FAIRFIELD, Ohio — With dozens of restaurants closing across Ohio last year, communities are getting creative to entice diners to support mom-and-pop restaurants: from food festivals to rewards programs. In Butler County’s Fairfield, they’re supporting a diverse group of restaurants with an electronic passport and prizes.

Flavors of Fairfield features a passport app to track your travels trying new restaurants. The city features a variety of cuisines,   from Dominican Dishes at Mofongo City to Vietnamese Flavors at Pho district Cincy.  

“You can get everything from Nepalese food, different Indian restaurants, Colombian food, all kinds of South American options, all kinds of things you would not expect in Ohio, let alone Fairfield, Ohio,” said Mark Borison, a podcaster based at Jungle Jim’s International Market, another place that attracts foodies to Fairfield.

If you check in at four restaurants, you can head to the market and meet up with Borison, who will give you a medal designed to look like a spork.

“I’ll also probably give you a snack,” Borison said.  

Eight or more restaurant check-ins will enter you to win the $1,000 gift card and some other prizes.

His store has more than three times the items than there are residents in Fairfield, a town of fewer than 50,000 people.  

“What’s so fun about this: there’s so many restaurants you can try in Fairfield you can expand your horizons and if you win the Jungle Jim’s gift card, you don’t have to just go to the restaurants, you can make those flavors at home now too,” he said.

Flavors of Fairfield is a collaboration between the city of Fairfield, Travel Butler County and Jungle Jim’s. For more information, you can go to their website.