There are many dreams that we all share: winning the lottery, learning to fly, becoming famous, and, arguably the most common, having a menu item at a local restaurant named after us. And while you may have to wait on the first three, Nathan's Soup and Salad on Park Avenue is offering the opportunity for one lucky person to have his or her own soup recipe on its menu with their very own moniker attached.

"We really wanted to get the community involved," says Nathan's owner Rick Torcello. "There are so many great family soup recipes out there; our bestselling soup was a family recipe."

The soup Torcello is referring to, "Grandma's Italian Wedding Soup," was his mother-in-law's recipe that he decided to add to the already-established soup menu when he purchased Nathan's from the previous owners two years ago. Torcello's wife then recently recommended that they try opening up recipe submissions to the public, offering the winning recipe a place (and their name) on the menu, as well as 10 $10 gift cards.

The Torcellos decided to call the contest "Warm up Rochester," and run it from mid-September through October 31 so that Nathan's can begin serving the winning soup in mid-November - a busy time for the soup business. The contest does have some rules that entrants must follow: the recipe cannot be copyrighted, cannot be a soup that Nathan's already offers, must be fairly economical to make ("No truffles," says Torcello), relatively easy to prepare, cannot include toppings (like a "dollop" of sour cream), and all ingredients must be fresh to avoid unwanted preservatives or MSG.

Torcello says he is pleased with the 30-plus entries he has received in the contest's first few weeks. "They really range from healthy, vegan recipes to these wild, stick-to-your-ribs concoctions that I have trouble believing anyone could finish a whole bowl of in one sitting," he says. "We are excited to see what other entries we get."

Recipes can be submitted in person printed on a 4"x6" index card, or online at nathanssoupandsalad.com. Nathan's Soup and Salad is located at 691Park Ave. Call 461-3016 for more information, or 461-3005 for a recording with the soup selections of the day.

The Gingerbread House

There aren't too many comfort foods better than pizza and ice cream. And if you live in the Park Ave area, you're in luck. Piatza's Pizza, formerly at 365 Park Ave (at the corner of Oxford Street) has jumped across the street to 360 Park Ave (formerly KC Tea & Noodle), offering room for patrons to dine-in, and a bit of elbow room for the employees. While moving to a bigger space was a great choice for the Park Ave Piatza's, owner Mike Duemmel wasn't about to give up the prime real estate it used to inhabit, so he began asking locals what they would like to see in the tiny, but cute, space.

"The people we spoke to mentioned that they'd like to see an ice cream shop at this end of Park Ave," says Duemmel, and thus began the idea that became The Gingerbread House. "And since September isn't really the best time to open up an ice cream shop in Rochester we also added coffee, smoothies, and pastries to round out the menu."

Since opening the Gingerbread House's doors just a few short weeks ago, Duemmel has been making changes here or there to the small shop, listening to what customers want so that it can evolve into just the right kind of specialty shop for area patrons. "We're considering bringing in a line of pies, to see if that's what people want, or maybe even working with a local bakery to offer cannolis and other baked goods," says Duemmel.

In the meantime, customers can grab a "giant slice" (literally - they are at least three times the size of a normal slice) at Piatza's, and then head across the street for dessert. The Gingerbread House is currently closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but the hours are subject to change as the business develops and the season changes.

For more information on Piatza's, visit piatzaspizza.com. The Gingerbread House does not yet have a website.

Cranberry Harvest Winemaker's Dinner

Montezuma Winery is holding its first-ever Cranberry Harvest Winemaker's Dinner on Saturday, October 24. The five-course dinner will feature the winery's most popular wine, Cranberry Bog, paired with a Cornish game hen. The four other courses will also be paired with Montezuma wines.

Montezuma is restricting the guest list to 30 people to keep the dinner more intimate, and to allow each of its guests time to talk to the winemaker, who will be present for the meal. Tickets cost $60 per person, and reservations are required in advance by calling Donna Lahr at 315-568-8190.

Montezuma Winery is located at 2981 Auburn Rd in Seneca Falls. For more information, visit montezumawinery.com.

Closing

Webb's Café and Grill (309 University Ave, formerly Mamasan's) has closed. The diner was a popular breakfast and lunch spot for center city employees, including area lawyers, city schoolteachers, students, and employees of the Eastman School of Music. The owners, Ellie and Jim Webb, were unfortunately unable to negotiate a new lease with the landlord. "It really has been fun getting to know so many good, kind people over this past year," says Ellie. "To our loyal, faithful customers, thank you!"

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