Newsletter: New eats, coffee & more 🍽☕

If you’re looking for something to do just that, Holly Days are happening today and tomorrow at the Dayton Arcade. The holiday shopping experience features over 45 small businesses, food trucks, a cash bar, live entertainment and many more surprises.

Some of the food vendors that you may recognize include I Heart Ice Cream, CheezCake Lab, The scRUMptious Dessert, Mutt’s Sauce or St. Anne’s Cheese Company.

Over the last few weeks (Yes, I decorated before Thanksgiving), I’ve gotten into the holiday sprit by putting up my Christmas tree and outlining my house in Christmas lights. Growing up, my dad would always go over the top on our outdoor Christmas lights by outlining every window, door and the entire sidewalk. I’m not quite at my dad’s level, but I think I will get there in the next few years.

If you’re going to see holiday lights, check out this list of light displays and restaurants that you can pair with them. My favorite light display is at Clifton Mill. What’s your favorite? Email me here.

New eats on Wayne Avenue

A new place to grab a bite to eat or purchase other food-related items is now open on Wayne Avenue in Dayton’s Oregon District.

District Market is a new marketplace where small businesses can sell their food, learn and grow before venturing out on their own. The market is similar to The Entrepreneurs Marketplace previously located in the Wright-Dunbar District.

District Market features six different food businesses including Chase Concessions, CheezCake Lab, Debril, Fruitilicious, Kula Kula and Sisters. The vendors will serve anything from soul rolls, pasta, gumbo, Chicago dogs, salads and quesadillas to fruit cups, cheesecake and cookies.

In addition, there will be seven local companies showcasing their products on the shelves of the market. This includes wine slushy mix, rum cakes, jams, seasonings, pancake mix and more.

I talked to several of the vendors before they opened last week.

Ashaki Daugherty, the owner of Kula Kula, was looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. Daugherty previously had a space at the Dayton Mall, but she closed that over a year ago.

Daugherty described Kula Kula as having a soul, eclectic menu for the adventurous palate. Customer favorites include soul rolls, an eggroll filled with macaroni and cheese, smoked turkey, collard greens and soul sauce. She said the secret sauce is “a little bit of sweet, a little bit of spice and a whole lot of soul.”

Vendors will be on a six-month rotation — allowing other small businesses to have the opportunity to showcase their skills. Read more about the vendors here.

Wahlburgers targets December opening at racino

I grew up watching Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy on their reality TV show, Donnie Loves Jenny, so seeing that Wahlburgers, created by Donnie’s brother, Paul, is coming to Hollywood Gaming makes me excited.

Jennifer Woffindale, director of marketing at Hollywood Gaming, in an update on the restaurant’s expected opening, said they are hopeful it will open before the end of this month.

This will be the first Wahlburgers in the Dayton area. There are three others in Ohio — Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

I’m just hoping that I will have some money left after playing the slots to dine at the new restaurant. Read more about what you can expect here.

New place to get coffee coming soon to Centerville

A family-owned coffee shop with a focus on sustainability, education and inclusivity is expected to open by March in Centerville.

ContempoRoast, owned by Mindy Hoffbauer and her son, Andy, will be located at 967 S. Main St. in the space that most recently housed a hair salon.

Andy told me he hopes the coffee shop will have a wine bar atmosphere where they can focus on subtleties and the tasting notes of the coffee for those that want to dive deeper into improving their palate.

To do this, the coffee shop will feature a coffee lab where guests can order flights and attend tastings or classes.

If you’re not interested in diving deeper into coffee, they will have seasonal flavored lattes, affogatos with ice cream, espresso drinks, drips, pour overs, cold brews, teas, lemonades and more.

Quick Bites:

🍽 Christy’s Catering closing in Huber Heights: The owners are retiring after nearly 23 years.

🍕 Long Shots now open year-round: The driving range has a restaurant and bar featuring pizzas, subs, a rotating lineup of 16 craft beers on tap and more. Read more about the business here.

🍗 New entertainment center to open in Beavercreek: On Par Entertainment across from The Greene Town Center will feature mini-golf, bowling, self-pour taps, food and more.

🍔 Five Guys is opening a new location in Centerville: The restaurant will be located next door to Godfather’s Pizza on Wilmington Pike.

Tell Us:

Thank you so much for reading my weekly newsletter! As Christmas is right around the corner, I want to hear from you. Do you have a favorite memory baking holiday cookies with your family or do you have a favorite cookie recipe you would like to share? Email me with details and you could be featured in one of my stories.

Also, remember to follow Dayton Daily News on Facebook or search our Food & Dining section for the latest stories. I’ll have continuous updates on my Facebook or Twitter pages.