Stark Bites: Crumbl Cookies to open; Charleys opens; Gervasi, Maize Valley win wine awards

Cookie fans are anxiously awaiting the opening of Crumbl Cookies at 6791 Strip Ave. NW in Jackson Twp. The wait won’t be much longer.

According to a press release from Crumbl Cookies, the store is scheduled to open at 8 a.m. June 24.

Crumbl Cookies will offer a menu that rotates weekly. 

“The Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie is always available, and the other five cookies (six cookies total weekly) are rotating specialty flavors,” said Crumbl Cookies representative Kadee Jo in an email. “We have a flavor bank of more than 175 cookies including fun flavors like Cornbread, Oreo, Blueberry Cheesecake, Kentucky Butter Cake, Molten Lava, and so much more!”

Crumbl Cookies will have the same hours as all of its more than 450 store, which are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Friends of the Massillon Museum to host Breakfast with Tiffanys Fundraiser

On Saturday, the Friends of the Massillon Museum plans a fundraiser, Breakfast with Tiffanys, at St. Timothyʼs Episcopal Church, 226 Third St. SE, in Massillon. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 10:30 a.m. and will include pancakes, sausages, applesauce, juice and coffee.

Joel Vogt will lead a group of volunteers to cook and serve the breakfast, while historian Margy Vogt will offer tours of St Timothy’s, including seeing the stained-glass windows created by Louis C. Tiffany in New York City.

The cost is $20 per person, and reservations are preferred. They may be made by mailing a check to Friends of the Massillon Museum, 1170 Lennox Avenue NE, Massillon OH 44646. Name and address must be included, and no corporate checks will be accepted.

Ticket money and donations will be used to help defray the cost of placing the Massillon Museumʼs levy on the ballot this fall.

For almost 90 years, the Massillon Museum has maintained the historical records of the community. 

According to a news release from Margy Vogt, the majority of funding for the museum comes from a property tax levy, which must be approved by Massillon voters every five years. Museum operating funds may not be used for ballot efforts.

Charleys Philly Steaks opens location in North Canton

Charleys Philly Steaks recently opened another location in Stark County. The latest Charleys is located at 1420 N. Main St. in North Canton. It is in the former site of a Wendy's restaurant. 

The menu at Charleys includes cheesesteaks, gourmet fries, fruit lemonades, classic and boneless wings and a kids meal. Catering is available.

Charleys is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday at this location.

Another location opened at 6787 Strip Ave NW. in Jackson Twp. in March 2021 in the former site of Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt. Charleys has a third Stark County location inside Belden Village Mall.

New restaurant to be chosen:Taste for the Space brings restaurant competition to Belden Village Mall

Gervasi Vineyard Wins Overall Best of Show in 2022 Ohio Wine Competition 

Gervasi Vineyard won more awards for its Sognata Ice Wine. This time, the winery was awarded Overall Best of Show, Best of Ohio and Best of Dessert Wine for the Sognata Ice Wine at the 2022 Ohio Wine Competition.

Held May 17-18 at the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, the competition had 386 entries, judged by an expert panel chosen by the Ohio Wine Competition Advisory Board to determine wine quality and award designations.  

The competition has been around for more than 40 years, and the Best of Ohio classification started in 2019. It is awarded to the Best of Show wines that “were made from a minimum of 90% Ohio-grown American/Labrusca, hybrid and Vinifera grape varieties, and have received the Ohio quality wine seal designation,” according to a press release from Gervasi Vineyard.

Sognata Ice Wine is a dessert wine made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. According to the statement released by Gervasi Vineyard, the sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape juice to be pressed from the frozen grapes.

This results in a smaller amount of a more concentrated and richer wine. The wine is intense and sweet with aromas of honey, pear, apricot and tangerine.

Along with winning Overall Best of Show, Best of Ohio and Best of Ohio Dessert Wine, Sognata was awarded a double gold medal in the competition. Gervasi also received two gold medals Piove (Riesling) and Fioretto (Sauvignon Blanc). Three silver medals were awarded to Ciao Bella (Chardonnay), Lucello (Pinot Grigio) and Romanza (Rosé).

All GV Destination restaurants offer the award-winning wines. The wines also can be purchased from The Still House, The Crush House and the recently expanded Marketplace Gift Shop. 

Maize Valley wins Ohio Department of Agriculture Director’s Choice award for Reserve Blanc wine

Maize Valley Winery & Craft Brewery has won a statewide award from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The Marlboro Township winery and three other Ohio winemakers were honored as Director’s Choice recipients at an event held at the Statehouse in May for retailers, distributors, restaurateurs and winery owners.

Winners were chosen for best red, white and specialty wines made from Ohio-grown grapes. Nearly 20 Ohio wines were evaluated by a panel of judges.

Maize Valley Winery & Craft Brewery, at 6193 Edison St. NE, won in the best white wine category for its Reserve Blanc.

On its website, Maize Valley describes this wine as a "new vintage, dry white blend with lovely citrus aromas and flavors. Crisp and bright, this is the perfect summer patio wine!”

Director’s Choice award recipients are eligible for Ohio Quality Wine designation, which was created in 2007 by the Ohio Grape Industries Committee. It is assigned to wines made from at least 90% Ohio-grown grapes.

To have this designation, the wines must also achieve "at least 15 of 20 points on a sensory evaluation and pass a chemical analysis before receiving the quality seal," according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

A complete list of Ohio Quality Wines can be found online at findohiowines.com.

According to its site, Maize Valley Winery & Craft Brewery attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Its wine lineup consists of 15 varieties. The grounds offer plenty of events throughout the year, and there is a market and restaurant, serving lunch and dinner. Maize Valley offers wine tastings and also has a large beer menu.

Note: I should note that Ed Balint, who has been covering food and entertainment news, hasn't gone anywhere. There's a lot of news happening around food and entertainment, so he's focusing solely on entertainment news now.