Chip Kennedy is crazy. But, so were the Wright Brothers. He thinks he
can create a downtown mecca of food from all parts of the world, in a space
that’s even smaller than the Oakwood Dororthy Lane Market, and do it with
style.
Getting ready for the pop-up dinner
Tomorrow, Oct. 1st, from 2 to 8, he’s teaming up with another crazy
person, Chef Anne Kearney, formerly of Rue Dumaine, who will do a pop-up cash
only dinner to rock your socks- while you wander around what will be “District
Provisions” – a place where foodies will think they’ve died and gone to heaven
and interior designers will say “damn, I wish I has his style.”
Kennedy has a vision of a place, more like Cleveland’s West Side
Market than a traditional grocery, with different shops from different parts of
the world- in what could only be called a curated walk through the continents.
The last thing Dayton had that resembled this was the arcade, when you could
still go in and buy fresh seafood, fruits, baked goods- before the City tried
their hand at turning it into a mall with a fancy glass roof. The location is
the old Dietz Block building, also known as the Norman Miller Furniture
building at 531 Wayne Ave, behind Wheat Penney and catty-corner to Eastway.
Currently, the only business operating out of there is Crafted and Cured, which
has beers on tap and meats and cheeses for a charcuterie (a new hipster
experience).
Copper pots ready for a special meal
Next up will be the Mediterranean section, with a wood fired copper
kettle of an oven, an oyster bar, a butcher shop, deli, bakery retail outlet
and then produce and candy. After that, an Asian and Hispanic areas. How the
mechanics of these mini-foodlands will work is still a mystery to be solved,
but, the aesthetics of the place will have you falling in love.
The copper wood fired oven of District Provisions
The copper wood fired oven of District Provisions
While the grocery co-op on the near West side is still in fundraising
mode, Chip has been busting his butt and using his own money to build his
dream, without help from all the “economic development geniuses” we’ve got on
the payroll in Dayton. They aren’t spending half-a-million to build him a
parking lot, they aren’t giving him huge tax abatement or job creation credit.
And that’s too bad, because the kind of business he’s creating is the kind that
makes Dayton a more interesting place to “live, work, play” and keeps one of
Dayton’s beautiful old buildings- in use and alive.
The scale for the deli of District Provisions
While District Provisions won’t be for everyone, it will be a reason
to come and spend money downtown, and experience something unavailable in the
‘burbs. It also has the ability to be a place where new urbanites can meet and
mingle – while engaged in shopping for necessities, something that has become
harder and harder to do anywhere downtown- other than the 2nd Street Market
which is only open for a smidgen of time a few days a week.
Jack Lukey’s oyster and Caviar bar
For new residents of the Wheelhouse, or the Delco Lofts, Water Street
or the Charlie Simms projects, this will help remind them that their investment
is safe. Access to buying food without feeling like you are in a depressed area
will stop them from getting depressed (yes, Wayne Avenue Kroger is nicer, but
it still has the lighting of a dollar store, and the only parking lot that
could host the soapbox derby).
While I look forward to District Provisions, and even more so to the
pop-up dinner tomorrow, I want to say that I don’t fall into the total trap of
“there aren’t any supermarkets in Dayton” – because there are – they’re just
not the suburban style ones. In my neighborhood, we have the awesome Halal
International Grocery, there is Dot’s by the Kettering border that has awesome
meat, you’ve got a few Hispanic markets on Troy St and E. Third, and then there
are a few independent grocery stores on Gettysburg, James H. McGee,
Save-a-lot’s on Wilmington, and Linden etc.
For those going to the Pop-up-
Fresh organic tomatoes for Chef Anne Kearney
a few items from the cash only menu:
Pernod opoached Blue Point
Oysters, leeks, spinach, tarragon, AWS bacon, creme $12
Belgian endive, Honeycrisp
apple, bleu cheese, walnut salad, Banyuls vinaigrette $9
Fire-roasted Scottish
salmon, butternut squash, leek ragout, Jamestown pea shoots, parsley garlic
pistou $24
Sherry braised pork, YAYA
grits, fire-roasted shiitakes $22
Steak Frites, grilled hanger
steak, pommes frites, truffle beurre, aioli $23
Bickelcreek Farm rhubarb
& raspberry crumble cake $7
Chef Anne is using as many locally grown ingredients as possible.
Again- cash only.
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