Two local cooks are semifinalists in the online voting to determine who will compete in the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off in Las Vegas in November.
For the first time, all 100 competitors are being determined by online voting, in various categories. The final category, Quick Rise and Shine Breakfasts, is now open for voting through Sept. 26. There are 60 semifinalists in the breakfast category, including six from Ohio. So far, no Ohioan has made it to the final round in other categories.
Wooster resident Dennis Deel’s Cheesy Chorizo Breakfast Pizza and Canton resident Janet Gill’s Mocha Cappuccino Pull-Apart Coffee Cake are among the semifinalists. Visit www.bakeoff.com to vote for them.
UA club hosts brunch
The Hospitality Club at the University of Akron is hosting a Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 29, at the Crystal Room Bistro, 200 E. Exchange St., inside Gallucci Hall on the UA campus.
The menu includes chef stations for omelets, pasta and carved prime rib, as well as bacon, sausage, roasted chicken, hash browns, roasted potatoes, vegetable medley, salad, rolls and desserts.
The brunch is $16.95 for adults, $13.95 for students. Children age 3 and younger are free. Phone 330-972-6615 for reservations. Major credit cards and Zipcards are accepted.
Coach House cookie book
If you’ve ever been to the Coach House Theatre in Akron, you’ll know that cookies and coffee have always been part of the theater’s hospitality.
Now those cookie recipes are available to everyone.
Cookies from the Coach House is a new book containing recipes for more than 175 cookies. The recipes include bar cookies, drop cookies, holiday cookies, no-bake cookies, and even gluten-free.
The book, which is a fundraiser for the theater, is $10, and can be purchased at the theater, or by calling the box office at 330-434-7741.
In local restaurant news
• The new Burntwood Tavern location in Cuyahoga Falls, 2291 Riverfront Parkway, is open. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Visit www.burntwood tavern.com for more information.
• A Pronto Casual Italian is in the works for 22 E. Exchange St., in downtown Akron. The eatery, next door to House of Hunan, will offer pasta, pizza, stromboli, coffee and espresso. No word on an opening date yet.
• The new Menchie’s, which opened at 1090 Williams Reserve Blvd. in Wadsworth, will be hosting a grand-opening week Saturday through Sept. 27 with lots of giveaways.
After the ribbon-cutting on Saturday, there will be free frozen yogurt from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The shop, owned by Mark Hotes and Scott Wilson, is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Phone 330-421-6043.
Fall wine trail tours set
Wineries in the Akron-Canton-Youngstown area are hosting a Fall Frolic Wine Trail on Fridays and Saturdays.
Participants can visit the wineries in any order on any weekend. When you visit the first winery, you will receive a wine glass, which can be used at each stop for wine samples and appetizers. Participants also will receive a cork coaster with the winery’s logo on it at each stop.
The trail was designed to offer a framework for fall foliage viewing as well. Maps for participants include lists of restaurants and lodging in the area surrounding the wineries.
The tour is from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 20, 21, 27, 28, and Oct. 4 and 5.
Participating wineries are: Barrel Run Crossing in Rootstown, Bluebird Winery in Malvern, Breitenbach Wine Cellars in Dover, Grape and Granary in Akron, Lil Paws Winery in West Milton, Maize Valley Winery in Hartville, Mastropietro Winery in Berlin Center, School House Winery in Dover, Silver Moon Winery in Dover and Swiss Heritage Winery in Dover.
Tickets are $50 per couple or $40 for a single traveler, and can be purchased by calling 800-227-6972 or at www.OhioWines.org.
Movie on ending hunger
The League of Women Voters and the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank are teaming up for a showing of the movie A Place at the Table at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at Tallmadge High School, 140 N. Munroe Road, Tallmadge.
The movie, which explores the implications of hunger in a community, will be followed by a discussion on how to end hunger. The movie is free and open to the public.
Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at labraham@thebeaconjournal.com. Find me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @akronfoodie or visit my blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/lisa.