Take a look at this month's edition of The Community Conscience!
FEBRUARY 2021 THE
COMMUNITY CONSCIENCE SMALL BUSINESS OF THE MONTH Fork & Spoon
Running a small business can be the most challenging and rewarding endeavor we undertake in this country. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Montana alone has over 118,000 small businesses. More than 65% of all jobs in Montana come from small businesses, and over 244,000 people in this state get paychecks from small businesses. Although the grind and the challenges of running a small business can sometimes seem overwhelming, we persevere. Each month, Foust Law Office features a local small-business owner who gets up every single day and keeps our state moving. Helping the Bozeman Community One Meal at a Time For our February 2021 edition, we’re featuring Bozeman community member and chef, Rick Hillace. Rick was born and grew up in the Pennsylvania area, right outside of Philadelphia, but both Rick and his family’s love of travel brought him all across the U.S. It was this (with a combination of his love of mountain biking and snowboarding) that brought him here to Bozeman! For the past five years, he and his family have enjoyed living here immensely. Rick’s passion for food and cooking started when he was very young. He spent his childhood seated at his kitchen table or on the kitchen counters watching and learning from his mother, who was an avid cook. Later in life, Rick pursued having a career as a chef by earning a degree in the culinary arts. He also traveled to Paris, France to attend Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary arts and hospitality management institute, to further his education and fine-tune his cooking techniques. As he worked as a chef, Rick soon found that his true passion for food was in providing for people on the basis of their needs rather than desires. His purpose in cooking became more about wanting to help sustain instead of wanting to impress someone with his culinary skills, ideas, and creativity. This led him to HRDC Community Cafe and the founding of his restaurant, Fork & Spoon. The HRDC Community Cafe is an extension of a food and nutrition program that helps feed people across the country. Food & Spoon is a branch of the HRDC, sharing the same goal and value of alleviating hunger in the U.S. In fact, Spoon & Fork is closely related to programs such as the Food Bank, warming centers, and housing departments. Their mission is not just to ensure people are fed but
to also create a program that will become self-sustaining to avoid putting any additional pressure on the community. Rick, his restaurant, and his team work to provide food to individuals, their loved ones, and family members who are unable to afford it. This is made possible through their operations, such as their for-profit catering business, selling products in the private market, and — as one of their newest projects — the Spork. The Spork is a food truck that Rick hopes will become a self-sustaining venture that provides food to a larger area. The restaurant itself provides a place for people to find some normalcy in an otherwise difficult time. A person can come into the restaurant, sit down, and enjoy a meal on a plate, drink out of glass, and use silverware and napkins. “In my experience,” Rick says, “this really helps people see things a little differently — it gives them hope. If we can provide them a meal and they can gain the energy to make it through tomorrow, that’s what we hope to do.”
To support Fork & Spoon, consider buying a meal at the restaurant or visiting their website at ForkAndSpoonBozeman.org to donate, volunteer, or find catering for an event. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic minimizing in- person gatherings, you are still able to make a difference in your community by joining and supporting others who want to help!
- Lucas Foust
406-587-3720 • 1
The Original Death by Chocolate 17TH CENTURY CHOCOHOLICS GET REVENGE
National Dark Chocolate Day and National Chocolate Fondue Day both fall this month (on Feb. 1 and Feb. 5, respectively), and in honor of those tasty holidays, we investigated the original “death by chocolate” — an act of legendary revenge. Rumor has it that the controversy started in the 1600s in Chiapas, Mexico, when a group of chocoholic churchgoers started bringing their favorite sweet snack to services. This annoyed the bishop, who resorted to banning parishioners from eating chocolate during church. As an article in Indian Country Today tells it, the chocoholics got back at the bishop by poisoning his daily cup of chocolatl, an Aztec chocolate drink. Who knew the ancestor of hot cocoa could be so deadly? Surprisingly, this crazy story isn’t the origin of the “death by chocolate” cake we love today. That dessert was created in 1993 by Chef Marcel Desaulniers, then-owner of The Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Here’s the restaurant’s mouthwatering description of the seven-layer confection, which takes three days to make: “The decadence begins with layers of moist chocolate cake, dark chocolate ganache, crunchy chocolate meringue, and an airy chocolate mousse. The cake is then coated in a glaze of dark chocolate and served on a pool of chocolate sauce with house-made milk chocolate ice cream, topped with a hand-rolled white chocolate truffle, and finally dusted with white chocolate powder.” Is your mouth watering yet? The original version of death by chocolate might be a bit complex for the average chef, but if you’re craving a slice, you can find more accessible recipes at Delish.com and SugarGeekShow.com. Just remember that when you pull it out of the oven, we don’t live in the 1600s, so you should probably restrain yourself from poisoning anyone who steals a bite!
How much do you love chocolate? Would you be willing to die for a taste of your favorite candy bar? Would you kill for one? You’ve probably never thought to ask yourself these questions, but if tall tales can be believed, arguments over chocolate have, in fact, turned deadly.
FROM BOOKS TO … PRESCRIPTION DRUGS? Amazon Launches Amazon Pharmacy
For years, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been vocal about his plan to disrupt the American health care system. In 2018, Bezos and his millionaire pals Warren Buffett (CEO of Berkshire Hathaway) and Jamie Dimon (CEO of JPMorgan Chase) formed a company called Haven Healthcare to “stem the rise of employer health care spending,” according to Bloomberg Businessweek. That venture fell apart, but Bezos never took his eyes off the prize. That same year, Amazon bought a drug-delivery startup. In 2019, it started selling its own brand of over-the-counter medication. Then, in November of 2019, Amazon opened Amazon Pharmacy to sell prescription drugs online. The new program offers Prime members two-day delivery and massive discounts on generic and name-brand drugs. Given Amazon’s history, this was no surprise. Since starting in 1994 as a marketplace exclusively for books, Amazon has worked toward becoming a one-stop shop for everything, especially all things health and fitness. Health-conscious people have bought workout equipment, supplements, snacks, fitness books, and more on the website for years. Then, in 2017, Amazon bought the organic grocery store Whole Foods and offered shopping discounts to Prime members, further cornering the market of health-conscious consumers.
Both the Whole Foods purchase and the failed Haven Healthcare venture foreshadowed the arrival of Amazon Pharmacy. The latter showed how serious Bezos is about diving into the highly regulated realm of health care and insurance. The former revealed the growing importance of Prime membership in an increasingly Amazon‑owned world. According to Business Insider, Prime members have access to “discounts of up to 80% on generic drugs and 40% on brand-name medications when
paying without insurance” through Amazon Pharmacy. Doctors can also send prescriptions directly to Amazon. If you have insurance, you can simply type your insurance and payment information directly into the website and have medication delivered to your door. To check out Amazon Pharmacy, head to Amazon.com and click on the menu in the top left corner of the home page. Then scroll down to “Programs and Features.” All of that said, Amazon isn’t the only — or even best — option for purchasing prescription drugs online. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s BeSafeRx program offers tips and a comprehensive list of online pharmacies nationwide. Visit FDA.gov today to learn more.
2 • www.lucasfoustlaw.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
TAKE A BREAK
Try These 3 Tricks to Improve Your Mindset Lonely on Valentine’s Day?
If you feel like the “before” actor in a Match.com commercial right now, you’re not the only one. Valentine’s Day causes an epidemic of
loneliness. But contrary to those cheesy commercials, the feeling isn’t exclusive to people struggling to find a date — and it won’t necessarily be solved by one.
What is loneliness, really?
Psychology Today defines loneliness as “the state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one’s desires for social connection and actual experiences of it.” That means you can get lonely any time you crave a deeper connection to someone, even if you’re married and have 500 Facebook friends. If COVID-19 lockdowns and canceled holiday celebrations have left you frustrated and sad, you’ve caught the loneliness bug.
How can you fight the feeling?
• Work out your social muscles. If you don’t push yourself to connect with others regularly, it’s easy to fall into the trap of loneliness and depression. You have to commit to your social life just like you would to an exercise routine. To do this, try blocking off time in your calendar to call your friends or loved ones, or join an online group with regular Zoom meetings you’re committed to showing up for. • Add more art into your social life. Researcher Jeremy Nobel, the head of The UnLonely Project, says that getting creative with other people could help reverse loneliness. If you’re feeling disconnected, try collaborating with your sibling, roommate, friend, spouse, or child on something artistic. You can paint together, have a jam session, take photos, or write a poem. Whatever you choose, getting creative will bring you closer. • Find and fix your negative behaviors. Does scrolling through social media make you feel like you’re missing out on all the fun or leave you feeling like a zombie? If so, it’s probably time for a hiatus. As you go about your day or week, keep a notebook with you and write down what you’re doing when you feel loneliness creep in. By identifying those negative behaviors and swapping them with positive ones, you can turn your thoughts around. Loneliness is serious: It’s a predictor of premature death, and one leading researcher compared its health impacts to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. If you’re coping with loneliness, try the tips above, and if you continue to struggle, reach out to a counselor near you.
‘MY FURRY VALENTINE’ PUP SNACKS
Inspired by SugarTheGoldenRetriever.com
Who needs a Valentine’s Day date when you have a furry friend at home? This Feb. 14, show your pooch your love with these frosty strawberry dog treats. Use a heart-shaped silicone mold to make this snack extra festive.
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt • 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, puréed
Directions
Note: If you don’t have a heart-shaped mold, you can freehand your treats on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze 1 tbsp dollops of yogurt for an hour, then top with 1/2 tbsp of strawberry purée and freeze another hour. 1. Fill each heart in the mold 3/4 full with yogurt. 2. Freeze the yogurt hearts for 1 hour. 3. When the yogurt is set, add the puréed strawberry on top of each heart to fill the rest of the mold. 4. Freeze for another hour, then share the tasty treats with your dog!
406-587-3720 • 3
Foust Law Office
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
www.lucasfoustlaw.com 406-587-3720 Fax: 406-879-4400
3390 South 30th Avenue Bozeman, MT 59718
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
Small Business of the Month: Fork & Spoon
The Deadly Revenge of 17th Century Chocoholics Amazon Launches Amazon Pharmacy
2
‘My Furry Valentine’ Pup Snacks Kick Loneliness to the Curb This Valentine’s Day
3
4
Brad Pitt Battles His Doppelganger
The Battle of the Brads HOW THE REAL BRAD PITT WON IN COURT AGAINST A WOMAN SCAMMED BY A FAKE BRAD
When actor/producer Brad Pitt makes headlines, it’s usually to take credit for an award, talk about his new hairstyle, or fend off the latest gossip about his relationship with Jennifer Aniston. But last fall, the ‘90s heartthrob made the front page of Page Six for an entirely different reason: He won one of the craziest lawsuits of the year. The saga started out strange and continued to escalate. It began in 2018 when businesswoman Kelli Christina fell for a Brad Pitt charity scheme. A man claiming to be Pitt approached Christina online and asked for her to organize fundraisers for his charity, the Make It Right Foundation. The charity is very real. Pitt founded it in 2007 to help
an interest in her! According to Page Six, in addition to soliciting donations, the Pitt wannabe also wooed Christina romantically with what she later called, “discussions of marriage.” Just when things were getting steamy, the fake Brad took off with the businesswoman’s cash. Page Six reports that “in court papers, [Christina] said that the fake Pitt asked her for $40,000 to attend the events, but ‘canceled’ at the last minute each time — then disappeared with the money.”
The scam isn’t even the craziest part. When the truth came out, Christina sued the real Pitt for failing
rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and as of 2019, it had funded more than 100 eco-friendly homes. However, the Make It Right Foundation has also been hit by scandal after scandal, including allegations of poorly built houses “rotting and collapsing.” And, of course, the Pitt who’d contacted Christina wasn’t the real deal.
to protect her from his double! After a long time on the court’s docket, a judge finally dismissed the $100,000 lawsuit last November and Pitt reclaimed his dignity. Luckily, some good came out of the whole debacle. According to Page Six, Christina is now working on “a joint project between the government and the Hollywood establishment” to protect future victims from scammers like the Pitt impersonator who broke Christina’s heart.
None of this mattered to Christina, though. She was just excited that “Brad Pitt” had taken
4 • www.lucasfoustlaw.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook HTML5