It’ll be a sausage spree, a wiener wonderland — OK, maybe that’s a bit over the top.
On Oct. 4, foodie and event organizer J Phillip Hudson again will bring his Ohio Sausage Fest to Brandywine Country Club in Peninsula, off Peninsula Road.
In addition to an extensive selection of sausage and sausage-centric dishes, the brat bash will feature craft beer and acoustic music (guitar, fiddle, etc.). Festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hudson got his sausage soiree inspiration from the city of Hudson’s farmers market, which he oversaw from 2010 to 2012.
“I kept noticing all these vendors at the farmers market who were making interesting sausage,” the Cuyahoga Falls man said. “People sometimes have this feeling that sausage is about 90 percent fat and 10 percent meat. That’s not true if you’re using good ingredients.”
For this year’s fest, 15 food vendors have signed up, including four new ones. They’ll offer quite a selection of sausages and other eats, such as sausage pierogis and sausage pizza. The feasting will take place in the Brandywine Par 3 Clubhouse. Also open for the fest will be the outdoor pavilion.
The collective menu will include German bratwurst, kielbasa, Italian hot, Hungarian kolbasz (traditional Hungarian sausage), Slovenian klobase, Bosnian cevapi (caseless garlic sausage with homemade flatbread), South African boerewors (made with beef) and American hot dogs.
And the beefalo sausage will be back. It’s made with lean meat from a hybrid of domestic cattle and bison. Heartland Beefalo of Canal Fulton will offer sausage sandwiches, as well as frozen sausages to take home, as will some of the other vendors.
Locally made is the key. While many of the recipes have their roots in far-off places, the sausage and other eats are locally produced.
“These sausages are made by craft sausage makers,” Hudson said. “They make their regional, ethnic sausages, and they do it with love.”
New vendors include husband-and-wife Nikki and Dustin Janus, who will sell sausage from Al’s Quality Market. This is the ethnic goods and butcher shop in Barberton that has garnered nationwide buzz in recent years — thanks to being discovered by Jane and Michael Stern, authors of the Roadfood series of books.
Dustin and Nikki, who live in Norton, operate Smokin D’s, a mobile barbecue, when they are not busy with their day jobs. At the fest, they’ll be cooking up fresh kielbasa, along with cheddar bratwurst, which Al’s is making especially for Sausage Fest.
“It’s going to have a Mexican theme,” Dustin said, served with guacamole, pickled jalapeño and a salsa verde, made with fire-roasted tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, lime and pepper.
Dustin and Nikki were prompted to sign on as vendors after attending last year’s fest and noticing there was — ack! — no kielbasa. “My wife’s Polish [descent], so that kind of threw her for a loop,” Dustin noted.
Dustin, 39, a sausage and beer lover, said it was a no-brainer for him, since “I’m going to be there anyway, so why not” cook. “Hopefully, I’ll make some money.”
Another new vendor, Ray Slagle, will bring his mobile Italian wood-fired oven to cook classic Neapolitan pizza with a thin crust and fresh toppings. Slagle will make sausage pizzas, as well as margherita pizza — a non-meat pie featuring tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Slagle, 43, who calls his business Red Triangle Pizzeria Napoletana, is a chef who has worked at a variety of Northeast Ohio clubs and restaurants over the years.
Also available will be non-alcoholic beverages, kettle corn and homemade ice cream, made with a steam-powered ice cream maker. This machine was a hit with kids, as well as adults, last year.
“It sounds like a locomotive,” Hudson said.
Brandywine’s address is 5555 Akron Peninsula Road, Peninsula. Admission is free. For more on Sausage Fest, visit https://www.facebook.com/ohiosausagefest.
For the record, October is National Sausage Month and Oct. 11 is National Sausage Pizza Day. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council — you just knew there was one — reports that sausage consumption is up. Seems the growing number of varieties is appealing to our taste buds. U.S. grocers sold nearly 1 billion packs (of varying sizes) of sausages last year, according to the council.
Twisted Olive update
The much-anticipated opening of the Twisted Olive Italian American Kitchen, located in Green’s Southgate/Boettler Park, is Nov. 3, reports General Manager Scott Swaldo.
The 300-plus seat eatery, owned by the Swaldo family of Gervasi Vineyard in Canton, is inside the Belden Lodge, formerly owned by the city of Green. The restaurant will feature wines from Gervasi, natch.
“It’s been a big project,” Swaldo said of renovating the lodge.
Swaldo said there will be several “soft” preview openings in October, including a couple of public events. Information will be posted on Twisted Olive’s Facebook page and its website, www.thetwistedolive.com. Reservations will soon be accepted.
It’s the second culinary venture for the Swaldo family, which turned a tree farm into Gervasi Vineyard in 2010. Gervasi boasts a restaurant, bistro and villas for overnight stays.
Twisted Olive’s address is 5430 Massillon Road.
Acme opening: Oct. 15
Also on the Green food news calendar: The grand opening of the new Acme Fresh Market at 3875 Massillon Road will be Oct. 15.
The supermarket is the first new store built by the Albrecht Grocery Co. of Akron in two decades. It’s in the Heritage Crossing development at Massillon and Graybill roads.
Nearly completed, the store is down the street from rival Giant Eagle’s recently renovated and expanded location. The $10 million Acme store totals about 75,500 square feet.
Field Kitchen
Tickets are still available for Saturday’s farm-to-table dinner/workshop dubbed The Field Kitchen.
The event at the nonprofit Crown Point Ecology Center in Bath is organized by the Agrarian Collective, a mobile school/kitchen, and chef Kelli Hanley Potts.
It is billed as a “hands-on dinner event,” in which participants will prepare the food. Wine and appetizers will kick off the event at 5 p.m.
Crown Point Ecology Center is at 3220 Ira Road, Bath. Cost is $75, $65 for Crown Point Ecology Center members. To register, call 330-668-8992. Go to www.crownpt.org for information.
Kent Oktoberfest
Main Street Kent and the Kent Jaycees will host their first Oktoberfest from noon to 10 p.m. Oct. 4, with local eateries set up outside along Franklin Avenue, from West Main to Erie streets.
“Killer Kielbasa,” cabbage burritos and schnitzel on a stick will be among the fare; food vendors will include Pufferbelly, Ray’s Place, Taco Tonto’s and Scratch. A beer truck will be parked in the area.
Get a “Hans the Black Squirrel” beer mug, decorated with the famous squirrels of Kent and the Spaten Oktoberfest beer logo, for $10. The nonprofit Main Street Kent, which promotes downtown Kent, reports that only 500 of the mugs will be available. Additional beer tickets will cost $5. Other beverages also will be available.
Also on tap: games for adults and children and entertainment, including dance performances by members of the German Family Society of Brimfield Township. For a schedule, go to www.mainstreetkent.org.
Wine events
• Dinner with California vineyard owner Molly Meeker, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Lucia’s Steakhouse, 4769 Belpar St. NW, Jackson Township. Six-course dinner with wine pairings from the Meeker vineyard; Meeker, an engaging teller of stories about wine and many other topics, will host. $80. Call 330-492-9933 to reserve.
• Signature Wine Dinner, 6 p.m. Wednesday, D’Agnese’s, 566 White Pond Drive, Akron. Wines paired with the restaurant’s menu items. $45. Call 234-678-3612 to reserve. Go to www.dagneseswhitepond.com for information.
• Exploring the Wines of Argentina and Chile, 6 p.m. Thursday, Galaxy Restaurant, 201 Park Centre Drive, off state Route 94 and Interstate 76, Wadsworth. Twelve wines, light food pairings. $45. Call 330-334-3663 or go to www.galaxyrestaurant.com.
• Sicilian Wine Tour, 6 p.m. Friday, Vaccaro’s Trattoria, 1000 Ghent Road, off Interstate 77, Bath Township. Five-course menu. $75. Call 330-666-6158 to reserve. Go to www.vactrat.com for information.
• Meeker Vineyard Food & Wine Dinner, 7 p.m. Friday, the Leopard restaurant inside the Bertram Inn & Conference Center, 600 N. Aurora Road. Molly Meeker will host a multi-course dinner featuring chef Zach Conover’s specialties. $65. Call 330-562-2111 to reserve.
• California Cabernet & Red Blends, 7 p.m. Friday, West Point Market, 1711 West Market St., Akron. Tasting with light appetizers. $35. Call 330-864-2151 Ext. 129 to reserve or go to www.westpointmarket.com.
• French wine and food dinner, 7 p.m. Oct. 7, House of Hunan, Fairlawn Town Centre, Fairlawn. French dishes prepared by head chef Xiao Mei paired with French wines. $40. Call 330-864-8215 for tickets.
• Dinner featuring wines from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in California, 7 p.m. Oct. 13, 3 Point Restaurant, 45 E. Market St., Akron. $60. Call 330-535-6410 to reserve. Go to http://3pointrestaurant.com for information.
Vacation break
Wake up and smell the java. Monday is National Coffee Day.
I’ll be celebrating, as I do every day. But I won’t be writing Food Notes, dear reader. I’ll be on vacation, returning to my desk at the Beacon on Oct. 13. See you then. In my absence, send food news to features editor Lynne Sherwin at lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com.