You continue to ask, so I continue to check on the opening of 365 by Whole Foods in West Akron.
I spoke with Rachel Dean Wilson with Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods this week, and the best I could get is that she doesn’t “have any updates.”
But I have lots of updates — morsels, tidbits, whatever! — on events around town, including this Saturday’s ethnic festivals. Read on.
Back to Whole Foods, quickly …
The opening does appear to be at least a month away. Wilson, a Whole Foods spokeswoman, said the grocer typically announces an opening date about a month beforehand. As soon as Whole Foods has a “hard date,” she said, she will issue an announcement.
S.J. Collins, the developer of the West Market Street Station that will be anchored by the Whole Foods, initially said the store could open sometime this spring.
The plaza is where the family-owned West Point Market stood for decades. A smaller version of West Point Market is now at 33 Shiawassee Ave. in Fairlawn.
The Whole Foods grocery will be among the first new lower-cost, smaller 365 by Whole Foods stores. Four are open in other states.
Last week, Whole Foods, known for its organic and natural food offerings, revealed a board shake-up as it grapples with declining profits. The chain is facing stiffer competition, as consumers have more places to buy natural and organic foods.
Piada to open soon
In other West Market Street Station news, Piada Italian Street Food, a Columbus chain, plans to open there June 13.
It has created a Facebook event page with the opening date. You can sign up “to be considered” for an invitation for the pre-opening week and “eat for free” by going to https://mypiada.com/vip/akron.
Another Piada is scheduled to open this year in the Portage Crossing development off State Road in Cuyahoga Falls. No opening date has been revealed, but you can sign up for its pre-opening week invitation at https://mypiada.com/vip/cuyahogafalls.
The fast-growing chain dates to 2010 and its founder is Chris Doody, who with his brother, Rick, started Bravo Brio Restaurant Group. It bills itself as “fast-casual,” like Panera and Chipotle, touting fresh ingredients. Customers order at a counter and the food is made in front of them.
Piada’s menu features sandwiches on Italian flatbread, pasta bowls, salads, chips and dip, soups, and cannoli chips for dessert. Piada has more than 30 locations, including in the Belden Village area of Jackson Township and three in the Cleveland area.
It’s festival time
• Spring will be celebrated in food-centric style at the 11th annual Primavara! A Romanian Festival of Spring from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Presentation of Our Lord Orthodox Church, 3365 Ridgewood Road in Fairlawn.
The festival includes a wine tasting at 6:15 p.m. Friday at the church. Cost is $30. To register, call 330-334-1616.
On Saturday, the festival will showcase artisan foods, coffees, pastries, Romanian beers and wines all available for sale, as well as carnival-style games and entertainment, including a bounce house for kids. Ethnic dancers and musicians will perform throughout the day.
• Also Saturday, the Maifest 2017 dinner dance, sponsored by the Akron German Family Society, will kick off at 5:30 p.m. at the society’s hall at 3871 Ranfield Road in Brimfield Township.
The Junior Youth Group will perform along with K&C Band. Tickets are $20, $5 for ages 12 or younger. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 330-633-3949 or 330-335-8985.
Food Truck Fridays
Food Truck Fridays returns this week to the nonprofit Child Guidance & Family Solutions. The grub will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays through Sept. 1. Look for the trucks in the parking lot of the agency at 18 N. Forge St., just west of Summa Akron City Hospital and state Route 8.
The trucks give a percentage of sales to the agency that provides counseling and other services to children and their families. Visit the Akron Food Truck Friday Facebook page for updates.
Tallmadge truck rally
One of the area’s biggest single-day food truck rallies — this year with 28 trucks — returns to Tallmadge on Sunday.
The event, organized by the Tallmadge Parks and Recreation Department, will run from noon to 6 p.m. in the Tallmadge Recreation Center parking lot at 46 N. Munroe Road, off East Avenue, east of Tallmadge Circle.
This is important: Because of the festival’s popularity, parking will be available at Tallmadge High School (140 N. Munroe Road) and Munroe Elementary School (230 N. Munroe Road). A shuttle will transport people to the main event.
The Swizzle Stick Band will play, and there will be a large play area for kids. Admission is free.
Jessica Simons, manager of parks and recreation for Tallmadge, said last year’s event attracted more than 10,000 people.
Kent art and wine
Main Street Kent Art & Wine Festival, in its 11th year, will run from noon to 10 p.m. June 3.
The event at the Hometown Bank Plaza and surrounding areas will feature artists, Ohio wineries, food trucks and live music. Entry is free. Wine tasting tickets will be available for purchase that day — $20 gets you 10 tickets and a commemorative glass.
The event is presented by the Main Street Kent nonprofit and Kent State University’s College of the Arts. For details including a list of wineries, go to http://mainstreetkent.org.
Wine events
• Winemaker Mac McDonald be on hand at a Vision Cellars tasting from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at H2 Wine Merchants at 221 S. Court St. in Medina.
McDonald, the son of a Texas moonshiner, established his winery in California. He is one of the few African- Americans in the winemaking business. The event is presented by locally owned wine distributor Bottle to Glass.
• Former lightweight boxing champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, a native of Youngstown, will sign bottles of his Southpaw Knockout Red Blend wine at Fishers Foods in North Canton from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 26.
It’s part of the Spring/Summer Top 16 tasting. In addition to sampling wines picked by Fishers’ owner Jeffrey Fisher, guests can munch on appetizers prepared by catering chef Joe Pileggi. Cost is $10.
• Ken Stewart’s Grille at 1970 W. Market St. in Akron will host a four-course dinner, featuring wines from Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard in California, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Courses include grilled spicy shrimp with arugula, grilled pears, goat cheese, garlic crouton and citrus vinaigrette; and barbecue glazed bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, sweet potato carpaccio and tempura scallions.
Cost is $65 plus tax and tip. Call 330-697-6917 for reservations.
Free cake tasting
Reeves Cake Shop, 2770 Cory Ave., Akron, will host a free tasting featuring 15 flavors of cakes from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
This is a smaller version of its January tasting. For more information, call 330-848-1036. The cake shop celebrated 40 years last year.
Donate pots, pans
Recycle Pots & Pans, a nonprofit that collects used kitchenware for people in need, will be accepting donations from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Countryside Farmers’ Market at Howe Meadow, 4040 Riverview Road, Cuyahoga Falls, near Peninsula.
Cara Piombo, who is with the organization, said Recycle Pots & Pans is now working with 26 agencies to distribute the items “and we could use more donations than ever.”
Abbe Turner, who owns Lucky Penny Creamery in Kent, founded the charity after spotting a box of pots and pans on a curb on move-out day at Kent State University. She knew people commonly leave behind kitchenware when they have to move quickly because of a crisis. She also knew people can collect too much kitchenware. To see the event Facebook page, go to http://bit.ly/2qkUYmL.
The market runs from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Oct. 28 at Howe Meadow.
The other Countryside Farmers Market, at Highland Square in Akron, begins its season Thursday. The market will run from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sept. 28 at a new location: Will Christy Park, at 1175 W. Exchange St.
Recipe correction
Thank you, dear readers, who caught the mistake we didn’t. The recipe in last week’s column for the vanilla bean cheesecake called for ½ cup of brown sugar, yet the directions called for just ¼ cup.
I spoke with Herb Kaiser, the Aurora resident who created the cheesecake, and he said he goofed. The recipe uses ¼ cup brown sugar — all of it in the pecan crust.
Kaiser created the recipe, including a topping of mango and honey, that took top dessert honors at this year’s Men Who Cook fundraiser for Summa Health System’s Summa at Home, the nonprofit program that offers home health care, hospice and palliative care.
Send local food news to Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.