Each day at Carrie Cerino’s Ristorante & Party Center, diners get a personal visit from one of the senior-level staff; typically it’s Owner Carmen Cerino, himself, or his wife, Jo Marie, asking how they are doing and whether they are enjoying their meals.
It’s a tradition Carmen’s grandmother Carrie started when she first opened the restaurant in the 1960s, and he and his family have worked to preserve.
Over on Wallings Road, in the Lis Family Hall at St. Albert the Great Church, parishioners are eagerly preparing to feed Friday night Fish Fry attendees – volunteers have been known to serve 100-dozen potato pierogis the first week of Lent alone and go through upwards of 20 10-pound cases of cod each Friday evening throughout Lent, says Denise Bobulsky, service and volunteer coordinator. This year’s Fish Fry kicks off March 1 and weekly proceeds benefit the Feeding the Hungry ministry, among others within the parish.
Families make it a weekly tradition to attend the fish fry and share in the comradery. Its volunteers – whether they are busing tables, serving food or preparing items in the kitchen – also share in the weekly comradery. Many of the same parishioners volunteer year after year, and many do it together as a family or on behalf of their school or scout troop. The Lenten Fish Fry is viewed as more of a community event rich in fellowship, rather than a quick stop to have some beer-battered cod and coleslaw.
Both of these eating traditions – and there are plenty more out there in North Royalton… just walk into Angie’s Pizza on a Friday night during high-school football season – add up to one important thing – that there’s really just something special about eating locally, be it nostalgia, customer-service, relationship-building, or financial support for one’s community.
On any given evening, you’ll find friends gathering at Niko’s Bar & Gyros to share some home cooking, a beverage and conversation.
Going to Cleats is always a fun experience, but a visit during Lent for their famous fish fry is special.
To further drive that love and support for local dining, the Royalton Recorder will be kicking off a month-long Eat Locally Contest with prizes of gift cards to area restaurants.
To participate, simply save your local dining receipts through March 31, 2017 and send a copy to the Royalton Recorder via our website royaltonrecorder.com, by email at rrnews@aol.com, by fax sent to (440) 237-6181, or in-person at our office located at 13737 State Road. Include your name and daytime phone number on your receipt. We are here Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
This contest starts today, with our Restaurant and Dining Guide, and concludes March 31, at which time we’ll do a drawing of submitted dining receipts for a chance to win a gift card to either Matteo’s Casual Italian Restaurant, Cleats Club Seat Grille, or Niko’s Bar & Gyros.
Receipts must come from local restaurants and those advertising in our February 23 Recorder Restaurant and Dining Guide.
For more information on this fun contest, please visit our website at royaltonrecorder.com or give us a call at (440)237-6180. Thanks for supporting our local eateries, and happy eating!
By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer
