Exciting news is coming from Mariposa Food Co-op. Mariposa has announced that the new store at 4824 Baltimore Ave. will open on Saturday, March 17 at 10:00 a.m. The last day you can shop at their old location at 4726 Baltimore Avenue is this Wednesday, March 7.

Mariposa is also going to reveal a new official logo to go with their new store. The logo was designed by their member-worker Cecily Anderson of Anagramist Design. Look for it this week on Mariposa’s Facebook and Twitter pages and on their website later this week.

Stay tuned for more news about the new store opening.

 
Powelton residents will soon get more access to fresh, locally grown food. The West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub, a mobile grocery store, is launching in April to serve Lancaster Avenue and the surrounding communities. The truck will sell groceries like rice, flour, milk, peanut butter and eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables supplied by Preston’s Paradise and Greensgrow Farms.

Ryan Kuck, West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub project manager, says that they’ve been running a push cart market for about five years and were “looking for a way to scale up and be a more consistent access point to fresh food in our neighborhood.” The idea is “to be a grocery store more than a farmers’ market.”

So, look for the Fresh Food Hub starting next month along Lancaster Avenue, between 37^th and 40^th streets. The truck will also travel to senior housing communities, block parties and community events. The schedule for Lancaster Avenue (near 37th) is Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when it’s not at a community event. They’ll have additional hours at the Mantua library on Wednesday evenings and the West Philly Senior Center on Friday afternoons (they are still working on the details).

For more information about the West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub and people behind it, read this Plan Philly article or visit their Facebook page.

Il Rimedio, a restaurant that will offer “modern northern Italian cuisine,” will replace the once popular Rx at 45th and Spruce, where the brunch used to be worth waiting in line for on a Sunday. After about four weeks of displaying the sign “Closed tonight due to technical difficulties,” a new notice appeared on Rx restaurant’s door today (see below). As many locals suspected, the restaurant is changing hands. The Rx name, which opened under new ownership in 2010, played off the pharmacy that was previously located in the space. For those whose Italian is a little rusty, Il Rimedio translates as “the remedy.” Let’s hope so.

Stay tuned for more information on the new restaurant and its owners.

Neighborhood Foods, West Philadelphia’s first urban farm-based CSA, is accepting members for the 2012 season.

Members of the Neighborhood Foods CSA will receive weekly shares of vegetables from West Philly gardens and fruit from farms in the greater Philadelphia area. The 22-week CSA runs from mid-May to October, and offers add-on options of locally-produced seasonal jam, local honey, and bread from Four Worlds Bakery.

All profits from this CSA are re-invested into the Haddington and Walnut Hill neighborhoods where the produce is grown, supporting urban employment and youth leadership development.

To become a member, fill out the application form here.

Pick up sites in West Philly are:

– Walnut Hill Community Farm at 46th & Market Streets, Friday afternoon
– Four Worlds Bakery at 47th & Woodland Streets, Friday evening or Saturday morning

The Neighborhood Foods CSA is a collaboration between West Philadelphia nonprofits Urban Tree Connection and Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation.

Hey West Philly beer lovers – let your voice be heard! The nomination round for the 2012 Drinker’s Choice Awards has opened today and you can nominate your favorite local bar, restaurant or beer in several categories now through Wednesday, Feb. 15. The Top 10 nominees in each category will move on to the final round, where the winners will be decided through popular voting. By the way, Dock Street Brewery is included in the list of the city breweries in the Best Local Beer of 2011 category (12-A).

For more information and to enter your nominations, go here.

Earth Cup Coffee (45th & Pine) is making some homey improvements. Word comes from owner Natasa Borcanin that the coffee shop has gotten some additional indoor custom-made seating (pictured) and a greater variety of light food fare, such as Hale and Hearty soups, stews, grilled cheese sandwiches, bagels, and pastries. All this, of course, to compliment their growing coffee and tea choices. The shop is now offering more than 20 varieties of coffee blends from all coffee growing continents and always has three espresso blends on tap.

Musicians have been stopping by too. Recently two local artists performed at the cafe – Sharedae and Debbie Valentina. Also a special guest from Chicago’s music scene Obisoulstar played an acoustic set of original songs.

To celebrate the Earth Cup improvements, Natasa is inviting everyone tomorrow (Feb. 4) to enjoy tunes by DJ Rod Bell (10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.). Also there will be some specials this Saturday and Sunday. For more information and photos, check out the Earth Cup’s Facebook Page.