by Talia Kleinplatz | An innovative, socially conscious approach to business: London’s Second Shot is training and employing the city’s homeless and seeing much success.

Juniper Head Barman and fellow Scout columnist Shaun Layton shares his recent travels to Mexico and details why we should fall in love with Mezcal.

On a similar note, Munchies sits down with a couple of the distillers under Alipus – a company that brings different mezcals to market under a fair trade system. Drink up!

The Basque Culinary Awards offers unique recognition for chefs making a positive impact on their communities. The top 20 finalists for this year’s awards were named last week and they include Canadian chefs Joshna Maharaj and Jessamyn Rodriguez.

From Diageo to Bacardi to Grey Goose, it seems that every liquor brand is hosting their own cocktail competitions. Punch Magazine delves into the world of competitive bartending to see what all the fuss is about.

From a top-notch crew to constant self-reflection, a New York restaurant owner shares a few words of wisdom on taking your restaurant five years and beyond.

Scout breaks down the top 5 spots for pizza around the city.

From JFK and SEA to LAX and PDX, Eater takes a closer look at some of the standout restaurants in airports across the US (plus one in Montreal for good measure).

The story of one man’s journey from abject poverty to three Michelin star chef and the first Cantonese restaurant to be awarded the prestigious honour.

Zack, AC Slater and the gang must be over the moon with the Windy City’s Saved By The Bell pop-up diner. From the decor and food to the music, the Chicago restaurant does a great job of paying homage to one of the best/worst 90’s sitcoms.

Part science lab, part ice cream parlour, Yaletown’s newest fixture Mister is set to open, promising to “churn” out delicious frozen treats just in time for summer.

Someone must have finally gotten the memo: Vancouver looks to change laws around patio hours and outdoor dining areas. Hopefully they’ll explore outdoor drinking laws next.

The Globe & Mail’s Alex Gill falls for Savio Volpe, gives the Fraserhood eatery three stars.

The Vancouver Sun’s Mia Stainsby guides us through a day of dining in Victoria. Standouts include breakfast at The Ruby, lunch at Fishhook, and dinner at Stage Wine Bar.

Concerns over salt content rise in the US as the FDA seeks to increase aware around the amount of salt lurking in our everyday food choices.

Beer is getting a major nod from The Smithsonian as the historic museum gears up for a 3 year initiative to document the history of brewers and breweries in America. Cheers to that!

Rebecca Cuttler takes a closer look at the economics of growing your own food and learns that the price may be higher than you think. With real estate prices on the rise and space a limited and hot commodity, the backyard vegetable garden is more dream than reality for many.

Eating via Instagram honours this week go to Edible Canada and all that seafood!

Looking for work in the industry? Check out who’s hiring right here in Vancouver.