Not that we need another reason to look forward to harvest season, but the Cleveland Botanical Garden is providing one. It is playing host to local restaurants, farmers markets and gardening pros for the RIPE! Food and Garden Festival Sept. 24-26. "It's not just like going to one farmers market; it's like going to the best of all the farmers markets," says festival co-chair and Fire Food & Drink chef Douglas Katz. In celebration of all things local and edible, restaurants such as The Greenhouse Tavern and Crop Bistro will prepare street-fair food, and farmers from Tremont and Kamm's Corners markets will sell produce, honey, fruits, cheese and canned goods.
Opening Sept. 29, Funshi Revolving Sushi lets diners grab plates from a moving belt, order hot dishes by e-menu and receive drinks from robot servers - all for one flat plate price. By Douglas Trattner
The Midwest Apple Improvement Association is known for its EverCrisp variety. It's still experimenting to find even more interesting, tasty fruit in Northeast Ohio's orchards. By Annie Nickoloff
Chef Agostino Iacullo is hanging up his apron, ending a little over three-decade run that turned Stino da Napoli into one of Cleveland's most cherished Italian institutions. By Vince Grzegorek