Canton Food Tours Photo Blog

Who: You and fellow food lovers in Northeast Ohio!

What: Canton Food Tours

Where: All throughout the Greater Canton Area, Stark County, OH

When: ANYTIME of the year!

Why: To learn about the history, architecture, and art of Canton while dining on some of its greatest dishes!
How: Just get in touch with Barb Abbott of Canton Food Tours to get started!

Photos by OHventures

 

 

 

At Lynda Tuttle Art Gallery

At Lucca

Food From Lucca

Improving Your Lung Health

 

 

Improving Your Lung Health

by Michael J. Evans

for Compass Media LLC

 

Breathing is something that many of us tend to take for granted. However, lung cancer and lung-related diseases are an increasing epidemic in the country. With the growing prevalence of respiratory conditions and diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chances are you or someone you know is affected, finding themselves "fighting for air" on a daily basis.

 

In many cases, making positive changes to your lifestyle can dramatically decrease your chances of being diagnosed with such illnesses. Putting yourself in an environment that is smoke free and pollution free is the most obvious and most important step to take. Quitting smoking can be difficult for many, but doing so will dramatically improve one's health in an extraordinary number of ways. Your lungs will thank you, and so will the lungs of those around you. 

 

Living in a home where someone smokes or spending time close to others while they smoke poses many health threats. We have known these things for years, yet the addictive quality of nicotine keeps people from kicking the habit for good. If you or someone you love needs help eliminating cigarettes from their life for good, visit Freedom From Smoking online at www.LungUSA.org.

 

In addition to quitting smoking (which is the number one cause of lung cancer), it is important to address the possibility of radon in your surroundings (which is the second leading cause of lung cancer). Radon is an odorless and colorless gas which can enter your home through your water pipes or cracks in your walls or floors. A home test is inexpensive and easy. To learn more about how you can protect youself from radon and how to get your house tested for the presence of this gas in your home, visit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website on the subject at www.epa.gov/radon.

 

READ MORE AT COMPASS MEDIA (PAGES 40-42)
OR PICK UP A HARD COPY OF THE MAGAZINE ON STANDS IN THE CANTON AREA IN APRIL!

10 OHventurous Restaurants

Photos by OHventures. Clockwise From Top Left: Youngstown Crab Company, Melt Bar & Grilled in Cleveland, Crave in Akron, Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace in Columbus, Olive: An Urban Dive in Dayton.

It's time to get adventurous with your food! Here are some of the handpicked best Ohio restaurants that are not afraid to be bold and different with their flavors! Make this a checklist for you to use while traveling the state in search of some unique, memorable meals!

1. Olive: An Urban Dive (Dayton): A true Dayton original, Olive: An Urban Dive is refreshing, eclectic, and surprising in a very good way. Its motto is: "local over import, labor over convenience and service over everything else." It discretely blends in with the metropolitan backdrop of Dayton's downtown roads and humbly presents total knockouts on every dish.Everything found at Olive: An Urban Dive was flavorful, fresh, and fantastic (how is that for alliteration?). The restaurant prides itself in all of these things, along with the fact that they don't even own a microwave or can opener! They have an abundance of gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and kosher offerings without sacrificing taste. The feel of the diner also adds to the overall experience.

2. Der Dutchmann (Sugar Creek, Walnut Creek, Berlin): The perfect place to become educated and experience the minimalist lifestyle of the Amish is at one of the five Der Dutchman Restaurants in Ohio. The menu consists of many hearty "comfort" foods in generous portions that will leave you stuffed (trust me). I opted to order the Amish Kitchen Buffet so that I could get a sample of all of the different foods offered at Der Dutchman. I piled my plate high with mashed potatoes, salad, baked beans with bacon, ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and "broasted" chicken (breaded roasted chicken), which melted in my mouth! I also quenched my thirst with their homemade iced tea, as well as bread rolls slathered with their specially made apple butter and sweet syrupy peanut butter (which surprisingly had hints of marshmallow and maple). 

3. Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace (Columbus): Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace is the epitome of novelty. It's not a tacky kind of novelty, but a breath of fresh air to the downtown Columbus scene. Dirty Frank's boasts a bright yellow awning that begs you to come inside. The hot dog joint has creative combos you'd never think to cook up back home. Or if you have, it has catchy quirky names to refer to them by. For instance, Laura's Pittsburgh Princess (french fries, coleslaw, and vinegar ON the hot dog), Zippity Zam (sriracha cream cheese with roasted red peppers), or one of my favorites, the Classy Lady (crumbled potato chips and cheddar cheese). 

Photo Courtesy of The Golden Lamb 

4. Golden Lamb (Lebanon): The legendary Golden Lamb in Lebanon (Warren County) is known across the state (and country) for its extensive history and impressive guest list! Established in 1803 (the same year that Ohio became a state), the restaurant and inn holds the title of the oldest continuously operating business in the State of Ohio! In over 200 years of operation, The Golden Lamb has served up hearty comfort foods and offered overnight stay for such prominent figures as authors Mark Twain (Samuel Clemons) and Charles Dickens, as well as twelve United States Presidents, including William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, Ulysses S. Grant, Howard Taft, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and more!

5. Melt Bar & Grilled (Cleveland): Everyone loves cheese! Which is what makes "Melt" such a smashing (seemingly overnight) success! Melt has taken our favorite childhood food staple and revoluntionized it! What used to be nothing more than two pieces of Wonderbread, a slice of Kraft Singles American cheese, and a side some Campbell's tomato soup has now become an artform with dozens and dozens of creative, wacky and delicious fixings. Some examples of their fun grilled cheese sammies are: "Parmageddon" which includes 2 cheese and potato pierogis, sauerkraut, cheddar cheese and onions, "The Godfather" which has three-cheese lasagna, provolone and red sauce; and the "Purple Parma" (eggplant, tomato, pesto and provolone).

Canton Food Tours

Canton Food Tours founder Barb Abbott at the McKinley Monument

I have been to the City of Canton many times in my day, but never had I experienced it the way I did just a couple months ago when I went on a fun-filled and flavorful journey through town with the Canton Food Tours. 

Founded in May 2012 by entrepreneuer Barb Abbott,  Canton Food Tours is a unique way to tour the city, learning not only about local eats, but also about the rich history, architecture, and art of the area. There is a wide variety of tours available to choose from. Some are themed around a geographical region (such as the Warehouse District Tour), a specific cuisine (such as the Heat Seekers Tour or Just Desserts Tour), or you can create your own personal, gathering to meet your own interests!

The tours last a couple of hours and typically cost a very reasonable $40-$50 a person. Depending on the itinerary, tours are traveled on foot, or by a conversion van that provides transportation to further destinations. No matter what tour you go on, you are bound to discover something new and impressive about Canton, in a fun and exciting setting! 

Along with about a dozen other friends and tour guide (Barb Abbott herself), we hit the streets for a tasty trip specially tailored for our friend's birthday. After learning a bit about the industrial history of the city (such as the original vacuum manufacturing plant of the Hoover Company), we put our appetites to the test at our very first spot in town: Lucca, an Italian restaurant located on 4th Street and Cleveland Avenue. Here, we were treated to local pecorino cheese, fresh greens, and red wine while seated around the swanky, slick bar.

Our walking tour took us next to Tozzi's Downtown, another classy Italian restaurant complete with a live jazz band! We helped ourselves to platters of hot peppers, cured meats, and garlic bread while ordering drinks galore (not included). At the next stop, however, alcoholic drinks were included! Picciano's Martini Lounge located in downtown Canton on Market Avenue was a favorite on our tour! We snacked on sushi and washed it down with a chocolate martini!

Clockwise: Lynda Tuttle Art Center, Basil Asian Bistro, Tozzi's, Lucca. Photo by OHventures.

Lynda Tuttle's Art Center was a special stop on the tour. While it did not include food, this awesome art gallery set up a do-it-yourself crafting session led by the one and only Lynda Tuttle. We got step-by-step instructions on how to make our very own music note ornaments (since it was Christmastime and the birthday boy is a musician). This was a much needed and very enjoyable portion of our night!

To round things out, our group took our ornaments and made it to our last restaurant, Basil Asian Bistro. Here, we had delicious bonbon chicken, pad thai, and of course birthday cake! With a final toast from all of our friends to Canton Food Tours and Barb Abbott, we already began thinking of when our next tour will