We know Andover residents don’t just stay in Andover when they want a night out and a break from cooking.

Restaurant coming and goings, new business and the best dishes and recipes are among the items that have appeared on area Patch sites over the past month.

Below is a look at the restaurant and food stories local Patch sites have covered over the past month. Read through our round up for the latest food news in the area.

ANDOVER

A new truck offers sweet somethings right at your doorstep. Pipe Dream Cupcakes is a truck that sells cupcakes. The truck alerts residents on their Facebook page of where they are going to be in the Andover/North Andover area each day.
--

A new restaurant called Sauce recently opened on Essex Street. The shop serves gourmet burgers, wings, fries and craft beers. 

--
Park Street Pub Owner Rick Pruneau is a fixture behind the bar but did you also know he lives a secret life? Pruneau has played Santa Claus all over the world. 

READING 

There is a new bakery in Reading. Cookies and Cream on Haven Street offers cakes, cookies, pies and specialties like key lime pie parfait and cheesecake with chocolate pudding, whipped topping and Oreo cookie. They also serve breakfast and lunch.

--

Lindsay Felix grew up in North Reading and still lives in town with her husband and three children. For the last 10 years, she has been making cupcakes from scratch for the community free of charge. After an overwhelming amount of orders, Felix decided to start her own cupcake business online this past May and now is ready to open a store. Mrs. Felix’s Cupcakes will open in town this summer. Felix is still unsure of the date, but hopes it will happen by the end of July.

All of her cupcakes, that she refers to as "simple and delicious," are homemade from scratch without preservatives or any traces of peanuts.

NORTH READING

The selectmen voted to extend the hours of the patio at the Great American Tavern to 9 p.m. for the summer. The board struggled with the decision, as the restaurant's neighbors attended the meeting and voiced their opinions about the excessive noise the restaurant creates.

The management at Great American Tavern has been dealing with complaints since last year. The lights and noise created by patrons and live bands have been an issue. The problem with the lights has been fixed, as they are now on a timer and the landlord changed the bulbs to help remedy the situation. However, noise still remains an issue. Patrons talking outside while smoking, peeling out of the parking lot when leaving, and live music from the bands are all problems for those who live nearby.  For more on the story, check out Reading-North Reading Patch.

WESTFORD

Once again, and until the Fall, Tuesdays at the Westford Common will mean only one thing, and that's the Westford Farmers' Market.

For more information on the market check out the Sustainable Westford website.

--

Elizabeth Almeida grew up on a farm in Ohio, daughter to a beef cattle farmer and a teacher.  Her husband’s family owns mango and coconut groves in India.  Together, Elizabeth and Noel “share a love of tasty, fresh, and healthy food and hope that you will soon join them at the farm to be part of the local food movement.”

Fat Moon is located at Meadowbrook Farm on Gould Road.  The name, Almeida explains, comes from their son “who would call the full moon the Fat Moon. And the moon over the field is beautiful.”  The farm began last June with pumpkins and squash.  This year she is planning a full season of growing.  Arugula, basil, several varieties of beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, eggplant and that is only up to “E” in her long list of vegetables!  Spinach, Swiss chard, over 10 varieties of tomatoes, turnips and watermelon round out the alphabet.   Her planting plan extends through the fall.  For more on Fat Moon, check out Westford Patch.

--

Anyone reading Westford Patch in 2012 knows that small cupcake companies have been one of the big trends in town this year, but it isn’t as easy to start as one would think. Westford resident Jannelle Cioffi had always received rave reviews from friends and family for her homemade cupcakes, and when Colonial Kitchen moved out of Westford Plaza in 2008, she began to look for storefront locations in town where she might fill the vacant baked goods niche.

While the best option at the time was the current location of Paper Goods now at the Westford Valley Marketplace, the rent would have required her to sell 500 cupcakes per day in order to make a profit.

---

CHELMSFORD

Chelmsford can get ready for a few new dining options.  Yanagi Sushi will open at 83 Parkhurst Road, Unit 1, where Evzon Greek American Restaurant used to be.  Pho Dalat opened its new location at Drum Hill on May 30. The restaurant is located where Garlic Bistro used to be in the Starbucks plaza. 

----

TEWKSBURY

Need a way to cool off and ice cream isn’t cutting it? A Tewksbury man started a shaved ice truck recently. The concept of Kona Ice is a simple one; A truck, complete with refrigeration, that delivers and serves shaved ice treats.  That description, however, doesn’t begin to explain the true experience that is Kona Ice.

NORTH ANDOVER

Spring is in full bloom, and that means seasonal produce.

Smolak Farms is launching a new Pick Your Own Fruit Community Supported Agriculture group, in which you can buy a share (or half share) and enjoy the benefits of locally grown fruits.

The PYO Fruit CSA will be available from strawberry season through the apple season. There are 50 shares available. There will be 25 PYO Fruit shares available for Wednesdays and 25 PYO Fruit shares available for Thursdays.

LYNNFIELD

If you happen to be traveling in San Diego anytime soon, you can stop by one of the two Bite of Boston Submarines locations run by former area residents Bob and Hope (Aschenbrand) Major. Bob is a Burlington native while Hope formerly lived on Hart Road with her family in Lynnfield and attended school in town before moving to Stoneham in the 10th grade.

While this eatery is on the other side of the continent, its local influences are all over the menu. The Lynnfield sandwich is roast beef, bacon, melted cheddar, onions, and bbq sauce. The Burlington’s Best sandwich is smoked turkey, bacon, melted cheddar cheese and bbq sauce.

---

The newest business in Lynnfield, Loui's Pizza and Roast Beef, opened up last weekend and reports that so far, it is enjoying brisk customer traffic. Many area residents may remember the 470 Broadway location as the former home of Mr. Santo Hair Design.

The eatery is run by Loui and Nora Kotsaninis, who have lived in Lynnfield for the past four years. Prior to opening the new business in Lynnfield, the husband and wife team owned and later sold Stella's Pizza in neighboring Saugus. http://lynnfield.patch.com/articles/loui-s-pizza-and-roast-beef-now-open-for-business

WILMINGTON

Residents Flock to Farmers Market Opening Day - http://wilmington.patch.com/articles/video-residents-flock-to-farmers-market-opening-day
Selectmen Approve License for New Dunkin' Donuts - http://wilmington.patch.com/articles/selectmen-approve-license-for-new-dunkin-donuts