All posts by Hannah Sentenac

RESCUING LEFTOVER CUISINE LOOKS TO SOLVE MIAMI’S FOOD WASTE PROBLEM

For the most part, Miami is a wasteful place. What goes into the garbage bins of South Beach restaurants in one night could probably feed the city’s entire homeless population for a week. This problem hasn’t gone unnoticed, however, and Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is setting up shop in the Magic City to help reduce, reuse and recycle.

The New York-based organization is launching its Miami arm with volunteer Matilde Suescun at the helm. With the direction of the company’s CEO, Robert Lee, Suescun and other volunteers will help coordinate the donation of food from restaurants and stores with dropoffs at local homeless shelters.

“The concept is really beautiful. It helps everyone,” says Suescun. “On one hand we have all this wasted food that’s a problem—you need to transport it, it occupies a lot of space and it doesn’t serve anyone, it’s bad for the environment. And on other hand you have a lot of people that are hungry. It’s a very basic concept — it’s just uniting those two ends.”

Click to read the full story from the Miami New Times.

Plant-Based Food & Drink

Johnson & Wales University Leading the Way with Plant-Based Cuisine

Hannah Sentenac Leave a comment

While academia may be known for its progressive attitude, colleges and universities aren’t particularly quick to jump on the plant-based bandwagon — despite the fact that increasing numbers of students are transitioning to a veg diet.

But at Johnson & Wales University’s North Miami campus, veganism is thriving. This is thanks to teaching assistant Kelsey Carter, director of culinary operations Chris Wagner, and other dedicated campus educators and students. The school’s interim campus president, Larry Rice, also happens to be vegan.

Two years ago, Carter became a vegetarian. She has been transitioning to veganism for the past couple of years. Wagner has a similar tale. And the two aren’t alone. Plant-based eating is growing increasingly popular, and JWU is looking to get ahead of the game.

Click to read on.

Pet Memorials

Remembering Gordon

April 20, 2015 Hannah Sentenac Leave a comment

Gordon, also known as Downtown Gordon Gecko, GordonBurger or Burger Boy, was born on June 6, 1998, in a Missouri puppy mill to a miniature poodle mom who wasn’t as lucky as he was.

For 16 ½ years, Gordon explored new cities, chowed down at every opportunity and was the best boy anyone could ever ask for.

At six months old, Gordon was discovered in a Fort Lauderdale pet store, about to be shipped out of state due to his advancing age. When Laine, his adoptive mom, picked him up, he latched his paw onto her shoulder and never let go. It was love.

When his father, Jack, first moved in with the family, Gordon protested by barking incessantly for days. Eventually, however, he fell madly in love, and adored his dad forever after.

Gordon was a mover and shaker, planting his fuzzy butt and handsome mug in cities from Fort Lauderdale to Hoboken to Jersey City to El Portal. He even went up in the World Trade Center and spent time South of the Border. In his younger years, he was fast as lightning, and adored a good beach run.

As his nicknames suggest, he loved burgers, and always looked forward to his birthday Whopper, complete with a candle or fancy drink umbrella. On his last birthday, he devoured his beef patty with all the enthusiasm of a dog half his age.

In his later years, Gordon’s devil-may-care attitude about life was an inspiration. He did whatever he pleased (wherever he pleased) and indulged his legendary appetite for life, always eager to greet a new day and squeeze in as many naps as possible.

A hardy little guy despite his origins, Gordon was never sick a day in his life — right up until the very end. He was a confidante to his mom, a devoted son to his dad, a cuddle companion to his sister, Dora. He left this world in the gentle presence of those who loved him the most.

Gordon was preceded in death by his beloved brothers Groucho and Buddy. He’ll take his place at Pet Heaven alongside them, and the three will be together again.

Gordon leaves behind a doting mother and father, Laine and Jack, a brother, Harry, and three sisters, Molly Moo, Dora and Roxy. They will miss his sweet face and soft poodle crest forever.

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” —Will Rogers

Celebrities

Author ERIK LARSON ON DEAD WAKE, WEIRD CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WINSTON CHURCHILL

Hannah Sentenac Leave a comment

Despite the thrilling exploits that have spammed the breadth of human history, the topic can be deathly dull, particularly in the context of freshman core. For many people, their only experience with historical events is via overtired teachers and textbooks.

But when it comes to the work of writer Erik Larson, what put us to sleep in high school will have us clutching our Kindles in sheer suspense: such is his power to tell a compelling story. The bestselling author has tackled many of history’s most notorious events, from the inner workings of the Third Reich (In the Garden of Beasts) to the serial killer at large during the Chicago World’s Fair (The Devil in the White City). His latest book, Dead Wake, revolves around the tragic sinking of the Lusitania passenger liner in 1915, and it offers an account like most of us never imagined.

Click here to read on.

Arts & Culture

The Ten Most Romantic Spots in Miami

Hannah Sentenac Leave a comment

February is romance month in Miami, which means you’re (a) superstoked for weeks of canoodling time, (b) about to sink into a monthlong bout of depression, or (c) hoping Tinder will come through (for once) and find you someone, anyone.

For those of you in the first and last camps, we’ve rounded up a list of Miami’s most romantic places so you can impress the hell out of your S.O. (or whoever swipes right for you).

10. Miami Marine Stadium
OK, so this graffiti-covered waterfront landmark isn’t open to the public, but that’s part of what makes it über-romantic. There’s something supersexy about sneaking around (even if it’s just the perimeter). With epic views, oodles of dark corners, and plenty of spots to scrawl Me + You = Love 4Eva, it’s an amazing spot for a spontaneous snuggle. Just be cautious, because getting arrested would ruin the moment.

Click to read the rest via the Miami New Times.

Arts & Culture

Get Your Groove On: Bay Skate Comes To Bayfront Park

Hannah Sentenac Leave a comment

Break out those Rollerblades, or even your old-school, four-wheeled lace-ups: the long awaited roller rink takeover of Bayfront Park makes its debut on February 26.

Known as Bay Skate, the project won the Miami Foundation’s Public Space Challenge last year, and the plan is to wow Miamians with an evening of skating, celebrities, funky tunes, food, drinks, and nonstop throwbacks.

Marcos Macias is bringing the project to fruition with the help of his brother Alex and the rest of the team at Macias Advertising, plus a whole host of other partners and participants.

Originally, the idea was to recreate the Monday night skate scene at Miami’s famous Hot Wheels roller rink. They moved the day to Thursday, however, to draw a bigger crowd.

The plan is to set up a rink surrounding Bayfront Park’s Pepper Fountain.

Click to read the full story via the Miami New Times.

Wellness

Are Millennials Receiving Adequate Mental Health Coverage?

Hannah Sentenac Leave a comment

Millennials are a lot of things: large in number, highly nontraditional, devotees of the almighty Google. A massive generation, we encompass everyone born between 1980 and 1999, which totals 80 Million+ Americans.

Unfortunately, we’re also a generation suffering from a lot of mental health woes.

Studies show Millennials tend to suffer from higher stress levels and mental health concerns than other generations. A 2013 study by the American Psychological Association and Harris Interactivefound that more Millennials have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety than any other living generation, and that we’re more stressed than any other living generation.

Click to read the rest from Care for Your Mind.

Animals

Lolita, Miami Seaquarium Orca, Granted Endangered Status

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Miami Seaquarium’s resident orca, Lolita, may be one step closer to winning her freedom. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today it has ruled to include her in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of southern resident killer whales.

This ruling means Lolita is now granted the same protection as the rest of her family, which lives in the waters off Washington state’s San Juan Islands (where Lolita was captured 44 years ago). According to PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), Orca Network, and others, the decision is a direct result of their collective petitioning of the agency on Lolita’s behalf.

Plant-Based Food & Drink

Paradise Farms Hosting All-Vegan Dinner This Sunday

Hannah Sentenac Leave a comment

As Homestead’s oasis of rainbow-hued produce and pastoral charm, Paradise Farms more than lives up to its moniker. For more than a decade, the certified-organic outpost has been growing and selling a bounty of fruits and vegetables, from microgreens to oyster mushrooms.

So who better to host a plant-based edition of Dinner in Paradise? This Sunday, March 1, notable local chefs will whip up vegan eats at the Homestead oasis.

Click to read the rest from the Miami New Times.

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