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Popular Austintown restaurant Fatso’s BBQ to close permanently
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the location of this restaurant. It has been corrected. We apologize for the error.
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) -The owners of Fatso’s BBQ announced their restaurant is closing in a social media post on Facebook.
Last Saturday, Fatso’s Barbecue officially closed. Owner William Bowser says being a small business owner in today’s economy has taken a toll on his mental and physical health.
“Especially having barbecue meat, it’s so expensive. So you know it was just hard to save money here, save money there and we were basically just treading water for a long time,” Bowser said.
Bowser says for the last year, he tried to keep prices the same. But around October, with businesses really struggling, he raised them.
“We were basically just making money to buy more food to keep food in the bar, to keep food in the carryout, we weren’t making any money. We haven’t made any money in probably a year,” Bowser said.
Fatso’s began in April of 2021 on East Midlothian Boulevard. In October of 2021, they moved to their location in Austintown at a carryout station behind Chipper’s Sports Bar and Grill. Bowser said it was amazing to watch the business grow.
“For the people who know me, that know how we started, we started on the side of the road next to a tire shop with a loan from my father-in-law with the smoker. And that was it and we built it from there and I think we built a great culture, and I made so many friends along the way and have gotten so much support from the community,” Bowser said.
Bowser says looking back there are things he wished he had done differently.
“Leaving where we were on Midlothian originally might have not been the best move, but then again, when winter comes, what are you going to do then?” Bowser said.
Bowser says he doesn’t want to completely abandon the idea of barbecue, but closing is what’s best for now. At this time, he is unable to talk about the legal actions being taken
14 Food Gifts for Everyone on Your List
Each year our staff and contributors round up their best gift ideas for cooks, eaters, and the kitchen-curious. Read on for the best food gifts that are sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
Gifting is a minefield. Oft have I given someone a book that they’ve already read or a piece of clothing that elicits a “…cute. Thanks.” But food gifts? No one will ever say, “Do you have a gift receipt? I simply have too much chocolate.” Read on for the best food gift ideas for everyone on your list.
If you live in Taiwan and can eat tropical fruit ripe and out of hand, lucky you. For the rest of us, the next best thing is this staff obsession—Yun Hai’s delectable bags of dried green and Irwin mango, guava, wax apple, and pineapple.
A foolproof gift-giving tactic: Give them something they like, but jumbo-sized. (See: 3 lb. Maldon sea salt tub, giant chocolate pig.) This XL tin of Spanish potato chips dwarfs a gallon paint bucket and can be used for storage—or to house a potted plant—once emptied of its salty, crunchy contents .
It’s a great year for large-format Spanish snacks. Presented on a ham stand and served with a magnum of cava, this whole leg of Serrano ham is the centerpiece of a holiday party that I would very much like to be invited to. Cradled in my lap and paired with sherry, a sharp Opinel, and Netflix, it’s the solo New Year’s Eve of my dreams.
Trade partners with 60 respected roasters around the country, from Sightglass in San Francisco to Joe Coffee in New York, which means every month they will send your lucky recipient a bag of beans that is customized to their specific wants and needs. They’ve got light roasts and dark roasts, single-origins and blends, coffee for Espresso Esmes and Pour-Over Panchos. Trade is like a diner where there are 300 things on the menu, but all of them are oddly good.
If Trade is the Greek diner of coffee subscriptions, Yes Plz is the Soup Nazi. Each week they release a new, limited-edition blend—and that’s what you get, whether you like it or not. But chances are you’ll like it. The founders’ resumes read like a Who’s Who of the West Coast craft coffee world, so you’re in good hands. Get this subscription box for the coffee lover who likes to be bullied a little.
Beans, burr grinders, mugs, and everything else you need for the perfect brew.
These bright, juicy vinegars from Kosterina have shaken me out of my rut salad dressing (the crushed tangerine is especially good paired with a squirt of Dijon), but they’re so vibrant that you may find yourself using them to spike your seltzer. Get the three-bottle sampler, and pair it with some extra virgin olive oil for a just-add-salad gift set.
For the home cook who sometimes needs a shortcut (so…all of us), Omsom seasoning packets provide the foundational flavors for classic Asian dishes like Korean bulgogi and Thai larb. Give the gift of easy weeknight dinners with their best seller set, ideal for harried parents, tired college students, and anyone else who appreciates maximal flavors with minimal effort.
Gin and mayo is a terrific combo, if you think about it; name a better 11 pm dinner than a martini and fries with aioli. Even though this mayo from Amsterdam only contains 2% gin, it’s enough to add a noticeable tang. Like Zaanse mayo, a beloved Dutch brand, it comes in a fetching tube; keep it in your purse for mayo emergencies.
A Midwinter Night’s Dram is a holiday season release from Utah’s High West Distillery featuring their signature rye aged in port barrels. But if you’re not a whiskey head, all you need to know is that it tastes like plum pudding drizzled with caramel. A real treat.
Sibeiho co-founder Holly Ong told me her mom is slightly mortified by the name of her company, which roughly translates to “fucking good” in Hokkien. Holly’s mom, allow me to say that the name is accurate. Caramelized shallots, lime juice, and a touch of shrimp paste temper the heat in the Boomz Sambal, while the AF Chili Chunka Sambal leans more garlicky and tangy.
andSons, a second generation chocolate shop in California, did a very smart thing in hiring Sandy Tran, formerly the pastry chef at the French Laundry. Her flavors are dynamite; I tried the fall collection, which featured an apple cider-caramel bonbon and a pan de muerto-inspired milk chocolate truffle with orange blossom and fennel pollen. Their holiday gift boxes arrive in graphic
Quick and Easy Chicken Soup
Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encouraged his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
Before climate change brought us more sunny days than we ever thought possible, soup season could last all year in the Pacific Northwest. And while a hot bowl of chicken soup definitely makes cold, wet conditions are more tolerable, it tastes just as good when the skies are blue, especially if one of the three viruses of the tripledemic has paid a call. Sick or not, you can whip up this quick chicken soup in about an hour, and it beats anything from a can or box.
A couple of things about soup. Cut the vegetables and chicken into small pieces. Nobody wants to fish huge chunks out of their bowl. While you could just add them to the pot, cooking the aromatic vegetables in olive oil first is a good step for any soup. It coaxes out more flavor. Both the optional but highly recommended soy sauce and msg add umami, the savory quality that makes things taste better. Every kitchen should have a shaker of msg handy. All the adverse health claims about it have been debunked, and they originate from anti-Asian racism anyway, so decolonize your spice rack and pick up a red-and-white jar of what I like to call aji no moto (the original Japanese name for monosodium glutamate).
And even though this soup is ready to eat in less than an hour, it’ll be better if it simmers longer, and it’s best if you let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and heat it up the next day.
2 boneless chicken thighs
1 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, sliced into small pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 head green cabbage, chopped
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons of kosher-style sea salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce, optional
Couple of shakes of msg, optional
Put the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, and water in a soup pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken, let cool, and chop into small pieces. Return to the pot.
While the chicken is simmering, cook the onion, carrots and celery with the olive oil and the rest of the salt in a skillet over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add them and the cabbage to the soup pot with the cut-up chicken. Add the soy sauce, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed, stir in the vinegar, and simmer for another few minutes. Serve hot and feel better.