The O-town Scene

Local Eats Collage Food Boutique is one of Oneon- ta's newest and up-and-coming eateries. Tucked away in the Shops at Ford and Main, you may have walked right past it and not realized it was there. Everything is made fresh daily, and in small batches. The name comes from the style and fash- ion of the food that is served, which mixes and matches flavors from various cultures and regions, pairing them with different tastes in a multitude of ways. The menu changes daily, and is written in chalk on blackboards hanging on the wall. In addition to those items, there is a large, refrigerated deli case which displays a variety of fresh-made deli items. Pasta salads, chicken salads, roasted vegeta- bles, couscous, rice balls and other sides are available to be served cool and taken to go, or heated quickly to eat on the spot. Cookies, pastries and other baked goods yell loudly at you to finish off your meal with dessert. Owner Zijan Wu, a 27-year-old entrepre- neur from Cheng Du, the capital city of the Sichuan province of southwest China, trained as an apprentice to a Chinese chef. He also gained some experience as a restaurant and beverage manager before coming to the United States. Wu's talents are combined with those of Frank Lopez, a former personal chef and current mentor to Zijan; and Elena Doyle, the former pastry and catering queen of Oneonta, whose Main Street shop Elena's Sweet Indulgence shut its doors in 2010. When you add Zijan's southwestern Chinese training, Lopez's roots stemming from Caribbean and Spanish food, and Elaina's catering and baking background, the sum is a very delicious and unique culinary experience for your taste buds. On my lunch visit, I decided to try the Roma chicken, a gigantic, lightly breaded, extremely moist chicken breast covered in a creamy tomato sauce and topped with sautéed mushrooms, and spinach. It was fantastic. The sauce was slightly creamy, and not too sweet, and there was a gener- ous portion of mushrooms and spinach on top. It was accompanied by a mixed green salad, which complimented the dish perfectly on a hot summer day. In addition to the Roma Chicken, I also tasted the turkey and cranberry sandwich, and some of the chicken salad with pineapples and raisins. Both were excellent. "We love taking the challenge of creating new things each day" said Lopez. "We try to use as many local ingredients as possible, especially produce, and listen to what our customers want and say so we can provide them a new and enjoyable experience every time." "We piece things together, plucking them from here and there, until we form a collage. We have been calling it 'Puer- talianese,' if you can even spell that," Lopez replied when asked how they came up with the name Collage Food Boutique. And that is exactly what it is: a boutique, or exhibition or a canvas of cultures and ethnicities expressed through food, in a new and very tasty way. With such a vast selection of dishes to select from, there is always something for everyone as they gladly provide vegetarian and vegan options. Check them out if you haven't already, and if you have, go back and tell them how much you enjoyed the food or if you didn't, why, and they will gladly try to accommodate your personal tastes. Is your favorite restaurant off the beaten path? Know of a hidden treasure that we should feature? Email lzimmerman@ thedailystar.com to make a suggestion for Local Eats. Collage Food Boutique Offers Artful Blend of Flavors By Lindsey Zimmerman Find us online at tinyurl.com/OTownScene O-Town Scene July 10, 2014

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