PEMBERVILLE, Ohio — If you have the hankering to sample some locally made treats or need some inspiration to liven up a recipe, there's a perfect event for you this weekend.
Beeker's General Store has been a staple of the village of Pemberville for 146 years. Along with offering plenty of locally made crafts and decorations, it's the only place where you can find many of these artisan goods made by local and regional vendors.
Owner Todd Sheets decided a few years ago to launch a Sampling Saturday event to not only let patrons try out a variety of these foods, but to also learn more about where they come from.
"You get to talk with the local bee keeper, you get to talk with the local artisan who makes the beautiful cutting boards," Sheets said. "So, it's not only the food and the sampling then meeting some of the makers and learning about their products."
Beeker's holds the event just before the Super Bowl so people can figure out new recipes to try at home.
"Our idea was, 'How do we get people back in the general store after the holiday season?' We realize people may not have as much money to spend, but they eat," Sheets said. "And so we came up with the idea of sampling a few of our food products so that they can get some ideas and use some of those possibly in their Super Bowl parties."
A select few local home cooks are also tasked with taking home a surprise ingredient from the general store and bringing back their creation to Sampling Saturday to show the different ways these artisan goods can be prepared.
"They have to use that item in a recipe and bring it back on Saturday," Sheets said. "Of course we have the recipes printed for folks to take with them, and then you - the public - get to vote on your favorite recipe."
Sampling Saturday runs this Saturday at Beeker's General Store in Pemberville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.