Like many of us, I haven’t worn a coat for a couple of days, and my mind is all about warm-weather activities like food trucks!
That was even before I got word that Food Truck Fridays would return in May to a spot just outside the downtown Akron core. Yeah, we gotta wait a few weeks. This will be the third year for the weekly lunchtime food truck rally that benefits the nonprofit Child Guidance & Family Solutions. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays in the sizable parking lot of the agency, at North Forge and East Market streets in Akron, just west of Summa Akron City Hospital and state Route 8.
This year, Food Truck Friday will kick off with an evening Frenzy — that’s what the agency is calling it — from 4 to 8 p.m. May 13. It’ll feature a dozen trucks and music by the local band Beyonders. For the lunchtime events, about four trucks will roll in.
Judy Fowler, vice president of vice president of institutional advancement for the agency, told me she’s signed on new food trucks that will be at the Frenzy and will make appearances at the weekly event.
New trucks include Lobster Louies (lobster rolls and other seafood) from Canton Township and Betty’s Bomb A** Burgers out of Cleveland (that’s the way Betty’s spells its cheeky name), and among those returning are Wholly Frijoles, featuring “Mexican street food,” and Orange Trük, featuring a changing menu of “gastro cuisine,” such as alligator po’ boys and Angus burgers.
The trucks give a percentage of sales to the agency that provides counseling and other services to children and their families throughout the area.
Big Tallmadge event
Speaking of food trucks, Tallmadge has become home to one of the largest single-day food truck gatherings in the region.
Twenty trucks already have signed up for this year’s Tallmadge Food Truck Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 22. They will set up in the Tallmadge Recreation Center parking lot at 46 N. Munroe Road, off East Avenue, east of Tallmadge Circle.
This is the third year for the event, and music from the Swizzle Stick Band and activities for kids will be part of the lineup.
Admission is free. Just pay for your food.
For a lineup, go to the Tallmadge Food Truck Festival page on Facebook. For information about sponsorship or truck registration, e-mail Jessica Simons at jsimons@tallmadge-ohio.org.
Local restaurant talk
Didn’t catch the Golden Age of Restaurants in Summit County exhibit last year at the Akron-Summit County Public Library? Local historian Sharon Myers, who helped to create the exhibit, will talk about restaurants of the ’40s through the ’70s at 6 p.m. March 24 at the Mogadore Library, 144 S. Cleveland Ave., south of Mogadore Road, in Mogadore.
She’ll talk about Themely’s, Yanko’s, The Embers, Marcel’s, Iacomini’s and a lot more. Myers has a personal connection: Her father, Charles “Marcel” Moreland, ran Marcel’s, known for its prime rib, on State Road in Cuyahoga Falls. Marcel’s was on a stretch of road with a string of notable eateries, including Palumbo’s, Ciriello’s and DiLullo’s.
Golic’s wine at Acme
Here’s some news to sip on from Joe Semansky Jr., owner of the Red Horse Winery, 5326 Fairland Road in New Franklin, just over the Barberton line.
The winery now has its Bob Golic’s Blackberry Wine in five Acme Fresh Markets. The wine, named for the former Cleveland Browns defensive tackle and radio host on WNIR 100.1-FM, debuted last year.
The wine is in stores in Norton, at 3200 Greenwich Road; Coventry Township, at 3235 Manchester Road; Green, at 3875 Massillon Road in the new Heritage Crossings shopping area; Akron, at 1835 W. Market St.; and the Montrose location, at 3979 Medina Road (state Route 18) in Bath Township.
Semansky, a former salesman for a produce wholesaler, continues to use only fresh Oregon and Washington blackberries to make the wine. It’s a sweet wine, made from “100 percent blackberries,” no grapes, Semansky likes to say.
“We should be in all 16 [Acme] stores by the end of summer, “ he said.
Semansky was full of news when I spoke with him the other day. He and Kelly Cummins, general manager of operations at the winery and Semansky’s girlfriend, have completed a course in wine to gain certification through the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.
They have created the Giddy Up Grill to provide food on those Fridays and Saturdays that they don’t have a food truck or a local roving chef cooking.
This Friday, Chef Tom Finn will offer chicken and marsala on homemade pasta for $9. Solo performer Tommy Lee Thompson, a keyboardist and singer, will provide music from 7 to 10 p.m. On Saturday, Giddy Up Grill will make Italian sausage sandwiches or Italian meatball sandwiches with chips and a salad for $9. Call 330-807-8600 for reservations.
Semansky also said he’s planning on some remodeling of his smallish tasting room. Oh, there’s also a plan to make Red Horse booze, using a small commercial distillery setup.
Braman Chili Cook-Off
This sounds like a fun post-St. Patrick’s Day event: The 10th and final Lauren Audrey Braman Memorial Chili Cook-Off and Dessert Bake-Off will be held at Copley High School, 3807 Ridgewood Road, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
The event is in memory of Lauren, who was 16 when she died of a rare leukemia in 2006. This year, members of the Copley High School Honor Society and Key Club will help out at the event.
It will include a bag raffle, entertainment and recognition of winners of the cook-offs. Judge’s choice and people’s choice awards will be given in various categories. (Yikes, I’ll be the lone judge.)
Lauren’s mother, Cristine Braman, says the event “always has a carnival atmosphere,” and “we have added more chaos this year” in the form of entertainment, primarily student performers, from about 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Braman’s daughter, Kelsey, a freshman at Ohio University, will dance, as will members of Dancing Wheels Company in Cleveland. Braman’s son Kory will perform with his band, Martha Mudge. He’s a junior at Eastern Kentucky University.
To register for the cook-off or for tickets, contact Cristine Braman at 330-618-7814 or cabraman@roadrunner.com. Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Copley-Fairlawn is the sponsor.
Gluten-free cafe
A gluten-free restaurant is on the way.
Jessica and Steve Lewandowski of Fairlawn plan to open One 4 All Cafe in the fall at 1024 Medina Road in Sharon Township. One 4 All refers to the restaurant being a place for folks eating gluten-free or avoiding allergens, Jessica Lewandowski said, including peanuts, milk, soy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and wheat.
The Lewandowskis’ young children were diagnosed with celiac disease less than two years ago, an autoimmune disorder where the small intestine is damaged by eating gluten. While people can be genetically predisposed to the disorder, Jessica and Steve do not have the disease, and were taken off guard.
“I had no idea what gluten-free really was until our kids were diagnosed,” Jessica said. Now, “we know there are a lot of families that don’t have anywhere safe to eat. We just want to cover as many families as we can.”
The place will offer breakfast and lunch; dinners will be available for carry-out. Jessica is planning a simple, “family-friendly” menu, with such items as pizza, burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, Italian lunch meat sandwiches and chicken nuggets.
One 4 All has a Facebook page, but there isn’t much posted yet.
Wine dinner at Bricco
• Bricco in downtown Akron will host its first wine dinner in several years at 6:30 p.m. March 29, reports owner David Glenny. Six courses will be paired with wines by Joseph Drouhin, including Meursault and Gevrey-Chambertin.
Cost is $65, pus tax and tip. For reservations, call 330-475-1600. Bricco is at 1 W. Exchange St., at the corner of Main Street.
• Cabernet Madness from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Galaxy Restaurant in Wadsworth will feature 20 cabernets with light food pairings.
Galaxy sommelier Matt Forrest will be on hand. Cost is $35. Buy tickets online at www.galaxyrestaurant.com. Call 330-334-3663 for information. The Galaxy is at 201 Park Centre Drive, near the state Route 94/Interstate 76 interchange.
Reminders
• It’s almost here. The big Greek Bake Sale at Annunciation Greek Orthodox church in Akron is March 23-24, the Wednesday and Thursday before Western Easter, which is March 27.
Go to www.annunciationakron.org for an order form if you don’t want to risk missing out on your favorite goodie. Order forms and checks must be mailed by Sunday. The 100-year-old church is at 129 S. Union St. adjacent to the University of Akron campus. Call 330-434 -0000 for information.
The sale, a major fundraiser for the church’s women’s board, the Ladies Philoptochos Society, features Easter bread and pastries, including baklava, galaktoboureko (phyllo filled with custard) and kourambiethes (butter cookies coated with powdered sugar) as well as savory treats — spanakopita (spinach and feta in phyllo) and tiropita (cheese in phyllo).
• The Maple Sugar Festival continues at Hale Farm & Village in Bath Township from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Enjoy maple syrup with a pancake breakfast from Acme Catering at the 19th century village/museum in Bath Township, participate in tree-tapping and learn about the process of making syrup. Crafts and trades will be demonstrated throughout the day. Admission for breakfast and activities is $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 3 to 12, $5 for members of Hale Farm. Pancake breakfast only is $5. Reservations are not necessary. For more information, call 330-666-3711 or visit www.halefarm.org.
Easter places to eat
Some area restaurants not normally open on Sunday will open for Easter brunch or dinner.
They include Tangier, which these days primarily is a banquet, event, concert and wedding venue and doesn’t offer regular lunch or dinner hours.
On Easter, Tangier, at 532 W. Market St., will offer seating from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a brunch buffet. The breakfast items will be available until 2 p.m., including scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes and smoked bacon.
Other buffet eats include salads, including Mediterranean antipasto, sides such as mashed sweet potatoes, and various entrees, including baked chicken, prime rib, leg of lamb and cedar planked salmon. Desserts includes assorted mousses, cakes and cobblers. For reservations, call 330-376-7171.
Ken Stewart’s Grille, 1970 W. Market St., Akron. will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a menu that features brunch and regular menu favorites such as Mediterranean salmon, steaks and pan-seared walleye. Call 330-867-2555 for reservations.
The Blue Door Cafe & Bakery at 1970 State Road in Cuyahoga Falls will offer a special brunch menu. This small place specializes in locally grown, seasonal eats. Reservations are a must.
Owner Michael Bruno, an avid Facebook poster, said on the Blue Door’s page: “I didn’t want to write ‘all you can eat’ anywhere because this does sound a bit cheesy but in essence that is what this is. So, the cost of $45 per person will get you as much as you can enjoy of the entire menu.”
To see the menu, go to http://bluedoorcafebakery.com/easter-2016. Call 330- 926-9774.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter.