Barberton chicken in spotlight on PBS' new 'Roadfood'

Barberton is getting national attention for its culinary culture, namely its Barberton chicken tradition, in the new PBS TV show "Roadfood: Discovering America One Dish at a Time."

The new series, hosted by TV star Misha Collins, aims to rediscover America’s regional culture through its iconic dishes. Barberton's Belgrade Gardens and White House Chicken as well as DeVore’s Hopocan Gardens in Norton are among the local restaurants that Collins visited for the show's sixth episode, available now on PBS Passport.

The 30-minute Barberton episode, which features the roots of Serbian fried chicken, will air locally on WVIZ Channel 25 at 11 a.m. Feb. 12 and is expected to air sometime in March on WNEO/WEAO Channels 45/49.

In his latest TV venture, Collins, who starred as angel Castiel on the CW's "Supernatural" for 12 years, explores the roots of a uniquely American dish in each episode of "Roadfood." He's taking up the mantle of food journalists Jane and Michael Stern, who drove around America beginning in the '70s in search of everyday regional cuisine for their "Roadfood" books, columns and website, which included writing about Barberton-style fried chicken.

For Collins' Barberton visit, which was filmed over two days in October, he learned about the history of Serbian fried chicken from Milos Papich, the third-generation owner of Barberton's Belgrade Gardens.

The episode shows a photo of Papich's grandparents, Manojlo "Mike" and Smilka Topalsky, Serbian immigrants who founded Belgrade Gardens in 1933. The restaurant was the first to serve Serbian-style fried chicken in Barberton, which later became known as the fried chicken capital of the world with its proliferation of restaurants serving the dish.

Papich said Collins also talked at length to his parents, Sophia, 90, and Kosta Papich, 92, who ran the family business for more than 50 years.

"At one time we actually served as many as 30,000 meals a week amongst all of us" Barberton chicken restaurants in their 1970s heyday, Papich said by phone last month, expanding on a comment he made in the "Roadfood" episode.

On the show, he talked to Collins about how Barberton chicken is so moist.

"We cook at a very low temperature. It seals all the natural juiciness of a very young bird, so when you taste it, it's very succulent, very moist," Papich says.

"That might be the best fried chicken I've ever had, honestly," Collins responds after tasting the chicken.

For a preview of the episode, see https://roadfood.com/tv/extras/sneak-peak-of-roadfood/.

In the show, Collins asks about the hot rice (or hot sauce) that he just dipped his chicken into. Papich says it's a traditional recipe that his grandmother learned from her mother, and that her mother learned from her mother in Serbia.

"That is so yummy," Collins said. "That is a delicious flavor combination and texture combination."

Papich, 59, said by phone that Belgrade Garden's hot sauce, which features tomatoes, onions and spices, adds rice just as a thickening agent.

The restaurateur said he enjoyed working on the TV episode with Collins and his crew, which included 10 young professionals from all over the country.

"It was a blast," Papich said of the filming.

Collins himself was very gracious with all of his "Supernatural" fans who asked for autographs and selfies.

"He was very nice to talk to, very easy to talk to," Papich said of the host, who spent about two hours filming in the restaurant.

The episode shows Papich and Collins in the kitchen together, with staff stirring the hot sauce in a huge braising pan and Papich showing how his restaurant's chicken is fried slowly at a low temperature. Behind the scenes, Collins also enjoyed sampling homemade paprikash dumplings, Papich said.

Papich, whose restaurant was featured on "Food Feuds" against Barberton's White House Chicken with Michael Symon on the Food Network in 2010, said it's great that PBS' "Roadfood" is putting Barberton in the national spotlight again.

"I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us and other businesses and the city as a whole," Papich said.

For the October filming, when Collins visited DeVore's Hopocan Gardens in Norton, owner Brian Canale served him along with local celebrity Steve Brookens, a former wrestler who's the announcer for Barberton Speedway.

Canale talked about the 20,000 factory jobs Barberton used to have, and how those workers patronized multiple Barberton chicken restaurants over the years.

"Generationally, they would come down and get Barberton chicken on Sunday," said Canale, 62.

Canale, third-generation owner of Hopocan Gardens and also owner of White House Chicken, said by phone that his grandparents worked at Belgrade Gardens back in the day, as did all of the folks who ended up opening their own Serbian chicken eateries.

He, in fact, still has a Roadfood-approved sticker on the front door at White House Chicken downtown, where the Sterns visited for their original Roadfood work years ago.

For PBS' "Roadfood," Collins talked to Canale and his father, William DeVore, 83. Canale showed Collins how Hopocan breads its chicken and how that breading becomes like a shell for the juicy chicken, cooked low and slow at 275 degrees. He, Collins and Brookens also shared a dinner.

"Delicious. It's nice and hot and very simple," Collins said on the show.

Later, Collins got carryout downtown from White House Chicken for himself and his crew.

In the Barberton "Roadfood" episode, Collins explores the flavor of Barberton beyond its chicken. He talks with residents about the town's rapid industrialization that brought European immigrants there in the early 20th century as well as how the town, which has suffered a major loss in manufacturing jobs, has had a changing political environment.

"Pulling yourself up by the bootstraps is a community thing here," Barberton Mayor William Judge told Collins on air.

The TV host talked to folks and soaked up the culture at Barberton Speedway, the Coffee Pot, Ignite Brewing Company, the Barberton Social Club and the downtown farmer's market, where he tried to get Judge to divulge which chicken place was his favorite. Collins also watched polka dancers and accordion players at the Slovene Center, where he joined in the polka dancing.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Barberton chicken's the star in episode of new PBS 'Roadfood'