A Taste of Galloway Spotlight: Smithville Inn and Fred & Ethel's

Two staples in the food community will be introducing locals to two of their newest appetizers at the inaugural event on June 28.

will bring their newest appetizer, Firecracker Shrimp, with them. According to Deputy Mayor Tony Coppola Jr., who helps manage the Smithville Inn as well as , the shrimp is a great way to sample what the Smithville Inn has to offer. It consists of a fried wonton, fresh seaweed, shrimp dusted lightly with wasabi, and topped with sriracha sauce.

“It combines the right blend of hot and cool, crunchy and soft, and it looks great,” Coppola said.

Fred and Ethel’s Tavern will be presenting one of their newest appetizers, Bleu Cheese Guaffrettes. These consist of fresh sliced potatoes, fried into chips and topped with a bleu cheese and heavy cream sauce. The sauce has a light consistency to it, and is ladled generously onto the chips.

Coppola credits competition as the reason for new menu items in both resturants.

“Six years ago, the best restaurants in the area were in the hotels in Atlantic City,” Coppola said. “Now, competition is everywhere. People ask me if I worry when a new place opens and I tell them that I welcome it. It forces the rest of the businesses in the area to step up.”

Many of the best restaurants Galloway has to offer will be on display at the Taste of Galloway, presented by the . It will showcase the signature food and drinks from Galloway’s restaurants, and will take place on the Village Greene in Historic Smithville.

Coppola said that, when possible, the restaurants will buy goods from local businesses than from somewhere else. He feels that by keeping money in the local economy, businesses here will benefit from the boost.

“I buy local whenever I can. If a local merchant is at or pretty close to the price of someone farther away, I’ll spend my money here. I spend money at the produce vendor across the street and she uses the bank in town. The teller gets a paycheck and spends their weekend shopping here in the village, and everyone benefits from it,” Coppola said.

He feels “Taste of Galloway” is another way residents can help boost the local economy.

“A Taste of Galloway is great because people can come out and see their neighbors and friends. They can learn about a new place to eat, or experience something they might have not tried before,” he said. “For $10, you can’t beat the price and you won’t go away hungry.”

For more information on the Taste of Galloway event, visit http://www.gallowaybusiness.com/taste-of-galloway.