Latest news with #DaveChalk
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Jersey Opera House's interim chair steps down
Jersey Opera House's interim chairperson has stepped down two months after taking on the venue said "growing pressure" from Cyril Whelan's other commitments meant he had decided to dedicate more time to those Whelan - who is a coroner, Employment and Discrimination Tribunal judge and the Gambling Commission chair - became interim chair of the St Helier venue in April after Dave Chalk stepped down from the Grade II listed building reopened after five years in May following a major £13m refurbishment scheme. A spokesperson for the venue said Mr Whelan was "born in the shadow" of the building and had been associated with the Opera House for 13 added Mr Whelan's efforts had helped secure £12.5m of public money for the renovation work."We thank him for his dedicated service to the Opera House - his efforts have contributed to the building celebrating its 125th birthday in grand style and have secured its future," the spokesperson Opera House said a "diverse artistic programme" was in place for the autumn season.
San Francisco Chronicle
02-06-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Recession indicator? People are cooking at home at the highest level since COVID
What's for dinner tonight? For a rising share of Americans, something they made themselves. That's according to the most recent earnings call for Campbell's, where the CEO of the food giant said they've seen more people opting for a home-cooked meal than they have since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Consumers are cooking at home at the highest levels since early 2020,' Mick Beekhuizen said Monday. Sales were up in the meals and beverages category for the company, which owns the canned soup brand as well as Rao's, Prego, Swanson, Pepperidge Farm, V8 and other grocery store staples. Specifically, spending in the U.S. was up for pasta sauce, broths, and condensed and canned soups. Dave Chalk, Campbell's vice president of consumer insights for meals and beverages, said the company uses interviews with consumers and behavioral data collected by research companies to assess at what rate people are cooking at home. 'We have seen a shift to what we call 'stretchable' categories,' he said in an email. 'These are categories like soups used for cooking and also include rice, pasta, broths and Italian (pasta) sauce.' He said the company has also noticed consumers opting for premium products, like Rao's pasta sauces, that can help make a homemade meal taste more like it came from a restaurant. Unfortunately, this behavior probably isn't a sign of a cultural shift toward healthy eating and thoughtful budgeting, said WalletHub managing editor John Kiernan. 'It's definitely not a sign of the economy doing great,' he said. 'People aren't going to be loading up on the staples and eating home far more often if they're feeling flush.' Back in the early part of 2020, consumers were adjusting to lockdowns and limited grocery store hours alongside predictions of potential global economic collapse in the face of a novel virus. The economic policies that staved off that potential collapse — low interest rates, stimulus checks — instead pushed the U.S. and most other developed economies into a protracted period of inflation. Exit polling in 2024 indicated many voters were persuaded by so-called 'kitchen table' arguments – the idea that President Donald Trump would bring down the price of eggs and other household goods. Instead, he's introduced several large-scale policies that aggravate inflation, including immigration crackdowns (which make grocery prices go up) and widespread tariffs (which make all prices go up). A soup-buying boom could be yet another one of the 'recession indicators' we've heard so much about. Actually, according to a report released Monday by financial services company Morningstar, some of the classic economic indicators of a recession have cooled off — but it's hard to say whether the recent GDP contraction was a tariff-induced blip or a sign of things to come. A recession is technically defined as two consecutive quarters of GDP shrinkage. From the perspective of a personal finance columnist, I don't think it's a bad thing for people to experiment with cooking at home, though I wouldn't recommend financing your groceries if you don't absolutely have to. Cooking at home is certainly cost-effective, as we found in a Chronicle analysis comparing identical meals procured via food delivery app, meal kits and good old-fashioned groceries. As someone who went through this journey myself, I can say that cutting back on dining out and learning to cook simple meals at home is both personally and financially rewarding. Much of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending, and a lot of local economies rely on people going out to eat. But that's not your personal problem to solve. My 31-day Wealth Challenge newsletter dives into how to effectively meal plan, plus lots of other tips to cut spending and up your savings. You can sign up below:
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Second resignation in a month at opera house
The interim chairperson of Jersey Opera House has announced he is stepping down. It comes weeks after the interim director of the opera house Andy Eagle resigned from his post to return to family in the UK. The venue's board said interim chairperson Dave Chalk had decided it was the right time to step away as the theatre entered a new phase. The Opera House is due to reopen for the Liberation celebrations following a refurbishment that cost £12m of public money. The newly appointed interim chair of the Jersey Opera House Cyril Whelan paid tribute to the "extraordinary work" of Mr Chalk . He said he had "lead the enterprise through this difficult terrain to date". He added: "The board of the operating company is reshaped to reflect the shift in focus from restoration to activation and growth." Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to Jersey Opera House boss quits ahead of reopening Opera House reopens for Liberation Day concerts Extra £1.5m needed to complete Jersey Opera House Jersey Opera House
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Second resignation in a month at Jersey Opera House
The interim chairperson of Jersey Opera House has announced he is stepping down. It comes weeks after the interim director of the opera house Andy Eagle resigned from his post to return to family in the venue's board said interim chairperson Dave Chalk had decided it was the right time to step away as the theatre entered a new Opera House is due to reopen for the Liberation celebrations following a refurbishment that cost £12m of public money. 'Difficult terrain' The newly appointed interim chair of the Jersey Opera House Cyril Whelan paid tribute to the "extraordinary work" of Mr Chalk .He said he had "lead the enterprise through this difficult terrain to date".He added: "The board of the operating company is reshaped to reflect the shift in focus from restoration to activation and growth."
