A light touch with toffee

New England Toffee Company was started in Acton by Kathy Frizzell when she tried to duplicate a family Christmas gift. Her version of the candy was so popular at a fund-raiser where her husband worked that he cajoled the then-unemployed mother of three into starting a business. That was January 2003, and with the use of a local church's commercial kitchen, New England Toffee was soon up and running. Frizzell had her first sale the next month. What sets this toffee apart from others is that it is light - it melts in the mouth, doesn't stick to the teeth, and is not made with corn syrup. There are 12 flavors; the most popular are milk chocolate, almonds and milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and almonds and dark chocolate. Frizzell also uses pecans, and there's a cinnamon and sugar toffee she created for a young daughter who didn't like chocolate or nuts. Available at Donelan's Supermarket Café, 248 Great Road, Acton, 978-635-9893; Derby Orchards, 438 Great Road, Stow, 978-897-7507; Verrill Farm, 11 Wheeler Road, Concord, 978-369-4494; Westward Orchards, 178 Massachusetts Ave. (Route 111), Harvard, 978-456-8363; and newenglandtoffee.com. - RACHEL TRAVERS

"Sometimes when American customers come in here they think they're in the wrong place," says Cecilia Yu, who co-owns East Chinatown restaurant in North Quincy with her brother-in-law. The restaurant's clientele is 95 percent Chinese, she says, mostly residents from nearby neighborhoods. East Chinatown specializes in Cantonese seafood, but they also put out a kung pao chicken ($7.95) that tastes like a version someone's mom might make. It's not authentic Chinese, Yu explains, but she hopes that customers looking for Chinese-American standbys will discover the crab, oyster, and duck dishes on the menu and find themselves in the right place after all. East Chinatown, 415 Hancock St., Quincy, 617-472-9928. - LEIGH BELANGER

Chances are you've never eaten fresh shrimp. They're hard to come by. So chances are you've never tried an eco-friendly, family-farmed, artisanal, sustainable, hand-peeled shrimp either. CleanFish, a San Francisco-based seafood company with an ethical mission, is now selling just that to restaurants here, and soon to retail locations. Most other shrimp is doused in chemical preservatives and frozen before shipment. CleanFish's Laughing Bird Caribbean White Shrimp is very sweet; the sugars haven't yet converted to starches. In addition to the taste benefits, CleanFish's aquaculture methods aren't destructive to the environment. Chances are the menu won't say that what you're eating is good for you and the ocean, but you'll taste the difference. Available at Grill 23 & Bar, 161 Berkeley St., 617-542-2255; Oishii, 1166 Washington St., 617-482-8868; The Blue Room, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, 617-494-9034; dbar, 1236 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, 617-265-4490. - DARRY MADDEN

In the culinary world, saying that something contains everything isn't necessarily a good thing. But instead of being a dumping ground for ingredients, Everything Cookies ($2.85 each) at L'Aroma Cafe on Newbury Street are a perfectly balanced mix of chocolate chips, pecans, coconut, and dried cranberries. Prepared every day in a nearby bakery and delivered to the cafe by the dozens, the deliciously buttery oatmeal-based cookies are big enough to share, but you'll probably want to keep them all to yourself. "Customers have tried to make them at home, but they haven't quite figured it out," says L'Aroma's manager, Emily Fortin. Available at L'Aroma Cafe, 85 Newbury St., 617-412-4001. - JEAN KRESSY

Our Thanksgiving Food section will be published on Wednesday, Nov. 14. A special section will come out on Monday, Nov. 19. There will be no Food section on Wednesday, Nov. 21.