Biz Buzz: New Brazilian-themed food truck opening in Rexburg soon

Do you want to know what’s happening on the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BRIEF

REXBURG

Food truck to serve Brazilian food and memories

REXBURG – For years, Dave Loveless had worked hard chasing the corporate dream. As a training manager in Utah, he was doing something he enjoyed.

But one morning several months ago, he decided on a whim to make a significant life change and go into food service.

“I literally had a midlife crisis. I just woke up one morning and told my wife, ‘We need to do something different,’ and she said ‘Sure.’ If that’s not love, I don’t know what is,” Loveless tells EastIdahoNews.com.

So Loveless quit his job, packed up his family and moved to Rexburg for no other reason than to open a food truck business.

“I’ve always wanted to do this. My wife and I have loved cooking since the dawn of time. We’re that couple that always cooks for friends,” says Loveless.

The Loveless family officially moved in December, but they’ve traveled to eastern Idaho for vacations for many years because they have friends who live in St. Anthony. Loveless says Rexburg is similar in look and feel to Alaska, where he and his wife both grew up.

“Alaska doesn’t work as home because there are no jobs,” Loveless says. “This is about as close as you can get to Alaska and still have a job.”

Next week, Loveless will open Padaria’s, a Brazilian-themed food truck business across the parking lot from Dairy Queen. Loveless served a mission for his church in Brazil years ago and fell in love with the country’s cuisine. He says Rexburg seemed like the perfect location to open up shop because of the large student population that has connections to Brazil.

“Our fast-glance research shows that there are (no Brazilian restaurants) between Salt Lake and Canada. So, there’s nothing here that serves that population, yet there’s a surprising number of Brazilians in the area,” Loveless says.

“Padaria” means bakery in Portuguese. The food truck is inspired by the corner marketplaces in Brazil, which Loveless says are community-gathering places.

Loveless says his menu is focused on what’s found in the street carts and street vendors there. The menu will include fried bread pastries like pastels, filled with various things like cheese, chicken, shrimp and ground beef. There are also dessert pastels filled with tropical fruits, chocolate, or caramel. Loveless will also serve pao de queijo (cheese bread) and a Brazilian-style hot dog.

“What we’re going for is the memory pulling you right back to that moment on the streets of Sao Paulo where you had that thing, whatever that thing was,” says Loveless. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to build memories for people who have never experienced (Brazil) and remind people of memories they’ve had in the past.”

Loveless hopes to open a second truck in the next year or so, and, depending on how business goes, wants to eventually open a brick-and-mortar location in town.

The restaurant offers a seating area for customers.

Padaria’s will open next week, April 2 or 3, at 328 North 2nd East. The grand opening will be April 5.

Padaria’s will be open Monday through Saturday. It will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will then re-open at 4 p.m. with dinner and be open until 10 p.m.

To learn more, visit the Facebook page.

BIZ BITS

Idaho Vein Center earns reaccreditation by IAC

POCATELLO – More than one half of Americans age 50 and older are affected by varicose veins. Varicose veins occur when the valves in the leg veins no longer function, causing blood to pool in the legs.

The Idaho Vein Center at Portneuf Medical Center has been granted reaccreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, which is the most reputable national accreditation body in the field of vascular ultrasound and vein centers, PMC announced. The Idaho Vein Center is the only accredited vein center by the IAC in the state of Idaho.

The Idaho Vein Center is at 444 Hospital Way, Suite 777, and it can be reached at (208) 239-1650.

New apartments coming to Snake River Landing

IDAHO FALLS – Kartchner Inc., along with Snake River Landing, is pleased to announce the construction of 96 new apartments, an expansion of The Falls Apartments.

The Falls Apartments features one, two and three-bedroom options, including a limited number of furnished corporate units. Available amenities include a premium fitness center, an outdoor pool and Jacuzzi area, a 24-hour club room for gatherings, and a playground. On-site management and 24-hour maintenance services are also available. Kartchner breaks ground on the new apartments in April.

For more information, call (208) 529-0010.

East Idaho Credit Union opening a Rexburg branch

REXBURG – East Idaho Credit Union will construct a new branch in Rexburg this spring. Construction on the new branch, at 310 North 2nd East, will begin in April.

The 1.2-acre parcel, north of Pizza Pie Café, will make the credit union accessible to more people as membership continues to expand. The new branch will replace the current office on the south end of town.

BIZ BUGS

FACEBOOK QUIZZES

Don’t let yourself be hacked by a Facebook quiz

The following is a news release from the Better Business Bureau.

IDAHO FALLS – For many of us, social media is a way to share personal photos with our family and friends, but we wouldn’t feel comfortable with them in the hands of just anyone.

Recently, a pair of Ukrainian hackers used seemingly innocuous online quizzes and surveys to gain access to private Facebook user data. They used titles like “What does your eye color say about you?” to target users with “unauthorized” advertisements. In a lawsuit filed in northern California, Facebook alleged that hackers improperly used a Facebook feature to take control of users’ internet browsers.

The lawsuit went on to say hackers thereby gained access to private information about Facebook users and their private friend lists. This information can be alarming to people who found these quizzes to be fun and assumed they were harmless.

The Better Business Bureau urges people to be aware of how to guard their information and offers these tips to help protect your social media accounts:

• Be skeptical. Before you take a quiz, figure out who created it. Is it a brand you trust?
• Don’t friend people you don’t know. Be extra cautious of what you click on from “friends” you don’t recognize. Messages that are brief or come from people you don’t expect to hear from may be scams that include links to malicious sites.
• Be cautious with your personal information. Never give out personal information, such as your full name, telephone number, address, etc. to a person or business you don’t know or trust.
• Protect your password. Use different passwords for each social media/email account and avoid including your name or common words. Never share your password with anyone. If you must share it, change it immediately after.
• Use extra security features. Turn on two-factor authentication or set up a security code.
• Log out of Facebook. When using a shared computer, log out after each session.
• Understand your privacy settings. Familiarize yourself with your privacy settings and revisit them frequently. As Facebook adds new features, it makes decisions about settings, and you may not like the changes.

You can find more about BBB and the cyber security resources available to both businesses and consumers by clicking here. To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker. To protect yourself from all kinds of scams, visit the BBB Scam Tips page.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Idaho Falls restaurant suing Facebook commenters for defamation

New bike shop rides into eastern Idaho

MOD Pizza’s new location served 1,000 to 1,500 pizzas over opening weekend

Two local health clinics providing innovative cost-savings options for patients

If you have a Biz Buzz item you want to share, send it to rett.nelson@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use “Biz Buzz” in the subject line. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the free Biz Buzz email newsletter.