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Lettuce Be Local is Bringing Farm Fresh Produce Straight to Your Kitchen

Lynn Cheney from Lettuce Be Local seen on site with local produce (Photo by Joe Santa Maria, Kill the Ball Media)

Lynn Cheney owner of Lettuce Be Local is no longer limiting herself as an intermediary for notable chefs; now, she wants to help you gain access to the region’s top farms from the comfort of your own kitchen. Cheney’s passion for educating, aggregating, and transporting (E.A.T.-ing, if you will) qualifies her as one of the most respected professionals in the Central Mass food and beverage community.

Cheney sources every component of The Lettuce Be Local Start Cooking at Home CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) through her network of over 100 local farms. The service is customizable, allowing participants to determine quantities, ingredients, and pickup locales. Aside from produce, The Lettuce Be Local Start Cooking at Home CSA includes access to local fresh cut flowers, spices and herbs, maple and cider syrups, flour, rice, oats and grains, ciders and tea, and vinegar.

An online portal provides participants with tips for cooking and storage in addition to recipes and farmer profiles. After an initial deposit, each account can be refilled at your convenience. The first delivery will take place on November 8th.

Local attorney and CSA participant, AiVi Nguyen, explained, “We want variety, but not in bulk. Gone are the days that we have to settle for 5lbs of ‘whatever is growing at the farm’ and worrying about what we are going to do with 2lbs of kohlrabi for three weeks straight. And as millennial professionals, we want a streamlined process with flexibility.” Nguyen also cited the electronic menu and convenient pickup locations as uniquely enticing factors. Nguyen is a Partner at Bowditch & Dewey Law Firm; she was a recipient of last year’s Worcester Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business Award, the 2016 Katharine F. Erskine Award, and a laundry list of other accolades.

To learn more about Lettuce Be Local, the CSA, network of farms and those who buy local food, visit www.lettucebelocal.com Contact Heidi Cooper at HeidiC@Lettucebelocal.com for questions regarding the CSA.

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Chef Rogers Returns to Kitchen of Romaine’s and Smokestack Urban Barbecue

Chef Neil Rogers during a Mass Foodies Test Kitchen Event (Mike Hendrickson)

Chef Cornelius Rogers announced yesterday that he’ll be re-joining the team at Romaine’s and Smokestack Urban Barbecue. He’ll be moving on from his position of Kitchen Operations Manager at Worcester Regional Food Hub, a job he accepted in March of 2017.

Returning to his roots, Rogers first worked with Richard Romaine and his team nearly twenty years ago as a Sous Chef. In today’s position, Rogers will focus on creating and executing pastries, charcuterie, butchering, and supporting the rest of the team in their daily responsibilities. On Facebook, Roger added, “I really missed cooking in my time at the hub, and felt like it was time to remedy that. I did pick up a side gig for a bit making pizza with Nate from Treehouse, which in and of itself was a once in a lifetime experience. Now it’s time to get back to what I’m good at: Making people happy with food and having a blast while doing it.”

In 2015, Chef Rogers was executive chef at Niche Hospitality’s  The Test Kitchen in Worcester, where he explored the collaborative “think tank” possibilities the space offered by working with other chefs at Niche’s eight restaurants.

Mass Foodies looks forward to seeing Rogers back where he thrives and drives.