Jazz

CONTINUES FROM PAGE E2 saxophonist/composer/educator Jonathan Suazo entitled “Explorations in Afro Puerto Rican and Afro Dominican Rhythms.”

Also, the Jazz & Justice series continues on Saturday outdoors in Tower Square Park with “AGRI.CULTURA: A Food Sovereignty Pop Up” held from 1-8 p.m. Understanding that Springfield and surrounding towns and cities have the highest density of Boricuas and other Latinx communities per square mile in the United States, and in the way of celebrating not only shared struggles but shared stories, El Departamento de la Comida, a grassroots food project from Puerto Rico, will be creating a “living breathing pop-up space” dedicated to the seeds, farms, and practices of “campesinxs,” from Borikén and other islands, to join and share Caribbean food and agricultural ways of life. “A family-friendly event,”

Menu

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Cultural Council is sponsoring a Food Truck Friday tomorrow, from 4 to 8 p.m. Live music, family fun, and a selection of food truck choices will be part of the occasion, which will be held on the Belchertown Town Common.

The Belchertown Cultural Council can be reached by email at hello@blechertownculturalcouncil.com.

• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations have added two new options to their breakfast menus.

The Biscuit Benny is the chain’s homage to eggs Benedict. It’s fashioned from a split buttermilk biscuit topped with a choice of breakfast meat, over-easy eggs, and hollandaise sauce. The plate is served with two breakfast sides.

A Steak n’ Eggs Hashbrown Casserole features Cracker Barrel’s signature Hashbrown

Neville said, “the festival will also feature local pop-up craft and food vendors, and beer from White Lion, and there are also many popular brick-and-mortar restaurants surrounding the festival to choose from.”

The festival is made possible by grant funders, local business sponsors, and donors.

Casserole. Griddle-crisped and layered with Colby cheese, the hash browns are served with scrambled eggs, a customer’s choice of bacon or sirloin tips, and biscuits.

There are Cracker Barrel locations at Ingleside in Holyoke and in Sturbridge on Route 20.

• The Cedar Street Grille in Sturbridge will be the site of a Whistle Pig Bourbon Dinner on Aug. 1.

The event, which is being co-sponsored by Yankee Spirits of Sturbridge, will start at 5:30 p.m. and includes an appetizer reception along with a four-course dinner.

Two Whistle Pig craft cocktails and two limited edition Bourbon pours will also be part of the evening’s experience. A representative from Whistle Pig will be present to provide “color commentary” on the beverages tasted.

Seating is limited and advance reservations are a must for the dinner, which is priced at $85 per person, not including tax or gratuity.

Admission is free, but donations are encouraged and welcomed. Organizers are asking those planning on attending to RSVP on their website, springfieldjazzfest.com, due to the capacity limit. For complete information on the festival and performance times, visit the Springfield Jazz Festival website.

Call 508-347-5800 to make a reservation for the dinner.

• Earlier this month, Chicago-based McDonald’s Corp announced that the chain is discontinuing its McCafe Bakery menu line-up and the three items involved - apple fritter, blueberry muffin, and cinnamon rollas soon as supplies of those products are exhausted.

Phase-out of the McCafe Bakery items, which were first introduced in 2020, may be tied to the chain’s evolving partnership with Krispy Kreme Donuts, which are currently available in more than 160 McDonald’s locations.

Fans of the three McCafe Bakery items immediately took to social media to decry the demise of their favorites.

Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.