6 women-owned restaurants in Akron to support during Women's History Month, year-round

In honor of Women's History Month, we've put together a list of women-owned or co-owned restaurants and food businesses in the Akron area that we've profiled in recent years to create a one-stop shop for those looking to support such businesses this month. That said, you don't have to wait until March to patronize these businesses if you catch our drift. This is not an exhaustive list of women-owned eateries in Akron, it simply highlights some of the businesses we have already had the chance to write about.

From authentic Mexican cuisine, to made-from-scratch breakfast dishes to ice cream, doughnuts and other fun treats, here's a list of women-led restaurants and food businesses to check out this month.

La Loma

This authentic Mexican spot in Ellet is co-owned by Blanca Saucedo.

“All the restaurants say they're authentic,” Saucedo told the Beacon Journal in 2021. “Only when the customer will taste the food can [they] say that this is authentic. I know there are many, many, many Mexican restaurants and even in their names it says authentic, but [our] food is seriously different in that sense.”

Read more about La Loma: La Loma brings authentic Mexican tacos and more on the menu in Akron's Ellet neighborhood

Main Street Saloon

Marlene Denholm owns the saloon in Akron after taking over for her father David Kennamore (also known as Big D) after he died.

The restaurant’s most popular meals are its jumbo burger, smoked wings, egg rolls and alligator nuggets. The assistant manager and Denholm's daughter, Brooke Kennamore, assured reporter Tawney Beans during a 2021 visit, that the alligator is shipped overnight from Louisiana and is the freshest you’ll get in Ohio.

“[My parents] built their business on that jumbo burger,” Denholm said. “My dad was like, ‘Everybody wants a good hamburger.’ I remember hearing him saying that.”

More about Main Street Saloon: Main Street Saloon in Akron lives up to its motto: ‘Often imitated. Never duplicated’

Honey Girl Donuts

Honey Girl Donuts is co-owned by Katie Vasiloff. After she and her husband couldn't find a doughnut truck for their wedding, they decided to create their own.

“We tried a ton of different recipes,” Katie said. “We ended up actually finding a guy on Facebook marketplace that was selling his doughnut machine but also his doughnut recipe as well. So, we drove about six hours and met him, got all of that info and it ended up being the best doughnut we had ever had.”

“We have some flavors that you'd find other places like cookies and cream, but we definitely take it to the next level,” Heather said.

More about local food trucks: Fuel up at the best food trucks in Summit County + some sweet additions

Henry's Creamery

Henry's Creamery is co-owned by Heather Girves. The truck offers unique ice cream flavors such as honeycomb, Vietnamese coffee, and smoked sea salt chocolate.

Match those flavors with locally sourced quality ingredients, 90% of which are organic, and you’ve got yourself a sweet treat with minimal guilt. It’s the real deal. Heather still remembers how numb her fingers became after hand peeling more than 400 peaches from their peach tree in the summer of 2020 for the ice cream.

EbboNique's Bake'Arie

EbboNique's Bake'Arie, a sweet little place that serves baked goods and vegetarian meals at the Route 162 Food Park on Copley Road.

One of the treats that's a must-try is the navy bean pie. Yes, a sweetened pie made from navy beans that came to prominence through the Nation of Islam, a Black nationalist organization that was founded in the 1930s. The bakery’s owner, Ebony Woods, who goes by Ebony Somone, joined the Nation of Islam at 16 years old and is introducing its pie to Akron residents.

More about EbboNique's Bake'Arie: EbboNique's Bake'Arie's navy bean pie, scrumptious carrot cake located in Akron food park

Sunrise Social

Food doesn’t lie, and these dishes made it clear that the business’s co-owners are breakfast people. Not people who just happened to choose breakfast for the menu — individuals who have a passion for the day’s first (and arguably most important) meal.

“We make everything from scratch,” said co-owner Jeannie Hopkins. “We're not a greasy spoon, we’re not serving things out of a bag or a box. Our gravy, hollandaise, all of those things get made every single day.”

One of the restaurant’s other points of pride is its use of locally sourced ingredients. Even the fresh flowers on each table are delivered weekly by Flowers by Dick and Son, a florist shop in New Franklin.

More about Sunrise Social: Sunrise Social serves innovative, traditional breakfast in Green

Reminder that this is not an exhaustive list of women-owned restaurants or food businesses in Akron.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Women-owned restaurants to support in Akron for Women's History Month