A bittersweet closing, an event worth considering

Hello friends,

A pizza place in a mall is closing, a circumstance that probably wouldn't have caught my attention as a food reporter. But reporter Marcia Greenwood grew up in Henrietta, so she knows why this particular pizza place is special.

Cosimos Pizza originally opened as Luca Pizza in the McCurdy’s wing of Marketplace Mall on Oct. 7, 1982, the same day as the mall itself. It's been a food-court mainstay since 1990.

If you want one last taste of Nicola "Nick" Iacoviello's New York City-style, thin-crust pizza, you'll need to get there before 6 p.m. on the 23 ^rd . Read Marcia's sweet story here .

Chain restaurant news

Chain restaurant news doesn't get the excitement than that of high-end local restaurants, but for many people, chain restaurants are a part of everyday life. So here's some of the latest.

∎ Dave's Hot Chicken , which started in 2017 as a pop-up food stand in an East Hollywood, California, parking lot and now has more than 200 U.S. locations, plans to open in the 2,900-square-foot space in the former Boston Market in Henrietta. Read more.

∎ Jersey Mike's Subs and Five Guys are coming to a new 11,000-square-foot building at 2067 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road in Penfield. Read more.

∎ Red Lobster has closed on Jefferson Road in Henrietta, but the location at 1515 W. Ridge Road, Greece, remains open. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Spend those gift cards now. Read more.

∎ Construction of western New York’s first stand-alone Shake Shack appears to be going full speed ahead at the corner of Jefferson and Clay Roads in Henrietta. But there’s been a slight change of plans; the company is moving forward with getting the permits and licenses it needs to serve beer and wine. Read more.

Event of the week

I don't watch a whole lot of TV in Rochester's warmer months, but I always make it a point to keep up with the show Top Chef . Last week's show was an interesting one that featured indigenous foods. The chefs cooked with traditional ingredients like bison, wild rice and sumac, but couldn't use colonial ingredients like wheat flour, cane sugar and dairy (no butter!). Among the judges was Sean Sherman, an acclaimed chef, author, educator and activist.

Sherman's downtown Minneapolis restaurant Owamni was recently included in the 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list. Fellow reporter Justin Murphy told me he tried to get a reservation during a visit there and very much did not succeed. It turns out that seeing him when he comes to the area will be tough, too.

Sherman will be the keynote speaker at the Rochester Area Community Foundation's evening out at the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor on May 29. But hours after I wrote a story about it, and after I wrote this newsletter, the event sold out. The good news: I'm compiling the best food events for summer and that should be out next week. If you know of one, send details to tracys@gannett.com right away, and I'll consider it for the story.

Scroll down this week's food headlines and I wish you a delicious week!

Tracy Schuhmacher, food, drink and culture reporter

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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: A bittersweet closing, an event worth considering