Generally Great

As kids go back to school and holidays lurk just around the corner many are looking for places to stock up on supplies and other good stuff.

In my town of Needham, we are fortunate enough to have most of it taken care of at the Needham General Store!

Located just across the street from the Hersey stop on the Commuter Rail, the General Store offers not only a full Dunkin’ Donuts but also great food and gifts from other local makers. They even have books from folks who have been on my TV show “The Writer’s Block” (including my book, Lions, Tigers, and…Bulldogs? An unofficial guide to the legends and lore of the Ivy League)!

One of their latest offerings is a weekly meat pick-up from Bianco’s in Medford that allows participants to trim their weekly shopping list by a few delicious pounds.

They also offer all-natural salts from Saltire Brands, a woman-owned business that took inspiration from Paris markets and now hand-harvests sea salts from Duxbury.

If you need a quick gift (or yummy snack), bags of small-batch Minute Man kettle corn are always a hit! This Worcester-based company takes inspiration and recipes from the American Revolution and is sure to change how you see (and taste) popcorn.

Another great snack that is especially popular in my house is the GIANT peanut butter cup from Swampscott’s CB Stuffers. They apparently make the largest peanut butter cups available, as well amazing bars and other sweet treats, including items with the Red Sox logo that can let you end a sour season on a sweet note.

If you need a bit of a bridge from your typical store to one that offers as much as this specifically-situated “general” store does, remember that it also has a full Dunkin’ counter so you can enjoy a “regular” while finding unique gifts.

Keep track of wine tastings, author talks, and other events by following www.facebook.com/NeedhamGeneralStore or visiting https://the-needham-general-store.business.site and have a General-ly better shopping experience!

Vet-ry good cookies

As Matt’s Meals fans know, I also publish a column called Vetrepreneurs© in which I profile Veterans who run their own businesses. What you may not know is that the column was inspired by the many Veterans I found in the food space while working on Matt’s Meals!
Among my latest favorite fighter’s food is Dax Snax, a set of amazing, all-natural, allergy-friendly and lactose-free cookies that are delicious, nutritious, packaged in an environmentally-friendly manner, and supportive of liberty’s best defenders.

Before he served for Uncle Sam as a proud and brave Marine, Dax Verdia worked with his culinary-inclined parents and quickly came to see the unifying and sustaining power of food and the joy it can bring people (especially when it is as yummy as his cookies!).

During his many international tours, Dax’s menu expanded and he now brings many of those far-flung flavors to his homemade creations that include such diverse flavors as his signature sweet and salty Daxter, the combo oatmeal-chocolate chip charmer called Chip! Oat! Yay!, the admittedly accidental Jungle Fumble, and the Daxter Gone Berry Cray, which combines a chocolatey cookie with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries for a more sophisticated yet still fun flavor. There are also vegan varieties and many cookies are even safe for pets!

I always ways love to find ways to support food makers and Veterans. Just like his cookies, Dax is a perfect combination!

www.daxsnax.com

Great cookies with a cause

As much as I like to talk about great food, I like even more when I can tell a great food-related story, and this one is BOTH!

Not only are Colletty’s cookies AMAZING, but they come from a baker who not only pours her heart and soul into every yummy batch but also gives to others who are facing challenges that she knows all too well.

Collette Divitto was born with Down syndrome. Developing passion for baking while in high school, she developed a unique recipe for a cinnamon chocolate chip cookies that won raves from friends and family and now is doing the same around the world.

After graduating from Clemson, Collette came to Boston where she found the job market to be a bit challenging. Instead of waiting for someone else to tell her what she could do, Colette started a company that employs other people with different abilities (and that was also featured on WBZ TV), as well as her own non-profit organization that helps prepare people from all walks of life to succeed as she has!

In addition to the original cinnamon wonder, Collette also offers a gluten-free version of her well-named Amazing cookie, as well as the also rightfully-titled “Best Ever” oatmeal raisin cookie and a “breakfast cookie” that lets fans enjoy Collette’s creativity all day long!

She also is creating an inspiring series of children’s books about her life and overcoming challenges and a TV show is also in the works!

Changing the world one cookie at a time, Collette one “smaht” cookie!

www.collettys.com