Category: Innovation (page 4 of 4)

January 1, 2017

Six-Word Memoirs

Originally published in the January 2017 issue of (614) Magazine

Sharing stories around a campfire is among our most enduring traditions. From the primitive survival tips of our earliest ancestors to complex cautionary tales of love and loss, language remains the common currency of the human experience. But now we have a bigger campfire, spreading light and heat to everyone within reach of a keyboard or constantly connected device we carry in our pockets. That’s where Larry Smith is in his element, helping strangers rediscover the ancient art of storytelling by distilling it down to six simple words.

The Six-Word Memoir project started as a stopgap solution for SMITH Magazine, an online rendezvous for writers that launched just as social media was redefining the rules for every internet interaction. Of course, it’s hard to foresee the future from ground level. But Smith somehow did, even as corporations and his contemporaries in what we call “old media” struggled to see over the obvious horizon. Never minding the naysayers, Six-Word Memoirs tapped into something deft, yet diminutive. From boardrooms to classrooms, suicide prevention to speed dating, the platform defied critics by effectively elevating kitsch to cause almost overnight.

After a decade of didactic self-disclosure, it would be easy to descend into diatribes about Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message, and other pointy-headed punditry. Though there is merit in analyzing the mental mechanisms behind the movement, it was never intended as an indulgent, academic exercise. Nor are there the fading flames or faint flickers of a dying fire. The effort keeps evolving to reach unlikely audiences and amateur auteurs whose unspoken autobiographies offer an intimate perspective that pierces the darkness with a few soulful syllables.

Having settled in Columbus after several stints in hipper haunts, Larry Smith kicked back for coffee to reflect on ten years of Six Words — an idea that keeps reinventing itself.

“I’M SURE YOU’VE ANSWERED THIS BEFORE.”

You’re essentially a superhero of short-form storytelling. Yet some are still unfamiliar with the six-word concept. What was the inspiration? Tell me your origin story?

I love origin stories. When I’m introduced, it’s often just “This is Larry Smith of Six-Word Memoirs” and someone might say, “Oh, you’re that six-word guy?” I like superhero better. The origin story is a literary legend, which some of your readers may know. Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a six-word novel in a bar bet, where many literary legends begin. As the story goes, Hemingway wrote, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

In January of 2006, I left a traditional journalism career working mostly in print magazines, but some web — Men’s Journal, ESPN Magazine, Dave Eggar’s Might, POV, Yahoo! Internet Life, which was like the people’s WIRED. I saw the user-generated content explosion coming as kind of the tech culture guy at all of these magazines.

Telling stories is hot, in almost an amusing way. It’s always been hot in film and television. But it’s hot in advertising now, because technology finally caught up with what we’ve always wanted to do. Telling stories, recording music, creating art — our ability to share these stories through Facebook, Twitter, and Six-Word Memoirs has become more easy, and addictive.

So I did something crazy and left a career I really enjoyed and I started SMITHMAG.net on January 6, 2006 on National Smith Day, which is one of those days you get if enough people sign a petition. But it was a good media hook. I launched a user-generated content magazine where anyone could tell a story. But Six-Word Memoirs wasn’t part of it.

“YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING US?”

Online magazines were a tough sell back then, especially without some sort of parallel print product. How did your early partnership with Twitter propel Six-Word Memoirs into the popular culture?

Toward the end of the first year, people loved it — but it wasn’t a business. It wasn’t generating enough traffic. “Threw spaghetti at wall; some stuck.” is one of my favorite six-word memoirs, and that’s what I did. I remembered the Hemingway legend and thought, “What if we gave it a personal twist?”

So we Googled “six-word memoir” and nothing came up.

That was it — we called it “Six-Word Memoirs”. It was going to be a month-long contest and the best six-word story would win an iPod, which was a good prize back in 2006. Right before we launched, I called up these guys I’d met at a tech conference with a side project called Twitter. This was when you could call Twitter and Jack Dorsey would answer the phone. We’d talked about doing a project with SMITH MAG and they thought it was great. So anyone could enter a story about any part of their lives, their whole life, an epitaph, how you’re feeling today, whatever. But if you wanted to win the iPod, you had to sign up for this funny little thing called Twitter. We crowd-sourced the decision to some interns and friends and the winner was, “Barrister, barista— what’s the diff, Mom?” from a Silicon Valley engineer named Abigail Moorhouse. The response was overwhelming. We were receiving tens of thousands of six-word memoirs — which at the time all came to my email box. Obviously now we curate it and built the site around it.

“SIX WORDS AREN’T REALLY SO SIMPLE.”

Between the ease of the app and the confines of the format, there’s a surprising amount of intimacy on the site, the kind that maybe gets lost or overlooked in social media platforms without that six-word limit. How is this a fundamentally different experience?

It can get very deep, even though it’s short. I call it ADDeep.

We have power users on the site who have posted ten even twenty thousand six-word memoirs. They post eight to ten times a day almost like a Facebook status. Some are silly, but some are profound.

We have lots of six-word memoirs about the most emotional times in people’s lives — the birth of a child or a battle with cancer. If you go to the site as a major event is unfolding — like a mass shooting, a plane lands on the Hudson, or the death of someone like John Glenn — people share their thoughts and reflections. And because we aren’t as big as a Twitter or Facebook, people really have a sense that in our smaller community they are being heard.

When Bowie died? Whoa. Our users were able to become part of that narrative. The constraint fuels creativity.

“SOME COUPLES SHARE EVERYTHING. SOME DON’T.”

My wife and I met in journalism school, which means she’s either the first person to read something I’m writing—or the last. What’s it like having two writers under the same roof? How did your Six-Word experience influence your wife’s memoir?

My wife, Piper Kerman, wrote the memoir Orange is the New Black based on her own experience serving 13 months in federal prison for a crime she committed a long time ago. So, we’re both in the storytelling business. She teaches writing in two state prisons outside of Columbus, Marion and Marysville.

She is a reluctant memoirist, and a more quiet and introverted person than I am. I’m much more unfiltered than she is, which isn’t a criticism. It’s just a style and approach. Many people have a memoir inside them, but she was never like, “I want to write a book about my life.”

Everyone has an interesting story if you poke around, but when she got out of prison, people were curious. And when she went into prison, there were really no books for women. They were all about the experiences of men. People were hungry to hear about it and she felt a deep obligation to tell not just her story, but the stories of the other women as well — who they are, where they came from, and what happens to them when they get out.

I encouraged her to write it, and knew she was a great writer from living with her all those years. We have a friend who used to joke long before Piper went to prison and wrote the book that she was the better writer in the house because she would edit things I wrote and she was so good. But after getting her letters while she was in prison, it was undeniable. She’s absolutely the better writer.

“IS STORYTELLING A CALLING, OR A CURSE?”

Columbus is known a test market for all sorts of products, and we’re proud of it. How did Columbus come to be the Six in the City prototype— a city of storytellers?

What I learned from Six-Word Memoirs is that I went from journalist, which I liked a lot, to someone who builds community through storytelling, which I love.

People sometimes ask if I ever get bored with Six Words. But it’s really just a tool to get people to open up about themselves. If I’m working with a Mosaic class, or Columbus School for Girls, or Independents’ Day with pieces of paper and a clothesline barking for Sixes, and that’s never boring.

Giving people agency over their lives, to be the protagonist in their own stories is empowering. I once had a teenage girl get up on stage at the Harmony Project and say, “Yes, I’m pregnant, but I’m graduating.” And they clapped. She was owning her story.

Six in the City tells the story of an entire community. I had initial meetings in New York, talked to folks with the city, and I’d get a call back three months later.

I didn’t intend to launch Six in the City in Columbus. But when I got here and looked around, and started to understand the community vibe, everyone I talked to in Columbus said yes.

Do you want to have a meeting? “Yes.” Do you want to move forward? “Yes.” Columbus is a “Yes” city. If you have an idea, and you’re willing to work hard, Columbus will help you make it happen — the city, the people, the community, everyone.

We came here two times before we decided to move here. There was an event at the Jewish Community Center, and we went out to dinner afterwards. We didn’t have any family ties or friends here. We came back one more time and my wife and I decided right then, “Let’s do this. Let’s get a house”. I was tired of that Brooklyn apartment anyway. It wasn’t a difficult decision. Now, I’m an ambassador for Columbus. ▩

December 1, 2016

Forged By Fire

Originally published in the December 2016 issue of (614) Magazine

First, forget everything you know about barbecue.

It’s not because you’re wrong — it’s because barbecue is more than you probably think. It’s not just having the talent and patience to let food cook low and slow. It’s about assembling the right ingredients and giving them just enough time to create something that defies expectations.

That’s exactly what you’ll find at Rooks Tavern, a dining destination with the neighborhood feel necessary to stand out, after years of mindful and meticulous preparation and planning.

“Originally, it was just going to be a typical Texas barbecue joint. We’d open at eleven, and close when we were out of meat,” explained owner John Havens, half of the creative duo behind Rooks Tavern. “That’s such a part of Texas culture, but it’s not like that in Columbus.”

“The original menu design was developed over two years through a combination of investigation and experimentation,” noted owner Aaron Mercier, the other half of Rooks Tavern. “We’re respectful of the ingredients, and the culinary traditions we’re applying. But we’re also doing something unexpected.”

“Barbecue can be so much more than ribs, pulled pork, and brisket — all of ours are excellent by the way,” Havens quipped. “But, every culture in the world has a barbecue tradition.”

The two met in high school, and despite a few moves along the way, both settled back in Columbus. Havens’ formal background in portfolio management, and Mercier’s in medieval literature, aren’t the common curriculum vitae for two guys elbowing their way into the restaurant racket. But their authentic Texas roots and keen kitchen chops are actually enhanced by the sense of trends and love of language that set Rooks Tavern and its evolving menu apart.

“One of our best-selling dishes is our beets. We take beets and par-cook them, then throw them in the coals of the fire,” Havens confessed. “After a while we pull them, peel them, and serve them over sheared chevre and a beet green puree — then we take some of those ashes that we keep and mix it with the salt. It’s one of the best things on the menu, and it’s totally vegetarian.”

“I tried it once and it was a smash hit,” Mercier noted. “It’s a process of research, citation and adaptation.” (It turns out that Copenhagen beet barbecue was actually inspired by a Danish dish Mercier found and refined into something entirely original.)

You’ll find more than a few surprises on the menu, as well as daily and seasonal specials — pulled pecan-smoked ruby trout, low country succotash, and a Western-inspired French stew they describe as a “Cowboy Cassoulet”. Weekends get weird with smoky banana-pecan French toast with Mexican chocolate, rib-meat poutine with mole gravy, and the “Austin Hangover” featuring up to a full pound of pulled pork or brisket, slow-cooked for 18-hours in one of Rooks’ two custom smokers — affectionately named “Pancho” and “Lefty”.

Rooks Tavern chooses local ingredients whenever available and appropriate for the menu, with more than a dozen farmers, bakers, and makers stocking their kitchen.

“Barbecue gets maligned as simple comfort food and very rarely gets elevated to fine cuisine, which it absolutely should be. It takes so much more work and knowledge and art,” Havens said. “We have no gas firing our smokers or our grill. It’s all based on how long can you hold your hand over it and how hot is it. So our cooks are constantly adapting. There are so many more variables.”

Another challenge in opening any restaurant is breaking through with customers, critics, and fellow culinary professionals in a city that takes its restaurant scene very seriously.

“I learned a lot about how to open restaurants the right way — and the inevitable chaos even when you’re doing it the right way,” Mercier explained, whose tenure at The Guild House was a proving ground for the process of opening their own restaurant.

Beneath their beards and boyish charm, both hide the résumés of restaurateurs forged by fire. Instead of tutoring for extra cash while finishing his dissertation, Mercier was working at Austin’s famous Blue Ox. Havens was trudging through stock trades by day, but also seasoning his partner with pictures of food trucks by email, hoping to find the right nudge.

“We were unusually prepared for a couple of amateurs,” Mercier chided. “We were ready to be unready.”

Eventually, the idea settled in during a summer stint with family and friends in the Adirondacks. Sitting out on the dock after supper, taking in the still of the lake and a generous share of bourbon, the two decided the time to fail was while they were still young enough to recover. After a couple more years of slow, steady heat, Rooks Tavern was finally ready to serve.

“Restaurateurs want other restaurateurs to succeed. It’s incredibly supportive here,” Mercier revealed. “Young chefs in particular want to raise the bar in this city, responding to national trends but applying Midwest values to them, to make them accessible.”

When best friends go into business, it can easily become a recipe for disaster. But these two wiseacres seem to have it down. Even the most incidental interaction reveals Havens is the affable Ben Affleck matched by Mercier as the more ruminating Matt Damon. Yet both are free from the ego that easily comes from early success.

When pushed for the biggest disagreement they’ve had in opening the restaurant —who won, and who was right — the answer was unequivocal.

“The menu…” Mercier replied without hesitation, about two seconds before Havens cut him off with a swift, “I won.”

Who was right is still disputed. Mercier contends the language in the original menu was too heavy-handed. Havens concedes it could use some tinkering.

Much like their barbecue, the truth is probably in the middle — never overcooked, nor underdone — but always adapting and improving. ▩

August 1, 2016

Still Innovating

Originally published in the August 2016 issue of (614) Magazine

When Ryan Lang and Brady Konya founded Middle West Spirits, the artisan distillery industry was scarce and the sky was the limit.

It still is, but now that sky is a lot closer than it used to be.

Unable to secure suitable space elsewhere, and committed to the neighborhood that supported them from novelty to name brand, Middle West Spirits grew up — with an innovative renovation that turned the Short North warehouse they’ve called home into a five-story cathedral of polished copper and stainless steel.

Amid the chaos of construction, I sat down with Lang and Konya to discuss their journey, their future, and the creative curiosity and “maker” philosophy that inspire the company culture.

How is Middle West Spirits more than just a distillery?

Ryan: “It’s more than just a steel box, which is what a lot of distillers are or become. When you walk through on a tour, it’s more than that. It’s a brand experience. I’ll bet you I’ve been in a hundred facilities — and without fail, most of them are rudimentary at best. Middle West Spirits is a brand company first.”

Brady: “I can’t imagine building the front end of our distilling operation in any neighborhood other than the Short North. We’ve always wanted to have an urban distillery, to be part of the heart of the city. From convention goers to travel writers covering the drink scene, there has been a lot of support from the city to include us in the narrative of Columbus.”

Was expansion an operational necessity, a marketing opportunity, or a bit of both?

Brady: “When we talk about capacity, we’ve really gone down two paths with our business model. One is our house of brands: OYO and any other spirit brands we may produce in the future, or other categories outside of vodka and whiskey. But then there’s this whole partner production side of the business.”

Ryan: “We decided to control our destiny by controlling our own costs. We don’t want to be beholden to anyone for product or pricing. We’re a craft-for-craft contract distiller, and there’s legitimacy for what we do. There is credibility in that, when people trust us to make their product for them. But at the end of the day, that becomes an engine to run our own brand. It creates a halo effect around the entire company.”

How much intuition and insight goes into an undertaking like this?

Ryan: “I don’t think we anticipated how quickly our business would grow. We were among only 50 or 60 so craft distilleries in the United States. And then there was a shortage in dark spirits from the larger suppliers, which opened the door for craft distilleries. You see that a lot in our world; they start with the clear spirits — the vodkas and gins. That allows for immediate cash flow. But they put as much as they can back into dark spirits, but often it’s still not enough.”

Brady: “We needed to grow up a little when it came to engaging with the city’s influencers and private sector development people. Every conversation we got a little better, a little braver, a little more thoughtful. It became clear to us after the course of about a year and a half that if we waited any longer it would hurt our business. A distillery of this scale is an engineering project with a building around it. You can’t just move it to another building.”

Could Middle West Spirits have continued to survive at its previous scale?

Brady: “One element that cemented our decision to go big was the regulatory nature of our business at the time. The markups here were very high and the assumption of liquor revenue by JobsOhio was really focused on what they considered mid-size companies, and there seemed to be a resistance to partner with the distilling community because we were an unknown quantity. We were a revenue center and a cost — but because of our size at the time, we were irrelevant. We were a rounding error.”

Ryan: “You have two real paths you can go down as a distillery. It’s not like the brewing industry where you buy a fermenter, and another fermenter, and another fermenter. Because when you make a gallon of beer in production, that equates to 90 percent finished beer. In our world, you end up with eight percent. Distilleries have a model where if you want to do anything of substantial volume, you either have to partner with someone who has the infrastructure, or make the decision to build your own.”

How tight did your previous space get before your knew you needed to expand?

Ryan: “We already had the opportunity to take over the back space in 2011. We did a little bit of a build-out and moved our equipment over, but in three months we filled the space. We actually had to create walkways to get to the office and the bathroom. It got to the point where it was starting to compromise production. If we wanted to make vodka, or wanted to make whiskey, we had to move so much. We knew there was no way for us to take our products nationally.”

Brady: “There were moments when we would bring 30 guests in for a tasting and we’d have to spend the whole day forking all of the materials out onto the curb in the parking lot so there was enough room for people to sit down. There was one time in 2013 when it was snowing and 20 degrees outside, and we had to move most of our production materials to have enough room to walk a tour through. We were probably spending 20 percent of our time just moving things around. It was awful.”

How quickly has the craft distillery industry grown nationwide?

Brady: “Two or three years ago, there were hundreds of small brands, and a few large brands who were sourcing the industrial suppliers for all of their dark spirits, and some clear spirits. In one year alone, from 2014 to 2015, the number of new craft distilleries exceeded all previous years combined.”

Ryan: “We were the second craft distillery in the state to be licensed. There was another in Cincinnati. Now there are more than 40 in Ohio. When we first started, we went to what is considered an alumni reunion for our world, the American Distilling Institute. We’d basically get together to see our friends there, just 50 of us sitting around talking. There are now thousands who go to the ADI every year, and we rarely see someone we know.”

What is the long-term market potential for craft distilleries?

Ryan: “The distilling industry is still in its infancy. But there is a fever pitch of growth. When it comes to craft beer, you can turn a product in 20 days. The craft distilling industry has a huge headwind now because the craft brewing industry is up to 17 percent of the market, and 20 percent of revenue. The craft brewers are competing with the macro brewers.”

Brady: “We’re less than one and a half percent of the market right now. Craft beer, depending on whom you ask, is between 15 and 17 percent. As long as consumers are willing to buy local products that are higher quality, there is huge upside for craft distilleries to capture a big part of that clear spirits market. Even if it’s only five percent, that’s still five times more than what they have right now.”

How unique was the financing of such a large-scale project in an emerging industry?

Brady: “As a result of consolidating our distilling and storage operations in the city, we also received incentives. Columbus fought hard for us to stay here. The mayor’s office helped us through the process. JobsOhio, who had initially shown great resistance to work with our industry, offered us a grant for equipment. All of those things came together to help us hire more people and invest in more product categories.”

Ryan: “This expansion really put the emphasis on how to manage a midcap distillery, and what is actually needed to fuel the operation. Distilling is very capital intensive, with a need for patient capital — as we have to age our product for years. We needed to change our philosophy to make sure the cash well was something we could control better. General sales alone are not enough to really make huge dents in distribution chains.”

What kinds of unforeseen obstacles have you overcome during the expansion?

Ryan: “It’s been a little challenging. The build is behind schedule — eight months. We’ve reengineered the plant at least a dozen times as the scope of the project has expanded. The building itself has changed significantly. The original estimates we had for the steel needed increased four times. That’s the big lesson for me in all of this, that we should have trusted our guts a little more.”

Brady: “In many ways, we’re right back where we were in 2010. We’re like a stage-one startup all over again. We are still in the middle of the storm and we have the bumps and bruises to prove it. Seven or eight years ago, I don’t think we would have envisioned where we are today as the exact outcome — but it’s not that far off from where we wanted to take it. It was never about just being a great local brand. It was always about putting Ohio on the map.” ▩

June 1, 2016

In Our Nature

Originally published in the June 2016 issue of (614) Magazine

Art is about contrast and conflict — and humanity’s indelible imprint on the environment has never looked as striking, or haunting, as it does when explored by artist Laura Sanders. Her latest exhibition, aptly titled In Our Nature, runs through June 30 at Joseph Editions Gallery, 17 W Russell Street in the Short North.

“I do wonder if all this plastic will be our enduring creation, our fossil remains,” Sanders explained. “I also consider the reciprocal nature of our relationship to the environment. We are shaped by it, and as we change the environment, we change ourselves.”

Those new to Sanders’s work could easily mistake the photorealism of oil and canvas for images that were captured instead of created. One such piece titled “Winter Light” features a young girl in a crocheted cap watching the brisk sky through a large swatch of vinyl construction fence. The waves of orange plastic fold to form a series of tiny windows, casting eerie geometric shadows across her wind-chapped face and rumpled coat.

The exhibition also includes nostalgia-inspired, scientific field illustrations of flora seemingly trapped in plastic bottles — almost like specimen containers

“The work in this show continues my interest in merging the figure and the landscape, with the drawings being the exception. In those, the plastic becomes a stand-in for the human presence,” Sanders noted. “In these, I have drawn plastic water bottles containing reflections of flowers with their Latin names in calligraphy. In my imaginary versions, we have only the captured reflections of the flowers available for study.”

The series is both warm and cold at the same time, much like the organic curves of the plastic vessels. In scarcely a century, we’ve gone from storing food we grew ourselves in glass jars, to eating processed food from metal cans, to plastic bottles filled with chemicals and carbonation. Despite their ubiquity, plastic bottles are both intimate and expendable — designed to hold in our hand and put to our lips, only to be quickly discarded and forgotten.

“I particularly love the paintings on paper in this show — her witty take on 18th century botanical drawings, trapping a blossom in a cage of a plastic water bottle,” concurred director Teresa Kelley. “Joseph Editions seeks to provide a platform for world-class art with local roots, bringing exciting artists from the larger art world to Columbus via the more accessible medium of editions, and showing work by incredible talents like Laura Sanders.”

“The work that perhaps encapsulates this exhibition best is the painting of a single plastic gun held up, finger on trigger. But when we look closely, we see the gun is pointed back at the shooter. It’s a wonderful visual metaphor and I think this type of work is unexpected by those who have followed Laura’s career,” Kelley explained. “I love when an artist grows and changes, and I’m excited by how the work has been embraced by collectors.”

“The Ohio Portfolio project was a great opportunity for Ohio artists to go to New York and work with a master printmaker to create an original edition print,” Sanders explained. “The result is a great opportunity for collectors in Columbus to create a collection of Ohio artists’ work affordably.”

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Sanders was initially drawn to Central Ohio to study at the Columbus College of Art and Design. Community and opportunity eventually helped make Clintonville her home.

“Recently, I had a conversation with a new arrival to Columbus, explaining how I met many of my artist friends. I kept coming back to the Ohio Art League and what a great community building organization it has been over the years,” she explained further. “For me, having the moral support of artist friends has been a big part of what makes Columbus a great place to work.”

“With CCAD, the Pizzuti Collection, the Wexner Center and the Columbus Museum of Art all having contemporary art exhibition programs, artists have the opportunity to see work that is being made now,” Sanders noted. “Being able to think about my work in the context of what is going on nationally without traveling to New York is a great asset to living here.” ▩

For hours and more info, visit josepheditions.com. For more of Sanders’ work, visit laurasandersart.com.

June 15, 2015

Secret Supper, Simply Served

Originally published in the Summer 2015 issue of Stock & Barrel

Hidden in plain sight on the south side of Clintonville is an intimate eatery — intermittently open, but always inviting. Haven’t heard about it yet? You’re not alone.Café Bella is less of a restaurant and more of a secret supper club whose menu is a mystery to even the owner.

With an emphasis on original recipes and local ingredients, Vince Withers delivers something unexpected every meal. That’s because Café Bella has everything you’d anticipate from a quaint and quirky dinner dive — except a menu.

For a floating price between $15 and $20, guests enjoy a three-course feast of Mediterranean fare with Italian inspiration and family-style service. But it’s the man behind this novel non-restaurant who is as complex as the cuisine he serves.Withers credits his Appalachian ancestry and upbringing with preparing him for the radical departure from engineer to restaurateur. “I come from generations of farmers in Jackson, Ohio. At our house, when you were old enough to reach the counter, you had to learn to clean it or cook it,” he explained. “I’d also worked in several restaurants while studying engineering at Ohio State.

”But nearly a decade after stumbling into defense contract work “building flying killer robots”, Withers’ disenchantment intersected with opportunity. So, he decided to trade the skunkworks for the skillet.

“I was a frequent customer of the previous owner, who was also looking for a change,” Withers recalled. “I did a head count of my close friends, and I figured between family meals and a few parties, I could cover my overhead.”

“I would always look at restaurant menus, but they never told me what the chef enjoyed making,” he said. Now Withers opens and closes as he likes, and makes the food he loves.

That love extends beyond the kitchen. Withers also worked with local food pantry patrons to start their own container gardens, supplying tomato plants and live herbs to those in need. There are also side projects to develop even more diverse ingredients under roof. A fish tank in the back is teeming with tilapia, spawned onsite, while Withers’ inner engineer still dons the lab coat downstairs in the climate-controlled ‘mushroom vault’. Neither emerging ingredients have made it to customers’ plates just yet. But, you can’t underestimate a guy who seems equal parts restaurant innovator and culinary savant.

That ingenuity also shows in the sophisticated garden adjacent to the dining patio. If you like locally grown herbs and fresh produce, it’s tough to beat 15 feet.

“Rain runoff fills the pond, the koi control the mosquitos, and introduce nutrients into the water to support the garden — no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides,” Withers explained, while making adjustments to the array of pipes and planters.

Lending a hand is OSU intern, Neil Mezache, who was likewise surprised by Café Bella’s simplicity and sustainability.

“I didn’t realize there would be an entire aquaponics system in addition to the garden,” he noted. Mezache also finds the internship a complement to his work at the university’s plant pathology lab. “You don’t experience mistakes and setbacks in the classroom like you do the garden. That’s where the real learning is.”

“Fresh tomatoes only come a few weeks out of the year. Oak leaf lettuce and red Russian kale. Thyme, oregano, you’ll see basil pesto too,” Withers predicted of the more seasonal garden ingredients you’ll find working their way into the kitchen. “You don’t have a lot of prep when you don’t have an extensive menu, so there’s hardly any food waste.”

That’s why it’s a good idea to call ahead — just to make sure they’re open. If it’s a slow night, they might close early. Despite the small scale, parties from 20 to 50 are welcome, with a menu tailored to guests’ requests. Café Bella’s approach also makes dining surprisingly simple for those with food allergies or dietary preferences. As Withers puts it, “It’s less ‘tell me what you want’ and more ‘tell me what you don’t want’ — and I’ll make you something new and delicious.”

Maybe you’ll start with a flatbread appetizer, followed by a sprout salad, eggplant parm and a roasted, dark meat quarter of chicken. That was last night’s menu.

Simple and subtle, cheese and tomato on a crunchy crust. Spicy sprouts of clover and alfalfa with “living legumes” of adzuki, chickpeas and red lentils over arugula, all brought together with a perfectly pungent vinaigrette. Meaty medallions of fried eggplant, crispy and tender, on a bed of pasta with lightly sautéed zucchini, asparagus and kale. A leg and thigh of chicken with skin so seasoned and succulent, you abandon both pretense and utensils and just go for it. And, as if that wasn’t enough, a tiny sugar-dusted cookie offset by an earthy French-pressed cup of coffee.

You know you want it — but you already missed it. This isn’t the Olive Garden. Today will be something equally epic, yet decidedly different. You just won’t know what it is until you walk through the door. ▩

December 15, 2014

Gluten-Free Gluttony

Originally published in the Winter 2014 issue of Stock & Barrel

There’s a fine line between crunchy and crumbly, even for the best baker. But consider food allergies in your recipes and those cupcakes can easily go from moist to mush.

Luckily for those who need to be gluten-free, Central Ohio is quickly earning a regional reputation for treats without the wheat.

“We don’t try to recreate gluten products with gums and flour blends,” said Geri Peacock, owner of Cherbourg Bakery. “Our focus has always been on creating the best baked goods with minimally processed ingredients—pure, good, raw.”

Just around the corner from the Drexel Theatre in Bexley, a step inside the bakery transports eager eaters to another time and place. In her travels to France, Peacock discovered the city whose sweet and savory fare inspired her. Upon learning her grandfather helped liberate Cherbourg following the Allied invasion of Normandy, the connection became clear.

“I didn’t go to baking school, but I come from a long line of bakers,” Peacock explained. “My mother used to bake wedding cakes at home, and we made our own pizzas on Friday nights.”

That personal touch is part of the process at Cherbourg. There are no mixers or designations between bakers and cashiers. “Gluten-free recipes ‘feel’ different. That’s why everyone here does everything, by hand,” she explained.

“Our double lemon bars and espresso brownies are still our best-selling items,” Peacock said. “But our seasonal specialties are very popular.” Cherbourg also offers a “Savory Sunday,” a decidedly French “brunché” of soups, quiches, and sweets.

New to the gluten-free scene is Bake Me Happy in Merion Village, with a balance of sophisticated sweets and childhood treats to satisfy any age or appetite.

“Our bakery offers gluten-free goodness for everyone,” said Wendy Miller-Pugh, co-owner of Bake Me Happy with her partner Letha Pugh. “I’ve always been creative, but Letha is the entrepreneur.” Bake Me Happy’s signature sellers—creme-filled sponge cakes and oatmeal cookie sandwiches—aren’t simply nostalgic knockoffs. They’re more like a gluten-free tribute band. “People tie so many memories and emotions to food. We wanted to recreate that experience for children and adults,” Miller-Pugh said.

Those craving complex flavor combinations will also find savory scones, sweet and salty dark chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter “burners,” unique reimagined recipes. “It feels like we ate a million peanut butter cookies to get the mix of heat and sweet just right,” she explained.

Beyond the bakery, Bake Me Happy also operates a food truck of sorts for area festivals—a branded, vintage VW Microbus.

“The bus was a whim we found on Craigslist, and we bought it for less than a billboard,” Miller-Pugh said. “We don’t bake in it, but it allows us to do deliveries and community events in a more memorable way.”

Sometimes gluten isn’t the only problem. So those with dairy, egg, and soy allergies will find Soodles Bake Shop in Worthington a welcome addition to serve that selective sweet tooth. “Our bakery is free of the eight major food allergens—though we do use coconut in some recipes,” explained Amy McCrea, Soodles owner. “My family has food allergies, just like many families do. So I started with our own recipes.”

Customer rapport is big with any bakery, more so when allergies enter the mix. “Our bakers know our families and often share the same food sensitivities,” she said. “Our customers know they can trust us.”

Cinnamon coffee cake, baked doughnuts, and handmade graham crackers are big sellers, but Soodles also supplies several area restaurants with staples and seasonal favorites. From pizza crusts and dinner rolls to dainty delights and decadent desserts, you may already be a fan of Soodles and not know it.

“We work with Mama Mimi’s, Taranto’s, Yabo’s Tacos, and Cameron Mitchell,” McCrea said. “If you’re planning a birthday party at the American Girl store, you can also request our allergen-free cupcakes.”

Sometimes gluten-free greatness is thrust upon you, as was the case with Holiday Baking Company of Worthington.

“We hadn’t been open that long, and a customer asked if we could bake a carrot cake for his wife who was gluten-free,” said Lisa Schaber, the bakery’s owner. “She loved the cake so much, she recommended us to her gluten-free friends and requests grew.”

Within six months of opening, at first alternating gluten-free baking days to avoid cross-contamination, Holiday Baking Company became an entirely gluten-free operation. A career pastry chef before she even started her own bakery, Schaber adapted her mother’s recipes one by one to match the taste and texture.

“People aren’t always sure, especially when they’re buying a dessert for a family holiday,” she noted. Saturday’s breakfast and special events offer curious customers comfort food and gluten-free rarities like biscuits and gravy, pizza by the slice, and pies like apple crumb and sweet potato.

There are seasonal selections like pumpkin and cranberry pecan bread, but also year-round favorites—like their variety of breads, dessert bars, and hand-painted sugar cookies. “We’re known for our sticky buns,” she said.

Holiday Baking Company’s catering menu has supplied plenty of family celebrations and events, but perhaps none so meaningful as the funeral of Schaber’s inspiration, her mother. “My family was so surprised that I’d made my mother’s recipes taste the same, despite being gluten-free,” she said. “Being able to keep sharing them, that was the icing on the cake.” ▩

December 1, 2014

Give Different

Originally published in the December 2014 issue of (614) Magazine

Looking for a durable, digital gift that’s innovative, affordable, and won’t bend and break if you put it in your pocket?

How about a charity gift card from Community Shares of Mid Ohio or The Columbus Foundation?

Community Shares of Mid Ohio wants to make your hectic holiday shopping simple, yet significant. The grassroots federation of more than 60 local nonprofits soft-launched the gift card that gives back late last year. But this is the first full season for conscientious consumers to buy something that’s never the wrong size or style and always appreciated by causes that count.

Originally organized to give employees an easy opportunity to donate to small area nonprofits, Community Shares of Mid Ohio has evolved to offer member charities collective marketing, expert training, and ongoing advocacy. The “Give Card” is the latest addition to this mission.

“The inspiration for the Give Card really came out of a need to find additional ways for the community to contribute to our members beyond the workplace,” noted Community Relations Director Ryan Kovalaske.

“Community Shares is unique because it focuses on local nonprofits doing work in the community, and in some cases throughout the state,” explained Executive Director Teresa Trost. “These nonprofits reflect the diversity of Central Ohio, but are not typically available through other workplace giving programs.”

The Give Card offers recipients the choice to invest in causes that are meaningful to them—from arts education and animal welfare to building inclusive communities and promoting social justice.

“The purchaser does not have to know which charity the recipient prefers, like they would through a traditional ‘gift in your name’ as some nonprofits offer,” said Kovalaske. “Everything is handled online, but the purchaser has an option to print a certificate to give the recipient as an inclusion in a birthday or thank you card. The purchaser may just as easily email the certificate as a PDF to the recipient to keep things eco-friendly.”

As the Community Shares’ Give Card approached launch, The Columbus Foundation also announced its own charitable gift card.

The Columbus Foundation supports the local nonprofit community through grants from more than 2,000 charitable funds and supporting foundations, as well as creating opportunities for individual giving.

Though both cards seem similar, there are key differences—including the charities represented. Some charities are available through either program; most are exclusive to one or the other.

“Our Give Card is available in any denomination. We pushed for that because, just like pledging during our workplace giving campaigns, we didn’t want price to be a barrier for anyone looking to contribute,” Trost explained.

The Columbus Foundation’s charitable gift card is available at $20, $50 and $100, which may be allocated to any of several hundred local charities and affiliates featured in PowerPhilanthropy, the organization’s online marketplace. “PowerPhilanthropy is a database of more than 600 local charities that allows donors to compare ‘apples to apples,’” said Lisa Courtice, Executive Vice President for Community Research and Grants Management with The Columbus Foundation. “Individual charity websites don’t always have the same information, or provide the insight needed for many donors. PowerPhilanthropy helps donors choose.” Physical cards are available for in-person giving, or may be sent directly to the recipient. Last minute shoppers may also opt for an electronic gift card that can be purchased and emailed instantly.

“The Columbus Foundation’s charitable gift card can only be given to a single nonprofit,” Trost noted. “The amount placed on a Give Card from us can be divided among multiple nonprofits in our program. Again, we really wanted to honor that idea because we have offered it as an option through our workplace giving campaigns.” ▩

For more information on Community Shares of Mid Ohio and the Give Card program, visit communityshares.net and givecard.net. For information on The Columbus Foundation and their Charitable Gift Card, visit columbusfoundation.org and tcfgiftcardpurchase.org

November 1, 2014

Triple Espresso

Originally published in the November 2014 issue of (614) Magazine

The “newest” coffee roaster in Columbus opened more than 25 years ago.

Last month, Stauf’s opened two new locations – a sudden and surprising expansion from the local roastery, which started in Grandview in 1988.

Stauf’s merged with Cup O’ Joe in 2000, with Stauf’s growing predominantly into a wholesale roaster and Cup O’ Joe driving the retail presence. Mark Swanson, president of Stauf’s, said the reason for the Stauf’s expansion now is the opportunity to roast in the shops.

“If you think about all of the great folks at the North Market and the exceptional quality of the shops and restaurants in German Village, roasting on-site was critical to make sure we had the freshest possible coffee and the best experience,” Swanson said.

Small-batch coffee roasting is no small feat. Tom Griesemer, the company’s founder and the first coffee roaster in Columbus, would know.

“The quality of the beans and talent of the person roasting them are crucial, but so is the roaster itself,” Griesemer said. “It took us months to secure our two new roasters.”

The roasters are built in Germany, and Stauf’s scored the last two roasters of the type available in the country. Probat, a company that’s been making coffee roasters since 1868, only builds so many a year. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

“We were lucky to get the last two, or the expansion could have been postponed another year. Just like roasting, timing is everything,” Griesemer said.

Though greeted by the familiar Stauf’s logo, regulars from the Grandview coffee shop will find the look and feel of the new locations unexpected. Guests are greeted by slate gray millwork and natural wood tones punctuated by pops of red at both locations. The earthy aroma of beans and brewing leaves just enough room for the hint of scones and sweet rolls from the kitchen in German Village.

Stauf’s retains local relationships for sourcing ingredients and edibles from many area entrepreneurs and start-up shops, but there is a renewed emphasis on baking in-house as well – for both Stauf’s and Cup O’ Joe.

“Each store will be responsive in their offerings, with Grandview and German Village baking for their own needs, and the rest of the stores,” Swanson said. “Blueberry muffins are always our number one seller at every location, but two, three and four are quite different. We see the same in coffee sales; our goal is to focus on each community.”

With three Stauf’s locations and three Cup O’ Joes (Clintonville, Lennox, and Downtown) serving faithful foot traffic and commuter connoisseurs, it’s easy to forget the original Grandview store was once the only place in Columbus where coffee didn’t come out of a can. According to Griesemer, Columbus didn’t have any good coffee when he first moved to the area, with only two coffee shops, both serving coffee shipped out of New York.

“There was no selection to speak of and what was there already tasted old,” said Griesemer.

As a transplant from University of California, Davis, Griesemer was well-versed in the growing California coffee culture, ultimately turning around one of those local shops by introducing fresh-roasted coffee to the Columbus market. But when his offer to buy the business he helped build was rejected, he decided to put his experience in the restaurant industry to work for himself. Stauf’s Coffee Roasters opened two months later, with a lot of long hours and late nights.

“Tom started in a sleepy little strip mall in Grandview in just 800 square feet,” Swanson said.

“I used to say I worked the ‘B-shift,’” Griesemer said. “I had to be there when we opened and be there when we closed. We even built the furniture ourselves at night in OSU’s theater department.”

Griesemer’s lean operational insights and initiatives paid off. Stauf’s was profitable in just two month’s time, and the original location has since expanded its space more than four-fold. That same commitment to customers and community still shines decades later.

“Being a smaller company allows us to be more flexible. Each store can have similarities and differences,” Swanson explained. “Grandview grew organically, so we’re not going to drop a ‘widget’ into another location and expect it to be the same.”

“No matter how great our coffee is, our guests are partners in the experience,” Swanson said. “Everyone who works for Stauf’s – we were all customers first.” ▩

Read more about the evolution of the Columbus coffee culture in the third volume of Stock & Barrel, (614) Magazine’s new quarterly food and drink publication, out mid-December.