Swedish clothier H&M continues its rapid U.S. expansion with a second store in the Sacramento region opening Sept. 6 at Folsom's Palladio at Broadstone, the outdoor center on East Bidwell at Iron Point Road.

H&M spokeswoman Nicole Christie said the first 100 customers will get shopping passes worth anywhere from $10 to $300.

Of H&M's choice of Folsom, Christie said: "We depend on foot traffic, and there is already existing, strong foot traffic that will benefit our business."

The retailer, which has had a store in the Roseville Galleria since 2008, has made its name by sealing deals with couture houses such as Lanvin, Chanel and Marni to create collections at bargain prices.

Although popular with fashion-conscious buyers, the retailer weathered a string of quarters where profits had declined last year. Its fortunes have improved this year.

Foodlink keeps truckin'

Most of us would hire truckers if we had to deliver 122 million pounds of food to 2 million needy people as far north as Yreka and as far south as Imperial.

Silly us.

The California Emergency Foodlink, the mother of all food banks based in Sacramento's Depot Park, ships meat, poultry, dairy products, and fresh and canned produce to food banks in all 58 California counties. Yet its staff of nearly 30 includes just seven truckers.

Student drivers, accompanied by instructors, make the lion's share of deliveries. You see, Foodlink created a trucking school to do the work while also helping others find work. There is no tuition.

Doug Devine, 35, and Jon Ridley, 52, are typical students. Neither knew anything about driving a big rig before enrolling. Devine graduated Friday with a job at Schneider National. Ridley is beginning his internship.

"I was in the construction field … and when the housing market fell, I got laid off," Ridley said. "I was working for Labor Ready doing odd jobs … and the economy was just not allowing companies to hire."

Both Ridley and Devine have spoken with students who paid $3,000 or more for trucking school but who envied the mentoring and hands-on training the two men got.

"I was going to do one of my tests at the DMV, and I told them (instructors) the day before that I wasn't doing it. I couldn't do it," Devine said. "The instructor said, 'Meet me here at 6 in the morning. From 6 to 7, I was with him alone practicing over and over again. I went to the DMV that day and aced it."

Even after they move on from Foodlink, students who have done their internships there often keep the connection alive. Officials say a number of them return to volunteer during holiday food drives.

Tips on perfect icy treats

Chef Molly Hawks, whose Granite Bay restaurant Hawks is known for its haute cuisine, is showing home cooks how to make lettuce cups and ice pops on the Sam's Club website.

"One of my children is in preschool and I kind of played around with something I could get her to eat," said Hawks, who settled on lettuce wraps. "I thought it was a cute concept for a lunchbox because I can put the ingredients in different containers, and she can assemble it herself to get her playing with the food."

Hawks joined what Sam's Club is calling its chef brigade last year, joining "Top Chef" contender Dale Talde and barbecue champ Troy Black.

In the video for Hawks' ice pop recipe, made from cantaloupe and watermelon, the chef said she picks up her produce at Sam's Club. Marketing experts have said the partnerships with chefs will help drive consumers to the warehouse store's Facebook page and website, samsclub.com/meals.

While Hawks was on the phone, I asked whether she still had plans to expand. She said she hopes to open her casual dining place at the intersection of Stockton and Alhambra boulevards in Sacramento within a year.

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