It鈥檚 always nice to tell you about new businesses opening up in town, especially during this time where we鈥檙e seeing so many big and little store closures.

Let me introduce you to owner and operator Randy Rivera, who some of you might already know 鈥� or at least recognize as the winner of the 2013 鈥淕iving you the Business,鈥� Food Network Canada鈥檚 reality show.

Well, he and his team at the new Firecrust Custom Salads & Pizzas held their grand opening celebration yesterday (Friday).

Rivera described the opening of 91原创鈥檚 newest restaurant as a life-long dream come true for him.

鈥淎fter working in the restaurant business for many years, it has been a vision of mine to open up my own restaurant,鈥� Rivera said.

鈥淭hat time is finally here and my whole family is so excited to welcome the 91原创 community. We have amazing pizzas and salads at Firecrust and we can鈥檛 wait for you to try it,鈥� he added.

91原创 becomes the fourth of Firecrust franchise location, opening in the Rio Can 91原创 Power Centre, near the Olive Garden, Montanas, and Nando鈥檚.

Founded in 2015, Firecrust has restaurants in Lloydminster and Grande Prairie, Alta., as well as one in downtown Vancouver. Now, there鈥檚 one in 91原创 with more scheduled openings in 2018.

prides itself not only on its authentic Neapolitan pizzas, served on a hand tossed crust and baked in a wood burning oven at 900 degrees but also on its fresh, custom made salads, Rivera explained.

鈥淐ustomers are invited to build their meal with over 30 premium ingredients, or let us build it with a full menu of delicious chef-created dishes.鈥�

Looking for healthy lifestyle or other mouth-watering options? This might be worth checking out, especially if you鈥檙e hunting for gluten-free alternatives.

The restaurant is located #40- 20160 91原创 Bypass. Let me know what you think.

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Charity auction on tap

John Pybus and his team at Murrayville Town Pub are once again gearing up for the 23rd annual charity Christmas Auction on Thursday, Nov. 30, starting at 7 p.m.

Through the years, this event has raised more than half a million dollars for local charities.

And this time out, the auction is raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of 91原创.

鈥淭his charity, who receives no direct government funding, relies heavily on community support and is highly recognized for all their contributions back to the community,鈥� said Pybus.

He pointed to the charity and its work, and said Bigs have connected 420 at-risk youth in 91原创 with mentors in 2016 alone, and he quotes a parent of one of the little brothers: 鈥淲henever my son makes decisions about things in his life, he will think in the back of his mind 鈥榳hat would my Big Brother do?鈥� His Big Brother has been a big influence in his life.鈥�

It鈥檚 comments like that that continue to motivate Pybus to organize this event, and he鈥檚 once again expecting a packed house.

鈥淐ome out early to secure a table, view the auction items, have some fun, and buy your Christmas presents early,鈥� he said.

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Save-On boss lauded

Also on the food front in 91原创, there was an honour bestowed upon the head of the Save-On-Foods empire.

Darrell Jones, president of the Western Canada鈥檚 largest grocery chain 鈥� the grocery conglomerate with its head office in North 91原创 鈥� was named given a prestigious lifetime achievement award by the a national grocery industry.

Jones, who became president of Save-On-Foods and the Overwaitea Food Group in 2012, was given the Golden Pencil award recently in Toronto.

The award itself is presented by the Food Industry Association of Canada and was founded in 1957. The 鈥榞olden pencil鈥� is a symbol of the partnership between supplier and retailer that forms the foundation of the grocery business.

Under his leadership, the company has embarked on a path of growth, expanding into new markets in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon, and establishing one of the first online shopping pickup and home delivery programs in Western Canada.

鈥淭his award is truly a testament to the people who work at Save-On-Foods and the Overwaitea Food Group,鈥� said Jones, the fourth president of Save-On-Foods and the Overwaitea Food Group to accept this award.

鈥淚t鈥檚 humbling to accept it on behalf of our 18,000 team members, because it鈥檚 their passion, dedication and commitment to this company that have inspired me to dedicate my career to making our company the best place to work and shop from B.C. to Manitoba.鈥�

Earlier this fall, the South Surrey business leader was recognized locally when he was given an honorary degree to Kwantlen Polytechnic University.