Sweets & savory. Sweet on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street will expand its menu and offer savory dishes for dinner. This is a take on the tapas craze, with dishes for sharing and small plates. The restaurant will offer dishes such as lamb sausage over lentils or Chef Alina Eisenhauer’s take on Korean nachos. Once you are done with dinner, leave room for dessert.

Mourning Arthur Furtado. Arthur Furtado, owner of The Pic on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street recently passed away from diabetes-related complications. Furtado was only 30 years old. He will be missed by his family, co-workers and customers.

Italy in Webster. Mama Dolce’s Café, an Italian restaurant, opened at 8 Davis St. in Webster. The restaurant opened its doors in the middle of November and has been busy ever since. The business is owned by Nancy Zecco. Zecco said that she named the place for her mother, who must have been a sweet lady. Zecco plans on introducing music in the not-too-distant future. Try it out.

Italian in Worcester. It looks like Rod Haddad, of Shrewsbury’s Napoli Restaurant, is making progress on his plans to open a second restaurant. This one is on Plantation Street, near the intersection of Franklin. Haddad has gone before the Worcester Planning Board to get his approvals.

One less Italian in Worcester. Ziti’s Restaurant on Harding Street in the Canal District closed its doors at the end of December. The owners will concentrate on their restaurant in Westborough, which is closer to Boston.

Mexican in the Canal. El Patron Mexican Restaurant will take over the space now occupied by Ziti’s. The owner is Jose Cazares, who is a second-generation restaurateur. He grew up working in his mother’s restaurants in Mexico. According to Cazares, the food will be authentic, using his mother’s recipes. Look for a mid-January opening.

They say the wings are wicked. Snows Clam Box at 321 West Boylston St. in Worcester’s Greendale section has closed down, and the space is being taken over by the Norton brothers, Nick and Andy, who also own Wild Willy’s next door. The Nortons plan to open a wing place. If they do the wings like they do their burgers, they will have a hit on their hands. The burgers are big and juicy, and hopefully, the wings will be, too. Wicked Wings will open in a month after some renovations.

Neil Rogers jumps stoves. Neil Rogers, formerly of Volturno and last year’s winner of Worcester’s Best Chef, has joined Niche Hospitality Group as their executive chef de cuisine and will be responsible for food development. After a tour of Niche’s restaurants, Rogers will assume his duties at Niche’s commissary, located adjacent to Mezcal in Worcester. No word on who is taking over for him at Volturno.

Girl Scout cookie challenge. The annual Girl Scout Fork It Over fundraiser will be held Feb. 26 at the Beechwood Hotel. Chefs are challenged to come up with an innovative recipe using Girl Scout cookies. Chefs need to respond by Jan. 8, 2015, if they want to take part.

By Paul Giorgio