Latest news with #Cottam
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lexington Legends begin 25th anniversary season
LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Lexington Legends take pride in being the city's professional baseball team, a tradition that will be celebrated this summer in their 25th anniversary season. The ballclub held media day on Wednesday afternoon at Legends Field as it gears up for opening weekend this upcoming weekend at home, with opening day on Friday. Lexington baseball fans might recognize some names on the roster who played baseball here in town years ago, back when they played college ball up the road at the University of Kentucky. Kole Cottam played at Kentucky from 2016 to 2018 before being drafted in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. He was the 7th highest college catcher prospect that year by D1Baseball. Lexington Legends announce partnership with Kentucky bourbon, exclusive giveaway 'It's a special place, you know. I think it is good, you know, to have some people that, you know, fans can cling to, and there's plenty of guys on this team that do that as well. other than the local guys. But I think, you know, it's a special group,' Cottam said. Pitcher Dustin Beggs also suited up for the Blue and White in the springs of 2015 and 2016 before being drafted by the Miami Marlins in 2016. Another local name is excited to make a return to Legends Field in Colin Burgess, a Tates Creek alum who won the KHSAA baseball state championship on that same exact field with the Commodores in 2019. 'Yeah. You know, it's really nice to be back. Nice to be home with the parents and the dog. Last time I was here, I went to state. So hopefully with another ring this year. I've been hanging out with a bunch of my buddies from back home that I grew up with, and I've been talking to them, a bunch of the guys I've brought around them too, you know, so they'll come out to a couple of the games. Hopefully, they don't get too rowdy, but should be fun,' Burgess said. Lexington Legends celebrate 25 years as the team looks ahead to upcoming season Competing in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) for five years now, the Legends are not affiliated like a minor league team, but sometimes have players catch the attention of MLB organizations and sign contracts to jump into a team's farm system. The Legends also have multiple players with major league experience coming to Lexington in the later stages of their careers, continuing to play for the love of the game. The first pitch for the Legends' first game is at 7 p.m. on Friday against the Charleston Dirty Birds. They also play Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. for Kids Day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
06-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
UK food charity chef tells of Ramadan challenge for refugees in Calais
A chef who is helping to feed hundreds of displaced people in Calais is adapting his menu to support refugees observing Ramadan. Ben Cottam, from Exeter in south-west England, has been based in northern France for the last eight months cooking for Refugee Community Kitchen. The charity, which was set up by four friends in 2015, has been serving 'nutritious food without judgment' to those fleeing war, poverty, persecution and climate change for a decade. The food organisation, which operates both in London and northern France, distributes hundreds of meals a week and has won a number of prestigious awards, including the Observer Food Monthly's outstanding achievement award. Mr Cottam, 36, whose career has varied from working at private members' clubs to running his own catering company, took a break from London's food scene to head up the kitchen in Calais. 'Part of the reason I kind of quit my last job and needed a break was because every job I'd had in London kind of came with this sense of doom and fear and pressure and stress that was unavoidable with that kind of work,' Mr Cottam told the PA news agency. 'Living with that kind of feeling is what kind of breaks me in the end. I can't do it forever. 'Here there's none of that stuff I would consider the negative side of working in kitchens.' Mr Cottam, who runs a team of up to 20 volunteers, is responsible for preparing 700 to 800 meals daily for displaced people sleeping rough in and around Calais and Dunkirk. 'It's a pretty slick kind of operation,' he said. 'Its been nearly 10 years now, so they've kind of got it down to a fine art.' The daily menu consists of a main dish, which is usually a type of curry or chorba, a Middle eastern soup, rice or pasta, salad and an array of condiments. In Calais there are usually two services per day, one at lunchtime and the other in the evening. Mr Cottam said he is starting to adapt his menu to support community members observing Ramadan, by preparing food that can be stored for later consumption. Refugee Community Kitchen is also fundraising to provide a special Eid meal to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Many Muslims will spend a period of 30 days abstaining from food and drink – including water – during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith. After sunset, the fast-breaking meal iftar is taken. 'I've got a kind of wild idea about making fresh pita bread that we'll either bake really early in the morning or late at night. And then we'll fill them with falafel and salad,' he said. 'We'll take some that we'll wrap and people can take away and also fried things like bhajis and pakoras, stuff that is going to be nice to eat later on. 'Most people don't have access to fires or any way of reheating food later on.' Mr Cottam added that a lot of thought goes into the nutritional side of things to help support gut health. 'If you're living like people out here are living and have been living for a long time, you often, your immune system is going to be quite weak,' he said. Calais has been a transit point for refugees and migrants for decades. People live in poor conditions, including makeshift camps, and are at risk of police brutality and regular evictions. 'There's very much still a humanitarian crisis going on not very far from London,' said Mr Cottam. 'It's important for people to know about what's happening in Calais and the brutality of the police here.' A total of 36,816 people crossed the English Channel in 2024, which was an increase of 25% from the 29,437 who did so in 2023, according to the Home Office – but down by 20% on the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
UK food charity chef tells of Ramadan challenge for refugees in Calais
A chef who is helping to feed hundreds of displaced people in Calais is adapting his menu to support refugees observing Ramadan. Ben Cottam, from Exeter in south-west England, has been based in northern France for the last eight months cooking for Refugee Community Kitchen. The charity, which was set up by four friends in 2015, has been serving 'nutritious food without judgment' to those fleeing war, poverty, persecution and climate change for a decade. The food organisation, which operates both in London and northern France, distributes hundreds of meals a week and has won a number of prestigious awards, including the Observer Food Monthly's outstanding achievement award. Mr Cottam, 36, whose career has varied from working at private members' clubs to running his own catering company, took a break from London's food scene to head up the kitchen in Calais. 'Part of the reason I kind of quit my last job and needed a break was because every job I'd had in London kind of came with this sense of doom and fear and pressure and stress that was unavoidable with that kind of work,' Mr Cottam told the PA news agency. 'Living with that kind of feeling is what kind of breaks me in the end. I can't do it forever. 'Here there's none of that stuff I would consider the negative side of working in kitchens.' Mr Cottam, who runs a team of up to 20 volunteers, is responsible for preparing 700 to 800 meals daily for displaced people sleeping rough in and around Calais and Dunkirk. 'It's a pretty slick kind of operation,' he said. 'Its been nearly 10 years now, so they've kind of got it down to a fine art.' The daily menu consists of a main dish, which is usually a type of curry or chorba, a Middle eastern soup, rice or pasta, salad and an array of condiments. In Calais there are usually two services per day, one at lunchtime and the other in the evening. Mr Cottam said he is starting to adapt his menu to support community members observing Ramadan, by preparing food that can be stored for later consumption. Refugee Community Kitchen is also fundraising to provide a special Eid meal to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Many Muslims will spend a period of 30 days abstaining from food and drink – including water – during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith. After sunset, the fast-breaking meal iftar is taken. 'I've got a kind of wild idea about making fresh pita bread that we'll either bake really early in the morning or late at night. And then we'll fill them with falafel and salad,' he said. 'We'll take some that we'll wrap and people can take away and also fried things like bhajis and pakoras, stuff that is going to be nice to eat later on. 'Most people don't have access to fires or any way of reheating food later on.' Mr Cottam added that a lot of thought goes into the nutritional side of things to help support gut health. 'If you're living like people out here are living and have been living for a long time, you often, your immune system is going to be quite weak,' he said. Calais has been a transit point for refugees and migrants for decades. People live in poor conditions, including makeshift camps, and are at risk of police brutality and regular evictions. 'There's very much still a humanitarian crisis going on not very far from London,' said Mr Cottam. 'It's important for people to know about what's happening in Calais and the brutality of the police here.' A total of 36,816 people crossed the English Channel in 2024, which was an increase of 25% from the 29,437 who did so in 2023, according to the Home Office – but down by 20% on the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022. To learn more about Refugee Community Kitchen's work in Calais you can visit its fundraising page:
