Putting fresh, local, sustainably grown vegetables on the table of everyone in our community is the aim of an organization called City Fresh.

City Fresh is a Cuyahoga County nonprofit program of the New Agrarian Center that supports the creation of a sustainable local food system in Northeast Ohio. Founded by Brad Masi, the program was meant to address the needs of those who are most at-risk within our community.

The New Agrarian Center is committed to building a stronger and more sustainable regional food system in Northeast Ohio: a food system that promotes health in the broadest sense of the word -- healthy land, healthy communities, healthy individuals and a healthy economy.

As much as I enjoy cooking at home, I enjoy eating out nearly as much. There are an abundance of wonderful places to eat in our area, and occasionally I will have something at a local restaurant that screams to be attempted at home.

Such is the case with the Chicken Pitza at Aladdin's Eatery. Part pita wrap, part pizza, this little item packs a lot of flavor. The restaurant's menu describes this as: a pita with "Honey Dijon dressing and Garlic Sauce topped with chunks of char-grilled chicken tenders, julienne green peppers and diced scallions."  Chicken and a honey mustard sauce is a modern classic pairing. Add some spices for additional interest and put it all on a platter of bread for less-than-messy eating.

When most people think of a "food scene," images of fancy restaurants, famous chefs and well dressed people lounging around drinking wine and eating appetizers springs to mind.  This is the stuff of glossy magazine articles and weekly newspaper columns. 

Local "foodies" (a term used to describe those that love food in all its iterations) can easily tell you who the up-and-coming chefs are in the area and which ones are opening new restaurants. They can rattle off the names of local wine shops where they gather to taste the new releases of wines from around the world.

And the Akron food scene is all that and yet, so much more. Or so much less, depending upon your point of view.

The location that used to be The River Brasserie and Bar -- before that LeFever’s, and even before that, a power plant -- is now Samira, and it is bringing an upbeat dining experience to the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

Owner Nick Dadich went for the opportunity to open his second restaurant because it was a good business opportunity, the price was right, and he couldn’t pass up the location. That can be attested to by the dark water and snowy banks visible from the large glass windows in the restaurant. Dadich's goal with the resturant is to change the culture and give customers an upbeat, yet relaxing experience.

Most residents don’t realize that deserts exist throughout Northeast Ohio. In fact, there are a number of “food deserts” scattered throughout the region.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet. Last year, The American Journal of Epidemiology reported that people with no supermarket near their homes were up to 46 percent less likely to have a healthy diet than those with more shopping options.

This evening the community was invited to visit Ms. Julie's Kitchen on South Main Street where the good folks from TreeHouse Organics chatted with us about their family of local organic farmers, master gardeners, green growers, beekeepers and craftspeople.

In recent years there has been a growing awareness of how we, as a population, interact with the food world around us. We question whether we are treating our environment in ways that are sustainable for future generations, whether the way we grow our food is healthy for us as well as the animals bred to feed us, and whether, as a culture, we’re doing the right things to maintain healthy families.

We are beginning to pay more attention to where our food comes from, how it’s raised, how it’s processed and how it gets into our bodies. From massive poultry businesses to quality control in food distribution to putting meals on our tables, we are asking more questions and not always liking the answers we are being given.