Avenue goes blue to prevent cancer

Each year, 10,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed with colon or rectum and 3,500 die from the disease. People over 50 are at increased risk. However, with early screening, more than half of these cases could be prevented. March is colorectal cancer awareness month and to promote screenings, cities in the Capital Region will be illuminated and decorated in blue and free take-home colon screening kits will be distributed. Central Avenue businesses will be participating, including PriceChopper, Planned Parenthood, and Bob and Ron's Fish Fry. “The Businesses of Central Avenue in Albany are proud to be working together with so many great partners to help spread the message of colorectal cancer awareness," says Anthony J. Capece, Jr., Executive Director of the Central Business Improvement District. "The New York State Department of Health has created a very proactive life saving screening program and we are honored to offer our help to deliver the message to our community and the region. Many of our businesses are actively promoting this awareness effort and many are also hosting events. We encourage residents to find a Central Avenue business that is hosting an event and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.” The Cancer Services Program of Albany also provides free and low-cost screening for breast, colon, and cervical cancer throughout the year. For more information about the program, visit their website at: http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/cancer/services/partnerships/albany.htm or call them at 454-4055.

Shining Rainbow wins national dining competition

Shining Rainbow is one of the nation's best Chinese restaurants--officially.

The local restaurant has been named one of the country's Top 100 Chinese restaurants in the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants Competition annual competition. In its seventh year, the contest honors the nation's best restaurants in nine categories. Shining Rainbow won in the healthy menu category.

"It's a pretty big honor," says Justin Chi, Shining Rainbow staffer.

Since opening in 2008, Shining Rainbow has received a great deal of critical praise, including receiving five stars from New York Talk of the Town. The restaurant was also visited by famed Chinese chef and cookbook writer Martin Yan, who came to sample the cuisine and talk with the staff.

Nationally, Chinese restaurants are big business. The Top 100 organization says that there are 46,700 Chinese restaurants in the country, more than the number of McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King restaurants combined. Chinese restaurants generate about $20 billion annually.

Top 100 contest winners were honored in January at a ceremony in San Francisco that brought it all back home. The first Chinese restaurant in America opened its doors in San Francisco in 1849. The ceremony, "The Future of Chinese Dining, and its 150-year History in America," honored this business's illustrious history. Here's to more honors in the future!