A stretch of East 54 th in Slavic Village was jammed Monday evening – not with cars, but with residents waiting to take their seats at long “Hogwarts-style” tables set up for the Village Feast.
Now in its 3 rd year, the community meal featured a bevy of local foods donated from Green City Growers, New Creation Farm, and Indoor Gardens -- and was prepared by the staff of Saucission butcher shop in Slavic Village.
The feast was meant to kickoff the Slavic Village farmers market – which will begin June 11 th – but it also served as a way for the diverse residents of Slavic Village to meet and mingle.
“Food is a common denominator,” said Melissa Khoury of Saucission. “We all enjoy food, we all sit down and eat, so this is an opportunity to sit down and meet somebody that you wouldn’t normally have an interaction with.”
Southeast of downtown Cleveland, Slavic Village went from a typical ethnic enclave to being known nationally as ground zero of the foreclosure crisis in 2008. Since then, the neighborhood has seen even more change – along with a new crop of residents.
And that’s precisely why events like this are important said Joe Linsky of Slavic Village Development, which hosted the event.
“There’s the traditional ethnic Slavic Village that people tend to think of, and a lot of those roots are still here, but there’s a new wave of businesses and residents moving into the area that are reshaping it,” said Linsky.
Linsky added, “A meal like this can help build a community, and hopefully they take that back home with them.”