What’s hot and what’s happening now in the restaurant scene.

Chuck this out.
Steve Londregan and Tom Flynn will have owned Chuck’s in Auburn for 39 years on Mother’s Day, May 14. The partners graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester together. What do you give for 39 years? A new chef. Adam Foreman was recently hired as the new executive chef at Chuck’s Steak House & Margarita Grill in Auburn. He has revamped the menu, adding seasonal dishes while keeping some comfort food choices. Also, look for the chef to introduce interesting new appetizers and a new burger and flatbread each month.

Sturbridge gets new steak house.
Sturbridge Porterhouse, 407 Main St., Sturbridge, opened the last week of March. Owners of the restaurant are Ken Yukimura, Colleen Charbonneau and Alicia Smith. Yukimura is also the chef/owner of Sturbridge Seafood, and Kathryn Muratore is a partner in both restaurants.

Mr. Rogers’s new neighborhood.
The Worcester Regional Food Hub has hired Neil Rogers as its new kitchen operations manager. Mr. Rogers was most recently the executive chef de cuisine for Niche Hospitality Group in Central Massachusetts. Prior to that, he held positions as executive chef for Volturno Pizza Napolitano in Worcester and Tomasso Trattoria and Enoteca/Panzano Market in Southborough. He was Worcester’s Best Chef in 2014.

Chickpea to close.
Veggie lovers in Worcester have lost one of their favorites, as Chickpea has announced it will be closing in May. The vegan restaurant, located at 589 Park Ave., was well known for its delectable desserts. “We have had an amazing past few years here and are so grateful to all of you who have supported us on this amazing journey,” the restaurant wrote in a Facebook post announcing its closing.

Two favorites team up.
You can’t get much better than beer and a burger unless you have Wormtown Brewery and the Fix Burger Bar team up for a dinner. Worcester’s Fix, located on Grove Street, is partnering with Wormtown for a four-course dinner on May 9. The cost is $65 per head.

News from the North.
Leominster’s Bar 435 recently announced that it has hired a new head chef. Chris Bairos recently started at the North County pub. Bairos was the People’s Choice – Best Chef at the 2016 Worcester’s Best Chef event. His first order of business was to revamp the menu. They just launched their new Spring Menu.

Calling all nurses.
May 6 is National Nurses Day. What better way to celebrate than a Nurse Pub Crawl on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street? The street is located at the epicenter of three hospitals – UMass Medical on Lake Avenue, UMass Memorial on Belmont Street and St. Vincent’s Hospital downtown. So come and get your blood pressure checked out from your favorite nurse.

Lots of reasons to celebrate in May.
Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and college graduations – they’re all happening in May. If you are looking to bring the whole family out, you can rent out Bootleggers Prohibition Pub on Chandler Street. Bootleggers is surrounded by Clark, Worcester State, Becker, Assumption and WPI, so book early. For Cinco de Mayo, you can’t beat Mezcal across from the DCU Center. Don’t forget Mother’ Day. Several restaurants will offer specials, such as a brunch.

By Paul Giorgio