Over the past several years, frightening statistics have been released revealing that minimum wage earners working 40 hours per week cannot afford to live above poverty level -- meaning they cannot afford rent on their own, their food budget is negligible, and of course, cable and WiFi are out of the question.

So how do highly successful conglomerates help struggling employees whose hard work made it possible for the income of CEOs to increase 725 percent over the past 30 years?

Well, McDonald's has a better idea. Instead of helping those who need it most, why not lend an unnecessary hand to another huge multinational? Like JPMorgan Chase.

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all photos by Carla Torres

Veal should never be taken for granted

Sometimes in life we often take greatness for granted. Just because something or someone has been around for a while, we get complacent and do not feel the need to visit them or show just how special they are to us. That we need them.Joey's hasn't forgotten to show love to the Wynwood community.

In honor of the changing of seasons and to show gratitude, it is having a "Cantina Sale" today and tomorrow. Think garage sale only the garage is really the wine vault, and the sale is a four-course dinner.

See also:
- Joey's Restaurant Is a Wynwood Winner
- Behind the Line at Joey's Wynwood (Photos)

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Iron Fork: A battle of two chefs (with plenty of food for you).

The super-mega Iron Fork/Miami Spice Kickoff, presented by the Miami Downtown Development Authority, is getting closer, and two chefs are training hard for a battle of skills and wit in a challenge that is so intense that only one can make it out alive.

What two Miami chefs are brave enough to accept this competition filled with knives, fire, and blood?

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Funky Buddha taking over the taps at Lokal.

Yes, we know. You've been meaning to check out Funky Buddha Brewery ever since it opened in Oakland Park less than a month ago. But, ya know, things come up. And it's so far away -- even farther than Hallandale Beach!

But how about if the brewery comes to you? Or, to be more precise, to Lokal Burgers and Beer?

See also: Lokal Burgers and Beer Does the Harlem Shake

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gordonramsaysubmissions via Flickr

Chef Ramsay likes playing with lambs and making contestants cry.

What do Miami chefs Robyn Almodovar, Paula DaSilva, and Ralph Pagano have in common besides knowing how to whip up a damn good meal? They've all been featured on the Fox reality show Hell's Kitchen, and you can be next.

Although Season 11 hasn't yet wrapped, chef Gordon Ramsay is searching for more contestants for Season 13. There will be stops in Beantown, the City of Brotherly Love, and other metro areas; the producers will hit up the Magic City this weekend to search for America's next favorite executive chef. The open casting call will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel.

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By now our lovely regular readers are familiar with Voice Places, the listings engine behind all of Miami New Times' restaurant reviews and calendar picks. Today that engine got a lot more powerful, with a new design that brings even more content to the fore.

Among the changes:

• Cleaner design with editorial and reader reviews brought to the fore
• More lateral links between pages
• A blog section to keep the homepage fresh
• Integration with Foursquare
• Trending events and locations
• Improved photo galleries

Take a look. You'll find more pictures, more stories, more user reviews (hey, that's you), and even integration with tips from Foursquare. If you're already a commenter on Short Order, you can begin leaving reviews immediately. Otherwise, it sounds like you have some good excuses to sign up.

Follow Short Order on Facebook, on Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.

RA Sushi

RA Sushi's Tootsy Maki: get it free today.

For those of you keeping track of food holidays, happy International Sushi Day. The "holiday" was first listed in Chase's Calendar of Events in 2010.

Restaurant chain RA Sushi was actually responsible for making this holiday official, declaring the day a "holiday" in 2010 and having the sushi-centric celebration entered into Chase's Calendar of Events, which is the most comprehensive listing of holidays, events, and birthdays in the world. According to Chase, by the way, today is also Paul McCartney's birthday -- so you might want to order a vegetarian roll when celebrating International Sushi Day in Sir Paul's honor.

Here are three restaurants where you can snag a special deal for this special day.

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billwisserphoto.com

Joel Pollock sniffs a sample of beans from the roaster.

Of all the competitors at Panther Coffee on a recent Friday night, Jed Baxter slurps the loudest. It's a sharp noise, like a vacuum sucking up a spilled drink. The rules of the game are simple. Before him sit 12 cups of coffee, arranged in sets of three. In each group, two brews are the same; one is different. Baxter must identify the odd cup out.

Wearing cuffed camouflage jeans and dark oxfords, he turns to his skittish rival. Does she stand a chance? Not likely. Baxter has tattoos. And his slurps intimidate.

Quickly, the 25-year-old professional coffee taster dunks a silver spoon into one cup, slurps, and moves on to the next. He pushes the final cup past the finish line. The four-minute mark soon arrives. Hands up! He gets four out of four correct and whisks on to the second round.

But not everyone in the crowd is a pro. At this inaugural event called Tridays, there are tourists, a giggly kid in sandals, and New Times staff writers Terrence McCoy and Michael E. Miller. Even I signed up -- mostly for research -- but also because I was under the notion I knew a thing or two about coffee. (I was wrong.)

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Lyssa Goldberg

Frozen Yogurt: a sweet treat to beat the heat.

We're officially halfway through National Frozen Yogurt Month and well into the 90-degree-temperature season (even though summer doesn't begin until Friday). So as a tribute to the only thing that can cool us down both physically and mentally, Short Order came up with a list of the five reasons frozen yogurt is the answer to all of your problems.

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Emily Codik

All of this for less than 9 bucks.

Antonio Vecchio is on the phone. It's a weekday at noon at his tiny Coral Gables restaurant, Gusto Fino, and the place is slammed. "Hot pastrami or cold pastrami?" he asks. The soup of the day, he says, is spicy chicken with pancetta and vegetables. He scribbles on a scrap of paper, hangs up, and sends the delivery order to the kitchen. He takes a short break.

"We've got the best security in Coral Gables," he says with a wide grin. "Those are three detectives in the back."

A photo hanging on the wall shows two policemen holding tomatoes. "Suspicious tomatoes?" reads one thought bubble. "Bro, you can't fool him," reads the other. On the Italian deli's to-go menu, some items are marked with a small badge. The symbol denotes Coral Gables Police Department favorites.

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