GETTING THROUGH
TOGETHER Lakewood residents share the ways they adapted and evolved during the past year. BY CHRISSY KADLECK
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o one was immune from the effects of COVID-19. The pandemic was an oddly collective experience that still affected every person in some unique way, regardless of age, education, income, profession, wealth or zip code. But a spirit of pushing forward, giving back and taking care of community helped those living in the 44107 survive and even thrive. Here are a few of their stories. BACK TO THE BASICS As owners of Cleveland Vegan, Laura Ross and Justin Gorski credit keeping a positive outlook for being able to successfully juggle the demands of restructuring their restaurant on the fly, homeschooling three young children and keeping dozens of people employed during a pandemic. “Initially, it was scary,” says Laura Ross, adding that she and her husband tuned into their radio for the announcement of the statewide shutdown. “I realized it was not just myself and my family that we had to be concerned about; it was also our team of 35 people and all of their concerns and questions about what would happen with their pay, their positions, their personal situations. It felt overwhelming.” But this inspiring duo decided to close their 40-seat 8
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eatery/bakery and return to their roots with their personal chef service to provide meatless meals for a month to help with the small business’s operating expenses. “It brought us back to when we first started our business and it was just me and my husband,” says Ross, 41, who also teaches yoga at Inner Bliss Studio in Rocky River. Gorski, 44, is also a musician and recently released a film “Bird from Memory” of which he hopes will be accepted into the Cleveland International Film Festival. “I always wanted to homeschool my kids,” she says. “It was challenging, but I enjoyed having that time with them. We incorporated a lot of natural elements into schooling like hiking and nature scavenger hunts. We also baked cakes and cooked to teach them
