Jefferson County United Way serves Good food for a good cause

STEUBENVILLE -- The spotlight might have been on the food, but Wednesday evening’s Taste of Jefferson County also brought people together.

“For 30 years we have been able to give this to the community,” Marci Crawford, executive director of the United Way of Jefferson County, said shortly before the doors to the St. Florian Event Center opened. “For 30 years, the community has always come with us, so we get to break bread together. This is very significant, and it shows me what we’ve done in the past, and it gives me excitement about what we can do in the future.

The annual fundraiser, which benefits the United Way, has become one of the most-anticipated events of the fall. By the time things wrapped up about 8 p.m., more than 300 people were expected to have come to sample food from around 20 area restaurants, caterers, bakeries and other facilities.

After more than three decades, it has become the United Way’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

Each of the food service professionals said they were happy to be able to participate, not only because they were able to promote their businesses, but because they were able to assist the United Way and its member agencies in helping the less fortunate in the community.

“It brings hundreds of people together for a good cause. This year we have a lot of vendors who have come out to support us,” said Ted Gorman, president of the United Way board.

Many of the participating restaurants have been a part of the event from almost the beginning, while some, like Steubenville Bakery, were making their first appearance.

“As far as unity, in Steubenville and the surrounding areas and with all of these beautiful and talented people here, it’s great,” said Matt Belardine, a graduate of Steubenville High School whose family purchased the iconic South Street bakery in 2024. “That’s the best thing about being from here. I’ve never been anywhere else where people were so united.

“I have learned from everybody in this room. Most of these people are older than I am. I’m young in the business profession, and I looked to all of these people, and that’s because we are all close and support each other,” Belardine added while he and his wife, Kristen, were getting their spot ready.

He also was appreciative of the work the United Way does and how Crawford and the committee who organized the evening made things run so smoothly.

A member of that committee, Gene Zrinyi of Tri-State Financial Services, said service to the committee is a big part of what the United Way does.

“The United Way does so many great things in the community,” he said. “I moved back to the community five years ago, and I found that the United Way is a great organization to be involved in and a way to give back to the community. I like being involved with this particular event because it pulls in so many people from the community. It’s such a great mix -- we get restaurants from all over the community.”

“Being a person who runs a small business, I want to help support small businesses and help them succeed,” he added. “This event brings in several hundred people from the community and helps them learn about the United Way and what its mission is. It’s a great way to tell our story.”

Zrinyi, who also is a board member of the United Way, added he’s not surprised with the support the event gets from businesses.

“Most of the ones who participate are themselves very giving and very community oriented,” he explained. “It also gives them a chance to showcase some of what they do to lots of people who might not have had the opportunity to sample anything from them in the past.”

Jessica Elias, marketing director for the 7 Ranges Entertainment Center, which has been a part of several taste events, agreed that being a part of the event is important.

“We value our community so much,” she said. “It takes a village, as they say. One of our major things is giving back to the community, and this is our way of being able to help the area and help the United Way with all of the services they support.”

Like 7 Ranges, EZFresh Meals has become a regular at the annual event. They were making their third appearance Wednesday.

“I think raising money for people who are less fortunate and bringing the community and all of us together to be a part of that for one night -- that’s really the reason we keep coming back,” said Drazen Frankovitch, principal owner of EZFresh.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie with the restaurants,” he added. “I think a lot of times restaurants might think they are competing with each other, but, I think, I know so many great restaurant owners and friends and people that I rely on to help me, whether it’s recipe advice or growing the business. It’s a really great way to bring the community together.”

“It’s important to be able to support the community,” added Jamie Maley, the dietary manager for Steuben Health and Rehab, which was formerly the Laurels of Steubenville. “My aunt, Carol Bonar, was a big advocate for the United Way, so this is a nice way to honor her as well. And it gets my crew out of the kitchen and is a chance to do some marketing and networking -- and have a lot of fun.

“We have good quality food, and I have a great crew. We take a lot of care in how we fix our food for our residents. So, we bring that out in the community. We want the community to know that our nursing home food is good quality food.”

Maintaining that connection with the community is important -- and it doesn’t hurt when it comes with barbecued pork, boneless wings with a new blueberry sauce, macaroni and cheese and potato salad. That’s what was being offered by Baby-Boyz BBQ.

“You have to give back,” said Phil Livingston, owner of the Toronto-based restaurant. “You get to show some of the items you have and maybe bring in some new customers -- plus, you get to see some of your old customers. It helps the United Way and you’re able to give back.”

Sponsors for the event included UPMC Trinity, Apollo Pro Cleaning and Restoration, McBane Insurance and Financial Services, Cedar One Realty, Taylor Insurance and Interstate Waste Services.