Latest news with #Chatterbox
CNN
19-07-2025
- General
- CNN
How a Hurricane Katrina victim is helping the smallest survivors of the Texas floods
Most people don't expect Mimi Hymel to remember Hurricane Katrina. After all, she was only 3 when the Category 5 storm slammed into her Louisiana home in 2005. But nearly 20 years later, as Hymel watched news of the floodwaters inundating Texas Hill Country and saw the harrowing images of destruction from Camp Mystic, she said those memories came back with sharp clarity. She can still recall the moment her family decided they couldn't ride out Katrina and the sinking feeling she felt as her mom placed Hymel and her sister in their car and drove away, leaving their dad behind to work at a nearby hospital. But most of all, Hymel said, she remembers how she struggled to fall asleep for days after they escaped the storm because she didn't have her favorite stuffed animal. 'I just had no idea if my dad was OK or even coming home at all,' she recalled. 'I had a teddy bear named Cuddles that I didn't get to take in the car with me. In a scary time like that, I really wanted it for comfort.' Indeed, the importance of these plush companions was apparent as the floodwaters began seeping through the Chatterbox cabin at Camp Mystic, prompting a 9-year-old to offer her top bunk as a safe place for campers to store their stuffies during the storm. Hymel said the trauma of escaping a natural disaster has a way of changing you. But all these years later, she's found a way of channeling her experience during Katrina into helping today's youngest survivors. In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, Hymel said there was no shortage of local organizations and kind neighbors who tried to meet her family's immediate needs for food, clothes and shelter. But as a child, she said she struggled to process such dramatic and rapid change. 'When we finally did get back to our house, everything was destroyed,' she recalled. And Cuddles had been lost to the floodwaters. Studies have long shown blankets or stuffed animals can help children adapt to unfamiliar or distressing situations and they become even more important when a child is processing grief. Although the family ultimately resettled in Texas, as she grew older, Hymel said she noticed how some first responders or families would share photos of stuffed animals they recovered after a disaster. 'I was once that child so it's always just emotional seeing those photos,' she said. 'I realized that kids experience disasters a little bit differently, so relief needs to work a little differently for them too.' That realization sparked Hymel to mobilize after catastrophes, coordinating with local businesses to host donation drives for stuffies and then partnering with first responders and other organizations to help distribute the plush toys in the aftermath of a tragedy. After the success of her early donation efforts, Hymel founded Comfort Bears in a Catastrophe. The nonprofit not only provides kids with a new stuffed animal after a crisis, but they also connect families to mental health resources. Each stuffed animal is tagged with a card offering free crisis counseling through the national Disaster Distress Helpline, which offers children and their families help navigating traumatic events. As interest in her work grew, so did the need. From the Miami Surfside condo collapse to the destructive fires in Maui and Los Angeles and countless floods and tornadoes, these days the steady drumbeat of disasters has been relentless, Hymel said. And so far, the nonprofit has donated more than 50,000 stuffed animals to children in need, Hymel said. She has also written a series of children's books called 'Miss Prepared and Captain Ready.' 'It teaches them important skills to know if a disaster were to hit, but it also encourages kids to get involved in their own way,' she said. But nothing, Hymel added, can compare to the joy of seeing a child receive a new stuffed animal and finding a sense of comfort in the midst of a crisis. 'After Hurricane Ian, I was able to donate to the hospital I was actually born in,' Hymel said. 'That was just kind of full circle.' From her home in Houston earlier this month, Annie Gully and her daughter watched as reports of flooding in the Texas Hill Country grew more dire by the hour. A close friend, she later learned, lost her niece, 8-year-old Blakely McCrory, in the floodwaters at Camp Mystic. 'It's just unfathomable to even wrap your head around something like this happening,' she said. 'You kind of have to go through the sadness and then you're like, 'OK, what can we do to help.'' Gully, who owns Tree House Arts and Crafts, a local children's art studio, said over the years she's seen how a child's favorite stuffed animal can become like a family member. So, when her daughter suggested a donation drive for kids, she leaped at the idea. She reached out to Comfort Bears on social media and within hours they had a game plan. Gully's donation drive was covered on the local news and 'that day alone, I think we collected 600' stuffed animals, she said. After three days they received more than 1,100 donations to be distributed throughout the state. 'Children don't really have an outlet to help' after a crisis, Gully said. 'You could tell their parents had explained to them that other kids have lost their lovies and how sad would it be if you lost your(s).' Gully is also selling 'Mystic Strong' artwork, and the proceeds will be donated to charity in honor of McCrory and the other lives lost at Camp Mystic. 'I feel like every time you turn on the news, there's just something worse that you hear about,' Gully said. But, she added, watching her community come together to donate comfort to the smallest victims of the floods in Kerr County has given her a reason to hope. 'No one cares who you are, what you look like or who you voted for,' she said, 'We're all just doing things together to help.'
CNA
18-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Chatterbox's new cafe at Resorts World Sentosa offers lower prices for signature chicken rice and other dishes
Chatterbox – the restaurant at Hilton Singapore that you bring overseas guests or clients to when you want good chicken rice in luxe surrounds – is opening another outlet at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) on Monday (Jul 21). It's located in Weave, a new lifestyle mall featuring brand-name eateries like macaron and pastry haven Pierre Hermé from France and bakery-cafe Standard Bread from Seoul. This particular Chatterbox is offering reduced prices on all its dishes vs the Orchard Road flagship, including the iconic Mandarin chicken rice, chilli crab and more. There's also a smaller, more casual version of the brand called Chatterbox Express at Changi Airport Terminal 1. At the new cafe in RWS, menu prices are generally S$2 to S$3 lower per dish compared to the OG Hilton outlet. This includes favourites like the lemak lobster laksa (S$36 at RWS vs S$38 at Hilton), umami seafood hokkien mee (S$24 at RWS vs S$26 at Hilton) and Chatterbox rojak (S$13 at RWS vs S$15 at Hilton). FREE-FLOW OF RICE WITH EVERY ORDER OF MANDARIN CHICKEN RICE SET, S$23 Chatterbox has been serving its iconic Mandarin chicken rice since 1971, when it first opened at the former Mandarin Singapore, and now, Hilton Singapore Orchard. At RWS' Weave, it costs S$23 (US$17.90) vs S$25 at the Hilton outlet. And here's the fun part – every chicken rice set comes with unlimited servings of fragrant rice, available for dine-in only from Jul 21 to Aug 3, 2025. For comparison, it costs S$3 per extra bowl of rice at the Hilton branch. COMPLIMENTARY FREE-FLOW PERANAKAN KUEH FOR OPENING PERIOD Even more fun, you get to enjoy free-flow Peranakan kueh here too – but only for a limited time. As part of Chatterbox's opening promotion from Jul 21 to Aug 3, all dine-in customers can snag unlimited servings of freshly made kueh at no extra charge. There are four kueh varieties: Sago bandung, sarang semut, kueh bengka and pulut bengka, all made in-house daily. After the promo, the same selection will be available as a platter of eight (two per flavour) for S$13. SEAFOOD FAVOURITES, SERVED SEASONALLY More seafood-focused than its sister outlet, Chatterbox Cafe will be kicking things off this July with the chilli crab at S$168 for 1.2kg to 1.4 kg of Sri Lankan mud crab in a mildly spicy tomato-based sauce, typically served for three to share. From September, the crab will also be available with seasonal sauces such as black pepper and golden fragrance 'kam heong'. The latter version features chillies, curry leaves and crispy dried shrimp. PET-FRIENDLY SPACE Unlike the original outlet, which seats 141, the RWS branch is a little cosier, with 75 seats indoors and a pet-friendly terrace that fits 16, so you can bring your furkids along. Instagram.
The Irish Sun
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
I worked with Chloe Kelly as a kid and have now spent £3,000 building my own pub to watch her at Euro 2025
A LIONESSES superfan who coached England's Chloe Kelly as an 11-year-old now spends more than £4,000 a year supporting the women's squad. Sports physiotherapist Zoe Bleach, 42, first met Chloe , who scored the winning goal in the 2022 Euros final, when she was playing at the Middlesex Centre for Excellence. Advertisement 11 England's Chloe Kelly is a top player in the WSL for Arsenal Credit: PA 11 Zoe Bleach exclusively spoke to SunSport about her experience coaching Kelly as a kid Credit: Collect 11 Bleach forked out more than £3,000 on her very own garden pub called The Lionesses Den Credit: Collect And Zoe told of her pride that the formerly 'quiet and shy' Zoe, from Gravesend, Kent , spoke as new research from Amazon's Chatterbox series shows a quarter of British women believe football is what the UK does best - rating it above pubs (24 per cent) humour (19 per cent) and moaning (18 per cent). The latest findings reflect how the Lionesses success has seen a surge in the popularity of women's football in recent years - and shone a spotlight on the game. Zoe said: 'The Lionesses winning the Euros has catapulted women's football in this country into the stratosphere. It's so nice to watch men and women supporting our girls, as well as the male teams. Advertisement READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS 'I have watched both for years, but to be able to watch women's football on ITV , BBC, mainstream channels feels very special. This is what I wanted since I was 15, and now I've finally got it at 42 years old. 'The women's team have all worked so hard. They had a passion when they were kids and they've managed to get all the way through to where they are now. They 100 per cent deserve it. 'I worked with Chloe for two years, and she was such a quiet little kid. She wouldn't say boo to a goose. If you spoke to her, she would almost be quite frightened. 'She was a really nice kid, from a lovely family, and a decent player - even at 11 - but I wouldn't have looked at her then and said she would be who she is today. Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking Breaking 11 Chloe Kelly (third from left in the front row) honed her football skills in the cages of West London Credit: Collect 11 Bleach forked out more than £3,000 on her very own garden pub Credit: Collect 11 England play Sweden in the quarter-finals on Wednesday Credit: Getty CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Advertisement 'I am really proud of her. Looking back at those nights in Uxbridge, playing after school and being dragged to matches everywhere, she has worked really hard to get where she is now. 'It's not handed to any of the girls on a plate, so they deserve it all the more.' Lionesses legend Chloe Kelly shows off dance moves with Man Utd star after jetting off on holiday ahead of Euros Kelly replaced Lauren James in the 57th minute of England's 6-1 win over Wales on Sunday, which saw the side book a place in the quarter-finals against Sweden on Wednesday night. Zoe - who has been obsessed with football since the age of two - spends at least £4,000 a year and uses up ten days of annual leave supporting Arsenal's ladies team and the Lionesses. Advertisement In 2003 she travelled to the Washington DC to watch She and her partner Elizabeth even spent five months building a £3,000 pub in their garden - The Lionesses Den - to watch the Women's World Cup in 2023. Zoe went on: 'When there's big tournaments, I look at the schedule and book annual leave right up to the final in the hope they get there. 'For Euro 2022 I booked tickets for most of the games including the final. My thinking was that it was going to be a great day whoever was playing in it. Advertisement 11 Zoe's pub is at the back of her garden in Kent Credit: Collect 11 It's decked out with a bar, beer on draught, pub chairs, stools and a huge TV Credit: Collect 11 The Lioness Den is also kitted out in England memorabilia Credit: Collect 11 Zoe is a Lioness megafan who travels around the world to watch the team play Credit: Collect Advertisement 'I've been to Brighton twice, Southampton, Northern Ireland and to Wembley. I spent around £2,000 in total travelling to watch them and buying merchandise. 'We started building our pub in February 2023 and our goal was to finish in time for the World Cup in July - I spent every day off working on it. 'It cost us about £3,000 and we have filled with memorabilia including signed shirts from 'It might have been a lot to spend, but we use the pub easily once or twice a week and we love it. I don't regret a single penny I've spent supporting the Lionesses. Advertisement 11 Kelly has been named on the bench for England's three games at Euro 2025 Credit: Getty 'And as the research from Amazon's Chatterbox series shows, there are lots of women like me - who are having a great time supporting our football teams.' Amazon's Chatterbox series shines a light on the personalities and opinions of its 75,000 employees and acts as a modern-day barometer of UK opinions. Oxford mathematician and Countdown star Dr Tom Crawford said: 'The data obtained in the Amazon survey is a fascinating insight into the make-up of modern-day Britain.' Advertisement
Scottish Sun
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
I worked with Chloe Kelly as a kid and have now spent £3,000 building my own pub to watch her at Euro 2025
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A LIONESSES superfan who coached England's Chloe Kelly as an 11-year-old now spends more than £4,000 a year supporting the women's squad. Sports physiotherapist Zoe Bleach, 42, first met Chloe, who scored the winning goal in the 2022 Euros final, when she was playing at the Middlesex Centre for Excellence. 11 England's Chloe Kelly is a top player in the WSL for Arsenal Credit: PA 11 Zoe Bleach exclusively spoke to SunSport about her experience coaching Kelly as a kid Credit: Collect 11 Bleach forked out more than £3,000 on her very own garden pub called The Lionesses Den Credit: Collect And Zoe told of her pride that the formerly 'quiet and shy' Arsenal star is an inspiration for millions of women just like her who are embracing the beautiful game. Zoe, from Gravesend, Kent, spoke as new research from Amazon's Chatterbox series shows a quarter of British women believe football is what the UK does best - rating it above pubs (24 per cent) humour (19 per cent) and moaning (18 per cent). The latest findings reflect how the Lionesses success has seen a surge in the popularity of women's football in recent years - and shone a spotlight on the game. Zoe said: 'The Lionesses winning the Euros has catapulted women's football in this country into the stratosphere. It's so nice to watch men and women supporting our girls, as well as the male teams. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS TRIAL BY FIRE Carroll suffers nightmare Dagenham debut as he's outshone by 'Trialist B' 'I have watched both for years, but to be able to watch women's football on ITV, BBC, mainstream channels feels very special. This is what I wanted since I was 15, and now I've finally got it at 42 years old. 'The women's team have all worked so hard. They had a passion when they were kids and they've managed to get all the way through to where they are now. They 100 per cent deserve it. 'I worked with Chloe for two years, and she was such a quiet little kid. She wouldn't say boo to a goose. If you spoke to her, she would almost be quite frightened. 'She was a really nice kid, from a lovely family, and a decent player - even at 11 - but I wouldn't have looked at her then and said she would be who she is today. 11 Chloe Kelly (third from left in the front row) honed her football skills in the cages of West London Credit: Collect 11 Bleach forked out more than £3,000 on her very own garden pub Credit: Collect 11 England play Sweden in the quarter-finals on Wednesday Credit: Getty CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'I am really proud of her. Looking back at those nights in Uxbridge, playing after school and being dragged to matches everywhere, she has worked really hard to get where she is now. 'It's not handed to any of the girls on a plate, so they deserve it all the more.' Lionesses legend Chloe Kelly shows off dance moves with Man Utd star after jetting off on holiday ahead of Euros Kelly replaced Lauren James in the 57th minute of England's 6-1 win over Wales on Sunday, which saw the side book a place in the quarter-finals against Sweden on Wednesday night. Zoe - who has been obsessed with football since the age of two - spends at least £4,000 a year and uses up ten days of annual leave supporting Arsenal's ladies team and the Lionesses. In 2003 she travelled to the USA and embarked on a 16-hour road trip between Mississippi and Washington DC to watch England women play, and meet her idol Kelly Smith. She and her partner Elizabeth even spent five months building a £3,000 pub in their garden - The Lionesses Den - to watch the Women's World Cup in 2023. Zoe went on: 'When there's big tournaments, I look at the schedule and book annual leave right up to the final in the hope they get there. 'For Euro 2022 I booked tickets for most of the games including the final. My thinking was that it was going to be a great day whoever was playing in it. 11 Zoe's pub is at the back of her garden in Kent Credit: Collect 11 It's decked out with a bar, beer on draught, pub chairs, stools and a huge TV Credit: Collect 11 The Lioness Den is also kitted out in England memorabilia Credit: Collect 11 Zoe is a Lioness megafan who travels around the world to watch the team play Credit: Collect 'I've been to Brighton twice, Southampton, Northern Ireland and to Wembley. I spent around £2,000 in total travelling to watch them and buying merchandise. 'We started building our pub in February 2023 and our goal was to finish in time for the World Cup in July - I spent every day off working on it. 'It cost us about £3,000 and we have filled with memorabilia including signed shirts from Beth Mead and Kelly Smith, signed autographs from Beth, Lucy Bronze and Mary Earps and pictures of Zoe and Leah Williamson. 'It might have been a lot to spend, but we use the pub easily once or twice a week and we love it. I don't regret a single penny I've spent supporting the Lionesses. 11 Kelly has been named on the bench for England's three games at Euro 2025 Credit: Getty 'And as the research from Amazon's Chatterbox series shows, there are lots of women like me - who are having a great time supporting our football teams.' Amazon's Chatterbox series shines a light on the personalities and opinions of its 75,000 employees and acts as a modern-day barometer of UK opinions. Oxford mathematician and Countdown star Dr Tom Crawford said: 'The data obtained in the Amazon survey is a fascinating insight into the make-up of modern-day Britain.'
Straits Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Chicken rice institution Chatterbox Cafe to open at RWS on July 21 with new dishes
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox In addition to its signature Mandarin Chicken Rice set, Chatterbox Cafe at Resorts World Sentosa's Weave mall will offer more seafood, dessert and drink options. SINGAPORE – From July 21, chicken rice lovers can flock to Chatterbox Cafe at Resorts World Sentosa's (RWS) new lifestyle enclave Weave for their fix of the iconic dish and new items. The 91-seat restaurant – including a 16-seat pet-friendly outdoor area – distinguishes itself from the 54-year-old Chatterbox flagship at Hilton Singapore Orchard with more seafood, dessert and drink options. There is also a Chatterbox Express outlet at Changi Airport Terminal 1. The new restaurant will serve the signature Mandarin Chicken Rice set at a slightly reduced price of $23++, compared with $25++ at the original Chatterbox. It features boneless and tender steamed chicken with fragrant jasmine rice, soup and a trio of housemade chilli sauce, ginger puree and dark soya sauce. The Straits Times had a first taste of the new dishes by Chatterbox's group executive chef Liew Tian Heong. They include deep-fried sea perch with homemade soya sauce ($35) and stir-fried king prawns with caramelised palm sugar sauce ($26). Usually offered as a limited-time promotion at the original outlet, diners at the Weave branch can savour rotating crab dishes, priced at a fixed $168++ for a hefty Sri Lankan mud crab weighing between 1.2kg and 1.4kg. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July Singapore Over 40% of Singaporean seniors have claimed SG60 vouchers: Low Yen Ling Asia 4 dead, 38 missing after ferry sinks on way to Indonesia's Bali Singapore $1.46b nickel-trading scam: Ng Yu Zhi's bid for bail midway through trial denied by High Court Singapore Pedestrian-only path rules to be enforced reasonably; focus on errant cyclists: Baey Yam Keng Singapore Jail for 'sugar daddy' who gave minor cash for sex, threatened to post her explicit videos online Singapore Train service resumes across Bukit Panjang LRT line after power fault led to 3-hour disruption Asia Bus carrying 46 passengers crashes with two lorries in Johor, leaving two dead, 16 injured Chilli crab will launch first in July, in line with the restaurant's opening, followed by the flavours of black pepper sauce and Golden Fragrance 'Kam Heong' Sauce. Other flagship favourites on the menu include seafood Hokkien mee ($24), lobster laksa ($36) and crispy salted egg chicken wings ($11 for four pieces). Besides Chatterbox's signature coconut shake ($9++), there are three new drinks ($8++ each). They are coffee and coconut shake; peanut butter coconut shake with adzuki red beans; and peach, yuzu and tamarind slushie. For dessert, a selection of Peranakan kueh – sarang semut, sago bandung, pulut bingka and kueh bingka – is available at $13++ for eight pieces (two per flavour) for dine-in or takeaway as a gift set. Pick up merchandise – available at all three outlets – featuring Chatterbox's chicken mascot Archibald. These include a tote bag ($39), keychain ($28) and oversized T-shirt ($48). Chatterbox Cafe's opening adds to Weave's slate of food and beverage (F&B) concepts, with the likes of Chinese milk tea chain Chagee and Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung already open. Chatterbox Singapore is under real estate and healthcare group OUE Limited's OUE Restaurants F&B brands. These include one-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro at Hilton Singapore Orchard and nightlife hot spot HighHouse at One Raffles Place. Chef Liew, 63, has been with Chatterbox for more than 30 years and is instrumental in maintaining the food's consistency, developing new dishes and expanding the brand overseas. He started as an assistant and worked his way through Mandarin Orchard's (now Hilton Singapore Orchard) banquet kitchen and its now-defunct Chinese restaurants, Pine Court and Mandarin Court. There are three Chatterbox outlets in Hong Kong, and there are upcoming openings in cities such as Macau, Manila, Tokyo and Taiwan. On the RWS debut, chef Liew says: 'While our focus is on chicken rice, we want tourists to try a wide variety of traditional Singapore cuisine made with quality ingredients.' Chatterbox Cafe at 02-207 Resorts World Sentosa, 26 Sentosa Gateway, launches on July 21. It is open from 11.30am to 3.30pm and 5.30 to 9.30pm daily. For more information, go to or call 9654-4611 for reservations.
