The Mighty Squirrel opens a Watertown tapas taproom; Cheese Louise spreads out at Hub Hall
opens at Hub Hall (80 Causeway St.), serving grilled cheese in many forms: with buffalo chicken and blue cheese; tomato soup; potatoes and chive cream cheese. It started as a New Hampshire-based food truck in 2018; now, there are locations in New Hampshire and Maine. This is the first Boston location for the brand, which joins stalls like
Sullivan's Castle Island
and
Mike's Pastry
.
Advertisement
In Somerville,
Pound House Vietnamese Coffee
(703 Broadway) has announced their grand opening, serving their namesake beverage plus spring rolls, banh mi, and toasts.
Competitions
: Elsewhere in carb-craving news, Cambridge's
Elmendorf Baking Supplies
(594 Cambridge St.) hosts their annual Le Grand Prix Elmendorf du Pain on June 8. Typically, the event spotlights professional bakers; this year, home bakers are invited to submit their best baguettes. Pros can submit croissants for consideration.
If you fit neither category, don't despair: Sample wares from French-inspired food vendors instead. The event attracts heavy-hitters such as
Clear Flour
,
Formaggio Kitchen
, and
Michette Bakery
. The festivities commence at noon, and there will be wine. Get more details at www.eastcambridgeba.com.
Kara Baskin can be reached at
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Chicago Tribune
18 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Germany is stepping up in European leadership
News regarding Europe is preoccupied with the Ukraine war and the latest Washington surprises, but other developments are important. Among the most important is the positive, effective leadership role of Germany. On July 17, the Kensington Treaty was signed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London. The new treaty deepens cooperation in defense, migration, trade and other matters. Merz also called for greatly increased cooperation between the two nations and France. This is a complement to the new Anglo-French agreement to coordinate nuclear weapons strategy. Historically, Britain has been closely tied to the United States in that regard. Historically as well, France was distinctive for the pursuit of policies independent of Washington regarding nuclear weapons and other matters. Conflict reached a height of intensity during the Kennedy administration, when an assertive American president figuratively collided directly with imperious President Charles de Gaulle of France. Recent years have brought steady, low-key reconciliation across the Atlantic. In 2009, France rejoined NATO after dramatically rejecting the organization, and forcing NATO headquarters out of Paris, in 1966. Chancellor Merz also scored a diplomatic success with his visit to President Donald Trump at the White House on June 5. In contrast to the disastrous meeting between embattled President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and Trump, the session with Merz was calm, friendly and productive. Given the volatile nature of the U.S. leader, this is a well-deserved tribute to the interpersonal skill, personal discipline and human insight of Germany's head of government. In very concrete terms, Germany is demonstrating leadership of Europe and the larger Atlantic area alliance in creating the path to greater defense spending. This expands support of Ukraine in the continuing brutal war with Russia. Germany's defense spending is projected to rise from 95 billion euros in fiscal 2025 to 162 billion euros in fiscal 2029. Trump suggested sending Patriot missile defense systems to Germany so that the systems already in that nation's possession could be forwarded to Ukraine. This is significant given the U.S. leader's past negative words about NATO. Generally at least, Germany leading the way in increasing defense spending, joined by other members of the alliance, helps U.S. companies and therefore our own economy. A total of 63% of Europe's weapons and related military needs are supplied by U.S. defense companies. Where corporate profits and the business bottom line in military matters are concerned, the concept of differences between the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean is blurred. The belief that the U.S. is being taken advantage of by European nations is a prominent theme of the Trump administration. Actually, complaints about European allies failing to spend more on defense date back to debate over goals established in 1952 at a conference in Lisbon Portugal. Yet, during the Cold War, 300,000 U.S. forces in Europe were supported by host governments. Most fundamentally, Germany's success and positive leadership today indicate Europe overall has moved beyond the ideologies that were so destructive in the 20th century. `Communism took root in Imperial Russia, aided by Germany, and succeeded thanks to the enormous costs of World War I and the chaotic aftermath. Threat of communism, along with awful economic misery, spawned fascism and Nazism, and World War II. Finally, the advance of communism helped generate the Cold War. Dedication and discipline of earlier U.S. leaders were crucial to ultimate victory in the World Wars and the Cold War. Democratic Germany is a particularly important consequence.
CNBC
19 minutes ago
- CNBC
Greenhouse growers take aim at Trump's 'tomato tax' on Mexican imports
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"We understand that there's a need to protect the Florida tomato production, but also we should be protecting the total U.S. tomato production," Spielmann said. Moving more operations to the U.S. would present hurdles for NatureSweet. The climate in Mexico is better for growing tomatoes, he explained. And the partial-year H-2A visa program for farmworkers doesn't account for greenhouse operations that need employees for a full year. It would "take years and a lot of money" to transfer more greenhouses to the U.S., said Tom Stenzel, executive director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance, whose members include greenhouse tomato growers with operations in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Economists have warned that the new tomato tax could mean price increases of up to 10%, harming both consumers and restaurants that rely on tomatoes. Industry groups that represent companies that distribute Mexican tomatoes in the U.S. say their workers are now at risk. "There is such a wide selection of tomatoes, and there's so many different factors that go into bringing all those different varieties to the store shelf," said Dante Galeazzi, CEO and president of the Texas International Produce Association, which represents warehouses handling imported produce. The White House did not respond to questions but referred NBC News to a statement Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick gave last week when he announced the end of the trade agreement. "Mexico remains one of our greatest allies, but for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices," he said. Critics say the trade agreement's safeguards didn't prevent Mexican tomatoes from being "dumped," or being sold at unfairly low prices, in the U.S., despite being renegotiated several times in an effort to help level the playing field. "People say, 'you're protectionist,'' said Tony DiMare, president of DiMare Fresh, which has operations in Florida and California. "You're darn right I am." The U.S. needs "boundaries and guidelines and trade laws to keep these countries in check," he said. The number of family farms has dwindled in recent years, according to Robert Guenther, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, which spearheaded the original trade case against Mexican imports. Mexican tomatoes now comprise roughly 70% of the tomatoes consumed in the U.S. "We're talking about 100 years of domestic tomato supply that we don't want to see go away and this will help," he said. The Commerce Department's decision to impose anti-dumping duties is in line with tariffs imposed on other products, he said. Political leaders and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in Texas and Arizona aren't convinced that the tomato tax will ultimately benefit the U.S. A statement from Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, cited a Texas A&M study estimating that nearly 50,000 jobs in Arizona and Texas are tied to the import of tomatoes, jobs she said are now at risk. "Donald Trump's reckless trade war is raising prices, threatening our economic growth and killing jobs," she said. In June, four Republican lawmakers in Arizona and Texas warned against abandoning the agreement in a letter to Lutnick. "This agreement has safeguarded American jobs, stabilized markets, and driven agricultural innovation without burdensome government interference," they wrote. The Republican-dominated Legislature in Texas passed a resolution opposing the Trump administration's withdrawal from the agreement. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a staunch Trump ally, signed it last month.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Coca-Cola to roll out new version of Coke sweetened with American cane sugar
Coca-Cola said it will roll out a new version of its signature soft drink that will be sweetened with cane sugar instead of corn syrup — days after President Trump posted about it on social media. 'As part of its ongoing innovation agenda, this fall in the United States, the company plans to launch an offering made with US cane sugar to expand its Trademark Coca-Cola product range,' the company said in a Tuesday statement. The Coke made with US cane sugar will complement the company's existing product line, the Atlanta-based company added. Advertisement Coca-Cola produced for the US market is typically sweetened with corn syrup, while the company uses cane sugar in some other countries, including Mexico and various European countries. 4 Coca-Cola will introduce a version of its signature drink made with American cane sugar this fall in the United States, the company said on Tuesday. REUTERS The Tuesday announcement came days after President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had 'been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so.' Advertisement Trump — who is famously an avid consumer of Diet Coke — also said, 'This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!' Coca-Cola initially stopped short of confirming Trump's post. The company told NBC News last week that it appreciated Trump's 'enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand' but that 'details…will be shared soon.' In the United States, Coca-Cola made with cane sugar is colloquially known as 'Mexican Coke' as it's often imported from the United States' southern neighbor. 4 Coca-Cola produced for the US market is typically sweetened with corn syrup, while the company uses cane sugar in some other countries. Matcha_09 – Advertisement Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey discussed the coming product on an earnings call Tuesday morning, telling investors that the company already uses cane sugar in the company's tea, lemonade, coffee and Vitamin Water offerings. 'I think that it will be an enduring option for consumers,' he said. 'We are definitely looking to use the whole toolkit of available sweetening options where there are consumer preferences.' The Trump administration's 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative, named for the social movement aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has pushed food companies to alter their formulations to remove ingredients like artificial dyes. Advertisement But medical experts warn that health outcomes may not change with the switch in sweetener. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, told NBC News that 'both high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are about 50% fructose, 50% glucose, and have identical metabolic effects.' 4 Experts warn that replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar won't significantly change health outcomes. angkhan – 'That is, both can equally raise the risk for obesity, diabetes, high triglycerides and blood pressure,' he said, adding that 'both provide the same number of calories, but the body processes them differently.' The move to transition to cane sugar was also met with pushback from agricultural interests. John Bode, the CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, said last week that 'replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn't make sense' given Trump's support of American farmers. 'Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit,' he added in a statement. Sourcing could also be a factor. US cane sugar is primarily produced in Texas, Florida and Louisiana, according to the Agriculture Department. However, domestic production accounts for only 30% of total US sugar supply. The rest comes from sugar beets or is imported. Advertisement 4 The Coca-Cola Company confirmed the change Tuesday during its earnings call with investors. AFP via Getty Images Trump has long tied himself publicly to Coca-Cola products. In 2012, he said on Twitter that Coke was not happy with him but 'that's ok, I'll still keep drinking that garbage.' Trump also wrote on social media the same year that drinking Diet Coke 'makes you happy.' In January, Quincey traveled to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and presented him with a custom bottle commemorating his upcoming inauguration. Advertisement 'President Trump pledged to Make America Healthy Again, and that starts with what we eat and drink,' White House spokesperson Kush Desai told The Post. 'The Trump administration is committed to partnering with food and beverage companies to expand options for the American people.' The Post has sought comment from HHS, Coca-Cola and the Corn Refiners Association.
