As we know from last week’s news, a fire tore through Cleveland’s West Side Market in the early morning hours of last Wednesday.   

And while the city will pay for the clean up out of capital funds previously identified for WSM upgrades, there is still a lot of work that will need to be done and business lost for the vendors.

However, just like in the past, Cleveland has proven itself a resilient city – ready to rally when needed.

For instance, over the weekend, Happy Dog in the Gordon Square neighborhood donated $1 from every hot dog sold to the Market’s recovery. They raised over $1,200 for the Market vendors and employees.

If the snow or Superbowl kept you from grabbing one of their delicious hot dogs (or vegan dogs), here are a few more ways you can support the West Side Market.

Image from marketgardenbrewery.com

#1 Market Recovery Lager at Market Garden Brewery

Right before the fire struck, Market Garden Brewery had just finished brewing up a new lager. It still needed a name so they decided to use the brew’s launch over the weekend to raise money for WSM’s vendors and repairs.

For every Market Recovery Lager ordered, the brewery will donate $1 to the West Side Market. If you didn’t have a chance to stop by Friday or this weekend to help raise money (and try out the new beer), you have until tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 5).

A few of West Side Market’s vendors with brick-n-mortar shops open during the cleanup

#2 Visit Market vendors at their retail locations

Although the Market House remains closed (some produce vendors opened over the weekend), a few of the vendors also have retail locations. According to WSM’s Facebook page, the following vendors have brick-and-mortar shops outside the Market you can frequent in the meantime:

• Cake Royale (Call 216-351-3553 to place your order for pickup at their shop)
• Campbell’s Sweets Factory (2084 W. 25th Street, Cleveland)
• City Roast (Visit Civilization at 2366 West 11th, Tremont)
• Frickaccio’s Pizza Market (22560 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park)
• Maha’s Cafe (3323 West 25th Street, Cleveland)
• Olive and Grape (8141 Tyler Blvd., A-6, Mentor and 17134 Lorain Ave., West Park/Kamm’s Corners)
• Orale! Kitchen Restaurant (1834 West 25th Street, Cleveland)
• Pinzone’s Market Fresh Meats (6046 Broadview Rd, Parma)
• Noodlecat (234 euclid avenue off Public Square, Cleveland)

Many of the Market’s other vendors – like Judy’s Oasis – take online orders or have stands at area farmers’ markets. If I’ve missed anyone above, leave a comment below.

#3 West Side Market Cash Mob

Tentatively scheduled for Saturday, March 2, Cash Mobs Cleveland wants you and your friends to converge on the Market after it opens to help vendors get back on their feet. The rules are simple: show up on the scheduled date with $20 to spend, talk to 3 people you didn’t know before, and have fun.

Because it’s unclear when the Market is going to reopen, the date is likely to change. With 2000+ already rsvped on the Facebook event page, Cash Mobs is currently working with Ohio City Incorporated to find a day that would work best. Keep an eye on that event page to stay up-to-date.

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I’m sure that over the coming days, weeks and months, there will be more efforts to help the Market, with at least Michael Symon already planning something.

Of course, though, you can find your own way to help West Side Market once they reopen. I’m a huge fan of long-term support plans with Scott and I pledging to increase the frequency of our visits each month and trying out a few vendors we’ve always meant to get to.

How do you plan on helping the West Side Market during this time? Leave a comment!

Time to announce the winner for the Oct. 25th CCFA Movie Gala!

As I mentioned when I posted the CCFA Giveaway last week, my favorite excuse to visit Gordon Square’s Capitol Theatre is for their monthly Sunday Classics series. Thank you to everyone for sharing your favorite classics in the comments!

From old musicals (the most popular entry) to Harvey, Hitchcock and of course my fellow Audrey Hepburn fans, you definitely put me in the mood for a classic movie marathon soon.

After counting up all of these entries and removing a pingback and duplicate, the winning entry selected by Random.org is…

Congratulations, entry number 11 – Laura Brewer, for winning a pair of general admission tickets to the CCFA Movie Gala! Email me at clueintocleveland (at) gmail (dot) com by this coming Tuesday to claim your prize.

If you didn’t win, you have another chance through WhyCLE’s giveaway which runs through Monday.

It’s also not too late to purchase tickets.  Tickets cost $50 for an evening of food, two drink tickets and an evening of film screenings (VIP tickets include all of this + an open bar for $100). I hope you’ll join me in showing support for the fight against Crohn’s and Colitis. You can purchase tickets here.

I also hope to see everyone at another event I’m really looking forward to – this Sunday’s West Side Market Centennial Celebration:

Image source: WSM100.org

I know I’m not going to be around for the next Centennial (unless all that science fiction I read about cryogenically freezing someone turns out to be true! ) so I’m going to brave the crowd and head down there Sunday morning.

Starting at 11am, West 25th is going to be closed off til 8pm for the West Side Market Street Festival and Parade.  A WSM-themed parade, featuring current and past vendors, neighborhood block clubs and community groups, will step off at noon, while music, food and more festivities will be going on throughout the district all day.

Plus the event will mark the first time in a decade that West Side Market has been open on a Sunday. In addition to freshly prepared foods from WSM vendors, festival attendees can enjoy two beer gardens and the Ohio City restaurants and food trucks that will be selling food along W. 25th Street all day.

After filling yourself with deliciously local fare, 3 stages of live music and family-friendly activities at the Ohio City Farm’s OC Harvest will help burn away the calories.

Image source wsm100.org

I’m thinking WSM100 and a trip to Put-in-Bay on Saturday for their Island Wine Festival should make up for what’s been a very long week.

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Enjoy an afternoon in Ohio City's Historic Market Square District with one of NEO Food Tours' October events

The lucky thing about being a fan of food in Cleveland is that we not just have fantastic restaurants, but our strong culinary scene also features markets, breweries and specialty shops.

This month, NEO Food Tours is rolling out a few events that spotlight the variety of tastes that Cleveland offers the adventurous foodie.

We’re starting things off on October 14 and October 28 when our Harvest Happy Hour Tour explores Ohio City’s Historic Market Square District .

From 2-5pm, guests will “dine, drink and donate” through the Historic Market Square District as they discover firsthand the neighborhood’s impact on the Cleveland culinary scene.

Stops will include the West Side Market and local artisans such as Bonbon Bake Shop, Room Service, and Campbell’s Popcorn Shop.  A visit to Chef Matt Mathlage’s Light Bistro (one of my Ohio City favorites!) completes the afternoon.

And when the tour wraps up at 5pm, there’s still plenty of time to continue shopping or keep the happy hour going at the many restaurants that made Ohio City one of USA Today’s “best neighborhoods to bar hop.”

Tickets are $55 and include gratuitity. Furthering our commitment to the Northeast Ohio region, we’re donating $5 from every ticket to Ohio City Inc.

NEO Food Tours' Brews n' Pubs Tour spotlights some of the places that make Cleveland's beer scene so good.

In October, NEO Food Tours is also getting a taste of Cleveland’s brewing resurgence. During Cleveland Beer Week, we’re offering a Cleveland Brews n’ Pubs Tour.

The tour on October 15 will make stops at 4-5 breweries and pubs throughout the Cleveland area, including Indigo Imp and Market Garden Brewery.  At each stop, beer enthusiasts will sample various beers and food, as they talk with some of Cleveland’s brew-masters. 

Transportation between stops, beer sampling, gastropub fare and gratuity are all included in the $60 ticket. 

With the Brews n’ Pubs tour, we’re excited to partner with Taste of the Harvest to offer a special Beer Masters Ticket. For $100 (a savings of $15), you can attend both the Brews n’ Pubs Tour on October 15, as well as Cleveland Beer Week’s only local hand-crafted beer tasting on October 21.

It’s been an amazing 6 months working with NEO Food Tours (I can’t believe that much time has gone by!) and I’m really proud to see how we’re growing and offering events that showcase all of the region’s culinary assets.  

Tickets for the Harvest Happy Hour tours can be found at  http://marketdistrict1.eventbrite.com.

Tickets for the Cleveland Brews n’ Pubs tour can be found at http://clebeertour11.eventbrite.com.

Disclosure: I work with NEO Food Tours as their Communications Co-Director. However, I got involved with NEO Food Tours and am sharing these events on Clue Into Cleveland because I believe in our mission of promoting the neighborhoods and dynamic culinary industry that call Northeast Ohio home.