Guests Gossip About Hospital Food at 3rd Annual Taste of MetroWest

More than 1,000 people dined and drank their way through 50 booths at the 3rd Annual Taste of MetroWest, presented by the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night.

Who hasn't heard someone complain about hospital food? Tuesday night, many were talking about MetroWest Medical Center's food but it was a good thing. Taste attendee Leslie Singer Useloff said she "loved the 'hospital food' from Metro West Medical Center." She was not the only one. MetroWest Medical Center won "best appetizer" for its Margarita Shrimp and "best presentation" at the 3rd Annual Taste of MetroWest at the Sheraton Tuesday night. The event, which attracts more than 1,000 attendees and 50 of the area's best restaurants and brewers, is presented by MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. Award winners Tuesday night, besides the medical center were: Pepper's Fine Catering won best dessert for its Peach Almond Cake. The bite sized dessert …

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Brenda Crawshaw

1:25 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013

I wasn't able to make it last night but I am so excited to see so many mainstream places offering sophisticated gluten free options!   more ›

Jack's Abby Brewing Expanding

And you can taste some of the Framingham craft brewery's lagers at tonight's Taste of MetroWest at the Sheraton Framingham.

Jack's Abby Brewing has signed a lease to expand. The Framingham-based business plan to lease 6,000 square feet of space this summer. The extra space will help expand the brewery’s barrel-aging program and allow for installation of a grain silo, said a press release In 2012, Jack's Abby:  * Brewed approximately 2,500 barrels brewed * Won medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the Great International Beer Festival, * Introduced various positively reviewed seasonal and specialty lagers, * Hired five employees, * Expanded production capacity with new tanks and a bottling line. “We had a great 2012 and we’re all looking forward to an even better 2013,” said Jack Hendler, owner and chief brewer at Jack’s Abby. "We expect more growth, …

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need To Know Today: March 11

Fuller Middle School search committee meeting tonight and the 3rd Annual Taste of MetroWest is featured in today's column.

Our daily column, 5 Things You Need to Know Today, will help you to get your day started and offer you some fodder for water cooler conversation. 1.  Tomorrow is the Taste of MetroWest at the Sheraton Framingham. Presented by the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, the third annual event will feature more than three dozen food and drink exhibitors. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Last year, more than 1,000 people attended the event. 2. Framingham State University, as part of its Diversity and Inclusion Week, will screen the documentary Lives Worth Living at 4:30 p.m. in the common room at North Hall. Framingham residents are invited to the free screening. The documentary chronicles America’s awakening consciousness with regard …

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State Growth Depends on Investment in Education, Innovation and Infrastructure

Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki said Massachusetts is at a crossroads and can not grow if investments in education, innovation and infrastructure are not made.

Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki said the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is at a "crossroads" and can not grow if investments in education, innovation and infrastructure do not continue. Bialecki made his remarks at a MetroWest Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Sheraton in Framingham last week. He was pushing Gov. Deval Patrick's new fiscal year 14 budget plan, which calls for increasing the state income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent and lowering the sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent. The additional billion dollars in revenue would be used to fnd educationa nd transportation projects. Under the Governor’s proposed budget, Framingham would receive more than $7.9 million in additional …

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Mass. Economic Development Secretary To Address MetroWest Chamber Thursday

Secretary of Economic Development Greg Bialecki to discuss importance of infrastructure investments and building on the Governor’s plan to create jobs and expand economic opportunity throughout the Commonwealth.

The Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki will address the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce Thursday at the Exec-Connect Luncheon at the Sheraton Framingham. He will discuss the importance of infrastructure investments and building on the Governor’s plan to create jobs and expand economic opportunity throughout Massachusetts. In Gov. Deval Patrick’s State of the Commonwealth address and in his budget announcement in January, he laid out a plan to grow jobs by making investments in education, innovation and infrastructure to grow opportunity in the near-term, and strengthen the Commonwealth in the long-term. Bialecki’s remarks will focus  on the investments in education and transportation that the …

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UPDATED: Homeowner Tax Bills to Rise as Selectmen Seek Business Boost

The average bill will increase less than $9 for 2013, while shifting less of the tax burden to commercial and industrial properties will move that tax rate below $40.

A divided Framingham Board of Selectmen voted to approve a split tax rate for 2013 that results in a modest increase in residential tax bills and shifts less of the tax burden onto commercial property owners than in past years.  By a vote of 3 to 2, Selectmen approved a 2013 residential tax rate of $17.84 per thousand dollars of valuation and a commercial rate of $39.98. The average single family home, valued at $324,152, will see a tax bill of $5,782.87, an increase of $8.92.  If a full shift of 1.75 percent had been approved, as in past years, the average single family home tax bill would have dropped by just under $14. Instead, Selectmen adopted a 1.74 percent shift.  Selectman Jason Smith called the smaller shift "an investment in …

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VIDEO: Manufacturing Leading the Economic Recovery

Massachusetts is expected to see 100,000 manufacturing jobs over the next decade, about 10,000 per year said Economist Barry Bluestone at a MetroWest Chamber of Commerce event Thursday.

Massachusetts is expected to see 100,000 manufacturing jobs over the next decade or about 10,000 manufacturing jobs per year said Northeastern University Professor and economist Barry Bluestone at the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce Exec-Connect luncheon Thursday. Speaking before 70 MetroWest business and government leaders at the Sheraton Hotel, Bluestone said manufacturing is the sixth largest employer in the Commonwealth, and nationally is leading the recovery out of this recession. Bluestone oversaw a study on the state of the manufacturing in Massachusetts whch was conducted by the University's Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy. The study showed the Massachusetts has always been at the forefront of manufacturing even when …

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VIDEO: Scholarship Winner Left Jamaica at Age 8; Wants to Work With Mentally-Challenged Teens

Framingham High graduate and Framingham State University student was the recipient of the MetroWest Women's Alliance Camilla Hilbert Scholarship.

At the age of 8, Tiana Graham left her father and the only country she had ever known. Today, the Jamaican-born Framingham resident Tiana Graham was awarded the MetroWest Women's Alliance Camilla Hilbert Scholarship. The MetroWest Women’s Alliance, an initiative of the United Way of Tri-County and the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, along with Framingham State University funds two MetroWest Women’s Alliance Camilla Hilbert Scholarships. These full scholarships are given annually to two women, who will attend Framingham State University, and who are immigrants or daughters of immigrants. Graham, a graduate of Framingham High, is one of the 2012 recipients. She is a member of the class of 2013 at Framingham State. Graham spoke at 2nd Annual …

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VIDEO: 'Each of Us Has The Ability To Profoundly Change The Life of Another Person'

An Invisible Thread author Laura Schroff was the keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual Ruby Slippers Gala sponsored by the MetroWest Women's Alliance.

An Invisible Thread author Laura Schroff was the keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual Ruby Slippers Gala sponsored by the MetroWest Women's Alliance. Her story, and how the book can to be, is highlighted in the attached video. During her speech Schroff talked  about all of us can make a difference in the lives of other people. That we all have the ability to "throw a lifeline" to another human being. The packed Sheraton ballroom gave a standing ovation after her inspirational speech. The event was a fundraiser and networking event for the Alliance, which is a partnership between the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce and The United Way of Tri-County.

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