"cookie table season" has officially opened

thank the lord spring has arrived.

for the cookie table season is officially upon us.

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still in bewilderment of Youngstown's cookie tables?

watch this video from this wedding reception I attended over the weekend:



A truly serpentine cookie table with even a separate chocolate table as well!

Infinite kudos go to Jan as she spent 2 months plus baking all of the cookies for her daughter's wedding. Her christmas cookie business prepared her well for this big event.

An additional nice touch was the "truly cut out for each other" favors for each guest, with cookie cutter attached, and recipe inside.



what a wonderful idea.


long-time readers of this blog may have read cookie table stories on this site in the past, but here is a nice review as Pittsburgh went searching for the origin of one of Youngstown's most cherished traditions:

Cookies are not the only sustenance at weddings, though. A typical wedding menu in northeastern Ohio might include "rigs and meatballs" (rigatoni and meatballs), "drenched" salad (greens covered in dressing, usually Italian), green bean amandine, some kind of chicken, roast beef or pork tenderloin and white potatoes with parsley. And, of course, there's wedding cake, though it must compete with the cookie table for attention.

"I think the wedding cake is eaten less and less, and people choose cookies over the cake," Nohra says.

In the "Buckeye State," Buckeye cookies are the centerpiece of the table and always disappear first. Other must-haves are "clothespin" cookies (we call them ladylocks), iced Italian "wedding cookies," Peanut Butter Blossoms (the ones with Hershey's kisses), kolachi (rolled nut loaf), and pizzelles (the crispy flat cookie made in a special iron).

here's to the beginning of another great season . . .

the cookie table: a youngstown tradition

I remember the moment.

It was 1998 and I had to go to a wedding in Dayton.

The ceremony was beautiful.

The bride was stunning.

The filet mignon was succulent.

The band with their horn section rocked the house.

and as the evening progressed, I went searching for the cookie table.

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Only there was no cookie table.

worst wedding ever.

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People from this region may remember the first wedding reception they attended without a cookie table. The initial shock of not having a cookie table is difficult for the soul. But it also shows us how there are some traditions out there that are weaved into the core of our beings, which you can't find everywhere throughout the country.





The cookie table is one of those traditions that makes this region special.

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Simply put, the cookie table is Youngstown.

It's festive and it's dynamic and it's diverse.

Your friends, your family, your caterers - all come together in the days before the wedding to make dozens and dozens upon dozens of cookies and minature cakes.

Even though the cookie table has its history in many countries throughout the world, immigrants from the region popularized it, and the variety of today's cookie tables reflects what happens when people thoughout the world begin to co-habitate in the same city.

At a typical Youngstown cookie table, regardless of the ethnicity of the couple, you'll find kolachi from Poland, pizelles from Italy, torte from Germany, kataifi from Greece, bobalki from Slovakia, buckeyes from Ohio, clothespins, canoli, kisses, and those little tiny cheesecakes with the cherries on top.

You bring cookies, you eat cookies, and you take home some cookies in your to-go boxes. That's the tradition.



And interesting enough, a good cookie table usually means your guests will be content.

The bride might be homely, the best man may have given a horrible speech, and the cavatelli might not be cooked enough, but if you ever hear . . .

"Frank, did you see the size of that cookie table? Good heavens!!"

. . . chances are your guests will go home happy.

the pillars of a community

The Defend Youngstown blog posted a great interview today with Anthony Kobak, Chief Planner of the City of Youngstown and one of the driving forces during the Youngstown 2010 planning process. You can find the interview here.

Defend Youngstown's work brings a human face to some of the pillars in the region. His interviews reinforce the notion that government is, well, just a bunch of people at the core, and not some abstract object.

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Since my posting yesterday about the Toffler speech inside Stambaugh Auditorium, I have had a few requests about additional info on the building and its wonderful pillars.

The Indiana limestone, oak, and marble structure was inspired by the Pantheon in Paris, and was designed by Helmle and Corbett Architects from New York City. Its opening concert was held on December 6th, 1926 and featured the humorist Will Rodgers.

Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and recently Jerry Seinfeld have all performed in this historic building. Its rooms throughout the structure are available for rent, and is a great place for a wedding reception. In fact, here are a few photos of the place when I was one of the groomsmen for a good friend who had his wedding there: