Around Town

Watertown Based Food Magazine Crowd Funding a Test Kitchen

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ChopChop Magazine seeks to build a test kitchen to further its mission of spreading healthy cooking ideas to children and families, and it needs your help. The Watertown-based organization has an Indiegogo campaign going to raise the $50,000 needed to build the test kitchen. “While we have made progress in getting kids to cook, we are lacking a kitchen to test recipes and offer hands-on cooking classes. Please help us build out a kitchen that will provide a place for local kids to build confidence and life-long skills,” says ChopChop’s appeal. The kitchen will be located in Belmont and will serve as a place for families to learn how to cook the dishes developed by ChopChop, and will be very convenient for families in Watertown and Belmont.

Food

Learn How to Make Edible Gifts During Event for Residents Age 55+

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Live Well Watertown and ChopChop Magazine will come together to present an event where residents age 55+ and their young guests can learn how to make healthy edible gifts. ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families invites you to come by yourself or bring a child, grandchild, niece or nephew, and learn how to make a delicious Striped Soup Mix. Participants will create an edible gift to give to someone this holiday season and samples will be served. The workshop will take place at the Community Room at the Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St. in Watertown.

ChopChop

Parents Invited to Workshop Featuring Live Cooking Demonstrations

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The Watertown Public Schools has joined with local partners to promote healthy eating and cooking, and will present a healthy cooking workshop with live demonstrations and tastings, plus activities for kids. 

Parents are invited to participate in presentations from WPS Food Service Director, Garden Coordinator, ChopChop, Live Well Watertown, and Metrowest Nutrition, 0n Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 5:30-7 p.m in the cafeteria at Lowell Elementary School, 175 Orchard St.. ChopChop sent out the following information:

ChopChop Kids, the non-profit behind ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families has joined forces with Watertown Savings Bank and the Watertown Wellness Committee to promote healthy eating and cooking in the town of Watertown. ChopChop will be distributed to all elementary school students in the Watertown Public Schools for the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, each issue includes lesson plans for teachers to use ChopChop in the classroom. “The bank is pleased to be able to support this program,” said Carole Katz, VP of Marketing at Watertown Savings Bank.

Arsenal on the Charles

Branch Line Restaurant Brings Together Best of Watertown Food Scene

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As a child growing up in Watertown, Andrew Holden saw the Arsenal complex as a forbidding place behind a big fence. Now, he has helped open up a new restaurant, Branch Line, which he hopes to bring many people to the Arsenal on the Charles to enjoy some food and drink – some of it from sources right in town. Holden, the owner of Branch Line, has worked with the owner of the restaurant at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square. It offers the style of food found in places like Italy, France and Greece, featuring dished prepared on a rotisserie as well as in a wood-fired grill. To begin with, the rotisserie will be used to make chicken, but the menu will evolve over time, Holden said.

Around Town

MasterChef Junior Looking for Young Cooks in the Boston Area

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Attention kid chefs, Fox will be holding a casting call in Boston for MasterChef Junior. The show features young chefs competing in cooking competitions, which are judged by, among others, Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsey. MasterChef Junior stars and season 4 premiers on Nov. 6 on Fox. The Boston casting call is for season 5 of MasterChef Junior.

Business

Watertown’s Newest Restaurant Making Waves Among Boston Foodies

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Watertown’s newest restaurant may be tucked inside the Arsenal on the Charles Complex, but Branch Line had received a lot of attention since it opened last Wednesday. 

The restaurant was started by Garrett Harker, who runs Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square among other restaurants, along with Watertown native Andrew Holden, general manager of Eastern Standard. The Boston Globe wrote of Branch Line “It’s the hottest restaurant opening of the week or maybe the season …” The restaurant is located in the back end of the building where Panera Bread is located. It will feature rotisserie chicken, as well as dishes from a wood-fired oven. It could also become a favorite with craft beer lovers – with about 16 taps, all featuring well known craft breweries from around Massachusetts and across the United States.

Food

Free Cooking Class Happening at the Library on Thursday

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Live Well Watertown presents the second free cooking class at the Watertown Free Public Library on Thursday. All are welcome to attend the second cooking class with Chef Coppe and learn how to make Minestrone Soup, French Lentil Salad, and a scrumptious baked apple dessert! Samples will be served. The event is Thursday, Oct. 8 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library.

Food

See Who Were Named Watertown’s Top Bakers at the Faire on the Square

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Bakers from Watertown fired up their ovens to create their entries for the Faire on the Square baking contest, and the judges have spoken. The competition was fierce, nine bakers entered and competed for the title of top “apple pie baker 2015.” Each pie was individually scored by points of one through ten for their appearance and their taste. Three prizes were awarded to the bakers/pies with the most points. The top three bakers in the 2015 version of the contest were: First Prize – Chris Shepard, Second Prize – Jamie Mobed and Third Prize – Peggy Hayes. The event was graciously hosted by volunteers – Tammy McKenna and Charlene McGann, and the esteemed four volunteer judges were Marilynne Roach, Jean Agrillo, Shane McKenna and Joyce Kelly.