Trail Blazer CJ McCollum Releases a Free Smoothie Cookbook Online

CJ McCollum Partners With Moda Health to Publish a Free Smoothie Cookbook

Between his wine label and his free food events, Trail Blazer CJ McCollum has become a name in the food and beverage scene. His latest venture: A book of smoothies, developed with Moda Health. Give Smoothies A Shot, a free downloadable cookbook filled with smoothie recipes, is his second collaboration with the organization, after he released his booklet of “foods to try” last summer. The booklet includes 20 recipes, including things like an “apple pie smoothie” with applesauce and cinnamon, a coffee-banana smoothie with flax seed, and a watermelon lime smoothie made with coconut water. It’s available online. [EaterWire]

CC Slaughters Will Return Next Month After an Indefinite Closure

The last we heard from CC Slaughters, one of Portland’s oldest gay bars, it was shutting its doors indefinitely. “We hope we can open our doors again to you (our family) sometime in the future, but until then, please be safe, practice social distancing, and take care,” a post on its Facebook page read. Now, five months later, the bar has announced on its website that it will, in fact, reopen in mid-April. “We will be focusing all our efforts on making our bar a safe space for our customers,” the official statement says. “We will be requiring our staff as well as our guests to follow every rule put into place by the health authority as well as the bar management.” [WWeek]

In Other News...

• Tope reopens its rooftop patio on April 1, with new chef de cuisine Joel Lui-Kwan. Lui-Kwan had previously worked at places like Jacqueline and Nobu Waikiki. [EaterWire]
• The Oregonian has released its ranked list of the city’s smashburgers. Who got the top slot? Mid-City Smash Burger, the new cart in Southeast Portland. [O]
• Portland Monthly published a story on Oregon’s restaurant worker cooperatives; those who love Mirisata may want to know that Astoria has its own worker-owned cooperative restaurant, Blue Scorcher.
• Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer co-sponsored a bill to protect kombucha from an excise tax. [PBJ]
• Ringside is selling steaks and 20+ year-old wines via a virtual sale on its website. [EaterWire]