It took us 45 states to finally come to a state that doesn't have one single NBA alumni player born within its borders and honestly, we're not surprised that it is Vermont. However, we were able to discover that the state does have local basketball legend in Taylor Coppenrath. Born in the city of Barnet, Taylor Copenrath didn't play varsity basketball until his junior year of high school but somehow was able to become the Vermont Player of the Year his senior year in 2000.
Coppenrath then went on to play four years of college basketball at the University of Vermont where he led the team to three straight America East Conference titles averaging 21.4 points per game. Coppenrath is currently the all-time leader in field goals made at the university with 851 and second all-time leading scorer with a total of 2,442 points. During the 2004-05 season, Coppenrath led UVM to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory over Syracuse. While he declared himself for the NBA Draft in 2005, he was not selected but did participate in the NBA Summer League as a member of the Boston Celtics. When he wasn't picked up by the team, he headed overseas where he played for a decade professionally.
For the past few years, we've been seeing more and more food halls dominate the retail industry. The craze has swept Los Angeles and New York by storm and is now making its way to Miami. In Magic City alone, ten of these food parks have opened just recently. The mania is even set to triple in size by the year 2020.
Now more than ever, more people have been adopting a vegan lifestyle. A survey in the United Kingdom reveals that 3.5 million residents have turned vegan, while 20 percent have at least tried the concept. People are now wanting to cut down on meat, and the food industry is giving in to the demand. Even wineries have started stocking up on vegan wines.
Due to increased awareness and desire to help the environment, companies have become more committed to eco-friendly food packaging. Previously, companies didnt care much about producing a ton of waste; but now, efforts to reuse, reduce, and recycle are much more apparent. For instance, PepsiCo has committed to creating completely recyclable packaging by the year 2025.
Who would have thought that young millennials would be into rum? These barrel-aged, small-batch rums are the latest trend in booze, and now even British companies such as Essexs English Spirit are joining in. The spirit is one of the most popular and versatile forms of alcohol, whether it be sweet or strong, dark or white, neat with ice or served with coke.
Nowadays, people have become more accepting of imperfection; when it comes to fresh produce that is. Imperfect Produce is just one of the grocery delivery companies that serve physically flawed fruits and vegetables. This effort is geared toward reducing waste, and the disfigured foods are often turned into hummus, crisps, and juices.
Various Asian restaurants have been popping up recently, and Sri Lankan cuisine is slowly making its way to the western palate. Sri Lankan dishes such as kottu roti, pol sambol, coconut relish, and hoppers, are being introduced to the market, and people are loving it. Unlike before, the Sri Lankan flavor is finally being recognized as an individual cuisine, separate from Indian food.