#5SmartReads - May 4, 2023

Abigail is the Brooklyn based writer behind This Needs Hot Sauce, a food newsletter and community. She's an avid reader and is obsessed with friendship, podcasts, and Taylor Swift.

At Her Place, Chef Amanda Shulman Reimagines Restaurant Hours (BentoBox)

What if restaurant workers had weekends off? What if they had paid vacation time?

At Her Place in Philadelphia, Amanda Shulman offers these perks and more and her restaurant is super successful. She's even opening another one this month with her fiancé. It's inspiring to see small operators create healthier workplaces even with limited resources and hopefully it's something bigger restaurant groups are paying attention to.

Taco Bell’s Innovation Kitchen, The Front Line In The Stunt-Food Wars (The New Yorker)

A longread that made me think of Hitha and crave Taco Bell. The inventor of the crunch wrap supreme, Lois Carsen, deserves to be a household name.

It's fascinating to learn about the science, supply chains, and strategy that goes into creating new menu items at Taco Bell. There are ideas that work and ideas that don't work and there are items that become instantly iconic. This article will make you hungry and give you an appreciation for your favorite menu items. 

A Conversation With The Waystar Royco Comms Team (GQ)

Are you watching the final season of Succession? I am rooting for Jerri and really enjoying the glimpses we get of the rest of the team, especially Hugo and Karolina in Comms (what a job to have).

Both actors have taken initially small parts and made them fan favorites and Dagmara, who plays Karolina, lost her father suddenly while filming a season that centers around grief. I look forward to seeing both of them in projects post Succession and will miss watching this dysfunctional TV family on Sunday nights. 

Summer is a busy season for many of us and I love Chrissy's thoughts on adding new things to her plate. She wants to try stuff and see what sticks while keeping nonnegotiables (for her they're exercise and writing). A full calendar can be a marker of a full life or it can be a road to burnout. It depends on the events, the person, and the season. We can do lots of different things in this life and that's important to keep in mind!

The 5 Most Annoying Things About Food Packaging (Washington Post)

As someone who spends lots of time trying new food brands and wandering grocery aisles, I definitely have some packaging pet peeves (so few things are resealable! why!).

This list is a good start and it made me appreciate brands that really nail the packaging. It's not easy but it's so appreciated when we can reseal a box or sack and keep food fresh for longer. I'd love a way to reseal blocks of cheese (I use a stasher bag now) and I transfer a lot of nuts and seeds to jars since the bags are not resealable or secure (I once dropped a bag of chia seeds on the floor and I am still emotionally recovering).

Also, let's stop wrapping potatoes in plastic!