Go Local

Brazos Book of the Month August 2010

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain

The long-awaited follow-up to the megabestseller Kitchen Confidential.

In the ten years since his classic Kitchen Confidential first alerted us to the idiosyncrasies and lurking perils of eating out, from Monday fish to the breadbasket conspiracy, much has changed for the subculture of chefs and cooks, for the restaurant business—and for Anthony Bourdain.

Medium Raw explores these changes, moving back and forth from the author's bad old days to the present. Tracking his own strange and unexpected voyage from journeyman cook to globe-traveling professional eater and drinker, and even to fatherhood, Bourdain takes no prisoners as he dissects what he's seen, pausing along the way for a series of confessions, rants, investigations, and interrogations of some of the most controversial figures in food.

Click here for more information on the book.

Go Local

Eight Great Reasons to Shop at Locally-Owned Businesses

Significantly more money re-circulates in your community when purchases are made at locally owned, rather than nationally owned businesses. Locally owned businesses help keep more money in your community because local business owners spend more of the profits of their business where they live and locally owned businesses purchase from other local businesses.
Most new jobs are provided by locally owned businesses: Small, local businesses are the largest employer nationally.
Local business owners invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live locally and are more invested in your community's future.
Customer service is better: Local businesses often hire people with more specific expertise for better customer service.
Reduced environmental impact: Shopping at locally owned businesses is more energy efficient. Locally owned businesses make more local purchases, thus reducing their transportation costs (and environmental impact).
Public benefits far outweigh public costs: Local businesses require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
Encourages investment in your community: A growing body of economic research shows that entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.
Non-profits receive greater support: Non-profit organizations receive an average of 350% greater support from local business owners than they do from non-locally owned businesses.