Hopeworks' Sightings

Ruben: When I was in Mexico, My team went foodspotting so read the reviews Ocsar: It was great. I liked the sweet,hot peppers, the lettuce and tomatoes because it they were well seasoned. Even without mayonnaise, my favorite topping to put on a hoagie, it was really good. Jenitza: It was healthy because it had pepperjack cheese, buffalo chicken and the lettuce made the hoagie taste really good. Michelle: I liked it because a lot because the chicken was nice and spicy. There were healthy things in it like lettuce, tomatoes and it was the right size for me as well. Chalice: I liked the hoagie because it had the perfect amount of veggies in it and the size was right. What i liked the most about it was that it had so much flavor because of the buffalo chicken and the pepperjack cheese. The sweet peppers was the perfect cool down for my tastebuds and it was great without mayonaise, this is a must have.

On August 12 the Healthy food team for hopeworks went to sample a healthy dish (Fusion Teriyaki Grill Chicken Salad) at Cafe Friends in Camden, New Jersey. Here is what the youth had to say: Rushelle Mundell : Today we went to Cafe Friends and we had the Fusion Teriyaki Grill Chicken Salad. The chicken was amazing and marinated perfectly, which was complimented by the fresh green leaf mixed lettuce. The croutons were made from scratch, were very crunchy, and were a great addition to the salad. Overall, the salad was great and I can not wait to go back and have this salad again!!! Yarines Rivera: The salad was great I didn't eat salad but today I eat the best salad ever. The chicken was great and well cook. The sauce great with the salad and it add more taste to the salad but the salad was good it itself. Everything was great I would go back there one day for lunch just to eat the salad again. I would recommend everyone to go to Cafe Friends. Odalys Torres: When our group went to Cafe Friends a little restaurant near Rutgers College, the dish we tasted was the Friends Famous Fusion Teriyaki Grill Chicken Salad. Healthy food choice, the sesame seeds really add a great favor to the salad and too the chicken it made it a sweet spicy salad. They put homemade croutons which had less salt and made it a good idea for a good healthy salad.

On August 5 the Healthy food team for hopeworks went to sample another healthy dish at Christophers in Cherry hill, New Jersey. Here is what they had to say: Traishary G.- 75% of Christophers meals are healthy because they don't use alot of butter and most of their ingredient are all natural. Veronica A.-The most used vegetables are spinach, zucchini, and sun dried tomatoes. the shrimp was boil instead of fried or baked which made it really healthy as well, and it also it had a charcoal flavor which really brought out the flavoring of the shrimp and vegetables. Sideeq K.- Christopher takes a lot of care in making all their dishes.They don't use a lot of fat,or margarine in anything that they cook. The butter and cream are the only thing that some of the dishes have fat in and not of a lot of butter and cream is used. Ashley H.-A lot of the herbs and spices at Christophers are brought in daily from Local farms in NJ. All their fish and other seafood products are brought in fresh from local fisherman.They also keep their vegetables very fresh which is also brought in daily from farms.

On August 8 the Healthy food team for hopeworks went to sample a healthy dish (South Jersey Salad with salmon) at Victors Pub in Camden, New Jersey. Here is what the youth had to say: Rushelle Mundell: I sampled the "South Jersey Salad" which consisted of: Romaine lettuce, Almond Slices, Cranberries, Goat Cheese, and a hearty Salmon Steak. I've never tasted Salmon and Lettuce so fresh! Additionally, the Salmon was very tender and literally melted in my mouth. The Goat Cheese gave the salad a creamy taste while the Cranberries gave it a sweet taste. The crunchiness of the Almonds added a nice crunch. All the ingredients worked really well together and every bite was great! Odalys Torres: Our group went food spotting to Victor's Pub. The chef made the healthiest dish: South Jersey Salad. The dish was definitely healthy and it was a great dish seafood lovers. The Cranberries really made the salad taste sweet. It not only taste good, but was looked good and did not take long to make; a nice healthy and fast dish.

Today the foodspotting team from Hopeworks went to Krystals lounge to sample their healthiest dish, and here's what they had to say: Yari R. "The food at Krystal's was great! I never did like fish and now my mind has changed--now I think that fish is awesome. The food was well prepared and cooked. I love how she cooked the food right in front of the group! It was awesome." Rushelle M. "We had fried whiting and string beans. The fish was great and the string beans were awesome. Nothing was salty or undercooked. Everything was perfect. The overall environment of the lounge was good. " Djvonn B. "Krystal's, a community treasure, gives you a home-like feeling with a warm greeting from the door, paired with soul food that reminds you of my grandmother's house (maybe even better, but I won't let her know that). Very good seafood with some of the best string beans I ever had. I enjoyed the short time spent there and I plan to refer others there."

On July 27 the Healthy food team for hopeworks went to sample a healthy dish at The Brass Rail Restaurant in Camden, New Jersey. Here is what they had to say: Siddeeq K. "The Brass Rail Restaurant's food was great! They had an all around healthy menu, but I liked the chicken caesar salad the most. It went really well with their top of the line salad dressing. The chicken from the salad was full of flavor and packed with many wonderful seasonings. I also liked the wraps which were lighter than bread which makes it much healthier. Overall this was the best tasting healthy meal I've tasted." Veronica A. "The food was really tasty and healthy. The chicken was well seasoned. Everything was fresh and the dressing was also good. The wrap was healthy as well. It had lettuce and tomatoes, and they were very crisp. The salad dressing was zesty also." Traishary G. "I thought the chicken caesar salad was the best thing I tried from the Brass Rail. It was very fresh, it tasted good, and it had a healthy look to it. The wrap had grilled chicken in it that was delicious." Ashley H. "I thought the chicken caesar salad was delicious, and I found the dressing to have a zesty taste that brought out the salad. I enjoyed the time we had at the Brass Rail."

Our first foodspotting at Corrine's Place was amazing, and here are the reviews: Michelle: The food was delicious! Each of the dishes were flavorful and cooked in soy oil to cut out some of the fat. The yams were nice and sweet, while the chicken was full of flavor, and the texture was just right. Oscar: The food was awesome. It was tasty and good. The chicken was baked, so that's healthier. Also the texture of the chicken was really good. We also had yams that were delicious, sweet, and smooth. When you first chew the greens you taste the vinegar and salt. Corinne's dish is really good and healthy, too. Jentiza: The food was great at Corrine's! The baked chicken didn't have much grease or fat which made it healthier. The greens were kind of good, but I definitely loved the yams.

This is one of the most delicious and nutritious meals I have had in a while. The chicken, steak, and shrimp were mouthwatering and accented by the rice and vegetables; a definite must have. The team of youth that tried this dish had this to say: Maryann V: The food was delicious and well prepared. The best part of the meal was the chicken; it was seasoned well and nice. The final thing we had was the Pina Colada. It was creamy, sweet, and the garnish was sweet and spicy. De'Quan C: This dish was the healthiest meal at the restaurant, but it was also one of the best dishes I have tried so far. The steak was tender, juicy, and very well prepared. Rayshawn F: The variety of the dish was good. I thought that the peppers and the chow mien added color and flavor to the dish. Two thumbs up in my book.