Latest news with #CincoDeMayo
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Business Profile: Innovating dining
May 18—COLFAX — The smell of garlic sauteing on the stove permeated the dining room of Wild Ember Kitchen in Colfax at midday. The staff was preparing garlic to season tacos the restaurant had planned for a special Cinco de Mayo dinner that evening. The tacos are among the many dishes Colfax High School graduate Trevor Miller has developed for the restaurant with fellow chef and significant other Amanda Packer since the business's debut about a year ago. "I don't like to lean toward anything specific," Miller said. "I just like to have freedom to do whatever food I would like. So that's what I like about the name. It doesn't make you think of any one thing." Often that freedom leads him to put tacos on the menu. Street tacos ($18) with seared pork belly are one of the biggest sellers. They come in corn tortillas with cabbage, corn salsa, jalapenos, cotija (a type of cheese) and aji verde (a Peruvian sauce). For Cinco de Mayo, Miller was trying a new taco with beef tongue, curious to see how it would be received. "We've got a pretty good following," he said. "People come here and try new things they might not try anywhere else because they know it's going to be good." The innovation at Wild Ember Kitchen extends beyond the food. The Colfax Downtown Association renovated the former bank in a single-story, 3,521-square-foot building into a restaurant incubator. The majority of the money for the upgrade came from a $2.26 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. Miller and Packer earned the opportunity to use the space through a competitive process and are leasing it at a subsidized rate. I spoke with Miller and Packer about how they developed the restaurant, what their plans are for the venture and what led them to Colfax. An edited version of our conversation follows: Elaine Williams: The availability of an incubator restaurant space with subsidized rent prompted you to scrap your plans for a food truck and open here. Could you share more about how that happened? Trevor Miller: We moved to Colfax because our oldest son was 5 years old and we wanted him to attend school here. We were going to open a food truck. I started doing food at The Cellar Wine and Beer Bar in Colfax. The downtown association kept hounding me to apply for this. This is a dream. I always wanted to have a restaurant like this in Colfax, but it's expensive. The buildings are old. It's just a daunting idea to come in with a few million dollars to remodel. But since it's a downtown association that owns and it was a government grant, I was like "All right. Now I'll give it a shot now because there's not a whole bunch on the line." We just order the food, the plates and the liquor and get all the licensing for it. If we had to come in and buy a building and remodel it — I love Colfax, but I wouldn't have picked Colfax. EW: Let's switch gears and talk about your career backgrounds. Trevor, you discovered your love of cooking at Arby's in Colfax and completed your training at Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts in Portland, Ore. Amanda, you earned your culinary credentials at the Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Ariz. How did your paths first cross? Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM TM: We were both working at a high-end resort about 45 minutes north of Missoula. The average vacation there is about a quarter of a million dollars for high-end clientele. I was a line cook because I wasn't going to stay more than one summer. When I met her, she kept me there. Amanda Packer: I was the private chef for any clients that wanted a private dining experience. I'd create a menu either to their specifications or I would surprise them. When I was doing that, I was the pastry chef. Working at that resort was one of the assignments we had over about five years. EW: That sounds glamorous. How did you decide to return to Colfax? TM: It comes with its own headaches and very little time off. We were in a high-demand side of the industry. It was fun, but once you have two boys, you just kind of take a step back and make it easier to have more of a work-life balance. EW: Let's talk more about what you're doing at Wild Ember Kitchen. Besides tacos, what can diners expect? TM: We serve a lot of hamburgers. The Whitman County burger is a sirloin, brisket patty with seared ham, American cheese and garlic aioli. I try to keep the ingredients as simple as possible and make sure they work well together. We have a full bar. We have about a dozen drinks that we change seasonally. One is the Golden Paradise with bourbon, house-made pineapple simple syrup, cardamom bitters and orange peel. EW: You mentioned this business plays a broader role than just being a restaurant. What do you mean by that? TM: It's pretty diverse. We get a lot of locals. We get a lot of people from all over, including Lewiston and Spokane. They come and meet. We had four ladies sit here that hadn't seen each other in 10 years. They sat and chit-chatted for five hours. They love that there's a new place they can come in and sit and have some good drinks and good food. EW: Now that you're hitting your stride, how long do you think you'll be here? TM: I don't know. We're planning to do catering. We could extend the lease as long as five years or stay longer if no one is interested in the space. My parents live 15 minutes outside of town on a farm. Our two sons spend a lot of time with them in the summer. There's no rush to decide. Williams is the business editor of the Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News. She may be contacted at ewilliam@ or (208) 848-2261. About Wild Ember Kitchen Address: 102 N. Main St., Colfax Hours: 3-9 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Wednesday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Beloved Tacoma school crossing guard known for her crazy outfits laid off
As streams of children bounded out of Washington Elementary School in Tacoma's North End on Tuesday, 'Miss Peggy' was there to greet them in the cross walk. For 29 years, 68-year-old Peggy Tonnema has spread joy to kids and parents as the school's vibrant and beloved crossing guard. On Tuesday, she was dressed as Wonder Woman with a long pink wig, red cape, bejeweled pink glasses, glittery blue skirt and hand-puppet gloves as she waved a neon flag and cooed at families crossing the street. Rain or shine, Tonnema always wears wacky and bright outfits when she, twice a day, guides families across the busy intersection. A visit to her costume closet in the school reveals a floor-to-ceiling collection of bright wigs, funny hats, patterned shirts, accessories, boas, gloves, glasses and Halloween costumes. The outfits were donated to her over the decades by parents, students and complete strangers who recognized her on the street. As she stood in the middle of the road Tuesday afternoon, cars slowed to call out to her from their windows. Tonnema said some of the drivers were former students she'd watched grow up and bring their own kids to school. She screams at cars that speed past. She calls out to kids and parents by name, teasing them with her bird hand puppets and reminding them of the late start the following day. Tonnema won't be a crossing guard next school year. Although she works about an hour and a half a day (she also doubles as a school nurse), Tonnema was one of 114 paraeducators who were told their positions would be eliminated in the 2025-2026 school year as the Tacoma Public School District faces a $30 million deficit. Tacoma Public Schools has cited rising costs and insufficient funding from the state as reasons for the cuts. Although she was offered a chance to reapply for her job as an hourly employee, Tonnema said she won't, to stand with the other paraeducators who are being laid off. 'It's not right,' she said. 'I could stay, but I can't. And that makes me sad.' The decision comes with immense grief, for both Tonnema and families who have seen her as a community fixture of joy and support over the years. Tonnema said her outfits have grown more complex over time. She started wearing bright colors, like a bright yellow cap. Then she found some antennae, and the kids begged her to put them all on at once. People began gifting her more items to add to her collection. A 'We Love Miss Peggy' Facebook page documents many of her outfits, which included recent themes for Cinco De Mayo, a Star Wars-themed May the Fourth, May Day, Earth Day and Wacky Wednesday. Tonnema said the kids have a 'Miss Peggy' dress-up day now. When asked how it would feel to hang up her hat, Tonnema said, 'devastated.' According to her termination notice, which she shared with The News Tribune, she was told on May 8 'there would be a change in [her] current position' and her assignment as a 0.2 full-time employee crossing guard 'will conclude at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.' 'Your last authorized workday in this assignment will be Friday, June 20, 2025. After this date, you will be considered displaced and subject to reassignment in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the District and the Tacoma Federation of Education Support Professionals Local 461. Your reassignment for the 2025–2026 school year will be contingent on your ability to qualify for, interview and be selected for an available position,' said HR director Steven Deaderick. 'Please know that this displacement decision is not a reflection of your work or contributions. We deeply appreciate your commitment to Tacoma Public Schools and your support of Every Student, Every Day. Your efforts have made a meaningful impact on our students' success.' On Tuesday Tonnema said she wanted to dress as Wonder Woman 'because I wanted to stand for truth, justice and the American way.' 'Our country is based on our children. Our children are going to move away. We have to educate them. We have to teach them properly. And to do that, we have to have staff,' she said. 'The paraeducators are right there on the ground floor making sure that kids get the extra care that they need — and there's plenty of them that need that.' When her now 34-year-old son attended Washington Elementary in 1996, Tonnema said, every kindergarten had a full-time paraeducator in the classroom. She has been involved in the Parent Teacher Association for decades and has seen cuts to school nurses, librarians, music and art. 'We just keep being outraged and quiet. That's over. I can't do it. I can't. They have to let the city know, let the mayor know, let the whole education [system know],' she said. 'It's time to raise a ruckus. That's what I'm going to do.' In February when Tonnema's car was stolen, the community raised more than $10,000 on GoFundMe to help her replace it. Behind a pane of glass in a school cabinet are awards Tonnema has received, like the Safe Kids Child Injury Prevention Award in 2018 and the Traffic Safety Superstars Award in 2006. On the wall by her costume closet are thousands of photographs of Tonnema and kids she's helped over the years, in addition to Christmas cards and other messages from families. 'She's a pillar in the community. It would be very different without her,' said Annie Lindgren, who was walking her first grader and infant across the street Tuesday. 'We turn the corner and we are very excited to see what she's wearing every day. She makes everyone smile and feel important. She knows all the kid's names, she knows the siblings' names.' Lindgren said she lives about six blocks away from the school and thought the district's decision to cut Tonnema's position was 'terrible.' 'We need to figure out a way to keep positions like that for the kids,' she said. 'It's not just keeping us safe, but I think all the paras and everything are really important for our kids and the teachers.' Parent Will Brown said Tonnema is 'way more than a crossing guard,' going out of her way to help support kids and hand them fun things like Monkeyshines. 'The last place we need to be cutting anything from is education,' Brown said. 'It's like, the most obvious investment you can do [for] the future.' Uniquely is a series from The News Tribune that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in Pierce County so special.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cinco de Mayo marks 105 years of fiestas in South Omaha and stirs old memories
Linda Garcia, with husband Jose to the right, starts rolling along in the Cinco de Mayo parade Saturday in Omaha. They are among the 2025 parade grand marshals. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) OMAHA — Abelardo Hernandez cruised along South 24th Street Saturday in a blue Ford Mustang convertible reserved for the octogenarian grand marshals of this year's Cinco de Mayo parade. Now 88, he said his thoughts floated back to when he arrived in the city as a young airman from Texas. There were maybe a couple of Mexican restaurants on South Omaha's main corridor, he recalled. No panaderías. No paleterías. He'd soon marry a local girl, immerse himself in community activism and help establish the local Chicano Awareness Center. As Hernandez waved Saturday to the thousands of parade-goers packing the business strip now dominated by Spanish-named merchants and retailers, he figured many would not know his story or his name. 'But at least they'll know we're still here,' he said. 'And the fact they're here tells me they also want to keep the culture alive. The whole thing made me happy, proud.' This year's South Omaha Cinco de Mayo celebration marks 105 years of fiestas, organizers said, and honored grand marshals like Hernandez with deep roots over those decades. Activities kicked off with a Friday night concert and will continue through Sunday with live performances, music, food, games and other festivities. Saturday's parade — described by organizers as Omaha's largest and most diverse — lasted three hours, featuring more than 100 parade entries ranging from low-rider cars to show horses, traditional folklorico dancers to high school bands. Political teams were on display, this being the final weekend before Omaha city elections. Mayoral candidate John Ewing's campaign was among the earliest at the parade grounds, staking out a good spot. Ewing, currently the Douglas County treasurer, greeted participants as they lined up. Mayor Jean Stothert arrived just before the parade started and took a place toward the front, after Mexican Consul Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes. Not far behind was City Councilman Ron Hug, accompanied by a troupe of bouncing cars riding low. His opponent Andrew Adams also had a sizable sign-toting team. Businesses, nonprofits, neighborhood groups, the public sector, bands and vaqueros on horseback participated in the nine-block parade. Itzel Lopez, who volunteers to help the annual event organized by Casa de Cultura, said it continues to draw people and vendors from all races and cultures and from other Midwestern states, including Colorado, Oklahoma and Illinois. She said she spoke with a merchant whose roots are in Ecuador. But what stood out to her this year, she said, was Latinos looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate together. In these 'uncertain times' for immigrants and amidst fear instilled by the Trump Administration, Lopez said that some thought the group should not hold the celebration. She disagreed. 'Why should we be scared? This is the best time to show up and show our economic impact.' As of Saturday evening, Lopez said: 'People are showing up.' Historically, Cinco de Mayo marks when a small but mighty Mexican army triumphed over invading French troops in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Though France later would occupy Mexico, that victory galvanized Mexican forces, and May 5 grew to stir feelings of pride and resilience. Today in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is often observed with parades, parties, margaritas. It has become an occasion for Latinos to celebrate and share their heritage. South Omaha held its event a week after typical Cinco de Mayo celebrations largely to avoid conflict with the annual Berkshire Hathaway stockholders meeting, which requires many public resources also used during the fiesta. Among them was Mary Berumen, who brought three daughters ranging in age 7 years to 11 months to the parade. While a member of South High's cheer squad, she used to walk in Cinco de Mayo parades and was excited for her girls to feel the 'energy, the vibes.' She said she also wants Analiese, Audrey and Iris to stay connected and appreciate their heritage. 'I want them to be proud they're American but also not to lose their Mexican Hispanic culture,' she said. Bryan Jaime, standing by wife Irais, carried their four-year-old son on his shoulders to watch the parade as it turned onto the last stretch near L Street. 'This is his first time coming,' Irais said of their little boy, Mattheo. 'We're celebrating Hispanic culture and enjoying seeing it through our son's experience.' Meanwhile, some of the grand marshals, all longtime residents of the Omaha metro area Latino community, said they were a bit taken aback by how large the event had grown. Linda Garcia, 79, was on the front line of watching the local Spanish-speaking population swell. She is a retired South Omaha librarian who brought bilingual books and story times into city programming. She is often approached by people who thank her for helping their families better connect to the area. Still, Garcia said she was 'shocked' to see the crowd on Saturday. Today an artist and storyteller, Garcia wore traditional Mexican garb and rode on a colorful float decorated with papel picado, flowers, cactus and American and Mexican flags. 'It took my breath away,' said Garcia, whose husband Jose, co-founder of the South Omaha Immigrant History Museum, also was a grand marshal. 'All the little girls that were waving. Little ones with mothers and fathers, I didn't know them, but they were waving like crazy.' In addition to Abelardo and his wife, Dolores and the Garcias, other grand marshals were Manuel and Annie Gonzalez, Theresa Barron-McKeagney and Jorge Nila. Like Hernandez, Jose Garcia remembers arriving from Kansas City to Omaha and finding no tortillerías. 'That really puzzled me.' Like Hernandez and Gonzalez, who also originated from Texas, Garcia did find a lifelong mate in a growing Latino community. Today, more than 15% of Nebraska's largest city identifies as Hispanic. The population has diversified, as evidenced by the change of the Chicano Awareness Center to Latino Center of the Midlands. Area restaurants and retailers feature Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Colombian goods. While Cinco de Mayo is rooted in a Mexican event, Lopez said the annual celebration in South Omaha also is a time to appreciate diversity and new and old immigrants. On the younger end of this year's grand marshals was Jorge Nila, a well-known area jazz musician who said his dad was one of the founding fathers of the G.I. Forum, a longtime veterans-rooted club and restaurant in South Omaha. During the parade, he cruised in a red sporty convertible. 'I felt unity,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Deer Park restaurant donates tacos to non-profit after hoax order went viral
The Brief El Rancho Grande Tex-Mex Grill donated 100 tacos to Houston-area non-profit The Wheelhouse. The restaurant decided to use the extra money they made after their Cinco de Mayo hoax taco order went viral. A person placed an order for 225 tacos and then blocked the restaurant's number without picking it up. HOUSTON - El Rancho Grande Tex-Mex Grill became the focus of a FOX 26 story after someone ordered 225 tacos and left them with a $757 bill on Cinco de Mayo. Now, the business is giving back to the community which gave to them. After posting about the incident online, Deer Park came together with customers showing up to help, either by claiming the abandoned tacos or offering to pay for them. SUGGESTED: Deer Park restaurant left with $700 taco order after customer blocks them The story quickly became viral, and the family-owned business decided to use the extra money they received to make tacos for a local non-profit, The Wheelhouse. El Rancho Grande Tex-Mex Grill donated 100 tacos to the organization, which helps men focus on recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The backstory El Rancho Grande Tex-Mex Grill on Center Street shared the ordeal in a social media post that quickly went viral. The post described how a woman ordered dozens of breakfast tacos for a 6:30 a.m. pickup, then blocked the restaurant's phone number after the food was prepared. "We were at an Astros day game, and my son sent me a message saying we had an order for 225 tacos," said co-owner Dynora Guzman. "It was worth $757." Get news, weather and so much more on the new FOX LOCAL app Guzman and her family rushed to fulfill the massive order, calling in extra help from relatives and employees. But when they tried to reach the customer to let her know the order was ready, she hung up and then blocked their number, Guzman said. "I understand things happen," she said. "But the fact that she took the time to block us and didn't even have the courtesy to call — that's what upset me. The Source Information gathered from our initial FOX 26 report and a Facebook post made by The Wheelhouse.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Concern grows as woman is hit by dirt-biker popping a wheelie on Southwest Blvd
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – More safety concerns are coming from Kansas City's West Side today, May 8. Video from a surveillance camera shows a pedestrian being hit by the driver of a dirt bike. The video comes from a weekend Cinco De Mayo celebration in the busy restaurant district along Southwest Boulevard. The biker appears to be popping a wheelie and speeding when he hit the walker, who was trying to cross the street. The owner of the video clip, who asked to remain anonymous, said they believe the biker stopped for a moment and then drove off. The victim was taken to a hospital with cuts to her head on Friday, May 2. Man sentenced to prison for 2023 road rage shooting in Clay County Burnout marks on the pavement along Southwest Boulevard tell some of the story. Merchants who operate restaurants along this busy street on Kansas City's West Side aren't surprised by the video shared on Thursday. Teresa Grado, who operates a nearby business, said Friday night was a chaotic scene with hundreds of people visiting Southwest Boulevard to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and dirt bikes and ATVs were there, too. Grado believes the police are doing the best they can to help. She and other merchants don't want the dirt bikes troubling customers. 'As a mother, they made my stomach cringe,' Grado said. 'This is so sad. It's disgusting. It's beyond disrespectful. I don't know who raised these kids, but that's insane.' A Kansas City Police spokesperson said there's no police report from this incident, but patrol officers are focusing on entertainment districts like this one. Managers at LaFonda, one of the boulevard's beloved Mexican restaurants, said one of their windows was shot out last year when ATV and dirt bike riders gathered in the street. On Tuesday, FOX4 News spoke with managers at Manny's Restaurant, which is also in the Crossroads District. Owners at Manny's complained they fear going out of business unless safety concerns are addressed effectively. Things to do in Kansas City for Mother's Day Weekend Crispin Rea, Fourth District Kansas City Councilmember, hadn't seen video of the dirt bike incident before FOX4 News shared it with him on Thursday. Councilmember Rea said he knows businesses are counting on city leaders to keep the streets safe for customers. 'I have spoken to (KCPD Chief Stacey) Graves, and I know there will be an increased police presence again. We're going to keep putting the resources where it needs to go until we can put an end to this,' Councilmember Rea Rea plans a meeting with many of these business operators next week, in hopes of helping them organize and take precautions before another violent incident takes place. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
