Florida Woman Tried to Trade Car for Kind of Chalky yet Iconic Massachusetts Candy

Welcome back to AM Intel, a round-up of mini news bites to kick off the day.

My Kingdom for a Necco Wafer

With old-timey Massachusetts candy brand New England Confectionary Co. (Necco) in trouble and looking for a buyer, sparking a “Great Necco Wafer Panic,” one Florida woman who really loves the signature chalky Necco Wafers isn’t looking to buy the business — but she does hope to buy up as many of the candies as possible, reportedly offering to trade her 2003 Honda Accord for wholesaler Candystore.com’s entire stock. (They declined, but she managed to buy four dozen rolls with money, not her car.) No word on whether she bought the rainbow of assorted flavors, the vastly superior chocolate packs, or a combination, but as the Boston Globe reports, they hold a special nostalgia for her as she and her siblings would eat them — pretending they were Communion wafers — while playing “church” at their grandmother’s house. Update, 9:30 a.m.: Per a rep for Candystore.com, the Necco fan purchased one box of the original assorted packs and one box of the chocolate ones.

The Robots Are Coming

As Spyce gets closer to opening in Downtown Crossing this spring (241 Washington St., Boston) — featuring a robotic kitchen and some culinary advising from acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud — it snagged a nice feature in the New Yorker. The management team has earned the nickname “the Spyce boys,” of course, and the seven cameras that help the robotic kitchen run are named for the Seven Dwarfs.

“If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It”

Dorchester Reporter profiles Pit Stop Barbecue (888A Morton St., Boston), which has been serving up brisket, ribs, and more in Mattapan for over 30 years. The restaurant changed hands in 2007, and new owner Darrell Debnam attempted to make a few updates to the recipes, but he quickly returned to original owner Lawrence Jeter’s recipes when it became clear that customers weren’t looking for change. While the thought of opening another location has crossed Debnam’s mind, for now he’s keeping busy running the original one.

Burgers on Wheels

Reality television burger slingers the Wahlbergs are adding a Boston food truck to their growing Wahlburgers empire; it’s slated to be ready this month. It’s a bit late to get onto the city’s spring food truck schedule this year, but there’s a form on the Wahlburgers website to hire the truck for special events with a minimum of 50 people at lunchtime or 75 for dinner. No word yet on whether it will have a regular vending schedule in the future or just stick with private events. Update, 3:30 p.m.: The truck will be stationed at Dorchester’s South Bay Center — the eventual home of a Wahlburgers brick-and-mortar location — on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays unless catering a private event offsite. On Thursday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., some Wahlberg family members and CEO Rick Vanzura will be onsite to debut the truck, serving a $5 burger and tot meal. (The first 100 customers get it for free.)

And in Other Food Truck News...

Somerville-based restaurant and food truck Pennypacker’s shared frustration earlier this week when Vice President Mike Pence’s Boston visit apparently forced the food truck off the road for the day with little notice, no reimbursement for the rent already paid on that parking spot, and no alternate spot offered. “We are shut down today so Mike Pence and Donald Trump can have a fundraiser,” Pennypacker’s posted on Instagram. “Worth Boston employees losing work? Thanks a lot Boston for helping your small business.” Boston is a notoriously difficult city in which to start a new food truck business — and it’s not so easy to keep one running, either.

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