new normal”.
Hillsborough County and Pinellas County leaders seem to be racing to come up with a plan to help slow down the rise in cases to prevent an issue later in hospitals. Mayor Kriseman announced a mask order today for employees of St. Pete businesses and he said a local order for the public is in the works.
