Greetings!

After one of the wettest summers in recent memory, with pool, beach and boating days cancelled at record pace, we'd all be forgiven for letting our beach bodies go long before oversized sweater season officially begins....and this month, we're here to help you ease even further on in to your post-summer bod! Anyone who frequents Rhode Island will soon be obsessed with all things Foodlove, and -- while we're talking about obsessed -- if you remember nothing else, remember the name Bakey. #Trust.

So while we close out a summer that feels more uncertain than the one we started, at least we have something to look forward to: the Delta 15 :)

Best,
bakey
If you’re familiar with the term laminated dough, you’re either a baking geek or you had waaaaaay too much time on your hands during lockdown. Give it a few months and we can add a third reason: you live in Boston. That’s because the city will soon be home to the baked goods of internationally renowned baker Uri Scheft (read in the deep baritone of a professional boxing announcer: the Yoda of Laminated Doughs, the Beast behind the Babka…you get the drift!) & biz partner Or Ohana. Yep, the next stop for the owner of Lehamim bakeries in Israel and the co-founder of the famed Breads Bakery in NYC is now officially in Boston with his newest concept, Bakey, opening next month.
 
Located at 151 Tremont Street across the street from Boston Common, Bakey takes the concept of fresher-than-fresh to an entirely new level, well beyond Urban Dictionary and teenage princes of Bel Air. Unlike most bakeries where early AM production is the name of the game, at Bakey, the rolling, kneading, baking and restocking happens all day, every day. Not to #humblebrag too much, but they're rolling on the 'gram too. We put their Insta in the oven at the beginning of this month and the follower heat is undeniable.
 
Not only that, but they’re so obsessed with fresh that they’ll be removing unsold product (as if!) from the cases throughout the day that doesn’t meet their seriously high standards. That signature catchphrase of theirs -- ‘Ridiculously Fresh’ – isn’t an ode to the bro, but an ode to the dough.
 
So whether you tear into a steaming chocolate babka, a melty pizza bun, a gooey spinach and cheese bureka or a still crusty loaf of bread, consider yourself lucky that, as a Bostonian, we’ll get to be the lucky beta/babka testers as the Bakey team works to change the way we all think about fresh.

foodlove market
Arguably ubiquitous these days, the self-described term “foodie” implies a love of good food, a willingness to travel to try said food, and an appreciation for thoughtful production of aforementioned food. With that definition in mind and passion in soul, foodies across New England have already begun flocking to Foodlove Market, a new curated, chef-driven marketplace from the employee-owned geniuses at Newport Restaurant Group.
 
Located in Middletown, RI, Foodlove is what happens when your favorite restaurant, gourmet grocer, bakery and coffee shop join forces to become a foodie superhero that the studio execs behind the Marvel and DC Comics blockbuster-making machines would crave! From stopping in for a morning coffee and pastry…to picking up a freshly made salad for lunch on a Zoom break…to stocking up on high-quality pantry staples in between trips to the grocery store…to impressing your SO with a restaurant-style ready to heat & serve meal on date night…Foodlove not only offers everything but -- for those in close proximity – it’s soon to be your everything! And if you need more proof, check out their Instagram account -- we launched it only a couple of weeks ago and it's already getting some major XOXOs.

For the rest of us, it’s worth a drive when visiting the Ocean State…especially now while they’re offering a complimentary cup of coffee with the purchase of any Seven Stars pastry to celebrate their grand opening (for a limited time). Need we say more? Foodies of the world, unite!

boston lights
“Outside” was the name of the summer 2020 game. And while many of us have again become comfortable spending time indoors, there’s still loads of great reasons to venture out, Delta or not. Case in point: Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience now open through October at Franklin Park Zoo.
 
Spanning the Zoo’s entire 72-acres, Boston Lights features more than 60 large scale displays – think luminous animal and ocean scenes, glowing corridors of lotus and sunflowers, an animatronic peacock showing off its spectacular feathers, a towering 87-foot-long Tyrannosaurus Rex tunnel, traditional Asian lantern displays, and a stunning 164-foot-long phoenix…to share just a hint of the jaw-dropping glitzy gloriousness.

And it’s not all about the cool factor we bet Edison never imagined his invention could provide; the exhibit also shines a light on the importance of preserving the incredible biodiversity on our planet, with education around the Zoo’s commitment to conservation and offering ways that visitors can take an active role and do their part.
 
So before the New England late autumn chill (and increased talk of masks, vax and variants) hits us, consider adding Boston Lights as a ‘must-do’ to your late summer 2021 game.