My sisters both went home to Rhode Island this weekend, visiting from NYC and DC, and I was stuck in Boston with work and too much homework. They posted silly pictures to my facebook to let me know they were thinking of me. One was from our favorite coffee shop, The Coffee Depot. I worked there for eight years, and my mom runs the place, so it has naturally become an extension of our kitchen/living room. My dad drops in on his way to work and again on his way home. It's the homework spot, the lazy day spot, the let's meet before we go to dinner spot, and there is a constant stream of New Harvest Coffee available.

I love cocktail party food.

It's not a dignified admission for a man to make, but it's true. I harbor untoward desires for pickled fish on a cracker, or dates broiled with bacon, or any other small salty thing that crosses my path. The feelings are especially strong when there's a drink in my hand (Tanqueray martini, two olives). It's a compulsion, and with the approach of the Fancy Food Show this weekend, one that could do some serious harm.

For those who've never attended, Fancy Food is a massive gathering of specialty food producers, a trade show closed to the public with free samples of everything from cheese to olives to jelly beans and more. Attending what's essentially a 10,000-person, 3-day cocktail party when you're at the mercy of your snacking demon is a prescription for the vapors.

The intern turned up this little biz-related story about a cheese bun I'd never heard of:

P*DE*Q, which makes a tapioca-based cheese bread known also as pão de queijo or chipa, will be joined by Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 26 as they cut the ribbon on its P*DE*Q Corner located at 1940 N. Echo St across from Fresno High School.

The company expects that up to 100,000 of the ready-to-bake, gluten-freen treats will come out of the 1,400-square-foot building each week upon opening, with potential sales in the millions.

The building will move owner Flavia Takahashi-Flores out of a test kitchen and into a store where customers can pick up the crispy treat frozen or fresh or enjoy them with coffee, tea and other beverages that will be sold there.