Watertown publisher cooks up mag with kid-friendly recipes

Five years ago, cookbook writer Sally Sampson was sick of hearing that the obesity epidemic was being fueled by a culture in which fast food was cheaper to buy than healthy food cooked at home.

So she decided to try a little experiment: She assembled a panel of teenagers and went about making their favorite fast foods.

According to Sampson, her version of a McMuffin had 28 percent fewer calories, 37 percent less fat and 34 percent less sodium. It also cost less than half what it did at McDonald's. Similarly, her version of a Double Whopper had almost 33 percent fewer calories, 38 percent less fat and 35 percent less sodium, and cost less than Burger King's, even when she bought the most expensive beef she could find. The panel's verdict: In both cases, the home-cooked versions were better.

All of which started Sampson thinking: What if she could give kids recipes for tasty, inexpensive, ethnically diverse, doctor-approved foods that they could cook with their families?

In 2010, she founded ChopChop Kids, a Watertown-based not-for-profit and publisher of ChopChop, a quarterly magazine available in English and Spanish and stocked with Sampson's recipes — dishes like "Peanutty Sesame Noodles," "Quesadillas de Huevo," "Monster Smoothies" and "Cauliflower Popcorn" — plus "fun food facts," games, puzzles and interviews with "healthy heroes" ranging from kid chefs to professional athletes to White House chefs.

"My idea was if children were cooking real food from scratch, they'd be eating less junk," Sampson said. "So I approached doctors I knew about the idea of doctors prescribing cooking."

The idea took off. Of the 150,000 copies printed of the first issue, 142,000 had been requested by doctors in 35 states to give to children and their parents during well-child visits, the children's equivalent of a physical.

Today, ChopChop Kids is a finalist in the startup accelerator MassChallenge, and the magazine is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"It's one of the best things out there for children, not just as an antidote to obesity, but as an age-appropriate way to learn the life skill of how to prepare healthy food to eat," said Dr. Barry Zuckerman, ChopChop Kids' chairman of the board and professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine.

Yvonne Adams of Watertown said that to her 9-year-old son Nathan, "protein" is a bad word, and her 5-year-old son Ari won't happily eat many vegetables.

"But ChopChop makes trying new things fun and exciting," Adams said. "The boys love doing as much of the cooking as they can by themselves. They loved making the zucchini and feta pancakes a while back. ... Of course, anything fruity and sweet is their favorite, and they've loved making the different popsicle recipes, especially since they can do that without any adult even in the room."

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Redesigning for hip tenants

Boston's architecture sector has rebounded with a vengeance after the housing bubble burst in 2008, and one firm — using a unique business model focused on younger, hip tenants — has grown exponentially and continues to pick up big-name projects.

CBT Architects, a Boston-based firm with more than 100 employees, has been named the architect of record for two major redesign projects in the city. It is remodeling The Schrafft Center in Charlestown and retrofitting Center Plaza in Boston for tenants.

"We've been experiencing a fair amount of growth recently, and we've seen an increase in our staff and our workloads recently. We've had a lot of wins," said Haril Pandya, principal at CBT Architects. "We're trying to position ourselves differently than other design firms in the city."

Part of the plan is "unlocking the value" of properties through a "holistic method" that takes the entire structure into consideration, Pandya said. He said it's important to consider savvy, technology-driven tenants when redesigning buildings that had housed very different organizations.

"We knew we really had to do something different if we wanted to bring in these millennial tenants into the fray," he said. "The right thing to do is to re-look at the building altogether. When you look at buildings like Schrafft, they love the brick-and-beam, warehouse look, but how do you make it more relevant?"

The Schrafft buildout could take eight to 10 months, Pandya said. Center Plaza — which could house anything from restaurants to a car showroom — could take one to two years to finish.

"We want that property to be a go-to, and not a go-through, destination," he said.

With the new work, CBT has seen phenomenal growth. Pandya's team has gone from five to 25 architects in the past eight months and has won more than 30 projects during that time.

"We're winning a lot of job projects because I think we're trying to create something new in the design field, and we're working with what the owner sees as value," Pandya said

Hub architecture firms have seen a strong rebound after the housing bubble burst, according to Boston Society of Architects.

"This is a good time. We're coming off of the recession where a lot of firms had to put projects on hold because financing got too tight," said Emily Grandstaff-Rice, president of BSA. "Now that financing has been released, and there's interest in developing, the commercial sector is doing really well.

"Architecture firms are hiring, but everyone is still a little cautious after 2008. Not everyone is ready to jump the gun, but things are certainly getting a lot better. There will be growth in Boston firms."

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Graduate to a Davis Square condo

This stylish three-unit condo complex has been carved out of a traditional triple decker just outside Somerville's Davis Square.

The three-bedroom duplex units range from $849,000 to $969,000, and all have red oak floors throughout, quartz and cherrywood kitchens and open living/dining areas.

The exterior of the building has been re-sided with blue HardiePlank with white trim, and has all new windows, roof and systems, including gas-fired heat and central air conditioning.

We took a look at staged model Unit 2, a 1,647-square-foot three-bedroom duplex selling for $969,000 on the second and third floor with two decks that overlook a park.

The unit has an open living/dining area with recessed lighting, 9-foot ceilings and lots of windows. Off this area is a half bathroom with porcelain tile floors.

The adjacent kitchen has white quartz countertops and glass mosaic tile backsplashes, with a breakfast bar that seats two and contemporary pendant lamps overhead. There are 15 cherrywood cabinets and top-of-the line Jenn Air refrigerator, dishwasher and six-burner gas stove with a fluted stainless steel hood.

Off the kitchen is a very tiny "third" bedroom, which is actually more of a home office.

The other two bedrooms are on the second floor. The master bedroom suite has oak floors and lots of front-facing windows. A leaded glass door leads out to a second private front deck overlooking a park. There's a large walk-in closet and an en-suite bathroom with porcelain tile floors, a dual sink vanity and a ceramic-tiled glass-doored walk-in shower.

The second bedroom has three windows and two closets. Across the hall, a second full bathroom features porcelain tile floors, and white subway tile surround for a tub/shower with a rainhead fixture. A closet inside the bathroom holds a washer/dryer hookup.

There's a stairway with a skylight opening onto the roof. The owner has roof rights, but will have to secure permission from the city to build a roof deck. But gas, electricity and water have already been brought up to the roof.

The unit comes with one deeded outdoor parking space behind the building.

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Jaguar Coupe’s 
a sexy sportster

To say that the 2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe is a head-turner would be an understatement.

During our four-day trial, this sexy sportster was subjected to catcalls, oglers, hoots and hollers whether parked or rolling through town.

This coupe screams "look at me!" Sporting a gorgeous front grille, sleek profile, shapely sides and a well-rounded backside, this Jaguar is a tantalizing hot rod that fascinates anyone it passes.

Retractable door handles and a rear spoiler that automatically rises at speeds of over 70 mph add to its already aerodynamic body.

Beautiful 19-inch black centrifuge alloy wheels give the salsa red exterior a striking contrast that will get you noticed.

And if they don't see you coming, they'll hear you.

The roar of the F-Type's switchable active twin exhaust yowls with a loud throaty roar, which gives way to a barking burble when stepping off the accelerator.

If you prefer a bit more stealth, you can lower the volume of the exhaust with the flick of a switch. But seriously, who would want that?

Stimulating steering and a heart-pounding 340-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 engine make this two-seater exciting to drive. A punch of the gas pedal puts you well over the speed limit in a flash — the F-Type's speed combined with its bright red exterior will certainly attract law enforcement. Somewhere there are pin-up posters of this car in police departments.

This Jaguar's suspension keeps you glued to every bend in the road.

The F-Type's dynamic mode gives you all the thrills without having to manage the 8-speed Quickshift transmission. Manual override is also possible with both steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters and drive selector control. The dynamic mode does seem to use more gas, so don't expect to get 28 miles per gallon on the highway with a lead foot.

With an MSRP of $77,375 as tested, the F-Type has 14-way adjustable bucket seats that are both supportive and comfortable. Seating is very low to the ground with a great feel for the car's center of gravity. Visibility was surprisingly good in spite of a small rear view mirror and window. One puzzling omission is the lack of a back-up camera. With such a beautiful car, you would want every chance to keep its exterior scratchless.

The stitched leather interior is also pretty. It has a smart look and good ergonomics, but a clumsy GPS/entertainment interface that is a real let down. A Meridian sound system pumps 380 watts into the cockpit and sounded great doing it, but quite frankly the exhaust sound is more fun to hear.

The bottom line is that the F-Type is the red-hot roadster that will make your friends jealous. Of course, you can share the experience with them — one at a time. Just tell them to leave the luggage home as this coupe has virtually no room for bags.

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Major train route adds state stops

GREENFIELD — State transportation officials will be shouting "All aboard!" Amtrak's Vermonter train starting Dec. 29, restoring passenger service to new stations in the western Massachusetts cities of Greenfield, Northampton and Holyoke for the first time in some 30 years.

Stepping off a gleaming cobalt blue PanAm locomotive yesterday at a historic former rail stop in Greenfield, Gov. Deval Patrick announced the state and PanAm have entered into an agreement for the commonwealth to purchase 49 miles of railway between East Northfield and Springfield nicknamed the Knowledge Corridor that will help boost tourism, enhance freight service and reduce truck traffic. "While the train is beautiful, it's about jobs and economic development," Patrick said. "This is going to be great fun."

The project is being funded by a $75 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and $40 million in state funds.

The Vermonter currently runs from St. Albans, Vt., to Washington, D.C., stopping locally only in Amherst and Springfield.

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GE brings good things to Massachusetts

GE Healthcare Life Sciences' new $21 million headquarters for U.S. operations will open in Marlboro next year, the company said yesterday, bringing 220 new jobs in the fast-growing industry to the state.

"Our new facility in Massachusetts will position us for continued innovation and competition in such a fast-paced, innovative industry," said Kieran Murphy, president and CEO, in a statement. "We will be close to industry-leading talent, customers, and world-class academic and medical institutions across all the industry sectors we serve, from biotech and pharma, to diagnostics and medical devices."

The headquarters, scheduled to open in spring 2015, will establish a new site for more than 500 employees and create more than 220 new jobs, company officials said.

"Today, Massachusetts' life sciences sectors are the fastest-growing sectors of our economy. We look forward to welcoming the U.S. life sciences headquarters of GE Healthcare and are pleased that the company will create a substantial number of new, STEM-related job opportunities in central Massachusetts," Gov. Deval Patrick said in the statement.

A currently unoccupied space will be transformed into state-of-the-art labs, customer application facilities, and office space to complement the company's existing manufacturing capability in Westboro.

"This GE Healthcare Life Sciences investment ... is proof that innovation is thriving outside Route 128," said Marlboro Mayor Arthur Vigeant in the statement.

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City to assess rental websites

A Boston city councilor wants to take a closer look at the practices of several short-term rental websites after hearing complaints ranging from raging parties to homes and apartments where tenants cycle through like revolving doors.

"I had constituents call and complain about people coming into their neighborhoods. One person said that new people were moving into an apartment every week," said City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina, who today will ask for a fall hearing regarding companies such as Airbnb, Flipkey and HomeAway. "Another person had concerns about people moving in weekly and throwing loud parties in the backyard. I just get more and more phone calls."

Airbnb and other similar companies connect 
homeowners with short-term renters in a practice that has caused controversy in other cities. San Francisco and Portland, Ore., have started assessing hotel taxes on the rentals, according to LaMattina, and Chicago and New Orleans are considering regulations.

Locally, Quincy authorities recently fined a 
homeowner using Airbnb for a zoning violation, according to City Solicitor James Timmons.

"We haven't gotten into the bigger picture of how Airbnb works in Quincy as a whole," Timmons said. "We're approaching this on a fundamental level. If a 
homeowner lives in a certain zoning district, they can't do this. They can't allow people who aren't related to them to lodge and pay to stay."

An Airbnb spokesman said the company stands behind its service.

"We've been speaking with leaders in Boston and look forward to addressing their questions and ensuring the sharing economy continues to thrive," said spokesman Nick Papas.

LaMattina said he hasn't yet passed judgment on Airbnb, but he wants to meet with the Fire Department, the Inspectional Services Department and others to see where the company fits in.

"I just want to learn about it and see if it's legal," he said. "We need to see what controls there are in this industry."

Airbnb said it has controls in place, including requiring hosts "to agree to comply with all local laws and building codes," according to a statement.

Companies such as Airbnb, which boasts more than 17 million visitors, "aren't a flash in the pan. They're here to stay," according to an expert.

"You can't say these are trends. That's a bit naive," said John Fareed, a Florida-based hotel consultant. "They have a following among consumers in a big way. They have an edge. They're seen as an opportunity for the people, and I think they appear to be a viable underdog."

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Loan repayment is key to Market Basket sale

Talks to sell the beleaguered Market Basket grocery chain to Arthur T. Demoulas are not about sale price, but a key factor that has emerged is how much the ousted CEO would pay upfront for the family business, according to sources briefed on the negotiations.

The down payment is one of myriad complex deal points still to be hashed out by a self-imposed Friday deadline, but the final figure could affect many other factors, including the schedule on which future payments would be made, the sources said.

Arthur T. Demoulas has characterized his undisclosed offer last week as "pre-crisis," referring to a point about a month ago, before Market Basket employees walked off the job to protest his ouster and sales plunged due to mostly halted product shipments.

Market Basket generated about $4 billion in revenue last year, pegging the value of the 50.5 percent of shares owned by the other side of the Demoulas family — led by Arthur T.'s cousin and rival, board chairman Arthur S. Demoulas — at around $1.5 billion.

Demoulas' backers will likely want to see proof that the chain can generate revenue again before going all in on the deal, sources said. The risk for him is whether he could bring the 71-store chain back to its profitability so he can repay his backers.

While other potential suitors for the grocery chain have been discussed — chief among them the parent company of Hannaford Bros. Co. — Kevin Griffin, publisher of the Griffin Report of Food Marketing, said a deal with Arthur T. is the "only one that makes sense."

"(Market Basket) is a company that's at a virtual standstill," Griffin said. "I can't imagine anybody who has a fiduciary responsibility in making these decisions to make a purchase … could in good faith write a check for a company that's basically nonexistent today."

Independent Market Basket board member Ronald G. Weiner said he couldn't speak on sale negotiations, but offered, "It's in process, and hopefully it will be brought to a conclusion."

Gov. Deval Patrick and New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan convened the parties Sunday to hammer out a deal. State Sen. Eileen Donoghue (D-Lowell) said, "It's gotten very, very quiet as far as what's actually happening. Maybe that's a good sign. Maybe that means they are serious about resolving it. I remain hopeful that cooler heads will prevail, and that something will be salvaged here. If not, I think it could a big problem in these parts for a long time."

Also yesterday, several Market Basket vendors said they have stopped doing business with the company out of allegiance to Arthur T., putting further pressure on Arthur S. to cut a deal.

Yell-O-Glow, a banana processor and grocery distributor in Chelsea, laid off 30 people yesterday after deciding several weeks ago to cut ties after more than 60 years because it "lost all faith in this current regime," board member George J. Markos said.

"We're sort of appalled that this current regime has such utter disregard for the other stakeholders — the public, the customers, the vendors and the employees," Markos said. "And, if the current board was competent, they could recognize the … problem: the current management group can't get it done, and they could fix it in a moment by reinstating the old regime."

Paul Hatziiliades, owner of Watertown specialty food company Extra Virgin Foods, also stopped doing business with Market Basket. "I've temporarily cut ties with people in that building because I fully expect this to be over pretty soon and the proper management team to be back in business," Hatziiliades said.

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Gambling foes roll repeal dice

With less than a month to go before the state Gaming Commission is expected to decide who will get the sole Boston-area casino license, foes of legalized gambling are more focused on Nov. 4, when voters will decide whether to repeal the law and render the commission's decision moot.

With nearly 1,000 volunteers at its disposal, Repeal the Casino Deal, a coalition of anti-gaming groups, has kicked off its grassroots field operation, fanning out in cities and towns across the state to make phone calls and knock on doors, urging people to reject the gaming-brings-prosperity pitch of Wynn Resorts, which wants to build in Everett, and Mohegan Sun, which aims to build on the Revere side of Suffolk Downs.

"We feel the more voters know about casinos, the less likely they'll be to vote for them," said Darek Barcikowski, campaign manager for Repeal the Casino Deal. "If you look at Atlantic City and other communities that bought into the promises of casinos, we believe you'll agree casinos are not economic engines; they're economic vacuum cleaners. They suck up a huge chunk of the disposable income that would otherwise go to local businesses."

A spokesman for Wynn Resorts said the company is not involved in the referendum campaign. A spokesman for Mohegan Sun did not return a phone call. But casino foes are gearing up for a David vs. Goliath fight, expecting Wynn, Mohegan Sun and MGM, which wants to build in Springfield, to spend millions of dollars to try to defeat the repeal movement.

With that in mind, what Repeal the Casino Deal lacks in money, it intends to make up for through word of mouth, social media and boots on the ground.

Last week, for example, former U.S. Rep. Robert H. Steele (R-Conn.), one of several speakers the coalition has recruited, gave a talk at the Pittsfield Rotary Club about his state's experience with casinos. Other speakers who'll be addressing local clubs, chambers of commerce, houses of worship and political committees include former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Repeal the Casino Deal Chairman John Ribeiro.

"We don't have the resources casinos do," Barcikowski said. "But at the end of the day, when people have to choose between believing people from their own community or believing an outside industry, I think our message will resonate more."

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The Ticker

Third of Americans have no retirement savings

More than a third of American adults have no retirement savings, including 14 percent of those 65 years of age or older, according to a new study released yesterday. The low savings rate for people at or approaching retirement age is alarming, said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate.com, which conducted the survey.

About a quarter — 26 percent — of those age 50 to 64 haven't started saving for retirement, the survey said; the figure was 33 percent of people who are 30- to 49-years-old. Some 36 percent of adults have no retirement funds saved. Overall, 36 percent of those 18 years or older have not started saving for retirement, according to the survey of 1,003 adults.

Harbor Towers hires prof to look at Chiofaro Co.'s waterfront plan

Harbor Towers, the 43-year-old pair of Boston waterfront buildings with more than 1,100 residents, has engaged George Thrush, professor and director of the school of architecture at Northeastern University, for advice on proposed redevelopment plans for the Harbor Garage, owned by Hub developer Don Chiofaro and his partner, Prudential Real Estate Investments.

Thrush and a team of architects and urban planners will assess the recent proposal by the Chiofaro Co. to replace the garage with a mixed-use complex made up of two towers, 660 feet and 550 feet high, and totaling 1.3 million square feet.

Temazcal opening Lynnfield eatery

Temazcal Tequila Cantina, an upscale Mexican food restaurant, will open a new eatery in the MarketStreet development in Lynnfield this fall, and is now hiring 100 workers, including managers, bartenders, kitchen staff, hostesses and servers.

Today

 Commerce Department releases housing starts for July.

 Labor Department releases Consumer Price Index for July.

TOMORROW

 Federal Reserve releases minutes from its July interest rate meeting.

THE SHUFFLE

Ray LaPorte and Ted Desrosiers are joining Martha's Vineyard Financial Group, the wealth management division of Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank. LaPorte and Desrosiers, both affiliated with LPL Financial Services, bring more than 50 combined years of financial services experience. The new relationship will create the largest wealth management group on the island with $300 million in assets under management.

 Smarterer announced that Larry Israelite, an established learning and development executive, is joining its executive team as senior vice president of learning and assessments. Israelite brings over 30 years of enterprise experience to the team, and will play an instrumental role in shaping Smarterer's employee capability platform. Prior to Smarterer, Israelite served as the vice president of corporate learning and development for Liberty Mutual Insurance.

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