#57 The Illusive Ohio Pawpaw with Chris Chmiel of the Ohio Pawpaw Festival

You either know the pawpaw or you respond with "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" The hard-to-find native Ohio fruit isn't common at all, and that's kind of sad! Pawpaws ripen quickly once picked (or once they fall hard to the ground) and have a very short shelf life making it impossible to get them to a typical grocery store. My guest Chris Chmiel knows more about them than just about anyone! Pawpaws have found their way into some small patches across northeast Ohio and even in some backyards. Mostly they grow in cooler climates, so the Midwest and Middle-eastern states are typically where these trees thrive. The fruit was important to indigenous Native American communities as well and they can be found near Ohio's Indian mounds. If you are lucky, you know where to find a pawpaw patch. You can grow them, but they take a while to establish and bear fruit. Pawpaws are delicious...that is if you can get your hands on them. But the Ohio Pawpaw Festival is a place where you can do that. Chris grows pawpaws, and processes the custard-like pulp so that people can purchase it to make products from beer to jam to ice cream. He also started the festival, so he really likes pawpaws!  This podcast is supported by Chef Douglas Katz and the Katz group of restaurants and in partnership with Ohio Wines. *Here's another great piece on Ohio's pawpaws. If you want to see a video of me cutting into and eating a pawpaw, visit my CLE Foodcast Instagram story highlights.