Stock & Barrel: Spring 2018

16 Eat. Drink. (614).

"If music be the food of love, play on." – William Shakespeare

Spring 2018

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From the Editor

wo things your mom (and mine) have told you at some point in your lifetime: Don’t play with your food.

Make sure you get a job with health insurance.

Well, at 38 years old I do the former as part of the occupation that gives me the latter.

While we get to eat and drink the stuff we’re writing about in these pages FAR less than someone might think, we do get to spend our time carefully staging a beautiful plate of barbecue, getting the perfect shot of someone in a crowded herd of cattle, or in my case, lobbing pancake balls over the shoulder of a photographer, in hopes that our subject would make contact with her rolling pin.

That’s the attention to detail and creativity that goes into the work we prepare, so to speak, so in it’s in many ways as satisfying as a good meal. You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and you can’t get a fun photo result without getting a little Nutella on the lens.

How can you not get extra creative when you’re covering innovators within the food and drink space?

I remember it was a thing just to be able eat tacos from a truck—let alone mobile bars and whole food halls devoted to elevating chef-driven concepts. Remember when we made a big deal about Yuengling coming over the border? Now, we’ve got dudes making brews in BFE and dudes making beer from tea.

That’s really the fun here at Stock & Barrel and as editor-inchief, I’m often charged with shaking things up a bit.

Which is funny, because outside of these pages, and inside my own kitchen, I am decidedly beige. But, hey, also, as a result of these pages, I do get a good new idea or two.

Food is about discovery, right? Here’s a Midwestern man’s journey through food and booze’s Great Mild Yonder: 1.

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Water for your whiskey. I drink everything alcoholic, at what I have dubbed “PBR speed.” Sure, I love that Nikka whiskey or that double IPA, but it’s costly, intense, and I’m gonna be on my ass if I gulp it as gleefully as I do lesser beverages. Rocks and a splash or two of H2O makes me slow down and appreciate what’s in the glass. There’s no scienc here—it just works.

Chickpeas, please. I looked up one day and realized whoever was in charge of the Hummus Department has really been bucking for a promotion. One day, it was a weird snack and the next day it was essentially part of our family? (Remember salsa? Beat it, old man! Hummus is here!) Hummus will give you fiber and protein. It’ll hold your hand through a break-up. Hummus can end the gender pay gap if you give it enough of your time.

Be an AirFryGuy. Okay, don’t ever refer to yourself as that. It’s a touch weird to have fried foods be that forward in your identity, but hey, I am who I am. The Air Fryer is the most glorious kitchen gadget of the last half-century.

Yeah, I know the Kitchen-Aid Mixer is dope, but I’m not in need of a better meringue. Warning: you won’t be able to eat microwaved veggies anymore, but that’s fine because I don’t have any room for them in the freezer based on the bulk of curly fries in there now.

Trust your dealer. I love dealer’s choice. Find the right bartender—on the right night, of course—and tell them you want something they’ve been toying with. Also, If you feel, like I do, that your overall food knowledge might

CEO/Publisher Wayne T. Lewis Editor-in-Chief Travis Hoewischer Associate Editor Jeni Ruisch Contributing Writers Steve Croyle J.R. McMillan Mitch Hooper Aaron Wetli Chris Reed Nicole Rasul Olivia Miltner Copy Editor Daniel Sponseller LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Tommy Feisel Associate PHOTOGRAPHER Collins Laatsch Contributing Photographers Brian Kaiser Megan Leigh Barnard Amy Rebecca Lead Designer Dustin Goebel

Photo by Tommy Feisel

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be a little more encyclopedic than others, tasting menus are a great way to get out of your comfort zone, but with someone who knows what they’re doing riding shotgun. If you’re dining out in white linen land anyway, worry less about the cost and spring for the courses. At a place like Veritas, you can’t go wrong with any dish you choose, but in my book—and my belly—it’s always nice to have a little bit of a lot of things.

Count your calories. Sound counter-intuitive? Nah. I’ve finally gotten back in the habit, and even though my iPhone app on some days looks like the Powerball total getting updated in real-time, it’s made what I bite into and what I burn off a much more integrated equation. Yes, I did say I had 19 Miller Lites, and yes it was a Sunday. I’ll just have to make up for it with a ton of hummus.

graphic Designer Hugo Albornoz Jess Wallace Phoebe Davis Advertising director Meggin Weimerskirch Senior Account Executives Derek Landers Liza Worthington ACcOUNT EXECUTIVE Becky Hart Manager of audience development Stephanie McFarland VP of Sales/Marketing Lindsay Press

There ya go. Change the game. Reinvent the meal.

Cheers,

Travis Hoewischer, Editor-in-Chief

spring 2018 614columbus.com

(614) Magazine 458 E Main St., Columbus, OH 43215 Office: (614) 488-4400 Fax: (614) 488-4402 Email submissions to: editor@614columbus.com www.614columbus.com

Full Steam Ahead 22

Pies Wide Shut 80

Yellow & You Make Green 30

Strip Mall Surprise 82

Seafood boils wash up on Columbus’s suburban shore

Thanks to a local “foodshed,” farm-raised veggies are now deliverable to your door

Coffee Down Cold 34

Two things Steve Johnson knows: cattle and cold-brew coffee

Wine and Dime 44

Landon Proctor is here to let the air out of snooty wine tastings

Confection Center 52

Two bearded warriors face off against the region’s culinary Colossus

Frank and Judy Scali and the Italian flavor they’ve brought to an unassuming corner of Reynoldsburg

The Search for Johnny Marzetti 86

Its popularity and legend on shaky ground, J.R. McMillan goes on the hunt for Columbus’s once signature dish

Well-Crafted Escape 94

Did you know they’re brewing their own beer in B.F.E? Hit the highway for IPA this spring…

Once a security guard there, chocolatier Daniel Cooper now supplies Hotel LeVeque with its late-night sweets

Eat with Your Eyes 62

The vision behind the menu and the marketing at Katalina’s has style for miles

Chains of Love 76

Your guide to beloved fast food chains that have gone the way of the Uncle Alligator

Old School, New School 104

One night, one neighborhood, two different eras.

This issue: German Village/Brewery District

Fresh Tastes 108

Before you can put your fork down in this city, there's seemingly a dozen new restaurants swinging open their doors; we try our best to keep track of them for you...

Cover Photo by Tommy Feisel of Kathleen Day, Katalina’s Cafe

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contents

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C alendar

By Stock & Barrel staff

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4.27

4.28

5.10

Beer 101 Class

Cousins Maine Lobster Grand Opening

Romancing the Grape 2018

Taste of Dine Originals

LOCATION: 411 Woody Hayes Dr. TIME: 6 – 10 p.m.

ADMISSION: $175 WEB: romancingthegrape.org

LOCATION: 1777 E Broad St. TIME: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

ADMISSION: $125 WEB: buckeyeranch.instagift.com

Before Ohio Stadium can go back to being the home of Buckeye fans cheering on the football squad, it’ll have to serve as a safe haven for Columbus wine connoisseurs. This three-hour wine tasting will have the spirits provided by Heidelberg Distributing Company, North High Brewing, and Watershed Distillery, so if your love for the vino isn’t as deep as your date’s, you can always sip on a beer from North High as you overlook the field from the Huntington Club suite. You’ll also have the chance to taste some of the best local eateries in the city with restaurants like The Guild House, The Pearl, and Bistro 2110 at the Blackwell Inn, participating and providing tasty entrees to anyone who comes through.

There are so many awesome restaurants serving up delicious food in this city that sometimes it can get a little overwhelming trying to make your way to all of them. The Taste of Dine Originals 2018 is looking to make that process a little easier this May. Buy your ticket now and you’ll have the green light for unlimited samples from more than 40 different local places which include Cravings Cafe, CBC Restaurant, and Basi Italia. And no, your eyes don’t deceive you. We said unlimited samples. Just to be safe, you had better leave your skinny jeans at home and loosen up your belt—it’s about to be a feast.

LOCATION: 215 N. Fourth St. TIME: 10 a.m. to noon ADMISSION: $25 WEB: wolfsridgebrewing.com In 2018, beer is no longer just a simple concoction of barley, hops, and water. Well technically, it is still a concoction of barley, hops, and water; but it’s not your runof-the-mill Bud Light. Now, it’s IPAs, citrus hefeweizens, dark oatmeal stouts, and light pale ales. Even some of the most basic brews like lagers taking a turn to the craft beer side. If your head is spinning with all these new boozy options on the market, you aren’t alone. Fortunately enough for all of us, there is help and it comes from the brewmasters at Wolf’s Ridge. This Beer 101 class is a crash course on getting your beer knowledge back up to speed in today’s world of modern brew. You get to cap off your educational day with a complimentary WRB offering.

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LOCATION: 141 N. Fourth St. TIME: 4 p.m. to midnight ADMISSION: Free WEB: cousinsmainelobster.com Cousins Maine Lobster food truck is planning on setting up shop in Columbus, and they are bringing together two worlds: fresh seafood lovers and duckpin bowling fanatics. Kick back beers from PINS’ extensive brew list and chow down on Columbus’s newest food truck serving up delicious traditional options like the Maine Roll and New England Clam Chowder. However, they will also have more modern takes on seafood classics like Lobster or Shrimp Tacos and Lobster Quesadillas. Bonus fact: the family business originally started in North Carolina and is the only fishery that holds the title of being “sustainable” in the entire world!

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5.12

5.31

Six One Pour: Ohio Craft Beer Fest 2018

5th Annual Grandview Chocolate Walk

LOCATION: 330 Huntington Park Ln. TIME: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

ADMISSION: TBD WEB: columbusbeerweek.com/

LOCATION: 1685 W. First Ave. TIME: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

ADMISSION: $25 WEB: ghpl.org/foundation

sixonepour

We really never need an excuse to drink beers all day, but if you give us the option, you know we have to take it. With 55 Ohio craft beer brewers coming, there will be beer options aplenty for anyone’s taste preferences. The event also serves as a chance for the 12 breweries who collaborated on crafting their own brew for the event. Things were a little hectic throughout the process so it’s only fitting the newest hoppy beer being unveiled has been given the name of the “Dysfunctionale.” As Six One Pour’s website said, these 12 brewers put the “fun” in “dysfunctional.” Anyone looking for a sneak peek can find the beer canned at Columbus Market Districts, but you better hurry because it’s only on the shelves while supplies last! As for the rest of us, we’ll have to see how the beer tastes on draft on May 12.

Round out your month of May with an ode to your sweet tooth while helping support the Grandview Heights Public Library Foundation’s Endowment Fund.

You can stroll through the beautiful suburb of Grandview while you make stops at local shops dishing out sweet chocolate treats for you and whoever you choose to tag along with you. The Endowment Fund was designed to help keep the GHPL financially secure so not only will you have a great excuse for a cheat day on your diet, you’ll help keep the library operating. If you won’t do it for yourself and the greater good of the library, just think of the kids!

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Gut Reactions What the Stock & Barrel team puts in their faces

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o get this magazine whipped into shape, our contributors put themselves through intensive training—leaving little to no remaining evidence of the research they’ve conducted leading up to our printing.

What I mean is: we eat and drink a lot.

So, why not start this thing off with a dual purpose: you get a little behind-the-scenes playlist of sorts that also adds a little credibility to our adventurous team.

Next time someone asks you what you want to eat or drink, recall this list and tell them, Ya know, I heard from someone that this was good…

Heather Hotaling

Chicken and avocado sandwich, Northstar Cafe; cardamom latte, Mmelo; shrimp pad ki mao, Indochine Cafe; lamb kabab, Jeddo Kabab; tropical green smoothie, Alchemy.

Mitch Hooper

The Southerner brunch taco, Condado; Smothered corn cakes with fried artichoke hearts, Sweet Carrot; Very veggie sandwich, Matt The Miller’s Tavern; Easy Tiger IPA, Platform Beer Co.; Two Hearted Ale, Bell’s Brewery.

Chris Reed

BBQ Western burger, Eden Burger; scallops, Cameron’s American Bistro; Hofbrau Hefe Weizen, Wurst und Bier; cheese pizza, Borgata Pizza Cafe; tuna melt, Jason’s Deli

Regina Fox

Fried chicken and bourbon punch, The Eagle; Veggie momos, Momo Ghar North Market; Goat cheese ravioli, Marcellas; Bucket of Budweisers, Shadowbox Live; Food Buddha’s Crispy Rice, Branch.

Andrea Taylor

City burger, City Tavern; Insideout grilled cheese, Baba’s; Lettuce dogs, Old Skool; Lemon shrimp risotto, Moretti’s of UA; Kurt Brusselz, Hoof Hearted.

Travis Hoewischer

Blistered shishitos, Veritas; buffalo (bison) tri-tip, G. Michaels; chicken bowl, Ninja Bowl; buffalo chicken wrap, ClusterTruck; hunan pork, Peking Dynasty.

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Jeni Ruisch

Spicy seafood soup, Alegria’s Seafood; Allbeef hot dogs, stuffed with cheese, wrapped with bacon, and wrapped in lettuce instead of in a bun, Dirty Frank’s; roasted vegetables, Little Palace; Prime rib, Old City Prime, Lima, Ohio; keto burrito bowl, Chipotle.

ILLU STRATIO N S By D USTI N GOEBEL

J.R. McMillan

Grecian stuffed chicken on saffron rice with roasted sweet potatoes, King Gyros; coconut pancakes, 3 Brothers Diner; shrimp and grits, Mallory’s Rib Shack; Orange Whip vegan soft serve, Cream & Sugar.

Evan Weese

Coney dog, Philco; burger, Short North Tavern; Tuna Poké, Hai Poké; Night Method beer, Wolf’s Ridge; Whatever I had at 2 a.m. that one night at El Camino.

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Reinventing the Meal

D

ining out is a quintessential city experience.

One of the first things mentioned by people who love the bustle of downtown is the plethora of options to find food. It’s like the ancient primate ancestors still residing inside us can rest easy knowing the abundance of our surroundings.

But you can’t tame that inner Neanderthal with burger joints alone.

The key to a good food scene is novelty and innovation.

And Columbus has that in spades.

Whether it’s a bar on wheels, culinary classes that set up shop in your kitchen, or dive-rightin traditional seafood boils right here in the 16

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heartland, we have loads of Columbusites who are moving and shaking, inventing and innovating when it comes to the most ancient of activities: eating and drinking.

This quarter, Stock & Barrel has rounded up 10 of the most innovative people and concepts hitting the food and beverage scene in the capital city.

We strive to make sure that our readers have a solid city guide to all they can imbibe. We want to show you the avant garde, as well as the staple haunts that have staked their claim on good reputation. From the old to the new, allow us to be your guides as you forage through the capital city, satiating that inner beast.

Ka i ’ s C r a b B o i l By Co lli ns Laatsch

REINVENTING THE MEAL

hallin' outta control By mi tc h h o o p e r

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ell me if this situation sounds familiar: you are really craving tacos, but your significant other had Chipotle for lunch so they ain’t in the mood.

You spend countless hours on Google searching for a spot that can satisfy your taco needs while also finding a menu option that will please whatever bae wants. You have two options after all the searching: sacrifice quality menu options for variety … or end your relationship.

Kidding.

But, the struggle is real, and outside of the North Market and local festivals, you can’t really wrangle a variety of the city’s taste in one spot. We are living in the heart of a major city, yet we are still in a constant state of battle of trying to find somewhere to eat that will please everyone’s palates. It might seem like an impossible battle—does a place that hits everyone taste preferences even exist?

It does now.

One of two concepts cutting ribbons in 2018—Cameron Mitchell has their own version on deck at the Budd-Dairy building—Food Hall is hitting the Short North this spring with five local kitchens under one roof.

Building off the momentum of other major cities like Denver, Chicago, and New York City with food halls, Corso Ventures—the people who brought you Short North staples like Pint House and Standard Hall— has cleared a space on High St. where patrons have the option to choose from five different local kitchens to provide for maximum variety and a chance to discover new eateries in the city—and chefs and restaurateurs have a small-scale chance to expand and experiment.

The Short North Food Hall is now home home to Short Grain Sushi 18

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and Shokudo Modern Asian Kitchen, Legacy Smokehouse, Tortilla Mexican Street Food, and Vinny’s Italian Kitchen (a new concept from Corso Corporate Chef Vince Marti). Going back to our hypothetical taco conundrum, you can swiftly make your way to the Tortilla line for all the tacos you desire while your significant other picks up some smoked barbecue brisket from Legacy. We like to call these types of situations a win-win.

“This gives us an opportunity to fill the gaps in the types of culinary options offered in this neighborhood, while providing a truly unique dining experience,” explained Reed Woogerd, president of Corso Ventures. “Imagine never arguing about where to go to eat, and even better, no one in your group ever has to miss out.”

However, the eateries in the Food Hall aren’t set in stone. There isn’t a set time limit for how long the vendors will be there—Woogerd said they are just looking to build mutual success with these eateries while showcasing their food without forcing the restaurants to go through the process of opening a brick-and-mortar.

As for in interior, it won’t be like what you’d expect from the Corso Ventures group, either. Rather than running with the rustic appearance of the historic building, the Short North Food Hall will have a much more modern feel to it as it will feature custom tile work, bright colors, and an emphasis on the “old meets new” ideal. Woogerd likened it to a French bistro—if a French bistro could boast about 7,000 square feet of space.

With all that open real estate inside, the Food Hall can be more than just a spot with five food concepts.

“In an effort to keep things interesting, we will be hosting a weekly collaboration night, where vendors will be collaborating on menu items amongst each other. We also have the ability to bring in chefs to do pop-ups and other fun culinary events,” Woogerd said.

He also mentioned a rooftop patio that would include another kitchen and bar that would have year-round access, but that’s more for the second stage of development. There’s also rumblings about developing an app for patrons to use to order their entrees from vendors, but that too will be a future feature.

For now, the Food Hall will serve as a celebration for the local shops, and a further feather in the culinary cap of an emerging city.

“Columbus is a foodie town,” Woogerd said. “I believe we not only live that, but we celebrate it. People want to try different foods, they want to talk about food, take pictures, and now, more than ever, people want to share food. Whether you're sharing it on social media, or with a friend, this concept allows all people—foodies or aspiring foodies—to get their fix.”

Short North Food Hall is located at 1112 N High St. For more, visit facebook.com/shortnorthfoodhall.

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Re v inv e nting t h e M e a l :

M em bers O n ly

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ou won’t need your Members Only jacket to get into these places, but you will have to pay a little bit to get in on the goods. Trust us, it’s worth it. (And, seriously, maybe it’s time to get rid of that damn jacket from the 80’s. Just a thought).

Here’s a couple member-based institutions in the city that are changing the way people go about getting their grub and drink on.

Third Way Cafe • 3058 W Broad St.

Offering a cozy space to hang in and coffee by the mug full, the Third Way Cafe is changing the way you go about your morning cup of joe.

This isn’t to say they are revolutionizing some complex plan to brew up your coffee differently, they are just offering it in a different manner.

Rather than ordering your drink and shelling out up to $5 like you would at Starbucks or Tim Hortons, you will be paying a small $2 cover fee for each time you visit. You might be thinking, “Wait, I thought this was a coffee shop, not a nightclub. Why should I have to pay to get in?”

Well, it’s more than just paying $2 to get your foot in the door. With your cover fee, you’ll be able to drink as many cups of coffee your caffeine 20

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infested heart can handle, and you won’t feel pressured to finish up and leave as Third Way Cafe encourages you to hang out to help generate a feeling of community when you step through the doors.

This sense of community is important to Third Way Cafe, and that’s why they offer memberships to anyone who finds themselves frequenting the cafe. For an upfront $20 fee, members can ditch the cover charge and enjoy everything the cafe has to offer. That means unlimited cups of coffee, a place to read a good book or finish up any work projects (let’s be real, your plans of finishing work projects at a coffee shop usually end in scrolling through Facebook for a few hours and saying, “I’ll just finish this on Monday”), and it’s a chance to meet other people in the community who also avoid work projects and mindlessly scroll through BuzzFeed cooking videos.

But, the cafe is more than just a spot to finish up projects and sip on some coffee, it also serves as an open space for professional events, musicians, and even game nights. You will have to pay to come to these events, or you can pay $200 for access to anything and everything going down at the cafe while also enjoying all the perks of the $20 membership.

Hickory and Oak Supper Club • 424 W Town St. The last Sunday of the month stands as a holy day for Land Grant Brewing Company and Ray Ray’s Hog Pit. Land Grant shuts down it’s doors for the evening and invites all members of the Hickory and Oak Supper Club to come down and absolutely feast on some good old barbeque whilst throwing back a few cold Land Grant brews.

Wine pairings are cool if you are into that sort of thing, but the real drinkers out there know beer pairings are where it’s at. What’s not to love about it? It’s a damn good excuse to try out new beers; you get the chance to try speciality cuts and cures of meats such as the 24-month aged Mangalitsa prosciutto that was featured in the January installment; and you get to enjoy the presence of other beer and BBQ lovers who aren’t into all the pretentiousness of pairing a Sauvignon Blanc with some smelly goat cheese.

Here’s the catch (you knew there had to be one with something this good, right?): space is limited, so if you are looking to chow down and drink like a king (or queen), you had better get hot on that membership.

For a single night of feasting, tickets cost $62 while six months of feasting costs $342. With a deal this great and options to secure a seat at the table for the foreseeable future, we trust you’ll make the right choice.

The Pink Flamingo • ourflamingo.com The Pink Flamingo is the supper club you never knew you needed.

More inclusive than exclusive, the roaming restaurant boldly bills itself as, “FUN in the world of seriousness, COMMUNAL in the world of capitalism, PLANTY in the world of meat.”

“The idea started with a conversation about not having a ‘third space’ outside of the bar,” explained Cam Williams, one of the initiative’s organizers. “It turns out, there are a lot of people looking for a space to gather with friends outside of work and their homes.”

The rules are as deceptively simple as the menu. Still in the start-up, pop-up phase, a $60 membership, or $15 a meal, affords access to the remainder of eight all-you-can-eat winter feasts focused on local, organic ingredients and a shift in how we think about what we put into our bodies, as well as into the environment. Traditional vegan favorites, artfully prepared to avoid common allergens, may look like a picnic or potluck, but go much deeper. It’s a table where everyone has a seat and a place.

“We are absolutely entering a more social era of dining,” Williams said. “We’re creating a membership-based restaurant, causing an intentional barrier to entry into our dining space. People must commit time and resources to become a member. It indicates they really want to be there.”

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REINVENTING THE MEAL

Full Steam Ahead Seafood boils wash up on suburban shore

By Jeni Ru isch

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bucket arrives table side. No plates, forks or knives on the table—only butcher’s paper spread from edge to edge. A clear oven bag is pulled from the bucket, untied, and upended. An avalanche of sweet and savory morsels spills out onto the table paper. A rainbow of pink, white, and red steamed sea creatures settles in a pile with corn, potatoes, sausage, and striped mussels. Fragrant, buttery garlic sauce envelops everything, pooling on the paper and in the clam shells. Bibs on, we dive in. The huge rosy prawns are easily peeled, and provided industrial tools help us crack open the armor of the more formidable crustaceans. Wrestling briefly with a fan of crab legs produces a fist-sized lump of meat. I drag it through the puddle of spiced garlic butter in front of me, and sink my teeth into the sweet white flesh.

Damn, it feels good to be a barbarian. •

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At Kai’s Crab Boil, you’re encouraged to dive in and get your hands dirty. Co-owner Tiffany Cho sings the praises of getting up-close and personal with your seafood.

“It adds that fun factor. You’re always told don’t play with your food, you have to use your knife and fork. But here you get to eat with your hands; we encourage that .... we encourage you to get messy. That’s why we have the big wash sinks; it works a lot better than those little wet naps.”

Central Ohio now has two more communal, eat-off-thetable style crab boil restaurants than it did a year ago–which back then was zero—both on Bethel Road. Though Columbus may be home to multitudinous seafood lovers, there’s little chance of us becoming known as a seafood city when we have exactly no maritime real estate. But a mix of modern technology, a little bit of gumption, well-timed ordering practices, and a seafood vacuum to fill mean that Columbusites now have the opportunity to try a smorgasbord relatively new to the Midwest. And a new kind of food means a new way to eat.

“That’s what this whole thing's about,” says co-owner Kai Sheng, “different eating experiences. You have to use your hands. You have to get messy.”

Kai’s isn’t the only place to get your fingers buttered.

Nearby, Boiling Seafood has an eat-off-the-table option, as well.

They also serve sandwiches and individual entrees for those of you that want a cleaner experience with your ocean critters.

Outside of obvious restaurant challenges like serving customers and keeping a clean shop, a seafood restaurant like Kai’s or Boiling Seafood has to do a careful dance with their living inventory. Lobsters, dungeness crabs, mussels, clams, and crawfish all arrive live, and hang out in a freezer for their short stay where they reach a hibernative state, but remain very much alive.

“Once we do get it in, it sells out so quickly,” says Cho. “Especially with the crawfish, we were surprised with how much demand there was for [them] in Ohio. With crawfish, there’s a season, so you can’t always get a lot. With our vendors and sourcing everything, we have to make sure we get enough, but we don’t want to get too much and have live items die. So it’s managing that balance.”

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P HOTOS By Co lli ns Laatsch

Despite its distance from the ocean, Columbus actually has few hurdles to becoming a “seafood city.” It just takes strategy.

Getting the items onto ice and into shipment can have them at a central Ohio doorstep in less than a day from being caught.

The rest is about predicting sales, and knowing your product.

Running a seafood restaurant requires Sheng and Cho to be business people with a keen knowledge of biology, anatomy, and geography. Relying on wild caught animal populations means your stock changes with season and migration habits.

Blue crabs come from the east coast of the U.S., while king crabs will be shipped in from varying spots around the Pacific rim, depending on the time of year. Late spring and early summer brings the flood of crawfish from Louisiana.

Only open a month at the time of writing, Kai’s has been flush with customers so far. An evening at Boiling Seafood will bring bib-covered patrons many a shell to crack. It’s no mystery that this tradition of eating with your hands and abandon brings a buttery smile to Columbus faces. •

Kai’s is located at 839 Bethel Rd. and Boiling Seafood is down the street at 1446 Bethel Rd.

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REINVENTING THE MEAL

Starting at home plate

Sto ry a nd p h otos By Je n i Ru i s c h

H

ave you ever stared into the cooler at the grocery store, wondering how the hell those cellophane-wrapped packages somehow morph into a colorful and fragrant meal?

Do your culinary endeavors turn into Pinterest fails, despite following the recipe to the letter? Curious as to why your bacon is never crispy, but only burnt? Sounds like you could use some professional help.

Lucky for you, not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear aprons.

Olivia Tipton is the lead Research and Development chef at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, one of the folks who make all Jeni’s ice cream dreams into a reality, by researching and sourcing ingredients and experimenting with products and techniques until they are the perfect creamy concoction you find in the giant buckets at the scoop shops and on shelves. A Dayton native, she trained at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island to obtain the culinary master skill set that she now hopes to spread around the capital city. While at JWU, Tipton was a student teacher, and lead community cooking classes offered by the university to the public. There, she discovered a love of teaching. And she’s damn good at it. Stock & Barrel got to sit in on one of her home classes, and we can tell you, she’s great at communicating her

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expertise to those of us who have more questions than notches in our chef belts. Using approachable language and deft demonstrations of her own proficiency, Tipton helps her students navigate various techniques on their own terms as they journey through a recipe together.

Her biggest motivator for in-home classes is that she wants people to be comfortable in their own kitchens. She brings just a few spare items with her to her visits, hoping to show the client how to work with what they have. While most of the culinarily-challenged public may not own a zester, for example, they likely have a cheese grater that can perform double-duty. During the planning process, Tipton communicates with her client about their goals for taking the class. She finds out if there is a specific cuisine or dish they want to make, if they want to learn a particular skill or cooking technique, or maybe focus on healthy cooking. After honing in on their goals, she comes up with two to three menu options that encompass them. The client chooses from the list, and Tipton creates her lesson plan. After checking with the client to make sure they have the staple pantry items necessary, she purchases everything else needed for the meal and brings it to their house. The goal is to make it as easy and stress-free as possible for the client. A standard class lasts about two and a half hours and costs $60 per guest, while advanced classes will run you $75. The cost is all-inclusive, all the way up through the ingredients for your meal. In a standard 2.5 hour class one dish is created, and students will learn two to three major cooking techniques. Advanced classes are longer, cover more in-depth techniques, and may result in more than one dish (such as an entree and dessert). Be sure to ask about her super-secret onion dicing technique.

Once the class is rolling, students find themselves gently guided through knife skills, and learning intricacies of ingredients. Tipton has lessons built into the recipe process, and students parlay with questions that naturally come up along the way.

In the age of Pinterest and The Food Network, the pendulum has begun to swing back toward the recognizance that you can’t just Google an education. Tipton and her mental library of reference material can take some of the sweat out of planning, pick the right ingredients, and place students light years ahead of searching “How to cook chicken.” And she can she can do it all in the most welcoming atmosphere one could think of: Your own home. •

To inquire about home cooking classes, email Tipton directly at o.tipton30@gmail.com.

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Better Veg The capital city is getting greener by the day

H

as the test market city, once seemingly home to the most fast food restaurants per square mile, finally drank the Kale-Aid? If you’re keeping up with the trends—and we are, it’s what we do—you’ll notice a green wave washing over Columbus. We’re already starting to feel better—about our own health and that of the community.

Two Dollar Radio is like that cool friend that introduces you to all the people and things You Need To Know. Just hanging out with them is enough to absorb by osmosis the knowledge of what is cool and good. In addition to being an indie publishing company, TDR headquarters has a plant-based cafe chock full of veggie dishes for those who eschew animal products on their plates.

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To p P h oto : A l l P e o p l e ’ s F r e s h M a rket by Jeni Ru i sch

In addition to their cafe, TDR hosts an array of local, plant-based food ventures as food trucks or pop-ups. Headed by a former pastry chef, and first stationed at Platform Brewing Co., Freaks and Leeks is now going a year strong in the vegan scene. Tofu Louie can bang out gluten free buns for their “Don’t pull on no pork” vegan sandwiches, which are soy-free and made with portabella and king oyster mushrooms, Carolina-style sauce, creamy slaw, and topped with sweet potato crunchies. Village Taco pulls up to TDR once a month, toting its vegan Mexican fare, and something called “Crack Taters” that are causing quite a stir. Their rave reviews are no doubt part of the success they’ve met, which has landed them a storefront in Alexandria. Don’t worry, though, they’ll still be oot and aboot with the food truck in the capital city. The Little Kitchen is a plant-based array on wheels that caters to vegans, vegetarians, and even you omnivores. Willowbeez Soul Veg is a family-owned operation that debuted in 2012. They serve health-conscious vegetarian food with more than a little bit of soul.

The green wave appears to be washing over Parsons. Across the street at 945 Parsons Ave., All People’s Fresh Market opened to much fanfare. Housed in a former beer and wine drive-through, APFM works in conjunction with the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. It’s a place where South Side residents can come in and get fresh produce for themselves and their families. The market is open to the public, and those below 200 percent of the poverty line will never pay for food.

Take High Street north to Campus, and the green goes on. Eden Burger specializes in a no beef burger made with rice, beans, pumpkin seeds, oats, and spices. Rounding out their veg menu are wraps, sides, and shakes that won’t bust your belt. Up in the crunchy corridors of Clintonville, Columbus’s newest niche grocery is helping you stay fresh, chock full of the freshest picks from local farms and beyond. Little Eater is a home base for those who want to support local, but they have plenty of extras from outside the heartland, like avocados. Not only can you stop by to stock up, their knowledgeable staff can help you decide what to make for dinner!

WillowBeez sou lv eg P hoto by Col li n s L aats c h

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Yellow and You Make Green A new way to go from farm-to-table with Yellowbird Foodshed

By Nicole Ras u l

I

n the certain, convincing tone of a preacher, Benji Ballmer explains Yellowbird Foodshed to me. “Why buy a tomato that was picked 1,500 miles away four weeks ago as a rock hard, green baseball?” he asks, tracing the long life of a conventional crop from farm to table.

“I have my growers pick a tomato for you on Monday. We pack it on Tuesday, and have it to you on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. You’re going to get the most flavorful and nutritious option available at the right time of the year.”

Benji’s business, which started in 2013 and is headquartered in Mount Vernon, not only promises to put healthy food on my family’s table but to grow local economies, lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, and support sustainable agricultural systems resulting in cleaner soils, air and waterways. •

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P HOTOS By Am y Re becca Photography

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Food Boxes Offering a year-round food box program organized by season, Yellowbird Foodshed reaches nearly 1,000 households in Central Ohio through a distribution model that prioritizes farmers and artisans who are located within 150 miles of Columbus and who practice sustainability in their production efforts.

In their model, Yellowbird Foodshed is both the aggregator and the distributor. They spend the first part of the week traveling to all four corners of the state to get their hands on the freshest, most delicious food possible from nearly 60 farmers and artisans. They take the food back to Mount Vernon, box it up in their retrofitted warehouse, and then distribute the goods directly to consumers at several dozen public and private pick-up locations, most of which are in the Columbus area. For a bit extra, boxes can be delivered directly to a purchaser’s door.

The boxes are filled with Ohio fruits and vegetables and sometimes a surprise pantry item, like maple syrup, salsa or tortilla chips. Two sizes are available: a base box, which provides 8 to 10 varieties, and a full size, offering 12 to 14 options. Add-ons like poultry, pork, beef, cheese, milk and eggs can be ordered online and delivered through the program. The value is there, too: getting farm-fresh eggs delivered along with it for $5 ain’t bad at all.

Yellowbird Foodshed prioritizes eating seasonally.

“You’re going to get asparagus when asparagus is ready in Ohio,” Benji says. “Some people would say ‘Well, I want asparagus all year.’ I would say, ‘That’s what makes asparagus so special.’”

This year, the company is also rolling out a “market style” option in several of their pick-up locations where consumers can do a bit of customization in their weekly box.

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Shifting the Marketplace Yellowbird Foodshed markets to the health-conscious consumer motivated by clean eating. However, as Benji hoped at the outset, over the last five years he has seen the trickle-down impact that his reimagined food distribution model is having on economies in our region. In 2017, the company funneled more than half a million dollars into local economies through their food distribution model.

“I have the belief that if we do this right we can create a resilient local economy that will put more growers back in business,” he says. “Your dollar is not only being spent on the most nutritious and flavorful item available but that dollar is also cascading out—it’s a vote that you’re making every day.”

Though they sometimes refer to their boxes as a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture program, the company wrestles with this title. In the CSA model a farmer grows for, and distributes directly to, the consumer. In their model, Yellowbird Foodshed plays the middle man enabling the grower to focus on what they do best.

“Highly impactful and beneficial company,” Joseph Swain, owner of Swainway Urban Farm located in Clintonville, says when asked his thoughts about the enterprise. “Yellowbird has been an important sales outlet for my farm and many others, connecting the dot between local growers and consumers. Their mission exemplifies the work needed to sustain the local food movement here in Ohio.”

Engaging the Consumer Not sure what to do with bok choy? Don’t worry, Benji’s got a solution. Each week, through Yellowbird Foodshed’s newsletter and app, participants can access information on what’s in their box, suggestions on how to prepare that item with recipe ideas, as well as tips on how to store the produce.

“We hold their hands through the process,” Benji says. “Our users may try something they haven’t tasted before.”

“I have been especially impressed with their customer service and attention to detail,” said Katy Hite, a Clintonville resident who has subscribed to the food box program for nearly a year. “The produce always arrives fresh and I love getting emails with suggestions for how to prepare and store the food.”

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Coffee Down Cold On a quest to take the bitter out of the bean, Steve Johnson forges a new form of coffee

By Travis Hoew i sc her Photos by Col l i n s L aatsc h

T

he first day Steve Johnson walked into the Stock & Barrel offices, we knew he’d soon land on these pages.

Not just because he brought a six-pack of free stuff— but because how do you not wanna know more about a 63-year-old cattle farmer who invented a proprietary cold-brew coffee to fuel his mountain biking pursuits and fight off diabetes?

Meet, Steve, the owner of Off The Beaten Path, who like the name, tends to walk his own way through the local culinary scene. He’s invented his own tap system to furnish local businesses, and his nitrogen-infused (think Guinness) coffee, in flavors like Bourbon Pecan and Snickerdoodle, is low-to-no calories. He’s also full of hot takes on why cold-brew is the only true way (you don’t like over-boiling your veggies until they’re mush, right?), proselytizing a product that is less bitter than hot coffee, has more antioxidants, and promises faster muscle recovery—which is likely part of what landed OTBP on shelves at Paradise Garage, where a clear crossover exists between coffee and cycling culture. It’s a more efficient fuel than the regular stuff, too, with 20 percent more caffeine than regular coffee.

Steve’s always rolling, but we were able to take a moment out of his day on the farm to warm up on coldbrewed coffee.

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PHOTO By Colli ns L aats c h

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P HOTO By Col l i n s L aats c h

What’s the difference between iced coffee and cold brew?

Iced coffee is merely ice cubes in hot brewed coffee. Any time you hot brew coffee, it makes it more acidic, lowers the caffeine and kills the flavor. Cold brewing coffee is basically brewing coffee in the absence of heat. My cold brew goes through a patented chilled overnight process, uniquely different from the norm.

We’d be remiss to leave out your age, and how that typically doesn’t match up with mountain biking and cold brew. What do the people your age think of an old cattle farmer making this stuff?

The short answer? They think I’m nuts. I still love my roots and still love my cattle, but I was looking for a new direction and for a way to increase my level of fitness. As I assimilated into the mountain biking culture, it was there that I got the idea to cold brew coffee.

How can you tell a good cup of coffee or tea from a bad one?

In other words, what are the big red flags to take note of when taking your first sip?

A good cup of coffee or tea will have a pleasant aroma, a smooth taste, and a positive flavor profile. Anything else—look out. In a bad cup of coffee, you can smell of bitterness even before you taste it.

What was the trial and error like before got your process down?

Up until three years ago, I always avoided coffee because of the bitterness.

Then I found out that the quality of the bean, the way it is roasted, and how it’s brewed all made such a difference. So first I had to find the bean, and was fortunate enough to find Stauf’s Coffee Roasters. From there, I experimented with steeping and soaking and was able to develop an even 36

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higher quality product through my proprietary brewing system.

Besides cold-brewed (obviously), how do you prefer your morning cup of joe?

Here is the perfect cup of coffee; it’s cold brewed, filled with nitrogen and then it is served at 180° F! In order to get this, I developed the Hot Tap, which is temperature limited and allows the nitrogen infusion to stay constant.

How has your diabetes played a role in this?

I started mountain biking 4 years ago to control my diabetic situation.

The exercise allowed me to avoid medication. I average riding 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year. I also found that coffee consumption helps me control my blood sugar levels.

We know you have a patent on your process. Do you have any other inventions to your name? We know you farmers have to get creative out there….

I have modified hay and tillage equipment to fit the specific needs that I have had on the farm. I have also developed improved ways of recycling wood waste and asphalt shingle material as well. All that practice allowed me to design and invent the Hot Tap and related brewing equipment.

Coffee is somewhat an acquired taste for people, do you think cold brew coffee makes it a little easier for people to enjoy coffee?

Yes, cold brewed coffee tastes much better than hot brewed, but the nitrogen infusion creates such a great flavorful creamy profile, most people don’t even need to add any cream or sugar to my coffee or teas.

Can you give us an elevator pitch as to why people should switch from energy drinks to cold brew coffee or tea?

Feel like you need an energy drink? Skip the additives and sugar and Try Off the Beaten Path cold brewed coffee and teas! Coffee and water, tea and water, zero additives and 10 calories or less.

Off the Beaten Path On Tap The Walrus The Angry Baker (3 locations) Polaris Grill The Guild House Lemongrass Fusion Bistro Zoup! (Easton) Dicks Den Woodlands Tavern On Shelves Lucky’s Market The Hills Market (Downtown) Weiland’s Market Savor Growl Paradise Garage Delivery Yellowbird Foodshed

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P HOTOS By Co llin s L aats c h

Drink outside the box

By J eni Ru isch

W

hen Lehne Runyon gets an idea, she holds it close, nurtures it like a seedling, and plants it, obsessing over it until it has taken root. The latest shoot she has lovingly coaxed from the ground is in the form of a little camper with a big job.

Runyon and her husband Dallas operate Short and Stout Bar, a complete mobile service for events, but there’s one catch: You BYOB. Due to liquor regulations in Ohio, there’s no such thing as a mobile liquor license. (Booze on wheels, typically doesn’t go over well, yeah?)

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Still, Short and Stout is on a roll. With six events under their bar belts starting in September of last year, and 10 already slated for 2018, S&S is turning into the little bar that could, and is. Runyon has long been a fan of bloody mary bars, and she’s spent years setting them up for brunches and parties. Her new affinity for setting the vibe served as the inspiration for the mobile bar. She started searching for VW buses to take her show on the road, but then realized a camper would have more room, and within a few weeks, she found Penelope, the original short and stout. (Now, Greta, a 1964 Atwood Camper, leads the fleet.)

Runyon and her husband both have artistic as well as culinary backgrounds.

Their flare for styling is apparent in their streamlined and on-trend look. And their years of collective experience in service

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shines through in the practicality of their setup and amenities. All of the juices are hand-squeezed for fresh, handcrafted cocktails. They bring glassware, straws, napkins, garnishes, and perhaps most importantly—ice. Imagine the load off the bride-to-be or party planner’s mind if they didn’t have to worry about the bar details.

Just buy your beer, wine, and liquor and bring it to the site. They’ll bring everything else–including the kitchen sink. Along with the invaluable touch of personal, personable service.

“We also aren’t just bartending at a table, we have experience being behind the bar from many years in the service industry. It’s all about the vibes,” Runyon says.

Beyond tending to your thirsty guests, Short and Stout has a growing collection of decor available for rent, including

vintage chairs, a macrame backdrop, and a growing collection of glassware.

This all goes perfectly with the little-something-extra the couple employ to make things even easier for party people and the affianced: a simple photo booth for your guests to make memories. It’s a halo light ring, iPad with Simple Booth software and a stand. The client can set up a custom backdrop, booth, or dedicated photo op area, and just rent the equipment along with their bar. Guests can digitally share their photos, or rent a printer if they want to create a party favor station.

The perceived snag of not being able to legally sell liquor ends up being but a blip on the Runyon’s business radar. They help you plan your custom drink menu, and cater it to your guest count, using their experience to tell you how much to order. They set up, clean up, and can provide additional bartenders for big events, and power supply for convenience when outlets are at a premium, or you wanna take your bash out to the country. They bring all the essentials to keep the bar running smoothly for all your refreshment needs, even for kids and teetotalers. Sure, it’d be nice if the laws changed and they got a slice of the alcoholic pie, but the genius in the couples’ setup is that, to make a lasting impression, and take some of the work out of planning, you provide the bottles of booze, and they provide you with so much more. •

For more, visit shortandstoutbar.com.

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Tea-Total: WILD OHIO BEER

By Chris Reed

T

he three most popular drinks in the world are water, tea, and beer—in that order. So if someone were to combine tea and beer, could the resulting beverage become more popular than either one alone? Russell Pinto, the CEO of Wild Ohio Brewing, certainly hopes so.

Wild Ohio’s offerings aren’t so much a combination of beer and tea as they are a melding of the methods used to create both drinks. The result is a tincture that’s not quite tea or beer, but some new third concoction. They call it “tea beer,” and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.

Traditional beer is made using cereal grains, like malted barley or wheat. Wild Ohio brushes this tradition aside, instead, starting with a combination of black and green tea leaves imported from India, and adding ale yeast. Into this mixture go various fruit juices and sugar, which steep and brew for varying lengths of time depending on the recipe.

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P HOTO By B r ia n Ka is e r

The result is a unique effervescent beverage that, frankly, tastes more like champagne than beer. Thanks to its lack of grains, it’s also gluten free. To concoct the different mixes, Pinto hired a flavorist who used to work for Pepsi, whose job was/is to tweak each of the flavors for maximum appeal, and to develop proprietary seasonal flavors that come and go throughout the year.

The company prides itself on creating bold, unique mixes.

That shows in the flavors that are currently available. Blueberry tea beer combines a crisp berry flavor with an unexpected dash of lavender.

If you’re looking for something a bit more robust, the black cherry bourbon tea beer finishes with a hint of vanilla ( just keep track of how many you have, because its 9 percent ABV can sneak up on you).

Wild Ohio’s offerings aren’t so much a combination of beer and tea as they are a melding of the methods used to create both drinks.

The result is a tincture that’s not quite tea or beer...there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.

Planning to kick back and relax in the backyard? Try the Daly Palmer, which has a more up-front tea flavor, with hints of lemon riding on its bubbly finish. This one’s seasonal, and will go away after the summer.

But if you’re skeptical about the whole idea of tea beer, start with the Mango Hops flavor. This is the only one in the lineup you might mistake for a standard beer, thanks to the hops that go into the brew. Even so, the tea and mango add enough of a twist to make it stand out. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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How did Mr. Pinto come up with the idea of tea beer to begin with? It all started with kombucha, a fermented tea drink known for its supposed health benefits.

Before the business became Wild Ohio Brewing, it was Luna Kombucha, a small business that operated out of a basement in Clintonville. Pinto got hired on and started making the kombucha himself in small batches. As the business grew, the previous owner eventually set up a large production space.

Unfortunately, the sales couldn’t sustain the costs of operation. “[The owner] wanted to shut it down,” Pinto said.

“That’s when I bought it from him.”

To stay afloat, Pinto knew he needed to make some changes.

“When you go into a bar and you say ‘kombucha,’” Pinto said, “nobody wants to put you on the draft.”

That’s because kombucha contains bacteria and needs to be cleaned out of the line each time they change the keg. Kombucha also needs to stay refrigerated, or else it eventually turns to vinegar.

Pinto ditched the less-popular flavors, whittling the lineup down to five from 13. He also tweaked the recipe to make it more beer-like. Gone are the potentially harmful bacteria, making it more appealing to bars.

He also switched to ale yeast to make it “shelf stable,” meaning it no longer needs to stay cold. That makes it more appealing to stores, whose refrigeration space is limited. Tea beer is also easier to market to customers, thanks to beer’s built-in popularity.

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Once Pinto got the sales up to the break-even point, he said, “that’s when I went to the sales model of contract brewing.” He ditched the expensive production space and began contracting space at Four Strings in Columbus and at Rivertown in Cincinnati.

Since the switchover to Wild Ohio, the tea beer business is growing steadily. Once he gets approval, Pinto hopes to expand distribution to Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. Once that happens, assuming all goes well, he hopes to open a brewery of his own here in Columbus.

In the meantime, he’s is staying busy, constantly driving around, to set up tastings all over the state and find new buyers. “I put 45,000 miles on my truck in six months,” he said with a laugh. He’s also in talks to get distribution in Florida, which could add considerably to his mileage. •

You can find Wild Ohio on tap at a number of bars around town. Canned six-packs are stocked in Kroger, Giant Eagle, Meijer, mini-marts, and beer shops all over the city. Pinto plans to debut a new tall-boy SKU in April. If you want to try before you buy, check their website (wildohiobrewing.com) for information on tastings.

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Y

ou don’t have to have a complicated idea in order to be inventive.

Landon Proctor just wanted good people to taste some good wine– without a fiscal hangover, or a snootful of shade about one’s lack of knowledge.

Thus his 10 for $10 wine tastings was born, several-times-weekly pop-up wine events around the city where everyone from the wannabe somms to simple sippers can expand their palate for the price of an Alexander Hamilton. The result has been a true local phenomenon, one that draws crowds in the hundreds and has been successful enough for Proctor to go full-time on the vine.

In between tastings, we went 10 for 10 with Mr. 10 for $10:

What was the first glass of wine you ever had? I had my first drink a little later in life; grad school is hard so I took up wine at 24 to obsess over something that wasn’t math. My first glass was of Beaujolais Nouveau—a deliberately simple French wine meant to be drunk young and without airs. It was straightforward enough that I could start to pick apart the flavors even without a lot of experience. I remember thinking, “Oh crap, this is great but don’t pick up an expensive habit, dummy!” Too late.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about drinking/appreciating wine? That there’s a “right way” to do it.

So many people come to my tastings and are so worried they’re going to be judged for not having had a wine from Italy before, or not knowing how to pronounce Gewürztraminer, or swirling too much or not enough. If you’re going somewhere where you’re being talked down to, about wine or anything else glorious and fun, get the hell out of there! It’s honestly just booze, people.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Wine and Dime Cheap and without pretense, 10 for $10 tastings take over Columbus

By Travis Hoewi sc her Ph otos by Mega n L ei g h B a r n a r d

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Besides your own events, what is the best bang-for-your buck drink spot in town? I mean, you’ve basically set a new standard for happy hour in town… The Bottle Shop is my goto spot for a wide variety of fantastic drinks at stupidly good prices. It doesn’t hurt that the proprietors Barbara and German are straight-up wonderful human beings who put a lot of thought and effort into making their small business one of the best hangouts in town.

Do you remember the first time you were like, Holy shit, where are all these people coming from? Yes! I had been doing small, intimate wine tastings for $10 in bars and restaurants regularly for a few years in the hopes that community would build around them. I had been getting about 10-15 people at my well-attended tastings and suddenly in Fall 2016 I started seeing 75, 100, 150 people a night. It took me a while to figure out Facebook changed how people see who is attending events and suddenly a lot of people heard about these tastings for the first time. I’ve been doing the same thing three nights a week for about four years now and it’s gratifying to see it finally resonating with so many people!

I want people to experience the incredible aspects of wine in a welcoming, creative, social way and that never ends.

In all of this madness what was one customer that summed up exactly why you started this, and why your philosophy on wine is one people are embracing? Every single time I can change someone’s preconceived notion about a grape, a style, or a region it makes me smile. Have you had bad experiences with over-oaked Chardonnay? Try this unoaked French version. Think all Rosé is sweet? Come to my annual all-rosé tasting where 90 percent of them are dry. One of my favorite moments was after a tasting, a man came up to me who had clearly been a reluctant participant the whole evening and said, “I wanted to not like this but you made it not suck.” That’s high praise!

I like to make analogies with pop culture, to laugh, to make things accessible and break through the stuffy trappings surrounding supposedly mystifying wine tradition.

I’m trying to be the non-condescending wine person I wish had been around when I was trying to learn about this stuff.

A bottle of wine is a shared experience and I’m trying to make that experience interesting and memorable.

What are your thoughts on Sideways? I think Sideways f*cked up American wine drinking for a certain age group.

The protagonist was a pretentious, failed wine snob. It’s incredible to me that most of what people took away from it was how to emulate the language and attitude of a pretentious, failed wine snob. Hopefully more people will watch things like Chef’s Table on Netflix and replace that outdated, fear-based, defensive approach to wine with something more joyful, inclusive, and celebratory.

What are the best and worst wine trends of the last 10 years? Best: people learning sparkling isn’t just for New Year’s Eve; the rediscovery of quality German and Austrian wines; that new wine drinkers aren’t beholden to points or scores anymore; the rise of dry Rosé.

Worst: the fixation on gadgets and pumps and expensive aerators—you just need a bottle and a glass (and sometimes 46

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not even the glass); blue wine is not a thing; wine during yoga; countertop wine-making machines; the rise of crappy, sweet California Pinot Noir.

Wine in a can? Sure-why-not, or never-ever Excuse me, I think you meant to say, WINE NOT? There’s no harm in it but I’m not 100 percent sure who it’s for. Seems like a solution in search of a problem.

What would you rate, personally, as the success rate of uncorking a bottle of wine with a shoe—without ruining the shoe and bottle? I’ve only ever done this twice and it worked both times. Once because I heard about it for the first time and had to try and once because I brought wine to a house with no wine key. The process of opening it with a shoe was more fun for everyone than the wine itself.

In 10 years, where do you see yourself and what bottle are you drinking? Hopefully still doing some version of this, honestly. There will always be people just getting into wine for the first time, whether they turned 21 yesterday or are newly retired and are looking for something to fill their time. I want people to experience the incredible aspects of wine in a welcoming, creative, social way and that never ends. In 10 years I probably want to be drinking Von Winning’s Forster Ungeheuer Riesling because if that infinitely beautiful wine ever gets old to me I’ll know it’s time to pack it in and go back to math. •

You can catch Proctor and 10 for $10 Wine Tastings all over the city this spring, including stops at Rehab Tavern, Market Italian Village, and Crafted Drafts. For more, visit columbus10for10.com.

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W

e’re glad that Danielle Evans was never allowed to play with her food as a kid.

She’s now spent years making up for lost time, wowing Instagram (@ marmalade_bleu) and the food world in Columbus and beyond with her food-based typography and art projects.

This time around: inspired creations from arguably, the rap world’s two biggest stars, served in sweet and clever schemes.

We’ve obsessed over things she’s cooked up before, but in an issue where we’re highlighting those doing unique things in the food and drink space, you think we’re not gonna talk to someone about projects called Drake on Cake and Kanyegg?

Let’s dig in:

REINVENTING THE MEAL

hip-hop flavor the brilliant fusion of food and flow

By Travis Hoewi sc her

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What made you want to do art in this manner?I find the world around us is full of inherent meaning, especially food, because eating is a shared experience. Memories, politics, various movements are wrapped up in everything we imbibe and use. When these materials are wielded into something artistic, the work absorbs those messages as well. When the pencil first hit the scene, it was a stark contrast to the elegance of a fountain pen. The working class used it to take quick notes that didn’t fade like chalk when brushed away, so conventional use gave it a fast, scrappy context. Now that the pencil is ubiquitous, its voice has diminished. Since using objects is fairly new, their meanings are obvious and can play to or against the overall artistic concept.

Obviously, what you are doing is much bigger than playing with food, but in a sense, you are playing with the elements of food and the colors they have to create art. When you were younger, did your parents have to constantly remind you to not play with your food? What do you say to people who say not to play with their food? Food play didn’t fly in my house when it came to meals. I vividly recall trying to carve the mashed potato mountain from Close Encounters of the Third Kind during dinner, which was squashed immediately. However, I grew up bringing in geographical cookie maps to sweeten my book reports, made full scale replicas of historical sites out of cake and candy for history class. My teachers were flexible and often hungry, so I found myself rewarded for experimentation and also seeing food as a vehicle for non-culinary ideas early on.

I’d encourage everyone to find the playfulness in their everyday lives.

If our meals are strictly utilitarian, we miss out on greater lessons found in unconventional experimentation.

What about hip-hop compels you to incorporate it into your art?

I found myself in the intermediate part of my career in 2016, the fuzzy spot where one feels accomplished with still much to learn. I started listening to Drake, Kanye, and Frank Ocean, and found them grappling with similar issues: the fickle nature of their industries, wondering who to trust, how to fall back in love with their music.

Kanye and Drake are particularly raw, flipping between invincibility and self doubt dependent on the bar. These lessons resonated with me, which I began to channel into my current body of work. The Drake work is the brainchild of Joy the Baker, aptly named Drake on Cake. When I realized we had respective rap mogul projects moving, I decided to collaborate on her album, so to speak. “Glow” was a clandestine crossover.

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Besides Kanye, are there any other artists you have plans to do projects on? Perhaps some Tyler, the Creator? I’d love to incorporate a little Frank Ocean, honestly. He speaks to the solitary moments of my life, a sun drenched walk in my neighborhood, a blustery night star gazing, laying by the pool on a long day. The translation of these moments into visual art requires a little more thought. Cardi B is also a consideration of mine in part because she is opulent and brash, enviable while over the top. Rap translates well to the gratuitous nature of American culture and how some view visual artistry.

Do you have a rough estimate count of how many foods you’ve used or how much foods it took to create specific projects? (i.e. how many eggs did it take to make the “Through The Wire” project? How many gemstones are on the Kanyegg?) Way less product goes into these pieces than one would suspect. “Through 50

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I’d encourage everyone to find the playfulness in their everyday lives. If our meals are strictly utilitarian, we miss out on greater lessons found in unconventional experimentation.

The Wire” took about a dozen eggs, only a quarter jar of peanut butter on the sandwich gif for Tobacco Free Florida. There are about four hundred and twenty five Swarovski crystals on my Kanyegg, which took about three weeks to apply, plus shipping times. I’ve learned to eyeball quantities and very rarely have to reevaluate my purchases. The visual restriction produces the novelty; if presented with X amount, you will have to problem solve to make the most with what you have. Rather than wishing for more, you become grateful for less. There’s a life metaphor.

Do you ever eat your creations once they are finished? If you have, do you ever feel guilty chowing down on your art that you painstakingly worked on? If you haven’t, is it ever tempting to just want to take one bite?More often than I care to admit! Certain projects don’t make the cut, like dairy- or meat-based work, most of my egg projects, though I have pawned a few meringues off to unsuspecting hungry visitors. However, almost anything baked will end up in my mouth. Unlike a stylist, I ensure the work is real and made to be feasted upon visually and literally. If I’m not planning on eating later, I've noticed I subconsciously won’t pick the most visually appealing produce, or bake my pies long enough. In a related sense, my weight fluctuates when working with sweets vs. fresh produce. Because I'm so fastidious with my quantities, I’ll often be down to the last snippets of something and have to tell myself not to snack.

Sometimes I’m more successful than others.

If you had to create a typography design of Columbus, what objects or food would you use to define it? When traveling, I tell people Columbus is a proud food city, so this question is difficult! Beyond the ethnic diversity, we’re also competitive with major cities for authenticity and quality. I’d likely choose a series of similarly colored items: Hot Chicken Takeover’s spicy wings, red and orange macarons from Pistacia Vera, a red pint of Jeni’s, a practice cone for the Crew and a small football or “the” hat for OSU. Al Pastor tacos from Los Guachos, Red Dragon ramen from Fukuryu, red tipped tillandsia from Stump, Dirty Frank's dogs with accoutrements would prop out around some knick-knacks from Flower Child and Smartypants Vintage. Spices and produce from Sagara would seal the deal.

To keep up with Evans and her recipes for art, visit marmaladebleue.com.

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Hotel Leveque guests get a taste of local with every stay

By Travis Hoewi sc her • P hotos by Col l i n s L aats c h

E

very night at Hotel LeVeque is a throwback.

You can fall asleep under the stars, surrounded by brilliant art deco furnishings inside the most iconic building in Columbus—and get that old-school turndown service we associate with classic hospitality.

Now, theirs comes with an extra local touch—all produced by a man whose career has come full circle at the Tower.

Once LeVeque’s Assistant General Manager Annamarie Moore and her fiance stumbled into Daniel Cooper’s chocolate shop, they stumbled into a world of Pure Imagination.

They were hooked—and knew the hotel’s guests would be, too.

Ever since, Cooper—who once worked in the building as a security guard— hand-delivers his Grandview-made chocolates, where they will be waiting for every guest as they greet the day.

We took a trip to the hotel to take a trip down memory lane with Cooper— and to talk about chocolate.

What’s is like to be there after all these years?

It was a serendipitous event that I never would have “imagined” 26 years later. It makes me at a loss for words. It’s the best of both worlds: the historic grandeur of Columbus and the futuristic innovation of today’s growth all in one. I personally deliver the chocolate order every week to experience the feeling as I did 26 years ago.

Has getting into the culinary game always been a dream of yours?

No, it was not my career plan. It seemed to be my destiny being raised by my grandparents who both were chefs and my inspiration in the culinary field.

And did you want to get into the culinary game in general, or more specifically, into chocolatiering?

It somewhat chose me. Becoming a Chocolatier was a dream but no professional schooling. Driven by passion and blessed in direction and a leap of faith enabled me to achieve my aspiration.

Was there a moment that made you want to get into crafting chocolate?

Yes, what started this journey was making chocolate for a family get-together, and the compliments that I received after people indulged. [That] motivated me to pursue this career.

While chocolate for some people is a simple treat, the creation process has to be precise to achieve the flavors you get. Can you walk us through how you make the chocolate?

It’s a very strict and precise process that involves patience but being quick at the same time. Chocolate will set up fast! So you have to be ready when you start crafting each piece.

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Why do you guys go to the extra length to make your chocolate so eye-catching?

To make a memorable experience to our customers. Flavor profile is most important, but if you work hard creating the flavors, you have to make it not just taste amazing, but look amazing as well.

Each piece of our chocolate has a personality, so we design them according to the flavors.

You guys also incorporate some pretty interesting ingredients into your chocolates like gouda or a balsamic glaze. Does this freak people out sometimes?

How do you convince someone to try one of these?

Most people are excited to try and others are tempted by curiosity.

Your store name seems to be in homage of Willy Wonka with “Pure Imagination.” How often do you get comparisons to Mr. Wonka in the shop? Are you working on cooking up any crazy concoctions like some of his?

I get called Wonka a lot! To me it’s very flattering. Very hard to fit in Mr. Wonka’s shoes. I must say I do enjoy when my customers come in the store whistling, humming, or even flat-out singing the song Pure Imagination. Always brings a smile to my face. As far as a new concoction…. Fizzy Lifting Drink Truffle is currently underway.

So is your house the most popular in the neighborhood during Halloween?

Not many kids live in my community but I spoil the few that come knocking for chocolate on Halloween.

Do you have any special LeVeque Tower themed chocolates coming out? Can you give us the lowdown on what’s going to be in them and how you came up with the theme?

Actually I have been working on a flavor profile that I want to introduce. LeVeque is very special to me so taking the time in creating something that will complement the amazing atmosphere at LeVeque is very important.

This is a little off-topic, but we noticed Andrew Lincoln, aka Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead, is a fan of you guys. Can you tell us a little about how that connection?

As a fan of The Walking Dead I attended a convention 5 years ago in Georgia where they film and had the opportunity to meet and gift him a box of our chocolates and now he as well as many other cast members has become a fan of our chocolates throughout the years.

Tell us what the LeVeque was like back in the day? Can you tell us a cool story from when you used to work there?

Having all access to the outside observation rooftop. It’s an absolutely breathtaking picturesque view of Columbus. It was a privilege to experience that as it is not open to the public.

Any secret passages you can tell us about?

Hmmmm … maybe. But that’s top secret info.

To book a stay at the hotel, visit hotellevequecolumbus.com. Visit Pure Imagination in person at 1205 Grandview Ave.

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The B is for Best Sweet tips from a one of Columbus’s worstkept culinary secrets P hotos by B r i a n Ka i ser

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D

o you know Miss B? You don’t? If you do, you’re likely to keep up the fun secret that she’s the namesake and inventor of that banana pudding at Hot Chicken Takeover—which keeps those checkered tablecloths covered as much as the chicken.

We know Miss B. And she knows desserts.

Which is why, after Food and Wine tried to lift the lid—or let the “banana out of the bag” about her identity and her amazing pudding, we wanted to check in with Miss B and get the sweet talk on her favorite desserts in the capital city—before she gets too famous and stops returning our messages.

Creme Brulee Doughnut • Tupelo Doughnuts What hooked me on Tupelo was technique. They don’t cut corners; they use real, vanilla pastry cream in their creme brulee doughnut and they torch the sugar on the top so it cracks when you take each bite.

Cookie Brittle • Kittie’s Cakes I make cookie brittle at home, but when I tasted the Kittie’s Cakes version, I felt like a fraud - because they nail it. The buttery, graham cracker layer is topped with a mix of chocolate chips, chopped almonds, toffee and sea salt. It’s the crunchy, salty, sweet texture and flavor that made me love this brittle.

Buttered Popcorn Pudding • Ambrose & Eve Chef Matt Heaggans did a pudding pop up, and since pudding is my thing, I had to go. The buttered popcorn pudding was that nostalgic flavor you know by heart, elevated. It was the best damn pudding cup I’ve ever had. I bought three, thinking I would share. That didn’t happen.

Churro & Vanilla Bean Cake, Lamingtons, Poptarts • Buttergirl Bakery I started following Buttergirl Bakery (Karen Thomas) on Instagram and when I saw her churro and vanilla bean buttercream cake, I made damn sure everyone knew that is the only thing I wanted for my birthday. Vanilla bean cake, cinnamon vanilla whipped cream filling, vanilla bean buttercream, caramel drizzle. I mean, c’mon—it was as dreamy as the photo on Insta.

Grilled Pb&J • City Tavern It the classic PB&J, on Wonder Bread, but when you grill it, the warm peanut butter and jelly almost become like a sauce for the vanilla ice cream that comes with it. Then you get the crunch from the grilled bread and it’s the perfect bite for PB lovers.

"Simple desserts have to be perfection, or it doesn’t work. "

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Blackberry & Fennel • Gallerie Bar And Bistro I’m always amazed at the sweet genius of Chef Aaron Clause. The balance of textures and flavor in this dessert are unbelievable.

Scoop up some of the blackberry sponge, with the passionfruit curd, a little of the ice cream, and the tang from the goat cheese - it’s sublime. You really should just work your way through the whole dessert menu.

Earl Grey & Lavender Tea Cake • MMelo The tea cakes at Mmelo are handcrafted flavor bombs. The shortbread crust is the base for the earl grey and lavender scented caramel and it’ s encased by the most beautiful chocolate shell that snaps when you bite into it, making the caramel coat your tongue, and fill your head with bergamot, butter, lavender and chocolate.

French Toast • Rockmill Tavern Brunch Sure it’s just called french toast on the menu, but Chef Andrew Smith’s is not your run of the “mill” version. The top part of the toast tastes almost like a vanilla bread custard or souffle.

Honestly, I don’t what the hell kind of magic he’s putting in there but the bottom is griddled bread over Valrhona chocolate with whipped maple butter and maldon salt to balance the sweetness. It’s magical.

Fresh Fruit Tart • Belle’s Bread Simple desserts have to be perfection, or it doesn’t work.

This tart is perfect. A pastry crust, filled with custard, topped with fresh, ripe fruit, glazed with red currant jelly. You can’t beat fresh fruit and cream.

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Dip Set

Think hummus can’t make for a sweet dessert? These three recipes will make you think again

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P h oto by M e g a n L e ig h B a r n a r d

ara Schwartz always puts a little of herself into her Darista Dips concepts.

Now, she’s including other women-owned businesses from around the country.

Darista recently celebrated the resilience of women makers with a new limited-edition hummus confection made with ingredients from women-owned companies and women leaders empowered in their communities.

The decadent Like A Girl, Like a Boss Gooey Chocolate Espresso Hummus is a sweet and strong confection brought to life with ingredients from fellow women-owned and –run businesses: freshly ground espresso from Minneapolis’s City Girl Coffee; single-source sesame tahini from Philadelphia’s Soom Foods; cocoa powder from Springfield, Missouri small batch bean-to-bar producer Askinosie Chocolate—all packaged in custom artwork by Columbus artist Natalie Keller Pariano of Natterdoodle.

“This hummus is a celebration of all that women are and all that they can be,” Schwartz said. “I’ve loved hearing their various stories, and being able to relate and empathize with and learn from them. I’ve been endlessly impressed and inspired by these women.”

As our way of celebrating such a strong concept, we wanted to give you a sweet treat of your own, with three recipes incorporating Columbus’s newest product:

Darista “Red Velvet” Beet Cupcakes + Whipped “Boss” Buttercream Makes 15 cupcakes

3 medium beets

2 cups cake flour (sifted)

¾ cup butter room temperature

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

¾ cup buttermilk Juice of 1 large lemon 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or white

1 ⅛ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs room temperature

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash beets and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake until the tip of a knife slides easily into the largest beet, about one hour. Cool until beets can be handled, then peel off skins.

(This can be done a few days in advance.)

soft. Slowly add sugar and beat until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Lower oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, purée beets. Measure 1 cup and set aside. Return cup of beets to the food processor. Purée with buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar and vanilla until smooth.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until

Alternate adding flour mixture and beet mixture and beating for 10 seconds after each addition (careful to not overmix.). Scrape down the bowl after each addition of the wet ingredients.

Portion batter into muffin tins.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes (depending on size of cupcake). Remove pan from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Once completely cooled, ice cupcakes with Darista Buttercream Frosting (see next page).

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Darista Dips Gooey Chocolate Espresso Simple Smoothie 1 8 oz container of Darista Dips Gooey Chocolate Espresso Hummus

1 banana 1 cup of ice (about 10 ice cubes) 1 cup of almond milk (or “milk” of choice) Add all ingredients into a blender and blend on high speed until completely pureed.

Darista Buttercream Frosting Darista Chocolate Espresso Protein Bites 1 cup gluten free oats ¼ cup Darista Gooey Chocolate Espresso Hummus ¼ cup almond butter ½ cup Flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon Chia seeds

8 oz. container Darista Gooey Chocolate Espresso Hummus, room temperature

1/3 cup maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 pinch salt

Darista Chocolate Coconut Chia Pudding 2 cups coconut milk

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then refrigerate for 45 minutes.

Portion mixture into balls with a small ice cream scoop or your hands.

Place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Will last 5-7 days. You can freeze these as well.

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1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz. container of Darista Dips Gooey Chocolate Espresso Hummus 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey (optional for added sweetness) ½ cup chia seeds Berries for topping

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2 cups and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted 1½ tsp vanilla extract Pinch salt In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the hummus and beat until combined.

Gradually add the powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt and beat until the frosting is fluffy.

Quick Chocolate Avocado Pudding 8 oz. container of Chocolate Espresso Hummus 3 ripe avocados ½ cup almond milk 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (add/adjust for sweetness preference) Ÿ cup cocoa powder Add all ingredients into a blender and blend on high speed until completely pureed.

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E at w i t h Y o ur E yes :

K athle e n Day

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P HOTOS By Eri c Wagner

F

ood—it’s all social media and marketing these days.

Yeah? And? Katalina’s had been around well before the social media boom, but it’s no coincidence to us that the beautiful food churned out of Kathleen Day’s kitchen is oh-so-’Grammable—and her doors are always revolving with new customers.

Well there’s a reason for that revered following: Kathleen is a born marketer and a maker.

With the aid of talented photographers, Day is a professional food stylist in her own right, favoring organic detail over material manipulation, and her ingenuity both helps current menu items shine, and becomes the inspiration for new ones.

“The food I style [and make] is intentionally imperfect,” she said. “To me, perfection denotes a pretension and doesn’t allow for creative discoveries and happy accidents. When I’m forced to come up with solutions to make food look better that don’t involve fake ingredients, I usually discover something that makes the photo unique but natural in the process. A lot of my recipes are developed the same way; if you look at most food cultures, this is how many iconic dishes are created—using innovation to create great-tasting food using only what’s available.”

She took a break after a busy brunch Sunday to let Stock & Barrel get a peek at her palate/palette:

When did you realize that food styling was actually a thing? Years ago, my first job was working for the corporate offices of Nordstrom in Seattle as a copywriter. I got to know the fashion stylists and would sometimes freelance as a stylist’s assistant. I threw a shower for one of my coworkers and, one of the fashion stylists was really impressed with how I displayed the food. She said that I should be a food stylist. When she explained what that was, I was blown away that I could get paid for doing something that I loved doing so much!

Often, I think it gets associated with using fake ingredients to make a menu item look better. In your words, it’s really about leaving a dish alone.

How did you develop that ideology? If the food is good, you don’t have to do much to it. The same things that make a good photo make food taste good: contrasting textures and colors are what we’re drawn to in taste as well as visually. We’ve evolved to crave food that’s multi-colored and textured. And if you have a beautiful, ripe piece of fruit—let it shine on its own. I ask myself what would make it more mouth-watering. If it’s simply the ripeness or color, often all that’s needed is a spritz of water to convey dewy freshness. Lately, I love using Malden Sea Salt and coarse-ground pepper as the only garnishes and even as visual cues as props scattered in the background. Salt and pepper are what we naturally reach for to season our food, and they look great visually, too.

Imperfection and improvisation often lead to the best photographs. I don’t like something to look too perfect or “styled” or it has no personality. If something doesn’t look good through the camera, the food probably isn’t good in the first place. Sure, you have to use tricks and a few artificial ingredients once in awhile because of the time and logistical constraints of a shoot, but the fewer the better. I think people can always tell when something is artificial, even if it’s subliminal. We have evolved, after all, to find food that’s good for us attractive, and if something’s been manipulated so much that it’s inedible, I think we have a sixth sense about it.

You talk about being design-driven. Which leads me to this: Do you, as a marketer and creative brain, picture a menu item as a photo shoot even before you picture it just as a dish? Especially with the proliferation of social media, I’m always thinking of how a menu item will look when I start to brainstorm a new menu item. When it comes to developing menu items, taste comes first, but then I ask myself if it will be identified specifically as Katalina’s when you read the ingredients or take that first bite. If the answer is yes, there’s usually something unique about the item that will make it stand out visually as well. I’m always amazed at the quality of photos my customers take with no professional lighting, styling or photographer. It makes my job so much easier, and I’m always rewarded for thinking about a dish visually beforehand. •

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I think it’s fun that the person making the food is also in charge of how it’s presented.

Do you relish in that dual role? I really do.

They say do what you love and you’ll find success. My role creating menu items and concepting advertising and marketing—the biggest creative components that play into my role as a restaurant owner—really do combine all of my passions and my experience. The first word people usually use to describe me is “creative.” The biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome is addressing the fact that running a successful restaurant is about 80 percent left-brained—administrative and people management—and 20 percent rightbrained—the creative aspects of cooking/ menu planning and branding. When I first opened, I pictured myself cooking and interacting with customers all day long. There are some owner-operators who do that, but I’m of the philosophy that in order to grow a business, you must focus on the big picture and empower your team to do what they do best. In working for big brands like Nordstrom 64

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and Victoria’s Secret in senior-level roles, I learned that in order to systematize and grow, you must optimize all areas of the business, so that’s meant focusing less on the creative, which is my inclination, and more on areas like human resources and financial planning. I now use the creative like a carrot on a stick.

I’ll tell myself, if I better systematize inventory or automate onboarding, for example, then I can do another photo shoot or create a new menu item. The creative is the work that doesn’t feel like work, but I wouldn’t be able to do it if the administrative aspects of the business behind the scenes weren’t also the focus.

My dream job would be cooking, creating new menu items, decorating the cafe and planning and executing new campaigns all the time. Unfortunately, that’s not how you run and grow a successful restaurant.

Do you feel that Instagram is integral to the success of some restaurants? Obviously, the food must be good, but with everyone out there trying to find the most ‘grammable’ dishes, it does play a part, no? I think Fox in the Snow is a great example of someone who’s developed a unique brand look and feel and agency-level marketing primarily through social media. Historically, a business would rely on more traditional advertising like print to position itself so well. But as I alluded to, food won’t look good if it’s not really good. I think restaurants who have attention to detail in one area, such as how their food

tastes, usually pay attention to details in other areas, too, and that’s what’s integral to a restaurant’s success—paying attention to all the details, so many of which go on behind the scenes. I feel like the (false) perception may be that if you have a good social media presence, you’ll be a success. It’s actually the opposite: If you do everything else right, your social media will be a success. As with the photography, the food comes first.

Do you take photos of your food when you’re out and about?

Or just at your joint? I take photos of food if it’s truly unique such as when I travel internationally (to post) or if it might influence a future menu item (to reference later). I think there are so many people taking pictures of so much food that it’s become ubiquitous, and I have much too much on my plate, such as Katalina’s photos, to focus on creating the unique POV that a good feed requires. However, I really admire some feeds from local food bloggers and, again, am amazed how great their photos are without a stylist or professional lighting. They keep the bar high and I’m always inspired. Flowers and Bread and Dough Mama do a great job with presentation, plating and overall execution, and manage to do it consistently and regularly. It’s difficult to keep that up. They focus on quality, homemade ingredients, so it’s not surprising. They let the food sing on its own. •

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Coast to Course Cooking classes to expand your plate and your palate

M

By Olivia Miltn er

atilda Riby-Williams, or Tilly, as she’s known, is hovering over a steaming pot of onion and tomato puree, seasoning it with her favorite spices: garlic, ginger, Goya Adobo and Ghanaian cayenne pepper.

A small crew of onlookers watch through teary eyes— courtesy of the three large onions—while Tilly explains the recipe she is using to make doro wat, a traditional Ethiopian tomato chicken stew.

It’s a scene that her daughter, Kuukua Yomekpe, has witnessed likely many times.

This city’s ethnic food scene offers some of Columbus’s best eats, and Yomekpe, is part of that world. She owns Asempe Kitchen found in the Hills Market in Downtown Columbus, where she creates Ghanaian food. But Yomekpe and RibyWilliams take their cuisine beyond the restaurant, bringing it into everyday people’s kitchens, and they aren’t the only ones.

In the past few years, a wave of groups working to teach folks around Columbus different ways to cook has emerged, providing opportunities for people to expand their culinary repertoire and learn about other cultures in the process.

Here are five organizations hoping to spice up kitchens across the city:

Create Your Curry

createyourcurry.com Bidisha Nag first started teaching Indian cooking classes as a way to get to know her neighbors after moving here in 2016. She likes to teach—she has a PhD in human and cultural geography—but she prefers cooking over lecturing to unenthused undergrads.

At first, her classes consisted of just a few people, but as interest started to grow, she realized she needed to establish a business. Hence, Create Your Curry, born in January 2017.

“My cooking classes are a combination of cooking as well as some cultural geography and how people eat differently in different parts of India,” Nag said. “I want people to not have fear about cooking something unknown.”

Nag uses ingredients available at the local grocery store and just a few spices to create one rice item and one healthy entree, like chicken tikka masala or palak paneer. Her classes, which run around $40, typically have a maximum of 12 people, which she says allows for a hands-on and personalized experience.

Retro Dinner Diva

retrodinnerdiva.com Moms and dads know how hectic life can be. Splitting time between soccer games and dance classes and birthday parties and drama club can make getting dinner on the table every night seem like a daunting task.

But Chief Dinner Diva Stephanie Eakins wants to help. Her company, Retro Dinner Diva, specializes in family-size, freezer-friendly and oven-ready food. She has a delivery service, and every few weeks she hosts workshops and freezer meal parties for people who want to learn how to prep and cook similar meals—pastas, chicken pot pies, casseroles and stews—themselves.

“I have a niche and it’s comfort food,” Eakins said, adding that in the beginning, she was getting requests for different diets that were stretching her thin and out of her realm of expertise. “I finally was like, you know you can’t please everyone. This is your niche, and this is what I’m good at, and this is what I’m going to do.”

Her freezer meal parties usually cost around $189, but participants walk away with eight family-size meals. Other courses, like her Instapot classes, are $35.

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1400 Food Lab

1400foodlab.com Formerly The Commissary, 1400 Food Lab is the place that centers and connects many of these organizations. As a food incubator, it provides space and resources for small food business in Columbus.

Create Your Curry, Better Plate and Retro Dinner Diva all use the commercial kitchens for classes, but 1400 Food Lab also helps organize a wide range of courses for the public.

Karen Chrestay, the Food Lab’s general manager, said some of the most popular classes they’ve hosted, unexpectedly, were the butchery classes. They’ve done knife fundamentals and croissant making, and Chrestay said she’s looking forward to the vegan series coming up this spring. 1400 Food Lab classes vary in price, and registration is required.

Better Plate Community Columbus

betterplatecolumbus.eventsmart.com The class Riby-Williams was teaching was organized by Better Plate Community Columbus, a group founded in 2017 that encourages cross-cultural exchange through food-related community events. Some classes it offers, such as Tilly’s Ethiopian cooking session, are in home kitchens and typically host around seven people, while others in larger commercial kitchens can accommodate more.

“Food is very different and yet the same across cultures,” Amanda Warner, co-founder of Better Plate, said. “It’s something interesting for people … to think about the commonalities and differences.”

Better Plate has hosted cooking classes from many corners of the world. They’ve covered Syrian, Ghanaian, Russian, Indian and now Ethiopian. Registration is required, and classes typically cost $35.

Turkish American Society of Ohio

tasocolumbus.org The Turkish American Society of Ohio hosts cooking classes on the third Saturday of every month. Organized by and run for women, the classes offer not only a taste of authentic Turkish food, but also the opportunity to share and learn about each other.

“It’s not just about teaching people how to cook,” said TASO Cooking Class Coordinator Hamide Kusan. “It’s about sharing culture.”

February’s class featured Turkish chicken soup, güveç yemeği, babaganus and bride’s cake. The women chatted about cooking tips, like how they had discovered that one Turkish teacup equals half a cup in the U.S., and how using vanilla powder, rather than vanilla extract, was important because some Turkish women don’t drink alcohol. Later, after everyone had eaten, the conversation turned to Turkish politics. It seemed like this wasn’t out of the ordinary, especially since many of the American women who came to the class had already been involved with TASO for months or even years, though they had plenty of seats around the table for those who want to join in. An RSVP is required for TASO cooking classes, and each session costs $20.

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Communal

Dining Franklinton Farms builds resiliency through food

By N i col e R asu l

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n West Town Street, a microgreen operation thrives in the most unlikely of places: the corner of a first floor office suite of a nondescript building. Near the sunflower, broccoli, kale and radish starts, colorful art hangs on the walls, shovels occupy corners, and fluorescent lights reflect intensely off of a stainless steel produce washing station. Previously a dental practice, the smell of earth now permeates the space. An apprentice sits at a table reading Walt Whitman during a shift break on a cold winter day.

These are the headquarters of Franklinton Farms, formerly known as Franklinton Gardens, run by a cadre of urban agriculturalists working in one of Columbus’s poorest neighborhoods. What started as a community garden in 2007 on a lot from the City of Columbus Land Bank now encompasses a patchwork nonprofit network on 37 community parcels comprising 2.5 acres of land. The Farm has 12 high tunnels—unheated greenhouses that extend the growing season—which enable them to produce food year-round, most of which makes its way back to the neighborhood.

Decades of divestment, resulting in poverty, crime, drug addiction, and chronic illness amongst the community, has for long kept the neighborhood, located directly west of downtown, as one of lowest median household income rates in Columbus. A significant portion of the population is enrolled in federal nutrition assistance programs. A food desert with no neighborhood grocery store, many community members rely on corner markets, often lacking fresh produce, for their food. To compound the problem, nearly 30 percent of residents lack a vehicle, and traveling by foot or bus to a grocery outside of the neighborhood is time-consuming.

Franklinton Farms is rooted in the notion that healthy, sustainable and accessible food has the power to transform a community.

“We are trying to build a holistic and engaged food system in the neighborhood,” says Nick Stanich, Executive Director of the organization. “Coming together around food can be a solution to a lot of the dysfunctional issues in this chronically impoverished neighborhood.”

The nonprofit is building innovative new models of food distribution to make fresh produce accessible to the community.

Through their produce basket program, targeted at those who live or work in Franklinton, the Farm distributes fruits and vegetables directly to members’ doors each week during the growing season. Half of the program’s shares are reserved for participants who self-identify as low income and are offered at a portion of the cost through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The farm also operates a mobile market with product lists emailed to community members weekly. Produce can be ordered a la carte and is delivered directly to a purchaser’s door. Like the produce basket program, low-income individuals pay only a portion of the price and payment can be made via nutrition assistance programs. On the day that I visit, Nick meets me in the nonprofit’s office suite before we embark on a tour of the farm.

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on her front porch calls out to Nick and it’s obvious that they know one another.

“Hey, how you doing?” he yells back. Throwing her hands in the air, she informs Nick that her roommate was just admitted to Mount Carmel Hospital, a few blocks away, with a diagnosis of stomach cancer.

We continue on Town Street where Nick shows me the Farm’s learning garden, located near Avondale Elementary School and built with grant funding. Almost complete, the space’s perimeter will be encompassed by flowers during the growing season. Inside, community members will find programming on gardening and food production.

As we progress to farm-occupied plots on Rich Street, Nick points out a solar array under construction. The array will power the house it sits atop, owned by the farm and where some of their farmworkers live. The organization also plans to power a shipping container sitting next door with the array. The container has been retrofitted to hold harvested produce. Nick tells me that the farm just received a citation from the city for the container despite the fact that it’s sat in that same spot for the last eight years.

The citation is a palpable sign of the change underway in Franklinton, which has been eyed by public and private entities as ripe for development. With 21 acres of land on the Scioto Peninsula currently slated for residential, hotel, retail and office expansion, Franklinton is undergoing a radical transformation.

“Land prices are shooting up like crazy,” Nick says. He points to two parcels of land on Town Street noting, “Empty, undeveloped parcels would normally never sell for more than $5,000 apiece. Those just sold for more than $50,000 each a couple of months ago.”

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“Coming together around food can be a solution to a lot of the dysfunctional issues in this chronically impoverished neighborhood.”

27 and are growing on seven that have been loaned to them by friends under no formal contract.

“We don’t have much in the way of land security and that’s a big issue,” Nick says. “If we are going to sustain ourselves and be here in ten years we have to figure out how to buy land. Tenant farming in backyards doesn’t give us the benefit of investing in an agricultural landscape over decades.”

Later, we pass one of the farm’s trucks. The glass in the back window has been broken. A cat peeks out at us from the newly formed hole. Despite his frustration, Nick chuckles.

“This is Franklinton,” he says.

Like Franklinton and its nationally-recognized urban farm, that rebel cat is boldly hanging on. In fact, bright-eyed with shiny fur and a home, she’s clearly thriving. In that moment, she is Franklinton Farms and their fresh food network building community in a changing landscape—one tomato at a time. •

For more info or for volunteer opportunities, visit franklintonfarms.org.

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ROOM TO

G ROW Maximize your urban gardening potential with this handy guide

By Je n i Ru i s c h

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h, spring. The time of year when Ohioans cast off their parkas, unfurl their frostbitten fingers, and blink their dim, sleepy eyes at the emerging sun. This winter was a real doozy, and we’ll be feeling its frozen effects for weeks yet. But visions of a springtime garden might already be dancing in your heads.

There’s no time like the present to plan for the food porn-ready spreads you can create with fresh-grown ingredients. Whether you’re inhabiting a country estate with all the room you need to live off the land, or a high-rise apartment with but a window to frame the sun, you can grow ingredients for your meals that will add a personal touch, and a sense of satisfaction. (Not to mention impress the hell out of your friends.)

Here’s a little guide to what to plant in the space you have. From a little to a lot. •

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Patio You have an itchy green thumb, but not the sprawling estate you’d need to live off the land. For those that have a little more space than a windowsill, but still a need to keep their plants sequestered to containers, and fit some furniture among them, here’s a gameplan to make yourself feel like Ina Garten.

For a good complement to your windowsill plants, try a tomato plant, ginger, bay and dill. Like mastiff puppies, tomatoes can be deceiving. They’re so cute and little at first. Why not get four? Soon, you have leaning, towering monsters with their own couch, and slobber marks on the inside of your car windows. Don’t be fooled.

Tomato plants can grow to be huge, and produce a large crop. You will need a big container (12” or more) and a cage to contain it once it starts to wander. Pick a variety that produces compact fruit for maximum usage. Like cherries or romas. Pair with your homegrown basil and some mozz for the perfect summer dish.

Ginger is useful for tea and Asian dishes. It’s one of the more unusual garden plants around these parts, but the gorgeous flowers, and sweet spicy flavor are worth the work.

Remember, the root is the part of ginger we eat, so set yourself up for success by planting in a container where you can easily dig down into the dirt later.

Simply buy some live root from the store, and plant cuttings.

Bay and dill are lovely aromatic herbs that might outgrow your windowsill, but will pack quite a punch in the kitchen.

With only a little outdoor space, you can grow a kitchen powerhouse just outside your patio door.

Windowsill Whether it’s your space that’s limited, or your patience, you want a lot of bang for your buck, and a lotta spice for your space.

A windowsill herb garden will have at most, room for three or four, four-inch pots. (That’s diameter across the top, for you noobs.)

Luckily for you, even in a tiny space, you can add savor to your flavor. First things first: Pick your real estate. You likely have a few windows to choose from. If you have a South-facing window, you have the strongest light source. West-facing windows are not quite as good, but will get most of the strong summer sun, and East-facing falls a little behind that. North-facing windows are the weakest, and plants grown there will need a lamp to help them out.

If you want the most versatility from just a handful of pots, I highly recommend a few key herbs that you can add to your menu, and your home. Basil, peppermint, chives, and thyme. The basil and thyme pair well with both sweet and savory dishes. Chives are prolific growers once they’re mature, and you can repeatedly harvest them like trimming a lawn. Just a little off the top! Peppermint is great in many dishes, as well as cocktails. Just keep your herbs in separate containers, or the peppermint will launch a hostile takeover of the space. Mojitos, anyone?

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Yard If you’re lucky enough to have some real ground space to dig into, you can make many fruits and veggies work within a central Ohio Summer. If you’re a beginner, or don’t have the time to be the urban farmer of your dreams, you can grow crops to eat in a small amount of ground space, without breaking your back. You want things that produce a high return for your efforts. Radishes, greens, pole beans, cucumbers or zucchini, and peppers are all great investments for your time. Radishes and greens will produce quickly, and can be eaten in a variety of ways. Pole beans grow up onto a trellis or other structure, reducing their footprint while maximizing their production. Peppers take up little space, but can add a lot to any dish. Small hot peppers like hot, dry weather, and can be dried for later use.

Curcurbits include tons of plants from cucumbers to squash and pumpkins, to melons. Many of these plants need lots of space to spread out. But if chosen carefully, and placed consciously, you can take advantage of their garden prowess.

Planted among the bottoms of your bean trellises, the vines can stretch out across the ground. Just make sure they don’t make a move for the beans’ vertical territory. Choose a high-producing plant that makes small fruit for the best yield. Small cucumbers and zucchini will be on your menu all summer, if you play your garden cards right. And you will inevitably find that one squash at the end of the summer that somehow hid from you and grew to a monstrous size. This is the summer holy grail squash, and should be eaten with your coven under a full moon. •

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Chains of Love

How far would you drive to find your favorite faded fast food joint?

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By J.R. McMilla n

efore Columbus was nationally known for its neighborhood haunts and dinky little dives, we spent decades as an incubator for fast food fads that came, cooked, and conquered.

Not all went on to become household names.

Some struggled to fend off their restaurant rivals.

Some were unable to adapt to changing tastes and trends. Some simply spread themselves too thin.

Inevitably, their franchise empires fell.

Loyal locals have helped a few far-flung outposts of these once thriving Columbus culinary colonies survive long after the clown and the crown conspired to kill anything original about fast food— and four are still just a road trip away.

G.D. Ritzy’s Despite a deeper menu than its contemporaries, the pop shop nostalgia was perhaps ahead of its time. Their thin, crispy-edged burgers and ice cream parlor vibe are strikingly similar to Steak ‘n Shake, founded in Illinois nearly a half century earlier. But Graydon Webb, a former Wendy’s exec, was all in on the idea of premium sandwiches and sundaes under one roof. For a while, it worked, and not just with unexpected flavors like French Quarter Praline, Amaretto Cherry, and Kentucky Fudge Pecan Pie. People Magazine once declared G.D. Ritzy’s had the best chocolate ice cream in the country.

But the early ’80s were a fickle cultural concoction for more than just fast food, and a throwback joint that was more Frankie Valli than Flock of Seagulls was a one-hit wonder with the kids. Most of the remaining G.D. Ritzy’s locations in Columbus became Rally’s, many still sporting their distinctive tin awnings. But Graydon is giving it another go in Clintonville with a new “Ritzy’s” scheduled to open this spring featuring a lot of ’50s fare and flare.

If you can’t wait, or just want to see how it all started, the nearest original G.D. Ritzy’s is going strong in Huntington, WV, offering the same menu of signature burgers, well-dressed hot dogs, thin-cut fries, Cincinnati-style chili, and those famous scoops that still have a faithful following. Not far from the campus of Marshall University, the kids finally figured out what their grandparents knew all along, but their parents didn’t—everything really does go better with ice cream. Nearest fix (for now): 1335 Hal Greer Boulevard, Huntington, WV

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P h otos by J.R. McMi llan

Frostop Drive-In From American Graffiti to Dazed and Confused, the drivein restaurant is still a cinematic experience. Though Sonic seemed to reintroduce the concept in recent years, Frostop was one of the first, founded in Springfield, Ohio in the 1920s before moving to Columbus. The checkerboard facade and neon sign define the era, but the giant rotating root beer mug on the roof remains as iconic as any golden arches. Built around the same soda stand standards G.D. Ritzy’s echoed decades later, Frostop is the real deal. So it should come as no surprise the nearest one is also in Huntington, WV — in fact, about a hundred yards down the same road. Teenagers and oldtimers still flock there in hot rods and station wagons for footlongs and a frosted mug of sweet suds.

Though the retail brand has been revived and expanded to include cream sodas and sarsaparilla, nothing beats grabbing a cold growler to take home from one of their few surviving root beer stands. Nearest fix: 1449 Hal Greer Blvd, Huntington, WV 25701 •

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Arthur Treacher’s A fish and chips franchise seems more like an import than an export from Ohio, but in 1969, a handful of Columbus investors (including Dave Thomas) took a hint from Bob Hope and recruited British character actor Arthur Treacher to be the face of their new seafood venture.

Founded the same year as Long John Silver’s, in equally unlikely Lexington, Kentucky, Arthur Treacher’s was decidedly more London than Robert Louis Stevenson in its aesthetic. In their heyday of the late ’70s, the restaurant was fast approaching a thousand locations. Today, there are just seven.

Though the three on Long Island are essentially Nathan’s hot dog stands that also sell fish and hush puppies, the four in suburban Cleveland are time capsules of what once was. The Garfield Heights location still has a sign with the actual Arthur Treacher, whose face and fish are even less familiar to millennials than Bob Hope. But if you’re looking for your malt vinegar fix a little closer to home, follow the familiar looking lantern to Marino’s Seafood Fish & Chips in Grandview where the tradition lives on under another name. Nearest fix: 926 E. Waterloo Rd, Akron; 1833 State Rd, Cuyahoga Falls; 2 Youngstown Warren Rd, Pinetree Square, Niles; 12585 Rockside Rd, Garfield Heights.

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P h otos by N i c h o l as E c k h a rt/Creat i ve Co m m o ns

Rax Roast Beef You wouldn’t expect a western-inspired, meatthemed monopoly to emerge in Ohio—much less two.

But on the heels of Arby’s 1964 launch in Boardman, Jack Roschman answered with Jax Roast Beef in 1967. Several mergers later, the Rax brand was born in Columbus. Unlike Arby’s, whose phonetic name is an abbreviation for roast beef (R.B. – get it?), Rax was all over the map, opening new locations and trying to find a broader appeal in a crowded fast food field.

They added baked potatoes as an alternative to fries. The salad bar didn’t seem that silly. Even Wendy’s tried that gimmick for a while. Rax also added pizza, pasta, and tacos to it, not unlike Wendy’s short-lived “SuperBar.” Both ideas met a swift and similar fate. But the redhead rebounded, and Uncle Alligator didn’t. They refocused on their core menu at the handful that remained, though they never quite escaped the appearance, or actuality, that if you’re going to knock off an idea, you’d better do it better or not at all.

If you still get an occasional hankering for a Mushroom Melt and a little cup of cheese to dip your fries, there are still two (of the remaining eight) fairly close. Nearest fix: 800 E Main St, Lancaster; 23923 US Route 23 South, Circleville. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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Pies Wide Shut Two guys, two beards, and a pizza place

By J. R . M c M i l l a n

ompetitive eating can be a bit of a cult. Like fans of TED or The Walking Dead, there are rules and rituals of which the uninitiated are blissfully oblivious.

That’s why it seemed disingenuous to write about food challenges without joining the inner sanctum by taking one on personally—so I did.

Joseppi’s Mega Meat Pizza Challenge was the obvious choice for several reasons. It was the only team contest, so spreading the blame as generously as the sauce would still preserve my street cred. It also had the lowest rate of success, which set the bar right at my level. Finally, the payout was pretty impressive, not that I’d be in the mood for another pie any time soon.

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I presumed finding a partner would be equally challenging, but it turned out to be quite easy. One post on Facebook yielded a quick offer from someone who also had the gumption, just not a teammate. Blase Pinkert and I are in the same neighborhood beer brewing brood. The sometimes powerlifter and Gaelic football player could crush you with a gaze as easily as a clenched fist. It didn’t hurt that he also had a reputation for eating anything at least once and a beard big enough to hide a few slices under it if the contest was close.

“In the Air Force, I was the guy who would take on any challenge, that was my role in the shop. I’ve always been an entertainer; so I fed off of the attention,” Pinkert revealed. “I learned I could get people to throw 10 or 20 on the table and make a few bucks doing this.”

We’d called ahead the week before, so they were expecting us. The crust starts out on a pan the size of a wagon wheel, and by the time they’re done topping it with

successive layers of meat and cheese, it’s nearly as thick as one. It’s so big, it has to go through the oven twice and takes two people to carry it.

This is when the head games begin. The kitchen staff tells you cautionary tales about those who have failed—and the “Loser’s Bucket.” They start prepping the table with bowls of ranch dressing and barbeque sauce, explaining that the taste turns on you and most have to change it up to keep going.

They warn you about drinking too much, or too little. Passing patrons and dutiful denizens weigh in on the long odds of finishing, or even getting close.

When the pie hits the table, it almost eclipses it entirely. If not for the lingering heat, they could just put legs on the pan and scoot chairs under it. It looks like a cinematic sight gag, from the movie Top Secret.

We’d prepared the way professional competitive eaters do, with a stomach stretching meal the evening prior and lots of water to preserve the new found space until go time.

A few quick pics for posterity and the clock started. We went hard charging for the edges and mentally broke up the 60 slices into short-term goals.

Chew too little and you waste space. Chew too much and you waste time. At 20 minutes, we’d already blown past Cameron Fontana and his camera guy’s mark. It was looking good.

Then the meat sweats set in and we hit “the wall.”

The wall is different things for different people. For us, it was the salt of the bacon and

ham that did us in. When you can’t quench your thirst and have plenty of room left to drink, but can’t stand the thought of another bite, that’s the wall. We’d each eaten about a large pizza, no small feat considering by the time we got from the edge to the center, it was more than an inch thick. Pinkert’s athletic training came into play, but we still couldn’t overcome the physics.

“It did help from a psychological aspect, the fact that you learn to push your body and ‘turn off’ or ignore the signals it tells you, to push yourself that much further,” he said.

After a few final slices, we took a break hoping for a late rally that never came. We barely knew each other before that evening, but after spending an hour gorging and gossiping, we’d joined the cult—even if we still didn’t know the secret handshake.

We parted ways, went home, and both slipped into a long carb coma, like a python that swallows a gazelle and has to chill for a few days before it finds the will to move again.

By the way, the pizza was delicious and is highly recommended. Otherwise, we never would have gotten as far as we did. Unlike almost all other food challenges, you get to keep the leftovers. I didn’t have to buy pizza for two weeks. And it was also an irresistible chance to try out that time-lapse app on my phone, shrinking an hour down to three minutes—scored to the theme song from Benny Hill, of course.

But bawdy British sketch comedy is another kind of cult altogether. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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Strip Mall

Surprise: Scali Ristorante

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By Aa ron W etl i Ph otos by Bria n KA is er

elcome to Strip Mall Surprise, a place to celebrate the history, atmosphere and cuisine of some of the best restaurants in the 614. There are only two requirements: delicious food and a strip mall storefront. For our inaugural edition, we traveled to Scali Ristorante in Reynoldsburg for some of the tastiest, authentic Italian food in Central Ohio.

Owning a restaurant has always been Frank Scali’s dream, and he found the perfect partner for that endeavor in wife Judy. The couple met while working together at an Italian restaurant (the former Baci Ristorante on South High), and it’s safe to say that food is in their blood. Frank’s family hails from Southern Italy and Judy’s from Northern Italy and those influences marry (literally and figuratively) into their relationship and culinary styles.

Opened in 1993, Scali is the kind of restaurant where regulars become friends and friends become family. The Scalis chose to open their restaurant in Reynoldsburg because there were no Italian restaurants on the east side at the time. The Scalis attribute their success to making connections, friends and lasting relationships, like that of longtime regulars Margot and Glee.

Margot and Glee have been meeting at Scali for their regular Wednesday Ladies Night for the last 30 years. Their tradition is arriving at the bar around opening and asking Frank to make them a pizza and choose a bottle of wine.

Frank makes them a pizza of his choice (sausage and peppers on this particular Wednesday) and pairs it with a bottle while the ladies make themselves at home and chat with the staff.

Another source of pride for Frank and Judy was recently hosting a rehearsal dinner for a family of longtime regulars.

It’s no surprise that many families from the east side choose Scali for regular dinners as well as special occasions. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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For seating options, Scali has a cozy dining area, fullservice bar and counter that looks directly into the kitchen. The kitchen is clean and open, and the chef and his crew run a tight shift while laughing and joking with the talented and tenured wait staff. The front and back of the house worked together seamlessly and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

Scali also offers a quality array of wine for dining in and retail wines to go. For dinner, we chose a bottle of 2010 Rosso Di Montalcino which had a medium body with hints of spice and fruit. Like most wines on the menu, the price was right and the bottle was unique.

THE APPETIZER The Shrimp Cognac was exactly what it sounds like. Recommended by our server Andrea, it featured large shrimp sautéed in Cognac and topped with Gorgonzola—rich and creamy with a smoky finish.

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ENTREES Our philosophy going into the evening was to not pick items (food or drink) that we could find at other local Italian restaurants. We knew that Scali served authentic Italian cuisine so that is what we ordered. Megan chose the Vitello Saltimbocca.

Thinly sliced veal topped with prosciutto, cooked in a white wine butter sauce and topped with sage, this dish is every bit as enticing as it sounds. The food came out of the kitchen piping hot, and the textures and flavors complemented each other supremely. While this dish was filling, it was not overbearing.

I ordered the hearty, mouthwatering Brasciole—Frank’s favorite dish to make. For those not familiar, this dish is comparable to a meatloaf but consists of sirloin stuffed with salami and capicola ham, and mozzarella, Romano and provolone cheeses—all baked together in a red sauce. This entrée is a Master’s level class in the union between meat, cheese, sauce, and pasta—and you need to study the syllabus.

DESSERT At this point in the evening, we were reaching maximum capacity, but Judy talked us into looking at the dessert menu. We weren’t planning on ordering anything, but our meal was impressive enough to warrant taking a peek.

The delicious Cannoli filling consisted of ricotta cheese, chocolate chips, cinnamon and vanilla and was custom made by Judy, who also makes the Tiramisu and Panna Cota. (If this was the Cannoli from The Godfather, I can understand why Clemenza wouldn’t leave it in the car.) •

So there you have it, a delectable and authentic Italian dinner served by a locally owned family business that just happens to be in a strip mall. If you find yourself east of route 71 (or in the Eastern Time Zone), make a reservation at Scali Ristorante – you won’t be disappointed.

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Searching for

Johnny

Marzetti How a simple, savory casserole became Columbus’s culinary urban legend

By J.R. M c M i l l a n Photos by Co l l i n s L aatsc h

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hiladelphia has the cheesesteak.

Boston has clam “chowda.”

And New York and Chicago are forever at odds over whose style of pizza is superior.

But did you know Columbus has its own signature dish?

Once an outsider from the East Coast, I thought Johnny Marzetti sounded like someone who might play shortstop for Reds or halfback for the Browns. Despite this lazy lasagna’s legendary following, the uninitiated often learn about it first from new friends and neighbors who eagerly share childhood memories of the dish and its local origin. That doesn’t mean everyone from the New York Times to Saveur hasn’t reheated the same tale of Teresa Marzetti naming the unassuming entrée of pasta, ground beef, tomato sauce, and cheese after her son-in-law, and how she served it in the family restaurant decades before the name Marzetti became synonymous with salad dressing. Even the Ohio History Connection seems to support the story.

Unfortunately, there’s very little meat to the myth. Though the restaurant was real (two of them in fact, run by two families both named Marzetti) not a single advertisement or menu from either over the better part of a century mentions the dish. Teresa was also very real, though the company that still bears her name is equally adamant that any relation to Johnny Marzetti is likely more folklore than fact.

But that doesn’t mean folks love it any less. It kind of makes it a legit urban legend.

An Italian matriarch, fresh off the boat from Florence, pulls together some modest ingredients and creates a sensation so deceptively simple that more than a hundred years later petite cuisine and molecular gastronomy still can’t beat it? Who wouldn’t eat up that story, even if the details are still suspect? It sure beats calling it the long-lost cousin of Hamburger Helper. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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Finding the truth behind Johnny Marzetti is nearly as tough as finding it on a menu, unless you know where to look and who to ask.

“We usually have it on Mondays. That’s how it’s been for 29 years,” recalled Kathy Pappas, whose husband, Tommy has been dishing Johnny Marzetti at his eponymous West side diner for nearly three decades. “Our specials are ready to go, for people who don’t have much time for lunch. Johnny Marzetti is perfect, so we make enough for about 50 orders and we always run out.”

At Tommy’s Diner, like most places that secretly serve Johnny Marzetti, even though it’s not on the menu, it’s not exactly off the menu either—nor is there just one recipe. Most often macaroni, rotini, or bowtie all work just fine.

Vegetables include onions, green pepper, and mushrooms. (Though I highly recommend throwing in some zucchini.) Choice of cheese seems to fall into three schools. Cheddar is the most popular, but mozzarella makes a strong showing as well. Tommy’s tops theirs with a generous portion of grated parm.

Opinions also vary on whether it goes into the oven for a quick brown and a bubbly finish, or straight to the plate with shreds or just a sprinkle. Whether original or avant-garde, everyone seems to agree it’s not exactly a chili mac or just another name for goulash.

“all recipes share creativity and community—and that’s what makes Johnny Marzetti uniquely and unmistakably Columbus.”

Nancy’s Home Cooking in Clintonville actually does have it on the menu, but only makes the comfort food classic on Tuesdays. Paul’s Fifth Avenue, India Oak Bar and Grill, and German Village Coffee Shop quietly rotate traditional, yet individual, versions through their daily specials.

Kolache Republic sometimes stuffs it into their savory pastry to make it more portable, and Columbus newcomer ClusterTruck will even deliver it to your door. None of them have it on the menu. Service Bar in the Short North does, offering an upscale variation for $21. (That’s quite the price hike from the 45 cents Teresa used to charge at the restaurant back in the 1920s — maybe she did, but probably not.)

The genius and longevity of Johnny Marzetti comes from its easy and adaptable recipe. A quick Facebook query in advance of this article unleashed a flood of photos and fond recollections. People actually sent me pictures of their leftover lunch, or a casserole dish fresh from the oven, previous dinner plans scuttled and inspired by the passionate conversation and competing recipes. From grins to groans, even its detractors shared cafeteria cautionary tales and school lunch lore with a smile.

Perhaps the most telling story about the enduring popularity of Johnny Marzetti came by way of a neighbor who revealed her mother regularly makes enormous batches of it for her church, as well as gatherings at the Westgate Recreation Center.

“What’s great about it is that it’s inexpensive. You get a lot for your money, and you can add to it or leave things out,” explained Tasha Corson.

“My mom used to put just hamburger in hers, but I add sausage to mine, and sometimes some chiles, to give a little kick to it.” Corson also uses a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack along with seasonings that lean more Southwest.

“The largest batch I make feeds 30 to 40, and I make it in a big stock pot.

That way people can put cheese on it if they want to, or not,” she explained.

“I’ve made it in the oven too, to melt the cheese. That’s why I like it, because you can really make it your own.”

Corson was actually generous enough to invite me over for dinner, along with my editor and a photographer, eager to share her take on the dish that was part of her childhood, and in turn her children’s, with total strangers.

Even if the recipe and mystery surrounding it are still uncertain, the power it has to create lifelong memories and bring people together with a familiar flavor isn’t. Whether it’s served at a lunch counter, a kitchen table, or a potluck dinner, the most important ingredients they all share are creativity and community—and that’s what makes Johnny Marzetti uniquely and unmistakably Columbus. • 88

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Johnny on the Spot These joints still serve up the city’s long-lost culinary creation—but days and times vary

914 W Broad St.

German Village Coffee Shop

Nancy’s Home Cooking

Kolache Republic

Tommy’s Diner

193 Thurman Ave.

3133 N High St.

730 S High St.

Paul’s Fifth Avenue 1565 W Fifth Ave.

India Oak Bar & Grill 590 Oakland Park Ave.

ClusterTruck 342 E Long St.

Service Bar

1230 Courtland Ave.

Teresa Marzetti’s Original Recipe (maybe, maybe not)

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3⁄4 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 2 pounds lean ground beef 3 1⁄2 cups tomato sauce 1 1⁄2 pounds cheddar cheese, shredded 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

Sauté onion in oil until limp, about 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and fry until juices are released, about 5 minutes.

Add beef and cook, stirring, breaking up clumps, until no longer red.

Remove from heat and mix in tomato sauce and all but 1 cup of cheese.

Transfer to greased 9- by 13-inch baking dish and add macaroni.

Toss gently to mix. Scatter remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, in 350-degree oven until browned and bubbling (35 to 40 minutes). Serves 10 to 12.

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T

Brew Over Hard lessons in a tough market

By St ev e C r oyl e

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here are some myths about the craft beer business.

A lot of people think it’s easy, which explains why we’ve seen such a tremendous surge in new breweries not just around Central Ohio, but the entire country. Some of those breweries are failing because they underestimated just how tough this market is. Even if you’re brewing good beer, there’s no guarantee it’s going to fly off the shelves.

In Columbus, Lenny Kolada isn’t some fresh-faced neophyte. If Central Ohio ever has a Mt. Rushmore for craft beer, his head will be on it. He’s not a brewer, of course, but he knows what it takes to make good beer.

So, when he opened Commonhouse, promoting some tried-and-true Smokehouse ales to the production arm of his brewing empire, success seemed a given.

But the beer gods cursed Commonhouse, crippling distribution with a warehouse fire, then throwing some production issues in the way. Then there were personnel changes, and, finally, a shift to a new distributor.

This year has Commonhouse hitting the market with two beers: IPA For the People, a brilliant collaboration with the general public to formulate a simple, easy-drinking IPA, and the flagship 614 Good, which is classified as an Ohio Common. Other beers will almost certainly work their way into the market, but which beers make the cut remains to be seen.

The IPA was a beer Commonhouse decided against brewing initially because the market space for that style is overly saturated, but it’s a style that people are just not letting go.

In addition to simplifying the lineup, Commonhouse tweaked its packaging to have a little more visual identity on the shelves. While the changes seem simple, and intuitive, it’s worth noting that this process was probably harder than formulating the recipe for the IPA. The beer, you see, is easy. Selling it in a crowded market space is hard.

Lesson Learned: Listen to the people.

For years the elephant in the room was Elevator’s overall mediocrity. Aside from their barrel-aged beers like Horny Goat, and BarBar, people just weren’t impressed with the rest of the lineup. There wasn’t anything wrong; the beers just seemed a little dated—Elevator was stuck between floors. This wasn’t a secret to anybody at Elevator either, which is why, last summer, the decision was finally made to bring in Doug Beedy, a trained brewer with more than 20 years of experience. Vic Schlitz was a solid brewer, but he had homebrewing roots and the daily grind of cranking out the same beers he’d been brewing for years seemed to wear on him. Doug’s at peace with that aspect of brewing, and his impact at Elevator was evident as his beers hit the market toward the end of 2017. Doug is tightening up the recipes, and establishing more stringent quality controls to ensure consistency from one batch to the next.

Lesson Learned: Complacency is bad for business. • Elevator P HOTOS By M eg a n L ei g h bar n a r d

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The most shocking change is the extirpation of Zauber. At one point, it was the center of the craft beer universe thanks in part to an ambitious advance marketing surge by Geoff Towne. His preference for German-style beers was a blessing and a curse: Zauber was able to build a strong following in their taproom, but the brand just didn’t have much of a presence away from home. Internal drama ensued and Geoff was bought out, bringing forth Endeavor, which precipitated a big change in the brewery’s lineup, moving away from German lagers to embrace the West Coast take on ales.

Lesson Learned: It ain’t about you.

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Kindred Brewing experienced all sorts of growing pains after opening. From high level management changes, to branding, to a change in brewers and brewing philosophy, they’ve finally found themselves on stable ground.

It’s also two breweries: the larger production facility has moved away from the Eurocentric approach, and into more of a traditional craft space. The tap room on Morrison Road in Gahanna features some excellent sour beers, but the process here will be streamlined, with the portfolio of base beers being reduced.

So, aspirations have also been modified. Initially established as a regional player, Kindred is now looking to focus more energy in building its brand inside of 270.

Lesson Learned: You’ve got to learn to walk before you can run.

None of this is fun, but craft brewing is a low margin business. On the small scale these brewers are operating on, the packaging costs more than the beer it contains. Every penny counts, but you can’t get caught up in pinching pennies or the quality of the beer suffers. You have to give the people what they want, while being willing to listen, and respond to criticism.

These four breweries have had the courage to listen, adjust, and adapt in ways both big and small. That tells you they’re serious about making good beer. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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A WellCrafted Escape Brew and view in the Ohio countryside this spring

I

By St ev e C r oyl e

t’s like falling off the edge of this world, and landing on a strange new planet—a flat one, populated with silos and steeples.

One minute you’re driving through the rolling hills northwest of Columbus near Bellefontaine, (pronounced “Bell Fountain” in these parts, thank you very much), the next minute, the hills are gone and the world just rolls on forever before you.

Maria Stein barely qualifies as a town. A couple of small roads intersect amid corn fields in this Land of Cross-tipped Churches, and they named it after an Abbey in Switzerland, because, well that’s what Catholics do. It’s fortunate that this area was populated by a prolific number of German Catholics because normally areas saturated with so many churches abhor alcohol, and that would be a bad thing for Nick Moeller, the founder of Moeller Brew Barn.

It was a gamble, even in 2015, because places like Maria Stein aren’t seen as craft beer meccas. The whole “buy local” concept doesn’t always fly in places where you have to drive 20 miles to buy bread, but Nick rolled the dice and his brewery has grown exponentially, with a weekend tap room business that leaves the brewery scrambling to get beer back in kegs for the next rush.

Moeller’s beers can be found around Columbus on occasion.

They don’t draw rave reviews, but that’s because the beers are being brewed to win over the people in Mercer County. They’re a little more malt forward and easy drinking than the beers that dominate Columbus.

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Up the road a bit, Coldwater boasts a historic dairy barn that’s been converted into a brewery. Here you’ll find some IPAs that are a little more hop forward, but the locals love Tailspin’s 3 GZ Blonde Ale. That’s probably because it doesn’t aggressively challenge a palate that has yet to venture beyond the safety of a PBR Tallboy, but as tastes develop, they’ll have options. Founder Jack Waite is a veteran Air Force pilot who fell in love with the communal aspect of small German breweries, so he brought the concept back to Coldwater, thinking that the little town just a bit Southwest of Grand Lake Saint Mary’s could use something like that.

In Columbus, people in craft brewing circles often talk about “the bubble.” It seemed like it started leaking a bit when much ado was made over sluggish industry growth in 2016. Yes, growth did slow, and the trend continued in 2017, but there was still growth, and the inside story was that small, local breweries were experiencing robust growth while the national craft brewers took a hit. It makes sense, of course. If you can buy a great beer made a few miles from home, that’s the beer you buy, and nobody in the craft beer business—even the bigger brewers who had to tighten their belts will tell you otherwise. With local brewers popping up everywhere, there’s less of a national market. It’s no surprise to see a great little brewer like Three Tigers pop up in Granville, but the attached kitchen is easily one of the best brewery kitchens in the state. The place is a triple threat, offering great beer, exciting food, and fantastic cocktails. It’s a bit of a surprise that, until the last few months, Newark’s only brewery (with a taproom) was Homestead. Now Dankhouse has opened, Buck’s finally has a taproom, and Trek Brewing is putting the final touches on their taproom. •

By Collins Laats c h

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You’d expect to see craft beer find success in Athens, but there are three breweries thriving, and Athens is home to our state’s Craft Beer Week. Jackie O’s is known nationally for it’s barrelaged beers and sour program, but Little Fish might actually be better at the weird stuff. Meanwhile, Devil’s Kettle is going after more of a traditional craft market by brewing beers that are more entry level than those offered by their neighbors.

These brewers out in the sticks are taking a bite out of the macro brewers’ last slice of the pie. It’s a big slice, but analysts at AB InBev would have never suspected craft brewing would pop up in places like Jackson. Enter Sixth Sense Brewing and Burritos, founded in early 2017. The taproom is a gathering place that features live music, and a great social hub. People will occasionally walk in asking for Bud Light, which is disheartening, but Sixth Sense is brewing excellent beer and they are developing the palates of a populace that has been overlooked for far too long.

Maple Lawn Brewing in Pomeroy brings their water into the downtown brewery from a spring on the family farm. Now, downtown Pomeroy is basically two streets and an alley running parallel to the Ohio, between the bank and a rather steep escarpment. As such, it’s a village that runs lengthwise, which makes it hard to find the town’s hub, but the corner of Mulberry and 2nd, where the taproom is situated, just might be it. Maple Lawn is also growing, investing in taproom renovations, and an expanding beer portfolio. Their top seller is an easy to drink golden ale, but they offer more robust selections for visitors and locals who want to see what the fuss is about. Some of their beers can be had on tap just around the corner at the Court Street Grill, which competes as gathering place, but the two businesses have a special synergy, and a common partner. Both embrace the 96

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Jac k i e O ’ s P h oto by Adam lowe

concepts of fresh, local, and in-house preparation.

Brewery 33, in Logan makes sense when you consider the influx of visitors to Hocking Hills, but they’re cultivating a local following that keeps the place busy when tourism is light. A bit down Route 33, you’ll find Multiple Brewing Company in Nelsonville. It’s a tiny operation that’s a bit rough around the edges, but they’re steadily winning over the community by brewing beers that the people enjoy.

Weaselboy once had Zanesville all to itself, but Y Bridge Brewing opened last year and the two brewers are already talking about how they can collaborate to raise Zanesville’s craft beer game. The list goes on, with new breweries opening all the time.

It wasn’t long ago, craft beer drinkers knew they had to venture into these areas with their own supply of libations, otherwise they’d be forced to drink macro-swill. Now, it’s an adventure to travel out into these rural areas to try the different beers, and meet people just starting their craft beer journeys. It makes you wonder where it all began. Maybe it was 30 minutes outside of Columbus. Buckeye Lake used to make drinking macro beers a contact sport. Twentyfour packs of beer emblazoned with variations of the word “light” were everywhere, but Buckeye Lake Brewery opened quietly in 2012. They quickly built up a local following, while attracting day trippers from Columbus who just wanted to try the beer. Maybe their success, in a macrobrew stronghold, gave brewers in other “podunk” towns something to believe in.

Whatever the case, it’s inspiring to see small communities rally around their local breweries. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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In House:

Cocktail Ice The fancy, frozen part of your drink isn’t just for decoration

By Jen i Ruisch

C

urio at Harvest is a bar where they take their drinks very seriously, from the ingredients of the cocktails, to the frozen water they pour them over on the way to the bottom of your glass.

It ain’t just ice. It’s “the soul of any beverage,” according to owner Travis Owens.

The program Curio has put in place to create the frozen artifacts is simple: Just a cooling mechanism, a knife and a hammer. This is the stuff of the old times: simple, but labor intensive.

And all for that crystal-clear finish. • 100

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PHOTOS By To m m y Fei sel

What you may think is just a fancy garnish melting away in your glass is in fact, a purposeful component of each drink, and a piece of the production puzzle that Owens and his team take extra steps to procure.

Just like anything in a good cocktail bar—something that takes seconds to sip is often the product of hours of thoughtful, tedious work.

And for Owens, it starts long before he flips the lights on at Curio.

He and a fellow bartender have similar setups at each of their respective homes, using directional freezing to ensure the purity of their product. This is done with a series of insulated trays that enable standard tap water to freeze from one direction while forcing any heavy particulates (chlorine, fluoride) in your water to the bottom, underneath what ends up being a crystal-clear, bubble-free layer of ice. The freezing process can take anywhere from 24 hours to three days depending on the size of your container. The key is to remove the container before everything is frozen solid. This way, the unwanted heavy particulates are still contained in the bottom portion of unfrozen water. Once this block is removed from the container and the unwanted water is drained off, the block will need to 102

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When the folks at Curio spend countless hours painstakingly developing recipes, juice fresh daily, create everything in-house, and use superior distillates to create every beverage, the question is not so much ‘why?’ as it is ‘why stop short?

temper (get closer to room temp) for 20 minutes to an hour.

Then it is cut to size with a bandsaw and placed back into a chest freezer before transport.

Owens and his employees are freezing water nonstop in order to keep up with demand. Armed with two large chest freezers and a bandsaw at each location, two people can produce about 350 cubes a week to produce four different custom-designed cube sizes that pair with specific elixirs at Curio. (We especially like the five-inch tall blocks highlighting their highballs).

So why does the cold stuff matter so much, when it would save time and money to use a standard-issue restaurant ice maker? Only a true mixologist could wax poetic about ice cubes, but Owens can do just that. Not only are the tiny blocks important for technical reasons, like temperature, dilution, weight, texture, but quality ice is also important, he insists, for the subconscious. All of these technical factors play into the idea of having a more sophisticated cocktail. Every aspect is controlled for. Curio ice is dense and almost glasslike. If one aspect of a cocktail is neglected, he reasons, then the entire user experience suffers. They strive to execute each cocktail in all facets: taste, appearance, temperature, weight, garnish, vessel, and ice all play key roles in that experience. When the folks at Curio spend countless hours painstakingly developing recipes, juice fresh daily, create everything in-house, and use superior distillates to create every beverage, the question is not so much ‘why?’ as it is ‘why stop short?’ • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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Old School, New School: ~ German Village ~

story By Aa r on W et l i | p hotos by Co l l i n s L aats c h

Copiouss

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The Rules • • •

Choose one destination for dinner and a second destination for a nightcap.

One must be new—the other old.

The locations must be within walking distance of each other.

Welcome to a new series at Stock & Barrel, where we pair two establishments that highlight the restaurant/bar scene in Columbus—one with a younger footprint, and another steeped in character.

New School: Copious/Notes Located at 520 N High St. in the Brewery District, Copious opened its doors for business in October 2015 and has been a boon to local night life since. Three different concepts hosted at Copious fall under the same umbrella and mesh together seamlessly.

The first concept is Notes, an intimate music venue located in the basement. Notes regularly hosts Columbus Jazz Patriarch Bobby Floyd as well as other local and national jazz and blues artists. Notes offers full bar service and a limited food menu.

Most Note-ably, it also hosts the O-GEE Hip Hop dance party on the last Saturday of every month and has food and drink specials Thursday through Sunday. At Notes, there truly is something for everyone.

The restaurant on the main floor is the building’s namesake and is hip and chic with hardwood floors, open spacing and an art gallery dedicated to local artists. The art is available for purchase and creates an ambiance that is unique to Central Ohio.

The dining area is large but not cavernous, with windows that allow patrons to view the action on High Street. The dining room also hosts smaller areas allowing a limited privacy to larger parties.

There is also an informal, relaxed bar that offers ONLY Ohio drafts as well as top-shelf liquor, two televisions and a staff that pays attention to detail.

Copious’ menu is concise, offering diverse options and a nightly market-price seafood entrée. I started with the Fried Green Tomatoes, which were a restaurant week special.

Topped with jumbo lump crab meat and Old Bay Buerre Blanc, the tomatoes had a crisp outside, warm inside and contained a rich, creamy herb cheese. Copious would be well served by promoting this item to the regular dinner menu.

For my entrée, I chose the seared scallops. Expertly seared, the scallops were served with Brussels sprouts, pancetta, and a mustard white wine butter sauce. This dish was robust and lively with compeimentary and diverse textures.

For those looking to really get the party started, check out The McGowan Loft. The upstairs event space hosts weddings/ receptions, corporate events and other celebrations. The space overlooks High Street and has wooden floors and an industrial vibe highlighted by a raw ceiling with exposed ductwork.

After you have finished dinner, viewed the art, seen a show or made a scene (wedding reception), it is time to keep the party going with an Old School night cap located just a half mile away. •

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old School: Beck Tavern Colloquially referred to as the ‘Low Beck,’ Beck Tavern (284 E Beck St.) is a German Village institution. The building that houses the Beck Tavern is 98 years old and has been in continuous operation as a watering hole (of some sort) since the 1930s.

Dimly lit and filled with local sports memorabilia and neon signs, Beck Tavern has a divided block U pattern bar that seats about 25. On my recent visit, the bar hosted a diverse crowd that included neighborhood locals, interns from the Statehouse, and a couple on a date night. It seemed that every group was having a private conversation while simultaneously being part of a larger and continuous bar conversation where friendly insults and inside jokes were traded with impunity.

This routine seemed comforting to longtime bartender Ashley who was serving drinks, holding court, and supplying the jukebox with a steady diet of classic Wu-Tang. She knew her regulars, what they were drinking, and their backstories. Low Beck is the kind of place where accomplishments are celebrated, defeats are softened, and people take care of each other.

The west side of the bar contains four competition-level dart boards and a Golden Tee machine, where a group of four were trading swings in between trading shots of chilled Jäger. Beck Tavern takes their darts seriously and on Friday nights, it is not uncommon to find all four boards in use with a line of competitors waiting on winners.

Ohio professional sports are also a consequential topic at Beck Tavern and all Ohio teams are represented well. There are a handful of flat screens (on this night all showing the Blue Jackets), and I am certain they are all tuned to Ohio State Football on Saturdays in the fall.

Beck Tavern also has many welcoming nooks with larger square tables that are ideal for a long evening of drinks, camaraderie and neighborhood gossip.

So there you have it, a fun-filled night just south of Downtown.

In one evening you can have a modern dinner at Copious, walk downstairs to catch great local jazz at Notes and follow it all up at Low Beck for craft drafts, darts and debauchery. Park once, drink twice, support local. •

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Tastes

By Sto c k & B a r r e l Sta ff

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umerous new bars, breweries, or restaurants opened up in the last year, signifying a legitimate boom for the Columbus food and drink industry. These are just a few of the standouts:

Veritas • 11 W Gay St. Veritas is putting a whole new spin on the idea of up-scale dining. You won’t find a traditional three-course appetizer, entree, dessert style meal here; instead you will be diving into an extensive eight-course adventure where you can sink your teeth into all the boujee small plate bites your belly can handle, like the house-made bucatini with buttered shallot, toasted peppercorn, and fennel, or a pillow of airy, near-frothy whipped potatoes cradling a just-soft sous vide egg, showered in a ransom of black truffle. Is your mouth watering yet?

The plates are designed to leave your tastes buds wanting more and that’s exactly what plates like the shrimp and grits on the tasting menu do. Take our writer V.R. Bryant’s word for it: you could eat about 75 of these delicious palate teasers, but you’ll have to settle for one incredible bite.

Veritas isn’t just a one-trick pony, either.

These guys take cocktails to a scientific level.

The bar is stocked full of a variety of bitters in dripper bottles, different styles of ice cubes to complement specific qualities in drinks, and their extensive specialty drink menu can seem a little overwhelming; but the guys running the bar know a thing or two about finding a drink that fits your taste preferences.

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P h otos by M e g an Lei gh Barnard

P hotos by Col l i n s L aats c h

Barrel & Boar • 8 State St., Westerville If you had to describe the BBQ business in Columbus, it could be summed up in one word: boomin’. And if you are thinking about grabbing some ‘cue in the city, you’d be remiss if you didn’t head over to Barrel & Boar’s newest location in uptown Westerville. Besides cooking up some bodacious BBQ, Barrel and Boar keeps it close to home by sourcing nearly every single menu item from local vendors. The B&B menu is massive considering the limited options in the BBQ culinary world. Everything is made to order and made from scratch so you rest easy knowing you aren’t being served Monday’s batch of brisket on Tuesday. Menu options like the beef brisket might be hailed as the best damn thing you can eat at B&B, but once you chow down on some BBQ baked beans with more brisket or the spicy bacon mac ’n’ cheese, you’ll worry less about what menu item is the best and more about if you can afford seconds or thirds. Luckily, the menu is reasonably priced so if you want to go for a second helping on mac, it’s your world and B&B is just living in it and providing you with top-tier Southern BBQ treats. • 614columbus.com spring 2018

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The Rail • 5839 Frantz Rd., Dublin If there’s a theme to this installment of Fresh Tastes, it’s locally sourced. For The Rail in Dublin (Ohio, not Ireland), locally sourced comes in the form of beer and brew.

Items like the award-winning Mojo Burger boast features like a mixture of Ohio andouille sausage with beef and it gets topped with cheddar cheese, some tomato and lettuce, and jalapeno coleslaw. The flavors of the burger are phenomenal and the toppings falling off into the fries only make eating this dish much more enjoyable. Add in 24 draft taps of local Ohio beers from places including Platform Brewing Company and Four String Brewing Company and the only way you could be more of an Ohio homer at The Rail is if you are wearing a t-shirt with the outline of the state on it. Can we get an I-O to our O-H?!

The Rail isn’t just a burger and beer joint, either. For those looking to gain some knowledge about the barleys and hops going into your local brews, The Rail offers an Ohio Beer School course where you simply taste a beer, discuss with others, rinse, wash, and repeat.

Third Way Cafe • 3058 W Broad St. “It’s not just a coffee shop, or a bookstore, or a community space.

It’s a place where we encourage people to listen, to think, to engage in conversation.” Like founder Josh Rush said, Third Way Cafe is not your conventional coffee shop. While it does serve coffee, the space is for community members to hang out and enjoy a local cup of joe while hosting events like live music, poetry readings, and “Penny University,” which will feature invited speakers discussing topics ranging from social justice and incarceration to the role performing arts play in creating community. There is another catch to Third Way Cafe; you will have to pay a small $2 cover for each time you visit, but it does come with unlimited cups of coffee and no pressure from patrons or the staff to make you leave before you’re ready. If you catch yourself visiting often, $20 covers you for the month and $200 gets you access to every event they host for that year.

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Third Way Caf e by M eg a n L ei g h B a r n a r d

The interior of Third Way comes with a story as well. If you see something in the Cafe—a desk, a chair, wall decor—it’s more than likely for sale. The Furniture Bank provided seats and tables which are available for purchase and items like wall decor and photos are sourced from local artisans. Not only are you supporting a quaint spot in the city dedicated to providing a space to hang out in, you can support the local artists in the area producing eye-catching work!

The Goat • 219 S High St. In the heart of downtown, surrounded by high rise corporate offices and construction, sits a slice of suburbia. Offering open spaces for gatherings, sand volleyball courts for anyone looking to work up a sweat, and occasionally live music to provide you with the perfect soundtrack for all your victories on the sand court, the Goat is so much more than just a joint offering chef-inspired meals and booze to go along with it.

After you work up a sweat, you’re going to need something to celebrate the victory (or sulk post-defeat), and cool you down.

Keeping it within the Fresh Tastes’ theme this installment, The Goat offers a variety of local brews from Columbus breweries like Land Grant and North High Brewing.

As for the food, The Goat’s menu has your typical options like burgers, salads, and wraps, but the flavors are everything more than typical. Their burgers are made with premium aged beef and ground in house to make sure the burger holds all of its delicious flavors. Trying out the whole vegetarian thing? Unlike some places that serve up every veggie burger the same—some greens on top of a veggie patty, and for whatever reason, covered in a balsamic reduction—this veggie burger is a blend of black beans topped with avocado, greens, tomatoes, cucumber, and chipotle ranch. If you love one of the menu items, but it comes with a beef patty, simply ask to switch it out with a veggie patty for no extra charge! •

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@latenightslice

@ villagewinesandbistro

@6_1_pho

@columbusgrub

@dough_mama

@eatlocalohio

@balboa_grandview

@danthebaker_toastbar

@2hangrychicks

@kolacherepublic

@ohiopies

@sweetcarrotcbus

It’s difficult for us here at (614) to catch it all. That’s where you come in: while you’re out there capturing the city, you might as well slide some of your best shots our way. Use the hashtag #Eat614 on twitter or instagram to put your photos on our radar.

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FAQ: PA N T S

There’s plenty of colorful personalities in the Columbus food and drink scene.

And we’re setting out to capture them—one dish/drink at a time.

This month, it’s the illustrious/mysterious veteran bartender we only know by one curious pluralization.

He can probably beat you in trivia. He makes some of the best cocktails in the city, and wears a fedora better than anyone. Not only is he a master mixologist, he is one of the reasons why the atmosphere at the Kindred Brewing (505 Morrison Rd, Gahanna) taproom is so damn inviting. The man, the myth, the legend: Pants.

The obvious question: Why does everyone call you Pants?

Everyone calls me Pants for the same reason people call each other anything—that’s how I usually introduce myself. In other circles I’m known as John, Jack, Sergio, Chris, and The Mayor. Someone called me Paul at a party, but they had mistaken me for someone else.

Special talents or hobbies? As far as hobbies, there’s not a lot I’m not interested in. Except not ending sentences with prepositions.

And the somewhat-antiquated prohibition on double-negatives.

And the temperate-use of hyphens.

So maybe grammar-in-general. But everything else I’m pretty into.

Best beer you’ve ever had: It was just called Pilsner. It’s comparable to Miller Lite but of the Ecuadorian persuasion. I drank it one night down there and ended up making out with one of the prettiest girls I have ever met ... sometimes context is everything.

Favorite Ohio beer: Whatever homebrew friends drop off. I love the joie-de-vivre and creativity homebrewers bring to the table.

Anything done for passion as opposed to profit seems to taste better. Enthusiasm definitely has its

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own flavor profile and you can’t beat the price.

People might also know you from…. Bars, bingo halls, brothels, bocce courts, basement shows, back alleys and the occasional bush... Any place that begins with ‘B’, really.

What’s your perfect vacation? I would have to say Columbus from May to August. The weather is warm, I can sit on my porch, and everyone else is away on vacation.

What truly makes you love your job? What’s not to love? I get my mornings free and spend my evenings helping people have a good time.

Who would you want to have a beer with, living and deceased?

The person alive who I’d most like to have a beer with is the one who is buying the next round. I don’t like drinking with dead people.

They’re poor conversationalists and they smell weird.

Pull up a chair at Kindred Wednesday-Saturday, and let Pants pour you a pint.

For more, visit kindredbeer.com.

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P HOTO By M egan Lei gh b arnard

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