Shared by contributor Brendan Kurie.

So the other day I had a craving for these awesome fish and chips from one of my favorite restaurants here in New Bedford.
I didn’t feel like packing up the kids and trudging down there, so I went on my favorite food delivery app and a true local small business success story, GotChew, but the restaurant wasn’t on there.

Then I remembered those old cable commercials for the channels we didn’t get. You probably remember them to: “If you want the Disney channel, call your local cable operator.” The idea behind those ads was simple: If the cable company knew there was enough demand, they’d add the channel to their lineup.

It’s the same with GotChew, which can increase a restaurant’s to-go orders by 30% and whose tailored delivery experience means 86% of its customers order at least once a month.

So next time you’re in your favorite spot for that deliciously garlicky mozambique, or grabbing your favorite thin-crust pizza or chowing down on a juicy burger and you notice the restaurant isn’t a partner with GotChew, the area’s only locally born and built delivery service, here’s a little pitch you can give them. (Or just send them straight to this website!)

It’s easy. It takes just a couple of days to get onto GotChew’s elegant and user-friendly web and mobile app platforms. GotChew handles both pick-up and delivery services, so not only can it expand your customer base, but it can save your staff time and headaches taking pick-up orders over the phone.

It’s inexpensive. There’s no sign-up costs and the service is commission-free for 30 days as part of a limited-time deal.

It’s local. But what’s really important is that they’re local and they provide the best service. There’s no call center halfway around the Globe and you get a personalized experience dealing with actual owners and managers.

It’s effective. Not only does GotChew offer the lowest commission costs in the industry, it boasts industry-leading service levels, with over 95% of orders picked up by the scheduled time, a stat you won’t find with those national food delivery apps.

It’s more than just a delivery app, it’s a partner. GotChew will come to your restaurant to do a free 10-item menu photo shoot, because we all know the best salesman for that mouth-watering burger is a high-quality photo. Restaurant owners and managers have full access to edit menus, change prices, view sales reports and your restaurant will be included in social media and email newsletter blasts to GotChew’s foodie fanbase.

So let your favorite restaurant in New Bedford, Fall River, Fairhaven, Dartmouth, Somerset or Westport know that they can join more than 100 local restaurants who are already taking advantage of GotChew’s famously simple and effective ordering system and its on-time, friendly delivery services.
To sign up, or for more information visit GotChew.co/partner

The New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches Department will continue its annual tradition of the Play in the Park and Summer Food Service programs to offer fun activities and healthy meals for kids ages 18 and under at parks and playgrounds across the city free of charge.

“We are really excited to offer this program again to New Bedford residents in parks across the city!” began Director Mary S Rapoza “We’ll have free food for anyone 18 and under, plus lots of fun activities going on each day such as different sports, games, and arts & crafts projects.

New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches Department photo.

“We’ve been holding the Play in the Park Summer Food Program every year since the 1960s.” added Rapoza. “Many of the summer food program staff used to show up at the parks for lunch when they were younger and now serve as positive mentors for the kids in their neighborhoods. Many of the parents and grandparents who bring their kids to participate in the program tell us all the time they used to eat lunch in the summer food program or it was their first job. Each year we see generations of families coming out and enjoying the program year after year.”

The program will run June 24 through Aug. 27, 2021. From 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Monday through Friday, lunch and activities will be provided at nine different park locations throughout the city. Grab-and-go lunches will be served Monday through Friday at the Nashmont Eddie James Park and Phillips Ave Park. From 4:00 PM-7:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, dinner and activities will be provided at Montes Park and Magnett Park.

Each site will be staffed by local youth to hand out nutritious lunches and host recreational, arts and crafts, and educational activities for children. Two kick-off events will take place on June 24 at Magnett Park from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. and June 25 at Riverside Park from 11:00 AM. to 2:00 PM.

New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches Department photo.

Both events will include special family activities including lawn games, inflatables, live music, and more.

“Last year our program looked a little different as we adapted to COVID-19, but we ensured the program would still be available for families all summer long. We served over 90,000 meals which is similar to the number of meals we typically serve throughout the summer.

Following local and state regulations, this summer food program will look a lot more like the normal program we run but we will continue to follow health guidelines and work to build a fun, safe, and healthy summer program for the community.”

The summer programs are federally funded through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Community Development Block Grant with support from Project Bread. The Department of Parks, Recreation & Beaches will partner with community organizations to bring a variety of activities to each site. There will be three rainy day sites open throughout the city to ensure access to meals throughout the summer. A complete list of sites can be found here.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

For more information and updates on all New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches programs visit NBPRB.com, follow on Facebook @NBParksRecreationBeaches, or contact by phone at (508) 961-3015.

New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches Department photo.

FALL RIVER, NEW BEDFORD and WAREHAM, Mass. – On June 9, 1996, Charlton Memorial, St. Luke’s and Tobey hospitals joined to form Southcoast Health.

Twenty-five years later, the not-for-profit community health system spans 900 square miles, from Aquidneck Island to Cape Cod, caring for hundreds of thousands of people at its three hospitals, multiple surgical centers, seven urgent cares and dozens of practices.

In the decades since its founding, Southcoast has made the following services, among others, available to residents of southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island:

Southcoast Cardiovascular Care Center at Charlton Memorial
St. Luke’s Emergency Department, Rapid Assessment Zone and Pediatric Rooms
St. Luke’s ICU
Southcoast Weight Loss Center
Southcoast Cares and Mobile Wellness Van to address health inequities and barriers to access
Southcoast Cancer Centers in Fairhaven and Fall River
Southcoast Brain and Spine Center
Two Southcoast Breast Centers for Women’s Health
Seven Southcoast Urgent Care Centers
Southcoast Visiting Nurse Association (VNA)
Three-time Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals (2019-2021) for Southcoast Hospitals Group
A new Tobey Emergency Department (due to open in early 2022)
COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts

“I continue to marvel at the deep investment Southcoast has made in our community, and am profoundly grateful for the trust our community has invested right back in us. This connection is unique, enduring and intrinsic to our mission,” Southcoast Health President & CEO Keith Hovan told the system’s 7,500 employees in a letter sent to them this week.

“You earned that trust. You, our nurses. You, our physicians and providers. You, our clinical staff and support services. You, our dedicated administrative professionals. You, and all who preceded you in service to Southcoast Health and the South Coast region. Because of you, and because of our supporters, partners and patients, Southcoast is leading the way in defining 21st-century community health.”

Southcoast Health will continue commemorating its 25th Anniversary throughout 2021, with a series of events and festivities planned. For more information, please visit https://www.southcoast.org/25thanniversary/.

About Southcoast Health
Celebrating the system’s 25th anniversary in 2021, Southcoast Health is a not-for-profit, charitable organization and the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region, serving communities in Rhode Island and across Southeastern Massachusetts. Southcoast Health is a Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospital in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Out of the 2,743 considered hospitals in the United States, only 250 earned this recognition. In 2020 and 2021, St. Luke’s is a Newsweek and Leapfrog’s Best Maternity Hospitals. In 2019 and 2020, the Southcoast Health system also received seven awards, including Best Hospitals and Best Place to Work, in Southcoast Media Group’s Best of the Best Awards voted on by residents and readers.

If you missed the announcement about the closing of “Me & Ed’s” you can read about it here.

“Last Day. I say that with a depth of gratitude and elated for the insane surge of demand since our announcement.

These are the types of days legends are made of. Each and every one of our dedicated staff past and present and those that have weathered even the toughest of the last year with the inception of COVID-19. Here we are today on day one of the mask mandate being released with the irony of releasing our own wings for the last time here where it all began how bittersweet and tough collectively.

The demand the last few weeks has made us realize one thing, we were loved close and afar and that alone has stamped its own place in history. 57 years of serving so many in a new world with an array of so many new eateries and options it’s been a journey none of us will forget.

For those looking to catch some of your favorites on the flip side stop by and see us at our sister takeout and catering business ‘On The Go’ in Mattapoisett, we will be continuing our recipes, service, ingredients, and passion there.

Thanks again for the many years of patronage on behalf of Peter and Jack two of the best I’ve had the pleasure to work with and [alongside] for the past several decades.”-Corey Lorenco.

BuyBlackNB is hosting their very first outdoor event with a hand-selected diverse group of vendors offering you an opportunity to find your next favorite product! Safely celebrate the summer and enjoy Black art, food, clothing, and more!

New Bedford, Massachusetts – Black businesses have suffered huge losses during the COVID-19 quarantine. So BuyBlackNB is creating a safe space to support them and allow you to #BuyBlack. Shop a curated selection of local Black-owned businesses while enjoying music, giveaways, networking, and community building.“We’re hosting a space that welcomes and celebrates local, talented creatives,” said Justina Perry of New Bedford, who has been a catalyst in bringing regional exposure to Black-owned businesses since starting the initiative in June 2020.“Part of the mission is to circulate money in the community,” says Perry. “We do this by advocating for Black businesses to be supported and sustained so they can thrive.”

Date of event: Saturday, June 19, 2021
Time of event: 11-3
Location: Rotch-Jones-Duff House
396 County St, New Bedford. MA

MA Juneteenth, also known as Black Independence Day, commemorates June 19th, 1865, when news of the official end of slavery in the United States finally reached Galveston, Texas -notably two and a half years after the formal in-statement of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. This is a day of recognition and empowerment for the Black community and its allies. “This event is creating an opportunity for customers to build relationships with businesses,” says Perry, founder, and director of BuyBlackNB.

Participants and patrons will be required to wear face coverings and practice physical distancing. This project is funded in part by WickedCool Places, financed by the city of New Bedford’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund. Follow @BuyBlackNB for updates as they will be announcing vendors when they are confirmed for this free family-friendly event. Use BuyBlackNB.com as your go-to resource for supporting Black-owned businesses in the SouthCoast.

Follow @BuyBlackNB for updates as they will be announcing vendors when they are
confirmed for this free family-friendly event. Use BuyBlackNB.com as your go-to resource
for supporting Black-owned businesses in the South Coast.

About BuyBlackNB

BuyBlackNB is an online platform dedicated to highlighting, discovering, and promoting Black-owned businesses in South Coast Massachusetts. In supporting Black-owned
businesses, we are working to close the racial wealth gap, strengthen our local economies, foster job creation, and celebrate Black culture.

Add a Black-owned business to the directory: https://www.buyblacknb.com/submit
Purchase a shirt or a tank: https://www.buyblacknb.com/shop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuyBlackNB/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buyblacknb/
Email: info@buyblacknb.com

“Southern Airways Express is excited to be re-launching our New England service. We are expanding our New Bedford to Nantucket service from one to two daily round-trip flights, perfect for vacationers, second homeowners and even day-trippers. Fares begin at just $59 each way,” said Southern Airways Express Chief Commercial Officer, Mark Cestari.

Last summer proved that the New Bedford to Nantucket route was a wise investment for Southern Airways Express. Hundreds of new travelers took advantage of affordable day trips or weekend excursions. You can buy tickets now and schedule for anytime in the future: https://iflysouthern.com/

Chocolate, how we love thee. Dark, milk, hot, Ruby, or unsweetened for baking, it doesn’t matter. As a bar or melted as liquid, married with nougat, peanut butter, or caramel, we love you. Everything except that abomination called white chocolate. Get behind me, Satan!

The amount of chocolate being eaten by Americans rose by 12% last year according to the National Confectioners Association. Perhaps the pandemic made people turn to something comforting, a little slice of heaven away from it all!

While it was the ancient Meso-American Olmecs that brought the world chocolate as far back as 1900 B.C.E. the entire world has a love affair with the stuff thanks to the Spaniards mass producing it in the 16th century. Chocolate production wouldn’t happen in the U.S. until 200 years later thanks to Dr. James Baker and John Hannon founders of the Baker Company in Boston. The rest of the country should thank us for yet another first. You’re welcome.

As of 2020, the world’s leaders of production are in West Africa and they are responsible for 60% of the world’s cocoa supply. Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Colombia round out almost all of the remaining 40% of chocolate production.

Today, no one loves the confection more than the Swiss who consume a whopping 19 lbs per person annually. The most shocking chocolate statistics is that we Americans are not even in the top ten in terms of annual consumption. In fact, we are ranked 19th in eating chocolate with a pathetic 9.5 pounds, half of what the Swiss eat.

I don’t know about you, but I will do my part and show my patriotism by increasing my chocolate consumption. How about we band together and see what we can do about those rankings?

Recently Food & Wine Magazine listed the 50 best chocolatiers in America and four from Massachusetts were listed: Chequesset Chocolate (North Truro), EHChocolatier (Cambridge), Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury), and Taza Chocolate (Somerville). The listing was not ranked, simply declared.

When it comes to the greater New Bedford area there are few spots as famous as Dorothy Cox’s Chocolates who have been delighting chocolate lovers since 1928. They have locations in Fairhaven and Wareham. Emma Jean’s Cupcake Factory in Fairhaven took over the original Dorothy Cox Chocolates location on Huttleston Avenue, but that spot went out of business and they produced non-chocolate and candy products until the pandemic hit and they became a casualty.

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What is your favorite way to devour chocolate? How much chocolate do you eat in a day, a week? Would you say that you consume the nation’s average of 9.5 lbs or more? Let us know in the comments below!

Here is another installment in our Who Remembers? series. You can browse previous articles by using the search bar on the right or by clicking here. These articles are strolls down memory lane. In some cases, the buildings, but new businesses have replaced them. In other instances, the buildings or even the properties have been razed. Instead of a building, it may be a TV show, personality, or commercial that no one longer exists. Either way, it can’t stop us from taking the Memory Lane stroll!

As always we would rather this be a discussion. No one knows this area better than those who grew up here! Please, leave constructive criticism, feedback, and corrections. We’d love to hear your anecdotes. Please share!

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In a typical year of fishing for Atlantic sea scallops, around 55 million pounds are harvested at a value of approximately $570 million. Massachusetts is the state where more scallops are brought to port than anywhere else in the country and the city of New Bedford is responsible for a lion’s share of this annual scallop harvesting: we have been the nation’s most valuable port for 20 years straight with scallops comprising about 80% of the seafood we caught. We’re not only darn good at scalloping, but we’ve been doing it since 1883.

Yazan Elayan photo

While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reported that scallops are not currently overharvested and New Bedford’s fishermen are more than eager to head out to sea and meet the demands of hungry seafood lovers, the New England Fishery Management Council said that there will be a significant drop in this year’s catch, to a predicted 40 million pounds. This likely means an increase from the average current price of $20 per pound, but that also depends on how much scallops are brought to market from foreign markets.

We obviously love scallops! Wrapped in bacon, seared lemon-garlic butter, fried scallops, scallop roll, broiled, stuffed scallops, in a casserole, paella, or stew, or as part of a surf ‘n turf, you name it, our love affair with the bivalve. Believe it or not, what we call a “scallop” is actually the adductor muscle of a saltwater clam that is responsible for closing the clam’s shell. The muscle only makes up about 30% of the clam and the rest is the stomach, digestive glands, eyes, intestines, a “foot,” heart, tentacles (yes, tentacles), gonads (yes, gonads!), gills, ovary or roe, etc. A strange creature that belies its tastiness!

Now that we’ve satisfied Joe Friday’s requirements about our beloved scallop, let’s have some foodie talk. We are the world’s highest-grossing seafood ports and the majority of that seafood is scallops, thereby producing revenue for the city and plenty of jobs, why the heck do we not have a Scallop festival?!

The insides of the saltwater clam showing the proportion of the adductor muscle or “scallop” compared to the entire clam.

We have a Seaport Chowder Festival (which does feature scallop shucking) Folk Festival, Jazz Festival, two Portuguese “Feasts”, and until recently a Whaling City Festival and Working Waterfront Festival. These festivals characterize everything that is quintessentially New Bedford. No scallop festival seems to be a glaring oversight and an obvious event that would generate revenue for the city as well as please tens of thousands of people.

An obvious idea is obvious, you say? Well, this is not a new idea, but instead, an old idea: New Bedford had its first Scallop Festival in 1958!

The festival was the brainchild of the New Bedford Exchange Club and the New Bedford Seafood Co-Op who wanted to promote the idea of scallops being tasty, fat-free, boneless, and nutritious and help boost profits in the novel industry. Incredibly, not many people were familiar with scallops being on the dinner plate and the two groups felt that a festival where locals could have a taste would be a great way to introduce locals to the idea. The dish they tried to promote? Nope, not scallops wrapped in bacon, but “Curried Scallop Kebabs.” Say what?

Poster advertising “Curried Scallop Kebabs” during the New Bedford Scallop Festival.

Each August, organizers would pitch tents at Pope’s Island for 3 days, and with the help of mascots “Sammy the Scallop” and “Susie Scallop” they would promote the festival which brought in people from the South Coast, Boston, Providence, and Cape Cod and beyond. They would flock to the annual event to gobble up the “Pearl of the Atlantic” in as many ways as chefs could create.

The price for a pound of scallops at that first festival? 60 cents during the winter and half that in the summer, prices which likely reflected the supply – more scallops available, the lower the cost for the consumer, and more boats harvesting in the summer meant driving down prices.

Each year, for a decade, the New Bedford Scallop Festival grew until it hit a snag in the market price: in 1968 there was a decline in landings of scallops while there was simultaneously an increase in yellowtail flounder landings. Organizers switched gears and redubbed the festival to the New Bedford Seafood Festival and alas the scallop festival was no more.

Postcard featuring two of the festivals mascots, “Sammie and “Susie.”

But here we sit more than 50 years later in a much different seafood market. There’s no need to convince people that scallops are tasty or that we should curry kebab them. Oh, we know scallops intimately now. How about we bring back the New Bedford Scallop Festival, the 11th Annual New Bedford Scallop Festival to be exact.

Can you imagine the aroma of scallops, bacon, garlic, and butter being cooked, wafting through the air? We could have live music, food trucks and stands, a shucking contest, a seafood market, and awards for the best dishes. All the area seafood companies could supply the festival with seafood, and feature their products and employees, while the restaurants can offer signature scallop dishes right from their menu.

Once again we would draw a crowd from the region and beyond, bringing in revenue and a boost to local businesses as visitors explored the rest of the city, enjoying and exploring all the New Bedford has to offer. How about it New Bedford?

Live scallop in its natural habitat.

Yazan Elayan photo

Yazan Elayan photo

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Do you recall when the New Bedford Scallop Festival was up and running? Remember the mascots “Sammie and Susie”? Would like to see it return? Let us know in the comment section or email us at info@newbedfordguide.com.

There’s nothing more important than your child’s education.

Ensuring that your child is both challenged and nurtured, inspired and empowered, uplifted and energized is a challenge for any parent. It is hard to sift through all the options. District schools, charter schools, parochial schools, private schools.

In the end it comes down to one question: What’s best for my child?

If you’re the parent of a fourth-grade girl, you might find that answer at the open house for Our Sisters’ School, located right here in the heart of New Bedford. https://www.facebook.com/events/969071477180856/

What is Our Sisters’ School?

Named after the “sister sailors” of our city’s whaling era, OSS is an independent, tuition-free, non-religious middle school that opened in 2008 with the goal of educating and inspiring economically disadvantaged girls from the New Bedford area. With small class sizes — only 18 girls per grade — each time Our Sisters’ School selects a student, it makes a thoughtful, long-term investment in the future of a courageous young woman.

Read what a parent recently wrote during Teacher Appreciation Week:

“To the entire OSS teachers and staff — you are courageous and fearless. You have gone above and beyond during a very challenging academic year to teach in person all year, and accommodate each student’s needs.

We are amazed and inspired by your kindness and bravery. You put your health at risk, and choose in-person teaching while schools throughout the country choose remote teaching.

We are so grateful, and we appreciate you for everything you do each day. Our daughter and her sister sailors are very lucky to have teachers and staff like you all. Thank you! Thank you!”

Why consider OSS?

Because an OSS education is dynamic. It’s exciting. It inspires and challenges. Strong academics are coupled with positive character development as students explore Core Values of Community, Citizenship, Leadership and Excellence with a growth mindset. Their alumnae demonstrate the power of an OSS education as they thrive in their high schools, colleges and beyond.

What is it that makes OSS different?

It starts with the dedicated, skilled team of teachers who eagerly engage students each and every day, offering depth of experience, skill and commitment to foster student growth and achievement. A rigorous, extended school day goes from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., offering each student a robust learning schedule including comprehensive, literacy-rich core academic instruction, social and emotional learning, fieldwork, local partnerships, and action for social justice. The last hour of each day, called Evening Study, is dedicated to supervised homework completion and academic support.

The opportunities at OSS are boundless. From design thinking, natural sciences, and STEAM to visual and performing arts, including music, theater, dance, studio and digital arts. There’s sports, physical fitness and developmentally appropriate health and wellness education. There’s project-based learning, public speaking, and electives that foster student voice and choice.

Additional supports like tutoring, mentoring, and counseling are a part of the OSS experience. And when your time at OSS winds down, there’s preparation and support for the transition to high school. OSS graduates have earned a high school diploma 100% of the time and 92% have applied and been accepted to college.

How do I learn more?

To join Our Sisters’ School’s voyage check out the open house at 10 a.m. on June 5: facebook.com/events/969071477180856/ Prospective parents and students are welcome to attend in person. You may also email us for additional information or call the office.

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Our Sisters’ School

145 Brownell Avenue
New Bedford, MA 02740

Website: oursistersschool.org/
Contact: (508) 994-1255
Email: bsantiago@oursistersschool.org

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All photos by “Our Sisters’ School”: