Meet Zach Morgan, executive chef of Little Fish Brewing Company Zach Morgan, executive chef and general manager of Little Fish Brewing Company in Dayton, grew up in a small farming town in northeast Ohio. Becoming a chef wasn’t on his list back then, but with his love for travel and experience working in the restaurant industry, his interest for a career in hospitality grew. Growing up, Morgan was very athletic. He attended Baldwin Wallace University to play soccer, but broke his collarbone, dislocated his kneecap and tore his MCL all in his freshman year. He transferred to Ohio University and studied restaurant, hotel and tourism. During his senior year of college, Morgan worked at the Ohio University Inn & Conference Center as a line cook. At 22-years old, he was offered the position of sous chef. Morgan has always had an interest in the farm-to-table restaurant concept of sourcing ingredients from local farmers. In 2019, he started working at Little Fish in Athens. Little Fish had recently added a farm-to-table restaurant to the brewery. In 2022, the brewery opened the Dayton location in a former railroad warehouse at 116 Webster St. About a year prior, Morgan moved to the area to find local farmers to team up with and research the Dayton restaurant scene. “Right now we’re ending the summer crop season and moving into the fall harvest,” Morgan said. During the fall, customers can expect a focus on comfort food like stews, soups, pasta and risotto. Last year, he did a butternut squash risotto with bacon, pomegranate seeds and molasses that was top with fried sage.
New tea, wine lounge to open in Dayton Saoko (pronounced say-a-ko) Leaf & Vine will be located at 1171 W. Third St. Suite 102 between XO Burger Vibez + Cocktails and Haymarket Deli & Sweets. The new lounge will have a self-serve wine station featuring 12 wines on tap. Customers will be able to choose between a 1 oz., 3 oz. or 5 oz. pour. The lounge will also offer bubble teas and health teas. The owners plan to feature charcuterie boards and pastries that will pair well with the wines on tap. They hope to create an experience for those coming into the lounge. Saoko Leaf & Vine will blend the elegance of a wine bar with the vibrant charm of a bubble tea cafe to create a chic space to work and meet during the day. In the evening, the lighting will dim creating a soft and sexy ambiance — perfect for a date night or night out with friends and family.
☕ New Dunkin’ location opens near Austin Landing: The coffee shop is located at 9960 Summit Point Drive in Miami Twp., just outside of the Austin Park Apartments. 🍩 Hot Head Burritos collabs with local food truck: Death Grip Donuts will have two savory donuts inspired by Hot Head Burritos at The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday. READ MORE 🛍️ Sunset at the Market returns: 2nd Street Market in Dayton is featuring a special evening shopping event in celebration of the fall harvest from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Looking for something spooky to do this weekend? The Riverside Jaycees Haunted Castle of Carnage & Trail has entered its 39th season with 100 percent of proceeds going back into the community. I stopped by the haunt to see what it was like to be an actor at the haunted house. Jason Byrd, a volunteer at the haunt for 39 years, did my makeup to make it look like a dentist drilled into my cheek. What the actors do at the haunt is harder than it looks. My job was to sit in a dentist chair, scream and flail my arms and legs, while the other actor had a drill and acted like she was drilling my mouth. I found it hard to scream the first couple of times, but by the third go around, I was doing much better. I can confirm we did scare some of the people that walked through. The Haunted Castle of Carnage & Trail features “old school jump scares.” It could take guests anywhere from seven minutes to 20 minutes to walk through the house. The haunted attraction also includes a trail that’s about a half a mile long and a maze that could take guests up to 30 minutes to figure their way out.
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