Alexis Grace Consignments - Worcester, MA

I discovered a great consignment shop today, called Alexis Grace Consignment. I never would have found this place because it's located in a convenient but out-of-the-way location. What do I mean by that? Well, it's conveniently located right in Worcester in what I think is the Green Island neighborhood. But it's a street I would never go down otherwise. (7 Harrison Street, not far from Kelley Square) Today I was searching for some products by Worcester soap and candle-maker Melanie Paradise of "A Fragrant Paradise" - I had heard that Alexis Grace carries her line of products.

The minute I walked into Alexis Grace I knew I'd like it. It was attractively designed and, unlike so many other consignment shops, the tables and displays were not smooshed together. The spacious and lovely store made looking at the clothing, jewelry and other products a real pleasure. And the low prices were an even greater pleasure!

The co-owner, Mary, had a mug on her counter from which a wonderful hazelnut coffee smell emanated. When I approached, I did a double-take. "Your coffee's on fire!" I joked. Sure enough, it was a candle made by A Fragrant Paradise. If you can get past the idea of flames in your coffee cup, you will LOVE these candles. They smell so good; the entire room fills with the wonderful gourmet-coffee scents! I picked one up for my mother-in-law for Christmas. It's an attractive mug with a candle that looks like coffee with a pouf of whipped cream on top, and it's only $12.95.

If you like consigment shops you will love this one. There's even a back room where out-of-season bargains can be found. Parking can be found on the street OR in a little parking lot directly across the street from the shop.

Sweet Worcester - decadent desserts and designer cakes

Last night was date night for my husband & me. After a great casual outdoor meal at Junior's Pizza Grille on Shrewsbury Street, we set out on foot to find a nice shop for coffee and dessert. I had been hoping for a place with some "atmosphere" but my less-than-comfortable footwear ensured that we could not wander far. The only place within our walking range was called Sweet, and to be honest the exterior did not impress. I could see right through the large window into a brightly-lit shop that seemed devoid of decoration. But the sign said coffee and desserts / open late, so we went closer to peer in the window, and I'm glad we did.

The first thing that beckoned to us was a case full of cupcakes and small desserts. Coffee and coffee-machines were at the back. My favorite dessert is tiramisu, and I could see some there in the case, which clinched the deal for us. We went inside.

The walls are white, decorated only with one poster and a few polka dots. The lights were, in my opinion, a bit too bright. A rack held some free local magazines. My eyes scanned the room and stopped on a doorway leading to something in back. It didn't have a door, but instead had elegant-looking, top-to-bottom curtains pulled back with ties. I wondered--what could this be? I stuck my head through the curtain and could not believe my eyes. A room with atmosphere, dark and dreamy, with a bar and comfortable seating all around. It looked like a secret world in there. Very mysterious--but in a good way.

It was explained to us this way by the wonderfully courteous front counter person, Jennifer: the front room is quick and casual desserts, but the back room is "a dessert experience." There is a Prix Fix menu of special desserts for $9, some of which had familiar names like Bananas Foster and Creme Brulee. I was briefly tempted VERY strongly by the special coffees which includes my all-time favorite, the Nutty Irishman. But we had to pass on the dessert experience. We had spent enough money on dinner and a smaller dessert was what we needed. We decided to have a coffee each, and share one of the ample-sized tiramisus. The tiramisu was good, but the coffee was outstanding! I haven't had such a nice, smooth cup of coffee in a long, long time. To paraphrase the old commercial, this coffee was good to the last drop.

It got more interesting as I began to talk to Jennifer, who was turning out to be a good spokesperson for this establishment. No wordless blank stares or attitude from THIS barista! Jennifer cheerfully explained that the owner buys ingredients from local establishments. For example, the milk and cream comes from Cooper's Hilltop Farm in Rochdale, Mass. But what really impressed the socks off me was that the owner (Alina Eisenhauer) grows herbs and spices on the roof of her restaurant! I love that.

So we will definitely be going back. And on our next date night, we may just skimp on dinner so we can take a trip through those velvet curtains and partake of the dessert experience.

Vegetarian Dining Guide - Worcester, Mass.

I went to a wonderful event at Elm Park (Worcester, Mass.) the other night. It was called Art in the Park and it was the official opening ceremony for the Art in the Park sculpture show, for lack of a better word. There was live music, food, booths from local organizations, a juggling magician, the whole bit. It was so well-attended it and there were so many smiles, it was a thrill to see!

But today's post is about something near and dear to my heart: healthy food and how hard it usually is to find at public events. But at the August 6 art event, I did something I have never been able to do at an outdoor festival: eat healthy. And by that I mean, no horrid high fructose corn syrup or trans fats or meat with carcinogens and hormones. For some reason most outdoor festivals and events present only this awful "food" and never an alternative. BUT last Thursday I was so happy to stop first at the Buddha Hut table and buy (for a mere $1 each) a few of their amazing "chicken drumsticks" which are not chicken but you would NEVER know it to taste it. Just delicious and golden, probably made with some kind of soy or protein that tastes for all the world like chicken, served with sweet & sour sauce for dipping. Yum!! I can't get enough of these things. Then a few tables later, I found myself face-to-face with a tray of espresso cupcakes made by Barely Legal Treats. It was a wonderful delicious cupcake, but there's more!

The table that had the cupcakes was actually the Veg Worcester table. I had never heard of Veg Worcester before, but I walked away from there with a flyer called the Vegetarian Dining Guide to Worcester, Mass. and it contains a listing of vegetarian restaurants, cafes & bakeries, grocery stores and community events which are either vegeterian, vegan or friendly to both. I suggest you get your hands on this extremely helpful and free guide right away, if you like vegetarian food! Not only that, VegWorcester's web site keeps you up to date on local vegetarian news and events, dining guide, helpful links, a blog and more. Why not bookmark it?

And thanks to both Buddha Hut and Barely Legal Treats (both of Worcester) for letting me eat healthy at this festive public event. Keep it coming!

Keeping "Main Street" alive

I took the pledge over at "10percentshift.org" the other day. It's an organization designed to encourage us to shift 10% of our spending over to businesses in our town or area, to revitalize the local economy. So instead of buying beads at Michaels Crafts, I can get them at Tatnuck Bead. And instead of running to Stop & Shop or Price Chopper for my coffee last night, I went to little Santy's Superette on Chandler Street. (Have you ever tried Goya espresso coffee? Whee!) And for bulk spices, there is no place I'd rather go than Ed Hyder's Meditarranean Market. And why go to Petco for cat food when I can get terrific, healthy cat food at Pet Barn (of Worcester & Holden) !

Thanks to Worcester City Councilor Kate Toomey for bringing this organization to my attention. I know there are other local business groups, like Worcester Local First, which my friend Cliff at Framed in Tatnuck belongs to.

Woo hoo! Buy local!

Urban gardening & Youth employment program

I heard about this local program here in Worcester, Mass., and am mentioning it here because it sounds very worthwhile. I hope you will read on... (this is a condensed version of the writeup I received):

"Pernet Family Health Services is a neighborhood-based home health and
social service agency with a commitment to supporting families to be
physically, socially, psychologically, and spiritually whole. The
agency has been serving the Green Island region of Worcester, MA since
1968. This summer, Pernet received funding to create part-time
summer jobs for underprivileged youth. Pernet has decided to use its
youth employment program to fund the creation of a community garden
and install container flower beds throughout the area's small business
district.

Why Youth Gardening?

Pernet chose to create The Green Island Garden because...

1. The garden will bring healthy, affordable, organic food to the
people of Green Island, helping to eradicate food insecurity and
malnourishment.
2. Community gardens offer space for citizens to socialize and bond
with one another, fostering a stronger and healthier social fabric.
3. Community gardens localize the food industry, reducing both the
price of people's food and the city's carbon footprint created by
imported products.

The Youth Program

Pernet's youth employment program is one piece of a city-wide
initiative to give underprivileged youth access to part-time summer
jobs. Any youth (ages 14-21) that qualifies for free school lunch or,
for those youth not in school, meets other income-based requirements,
is eligible for the program. Various organizations throughout the city
have been given the responsibility of placing youth into employment
situations.

Pernet seeks to involve the Green Island neighborhood in this project
as much as possible. We will be selling low-cost shares in the
community garden to its neighbors, guaranteeing them a portion of the
harvest throughout the summer. We will also be sponsoring community
events. The first such event will be on Saturday, June 21st from
8am-3pm, during which time we will be raising the garden beds while
enjoying live music from Melo-Deego and free food from local
restaurants."

I've edited the writeup because the information provided to me was quite lengthy. But it sounds terrific and that is why I wanted to put in a good word here. For More Information, call Lizzy Fox at (508) 755-1228 or email her at lfox@pernetfamilyhealth.org