New Year Musings
Happy New Year; I hope that the arrival of 2016 begins the start of another exciting year for you, just as it does for the Co-op! What a delight that the winter weather decided to bring some normalcy to the season with colder temperatures and some serious snow. Finally! Following on from Thanksgiving, December was another busy month at the Co-op and we sincerely hope your shopping and dining experiences were most pleasant.
Our annual COTS Tree Sale was again a huge success! This was my first experience with this sale and I joined staff and Member volunteers to unload all 660 trees from Moffatt’s Tree Farm in Craftsbury off the trucks over two delivery days. It was good fun getting a bit soggy and sticky with sap, not to mention being smothered by the sweet smell of fir and pine. The trees sold out in a record-breaking eight days and we were able to share a check for $11,500 with our friends at COTS. We cannot thank you enough for your incredible support to such an invaluable community partner!
We continue making good progress with expansion plans in the South End and wanted to share a brief update.
Logistics. We’re on track with phase II of our environmental assessment work and plan to complete work this winter. We presented to the City Council at their January 4th meeting and our requested zoning amendment has now been forwarded to the Council’s Ordinance Committee for review. You may remember that this zoning amendment will allow for grocery stores less than 30,000 square feet to be built in the light manufacturing district of the enterprise zone between Flynn Ave and Home Ave.
Design. After reviewing a dozen responses to our request for proposal and interviewing four Vermont firms, we selected Freeman French Freeman to work with us on the architecture and engineering aspects of the South End Co-op. We continue to work with consultants and staff to assess the internal layout and schematics of the store as well; much of the upcoming work with the FFF team will inform any updates to the internal schematics.
Community Engagement. We are firming up a schedule for formal Member and community sessions sometime in late winter or early spring. We aim to share tangible plans and different draft schematics for community feedback and input.
The opportunity to serve the South End community remains exciting and we are committed to enhancing and promoting the wonderful atmosphere that makes it so unique.
Finally, I realize that it is still early days since you may have participated in the tradition of making a few New Year’s resolutions (if not, it’s never too late!). From exercising more, eating healthily and finding time to relax to learning something new, saving money and making a positive impact on the community, we usually start off strong and with the best of intentions. Why not see what the Co-op has planned over the next few months and if there’s a way we can help you meet your goals. I have plans to learn about some new ingredients and recipes to try with family and friends and will also investigate some opportunities to volunteer with one of the Co-op’s Community Outreach Partners. As they say, the question is not “Why?”, but “Why not?”
One of my favorite recipes that helps us get a healthy dinner on the weeknight table and still have time to sit down together as a family is one that we call “special pasta.” Perhaps you’ll consider giving it a try this winter!
Special Tashiro Pasta
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb of your favorite pasta, we like farfalle
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley and/or basil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
Halloumi cheese, finely chopped and to taste
Directions
Boil the pasta to your liking and right before you finish, add chopped broccoli and cook until tender. Strain and transfer pasta and broccoli to a large bowl. Add parsley, basil, garlic and olive oil. In a separate pan, grill chopped Halloumi cheese until it is lightly browned. Add to the bowl and mix with the other ingredients. Enjoy!
As always, thank you all for your support throughout 2015. We will continue to make every effort to listen and serve you, our Members and the community this year. We’re all looking forward to the year ahead and wishing you all the very best!