'Tis the season

Ruthie's Rolling Cafe gets in the holiday spirit with new charitable givingprogram

Ruthie's Rolling Cafe is giving back to local nonprofits with the Ruthie's Dozenaward program.
Photo courtesy of Ruthie's
Ruthie's Rolling Cafe owner Ashlee Hunt Kleinert, Robin Skinner
Photo by Shana Anderson

Everyone has a soft spot for comforting grilled cheese sandwiches. And Ruthie's Rolling Cafe, a grilled-cheese-centric food truck, is banking on it.

Get your fix with the classic — American cheese on Texas toast — or get fancy by creating your own or opting for the Turkey Trot, with turkey, bacon and cheddar cheese on sourdough bread.

Regardless of the kind of cheesiness you choose, come January, your dollars will do double duty.

The food truck is giving back to the community with an award program named Ruthie's Dozen, where 20 percent of each month's net profits are donated to a dedicated local nonprofit.

The inspiration? Owner Ashlee Hunt Kleinert's grandmother, Ruth Ray Hunt.

"Through Ruthie's Dozen we hope to keep my grandmother's legacy alive by helping others and creating awareness for important causes," says Kleinert. All beneficiaries — a combination of small, lesser-known nonprofits and widely recognized organizations — are carefully selected.

The 2013 lineup:

January, Genesis Women's Shelter
February, Executives in Action
March, Honor Courage Commitment
April, New Friends New Life
May, St. Philip's School and Community Center
June, North Texas Food Bank
July, Methodist Health System
August, SPCA of Texas
September, Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas
October, Dallas Women's Foundation
November, Senior Source
December, Birthday Party Project

Kleinert says that in December 2013, the Ruthie's Rookie Award will be given to the Birthday Party Project, a nonprofit dedicated to creating charity-based birthday parties for children living in homeless or domestic violence shelters.

"This special award is meant to give a new nonprofit agency an extra boost in their support base," Kleinart says. "We want to honor a special organization each year for putting in the blood, sweat and tears needed."

To make the gift of giving even cheesier, Ruthie's will roll to the nonprofit's facility each month and provide lunch to all staff members. The program also includes blasts on Ruthie's social media outlets about the selected charity and messages urging customers to give back.

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Booze news

Buzzy Dallas suburb pops the cork on first Total Wine & More store

Photo by Gabe Wolf

Total Wine & More is open in Prosper.

No one needs another reason to move to fast-growing Prosper, but here's a new one anyway: The first Total Wine & More in the city has just opened its doors.

The newest Dallas-area wine, beer, and spirits superstore debuted March 5 at The Gates of Prosper, 1191 Gates Pkwy., Suite 400. For reference, it's next to Target.

The new store marks a big milestone for the retailer, as it is the 40th Total Wine & More location in Texas. Pop the champagne!

According to a release, the 26,000-square-foot store carries more than 8,000 wines, 4,500 distilled spirits, and 2,500 beers, plus a "robust" lineup of non-alcoholic and THC-infused beverage options.

"It gives local shoppers a convenient new place to shop a vast assortment of products at the lowest prices," the release says.

Total Wine & More Prosper Prosper even gets its own signagePhoto by Gabe Wolf

Shoppers can also expect:

A wide assortment of local-to-Texas brands, including Tito’s and Deep Eddy Vodka.
“The Brewery District” beer tasting station and cold case.
Wine and spirits tasting stations.
Walk-in humidor with more than 50 premium cigar brands.
In-store classroom for customer classes and events featuring winemakers, distillers, and brewers from around the world.

Founded in 1991, Total Wine & More is based in Bethesda, Maryland and is the nation's largest independently owned retailer of fine wine, beer, and spirits, with more than 290 superstores in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

There are more than a dozen Total Wine locations across Dallas-Fort Worth, but it's their first foray into Prosper, which made the list of fastest-growing cities in the U.S. last year. Total Wine joins other big openings in the city, including H-E-B, Handel's Ice Cream, and Alabama chain Urban Cookhouse.

Hours of operation at the Prosper Total Wine are 10 am-9 pm Monday-Saturday; closed (by state law) on Sunday.

openings shopping prosper total wine