If you are following the investigation of bacteria found in Nestle Toll House cookie dough, here's the latest report on this refridgerated dough, produced at a Danville plant.
The Food and Drug Administration has confirmed the presence of E coli 0157 in the dough, after it was voluntarily recalled on June 19.
We've been inundated with food recalls in the past year. How have certain recalls impacted what you buy and eat on a daily basis?
The wood floors have a shiny new finish, and a mountain scene mural adorns the walls.
Today, a former 101-year-old seed shop in downtown Roanoke officially took on a new identity.
Walkabout Outfitter, an outdoors and camping supply store, opened inside the former Agnew Seed building on Market Street in downtown Roanoke.
Kirk Miller, along with his wife, Tina, purchased this building for $525,000 at an auction in March. Kirk Miller owns Walkabout, while Tina Miller owns Ladles and Linens, a kitchen shop next door to Walkabout in downtown's market area.
Walkabout only moved a few doors away from its previous storefront at 307 Market St. to the Agnew shop at 301 Market St.
Also, both of the Miller's stores have locations in downtown Lexington. The Millers live in Rockbridge County.
Click here to read my former blog post about the history of the Agnew building.
This last weekend seemed to be the perfect two days to enjoy the outdoors. Up and down my street, many people spent time outside, grilling out and enjoying their yards and the nice weather.
According to Ace Hardware, a supposed rise in staycations is showing up in sales. Staycations are considered economical alternatives to vacations, because consumers choose to spend time at home, rather than spend money traveling.
Ace Hardware reports that national sales of its outdoor living products and decor have doubled from last year, an indication that people are investing in their home environments.
The popular items this year are fountains, statues, lawn lighting equipment and outdoor furniture, says this hardware retailer with several locations in the Roanoke Valley.
Is this true for you?
I just learned that a national pet retail chain is headed for Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke. PETCO, a pet supply retailer, has signed a lease for a 12,065 square-foot space beside Kroger on Towers lower level. That's according to Rappaport Cos., a McLean, Va., company that manages Towers.
The San Diego-based PETCO carries pet supplies and offers some services, from dog grooming to vaccinations. Also, these stores typically sell small animals, including hamsters and fish.
All dogs, cats and rabbits are available for adoption only. Lisa Epstein, a spokeswoman for PETCO, told me that it's too early to know if the Roanoke PETCO will have a permanent pet adoption area, which is available at some of the chain's stores.
If you're shopped at a PETCO, let me know how it compares to other pet store chains that we have in the Roanoke Valley, such as PetSmart and Petland.
Also at Towers, you may have noticed some construction work going on at the back end of the former ABC store on the center's lower level.
Apparently, crews are demolishing a small section of this space to improve access to Kroger's loading dock, which is accessible through a tunnel behind the grocery store, according to Rappaport.
Thanks to a tip from blog reader, Dennis, the mystery of what's coming to the former Fast Freddy's restaurant site in Salem appears to have been solved.
"Coming Soon, Rancho Viejo Mex Grill" has been added to the tall sign at this former restaurant location at the corner of West Main and Fourth streets.
This building has been for lease. Fast Freddy's closed there last year. Check out my blog post from last week for those details.
I don't know if this restaurant is owned by the same person who has four Rancho Viejo Mexican Grill & Cantina restaurants in the Roanoke Valley. I tried to contact the owner of these eateries today, but I couldn't reach him.
I'll let you know when I find out more details about this Mexican restaurant's new Salem location.
Is Pizza Hut having an identity crisis? The large pizza chain is going by "The Hut" in some of its marketing as it redefines itself as a restaurant that serves a mix of foods, from pasta to wings.
But pizza fans can rest assured. Pizza Hut isn't changing its name, according to this article in Advertising Age.
Still, expect to see some of the chain's eateries carrying signs for both "Pizza Hut" and "The Hut," along with a new logo.
Recently I found a permit for work to remodel space for a new beauty store at Valley View Mall in Roanoke.
The permit reveals that a store called Bella Beauty is making plans to open in a space on the mall's upper level, near Macy's home and children's shop. The space is labeled as UF 275, and you can find it on the mall map here.
Kendall Hurt, a Valley View spokeswoman, told me that she could not confirm Bella Beauty's opening plans. The building permit still is under review.
I don't know the details about Bella Beauty. Let me know if you've ever shopped at a Bella Beauty store.
A local ice cream parlor is getting into the drive-through business.
Bratcher's Ice Cream Parlor in Roanoke now is selling its ice cream in a standalone drive-through building near its storefront on Orange Avenue. Bratcher's Drive-Through opened on Monday. This building used to house Java the Hutt, a coffee retailer.
Most fast-food oriented businesses have drive-throughs. But I've noticed that other kinds of restaurant retailers are opening them, too. Several of these retailers, such as Starbucks, often won't open a new location unless it has drive-through access.
Several local restaurants operators have told me that drive-throughs are imperative nowadays for drawing significant sales.
Martin Bratcher, owner of Bratcher's, said the new drive-through will help his business in particular on rainy days, when people may not want to venture into the ice cream shop, which sells Hershey's ice cream and other ice cream treats. Bratcher's also sells some food, including hot dogs and hamburgers.
You can read more about Bratcher's Drive-Through and local ice cream retailer's sales so far this season in my story in today's newspaper.
Noticed an abundance of McCafe images lately? I've seen more roadside billboards and large posters splashed across the fronts of local restaurants advertising McDonald's McCafe espresso drinks. Apparently, this nationwide push won't end anytime soon.
McDonald's says it will continue an $100 million advertising campaign for its coffee drinks through the summer. It's one of many retailers trying to carve a niche in the large coffee retailing market.
Frequently, there are new surveys about consumers' corporate coffee preferences. A BIGResearch survey in May ranked McDonald's No. 2 for coffee drinkers, next to Starbucks at No. 1 and unseating Dunkin Donuts, according to this story.
But the latest Zagat survey reveals that Starbucks leads the way as a coffee consumer favorite, with Dunkin Donuts, Peet's Coffee & Tea and McDonald's following behind it.
In other coffee news, Starbucks says it will begin grinding and brewing coffee more frequently in its shops. That means that a new pot of java could be ready every 8 minutes, according to this story.
This is the popular time of year for tying the knot. My mailbox is evidence of that, because I've received several invitations to weddings this season.
So far, I've purchased gifts for two weddings, though I've been more particular this year about how much I'm spending. I've actually split the cost with family members to save money and presented the couple with a joint gift.
Still, according to a poll conducted by AP and Brides.com, wedding guests aren't holding back too much on the cost of a gift for the bride and groom. They're also not declining invitations to out-of-town weddings, even if it's an expensive trip.
The poll reports that the median cost of attending a wedding is $200, which includes travel and lodging. That cost obviously would be higher if you're traveling by airplane.
As for the wedding gift, the median cost is $80, though the most popular price point falls between $100 to $199, according to the poll.
And some people said they are more likely to purchase a gift that they can't afford than to decline a wedding invitation altogether and share the reason with the bride and groom.
What's your take on this poll's findings? And do you have any helpful tips on finding inexpensive wedding gifts?
