Peak poke?

Things are always changing around here, whether it’s businesses closing or new ventures beginning. Right now, we’re flush with good news of the latter variety.

First things first: LemonShark Poké is finally open in the old Has Beans spot at Fifth and Main streets, and just in time for all the hungry college students. Initial reviews—on opening day last Friday (Aug. 31)—sound promising. There’s yet another poke place slated to move in on Third Street downtown. When will Chico reach peak poke?

Also new to downtown: Tender Loving Coffee. It’s been operating for a while as a coffee roaster and for occasional live concerts, but now the owners have added a wood-fired pizza oven and you can stop by 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Saturdays, for coffee all day and a full menu of pizza, salad and sandwiches from 11:30 a.m. till close. It’s at 365 E. Sixth St.

There are also a number of businesses getting ready to open. The one perhaps the furthest along is Insomnia Cookies, a national chain that specializes in delivering fresh-baked cookies in the middle of the night. Sounds like Midnite Munchies has some competition (but a better name). I spied the sign up on Main Street last week, in the space just to the south of Urban Fresh Fuel.

Italian feast I sat down last week with Joe Azzarito of the local chapter of the Sons and Daughters of Italy lodge. He’s excited for a program he helped launch earlier this year, in conjunction with local restaurants, to highlight a different region of Italy each month. In September it will be Calabria. Check out a special prix fixe five-course menu developed by chef James Taylor at Sicilian Cafe Sept. 13-15 featuring baked lamb shoulder, braised chicken and stuffed pork rolls.

Cut and color Butte College last week opened its cosmetology center in the old Marinello School of Beauty space in the Almond Orchard center. The school had previously contracted with the Chico Beauty College for cosmetology instruction. The change is great for Butte College, of course, though Chico Beauty College, which opened 60 years ago, closed due to the loss in business.

Anniversary time A couple of local businesses are celebrating milestones this year. The first is S&S Produce and Natural Foods, which is hosting a shindig this weekend (Sept. 8, noon-5 p.m.) to honor 50 years in Chico. It started as a produce stand on the side of the road, and now it’s a household name. Congrats, S&S!

Also hitting a milestone is Woodstock’s Pizza, which turns 35 this year. And it’s been a year of change for the popular downtown eatery, which has been making a strong effort toward becoming more green. It recently received an “ocean-friendly” certification from the Surfrider Foundation. Part of what that means is you will no longer find single-use to-go cups—instead, they offer reusable ones.

That’s not the only new thing happening at Woodstock’s—earlier this month, the eatery launched beer delivery, so you can order a handful of different beers in six-packs with your pie. Right on!