Showing off Saxonburg
SAXONBURG — Marketing was on the menu when 50 diners strolled down Main Street stopping to sample some tempting offerings, strolled a little more and tasted another dish, then walked, ate, walked more and finally ate dessert.
The meal with seven courses separated by brief jaunts between restaurants on Wednesday was the first of four “Progressive Dinners” the Saxonburg Supper Club is planning this year to showcase their businesses and the town.
The restaurants prepared special dishes featuring spicy and cool foods for the dinner's theme, “Fire and Ice.”
Fifty-six people in four or five groups spend 15 minutes in each restaurant culminating with homemade red hot red velvet cake with vanilla bean gelato for dessert at the Mainstreet Bake Shop.
“It's got a little spice to it,” owner Megan Roth said about the cake. “The gelato is the ice.”
The bake shop normally closes at 3 p.m., but opens late for the progressive dinners, letting Roth meet customers who might not have visited her business before.
The events also give restaurant owners the opportunity show off their culinary skills.
“It's fun to see what we come up with. This gives me a chance to do something different to show people what I can do,” Roth said. “I specialize in wedding cakes and custom cakes. This give me a chance to show photos of cakes. It kind of gets what I do out there — get some new business out of it. It's a lot of fun.”
The seven restaurants in the club meet during the winter to select the dates and themes of the dinners.
The restaurants in the club are Novotny's Pizza Shop, Curd and Molds Fromagerie, Batch, Saxonburg Coffee and Tea Company, Kelly's Family Restaurant, Hotel Saxonburg and Mainstreet Bake Shop. Novotny's is the first stop.
The remaining dinners are “Vegetarian Feast” on June 13, “Stuff It” on Aug. 9 and “Breakfast for Dinner” on Oct. 10. Each begins at 6 p.m.This is the fourth year the club has held the dinners, which have helped the restaurants and united the owners.“It helps each of us out. It's definitely brought us closer together. It's been a really great thing,” Roth said.“It's so much fun. We meet at the beginning of the year to make the themes. We've become really good friends. We can help each other instead of competing with each other,” said Judy Ferree, Saxonburg Hotel owner.When the diners strolled up to the hotel Wednesday they indulged in fire blue fillet with grilled icicle lettuce and fireball iced tea. The fillet is sliced and covered with a spicy blue cheese sauce.“It is really good. Our chef takes the lead with his experience and expertise. All the restaurant owners are really talented,” Ferree said. “It's fun to see someone do something out of their daily routine. It's fun to make stuff not on a regular menu.”Diners enjoy the progressive experience.“People like walking a little, stretching a little between courses. Some people bring wine and make a night out of it,” Ferree said.Main Street is easy to walk and the restaurants are close.“They're so close together. Our street is level. It really works,” Ferree said.Accommodations are made for vegans, people who eat gluten free foods, and diners with disabilities who can stay in the hotel and the food from the different eateries will be brought to them, she said.“It's really grown,” Ferree said, adding that the final dinner last year in October drew 110 people. “We usually get a pretty nice crowd.”
