Feast Woo

Don't let the small-town façade of downtown Wooster fool you. The south end of Wooster, only a 5-minute drive from my college, is rich and flourishing with over 15 local restaurants, breweries and coffee shops. In fact, one of my favorite parts of being a student at the College of Wooster is the spectacular dining experience that the small town has to offer. Every meal you have in Wootown will leave you thinking, "Hm, I should bring my dad here sometime."

I am not a spokesperson of downtown Wooster but working at the admissions office, I have thrown in a couple "hey, check out the downtown restaurants!"-spiels to attract prospective students. When I went into work today, my boss ran up to me with a magazine in hand, that read "Edible Cleveland".

"Edible Cleveland" is a cool magazine - it's created to bring attention to members of local communities who contribute tremendously to the food world in the Northeast Ohio region. Not to mention the beautifully striking photography and layout, which sincerely celebrates the vibrant food culture. The excitement of my boss was not only about the fun small-town edition of "Edible Cleveland", but about how Wooster, Ohio was one of the main focuses of the entire magazine! "Farming the Roots of Wooster" and "Growing Up Down Home in Wooster" can be found in the second half of the issue.

Pretty cool! Wooster, in my humble opinion, exemplifies the roots (no pun intended) of local food since most of downtown Wooster is privately owned stores. Locally grown food is full of flavor, nutritious, and beneficial to the environment, but most of all, meeting friendly chefs and local growers who know best gives the dining experience a whole new outlook.

Local Roots market and café was reviewed in the article, a shop that connects customers with more than 150 Ohio farmers, bakers, cheesemakers, and artists. They always have fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as yummy treats. Both the customers and producers are happy to be connected and to profit. If you're looking for a go-to, Wootown Everything Bagels are to die for!

I love big cities but some of the hidden gems lie in smaller, self-sustaining towns. If there's anything I've learned from moving from a large, metropolitan city to a town in the middle of who-knows-where, it's that sometimes cows are nicer than people, and that local food is trés trés trés delightful.