A Week In The Life At The Blue Door Cafe

I love The Blue Door Cafe and Bakery.

Am I recognized when I walk through the front door? Yes. Am I given seating priority over other customers? Never. Do I ask for special treatment or go off menu when ordering? Nothing that I wouldn't do at any other restaurant. Do I think that the kitchen might take an extra second or two to make sure my plate of food is a stand-out dish both visually and in how it tastes? Absolutely.

Lest I set the bar too high so early in the review, let me bring some reality to the situation. I have been going on a fairly regular basis to Blue Door since they converted over from The Golden Goose just under a year ago. On the whole, the food is creative, very tasty, and fun. Have I ever gotten a bad plate of food -- something I would send back to the kitchen? No. Have I ordered items off the menu that weren't as stellar as others? Yes. It is a sad fact of life that not all dishes are created equal and while I've been knocked out of this world too many times to count with the food here, sometimes a dish can be cooked correctly and seasoned properly, but still only register a "meh" in the taste department.

So why do I love Blue Door so much? Mostly because of the commitment of every single person that works there to provide a positive experience, from the homemade breads and pastries, to the effort to use seasonal and local ingredients as much as possible, to the knowledgeable waitstaff, and to the kitchen team that not only continually strives to innovate new dishes on a daily basis, but also has the chops to be able to pull it off.

While the restaurant has a regular menu which changes very little, the true magic of this place is the daily "specials" menu, which tends to rotate definitely on a weekly basis, and quite often, on a daily one. This week, dishes on the specials menu centered on an Italian theme, some of which were of true Italian descent, others were a nod to an Italian tradition.

Shall we begin the journey with Wednesday, May 16th?

Many times I already know what I am going to order even before walking through the front door. This is because owner Michael Bruno does a great job of fairly regularly updating the status of the restaurant's Facebook page. He'll list out the daily specials for the following day so that customers have an idea of what to expect. Nine times out of ten, that status update will be what prompts me to come in the following day for breakfast or lunch.

So what was today's sirens' song? Fresh Pasta Carbonara:

Made with homemade egg noodles, fresh peas, shallots, Nueske's bacon, and Parmesan cheese, this creamy and salty concoction made my head swoon with delight. I am particularly fond of the fact that from it's very inception, Blue Door has championed the use of the deliciously smokey and salty Nueske bacon, which adds such great depth to any dish it appears in. The fresh peas were delicious and added little pops of sweetness to a pasta dish which could've easily landed on the salty side.

Not wanting me to miss out on the opportunity to try one of the kitchen's homemade meatballs, at the chef's request, my server also brought me one covered in the house marinara sauce:

This was one of the most tender meatballs I think I've ever eaten, probably due to the freshly ground bread crumbs that were added to help retain the meat's moisture. The marinara sauce had a nice acidity to it that complemented the fattiness of the meatball. On the menu, this meatball was intended for the "Not Just Any Spaghetti and Meatballs," also with homemade egg pasta. Had I not been so hot and bothered for the carbonara, I would've gladly ordered this in its place.

On Thursday, May 17th, I returned for lunch and decided this time to try the Italian Sausage Sandwich accompanied by a selection of Fresh Fruit:

Here's a slightly different angle:

Placed in a toasted housemade baguette roll, the Italian sausage was a little bit spicy, substantial, and delicious. Housemade marinara along with roasted peppers and onions also filled the roll and was finished off with melted cheese and a chiffonade of fresh basil. When the plate was first set down in front of me, I had to pause for a moment to consider my line of attack. While I'm sure some could unhinge their jaw and attempt to eat this like a normal sandwich, today I opted for knife and fork. Everything about this plate of food was delicious. And while the interior crumb of the baguette was nearly perfect, the only concern that I had was with the exterior. When toasting a baguette, it can get a bit too crusty for my dental work. The fresh fruit was an excellent complement to the savory sandwich.

When I stopped in on Friday, May 18th, I noticed that some of the specials had been reworked (like the Cannoli French Toast was now a Sicilian French Toast) and new items were listed where others had lived before:

I am ALWAYS up for a good burger and having never had one at Blue Door before, I decided to go with the Mafia Burger with a side of French Fries. Here was one angle:

and a different angle:

So what made this burger so special? For one, the ground beef was local Ohio beef that had been grass-fed. It arrived at the perfect medium-rare I had ordered it. Second, the pesto creme fraiche, organic roasted red peppers, and toasted ciabatta roll were all made in-house. As you can well imagine, the French Fries were hand-cut and fried to a proper crispy golden brown and delicious texture and flavor. While I had read the night before on Blue Door's Facebook page that the bun was going to be a seeded brioche, I was a little surprised that the burger actually came on a ciabatta roll.

If there was one gripe about the burger, it was the ciabatta roll. Don't misunderstand, gentle reader. It was impeccably fresh and had a wonderful crust and crumb. And it was right for the kitchen to split and toast the roll in an effort to avoid a soggy bottom bun from the juicy burger patty. But because of the nature of ciabatta, the crust was tougher to bite through. This meant that with every bite, the interior contents of the burger were being squished out the other end of the roll. A minor gripe to be sure, but when you're working at such an elevated level, every little consideration counts.

I mentioned it to Michael on my way out of the door and he concurred that ciabatta wasn't the best match for the burger, but that he just hadn't had time to get the brioche done that morning. Fair enough.

 On Saturday, May 19th, I was completely stoked to see that Blue Door had received a shipment of ripe heirloom tomatoes. There are few pleasures in life as a really ripe tomato and I was excited to see what would appear on the specials menu for the day:

While there was a Salad Caprese on the menu:

I was thinking more along the lines of a sandwich. So, in a moment of foodie inspiration (or desperation, depending on your point of view), I decided to order the Salad Caprese and one of Blue Door's signature croissants, split and toasted on the flattop:

With salad and croissant in hand, I simply assembled the breakfast sandwich I had been envisioning all along:

I mean, how can you go wrong with fresh ripe tomatoes, fresh Ohio basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, 30-year-old balsamic vinegar and an incredibly buttery, flaky croissant? Truth be told that one croissant only used up about half of the salad's contents, so I had a lovely time finishing the remaining salad with my fork. For about a tenth of a second, I thought about ordering a second croissant to make an additional "sandwich," but decided to keep my butter quota in check for the meal. If you have the chance to try this for yourself, do it!

For my final visit, TODAY, I had arrived early enough to consider a breakfast dish instead of lunch. As such, I decided to give in to my sweet tooth:

Any time I order something sweet, I also try to order something to balance it out. In today's case, that would a cup of coffee from local, Akron-based coffee roaster Angel Falls:

Hot and bitter, this was a lovely way to start my meal and wake up in the morning.

The Sicilian French Toast had been teasing me most of the week and a comment from a Facebook friend finally pushed me over the edge:

The French Toast was made with housemade Challah bread, soaked in lemon, milk, cream, and eggs, which had then been griddled and then layered with a lemon pastry cream, topped with Creme Chantilly (aka fresh whipped cream), sprinkled with Vietnamese cinnamon, a chiffonade of fresh mint, fresh raspberries, and powdered sugar. I was surprised at how well the lemon and mint went together. Actually, the whole thing was delicious and while it wasn't the best French Toast I've had at Blue Door (that honor goes to the brandied peach French Toast), if you're looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, this would be the way to go.

Along with the sweet portion of my meal, I decided to add a bit of smokey saltiness with some of the Nueske applewood-smoked, thick-cut bacon:

Honestly, this is some of the best bacon I've ever eaten. It isn't inexpensive, but it is meat, hearty, rich, salty, and smokey all at the same time. I probably shouldn't have gone the extra step because I couldn't finish everything, but every time I taste this bacon, it takes me back to my youth when I would camp out with the Cub Scouts and we'd cook most of the food over an open fire.

So there we have it, gentle reader, an entire week's worth of Blue Door Cafe and Bakery.

Now, I will be the first to admit that Blue Door is not inexpensive. On a fairly regular basis, with tip and tax, each of the meals I wrote about above was anywhere from $15 to $20. Those wandering in thinking that Blue Door is the same old greasy spoon diner it used to be in one of its previous lives will be a bit shocked. In fact, I have seen people sit down, look at the menu, then at each other, get up and leave before ordering anything. Honestly, those aren't the kind of folks that Blue Door cater to anymore.

But if you are interested in nearly everything being made from scratch, local, organic, sustainable food being cooked and seasoned properly, and understand that quality ingredients cost money, then you really ought to check out Blue Door as soon as you can. Do note that while the outside door is now blue, the old sign for The Golden Goose is still standing out in front of the restaurant. That will change at some point, according to Michael, but it is worth remembering in case you are trying to locate the restaurant for the first time.

I've included lots of gorgeous pictures in this write-up from my past five visits (which open up extra large when you click on them), however, I have many, MANY more starting from the day they opened in on my Flickr account. If you'd like to see more pictures, click here. You can even start a slideshow to view them from beginning to end.

There is so much I didn't get to cover during these five visits. Gee, I guess I'll just have to pick another week in the future and repeat the experiment. And that will be fun for both of us!

Fairlawn Showcase Part II: Mustard Seed Market & Cafe

[Full disclosure: I worked an apprenticeship in the bakery department of Mustard Seed Market at the Solon location for two months back in November and December 2007. I don't know whether this was a factor or not in Mustard Seed deciding to participate in this particular series, but I thought I'd throw that out there just to make sure everything is on the up and up.]

Today's second post in the Fairlawn Showcase series may be a day late due to a technical snafu at Blogger, but it certainly won't be a dollar short. If you recall, in my last post, I had the privilege of taking a pre-opening tour of the new Earth Fare location in Fairlawn. After showing me the lay of the land, my tour guide, Kristi, gave me my very own $50 gift card to do with as I pleased. I decided that in order to get just one more reader in to try out the store, I would give mine away on that blog post in addition to the two others that Earth Fare had generously donated.

After receiving the initial inquiry from Earth Fare, I immediately thought what a splendid idea it would be if I could not only spotlight this national chain based out of Ashville, NC, but also bring a locally founded and operated company based right here in northeast Ohio into the mix as well, especially as their Montrose location just celebrated its formal re-opening one week ago today to celebrate their thirty year anniversary.

Founded in 1981 by Margaret and Phillip Nabors, the couple saw a serious need for a grocery store that could provide high quality natural and organic foods along with education and information on food issues and the environment. From the very beginning, Mustard Seed Market has been a local pioneer in the tradition of strict ingredient standards - no artificial colors, flavorings or harmful chemical preservatives, no saccharin or aspartame, no irradiated foods, meats raised without the use of growth hormones and never fed animal by-products.

Now with two store locations, Solon and Montrose, and a third on the way in the Highland Square area closer to downtown Akron, the entire Nabors family has been or is currently involved in making Mustard Seed Market the pre-eminent market for those concerned with putting high quality, nutrient-dense food onto the dinner table day after day. In fact, my involvement from initial meeting through the photo shoot and follow-up emails were made through Gabe Nabors, son of Margaret and Phillip, who is the Purchasing Manager and also in charge of their social media accounts (e.g., Facebook and Twitter).

The Montrose location of Mustard Seed Market and Cafe was located at 3885 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44333 and can be reached at either 330-666-7333 or toll-free at 888-476-2379. In addition to their corporate website, they also have Facebook and Twitter accounts which are updated quite often with reminders, specials, and the occasional informative tidbit. Parking was in the large lot in front of the entrance.

Speaking of storefronts, here was Mustard Seed Market's:


As I got close to the front door, I noticed the following sign hanging right above the entrance:


Always concerned with getting their products into as many hands (and mouths) as possible, the folks at Mustard Seed had listed seven different ways in which shoppers could save money while shopping. I'll leave the description of the right sign, "Free Water," for a bit later in the post. Once inside, I met up with Gabe and we began our walk around the store, virtually documenting our trip with photographs.

Here is where the prose in the form of paragraphs will end for now as we begin the trip (as well as the tense of my verbs).

The first area we come to after entering the sliding glass doors is the produce area. As you can see from the photo above, it is large, spacious and fully stocked. Mustard Seed has a commitment to not only organically produced fruits and vegetables, but also partners with local growers to get as much seasonal product as possible.

Just to the left of the produce section (and right inside the main door) are several large wooden crates of organic mangoes, Packham pears, and Fuji apples. This is one of the many "Seed$avings!" specials that rotate throughout the store on a regular basis.

Along with whole fruits and vegetables of every kind imaginable, the folks at Mustard Seed understand that shoppers lead very busy lives. Here are shelves of pre-cut and pre-mixed containers of organic fruit, ready to eat.

One of the main sources of pride at Mustard Seed Market is the newly expanded bulk foods section of the market at the rear of the produce area. On the right side of the aisle, you will find pre-packaged bulk foods in various sized containers ready for purchase and consumption.

The left-hand side of the aisle contains a very large selection of bulk foods, ranging from organic seeds, nuts (salted and unsalted), grains, legumes, flours, coffee, rice, and much, much more.

As you exit out of the rear of the bulk foods aisle, you will find yourself at the right rear of the store in the Market Kitchen. Here, workers prepare small batch quantities of prepared foods that completely fit in with the natural and organic philosophy of the store. Small batches made throughout the day ensure that the food stays fresher, tastier, and ultimately more healthy.

Here is a shot of some of the prepared foods inside the display cases.

In addition to the prepared foods in the cases, a sushi bar where fresh selections are made on a daily basis as well as a salad bar island directly in front of the Market Kitchen offers several dozen items from which you can build a healthy and tasty salad to meet your exact needs.

Just behind the salad bar is one of Mustard Seed Market's pride and joy, a reverse osmosis water dispenser. While the water is typically $0.25 per gallon at this dispensary (which in itself is a bargain), until May 22nd, if you spend just $5.00 at Mustard Seed, you can get 10 gallons of water FOR FREE! This popular service is one of the market's larger draws for regular shoppers.

In addition to the daily made bread in the baskets at the Market Kitchen area, additional baskets of bread are available next to the salad bar area. Having baked many a loaf of this bread in the kitchens of Mustard Seed in Solon, I can tell you that every single loaf is made daily and from scratch to ensure freshness, taste, and good nutrition.

Another of Mustard Seed Market's trademarks is their commitment to vitamins and supplements of all kinds. The photograph above is one of TWO complete aisles committed to making sure you, the shopper, have access to a myriad of choices. Lest you think you will be all alone to navigate this sea of products, the market has extremely knowledgeable staff willing to help out whenever you feel overwhelmed or are looking for something particular.

Towards the middle rear of the sales floor is the seafood and meat department. All of the ground meats (turkey, chicken, beef, and pork) are ground on-site several times a day. In addition to whole cuts of meat being available for sale, pre-marinated or fabricated (think chicken kabobs) items are also available to help the busy cook get dinner on the table faster.

This is a shot of one of the two cheese cases available at Mustard Seed. In addition, prepared cheese spreads are also available.

Behind the cheese case already pictured is the freezer case where the pre-packaged Gluten Free frozen food products live. Additionally, in the aisle across from the cheese case, the Gluten Free foods are congregated in a single area, each marked with a blue "Gluten Free" tag to aid those having to navigate the somewhat confusing world of gluten-free foods as easily as possible.

Across from the Gluten Free shelf-stable products is an entire assortment of chocolates, ranging from organic to conventional, from all parts of the world and containing different percentages of the cacao bean.

In the wine aisle, a vast selection of bottles of wine are sorted either by country of origin, kosher or organic.

Here is a shot of some of the organic wines available at Mustard Seed Market in Montrose.

Right around the corner from the wine section is the beer cooler displaying all manner of local and national brands of beer.

This painted wall mural behind the beer case emphasizes Mustard Seed Market's commitment to the philosophy of organic farming and the potential health benefits associated of food that has not been sprayed with any of the various -ides (i.e., pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, etc.).

While the dairy section contains a number of nationally available brands, local farms, such as Snowville Creamery and Hartzler Dairy, are also represented. Of course, alternatives to dairy, such as almond, rice, and soy milks are also available.

Just behind the dairy section and next to the cheese case is the entrance to the full-service cafe, located at the top of the stairs in the building's mezzanine. Here is a shot of the sales floor below, giving you a pretty good idea of the size and variety of the products under one roof.

At the top of the stairs is the entrance to the cafe. Open for lunch and dinner during the week and brunch on Sundays, the restaurant is full-service and caters to diners with dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, etc.) as well as those just looking for a tasty meal that adheres to the company's philosophy on food.

This is the counter area just inside the main entrance to the cafe. The doors in the back open up to banquet rooms where additional seating is available for catered events. Catering services are available for on and off-site events and for carry-out.

The final photo is the community calendar of events located at the very front of the store, right before you exit out into the parking lot. In addition to weekly specials (such as a Golden Buckeye Day discount for seniors), information about classes and community events are also listed.

The tour now complete, I realized I had spent nearly an hour walking around with Gabe snapping pictures and chatting with him. I thanked him for his time, gathered up all my gear and headed back out to my car knowing that I would have plenty of pictures and information to write about my tour of Mustard Seed Market and Cafe. I also made sure before I left the store to pick up the generously donated duo of $50 gift cards, good at either Mustard Seed Market location.

So now that you've walked the market with me, gentle reader, let me further entice you into trying them out for yourself. The contest for the Mustard Seed Market gift cards will work EXACTLY the same way as it did for the Earth Fare cards (well, hopefully without the snafu from Blogger causing comments to stop working). The contest begins on Saturday, May 14th at 6:00 AM and will continue until Monday morning at 5:59:59 AM. To enter for a chance to win one of the two cards, simply leave a comment on this blog post (NOT the Facebook fan page) stating that you'd like to win. If you'd like an additional chance at winning a card, share a link to this blog post on your Facebook, Twitter, blog or other social media outlet and paste that link into the comment you leave here. Regardless of how many sites you share the link on, it only counts as one extra chance.

IF YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT and Random.org happens to pick your post as the winner, I will contact you directly. If you paste in a shared link to your social media site in your comment and it is obvious how to get in touch with you, you do not have to leave an email address. If you choose not to leave an email address and it is not obvious how to contact you, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to check back on Monday morning to see if you've been selected as one of the winners. You'll have a week from the time I announce the winners to contact me to claim your prize. If not, I'll pick another winner.

Of course, regardless of whether you win one of the $50 gift cards to Mustard Seed Market and Cafe, it is clear that this local family-owned chain of stores is committed to providing you with the quality food, services, and education that can only improve the quality of your life. I recommend you visit them soon and see how they can help you make improvements to you and your family's well-being.

Fairlawn Showcase Part I: Earth Fare

I get email solicitations all of the time from people and companies wanting me to write about product 'X' or service 'Y'. In cases where I think that the product or service aligns itself well with the goals of this blog, I have agreed in the past to evaluate or promote it. One of those goals is to write about local chains or locally owned and operated independent restaurants because they are what making living in this part of Ohio so unique. In cases where I have agreed to write about a national chain (such as when I reviewed Bonefish Grill in Independence), I also made it a point to include a companion review on a similar independent restaurant, too (Restaurant Dante in Tremont).

Earth Fare is an eastern United States chain of stores based out of Asheville, NC that is operating in seven states, including their newest store in the Montrose/Fairlawn area which has its grand opening today. Corley May, Web Content Producer for Earth Fare, contacted me last Thursday wondering if I would be interested in touring the new store. When Corley sweetened the deal by throwing in not one, but TWO $50 gift cards to give away to my lucky readers, how could I say no?

After agreeing to the terms with Corley, I quickly realized that I could use the coverage of this national chain to help showcase a locally owned and operated chain of stores familiar to Cleveland and Akron residents alike, Mustard Seed Market. I contacted the folks at Mustard Seed Market, explained what had transpired, and asked if they'd be willing to balance out the Earth Fare review in a two-part write-up, the second installment of which will post this Friday. Not only did they agree, but they graciously also decided to donate two $50 gift cards, too! That's right, gentle reader, over the next couple of days, I'll be giving away $200 worth of gift cards!

But now to the main topic of today's post: Earth Fare. The new store is located at 3737 West Market Street, Fairlawn, OH 44333 and can be reached at 330-668-3500. The store is positioned in the same strip mall that houses Bruegger's, Pier One, and Hobby Lobby (CompUSA and Borders used to be in the same building). They have both a Facebook page as well as a Twitter account.

Here was a shot of the exterior of the new store:


Once inside the main door, I was greeted by store representative Kristi Kanzig, Assistant Director of Marketing, who graciously showed me around the new store pointing out some of the major points of interest. Since I wanted to give my readers out there a visual perspective of what they can expect, my descriptions will be fairly terse.

Community and store calendar located just inside the main door.

Earth Fare wants you to know its philosophy on food right from the get-go. This was just inside the main door in the produce area.

Produce area. Beige labels are conventionally grown produce, orange labels are organic, and green labels mean locally grown produce from within 100 miles of the Fairlawn store.

One of Earth Fare's commitments is to partner with smaller family farms (not necessarily within 100 miles or organic). This symbol indicates that the item was produced on such a farm.

This symbol on an item indicates that it was produced on a local farm from within 100 miles of the Fairlawn store (again, it doesn't necessarily mean it is organic or from a small family farm).

During the first twelve weeks that the store is open, various produce will rotate in and out of the "Thank You" specials.

Just beyond the produce section was the bulk foods area. Grains, flour, seeds, nuts, rice, candy, trail mixes, they've got quite the selection.

At the rear of the store behind the bulk foods was the seafood and butchery areas. All meats are labeled organic/non-organic, place of origin, grass-fed/conventional, and whether the fish was farm-raised or wild caught.

When I asked Kristi about those with special dietary needs, she helpfully pointed out this row, noting that items that are Gluten Free not only have signs indicating as such, but the front of these shelves had wooden surfaces instead of the brown metal on all of the others.

In the middle of the store was a wellness area containing a wide selection of vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies, teas and much more. This location will have someone on staff to assist customers in finding exactly what they need.

Also in the wellness area were the bulk herbs and spices. While you can buy a glass jar from Earth Fare, if you have your own, bring it and stop by the customer service area and they will note the weight of your bottle coming in, so you only pay for the difference when you leave.

At the opposite rear point in the store was the cheese section. This was one of two cases of artisan cheeses and there was a third case of more bulk-style cheese. Tasting is encouraged.

In front of the cheese area (moving closer to the front of the store) was the wine and beer area. Here was a selection of incredibly reasonably priced wines geared at organic/sulfite-free/locally made/conventional wine drinkers. Wines are helpfully labeled to help shoppers navigate.

The beer selection contained beer at many levels from Pabst Blue Ribbon (which Kristi pointed out) to many micro-brews and imports (I noticed Sam Smiths ... always a good choice).

Between the wine and beer "walls" was a section that contained special selections for the week that ran $15 or less. This will be a great way for Earth Fare to showcase specific wines to customers.

As we moved closer to the front of the store, we entered the hot and cold food service areas. One of the items that Kristi spent some time discussing was the weekly Thursday Family Dinner Night.

This was the pizza and sandwich prep area. Not only will pizzas be available for purchase and consumption at the store, but par-baked pizzas will also be available to take home and finish baking yourself.

The sandwich menu at the pizza and sandwich prep station.

Moving diagonally across the isle from the previous station we found the in-house bakery. Here was a shot of some of the freshly baked breads and pies made in preparation for today's store opening.

This was the pastry case filled to the brim with homemade treats ready for today's big event. Breads and pastries are all labeled so that you can find exactly the kind of treat that fits your eating requirements.

Directly next to the bakery (and nearly at the front of the store) was a coffee, tea, juice, and smoothie bar.

Sushi area where freshly made sushi is available in either white or brown rice every day.

Prepared foods just to the right of the sushi area and just in front of the cash registers.

Any of the foods purchased at Earth Fare can be eaten in this decently sized cafe area. While this obviously isn't a full-service restaurant, you can certainly assemble a meal from the various hot and cold food stations throughout the store and sit here to enjoy your meal.

Earth Fare has committed to showing local artists on the walls in their cafe. Here was a piece by Allison, an eighth grader from a local school.

Having spent nearly an hour with me, I thanked Kristi for her time and made my way back out into the warm, not-quite-sure-if-it-was-going-to-shower evening air. While Corley had originally agreed to give away two $50 gift cards to my awesome readers, I was surprised when Kristi handed me my very own $50 gift card. While I will certainly be returning to give Earth Fare a more thorough shakedown, as a reward for getting all the way to the bottom of a very long post, I am going to sweeten the deal and throw MY gift card into the mix as well. That means you, gentle reader, have a chance to win one of THREE $50 gift cards to Earth Fare.

So here is how the contest will work. Starting at 6:00 AM on Wednesday, May 11th and ending at 5:59:59 AM on Friday, May 13th, if you wish to throw your hat into the ring for one of these awesome gift cards, leave a comment on this blog post stating that you wish to win. If you wish to get in an extra chance at a card, share the link for this blog post on your Facebook, Twitter, blog, or other social media account (you can only earn one extra chance, regardless of how many sites you share the link on) and post that link right in your comment.

When 6:00 AM rolls around on Friday morning, I will make a list of all the names of the commenters as well as how many chances they have earned. Using Random.org, I will select three names from the list and contact those individuals to see if they are still interested in receiving a card. IF YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT, I will contact you directly. If you provided a link to your Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. and it is easy and obvious to make contact with you, there is no need to leave an email address. If I select a contest winner with no email address or outside link listed, you will have to wait until Sunday morning at 6:00 AM when I will publish a list of all the winners. You will then have one week to contact me to claim your prize. If not, I will select another winner.

While it is always awesome when I am able to give away gift cards to encourage people to visit a new store, I do encourage you to check out Earth Fare for yourself, regardless if you win one or not. They have a hard and fast food philosophy by which they operate, have shown community involvement even before the store officially opened, and are in the business of helping to educate consumers on making smarter choices about what is going into their bodies.

Make sure to come back on Friday and read all about the second part of this Fairlawn Showcase ... and the opportunity to win more gift cards!