Lunch

A s the holidays approach, what historical figure (living or dead) would you most want to visit and converse with over lunch or dinner? Why?   I'd most like to visit with Jesus Christ over a meal. I have believed His promise that: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." I have invited Him into my heart, and I'm assured that He'll never leave me. He promised, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you."

Seems like everyone is trying to save money these days. Going out to eat is one extravagance that might be getting cut out of your monthly budget. Might I suggest using your “eating out” money at lunch time instead of dinner? Great deals can be had in the noon to 3 p.m. time slot, and you still get to enjoy the pleasure of good food and nice service. One of the best deals I’ve come across lately is the lunch special at Olivia Restaurant in Burbank. For $6.99, you get a kebab right off the grill, two appetizers, rice or salad and pita bread, plus table service in unique surroundings.

DOWNTOWN — Parents and their children got a crash course in healthy nutrition and physical activity Saturday during the Burbank Community YMCA’s ninth annual Healthy Kids Day. The event featured a series of booths advertising summer camps and after-school programs for children, and incorporated outdoor activities for kids who attended. “It’s a celebration of healthy activity, but it’s also an education on health,” said JC Holt, YMCA chief executive.

Good morning, readers. Today is Monday, October 8. Local schools are changing up school lunches, trading in fries for fruits and vegetables. School cafeterias in Glendale and Burbank are making adjustments to their menus, adding a half-cup of fruit or vegetables each day as a part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Eating Kids Act. Burbank Leader The owner of cleaning and massage services in Los Angeles is suing the city over a law that...

Location is everything. Unfortunately for the McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurant in Burbank, its location appears to have led to its closure. The restaurant, tucked in an office/commercial corridor along Olive Avenue near Warner Bros. and NBC studios, had already stopped opening on weekends prior to its closure last week, said Burbank Deputy City Manager Joy Forbes. Forbes, who spoke with the restaurant's assistant manager on its last day of operation on Jan. 3, said the business had been relying on lunchtime crowds and happy-hour patrons who might stay for dinner.

BURBANK — The Board of Education unanimously voted on Tuesday to increase food prices at Burbank Unified schools. The cost for breakfast will go up 25 cents at elementary and high schools, while the meal program will be eliminated at middle schools. Lunch prices will go up 50 cents at all district schools. The increase is a result of the district’s food services program losing $325,000 in revenue last year as well as the climbing costs of fuel. The higher price of crude oil has led to an increase in the cost of basic food items such as bread by about 80%, which forced the board to amend its meal program.

BURBANK — Nearly 70 of the area’s hungry and needy filled Burbank’s Emmanuel Church auditorium Saturday for a free lunch and an opportunity to stock up on toiletries, canned goods and clothes. The meal was provided by staff members and congregants of Emmanuel and is part of a rotation of Burbank churches that provide monthly Saturday lunches as part of the Lord’s Kitchen program. “Our goal is to serve the hungry and treat our guests like they are dining in a fine restaurant,” Executive Pastor Bob Drumond said.

BURBANK — The state is running out of cash to support free and reduced-price school meals as demand has increased with the recession — a reality that has prompted concerns even in prepared local districts, officials said. State Supt. Jack O’Connell announced the funding problem Tuesday, when he urged lawmakers to find more money to pay for the growing number of applicants for the meal program. “The unprecedented demand for school meals is yet another example of how the economic downturn is causing many families in California to turn to schools to feed their children and stretch their grocery dollars,” O’Connell said in a statement.