Telegraph Ticker: South Derry deli opens Also, Killarney wings win again, SAPA-TV celebrates 20 years; SMCS wins quality grant

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2018 Telegraph Publishing, LLC

On Wednesday morning, Jason O’Connor will pull down the bright orange “Opening Soon” sign, make coffee and unlock the doors to South Londonderry’s newest business – The Corner Market and Deli.

O’Connor, a Culinary Institute of America grad with 20 years experience in the food business, has been working on getting the business ready since last summer – overcoming some family medical situations along the way, and at last he’s ready to open.

“We’re listening to the community and asking what they want,” said O’Connor, “the local community is our first thought. We want to carry what they need at prices local folks can afford.”

The Corner will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to start, according to O’Connor. But he expects that to change as he gets a sense of what hours serve the needs of the community best. “We’ll probably be open later on Friday nights,” he says.

O’Connor will start with an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, but coming from Southern California, he will be bringing a taste for Mexican cuisine so he’ll be offering burritos in the morning as well. He also expects to offer breakfast specials that can be ordered ahead for pick up.

Behind the counter is a slate of sandwich and wrap combinations for lunch. “We tried all of these with and without the pannini press,” said O’Connor, “If I could we would pannini everything, the flavor is so much better.”

As he rolls out his offerings, O’Connor is also looking to add meals to go for dinner possibly including roasted chicken with fixings, tacos, meatloaf and other comfort foods. And with all of his offerings, O’Connor is looking toward local products wherever he can, pointing out Alpine Glo and West River cheeses and Peabody Mountain Apiary honey among them. The new store will also carry a line of groceries that will evolve with local demand.

In addition to serving Speedy and Earl’s coffee (from Burlington), The Corner will be making a full line of espresso drinks.

Killarney’s wings win again at Hops in the Hills

In a chicken wing competition on Saturday Aug. 4, the Killarney Irish Pub in Ludlow, owned by Mark Verespy took top honors in both the peoples’ choice category for a fifth consecutive year and in a blind tasting by a panel of impartial judges.

In addition to The Killarney, Wingin’ It/Noel’s Catering, Neal’s Restaurant and Bar, Squeels on Wheels, Coleman Brook Tavern and Willie Dunn’s Grille also participated.

“I am very proud of my entire team who did a great job representing The Killarney at the event,” said owner Mark Verespy of Chester “and we are looking forward to extending our winning streak during next year’s competition.”

Plans are already underway for next summer’s annual Hops in the Hills Beer & Wine Festival and Chicken Wing Championship.

SAPA-TV celebrates 20 years with buffet dinner

Springfield Medical Care Systems gets Quality Improvement grant

Springfield Medical Care Systems was recently awarded $86,553 in grant funding by the Health Resources and Services Administration, recognizing “the highest performing health centers nationwide, as well as those health centers that have made significant quality improvement gains from the previous year.”

According to HRSA, “The Quality Improvement Awards support HRSA’s strategic goal to improve access to quality health care and directly supports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s goal of moving toward a value-based payment system by improving the quality, efficiency, and overall value of primary health care delivered by health centers.”

Timothy Ford, president and chief executive officer of SMCS, said, “SMCS is continually working to achieve high quality clinical performance.” He continues, “This level of achievement requires teamwork by many dedicated health care professionals. We are honored to accept this award on their behalf and in recognition of their ongoing efforts to meet the health care needs of the communities we serve.”