The Cake Boss and other celebrity bakers have nothing on West Side Bakery’s Barb Talevich when it comes to outrageously creative cakes.
There’s the cake the local bakery made in the shape of a giant burrito, with lettuce and tomatoes spilling out one end. A bride had it made for her groom, who ate Chipotle burritos multiple times a week.
There’s the groom’s cake in the shape of a giant orange Croc shoe. And the mini Ohio Stadium cake.
The 19-year-old Akron bakery, with a year-old location in Green, has its share of local awards for its confections, and now has nabbed a national shout-out from the popular the Daily Meal website, which put the bakery among its 50 Best Wedding Cake Bakeries in America.
And while the Daily Meal said West Side was “capable of creating unique and contemporary confections,” the website said their “artistry really lies in their elegant classic cakes.”
Talevich, co-owner of West Side Bakery with her husband, Steve, said the Daily Meal’s take is just fine with her: “There’s something to be said about a beautiful, classic cake. It doesn’t mean it’s not updated for today’s tastes, but there’s something about an elegant wedding cake … it’s timeless.”
These days traditional, tiered wedding cakes with buttercream icing are seeing a bit of a comeback in popularity, she said. Couples are choosing textured icing, such as a rustic look that resembles spackling on a wall. Frilly ruffles of icing and rosettes also are big.
As for what’s underneath, white cake with raspberry filling has long been the No. 1 pick, Talevich said. There are lots of options, she said, noting that a customer loved her spice cake with caramel cream filling, made for a fall wedding. She figures the bakery made 370 wedding cakes last year.
Lauren Gordon, an editor with the Daily Meal, said the list was created by first checking out websites listing highly rated bakeries across the country, and coming up with an initial list of contenders in each state. She then looked at the individual bakeries’ interactions with customers on Facebook and Twitter, noting those that garnered customer plaudits and responded well to their desires. Finally, she used her editorial discretion, drawing on a lot of experience in writing about wedding cakes. See the complete list at www.thedailymeal.com/50-best-wedding-cake-bakeries-america.
West Side Bakery, with 41 full- and part-time employees, will celebrate 20 years in business next year. Call 330-836-4101 or go to www.thewestsidebakery.com. The Green location opened last year at 1840 Town Park Blvd., the former Blake’s Cafe & Cupcakery.
65 years of Fa-Ray’s
Fa-Ray’s Family Restaurant is celebrating 65 years in business, all at 1115 Wooster Road in Barberton.
To mark the occasion, this weekend third-generation owner David Boshara is discounting the prices on longtime favorites. For example, foot-long all-beef Coney dogs, topped with homemade sauce, will sell for $2.20, and Fa-Ray’s Old Fashioned hamburger (two patties on a sweetish bun) will be priced at $2.50. Homemade onion rings will cost $1.99, milk shakes $2.29, two eggs and toast 99 cents.
Boshara’s grandparents Joseph and Emily Boshara started the place in 1949, taking over an old diner and naming it Fa-Ray after their two sons, Fred and Ramon. David Boshara’s father, Ramon, began working at the restaurant the day after he graduated from high school in 1949, and took it over some years later.
Fa-Ray’s initially was a drive-in, with a counter and two tables inside. With four additions, the place grew to 180 seats; it ceased being a drive-in long ago.
“The bigger and nicer I made it inside,” David Boshara, 52, said, “the less people wanted to be in their cars.”
David’s mother, Liz, and his father, who now live in Nevada, will be on hand for this weekend’s celebration.
“He’ll spend the whole weekend with me, getting his feet wet,” clearing tables and talking with customers, the younger Boshara said of his father. Liz Boshara also will help out in the kitchen.
The specials will run from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Call 330-745-6091. Go to www.farays.com.
Dining outdoors
It’s a rooftop patio, sort of.
Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar, at the corner of Mill and High streets in downtown Akron, plans to open its patio on top of the small attached parking deck. The patio, on the west side of the 1903 Gothic Building where Nuevo is located, provides a view of arguably the centerpiece of downtown Akron, the FirstMerit Tower.
Zack and Lisa Hirt opened the restaurant in February after planning the eatery for three years. Zack had been a sous chef at Crave in downtown Akron, and Lisa had worked at Saffron Patch in the Merriman Valley.
Zack Hirt said the patio features an outdoor bar, propane-fueled fire pit, large flower boxes, comfy seating that can be moved, and chairs and tables with cantilevered umbrellas. It will comfortably accommodate 40 to 50 people. Akron architect Alan Burge designed the deck. Nuevo is at 54 Mill St., cater-corner from the John S. Knight Center. Call 330-762-8000. Go to http://nuevo modmex.com.
Progressive dinner
Nuevo and the nearby Crave restaurant, at the corner of East Market and High streets, will team up Monday to offer what may be a first for downtown — a progressive dinner.
Diners will start at Nuevo for two courses paired with beverages. Then they’ll head over to Crave, at 57 E. Market St., for two courses, also with beverage pairings, finishing with a “collaborative” dessert course.
Cost is $60 plus tax and gratuity, and must be paid at the time of reservation. Call Nuevo for reservations, 330-762-8000. Go to http://nuevomodmex.com/events/progressive-dinner for menu information.
Middle Eastern food
Looking ahead …
Kibbeh, meat pies, stuffed grape leaves, tabbouleh, hummus and chicken and beef kebabs will be on the menu at the Middle Eastern Food Fair planned Sept. 7 at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Copley Township.
The food fest will run from 1 to 6 p.m., rain or shine, at the church at 3204 Ridgewood Road.
Hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries will also be available, as well as Middle Eastern pastries, cakes and cookies. The event also will feature music and children’s games. For more information, call the church at 330-666-7116. The Orthodox Christian parish, which began in downtown Akron, moved to Ridgewood in 1987.
Restaurant Week
Downtown Akron Restaurant Week will celebrate its fourth year Sept. 8-13.
During the six days, about 20 restaurants, bars and food establishments will offer special deals on food and drinks. It is sponsored by the Downtown Akron Partnership’s Emerging Leaders program to encourage residents to explore downtown’s restaurant scene.
For more information, visit www.downtownakron.com/enjoy/downtown- akron-restaurant-week.
September festivals
• The long-running Greek Festival will return to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron on Sept. 11-13. The church is at 129 S. Union St. adjacent to the University of Akron.
The festival features favorite Greek eats, such as moussaka, pastitsio, spanakopita and baklava, as well as Greek music and dancing and tours of the church. Admission and parking are free.
• Main Street Kent, the nonprofit that promotes downtown Kent, will host the fourth annual International Festival from noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 13. Admission is free, and a variety of ethnic cuisines will be available for purchase. Vendors and informational/cultural booths will be on North Water Street, alongside the Hometown Bank Plaza. The plaza will feature Mediterranean guitar music, Japanese dance, African drums, Bavarian brass music and belly dancing.
New this year will be the International Chocolate Walk. Chocolates from various countries will be given to participants at businesses and organizations. Cost is $20; only 200 tickets are available. To purchase tickets, visit www.mainstreetkent.org. Maps, passes and bags for collecting the chocolates will be at the Hometown Bank Plaza on the day of the event.
New GFS store
A new GFS Marketplace will open Aug. 31 in Macedonia, at 1021 Aurora Road. A ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Sept. 16 will kick off a week of grand opening events. The new store will employ about 35 people, including store manager Dawn Beadle.
GFS stores, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., specialize in wholesale food and supplies for restaurants, caterers and home cooks. Stores are open to the public and do not require a membership.
Tidbits
• Countryside Farmers’ Market’s annual Tomato Tasting & Salsa Smackdown will return to Howe Meadow at 4040 Riverview Road in the Cuyahoga Valley from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The event will feature more than 30 varieties of locally grown tomatoes, and bartender Lorilei Bailey of the Katz Club Diner in Cleveland Heights will offer a class on Bloody Marys. To register, visit www.cvcountryside.org.
• The Hudson Library & Historical Society will show a documentary about a day in the life of Cleveland chef Michael Nowak at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27. Rustbelt Rebels: The Steel Fired Story of Emerging Chef Michael Nowak was made by a production company that organizes dinners in unusual venues.
Registration is required at www.hudsonlibrary.org. Click on “Programs & Events/Registration” under the “Adult” tab. For information, call the reference desk at 330-653-6658, ext. 1010. The library is at 96 Library St. in the First & Main shopping complex.
Send local food news to Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KatieByardABJ.