8 minute read
Artist Spotlight
Lily O’Brien
Lily O’Brien Special to Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
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Lily O’Brien is from Charlton. She is an avid oil painter and student at Tantasqua Regional High School. She loves painting, screenwriting and poetry, and hopes to one day have a professional art career. Visit her on Instagram @radical.light.art
“Surrealist Landscape #1,” photographed by Kayden Lebouef
IMAGES COURTESY OF LILY O’BRIEN
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Sam Adams’ first hazy IPA. “That was 16 months of work,” she said, adding, “It started in the nano-brewery where I was working … really nailing everything down. I could do 10 or 12 variations at a time. We finally released it locally maybe February or March of 2018.” In 2019, Sam Adams tapped Parisi as head brewer for its new taproom and brewery in downtown Boston, which opened last January. The taproom near Quincy Market was open all of six weeks before Sam Adams decided to close it because of the pandemic. As Parisi prepared to reopen the taproom, she started planning a new series of collaboration beers to drive home the local roots and connections all breweries share, no matter how big or how small. “With the reopening, we really wanted to weave that into the fabric of our existence here, highlight that we are a local taproom, a local brand, born in Boston, this our neighborhood, these are friends and neighbors,” she said. Her first call was to Wormtown. “I loved the idea of making a beer with Ben again,” she said. Now they just had to settle on the beer they wanted to brew. That part was easy, said Wormtown head brewer Scott Drake. “Her goal of the collab was to bring together the brewers she worked with at Wormtown to craft something we all would enjoy drinking together,” Drake said in an email. “We decided on a 5% Rye Lager.” The brewers used a variety of rye called Danko supplied by Massachusetts maltster Valley Mat in Hadley. Danko, originally from Poland, gives a beer a nice balance of bready, spicey flavors throughout. Parisi loves brewing and drinking everything from sours to boozy barrel-aged stouts. But a lager, she said, offers a true test of a brewer’s skills. “It’s complex, but not complicated,” she said. “There’s complexity to the malt and to all of it, but it’s not complicated. It becomes really evident if you don’t know what you’re doing.” You can taste Your Brewer’s Favorite starting Thursday at the Sam Adams Boston Taproom. Wormtown plans to brew its version on April 13 with the yeast Parisi used. And while it will be the same beer, Wormtown’s edition will not taste the same, she said. “It should be exactly the same beer, but it won’t be — different systems, different water, everything that shows the locality of it,” Parisi said. “Where you make it still maters. It’s still local.”
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“With Pastene, there are so many food options to choose from.”
The $24.99 Pastene Campus Survival Kit, for example, contains some of Pastene’s go-to items: Basil Pesto, Parmesan cheese, one pound each Bucatine, Spaghetti and Rigatoni, Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (10 oz.), Pizza Sauce (15 oz.), Tomato Basil Sauce (24.5 oz.) and Tonno (3 oz.)
Other packages include Pastene’s Specialty Gift Box, Gluten Free Gift Box, Chateau Gift Box, Fiesta Gift Box (if you like a little spice in life), Tailgate Gift Box, Date Night Gift Box and Pizza Gift Box, with prices ranging from $19.99 to $39.99. Customers also can mix and match creating their own custom case of Pastene products. Note: The Chateau Gift Box is a team effort between the Tosi family (Pastene owners) and the Nocera family, owners of eight Chateau Restaurants located in Massachusetts. The Chateau family business was founded in 1933 in Waltham.
The Pastene story began in 1848 with a produceladen pushcart in Boston’s North End, and today the company’s products are sold nationally in neighborhood markets, select supermarket chains and by national e-tailers such as Amazon and Walmart.
As shoppers we sometimes have no clue to the extensive product line from companies such as Pastene, which sells Italian delicacies that include everything from tomatoes to tuna, beans to breadcrumbs, pasta to peppers and hard-to-find varieties of olives and pignoli nuts and imported Giardiniera and artichoke bottoms.
Mark Tosi, Pastene president, and his brother Chris Tosi, Pastene CEO, represent the sixth generation of Pastene descendants, the 146-year-old family-owned company and importer.
Check out the company website for more information, offers and promotions and great recipe ideas that include gluten-free and weeknight meals. Sauces, too.
Think about sending a food gift package for any special occasion, or just for fun!
Caribbean takeout at Peppers
Chefs at Peppers Artful Events in Northboro have prepared a Caribbean-themed weekend dinner takeout menu for April 9-10.
Orders must be placed by April 8; Pick up is from 3 to 5 p.m. April 9 and 10 a.m. to noon, April 10. Visit https://www.peppersartfulevents.com.
Colorful and delicious Caribbean flavors to choose: Starters: shrimp fritters with pineapple slaw, mango aioli; Jerk chicken wings with cucumber mint yogurt dipping sauce; butter lettuce salad with mandarin oranges, sweet peppers and grilled sweet potato dressed with honey lime vinaigrette. Entrees include: panseared red snapper with toasted coconut rice, grilled plantains and papaya black bean salsa; Caribbean vegetable stir-fry, pumpkins, plantains, green beans, carrots, cabbage and sweet peppers, served with coconut noodles and cashews. For a sweet ending, dessert choices include Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie, Vanilla Bean and Mango Panna Cotta and Strawberry Coconut Macaroons.
Accompany the meal with your favorite tropical drink, or order beer or wine from Peppers.
Pastene’s Campus Survival Kit. PROMOTIONAL PHOTO
Any interest in cranberry-gravy combo?
Two iconic brands Heinz and Ocean Spray last week officially called on the public via a Twitter poll @HeinzTweets to gauge interest in “Cravy,” a potential cranberry sauce-gravy combo.
Here’s the catch. H.J. Heinz brand is requiring 250,000 “indeed” votes on its social medial poll before a deal.
An Ocean Spray representative reported that Heinz called Ocean Spray on April 1 (no joke) about a possible collaboration after a Tweet about an accidental spillage of cranberry sauce splashed onto a spoon of gravy, with the message ending, Marvelous!
Ocean Spray’s answer, “We’re obsessed with this! Cran-Gravy has a nice ring to it … or … Cravy?!”
“Sometimes, genius happens by accident” is the word from Ocean Spray.
Can’t wait to hear more about this fun collaboration. Cran-Gravy next Thanksgiving?
Sourdough from Calise
Calise Bakery recently rolled out its new Sourdough Italian Round Bread to retailers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The freshly baked bread takes on the sweet tang of sourdough with a soft and chewy crust and light and airy texture. It’s dairy and egg-free; suggested retail is $3.69 for a 20-ounce package (approximately 18 slices). Available in local grocery stores including Stop & Shop, Shaw’s, Shop Rite, Market Basket, Roche Brothers, Big Y, Walmart and Price Rite.
“We’re excited to expand our line of innovative and authentic bread and rolls with this superior sandwich essential,” said Michael R. Calise, president of Calise Bakery, based in Lincoln, R.I. “For over four generations, Calise has brought the freshest, best-tasting rolls to the family table. Our Sourdough Italian Round Bread is the ultimate addition to elevate everything from your favorite cold cut sandwiches to perfect Panini melts, and we’re proud to bring this unique offering to our lineup.”
Visit www.calisebakery.com for more information; Follow Calise Bakery on Facebook and Instagram. Note: Calise Bakery founded in 1908 by the Calise family “lives by The Calise Way – an unwavering commitment to the highest quality products, food safety, competitive prices and excellent customer service.” The company offers more than 140 authentic varieties of baked, par-baked and frozen breads, pockets and wraps.
New Mezze Dips
Tribe Mezze Dips is the newest line from Lakeview Farms, manufacturer of refrigerated dips, spreads, desserts and specialty products.
Kosher certified with no artificial preservatives and gluten-free, Tribe Mezze Dips include: Feta-based Red Pepper, Roasted Garlic and Spicy Tomato; Original Style Tzatziki made with Greek yogurt, cucumber and dill; Mediterranean Layered Dip made with hummus, Tzatziki, red peppers and herbs.
Brand manager Nate Everett said the Mezze Dip line was developed in response to “increasing consumer demand for the Mediterranean style of eating and features an authentic and flavorful variety to ready-toserve refrigerated deli dips and spreads.”
Consumers will find the refrigerated products available in local supermarkets with a suggested retail price of $4.99 to $5.99. Also, look for Tribe’s popular hummus items that have been produced since 1993. Visit www.tribehummus.com for company deals, recipes, etc.
UNO touts deep dish pizza
The celebration of National Deep Dish Pizza Day took place earlier this week (April 5), but you still can enjoy artisan deep dish pizzas at local UNO Pizzeria & Grill locations.
Deep dish pizza is an integral part of UNO’s legacy. The pizzeria invented deep dish in Chicago in 1943. The company reports that each restaurant makes their dough fresh each morning, shreds 40-pound blocks of mozzarella, chops all produce and roasts all vegetables. “If you know UNO, you know that deep dish pizza is extremely important to us,” said UNO’s Chief Executive Officer Erik Frederick. “Yes, deep dish takes a little extra time to cook, a lot of extra effort, and it’s more expensive to make,” said Frederick. “At the end of the day, we wouldn’t be UNO without deep dish and deep dish wouldn’t be deep dish without UNO.”
You’ll find local UNO’s in Worcester, Millbury, Leominster, Sturbridge and Westboro. Visit https:// www.unos.com for more menu information, promotions, etc.
