Akron Dish: Vinifera Wine To Whiskey Bar uncorked in Cuyahoga Falls

John and Michelle Bisson had already uncorked plans for the new Vinifera Wine To Whiskey Bar when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Ohio this past March.

“We didn’t have a choice” but to go forward with the project, said Michelle, co-owner of the Cuyahoga Falls spot, which opened in November and boasts a creative food menu in addition to loads of wine and spirits.

A loan for the establishment was in place and work had begun on the business at 3236 State Road, in retail space that is on the ground floor of one of the buildings in the French Mill apartment complex. 

"This is really John’s dream… I’m here to support him," said Michelle Bisson on a recent evening.

John’s food and wine experience includes working in the former Bisson family grocery business. Most recently, he was East Coast sales manager for North Coast Brewing, the California maker of Scrimshaw and other craft beer.

The Bissons want the eats to share the stage, offering Vinefera’s “signature” food item — crostini with a variety of toppings. The menu also boasts presses (think panini sandwiches), as well as cheese and meat boards.

“The word we use is cozy” to describe the interior, John Bisson said. 

“Cozy and contemporary,” Michelle Bisson said.

The walls are wine-colored and the main room includes a large, v-shaped bar topped with white Corian. Globe pendant lights help give the place an intimate feel. A lounge area features comfy faux leather chairs.  

With the pandemic still going on, employees take the temperatures of customers. Plexiglass dividers separate tables, as well as seats at the large bar. To allow for social-distancing, the place can accommodate about 45 people —  half the normal seating capacity. 

For those not wanting to drink or eat inside, Vinifera offers "Krushin' the Curfew” party kits. Four cocktails, two dips and two press (panini) sandwiches run $70. The same kit, with a bottle of wine instead of the cocktails, costs $50. The curfew is a reference to the state cutting off liquor sales at 10 p.m. at  bars ad restaurants amid the pandemic.

Vinifera — which is named for the dominant grape species  in wine making — offers more than two dozen wines by the glass, more than 80 wines by the bottle and more than 90 whiskeys. John Bisson plans to greatly grow the whiskey offerings. 

The spot has one of the few Enomatic wine dispensing/preservation systems in Northeast Ohio. With the dispenser, wine is drawn directly from the bottle into the glass, and inert gas gas protects the wine from oxidation. This allows for Vinifera to have some 20 bottles of wine open at one time, while each glass is served fresh.

Customers can buy 2-ounce pours, as well as six-ounce glasses or half bottles (served with a carafe) — all dispensed with the Enomatic. These wines also are all available by the bottle.

The 2-ounce pours allow customers to explore wines  — and sip higher-end varietals — without dropping a lot of money, Bisson noted.

My two chardonnay wine samplings weren’t all that adventurous for me; I’m a big fan of white wine. I enjoyed the medium-bodied Toad Hollow from California ($11 for a 6-ounce glass) and Louis Latour Ardeche from Burgundy, France  ($13 for a 6-ounce glass.)

The wine menu, which includes brief descriptions of each selection, offers several house wines that are not part of the Enomatic system. They cost $7 for a six-ounce glass. Single-serving bottles of sparkling wines also are available.

Back to the food. With the crostini boards ($15), customers get three slices of warm ciabatta bread, each with the topping of their choice. 

Lucky me, I sampled these three crostini: smoked salmon and cream cheese caper spread; brie, fig preserve and apples; and white bean with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, chili spice, ricotta cheese and topped with a balsamic drizzle. 

The Bissons also made sure I tried the creamy, crunchy and rich Triple Cheese press sandwich that features these cheeses: double Gloucester, gouda and fresh mozarella ($10). All the presses — which are made with homemade bread — come with a small salad.

The Bissons applaud their employees, including Nick Jones,  who oversees the bar.

His experience includes working for his uncle David Glenny, former owner of the area’s Bricco restaurants. Glenny sold the eateries to Dave Sharp last year. 

These days Glenny can be spotted at Vinifera, where he works part-time behind the bar.

It was more than a year ago when John Bisson decided to pursue his idea of opening a wine bar.

He and Michelle had become empty nesters, and North Coast Brewing had eliminated its East Coast sales force.

The couple got a big assist from Jim Griggy with the state’s Small Business Development Center, who helped with the business plan. The center is at the Bounce Innovation Hub in downtown Akron.

With the business plan, the Bissons secured a Small Business Administration loan available to veteran-owned companies. Bisson served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1980s.

Next year, the Bissons plan to open a patio on Vinifera Wine To Whiskey Bar’s south side. Garage-door style windows that open to the area already are in place and were open on a recent unseasonably warm day. 

Vinifera's hours are 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The “Krushin' the Curfew” party kits must be ordered by 9 p.m. Call 234-571-0233. The website is https://www.viniferawinebar.com.

Chocolate maker Temo's closes

No molded chocolate Christmas trees filled with chocolates this year. No molded chocolate Santas.

The 70-plus year-old Temo’s chocolates on West Exchange Street in Akron closed this fall.

I’m sad and not surprised.

Owner Larry Temo told me last year that he was considering selling the business. That was when I interviewed him in February about his molded chocolate hearts that were a signature Valentine’s Day treat.

Temo was then 87 then, and he noted that his two daughters, both with successful careers, live out of town.

Temo was getting one long break each year. He’d shut the shop down the day after Mother’s Day and reopen in September. 

He and his brother, Jim, took over the family business from their father, Christ,  in the 1950s. Christ Temo began his Akron chocolate-making operation in his Copley Road basement and moved the venture to the West Exchange Street location in West Hill in 1947.

For years, Acme grocery stores carried the seasonal chocolates. In 2019, Temo told me he even delivered the treats to Acme’s 16 stores.

His brother Jim, who died in 2018, created the Temo’s heart, egg (for Easter) and tree molds, putting his mechanical drawing skills to work. Jim worked at B,F. Goodrich, where he was a design engineer, and he continued to help at Temo’s. He worked at the shop after his retirement, along with his wife, Elaine. In 2019, she was still working there, along with a few employees.

Lanning's gets new owners

As reported in the Beacon, the longtime fine-dining spot  Lanning’s in Bath has been purchased by Bethany and Dean Martin.

“After 35 years of actively managing the family restaurant together with my husband, Jeff Darnell, we are looking forward to retirement,” said Chris Cecil Darnell, of the sale.

Chris Darnell is the daughter of Jess and Sue Cecil, who bought the place in 1972 from Frank Lanning Barnett.

Lanning’s, which sits alongside Yellow Creek, is at 826 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road. 

New owners for Domenic's Rose Villa Restaurant

Mark Vaught and Tammy Leffel, residents of the Portage Lakes area are the new owners Portage Lakes staple Domenic’s Rose Villa Restaurant.

The eatery, at 368 Portage Lakes Dr. in Coventry Township, dates to 1928 and was purchased by Domenic and Anna Fana in 1974.