mike@mikelilley.com

4 Factors Affecting US Gas Prices

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4) 14% – Distribution and marketingFilling stations make 5-7 cents/gallonMake money on food 3) 14% – RefineriesFairly StableNo large scale refineries built since 1977 2) 16% – Federal and State Taxs and feesFederal gas tax no raise since 199318.4 cents/gallonGermany – $2.80 per gallon 1) 56% – Global price of oilImport about 1/2 the oil … Read more

Michelin Star System Explained

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Have you ever wondered how restaurants get Michelin stars? Or how the Michelin star rating system came to be?

Well, here at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, we thought we should know the whole story. After all, some of the cooks we’re training may one day aspire to join the ranks of restaurants recommended in the iconic Michelin Guide.

The origins of the Michelin Guide trace back to the turn of the 20th century and were inspired by a surprising turn of events that have very little to do with cuisine.

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Starbucks workers in Oviedo vote to unionize — the first Orlando-area store to do so

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On Thursday, Starbucks workers in Orlando voted 24 to 6 to unionize with Starbucks Workers United, joining at least four other Starbucks locations in Florida — and over 135 Starbucks stores in 28 states — that have voted #UnionYes.

Even on a Zoom call, the tension was palpable. But there was excitement, too. Early afternoon on Thursday, over Zoom, a staff member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) counted each vote that had been mailed in by Starbucks workers at the Mitchell Hammock & City Plaza location in Oviedo, Florida over the last month.

One by one.
Anticipation. Nerves.
Then, the final tally.
24 — Yes, for the union.
6 — No.
Zero void ballots. An easy majority.

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2022 Florida MICHELIN Bib Gourmands

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29 Bib Gourmands join the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Florida, from a Thai kitchen in Miami’s Little Havana to a Winter Park gastropub.

The very first MICHELIN Guide Florida has 29 Bib Gourmands across Orlando, Miami, and Tampa. The restaurants span a range of cuisines—wood-fired-oven pizza and barbecue in Miami; Peruvian and Indian in Orlando; Ramen and Italian in Tampa. Read on to see all the new MICHELIN Bib Gourmands in Florida, and click here to see the Florida MICHELIN Stars. Bon appétit!

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Scott Joseph’s 2022 Best Pizza Foodster Award – Winners

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Tornatore’s, the popular College Park restaurant and pizzeria, has been voted first place in our 2022 Best Pizza Foodster Award for Independent Restaurants. Bella Roma of Saint Cloud was second and Stone Fired Pizza, Edgewood, came in third. “Tornatore’s reminds me of New York,” wrote Ross Recchion after placing his vote. Wendy N. Lowe said: … Read more

Most workers who died of COVID-19 in 2020 were essential workers, study finds

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Most working-age Americans who died of COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic were so-called essential workers in labor, service and retail jobs that required on-site attendance and prolonged contact with others, according to a recently published study led by a University of South Florida epidemiologist. The study looks back on COVID-19 deaths in … Read more