Sugarbird Desserts gets profiled

Redlands bakery Sugarbird Desserts was recently profiled in the Redlands Daily Facts, the San Bernardino County Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

The delivery-only bakery also sells baked goods during the Saturday morning Redlands Farmers Market.

In addition, they supply cookies for la Minute’s delicious ice cream sandwiches.

We recently tried Sugarbird’s peanut butter toffee blondies and thought they were delicious!

Click here to read the article.

Sugarbird Desserts is also on Facebook.

Upland Planning Commission gets schooled in food trucks

Food truck advocate Rob Perhamus is fighting the good fight to bring food trucks to San Bernardino County.

And specifically to Upland, where he lives.

Perhamus made a presentation last week to the Upland Planning Commission regarding the mobile eateries. The commission would be the determining body which would regulate when and where the trucks could operate.

For more, click here to read the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s Upland reporter Sandra Emerson’s article on the meeting.

SlurpFree Day is Wednesday

You probably know about 7-Eleven Day, which takes place on July 11 and involves free 7.11-ounce Slurpees, right?

Well, Wednesday (May 23) brings a second chance for complimentary tiny frozen beverages. It’s SlurpFree Day.

From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., participating 7-Eleven stores nationwide will be handing out free 7.11-ounce Slurpees, while supplies last.

Note the operative phrase in that sentence: While supplies last.

Hint: Get there closer to 11 a.m. than to 7 p.m. if you want a free Slurpee.

For more information, click here for the Facebook event page.

If you live in the Inland Empire, there’s probably a 7-Eleven near you.

Yum! Festival truck list updated, tickets on sale

Presale tickets for the Yum! Festival, which was was rescheduled from March 25 from to June 23 due to stormy weather, are now available online.

In addition, the list of scheduled trucks has been updated.

The food truck extravaganza will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a northwest parking lot of Ontario Mills.

Tickets (only $5, plus $1.27 service fee) are available here. Tickets will be $7 at the door.

For the latest updates, like ’em on Facebook and follow ’em on Twitter.

Roll over the jump to see the new truck lineup (which is subject to change).
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Flamingo Palms moves and other restaurant changes

Flamingo Palms has moved closer to where the action is. The Cuban cafe has moved from 9223 Archibald Ave. to 11400 Fourth St., a spot once occupied by Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe. It’s a cute location…tried their papas rellenas and an order of croquetas. Looking forward to returning and trying more.

But wait, there’s more:

  • Fast 5 Pizza, 171 W. 40th St., San Bernardino. The latest in a long line (Crossroads Pizza, Maxwell Street, Little Caesars) of pizza places at this spot. Apparently there’s also a location at 304 E Foothill Blvd., in Rialto and a forthcoming one in Fontana. No word on whether Vin Diesel does delivery for them.
  • Panda Express, 1605 S. Riverside Ave., Rialto. Panda has moved into part of what used to be a Hollywood Video. Kung Pao DVD?
  • Pine Haven Cafe, 1191 E. Foothill Ave., Upland. The catering company has a more permanent home, inside the GuestHouse Hotel and Suites. They’ve been open a week.
  • Dillon’s Restaurant and Irish Pub, 13920 City Center Drive, Suite 4075, Chino Hills. The Hollywood hangout has come to the Inland Empire. It opened back in March, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned that here. Haven’t yet had a chance to head out there and check it out, either.

What restaurant openings/closings/changes you seen in your travels? Let us know by sending us a Tweet, posting on our Facebook page or writing on our Google+ page.

Walmart Fighting Hunger Together grants awarded

Thank you again to the folks who voted for the Inland Empire in the Walmart Foundation’s Fighting Hunger Together campaign!

The grants were handed out earlier this week at a ceremony held at the Blessing Center in Redlands.

Blessing, indeed!

Sharing the $50,000 award are: Second Harvest Food Bank serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties ($30,000), Indio-based FIND Food Bank ($15,000) and Riverside Meals on Wheels ($5,000).

The Blessing Center is one of 400 food distribution sites served by Second Harvest.

Reporter Ed Castro covered the ceremony for the Redlands Daily Facts. You can read his story here.

Today’s CSUSB food truck visit not a fluke

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You know we’re happy about this: Cal State University San Bernardino has begun hosting food trucks.

This week, the university has hosted two trucks: Crepes Bonaparte and Calbi BBQ.

A third truck will enter the mix next week: Brats Berlin.

The trucks will park at lunchtime Tuesdays and Thursdays through June 7 in front of the Coyote Bookstore (just to the left of the main University Parkway entrance).

The trucks are open to all, but you’ll need a parking permit to visit them, or risk getting ticketed. A one-hour pass can be had for $2.

Hop over the jump to see the schedule.
Continue reading “Today’s CSUSB food truck visit not a fluke” »

You can help bakery become reality

If you’ve ever been to Redlands Market Night and tried a delicious cupcake or cake pop from our friends at the De”Bite”Ful Cake Pop Shop, you know how good their treats are.

The wife and husband team who run the bakery, Kendra and Terry Farmer, currently operate out of a commercial bakery in Chino that’s shared with several other bakers.

The treats that they create in that bakery are favors at catered events and are sold at street fairs and farmers markets across Southern California.

However, their goal is to open their own shop, where they will sell filled- and frosted-when-you-order cupcakes, cake-ups, cake pops and other delights on a daily basis.

They want to include a creative studio where they can teach cake pop classes (which they already do from the Chino commercial bakery), cupcake decorating, cookie decorating and baking classes.

Now’s your chance to help them reach that goal.
Continue reading “You can help bakery become reality” »

Hell’s Kitchen holding casting calls in the Inland Empire

It’s probably a little too late to catch today’s casting call at Riverside Community College, but you’ve got plenty of time to brush up your culinary skills and get your hair done for Tuesday’s (May 22) Hell’s Kitchen casting call in Corona.

Today’s event runs until 5 p.m. at RCC’s Culinary Academy, 1155 Spruce St.

Tuesday’s event will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at the Dos Lagos Stadium 15 Theatres, 2710 Lake Shore Drive, Corona.

Do you have what it takes to take the heat in Chef Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen? Do you?!??

For more information and to apply, click here.

Rancho Cucamonga Lazy Dog Cafe opens next week

We already told you this was happening, but an email dropped into our inbox this week and we wanted to make sure you all knew: The Rancho Cucamonga Lazy Dog Cafe opens Thursday, May 24! opened May 23!

It’s the second Inland Empire location for the chain, which also has a location in Temecula.

We’re already fans of the chain’s more-eclectic-than-most cuisine, having been to the Torrance and Orange locations several times.

Seriously, could you get some Moroccan chicken and couscous from those other guys? Lamb stroganoff? I didn’t think so.

It’s not all exotic, of course. They’ve got burgers and sandwiches galore and outstanding pizzas…my mouth is watering just thinking about the Black and Bleu pizza! If it’s pasta or Asian dishes you’re craving, they’ve got those covered as well.

Click here to check out the menu for yourself.

Prior to the grand opening, the restaurant will have two days of invitation-only events which will be fundraisers for the Coyote Canyon Elementary School library. We’ll be checking our inbox daily (Hint, hint!).
Continue reading “Rancho Cucamonga Lazy Dog Cafe opens next week” »