The Toledo City Paper depends on readers like you! Become a friend today. See membership options
Local historian Tedd Long explores how closed neighborhood restaurants reveal Toledo’s changing communities and shared memories
Many Toledoans can recall memories of dining or drinking at a restaurant that no longer exists. The memories may be bittersweet, as they can no longer be recreated, but there’s a delicious sentiment at play when looking back on times gone by. That feeling is at the heart of Table for None: Lost Eateries of Toledo, the newest book from local historian and storyteller Tedd Long.
A book born from menus, matchbooks, and a ChiliMac lunch
The idea for the book arrived over lunch. While finishing research for his previous release, The Toledo Papers, Long reached out to longtime friend and legendary local collector Mark Snyder. During one of their regular meals at Michael’s Bar and Grill downtown — both men devoted ChiliMac fans — Snyder casually reminded Long about his massive collection of Toledo restaurant ephemera. Snyder retrieved a tote from his truck, filled to the brim with menus, napkins, matchbooks, swizzle sticks and more…