Megan Giller is a food writer and the author of Bean-to-Bar Chocolate: America’s Craft Chocolate Revolution. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Slate, Zagat, and Food & Wine, and her blog Chocolate Noise was a 2016 Saveur Food Blog Awards finalist. She also hosts luxury chocolate-tasting events, teaches classes at the Institute of Culinary Education and other locales, and judges at chocolate competitions. Follow her on Instagram at @chocolatenoise.
chocolate
Learn Love Eat
Chocolate Tasting Class!
Photo credit: Vintage Plantations Chocolate
Learn. Love. Eat. CHOCOLATE.
This class, taught by Peace on Fifth, is an intro into the fun and amazing world of single origin craft chocolate. Learn fun facts about chocolate like where it comes from, what makes it so special, and how it can taste like a spectacular explosion of flavor like the chocolate from Madagascar or a cozy best friend like the chocolate of Ecuador.
Beginners are encouraged and welcome. Spaces are limited. Classes take place at the Dayton Metro Library and registration is required. Tickets run $25 per class, register here.
The 100 series will be:
9/15: Why so yum? An intro with single origin and traditional bits
9/29: Different places, different tastes: comparing flavors
10/7: Party chocolate: fun strange fantastical pairings (most popular)
Cost includes: all samples, tasting mat, chocolate tasting journal, palate cleanser, and ta nosh on it gift. Samples are tailored to participants.
Learn more about chocolate in a fun way.
Luminaries of Dayton: John Glossinger and the “Oh Henry!” candy bar
Born at Xenia in 1868, John Glossinger at the age of 19 left for the big city in search of success. With just a $1 in his pocket he set off for Cincinnati. He later found himself in New York City and became a $5-a-week office boy. That opened the door to the sales field on which his heart was set. He was successful with the Waterbury Watch Co. and helped develop the Bulova timepiece business, brought the “Oh Henry!” candy bar to national notice and headed a smoking-pipe company.
He put an ad in the paper that an energetic young man was seeking employment as a salesman and he secured a position with a pipe tobacco company. His first assignment was in Boston, then later Philadelphia. After seven years, he was assigned to the Chicago office which included St. Louis in the territory.
He became so successful that the American Tobacco Company offered him a job which he accepted and in just a few years, he became president of the firm. Unfortunately the company split and he found himself without a job after 24 years in the tobacco business.
He accepted the position of sales manager for a Philadelphia chocolate and cocoa manufacturing business. Things were fine for a while, but though he was earning bonuses and good commissions, the company refused to pay him the money he earned, and so he went off to seek another position.
This time, he was in contact with the Williamson Candy Company of Chicago. He found that the company was making a candy bar, something that had not been done before. Hershey was in existence, but their products were not called candy bars. John thought that this new product called “Oh Henry!” had possibilities, but it had only been marketed locally. He wanted to make it into a nationally known product.
He decided to try to sell the bar first in Cleveland, and so hired boys to post cardboard signs wherever they could. The signs were small, a red card with white lettering reading “Oh Henry.”
He was holding the signs which the boys were tacking up when a car was standing at the curb. He slipped the card on the radiator and it fit. He put one on the next car and the next. A man driving a truck called out “Say, mister, come and put one on me, too,” which he did. Then the driver said “Give me one for my buddy.”
Soon he realized that tacking up the signs took too much time so they began to put the signs on the front of automobiles. What great advertising. All over town, cars had “Oh Henry!” showing on their radiators, and curiosity began to take over. People saw the signs, but had no idea what it meant.
The sales force was instructed to say they did not know about “Oh Henry!.” Soon they ran out of signs and so paid a local printer to publish 2,000 more cards by the next day. Soon Cleveland had thousands of red signs reading “Oh Henry”. Hundreds of people were asking what this meant.
John sent the salesmen out to get orders from the local merchants. The salesmen would carry the box of “Oh Henry” bars into the store, open the box, take out a bar and slice it so that anyone nearby could taste it. “This is a fine piece of dollar candy for a dime” was the slogan, since each bar sold for 10 cents.
The salesmen were instructed to tell the merchant that only that one box could be sold at that time, but more could be ordered.
In John’s own words “Well, Cleveland went over with a bang. We had a car-load of Oh Henry! on the railroad track worth $8,000 and before we were through, we didn’t have a bar left.”
Soon, other candy bars including Babe Ruth appeared, which sold for five cents. When John suggested lowering the price of Oh Henry to five cents, the company refused, and John quit.
At 65 he retired for a year but boredom and a reputation he had acquired for rehabilitating shaky enterprises brought him quickly back to business. As president of a surgical instrument manufacturing business he became known for inspirational messages addressed to associates. These found wider audience when compiled in a book and he wrote until he was well in his 90s.
This is one of his writings: “Let fear not weaken you, you have strength to meet any crisis that comes to you. You are equipped to meet any emergency. Have faith in yourself.”
“Colonel” Glossinger, as he was known to them, had many friends in high places, including governmental, military and show business celebrities.
Ever ready with aid for others, he once said, “When you love people, you have to help people.”
John Glossinger was born August 10, 1868 in Xenia and died July 23, 1968 in Dayton at the age of 99. He is located in Section 101 Lot 3742.
And what about that “Oh Henry!” candy bar…
“Oh Henry!” is a chocolate bar containing peanuts, caramel, and fudge coated in chocolate. It was first introduced in 1920, by the Williamson Candy Company of Chicago, Illinois. According to legend, “Oh Henry!” was originally named
after a boy who frequented the Williamson Company, flirting with the girls who made the candy. The name is also said to be a homage to American writer, O. Henry. However, there is no definitive explanation as to the exact origin of the name.
Another theory is that the candy bar was invented by a man named Tom Henry of Arkansas City, Kansas. Tom Henry ran a candy company called the Peerless Candy Factory, and in 1919 he started making the Tom Henry candy bar. He sold the candy bar to Williamson Candy Company in 1920 where they later changed the name to “Oh Henry!”.
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the UD Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Fore more information call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland website.
All You Can Eat Chocolate Party!
Once a year the Bellbrook Chocolate Shoppe opens their doors to guests to join them for a rare opportunity to taste all the sweets in the kitchen of their place at Cross Pointe Center. This is the 16th year and it takes place on Saturday, Sept 23rd from 7-9pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door and will provide mammograms for the under/served and under/insured.
Owner Betty Blose attributes the popularity of her chocolates to the fact that they are handmade with her “signature” blend of milk and dark chocolate to create varieties that include creams, truffles, enrobed and molded items. It’s the only blend sold at the family’s Centerville store, and they use this rich chocolate to create everything from chocolate heart-shaped boxes filled with strawberries dipped in chocolate and cakes made of layers of shortbread cookies, iced with chocolate, to their Bellbrook pretzel, a pretzel rod dipped in caramel, rolled in toffee pieces and finally dipped in chocolate.
Although it seems too good to be true, dark chocolate can actually be good for you! When consumed in moderation, this delicious treat has some powerful health benefits. Following are three of the major reasons to indulge:
1. It can help prevent heart disease: Like tea, dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which are compounds that act as antioxidants. Flavonoids protect cells from harmful molecules—called free radicals—that are produced when the body breaks down food or is exposed to sunlight or smoke. Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to heart disease. Flavonoids can also lower blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol (i.e., the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.
2. It can improve your mood: Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that bring on feelings of pleasure. It also contains the chemical serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.
3. It can protect your skin: German researchers found that the flavonoids in dark chocolate absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, and improve skin’s hydration and complexion.
For all of its health benefits, though, dark chocolate does contain a lot of calories. So, experts recommend sticking to no more than three ounces of the sweet stuff per day.
Hard or Soft ? K & R Pretzel Bakery asks… + win $20 worth of Pretzels
Second Generation owners of K & R Pretzel Bakery, sister and brother team of Pattie & James Glaze are now serving Hard Pretzels too !
For the first time in 10 years, the K & R Pretzel Bakery is offering Hard Pretzels, made on site. Yes, it is true, you can have them hard or soft now.
We are also giving away $20 worth of product from this bakery, just comment below for a chance to win.
Have you been to this bakery? It is in a neighborhood, near the corner of Patterson and Woodman Dr. It is one of the most interesting Food Adventure spots we have ever encountered. And we discovered, there is a lot to love about this place.
K & R reminds many Daytonians of their childhood elementary school days, and 10 cent pretzel Tuesdays. These exact pretzels were the ones we ate as kids. We are very happy to have found the place where they make these soft bites of heaven.
HERE’S THE SKINNY:
— Tucked into a neighborhood at 1700 Flesher Avenue in Kettering, is a humble building with a great products and a great prices. They are open Tues – Fri 10am – 4pm, and Sat 11am-4pm.
— K & R Pretzel Bakery is a family owned business and the entire operation is based on a huge soft pretzel making machine, and a hard pretzel stone oven.
The Hard Pretzels now being served at K & R Pretzel Bakery on Flescher Ave, near the Woodman and Patterson intersection
— Started in 1967 by Karen & Ralph Glaze, hence the K & R name, Ralph learned pretzel making from a German pretzel maker. In their heydey, they manufactured 7,000 pretzels a day.
— Today the bakery is run by the next generation, siblings Pattie and James Glaze. The friendly duo have carried on the tradition of their parents. If you have not been here, you are missing out on a piece of Dayton nostalgia.
— The machine which cooks the tremendous soft pretzels on a conveyor belt method. Simple huh? Make good pretzels, and they will come. They have perfected the treat, and K & R’s Soft Pretzels, are some of the best we have ever eaten. (Although Chef House is a die hard fan of Smales Pretzel Bakery)
GET THEM HARD- Here’s how they get them hard at K &R Pretzel Bakery:
— The old brick oven is heated up, and the soft pretzels and dried out until hard. The oven is about as big as a closet, and looks very old fashioned. (Did you know hard pretzels were discovered by accident when a baker fell asleep and cooked the pretzels too long?)
They have fired up the old brick oven and started making Hard Pretzels again after over a decade !
— The hard pretzels are packaged into bags of 20 each, and sold for $4.00
— WARNING! When we say “hard,” these babies are hard! Great for dipping in all kinds of dips, cheese, mustard, or even beer!
GET THEM SOFT- Here is the process K & R uses to make some of the world’s most delicious soft pretzels:
— First, they brought a tray of already twisted pretzels out and laid them on the metal conveyor belt at the front of the machine.
— The pretzels get a water bath then they are hand salted before they enter the machine’s oven.
— The pretzels then make their way through oven part of the machine and come out piping hot at the end. In fact, they are so hot you can barely hold on to them.
The whole process takes about 10 minutes, and you can choose with salt, without salt or light salt.
The Big Ragu will go on record as saying “K & R has the best Soft Pretzels in the world.”
Watching this machine work is a mini-event in itself. It is a great place to bring kids, as it has a slight, old Willy Wonka feel to it, and it is a memorable place with lots of personality.
Our important tip on the soft pretzels: The fresher these pretzels are, the better they taste. It is better to eat them now than later. They even sell various packaged sauces for dipping your pretzel, but we like them plain or with mustard.
Oh but wait, there’s more …. K & R Pretzel Bakery also has one of the most extensive offerings of “old time” candies we have seen recently. Hungry Jax, The Big Ragu and Chef House share some of their favorites below.
Win $20 worth of pretzels by commenting below, we will pick a winner at random next week.
OTHER MUST EATS:
— CANDY CIGARETTES: Where else on earth can you corrupt your nieces or nephews with some candy cigarettes for only 25 cents a pack? At that price, the candy cigarettes are a steal.
Who remembers Candy Buttons on paper ?
— CANDY BUTTONS: As a kid, do you remember candy buttons on a piece of paper? They have the exact same candies as K & R Pretzel Bakery.
— SWEDISH FISH: Chewy and flavorful, just like you remember them. They might pull out a filling or a loose tooth, but the taste is worth it.
— BUBBLE GUM CIGARS: Green, yellow, pink and other colors, the gum cigars were always favorite. Your jaws will be sore after taking this trip down memory lane.
— CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS: White or milk chocolate covered pretzels. You can’t go wrong here with this treat. Best served around the holidays, or tucked into a bag somewhere so you can indulge yourself.
Honorable Mention: K & R Pretzel Bakery has popcorn for sale too. The popcorn, popped on site are in little or large bags.
Hard to find, Nostalgic Candy like “Sugar Babies”
They even have a cooler with cold soft drinks.
The bakery is old and unique. It is different and some may say odd, but we love this place. They maintain their roots and the pretzels have the same great taste with a recipe that is unchanged for decades. Every time we are in the area, we try and stop by for a pretzel or three.
Now, how do like them Hard or Soft? Get down there and find out. Order your pretzels today!
Please browse even more photos of the bakery below.
WANT A CHANCE at $20 WORTH OF PRODUCTS at K & R PRETZEL BAKERY?
JUST COMMENT BELOW AND ONE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM NEXT WEEK.
Like this article? Food Adventures writes feature articles, every week, right here on DaytonMostMetro.com , highlighting local eateries, festivals, food stops and more. Join the more than 5,000 fans following us on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Soft Pretzels
Bags of Hard Pretzels for Sale
Bubble Gum Cigars
The Big Ragu getting some pretzel goodness
Pattie takes fresh pretzels from the machine and bags them up
The machine that makes the pretzels
Mustard with that?
Bakery at 1700 Flescher Ave
Candy cigarettes for 25cents
Incredble
Satellite Wafers
Popped on site
Chocolate covered
Size comparison
Old oven with Hard Pretzel Racks
Signage
Swedish fish
Soft or Hard? SOFT on this one
Hand thrown salt
Up close
Dogs and Burgs
Kookabura lives in the old gum tree
Slices
Soft Pretzels since1967
Pretzel Bath
What I think about: Chocolate
London challenging us to Date Our City at TEDxDayton 2013
On the eve of the 3rd anniversary of her Fair Trade Store, Peace on Fifth, Dayton entrepreneur London Coe reflects on her relationship with chocolate:
There are many ways to say I love you and throughout history one of the most favorite ways has been with chocolate. It can be said with great confidence and ease that nearly every love letter written could be sung to a bar of chocolate. In fact I would venture to say that Emma Lazarus laid her best words at the feet of a woman whose call to the world sounds very much like the sounds from the chocolate bars and stashes of chocolate cookies in my cupboard calling to me on rainy Saturdays. Whether you like chocolate or not (and there is a growing cult of the anti- chocolate, I have seen them) there is a social indoctrination, a soft hum, a sweet scent, dense melting nostalgia of chocolate as the go to food of love and happiness.
Last week was Chocolate Week in London U.K. and it got me thinking about chocolate and me. Chocolate powered my childhood; it was my joy delivery system. I ate so much chocolate…. everything. Chocolate ice cream. Chocolate cake. Chocolate cookies. Chocolate chip brownies. Oh sweet chocolate happiness. Memories of me dancing in a field and making wishes with dandelions as I eat chocolate cover the walls of my youth. In my small chocolate colored eyes the world was because there was chocolate.
Just for good measure, one more time ….chocolate.
At some point this changed not in a dated but a gradual way, the change melted chocolate for me. When it happened I stopped eating chocolate immediately for nearly twenty years; a miserable divorce indeed.
The genesis of this change was my mother. In a full moment, she moved my practical application of chocolate as kid crack into the theoretical notion of chocolate as simple regenerative pleasure. My mother paid great honor to the belief that a bath and quiet will restore. Her meditative crime was eating Dove chocolate during a long soak while reading a trashy novel. This was my introduction to kid vs. adult as a type of chocolate.
While this was great for her, it created for me the concept that I was not having a full chocolate experience. Yes, at eleven a true concern, a full chocolate experience. This dear friends was the divorce. I began to collect and catalog all the conversations that I had ever heard about chocolate. The social games, the historic legends: Chocolate’s romantic iconography and I grew disgusted. Questions like: if chocolate is an aphrodisiac why do we stuff it in the mouths of babes? Was chocolate supposed to be spicy or sweet? Where was chocolate born? Was the legend of chocolate as beer true? Many facts about chocolate turned out to be myth but I was still intrigued. My curiosity grew.
During this cocoa velvety divorce what I learned about chocolate was that this vegetable, this legume had variety and strata like wine, that there were strains of chocolate as varied as the family primate. That species of chocolate Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario were all different in taste, smell, mouth feel, pod color. Chocolate was more that the skin it was in.
Here is the science behind chocolate: reduces the risk of diabetes, increases brain blood flow, contains the compound pentameric procyanidin which upsets cancers capacity to spread, linked to endorphins (feel good chemicals), serotonin, (feel relaxed chemicals) and Harvard discovered in 2008, that eating chocolate actually adds two years to your life expectancy. Jeanne Louise Calment, said to be the oldest person in recorded history lived to the age of 122 and ate two and a half pounds of dark chocolate per week.
The more I looked, the more I also discovered the art behind chocolate. Stories worthy of flashlights and bed sheet forts, the Indiana Jones, Crocodile Dundy, Dan Brown stories of intrigue about the adventures of the amelonado strain trekking in the 1880’s across the world on a quest to diversify cocoa crops and protect against a chocolate shortage due to disease and how it is now vibrantly on the rise.
I read stories of farmers with heirloom and wild beans who could not even imagine magical places their chocolate would see or could even suppose what their chocolate would become. I read about children stolen, some kidnapped, all beaten to work as slaves on chocolate plantations discovered picking chocolate for companies like and including Hershey’s, Mars and Nestle.
I read stories that called to me about chocolate, forcing new eyes to open. This is how it went for nearly two decades, reading, learning, discovering and falling back into love. This new world view of chocolate made me new. And so… my life and to some degree my love became chocolate.
As with most new vibrant love, we tend to be evangelical. I was not different. There are regular chocolate services with preaching, dancing and singing. I want to shout it from the rooftops, sing it in the rain. When I considered creating a store, I knew my why, I knew my what but not the how. While I thought I found an investor, they pulled out ten days before the store was due to open and I was left with a space, some chocolate and a dream. I was lucky to have protected my research and a bit of cash tucked away to protect my dream. My dream was and is to change our personal and collective experience with chocolate. To see chocolate for what it was meant to be.
My chocolate, the chocolate I sell, is amazing and challenging the impression of chocolate as candy and as novel treat. It sings, this chocolate and demands, to be seen as how it truly is more than s’mores, chocolate chip cookies or as ribbons of chocolate syrup sinking into milk at grandma’s house.
It is time to treasure chocolate with wine, with popcorn, with beer, with olives, with fruit, with peppers, with moonlight, with kisses, with graham crackers and fire, with eyes closed head tilted back sweeping away drama, chocolate wants to be the amazing thing it was created to be. Chocolate wants to be more than Clark Kent. It wants to take off its glasses and be seen, really seen as being this amazing thing. Chocolate deserves it.
And in some way, isn’t this what we all or may be some of us? Our moment in time, a moment to be seen as the best we can be.
Five for Drinking…Chocolate
So much delicious, delicious chocolate…
Pink and red hearts, dinner, flowers, cards…all of the trappings of the perfect Valentine’s Day. The only thing that is missing is the chocolate. Last year, people bought 48 million pounds of chocolate, spending somewhere around $1.6 billion dollars on the sweet confection. Local favorites like Esther Price, Winan’s, Pure Madness, and Signature Confections look forward to this holiday, as it is the third largest holiday for buying chocolate of the year.
It is a little hard to believe that chocolate candy has only been around for 400 years.
Chocolate, while having a history that reaches back to the Aztecs, was enjoyed mostly as a bitter beverage by the ancient people of Mexico. It was not until the Spanish got a hold of it that it gained its sweet characteristics by adding milk, sugar, and a little cinnamon. That is what Europe fell in love with. Chocolate candies were made, but not common on incredibly good. The process to turn cocoa into the chocolate we enjoy by the heart shaped box was developed by John and Richard Cadbury (yes, of the crème egg fame) in the late 19th century.
That box of chocolate you have? Why not add a nice cocktail to it? Here are five options for you to explore:
Alexander
1 oz. gin
1 oz. crème de cocoa
1 oz. light cream
Pour all of the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Shake well, then strain into a rocks glass.
The Alexander (and its cousin the Brandy Alexander) is a popular classic cocktail, first seen in 1915 in Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin. Gin was hugely popular at the time, and this delightful mixture uses the sweet chocolate and cream to balance the spices in the gin.
Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker…
Oaxaca Chakas
4 oz. tequila
1.25 oz. agave nectar
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cinnamon stick
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
In a medium saucepan, heat milk with cocoa powder, cinnamon stick, agave nectar and salt, whisking constantly until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate, whisking gently until it’s completely melted. Remove cinnamon stick. Whisk until smooth. Spilt the tequila between two mugs, then fill the mugs with the chocolate mixture. Garnish it with whip cream and enjoy.
Tequila and chocolate have very similar histories; both started out as native drinks in Mexico, and both were altered by the Spaniards using European technology to better reflect European tastes. This is a rich and spicy treat perfect to warm up with on a cold night. Or to make with someone special.
Chocolate Strawberry Martini
1 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. strawberry liqueur
1 oz. chocolate liqueur
Cocoa powder, for garnish
Set a cocktail glass into the refrigerator to chill. Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake briefly. Spread the cocoa powder on a small plate. Moisten the rim of the glass, and gently run the rim through the powder. Pour the mixture into the chilled cocktail glass and enjoy.
This is a cocktail with many, many, many variations, from the very simple to the incredibly complex. I would suggest Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and strawberry schnapps for an incredible flavor and mouth feel.
Cocoa during the roasting and grinding process.
From Russia with Love
1/2 ounce Dark Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 ounce raspberry liqueur
Champagne
Coco nibs, for garnish, optional
In a Champagne flute, pour the Godiva and the raspberry liqueur (Chambord is a great choice). Top with chilled Champagne. Sprinkle on a couple of nibs if you like.
What is Valentine’s Day without a little something special? Champagne is perfect for any celebration, and adding a little chocolate and raspberry can only enhance the enjoyment. It is an original from the famous Russian Tea Room in New York.
Liquid Snickers
1 oz. dark creme de cacao
1/2 oz. Irish cream
1/2 oz. Frangelico® hazelnut liqueur
1/2 oz. light cream
Pour creme de cacao, irish cream and frangelico liqueur over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass. Top with light cream, stir and serve.
Sometimes you don’t want fancy chocolate. You want something comforting, nutty, and satisfying.
Author Karl Petzke once commented that “Chocolate symbolizes, as does no other food, luxury, comfort, sensuality, gratification, and love.” Is there a better sentiment to describe this Valentine’s Day staple? Cheers!
Loose Meat: The Mystery of MAID-RITE Sandwiches
Maid-Rites with a Little Kings: Click on photo for full effect
Usually when someone says “loose meat” it has never been a compliment, until now. On the outskirts of the Miami Valley, in the town of Greenville, a legendary burger joint has existed since 1934. It is called Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe.
Over the years it has developed a cult following. People drive miles, and even come from out of state to taste their ‘burgers.’ They aren’t even burgers, they are “loose meat sandwiches” or “Maid Rites.” Why are so many people coming to eat these sandwiches and why are they so good ?? The Big Ragu and Crew set out to solve the mystery.
We have a had a handful of Food Adventures to Maid Rite either after the Darke County fair, or on a whim, or to satisfy an insatiable craving.
Over the years we realized that there are 2 types of people, those that have never tried Maid Rite Hamburgers, and those who have tried it and cant figure out how they make them.
HERE’S THE SKINNY:
— The main attraction is the maid rite loose meat sandwich. The sweet taste of the meat has developed three major theories of how they are prepared 1) Some think they are steamed in pepsi or coke 2) Some claim they are steamed in beer 3) Others say that sugar is added to the meat before cooking.
A Greenville Icon Since 1934
— The eatery is a small, no frills, brick building located at 125 N. Broadway St. in Greenville, Ohio and worth the trip. Locally owned they claim no relation to the MAID-RITE sandwich shop franchises in Iowa etc…
— Limited menu with 4 sandwich choices which include loose meat, chicken salad, egg salad or ham salad sandwiches. Shakes, sundaes, beer, soft drinks and chips are available too.
— The employees are very protective of the recipe and process of the sandwiches. We were unable to get the secret recipe after badgering the employees and managers. We were threatened with spatulas and told we would be picking shards of Little Kings bottles out of our rumps for a week. Sorry for the letdown, folks.
— For some unknown reason, it is now customary to stick your gum on the outside of the building. Literally thousands of wads of chewed gum have been stuck on every outside wall of the establishment.
— Bathrooms are located in a separate building around back, adding even more uniqueness and oddness to this place. They also have a drive up window for a quick meat fix.
How do they make the meat so sweet ???
MUST EATS:
— THE CHEESE RITE SANDWICH: This is the classic maid rite sandwich with cheese. What is a Maid-Rite Sandwich? Think of it as a sloppy joe but with no sauce. It is served on a soft bun, slapped with meat and toppings, and wrapped tightly in wax paper. The meat has a sweet taste to it. This sandwich is topped with a squirt of mustard, a couple of pickle slices and a slice of cheese. They run about $1.95 and the average person could eat 2 or 3 of them. You can get the Big Jim version which adds ham, but we prefer the original Cheese-Rite. Eating one is a unique experience, and you have to try it. Warning: once you unwrap one, we hold no responsibility for future addiction.
— CHOCOLATE MALT: Creamy, sinful and made just for you. You cant go wrong with this delicious, cool classic.
— LITTLE KINGS CREAM ALE BOTTLES: Oh come on , you gotta make it a full blown Food Adventure and wash it down with a icon from Schoenling Brewery. Ok, wanna be a snob? Then grab a Heineken instead.
— MIKESELLS POTATO CHIPS: No fries in this establishment, so choose your hometown chip instead. They have a nice selection of Dayton’s favorite potato chip. It is a good pairing with the simple, classic sandwich.
Click to enlarge: Partial shot of the Gum Wall outside Maid-Rite
A couple of sidenotes: Make sure you bring cash, because that is the only form of payment they accept. Also, hours are 10am-10pm except Fri and Sat when they stay open until 11pm.
Amazing isn’t it? A formula for success being a squished, sloppy joe like sandwich served in a small diner with people sticking gum to the walls outside. But people come back every day in droves. WHY?? It is the curiously sweet tasting, delicious loose meat sandwiches. The workers feverishly tossing the ground meat, stuffing buns, wrapping it quickly, and tossing across the counter. It is the personality of the place. If you have never visited this spot, make sure you put it on your “Food Adventure hit list.” Maid Rite is one-of-a kind.
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An Adult Trick or Treat? Try Winans Chocolates
Why should kids have all the fun on Halloween?
Why should kids have all the fun this Halloween season? Adults around Dayton love chocolate and deserve to eat themselves into a sugar high as well. FOOD ADVENTURES has been hitting Winans Fine Chocolates and Coffees for years, and think this is a perfect time to load up on some of their elegant chocolate specialties. Go ahead, look at your diet for a day and go “BOO!!”
HERE’S THE SKINNY:
— Founded near Piqua, this business has been owned by the same family for four generations
— Specialties include chocolate and candy creations, coffees and even a decent wine selection.
— Relaxing, inviting atmosphere to have a glass of wine and some chocolates. Some stores have decent patio seating as well.
— These are fine chocolates, and with quality comes a price. Don’t expect cheap deals, this is the good stuff.
— The candies are made locally with natural ingredients. We love products made in the Miami Valley, and pure is good too!
— Three area locations: 6735 Miller Lane in North Dayton, 2806 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd(Dayton Mall) and 3510 Pentagon Rd. in Beavercreek.
Break open a Bourbon Cherry from Winans. You won’t be the same.
Winans Fine Chocolates and Coffees captures the elegance and decadence of chocolate in their stores. The display cases and sitting areas allow for browsing in a rush, or a slow indulgence. Speaking of indulgence, brace yourself for the “Must Eats” at Winans!
MUST EATS:
— BOURBON CHERRIES: There is nothing quite like these chocolate covered cherries in Dayton. Chef House, Big Ragu and Hungry Jax eat enough of these to get a hangover.
— MAINE BLUEBERRY COFFEE: Yes, you read that right. Food Adventures will tell you “Don’t knock it til you try it.” He highly recommends this uniquely flavored coffee.
— WETZELS: Winan’s chocolate covered pretzels are the perfect mixture of sweet and salty. You simply cannot eat just one of these delicious treats.
— TRUFFLES: Stick one on your tongue and let it melt. The chocolate ganache in the middle is like finding the prize in a Cracker Jack box. This is a Food Adventure in a bite.
Coffee lovers love Winans
— MINT JEWELS: Rich, creamy and oh so dreamy. White chocolate and the texture of the top from the nonpareils makes this a must eat. More addicting than Candy Crush.
Slobbering yet? Then turn the tables on the kids and have yourself a little Halloween Food Adventure at Winans fine Chocolates. Just don’t wear a creepy costume and demand free candy, we wouldn’t want the Mall Police to get involved….
