With Labor Day behind us, the Valley is settling into fall, even if it’s still 90,000 (ish) degrees outside. This week, get the scoop on banana pudding ice cream honoring Dolly Parton and her literacy legacy, pumpkin-filled cannolis, pickle collabs, and how to help fight hunger. We also have the skinny on an intimate Michelin-chef event you won’t want to miss!
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The 411
Guess Who’s Moving Into Salad & Go…It’s Not Who You Think
Most Phoenicians assumed Dutch Bros. was destined to take over the former Salad and Go locations, but not so fast. An Arkansas-based coffee chain called 7 Brew actually won the bankruptcy auction for 73 locations, including 41 in Arizona, to the tune of $143.2 million. It’s not official-official yet, but close.
7 Brew, the new-to-us drive-thru coffee chain, is known for seven original specialty coffee drinks, like a white chocolate and Irish cream breve, as well as energy drinks, sparkling water Fizzes, teas, smoothies, and lemonades—with more than 20,000 possible flavor combinations. Sounds promising.
Dolly’s Legacy Lives On In… Ice Cream
Many of us took Dolly Parton’s death a little hard, so to console us—and honor her memory—Sweet Republic is offering a sweet deal: For every Banana Pudding pint purchased, the ice cream shop will donate one book to a child through Parton’s Imagination Library, which she founded in honor of her father, who couldn’t read or write. The $12 pint is a creamy banana custard ice cream swirled with vanilla pudding and studded with housemade vanilla wafers, and is available through September at all four locations while supplies last. Fun fact: banana pudding was Parton’s favorite flavor.
Feed a Neighbor with the Loving Hut
During Hunger Action Month, Loving Hut is partnering with Phoenix Feed a Neighbor, a volunteer-led Central Phoenix effort providing food to families and individuals in need. On the last Sunday of each month, volunteers plan to pick up $10 Pay-it-Forward meals from Loving Hut and distribute them through a local community space. The meals are funded by guests who purchase a future meal for someone in need…