OK, we are very aware that Northest Ohio is nowhere near an ocean, so how did clambakes become such a thing in Cleveland and Akron? I mean isn’t this a New England tradition?
Photo courtesy of fire food & drink.
- The very first residents of Cleveland were settlers from Connecticut. Two hundred years later, many of their traditions live on, including their love of seafood!
- Clevelanders will use any excuse to find reasons to enjoy food and adult beverages on the patio (in sweaters and jeans!) before the snow begins to fly.
- October is a month long celebration in our town – Homecoming, Fall Harvest Festivals (working farms within 30 minutes of everyone), and Halloween (with a gusto). So why not add another seasonal event – Clam bakes!
- Because we live on a Great Lake and we are “sea-faring folk.” Its not that long of a stretch to adopt clambakes as our own (we also have perch and walleye festivals!).
- Everyone wants to use that giant cast iron pot they inherited from their grandmother. And, what better way to use it than fill it full of clams and roast them over a bonfire?
Cleveland.com shares lots of examples as well as their take on Clevelander’s obsession with fall clambakes.