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Italian eatery to serve organic, meatless meals
By Lisa Abraham
Beacon Journal food writer
Published on Thursday, Sep 06, 2007
Akron native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde is expected to hold a news conference today with city officials to talk about the opening of her new restaurant, VegiTerranean.
The eatery will be on the first floor of the Northside Lofts at the edge of downtown Akron. Restaurateur Dan Duplain, owner of Fedeli in Canton, is a partner in the venture.
A walk through the restaurant on Wednesday revealed the makings of a space with a contemporary European feel. Designer and developer Joel Testa, 35, said he wanted to create something European without the cliches associated with Italian restaurants.
The decor will be primarily white, with black and gray. Fiber optic lighting that changes from white to blue will highlight the design and help establish varying moods from day to night.
Duplain said the restaurant staff is working to create an Italian/vegetarian menu that is equally unexpected.
''We'll have something for everybody here,'' he said.
The restaurant is not expected to open until mid-October. However, Hynde will be in town through Sept. 15, when a ceremonial ribbon cutting will take place. She will perform a benefit concert for the Civic Theatre.
View of valley
VegiTerranean has three parts a coffee bar and bakery, a lounge and the restaurant all compactly designed in the southeast corner of the lofts building. Each phase of the restaurant has its own patio area, with views of the valley below and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
A concrete fire pit/coffee table will extend the length of the coffee bar patio to allow for outdoor seating even in chilly weather, Testa said.
The back wall of the lounge has windows that retract and can turn the bar into an open-air lounge on warm days.
Hynde is a strict vegetarian and the restaurant will serve no meat or fish, but will use dairy products, such as cream, eggs and cheese.
''From a restaurant standpoint, we want to change what people think of as vegetarian cuisine,'' Duplain said.
VegiTerranean's executive chef will be Scot Jones, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Jones is currently executive chef at Fedeli in Canton, and will take on the duties of executive chef for both.
Duplain said Jones has been working on the menu with Tal Ronnen, head chef for Veg Advantage, a nonprofit group that helps other chefs develop vegetarian options. Ronnen also works with PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights group that Hynde supports.
Duplain's working draft of the menu shows a variety of typical Italian offerings bruschetta with tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella is on the appetizer list, along with olives, marinated artichoke hearts and grilled vegetables. All of the menu items that contain cheese have the option of a tofu substitute.
Organic foods
The menu includes pizzas, salads, soups and pastas, as well as entrees such as polenta lasagna, eggplant risotto and portobello tenderloin.
The restaurant will feature only organic foods, and some will be obtained locally, Duplain said.
Jones also is experimenting with some wheat-based meat substitutes for possible inclusion on the menu, he said.
The conversion of the Italian cuisine of Fedeli to vegetarian has been fairly easy, Duplain said. Fedeli's traditional Italian menu also contained 27 vegetarian offerings, some of which were actually vegan containing nothing but vegetable products.
General manager Nick Szekeres, who is Duplain's son-in-law, has put together a list of organic wines from Italy and France, and there will be an extensive list of martinis.
Cocktails will be made with freshly squeezed juice and all will be offered in a nonalcoholic ''Dr. Bob'' version in recognition of Akron history and Dr. Bob Smith, who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous here.
Testa said Hynde has been a passionate vegetarian for years and wanted to bring a vegetarian restaurant to her hometown.
In addition, Hynde has asked Testa to start designing one of the lofts for her, which she intends to buy as her Akron residence. Hynde lives in London.
Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.
Akron native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde is expected to hold a news conference today with city officials to talk about the opening of her new restaurant, VegiTerranean.
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