Intel 12/23: Pink Pineapples Approved for Sale, Luksus Closes & Robin Hood Restaurants Feed the Needy

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FDA Approves Pink Pineapples for Sale

The FDA has issued its approval for the sale of genetically engineered pink pineapples from Del Monte, a project the fruit giant has been working on for more than a decade. The patented GMO pineapple, which will be called Rosé, is made by adding lycopene, the same pigment responsible for giving tomatoes and watermelons their red color. The fruit will be grown in Costa Rica and sold as “extra sweet pink flesh pineapple,” though it’s not clear when the product will be available in stores.

Spain’s Robin Hood Restaurant Chain Feeds the Needy, for Free

Robin Hood, a chain of four new restaurants in Spain, has a mission to feed the hungry. The restaurants, which opened in the last month, uses the revenue from breakfast and lunch to cover the costs of free dinners for the homeless, and the generous restaurateur behind the concept is the Reverend Ángel García Rodríguez, 79. Father Rodriguez already plans to expand the chain and already has his eye on Miami. “To get served by a waiter wearing a nice uniform and to eat with proper cutlery, rather than a plastic fork, is what gives you back some dignity,” Rev. Rodriguez said. According to The New York Times, he also hopes to lure the services of some celebrity chefs in the future.

Prosecutors Offer Lenient Plea Deal to Sarma Melngailis, Fugitive Owner of Pure Food and Wine

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Federal prosecutors have offered a plea deal to Sarma Melngailis, the former owner of the once wildly popular vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine, who last year, along with her husband, became a fugitive of the law and faced grand larceny charges. Along with allegedly stealing more than $800,000 from investors and owing $400,000 in sales tax, Melngailis is accused of failing to pay $40,000 in employees’ wages. The couple was eventually caught on the lam thanks to an ill-planned Dominos order. Melngailis, who later alleged that her husband, Anthony Strangis, was the brains of the entire operation, has been offered a plea deal of one to three years instead of the 15 years she could have served.

Luksus, Greenpoint’s First Michelin-Starred Restaurant, Will Close

Luksus

Luksus, the Michelin-starred Nordic tasting menu restaurant in the back of Torst, will close at the end of December, chef Daniel Burns has announced. “It’s sad, but I’m thinking about all the good stuff that can happen next,” Burns told Grub Street. The chef called the decision to move on from the restaurant a creative decision more than a financial one, and while he would like to return to New York in the future, Burns already has a number of international gigs lined up. When Luksus closes, Torst will expand into the back room and Burns’ kitchen team will remain, though he will not be involved.

Casey Affleck Plays Dunkin’ Donuts Most Loyal, Unwanted Fan in SNL Short

SNL

Ben Affleck’s little brother Casey Affleck played an undying superfan of Dunkin’ Donuts during his latest SNL appearance, but the chain will probably not love the free publicity, as Affleck plays a mean, quasi-homeless lurker whose very presence compromises Dunkin’s ability to compete with an upmarket Starbucks. Though, that’s exactly what Affleck’s indoor-smoking, diehard New Englander wants. If you don’t like it, go back to Starbucks.