4 AM Bars Update

29 04 2008

A few weeks ago, I wrote about legislation currently stalled in the House of Representatives that would give cities/towns/villages, etc the ability to create a 4 AM liquor license.  HB4573 stalled in the House last October.

I wanted to know what was going on, so I e-mailed Rep. Steve Tobocman to see what his plans were.  This afternoon, I recieved the following response from his office.

While Representative Tobocman continues to work on this bill, he has been unable to secure the 56 votes that is necessary to pass it out of the House.  Representative Tobocman is committed to this legislation and our office will keep you updated on any changes or advancements. 

My suggestion is to call your representative and tell them to get on board.  This is a good revenue source and we all know Michigan needs it.


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Categories : Food News, Politics

Press Release – Lansing Art Council

29 04 2008

The following is a press release from the Lansing Art Council on their Taste of Art and Life event.

LANSING, Mich – On Thursday, May 15, from 5 to 8 p.m., the Arts Council of Greater Lansing will host its second annual “A Taste of Art & Life” spring fundraiser at the home of John and Jin Hui Noud on Willoughby Road in Mason, Michigan

Event highlights include a self-guided tour of the Noud’s home and art collection; a silent auction featuring original artwork by area artists, event and performance tickets, restaurant packages and fine foods; a wine tasting featuring a selection of fine wines provided by Classic Wines; a tasting of signature appetizers and desserts from area restaurants including Dusty’s Cellar, Gumbo and Jazz, Mitchell’s Fish Market, Red Cedar Grill and Troppo. 

For those interested in learning how artwork goes from concept to creation, six area artists will be on hand to demonstrate their craft to attendees.  Participating artists include: Jessica Klumpp-Held, mixed-media painting; Jorge Lazaro Mesa Mulet, woodcarving; Thomas Nelson, landscape painting; Cara O’Brien, ceramic tile making; Douglas Thayer, forged metal blacksmithing; and Chester Winowiecki, ceramic musical instruments.  In addition to the live demonstrations, all artists will have artwork available for purchase.

Live musical entertainment provided by classical jazz guitarist Greg Howe, will round out the event.  Valet service will also be available.

Tickets start at $75 ($60 of which is tax deductible) and are available now through the Arts Council of Greater Lansing by phone at 517-372-4636, ext. 10 or at the Center for the Arts, 425 S. Grand Avenue, Lansing, Michigan.

The 2nd annual A Taste of Art & Life is a fundraiser to support the Arts Council of Greater Lansing’s mission to lead, advocate for, and advance arts and culture in the capital region.  This year the Arts Council is pleased to recognize the generosity of several supporters including Blohm Creative Partners, Capitol National Bank, The Dart Bank, John and Jin Hui Noud, Jim and Jan Parish, Public Affairs Associates and Wharton Center for Performing Arts.


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Fruitport High School Second in National Competition

28 04 2008

Congratulations to Fruitport High School‘s Culinary Arts program for finishing second in the National ProStart Invitational this past weekend in San Diego,

The Culinary Arts Team represented Fruitport Community Schools very well with a second place showing at the Pro-Start National Invitation in San Diego this past weekend.  They were competeing against the thirty eight best teams in the nation and clearly demonstrated that their skill and technique is remarkable. 

The ProStart Invitational is divided into two competitions.  There’s a culinary competition and a management competition.  In the culinary competition, teams prepare a three course meal in sixty minutes using just two butane burners.  Judging is also done of knife skills, appearance, and cleanliness of food preperation.  The Fruitport team was beat by just a fraction of a point.

“It’s just crazy — we’re second in the nation,” said team member and FHS junior Karly Krentz. “It’s hard to put it into words because it’s so cool. We just worked so well together.”

For their accomplishments, each of the five team members received full-ride scholarships to the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt. They also received cash prizes from Coca-Cola and the National Restaurant Association.

The team is coached by Amway Grand Plaza Executive Pastry Chef Scott Hunter, 1913 Room Chef de Cuisine Christian Madsen, and FHS teacher Michael Wheeler.

“The kids did probably the best we could have ever, ever asked for,” said FHS teacher and coach Michal Wheeler. “Everybody did everything they needed to do at 110 percent, and they received tons of compliments from the judges. Most importantly, the kids feel really great about what they did.

“Of course, you go for first (place), so there was a little disappointment,” Wheeler added. “But second in the nation — wow! It’s just amazing.”

That’s a great accomplishment anyway you look at it.

 


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Categories : Food News, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Lansing City Market Plans – Update

26 04 2008

Just one day after posting on the City Market, the Lansing State-Journal provides insight into the plans.

While City Market and its supporters continue to work on marketing and outreach, some say the ever-struggling market doesn’t have a real shot until (developer Pat) Gillespie buys the property from the city for up to $1.6 million.

Lansing would use that money to construct a new City Market facility closer to the Grand River. The new market proposed would be at least 9,000 square feet and include indoor and outdoor space, Gillespie said. The current site is 16,000 square feet, he has estimated, and includes east and west wings.

Like I said in my last post, I was really disappointed in what the Market offered.  I’m all for farmer’s markets and home grown food, but I didn’t like the layout or the selection.  The place seemed empty. 


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What is Lansing City Market Hiding?

25 04 2008

I came across this great article in the Lansing City Pulse by Neal McNamara.  He describes an ongoing battle between the publication and Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority. Apparently, there are plans floating around for a new city market.  The Friends of the Market think that it’s too early to release plans saying they are “conceptual.”

From what I got in an e-mail (the Friends of the City Market) say they don’t feel comfortable sharing” the plans, says (LEPFA Director Eric ) Hart.

“I’m not comfortable doing that,” said Dave Finet, a member of the Friends when asked if he could provide the plans to City Pulse. “My problem is that (the plans) are real preliminary.”

Plans have been sought from other main Friends Kris Zawisza and Diane Thompson, the group’s chairwoman, both of whom met more than a week ago with this reporter to show off their new position statement about the development of the market. (One of their gripes with the new plans is that the community hasn’t been involved.) Zawisza rebuts Hart’s “uncomfortable” claim. She says it’s not her place to hand out the plans, emphasizing that they’re premature. Thompson says she doesn’t have the newest plans.

That’s crap.  If either one of those organizations take any public money at all to operatre, they have no right to exclude the public from ANY information.  It doesn’t matter if the plans are “conceptual.”  The public has a right to have input on how their money is spent.  Release the plans and let the public decide if they like what’s going on or if they have any suggestions.  When the public sector tries to do business like they are a private business, it usually ends up at a loss to the taxpayers. 

I once watched a public school district purchase $300,000 in houses they were going to tear down for a new school. As soon as the public found out what they were doing (after the houses were purchased), there was an uprising against the site and utlimately, the plans were scrapped.  However, the district had already spent the money on the houses and now had 11 properties they couldn’t sell.

Too often, people in charge of public enterprises forget who they serve.  They forget that they are not their own bosses and can’t spend money however they want.  I don’t know the total make-up of either of these two groups, but I know there is SOME public money involved at least on the LEPFA side of things.  That’s reason enough to make these plans available immediately and go from there.

I’ve been to the Lansing City Market once and was extremely disappointed.  We were so excited when we found the website before we moved here.  We had planned to make it a once a week stop for produce, etc.  Our first weekend here, we went down to the market and it was like someone stole all of our toys on Christmas morning.  It was sad.  Fortunately, we found Horrock’s the next day


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Arby’s buys Wendy’s

25 04 2008

I don’t eat fast food very often, but when I do, I usually eat Arby’s.  I love their fries.  They were one of the first and still one of the few that actually use fresh cut fries instead of those crappy processed ones.  The Associated Press had an article yesterday on the sale of rival fast food chain Wendy’s.

The deal comes as Wendy’s struggles with declining profits and weak sales compared with rivals McDonald’s Corp. and Burger King Holdings Inc.

Wendy’s said Thursday that its first quarter profit was down 72 percent to $4.1 million, or 5 cents a share, in part because of expenses tied to the work of a special board committee that has been studying ways to boost the company’s stock. Revenue fell to $513 million from $522 million a year ago.

Sales at company-owned stores opened at least a year, considered a key indicator of a retailer’s strength, fell 1.6 percent in the quarter and 0.1 percent at U.S. franchise restaurants.

So, how would Dave Thomas feel about this?

Thomas’ daughter Pam Thomas Farber said the family was devastated by the news.

“It’s a very sad day for Wendy’s, and our family. We just didn’t think this would be the outcome,” said Farber, 53.

If her father were alive to hear news of the buyout, “he would not be amused,” she said.

No kidding.  It seems when the founder dies, those in charge always find a way to ruin a good thing.  It happened to Col. Sanders.  It happened to Sam Walton and now it’s happening to Dave Thomas.

Reminds me of the Chris Farley classic Tommy Boy.  It’s sad.  In their lifetime, these American icons build up their dream to make it something great, but as soon as they pass on, corporate greed takes over and destroys the concept and turns people off.  In all fairness, I’ve never been a huge fan of Wendy’s anyway.  I always thought it was too greasy.  As a kid, I ate there all the time.  My dad and brother loved it.  As long as I could get a Frosty, I was happy, but as I grew older, I sorta backed away from fast food. 


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Categories : Chains, Fast Food, Food News

Robbery for White Castle Burgers

24 04 2008

This isn’t funny, but it sorta is.

Investigators say the fast-food drama started Wednesday night at the White Castle at Featherstone and Martin Luther King Blvd. in Pontiac when the pair, 16 and 17 years old, got impatient with the long wait in the drive thru.

“Instead of paying for their order, they decided to follow the vehicle ahead … with the intent of stealing the victims White Castle hamburgers,” investigators said in a statement. When the vehicle arrived at a home in Rochester Hills, the teens attacked.

According to investigators, the 17-year-old hit the driver with a hammer, pulled him out of the car, ordered him to empty his pockets, and took his wallet. At the same time, the 16-year-old yanked the passenger out and forced him to give up a his wallet, cell phone and Sony Play Station. The big haul, however, was a While Castle bag with 16 burgers and one chicken sandwich.

It’s obviously not funny that two teenagers would do this, but did anyone see last night’s South Park episode?


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Categories : Detroit, Food News, Michigan

PETA Test Tube Chickens

24 04 2008

There are very few things in life I hate more than PETA.  Animals are food.  Just because you like eating weeds doesn’t mean I do.  Now, PETA is offering $1 million to anyone who can grow a “chicken” in a laboratory to be eaten.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said the money would go to the first scientist who could create and market such a meat by the summer of 2012. The group said the scientist had to be able to produce the meat in large enough quantity so it could be sold in 10 U.S. states — at a price competitive to the prevailing chicken price.

Further, the meat had to have “taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh to non-meat eaters and meat eaters alike.”

A taste-test panel would determine if the lab-produced meat fitted the criteria.

People already throw a fit about cloned meat, so why in the hell would they eat a chicken made in a test tube?  There are actually some good things about cloning.

For farmers, cloning is a way to preserve the genes of their best animals, Muir said. A farmer may breed a bull with several of his cows, but won’t know how well the offspring will perform until they are grown, at which point the bull may be gone.

In this way, cloning acts as an “insurance program” for breeders, Muir says, allowing them to preserve the genes of cows and bulls to create a clone for later breeding.

PETA, on the other hand, is selfish and just wants to make sure that food isn’t actually used for food.

Of course, humans don’t need to eat meat at all—vegetarians are less likely to get heart disease, diabetes, or various types of cancer or become obese than meat-eaters are—and a terrific array of vegetarian mock meats already exist. But as many people continue to refuse to kick their meat addictions, PETA is willing to help them gain access to flesh that doesn’t cause suffering and death.

You’re also more likely to be a douche.


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Press Release – Greater Lansing Food Bank

24 04 2008

As a public service, I’ll be posting Press Releases when I see them.  If your organization has any kind of food related news, e-mail them to me at midmichigandining@comcast.net.

The following press release is from the Greater Lansing Food Bank announcing their Empty Plates dinner and auction

LANSING, Mich. — The Greater Lansing Food Bank (GLFB) will host its annual Empty Plate Dinner & Auction Thursday, May 8, 2008 to raise funds for and awareness of the growing hunger problem in mid-Michigan.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Big Ten Room of the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. Guests will savor gourmet delights created by some of the area’s top chefs, and receive a commemorative “empty plate” decorated by local school children. In addition, guests can bid on one-of-a-kind collector plates — hand painted by artists and celebrities — that will be paired with dinner, hotel, gift certificate and service prize packages.

“The Empty Plate Dinner & Auction is the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s largest annual event,” said Sharon Krinock, GLFB’s executive director. “It’s a great evening and a great opportunity to help address one of our area’s most serious problems –– hunger and food insecurity.”

GLFB supports a network of 58 community kitchens, shelters, and food pantries in Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties. In 2007 alone, the network served 1.2 million meals to children, seniors, working families and those on a fixed income. Unfortunately — and the need is growing.

  • The number of Ingham County residents receiving food stamps increased nearly 50 percent in the last four years. Many use the food bank to avoid missing meals.

  • Up to 65 percent of Lansing School District students qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch.

  • Higher unemployment and the rising cost of food and transportation are stretching everyone’s resources to the limit.

Organizers aim to raise $200,000 through the Empty Plate Dinner & Auction. Cash donations allow GLFB to purchase high-demand foods not available through food drives, support innovative programs to rescue and grow nutritious foods, and provide nutrition education and self-help initiatives.

“The Greater Lansing Food Bank was formed to serve the tri-county community,” Kinock said, “and all donations stay in this community. The generous support of local businesses and residents helps us continue providing food for the growing number of hungry neighbors in our area.”

The Greater Lansing Food Bank is a non-profit organization established in 1981. Its mission is to raise money, food and in-kind contributions for greater Lansing area emergency food needs; coordinate and support the food pantries in the area; promote, encourage and emphasize self-help programs toward the goal of self-sufficiency; and educate the community on hunger issues.

To purchase tickets or become an event sponsor, to make a donation, or for more information about programs and volunteer opportunities, call the Greater Lansing Food Bank at 517-887-4307 or visit lansingfoodbank.org.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan, Press Releases

Marco’s Pizza closes in Jackson

23 04 2008

Four more pizza joints close in Jackson bringing the total to seven in just a few months…..

Three Domino’s Pizza locations closed recently. Now, four Marco’s Pizza locations — 836 N. West Ave., 2003 Horton Road in Summit Township, 4000 Page Ave. in Michigan Center, and 237 E. Michigan Ave. in Grass Lake — have closed.

Franchisee Pat Richardson, who owned the Marco’s locations in Michigan Center and Grass Lake, had bought the Jackson and Summit Township restaurants last fall. Efforts to contact Richardson were unsuccessful.

Peter Wise, vice president of marketing at Marco’s office in Toledo, said he couldn’t discuss why the restaurants closed but said Marco’s “definitely values its customers and is anxious to get back and be able to serve them.”

Sad, but they are all chains. Anyone know of any good local pizza places in Jackson?


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Categories : Food News, Jackson, Michigan

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