Tops in the food biz: The American Culinary Foundation of Greater Baton Rouge held its annual awards banquet earlier this week. Ron Sonnier, president of the ACF of Greater Baton Rouge, was named Chef of the Year. Manjeet Bhatia of Saffron Spices and author of the cookbook Don’t Say Curry was named Entrepreneur of the Year. Community Coffee was named Purveyor of the Year.
Company plans to remain in business: S&K Menswear, which has a location in the Tanger Outlet Mall, has filed for bankruptcy. The chain’s parent company, S&K Famous Brands, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this week in Richmond, Va. S&K has about 135 stores across the United States, including stores in Lafayette and Monroe. Company officials say they will continue operating and are looking at a variety of steps to improve their financial situation, such as consolidating stores, raising more capital and introducing new menswear collections.
Spending to remain limited: More than half the people polled in a new survey expect to spend less on big-ticket items such as appliances, electronics and jewelry over the next three months. The report by Morpace Omnibus finds that most people plan to cut spending on less expensive items such as toys, clothes, entertainment and sports equipment. Overall, 80% of the people surveyed say they are “focusing more on what they need rather than what they want.”
