FOX 8 meteorologist, Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart shares her favorite food finds: 5 for Friday

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Meteorologist Mackenzie Bart of WJW-TV FOX 8 gushes about being back in Cleveland.

You can almost feel the delight coming through the phone like rays of sunshine breaking through clouds.

See what we did there?

“I really do love this area,” she told Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer in an interview this week. “It’s everything: how comforting and friendly everyone is, the scenery, the beaches, Cleveland Metroparks and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I mean, we have it all here.”

The FOX 8 meteorologist knows that some here have a certain (ahem) disdain for winter. The self-proclaimed “weather nerd” loves all four seasons and cannot abide by the same aversion.

“Step outside during that first snow and just look around to how the snow clings to the trees—how silent and magical everything is. It feels like you are in a Hallmark Channel movie,” she said.

“It’s not for everyone, I guess,” she added with a laugh. “But that makes me love this city so much more.”

Her love of the change of seasons was one of many things that pushed Bart to pursue Atmospheric Sciences at The Ohio State University.

“My life experiences drove me to a career in weather,” she said. “My younger sister was born with a rare disease—Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, where her body does not produce cholesterol—so I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up.

“My grandma is a huge part of my life. She was always obsessed with The Weather Channel (where Bart later interned) to the point where we almost didn’t watch anything else. That should have been clue number one leading to what I wanted to do,” Bart laughed.

Clue number two arrived when Bart was traveling the country teaching high school cheerleading camps.

“We drove through Joplin, Missouri right after that massive outbreak of tornadoes, Bart recalled.

“I just remember thinking, ‘Wow, weather did this.’ Joplin was completely devastated. I remember being completely captivated. And when you add the fact that my dad’s birthday is on Groundhog Day… I guess I took it all as a sign and have been knee-deep in the weather every day since.”

What would Bart be doing in life if not for meteorology?

Our guess is Hollywood, with her effervescent take on ventriloquism.

“I adore Shari Lewis and Lambchop and was obsessed with them growing up,” Bart said. “I always wondered how she could make Lambchop talk like that. They were about the only thing that could get my grandma to switch off The Weather Channel.”

When competing for the Miss America crown several years ago, her routine with puppet Roxy dominated the first night of preliminary competition. It was a spirited duet, riffing on the “Mary Poppins” classic, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”—inspired in part by Bart’s childhood.

We had a blast chatting with Bart — so much so, that there was no need for “a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down” when we got around to her five favorite food finds. Here they are, in her own words:

Chicken from The Crispy Chick: This is tough to start out with — and terrible to say because I went to Ohio State and Raising Cane’s was the end-all-be-all down there — but this place is awesome and so close to work. The chicken is perfectly seasoned. I’m not a cole slaw fan, but theirs has a tangy, vinegar-based dressing. Really good. Get the house sauce and the garlic butter toast, out of this world! 5618 Woodland Ave., Cleveland. 216-331-4700 thecrispychick.com.

“Carnival” Fries from Scooter’s World Famous Dawghouse: A coworker suggested I go here. They’re mainly open for spring and summer, it’s got Tastee-Freez feels. They have a plethora of hot dog options. Shakes and malts. And those fries! They’re my favorite thing to get there. You must be careful because they’re carnival fries: grease soaks the whole bag. A “small” can fill a whole tray; you could make a whole meal out ‘em! 9600 Blackbrook Rd., Mentor. 440-354-8480. scootersworldfamousdawghouse.com.

Potato Pancakes at Joe’s Deli: When I was moving back here, several people recommended them as I’m half Polish. Now, don’t tell my grandma this, but they were better than hers! Crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. You can’t go wrong with any of their combos or sandwiches. Hot corned beef, pastrami… oh my gosh. 9215 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River. 440-333-7890. myjoesdeli.com.

Dim Sum at Li Wah: A couple orders could also easily be a meal. I really like their steamed barbecue pork buns. I don’t know how they do it! They’re so soft and gooey, melt-in-your-mouth. So good! The pork and shrimp dumplings are also really, good. Whenever I get one of their entrees, the portions are so big I can ever only eat half. I usually take the other half home and it is lunch or dinner the following day. 2999 Payne Ave. #102, Cleveland. 216-696-6556. liwahrestaurant.com.

Nut Roll and Prune Pączki at Rudy’s Strudel & Bakery: Any time I go see my family, I have to pick up a nut roll because she won’t make them anymore and loves theirs! They are huge. I don’t know what type of dough they use for their bread, but it’s fantastic. My grandma also loves their prune pączki, which is such an “old-lady” thing, but they’re so good. It’s pretty hard to find a good prune paczki. 5580 Ridge Rd., Parma. 44129. 440-886-4430. rudysstrudel.com.