Biz Buzz: Local foodies gaining large following on social media

Do you want to know what’s happening in 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

SHELLEY

Local couple’s passion for food becoming a popular topic on social media

SHELLEY – Angela and Heber Sadovich of Shelley are just like many couples in eastern Idaho. By day, Angela is a registered nurse at Aspen Home Health & Hospice in Idaho Falls, and Heber works at InterWest Moving & Storage. But to more than 1,700 social media followers, the couple is known as the East Idaho Foodies.

The duo’s social media pages on Instagram and Facebook launched about a year ago and are devoted to their adventures in tasting, making and learning about anything food-related.

“We like to make people aware of different places (to eat) in eastern Idaho mostly … but we also cook a lot at home. We like making people aware of different products, different methods of cooking and all things food,” Angela tells EastIdahoNews.com.

The couple travels a lot with their five kids and enjoys sampling the cuisine at restaurants in every town they visit, but what they enjoy most is supporting and highlighting local restaurants. Their favorite place to eat changes regularly, but right now, Angela says they’re enjoying Garcia’s Street Tacos in Idaho Falls.

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“We’ve probably been there five or six times in the last three weeks,” says Angela. “After the first time I went, it literally appeared in my dreams.”

The couple also likes d’Railed for fine dining, Taste of India & Nepal in Pocatello, Arugala Deli in Idaho Falls and Raised Southern Barbecue in Shelley.

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When it comes to cooking, the couple enjoys experimenting with different ingredients.

“We’ve kind of gotten into Wagu lately … a really high-quality beef that originated in Japan,” she says.

Over the years, many people have asked Angela and Heber their recommendations for a good place to eat out, and that’s what inspired them to start East Idaho Foodies.

“I decided to put all of our experiences in a spot so people could refer to it. It started on Instagram and later decided to go to Facebook (as well) because there are more people there,” Angela says.

The decision to start a Facebook page has proven to be a good one because it recently surpassed 1,000 followers. To celebrate that milestone, Angela and her husband will be giving one of their fans a $50 gift card to Raised Southern Barbecue on Friday.

They’re looking forward to expanding their followers and meeting new people in the future.

“We’ve been able to meet a ton of people through East Idaho Foodies, and we would love if people said, ‘Hey, we’re going to Pocatello to get Indian food. Come join us!’ We’d love to make friends,” says Angela. “We feel like food brings people together, and it’s a special medium to create love and kindness between people.”

Visit the East Idaho Foodies page on Facebook or Instagram for more information.

BIZ BITS

Pocatello residents invited to give invocation at City Council meetings

POCATELL0 – With Gov. Brad Little moving Idaho to Stage 3, in-person invocations are returning to the Pocatello City Council’s regular meetings. Traditionally, City Council meetings are started with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by an invocation. Previous invocations have been given in the form of a chant, inspirational message, meditation, moment of silence, motivational thought, or prayer. The purpose of the tradition is to ensure the meetings are started with a positive climate to promote open communication and interaction with the public. The mayor and City Council welcome anyone to participate. The only guidance is that the presentation is limited to three minutes or less and be uplifting in nature. If you’d like to participate, call (208) 234-6163.

Idaho Falls Arts Council inviting you to virtual cooking event this month

IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Falls Arts Council, in partnership with Bank of Idaho, is inviting you to Colonial Uncorked, a new interactive, virtual cooking and dining experience from your home on Feb. 20. Enjoy an evening of entertainment while IFAC shows you how to turn your ingredients into a delicious meal and you cook along. Just purchase one of the five packages, and IFAC will provide the ingredients, beverages or gift certificate as well as a link to which you log in at 7 p.m. Menu includes braised chicken thighs with lemon, garlic, and wine sauce with sides of herbed rice pilaf and roasted green beans followed by dessert. Packages cost anywhere from $25 to $250 and can be purchased until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Another $1 million paid out to Fall River Electric customers

ASHTON – Fall River Electric Cooperative announces the payment of another $1 million in the form of a rebate to 2020 owners/customers of the Co-op. The Fall River board wanted to return current profits, referred to as margins, to all the Cooperative’s owners knowing that many have been impacted by the ongoing pandemic. Additionally, this money will be infused back into the local economies of eastern Idaho and southwestern Montana. This payout is on top of the $1.015 million given in December through the Cooperative’s Patronage Capital program. February’s disbursement is to those customers who purchased power last year, while the December payments were to members of the Co-op that purchased power back in 2000. The patronage capital program is where extra revenues over the cost of operations are then disbursed to its owner-members on an approximate 20-year cycle. Unlike investor-owned utilities that pay profits to stockholders, Fall River Electric’s patronage capital is a customer’s investment in the Cooperative.

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

SHELLEY

Local treat shop sees major increase in sales as second-anniversary approaches

SHELLEY – Business is booming for a local treat shop as it nears its second anniversary.

#Treats, located at 202 South State Street in Shelley, gained some local fame last month due to a political sign outside their door criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris. The political sign, which rotates conservative messages, has drawn a lot of support and new customers to the business.

Owner Stephanie Christensen says she’s seen a 200% increase in business.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

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