Latest news with #Sicilian-style
Chicago Tribune
02-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Wednesday evening farmers market set to return in Batavia
Officials from the Batavia MainStreet group have announced the return of the Wednesday evening version of the Batavia Farmers Market beginning Wednesday, June 4. The Wednesday market will run from 5 to 8 p.m. in downtown Batavia every Wednesday through the final Wednesday in August. Last year's initial rollout of the Wednesday market was well received, Batavia MainStreet staff said, as an estimated 500 visitors per week were able to shop for produce, fresh herbs, pastries and more at the weekly event. 'We were pleased at how that turned out and we're excited to be rolling this out and hopefully growing it for the second season,' market coordinator Kathy Kuchta said. The regular Batavia Farmers Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Oct. 25 along North River Street between Wilson and Spring streets in the city's downtown. 'We have about 60 vendors during the Saturday market and about 20 for Wednesday. It's a smaller, more intimate market,' Kuchta said. 'It's just from Wilson to State Street (along North River Street), whereas the Saturday market is obviously much larger and much busier from Wilson all the way to Spring Street, but still with a nice variety of vendors and the same curated quality of vendors that our customers are expecting from us.' The Wednesday market will feature a mixture of Saturday vendors returning mid-week as well as some that are exclusive to the Wednesday event. According to officials from Batavia MainStreet, new offerings at the Wednesday evening market will include Chianti's with sauces and dressings; Fourth Dimension Flavors with homemade soups, stews and chilis; Bella Rosa Cannoli with hand-piped Sicilian-style cannoli and iced Italian sodas; Spring Bluff Nursery with flowers, vegetable plants and hanging baskets; Nada, Nada Limonada; and Umbrella Azul Peruvian Empanadas. Kuchta noted a number of other vendors that will sometimes be at the Saturday market but primarily at the Wednesday evening market include Kernel Dan's Kettle Corn, Birdflower Farm, Blue Stand Cookie Co. and Cakeytown Marshmallows. Other offerings at the Wednesday market include Gather Bakery, The Cookie Maker; along with locally-grown produce from Garlic Breath Farm, Fae Forest Fungi, Hason Microgreens & Herbs and Creek Side Market Garden. Similar to last year, the midweek market is designed to serve a dual purpose, Kuchta said. 'There are people who are busy on the weekends with family events or sports and this gives them an opportunity to shop midweek when they have more time,' she said. 'This is two-fold as there's a smaller, less crowded market space for those not able to make it on Saturdays as well as a way to replenish things midweek which people might have eaten already.' For more information on the market, go to
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ray Ray's Hog Pit to open new location in former Wizard of Za shop
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ray Ray's Hog Pit, a fleet of barbecue eateries featured on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,' is trading one of its food trucks for a new central Ohio storefront inside the space previously home to Wizard of Za. The brand's longtime food truck parked outside Ace of Cups is shuttering to make way for a new brick-and-mortar location inside a shared space with sushi chain Fusian at 4214 N. High St. in the Clintonville neighborhood. Fusian was most recently roommates with Wizard of Za, a pizzeria whose Sicilian-style pies garnered a month-long wait during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trapper Johns Livery reopens with new owner after 2024 closure Closed in January, Wizard of Za was created by Youngstown native Spencer Saylor, who sold his pizza through his Instagram in 2020 and later collaborated with Paceline Restaurants, the owner of Fusian, to move into the Clintonville store. Paceline acquired the Wizard of Za brand in 2022 and expanded with a second location in Dayton that closed last year. Ray Ray's Clintonville move comes after the brand opened its first full-service restaurant inside a historic Marion building on May 13. Although Ray Ray's is known for food trucks and walk-up eateries, the Marion restaurant marks the brand's first foray into full-service dining. Watch a previous report on the Marion restaurant in the video player above. The barbecue fleet is currently home to several other central Ohio eateries, like the food truck parked outside Aardvark Wine & Beer in Linworth. The brand also operates a walk-up window at Land-Grant Brewing in Franklinton, a drive-thru in Westerville, and a casual dine-in and pick-up location in Granville. $250 million facility opens down the road from Intel in New Albany, creating 225 jobs Ray Ray's Reload, one of the brand's renovated food trucks, was parked outside The Bottle Shop in Victorian Village for most of 2024 before moving in November to Hoof Hearted Brewery in the Short North. Chef and Ray Ray's owner James Anderson was featured on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' in 2017, praised for his 'succulent smoked offerings' at the 'one-of-a-kind' barbecue truck. During the episode, Guy Fieri tried Ray Ray's Mangalitsa Brat Burger and St. Louis Spare Ribs. Ray Ray's new Clintonville shop will open in June. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sydney Morning Herald
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Our critic doesn't like to eat out for brunch. This neighbourhood cafe changed his mind
Chef Phil Wood and Lis Davies are the couple behind Cressida (named after their daughter), which is, fundamentally, a nice place to sit on a coffee and read the paper. Cushioned seats are upholstered in marigold stripes, water is poured in Maison Balzac glasses and illustrations of a prancing burger decorate the menu and exterior walls. The real-life cheeseburger is a fun time, too: a beefy, medium-rare patty on a squishy potato bun. Local wildlife (common mynas, twitchy dogs) make short work of crumbs. Tables are spaced far enough apart that you won't hear couples spoiling the Good Weekend Quiz: 'Who puts bloody Worcestershire in prawn cocktail sauce? The answer's Tabasco! I'm writing a letter.' Speaking of, there's a ripper prawn roll here with happy iceberg lettuce and herby sauce ravigote. Fresh produce is a cut above across the board, and the gazpacho is not too acidic, not too cold, just right. Raw tuna is brightly plated with sesame oil-glossed soba, avocado, edamame and radish for what I suppose you'd call a 'health bowl'. I never expected 'Woollahra cafe' and 'great breakfast congee' to be next to each other in a sentence, but here we are. Wood (who also runs two-hatted Ursula's in Paddington with Davies) is one of Sydney's most proficient cross-pollinators of cuisines. Rice is simmered in a chicken stock fragrant with ginger and five-spice, and garnished with shredded chook, jammy chilli sauce, fried peanuts and croutons. It's as punchy as it is stupidly soothing. Wood and head chef Federico Barbuto can be trusted to send the best version of eggs any way you like them, served with toasted Iggy's sourdough, for $19. You can also have that sourdough with Charentes-Poitou butter, oysters and Laurent-Perrier champagne, which is what life's all about, really. That, and the Sicilian-style orange cake made famous by Margie Agostini when she ran her own cafe at the site in the 90s. Wood has revived its light buttery crumb for all morning tea needs.
The Age
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Our critic doesn't like to eat out for brunch. This neighbourhood cafe changed his mind
Chef Phil Wood and Lis Davies are the couple behind Cressida (named after their daughter), which is, fundamentally, a nice place to sit on a coffee and read the paper. Cushioned seats are upholstered in marigold stripes, water is poured in Maison Balzac glasses and illustrations of a prancing burger decorate the menu and exterior walls. The real-life cheeseburger is a fun time, too: a beefy, medium-rare patty on a squishy potato bun. Local wildlife (common mynas, twitchy dogs) make short work of crumbs. Tables are spaced far enough apart that you won't hear couples spoiling the Good Weekend Quiz: 'Who puts bloody Worcestershire in prawn cocktail sauce? The answer's Tabasco! I'm writing a letter.' Speaking of, there's a ripper prawn roll here with happy iceberg lettuce and herby sauce ravigote. Fresh produce is a cut above across the board, and the gazpacho is not too acidic, not too cold, just right. Raw tuna is brightly plated with sesame oil-glossed soba, avocado, edamame and radish for what I suppose you'd call a 'health bowl'. I never expected 'Woollahra cafe' and 'great breakfast congee' to be next to each other in a sentence, but here we are. Wood (who also runs two-hatted Ursula's in Paddington with Davies) is one of Sydney's most proficient cross-pollinators of cuisines. Rice is simmered in a chicken stock fragrant with ginger and five-spice, and garnished with shredded chook, jammy chilli sauce, fried peanuts and croutons. It's as punchy as it is stupidly soothing. Wood and head chef Federico Barbuto can be trusted to send the best version of eggs any way you like them, served with toasted Iggy's sourdough, for $19. You can also have that sourdough with Charentes-Poitou butter, oysters and Laurent-Perrier champagne, which is what life's all about, really. That, and the Sicilian-style orange cake made famous by Margie Agostini when she ran her own cafe at the site in the 90s. Wood has revived its light buttery crumb for all morning tea needs.
Associated Press
06-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Exclusive Interview: Tom Amodei on Patelmo's Pizzeria's Franchise Expansion, Sicilian Recipes & Artisan Pizza Business
From Local Favorite to National Expansion: Patelmo's Pizzeria Brings Sicilian Tradition to Franchise Partners WEST CHESTER, PA, UNITED STATES, March 6, 2025 / / -- Patelmo's Pizzeria, the West Chester institution known for its Sicilian-style pizzas and 100-year-old family recipes, is stepping into the national spotlight with the launch of its franchise model. We sat down with Founder and CEO Tom Amodei to discuss what this expansion means for aspiring entrepreneurs and how Patelmo's plans to deliver authentic, high-quality pizza to new communities. Q: Tom, congratulations on the launch of Patelmo's franchise model. What inspired this decision? Thank you! Patelmo's has always been more than just a pizzeria – it's a reflection of my family's heritage and love for great food. For years, we've had customers ask if we'd consider expanding to new locations, and I realized that franchising was the best way to grow while keeping our core values intact. This model allows us to partner with passionate business owners who want to share authentic Sicilian pizza with their communities. Q: What makes Patelmo's franchise opportunity stand out from others in the market? Our focus is on authenticity and quality. We're not just offering a pizza franchise – we're offering a piece of history. With over 100 years of tradition, our recipes have been passed down through generations, and that craftsmanship resonates with customers. Franchisees receive the benefit of those unique recipes, but they also get comprehensive support, from training to marketing. The goal is to set them up for success right from the start. Q: What kind of support can franchisees expect when they join Patelmo's? We're very hands-on. New franchisees go through two weeks of training at one of our established locations, where they learn everything from crafting the perfect crust to managing day-to-day operations. After that, we spend two weeks on-site with them at their location, guiding them through the launch process. But it doesn't stop there – we provide ongoing marketing support, operational guidance, and growth strategies to ensure long-term success. Q: You mentioned growth – how has Patelmo's performed in recent years? We've been fortunate to see consistent growth. Between 2021 and 2024, our business expanded by 20%. That's largely due to the growing demand for high-quality, artisan pizza. People want more than just a slice – they want an experience, and Patelmo's delivers that. Our loyal customer base keeps coming back because they know they're getting something special. Q: What kind of entrepreneurs are you looking for as franchise partners? We're looking for people who are passionate about food and community. You don't need to have a background in restaurants – we provide the training. What's important is that you value quality, tradition, and customer service. We want franchisees who are excited to build a business and make an impact in their neighborhoods. Q: For someone interested in becoming a franchisee, how can they learn more? It's simple – they can visit our website at or reach out directly to our development team at [email protected]. We're happy to answer any questions and walk them through the process. Q: Finally, what does the future look like for Patelmo's Pizzeria? I'm incredibly excited for what's ahead. This franchise expansion is just the beginning. I envision Patelmo's becoming a household name in cities and towns across the country, delivering that authentic, handcrafted taste of Sicily to more and more people. For more information about Patelmo's Pizzeria franchise opportunities, contact the franchise development team or visit the website today. Thomas Amodei Patelmo's Pizzeria +1 609-922-1735
