Category: Celebrity (page 1 of 4)

December 1, 2024

Guy Fieri Goes Greek

Originally published in the December 2024 issue of COLUMBUS MONTHLY

Among the most dreaded calls any restaurant owner could receive is one requiring them to temporarily close—unless that call comes from Guy Fieri. When the host of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives decides a beloved local joint deserves national attention, it’s worth celebrating.  

“You’re sworn to secrecy and you have to close for a couple of days. But we only close on Sundays and holidays,” said Yianni Chalkias, owner of King Gyros. Since opening more than three decades ago, the menu and dining room have expanded from fast causal fare to a full service Greek restaurant in the heart of Whitehall. “They said we’re just the kind of place they look for, where everything is made from scratch. So I made an exception.”  

Born in Greece, Chalkias immigrated shortly before his tenth birthday and started working in his family’s restaurants until opening his own. Even during the pandemic and throughout extensive remodeling that transformed an abandoned Taco Bell into an immersive Acropolis-inspired destination for Mediterranean home cooking, King Gyros never closed—not one day, much less two. But Fieri’s praise doesn’t come easy, and Chalkias was eager and honored to join a growing fraternity of eponymous eateries including quintessential Columbus favorites like Tommy’s Diner, Katalina’s, and soon Wario’s Beef and Pork.  

“Guy is looking for something special that nowhere else has. We have 26 homemade desserts. We grow our own herbs and serve dishes that would cost twice as much at other restaurants,” Chalkias said. “When I told them we grind our own lamb, they asked me to send some pictures of the kitchen. That’s when I knew they were really interested.”  

Born in Columbus and raised in California, Fieri discovered his love of food early as well. Also at age 10, he turned his bicycle into a mobile soft pretzel business and earned enough by age 16 to travel to France to improve his kitchen prowess. Forty seasons and more than a thousand underrated restaurants later, Fieri’s fondness for his hometown isn’t so secret. An online petition to rename Ohio’s capital city “Flavortown” quickly garnered 130,000 signatures back in 2020. The food and music festival of the same name, originally scheduled to coincide with the opening of Guy Fieri’s Trattoria at Eldorado Scioto Downs this past June, was moved to the back burner. However, his appetite for wholesome eats and local spots that serve them remains voracious.  

“We talked about recipes and ingredients in the weeks before the shoot, how different dishes might work,” Chalkias said. “On the final call they decided on Yiayia’s Dolmades and Pappous’ Lamb Chops. They’re named after my yiayia, which is Greek for grandma, and my pappous, which means grandpa. It was perfect.”  

The secrecy isn’t just to keep a lid on which restaurants will appear in upcoming episodes, though Fieri’s familiar red Camaro isn’t exactly inconspicuous and astute fans of the show sometimes spoil the surprise. Some dishes don’t make the cut, and some places don’t either. It was actually a fellow restauranteur who recommended King Gyros for the culinary itinerary. Closing for a couple days is more logistical. Just try squeezing lighting, sound, and camera crews into an already cramped kitchen as orders keep pile up. The second day of shooting is for select patrons to share their fondness for the food, recommendations and memories, and why the restaurant is such a beloved part of the community.  

“We started getting ready at 9AM on Friday, and Guy was here from around 2PM to 4PM. They even kept his car covered up except when they were shooting,” Chalkias said. “Everything was wrapped up around 5PM, so we opened up for the rest of the night. The second day of shooting was Sunday, when we’re closed anyway, so we didn’t have to close two days after all.”  

Though not part of the show, there’s a camaraderie among restauranteurs and sharing notes is also part of the experience. Fieri gave a nod to Chalkias for branching out into catering, a strategy Sweet Carrot embraced exclusively, stepping back from retail restaurants entirely despite rave reviews and an earlier appearance. He also acknowledged their similar age and the need to slow down and maybe take more days off, even if the restaurant is open.   

Three months later, during the annual Columbus Greek Festival, more than a hundred family, friends, and patrons gathered in the parking lot to watch the episode projected on a giant screen. Equal parts block party, backyard cookout, and class reunion, neighbors, long-time fans, and former staff dating back to the early days of the restaurant mixed and reminisced until a hush fell over the lines of lawn chairs and standing room only crowd. They listened intently as Chalkias carefully prepared and seared his signature lamb chops, and laughed along as Fieri chided repeatedly over the lemon dill sauce complementing the dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves, each artfully rolled by hand.  

A rousing dedication by Chalkias to his supporters and staff, past and present, drew cheers and more than a few tears soon remedied by a buffet of dishes featured on the show, as well as some of those legendary desserts. Weeks later, the limelight hasn’t seemed to fade with new patrons discovering King Gyros every day.  “

Following the episode, there was a 50 percent increase in business. Now it’s closer to 25 percent and we expect to stay busier in the months ahead,” Chalkias said acknowledging the long tail that tends to follow an appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. “When people travel, they check old episodes to find unique places to eat. We think we’ll see that impact for years to come. But it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”  ▩

King Gyros is located at 400 S Hamilton Road. For menu and specials, visit kinggyros.com and follow on Instagram @kinggyrosgreek

Looking for more oF Guy Fieri’s favorite STOPS IN FLAVORTOWN?

No one visiting Columbus should leave hungry. Here are are additional Central Ohio spots from previous episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Loops | loopsgoodfood.com 
Grandview
Season 27, Episode 8 
Chicago Italian Beef and the house-made All-Pork Gyro, The Titan  

Pierogi Mountain | pierogimountain.com 
Downtown 
Season 27, Episode 9 
Ethiopian-inspired Misir Wot Pierogi and Chicken Paprikash  

Ray Ray’s Hog Pit | rayrayshogpit.com 
Clintonville, Franklinton, Westerville, Granville, Linworth 
Season 27, Episode 9 
Mangalitsa Bratwurst Burger and Dry-Rub St. Louis Spare Ribs   

Sweet Carrot | sweetcarrot.com 
German Village
Season 27, Episode 10 
Beef Brisket Corn Cake and Sweet Chili Chicken Meatball Sandwich  

Ena’s Caribbean | enascaribbeankitchen.com
 South Linden 
Season 28, Episode 1 
Signature Spicy Jerk Chicken and Fried Escovitch Red Snapper  

Momo Ghar | northmarket.org
Downtown
Season 28, Episode 2 
Nepali-Tibetan Momo and Grilled Chicken, Potatoes, and Bodi  

Katalina’s | katalinas.com
 Harrison West, Clintonville, Bexley
 Season 40, Episode 2 
Dulce de Leche Pancake Balls and Everything but the Chicken Sink Sammy

High Bank Distillery | highbankco.com 
Grandview, Gahanna, Westerville 
Season 40, Episode 7 
Hot Honey Chicken and Biscuits and Barbacoa Nachos

Joya’s | eatatjoys.com
 Worthington 
Season 40, Episode 8 
Bacon and Chicken Fried Rice and Lamb Kati Roll

Wario’s Beef and Pork | wariosbeefandpork614.com
 Downtown, Clintonville 
Season 40, Episode 10
Ribeye Cheesesteak and Rosemary/Fennel Roasted Pork

May 17, 2023

Hot Sauce Side Hustle

Originally published in the May 2023 issue of COLUMBUS MONTHLY

If you noticed the lights on later than expected at The Lox in early April and ran in to get out of the torrential rain saturating the Short North, you probably gave the sign on the door a double take. The familiar din and diners were somehow replaced as the sounds and aromas of Oaxaca filled the air and patrons eagerly lined up for tacos, despite a tornado watch.

Wait, wasn’t this a nationally-renowned bagel shop — like this morning?

Don’t worry, those perennial boiled and baked breakfast classics aren’t going anywhere, nor is Chef Silas Caeton. But his signature Sabo hot sauce is another story, as he prepares to expand the brand to additional retail locations and online sales.

“I love pop-ups, where creators are really passionate about putting something new out there in a limited format, whatever is in the forefront of their minds at the time,” Caeton says. “It’s a chance to create a menu that pairs with the hot sauce with my background in Mexican food.”

For Caeton, that personal history dates back long before his tenure as executive chef at Cosecha Cocina. His parents lived in Mexico for stretch, and his siblings were born there. Though not Mexican by heritage, it was a formative experience that influenced family meals and his relationship with recipes and authentic ingredients from an early age.

“Being at The Lox for the past four and a half years put all of that on the back burner to really focus on bagels, which has also been an awesome experience,” Caeton says. “But it’s a muscle I still want to utilize on the side, to experiment with those flavors and tap into those memories.”

Though Tabasco was his brand of choice growing up, he eventually ventured into more nuanced options. But the right balance of spice, texture, and consistency remained elusive. Cosecha Cocina was the impetus to start creating his own variations, and for those who already know Sabo, its presence at The Lox long preceded its recent availability in bottles.

“It’s more than the typical vinegar-based hot sauce, somewhere between a classic hot sauce and a barbecue sauce in thickness. It’s smoky and spicy, but not overwhelming. Hot sauce should complement the food, not overpower it,” Caeton says. “But there’s also a sweetness, not too much, and the Mexican oregano adds this beautiful floral note to it. It’s a very deep, savory sauce.”

When it comes to new menu items, tacos or otherwise, hot takes are often the best takes. Earlier pop-ups at The Lox have been highly popular, now ticketed events to help better predict exactly how popular in advance and are expected to become monthly events. Guests choose from among five refined interpretations—chicken “al pastor”, cochinita pibil, chorizo, sweet potato, and barbacoa—as well as a supporting cast of accompaniments including black bean tostadas to shrimp a la parilla. All are created to showcase Sabo, which is still billed as a hot sauce, but is surprisingly versatile in bringing complex flavors together, not just adding heat.“

Sabo is currently available at The Lox and Joyas. Our near-term goals is add local grocery stores and online sales with a long-term goal of larger chains,” Caeton says. “But it’s still exciting to see regular customers and guests bite into something new and realize the hot sauce that’s now in bottles is the same one they’ve had on their bagel sandwiches for years.” ▩

For dates of future pop-ups and retail details, visit sabosauce.com and follow them on Instagram @sabosauce

Seven Spicy, Ohio-Made Condiments You Need in Your Rotation

There are no rules when it comes to condiments and how to use them. Here are a few more signature sauces to tempt and test your palate from throughout Ohio — all with their own unique heat.

Cleveland Ketchup Company’s Ghost Pepper | clevelandketchup.com

Husband and wife duo Matt and Lisa McMonagle are new to the condiment scene, but hit the ground running five years ago with fours varieties of the sweet and savory standard. Dollop some of their hot ketchup on a Cuban Frita, the humble hamburger’s Caribbean cousin.

Mister Mustard and Mrs. Mustard | woebermustard.com

Carl Woeber started his Springfield business with a horse and buggy. More than a century later, this spicy couple still stands out. Forget about boiling that brisket. Cover your corned beef in hot or sweet mustard and brown sugar, wrap it in foil, then bake until it’s fork tender.

Sandwich Pal Smoky Horseradish Sauce | woebermustard.com

The raw root vegetable can be overwhelming. But the mix of mayo and mesquite makes this more recent offering from the fourth generation of the Woeber family an underground success. Squeeze a little into your mashed potatoes or add some heat to your deviled eggs.

CinSoy Chili Crisp | cinsoyfoods.com

Queen City Chef Sam Pellerito is all in when it comes to authentic Asian flavors. His creations are small batch and sublime, yet the combination of Szechuan peppercorns and cured garlic in his chili crisp is spice-forward. Drizzle a little on fried pork chops for an extra kick.

Double Comfort Fiery Chipotle Bourbon Sauce | doublecomfortfoods.com

There’s almost too much going on to fit into the distinctive flask-shaped bottle. But one nip and you’ll suspend your skepticism. Those who remember Mary Lyski’s restaurant are familiar with the Memphis influence. Give your chicken drummies a toss for a taste you’ll not soon forget.

Black Cap Hot Sauce | blackcaphotsauce.com

Chef Jack Moore is also shaking up the local hot sauce scene. Fermented and unfiltered, the probiotic first offering from his latest endeavor is only found in the cold case. Add a generous splash to your Bloody Mary for a hangover helper that will clear your head and your sinuses.

Check websites and social media for retail and online availability.

February 1, 2023

Culinary Knife Fight

Originally published in the February 2023 issue of COLUMBUS MONTHLY

It’s fight night, but it’s not Las Vegas or Atlantic City. The arena is Ray Ray’s in Granville and a pair of local chefs—Damian Ettish of Fetty’s Street Food and Justin Gottschalk of the eagerly awaited Harvest Pizzeria in Granville—are ready to throw down in front of a live audience and a trio of judges. After a brief tour of the kitchen and its provisions, the chefs ready their knives as the mystery ingredients are revealed and the competition begins. Each chef must prepare an appetizer and entrée using a whole chicken, cipollini onions, golden beets, apples and oranges. This is still Ray Ray’s, so smoke and fire are also essential elements.

Minutes into the matchup, any skepticism about chef showdowns being as choreographed as professional wrestling is immediately settled, as Gottschalk’s palm meets the business end of a mandoline. He bandages himself up and returns to the bout.

A little friendly competition, discerning judges, a raucous crowd, creative cuisine and, yes, a little blood: This is the new Ray Ray’s Supper Club.

Damian Ettish’s South African sweet curry with fried chicken

Though chef James Anderson, founder of Ray Ray’s Hog Pit, has an impressive collection of ink and accolades, his latest pivot in Granville from a sit-down “meat-and-three” restaurant, which closed last August, to an even more complex concept, one that combines a barbecue carryout with an experiential dining venue, was an unexpected departure.

Except, it really isn’t. That’s because this new endeavor is all about celebrating Ohio chefs and purveyors, just as Anderson always has dating back to his first food truck more than two decades ago in Clintonville. The new concept is also a product of the challenging time we’re in.

“The decision was driven by staffing. Running a restaurant six days requires a roster of 25,” Anderson says. “The drive-thru operating Thursday through Sunday only takes four. The supper club and events like the Chef Scrap are different than the daily grind. Staffing immediately became more sustainable, and we only select the highest caliber people.”

Chef Scrap judges Nicholas Dekker, chef Sebastian La Rocca and Three Tigers’ Scott Wilkins compare notes about the dishes.

Winnowing down the meat-and-three menu, which offered a slew of Southern-inspired sides, also became essential, with familiar Hog Pit favorites such as baby back ribs and collard greens making the final cut for the drive-thru. “The meat-and-three menu was way more robust, probably three times as large. You can’t sell food that needs to be served hot on a plate,” he says. “We had to pare it down to the items that traveled well.”

But the open-concept space was destined for something more. When the restaurant was first remodeled ahead of its opening in 2021, a wall separating the kitchen from the dining room was removed, Anderson says, making it an ideal exhibition venue for the eventual supper club, featuring multicourse chef’s tasting menus. However, it also made it the perfect arena for culinary competition.

“It’s very interactive compared to a traditional restaurant setting, much like a food truck but even more so. You’re seeing everything, sitting in the kitchen or at the counter for supper club,” Anderson says. “At the Chef Scrap, you have standing room right at the edge of the kitchen, so everyone has a complete view.”

Chef Damian Ettish of Fetty’s Street Food preps one of his dishes as the audience looks on during the Chef Scrap at Ray Ray’s Granville.

For those unfamiliar with Chef Scrap, imagine Iron Chef—the wildly popular Japanese television series in the ’90s that soon inspired a worldwide cult following and countless imitators. Renowned chefs known for their mastery of various cuisines are required to prepare sophisticated dishes from surprise ingredients in a limited amount of time for a panel of celebrity judges. The setup is deceptively simple—but the execution, done well, is absolutely enthralling entertainment.

Though fiercely protective of the Hog Pit brand, Anderson is unpretentious and conspicuously supportive of our local food scene. Through Chef Scrap and the supper club’s collaborative dinners, he steps out of the spotlight and invites colleagues and other local chefs to showcase their talents and businesses instead. The lineup of competitors past and pending isn’t a who’s who of barbecue. Rather, it’s a mix of established local chefs—like Jack Moore, formerly of Watershed Kitchen & Bar, and Dan “Hungarian Butcher” Varga—and emerging ones who share his humble culinary spirit, no matter their specialty.

The Chef Scrap, where extemporaneous fare is prepared under the intense attention of a captivated crowd, is a creative counterpoint to the refined multi-course dinners, and other events that round out Ray Ray’s Supper Club. During the December competition, while Gottschalk was bandaging his hand, emcee John Reese, owner of Black Radish Creamery, coyly tried to distract from the mishap by asking the judges to share their own kitchen scars and close calls. Chef Sebastian La Rocca of Fyr, Spark, and Stories on High rolled up his sleeve to show a string of stitches as fellow judges Scott Wilkins, co-owner and operator of Three Tigers Brewing and Mai Chau Kitchen, and Nicholas Dekker, of the eponymous Breakfast with Nick blog, visibly winced with the audience.

Though there are cameras and televisions positioned to help capture the action up close, unlike most cooking shows the head-to-head contest is also face-to-face. In true Columbus fashion, competitors were handing utensils back and forth throughout and watching the other’s preparations to prevent burning or boiling over.

Gottschalk was first to present his final dish, togarashi-spiced fried chicken with smoked beets atop an onion and apple slaw, finished with a black garlic vinaigrette. Ettish answered with a South African sweet curry with fried chicken thighs, smoked beets marinated in orange juice, then flambéed in local moonshine he’d quietly pinched from behind the bar.

It was close, but Ettish’s stealth ingredient and ingenuity appeared to pay off, earning him the win. Being a food truck owner who’s accustomed to tight kitchen quarters probably didn’t hurt. “On a food truck, there’s limited equipment and storage space,” Ettish says. “But neither of us knew who the judges were before tonight, so we couldn’t really appeal to their tastes. I just came in with the idea of Asian or Indian flavors, and whatever was in the mystery basket, because that’s what I know.”

Though Ray Ray’s recurring Chef Scrap is consistent with Anderson’s aspirations to highlight Central Ohio’s credible culinary chops, it’s also indicative of a larger trend in Columbus and beyond, where product and service converge to create an immersive experience, one that strengthens customer loyalty in an age of commodities.

“We’re looking for executive chefs in the Columbus area to compete, and as it grows, we’ll have chef versus chef and sous versus sous scraps,” he says, noting the audiences for the supper club, kitchen showdowns and drive-thru may be distinct, but the authenticity they crave is identical.

“Every chef comes in with what they know best, but it’s also a culinary playground,” Anderson says. “We’ve had a couple people from out of town apply, but I want to generate excitement about local competitions before opening it up to all of Ohio and additional states, so local chefs can compete against some of the best chefs in the country.” ▩

Ray’s Ray’s Supper Club is located at 1256 Columbus Road in Granville. For a complete list of upcoming events, visit rayrayssupperclub.com

August 10, 2021

Film Review: CODA

CODA generated both industry buzz and impossible expectations coming out of this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival. An acronym for “child of deaf adults”, CODA is the first entry to ever win the Directing Award, Audience Award, and Grand Jury Prize — as well as a Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble. Netflix and Amazon were both eager to acquire the rights to the film, but Apple Studios ultimately prevailed, premiering in theaters and on their signature streaming service August 13. It is the first theatrical release to have burned-in subtitles, making it accessible to hearing-impaired audiences everywhere without the need for special glasses and supporting projection technology.

Writer-director Siân Heder’s adaptation of the French film La Famille Bélier feels entirely original, despite some familiar themes for a coming-of-age story. Actress Emilia Jones plays Ruby, the only hearing member of a deaf family from the modest fishing town of Gloucester. Rising hours before dawn to work aboard her family’s tiny fishing trawler, she returns exhausted to endure the anxieties and drudgeries of high school. But what secretly stirs her soul is singing, a guilty pleasure she embraces, belting out Etta James with abandon into the vast ocean knowing no one can hear her.

Though this setup sounds like a cacophony of cliches and trite archetypes, Heder’s taut screenplay and directorial restraint somehow make CODA feel surprisingly fresh and inspired. The visual style, from the deft composition of each shot to the deliberate color palettes, highlight an artist’s attention to detail and reflect the quaint serenity of her native Massachusetts. Scenes that could easily descend into predictable dialogue between parent and child about following your heart instead create greater distance as familial obligations seem destined to undermine Ruby’s unappreciated gift. Though there are echoes of Running on Empty and Goodwill Hunting, the plot and its constituent parts never feel overly contrived or overtly derivative. Comparisons are somewhat inevitable, so if you’re going to have them anyway, likening a film to the work of Sidney Lumet or Gus Van Sant is high praise.

Performances from Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur as Ruby’s parents, and Daniel Durant as her older brother, are complex, clever, and captivating. With extended conversations exclusively in American Sign Language, audiences who feel overwhelmed following their facial expressions, animated gestures, and fast-paced subtitles will gain a small glimpse of the challenge of having to listen with only your eyes. In a particularly pivotal scene, Heder drops the audio out entirely, an immersive and emotional reveal that will likely leave audiences silent as well. Eugenio Derbez’s performance as Ruby’s choir teacher and mentor adds necessary levity, yet still amplifies the urgency of her looming choice to leave her family or abandon her dream.

However, Jones’ poignant portrayal is so subtle and sincere, it does what few performances from relative newcomers, or even seasoned screen veterans, tend to do. It genuinely suspends disbelief. Not only is her performance as the family’s de facto interpreter completely credible, her vocal abilities capture the raw joy of singing for someone who doesn’t realize she can really sing. Point of fact, Jones had to learn to sign and to sing for her role, making the authenticity of both all the more remarkable. But Ruby’s story is actually two stories, and that may be where CODA succeeds and shines most. Just as the awkward teen begins to consider a future beyond the deck of her family’s struggling fishing boat, the unlikely opportunity to audition for Berklee College of Music starts to slip away. Though she is in many ways isolated from her family by her ability to hear, she is simultaneously the sole connection they have to their community, one where they’ve only recently become less alienated after organizing a fishing co-op to help their neighbors fetch fair prices for their collective catch.

Without spoiling the ending, Ruby’s mutually exclusive worlds converge in a climatic closing song that illustrates why Apple was willing to write a check for $25 million without blinking, the highest amount ever paid for a Sundance film.

Though it’s a film rooted in universal family dynamics, there are some scenes that are probably too racy in subject matter for younger audiences. That said, CODA is sentimental without apologies, alternating between laughs and tears through a natural narrative that is thought-provoking without becoming preachy or political. Though this is likely the first exposure many will have to writer-director Siân Heder and actress Emilia Jones, it surely won’t be the last. ▩

CODA premieres in theaters and on Apple TV+ on August 13.

July 16, 2021

FILM REVIEW: ROADRUNNER

For those who may have missed mention of it earlier, Roadrunner, the controversial documentary on the life and death of Anthony Bourdain, releases today in theaters.

I received advanced access to the film, and it is as humbling as it is haunting. For someone whose reputation seemed to be built on brash and abrasive behavior, often for its own sake, his sincere love of food and travel was perhaps only rivaled by his reverence for strangers he met along the way and the cultures they were so willing to share.

Tony, as friends, family, and a fair number of fierce fans and dismissive critics knew him, remains an affable anti-hero — an unapologetic iconoclast who sucked the marrow out of life, sometimes literally.

The second act turn exploring his trip to the Congo narratively echoed Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and visually mirrored Apocalypse Now — both among Bourdain’s favorite books and films. Much like Captain Willard, by the end of the documentary, he had become Colonel Kurtz.

No streaming date yet, but with CNN and HBO as producers, it will inevitably arrive on both platforms. Though Bourdain’s personality and the exotic backdrops deserve to be seen on the largest screen possible, there was admittedly a familiar comfort watching him again in his natural element. Sitting on my couch listening to him narrate his own posthumous biography was at times eerie, but Tony surely would have appreciated the irony.

The greatest challenge of this film was to balance the treatment of tragedy with respect while never minimizing it. Roadrunner accomplishes this task with unfiltered grace and honesty. The documentary was both a celebration and a confession, a chronicle of a life well-lived, but also a cautionary tale.

Bourdain was undeniably a tortured artist plagued by doubt, from failed personal and professional relationships to decades of self-destructive tendencies. However, the filmmakers never reduced him to that trite oversimplification. The film, culled from unflinching interviews, archival footage, and previously unseen outtakes from his candid career and unlikely celebrity, is immersive, illuminating, and heartbreaking. ▩

ROADRUNNER premieres in theaters on July 16.

August 17, 2020

Wonderful Wizard of Za

Originally published in COLUMBUS ALIVE

Columbus style pizza is an enduring enigma struggling for distinction among a dozen or so signature styles in Central Ohio, both celebrated and obscure. Thin crusts and square cuts are the obvious attributes, but maybe even that widely-accepted definition is dangerously narrow?

Spencer Saylor didn’t set out to cause a stir, but his homemade Sicilian pies did anyway. If you haven’t heard about Wizard of Za, you’re not alone. Saylor’s underground pizza empire has been inconspicuously operating for months exclusively on Instagram. But the improbable backstory of how a singer-songwriter from Youngstown ended up with a list of thousands of strangers waiting to try one of his handcrafted creations has been equally elusive.

“When I was a kid, I loved making pizza with my dad. He’d make the dough and I’d help put on the toppings,” he recalled. “You might go out for pizza on a Friday night or for someone’s birthday. But homemade pizza was just part of growing up in Youngstown.”

Music was also a family tradition. Saylor’s father played guitar, an instrument he likewise pickup at an early age, and his mother loved to sing. His grandmother was a music teacher and his grandfather used to tour with Johnny Cash. So when Saylor pursued songwriting, it wasn’t exactly non sequitur. But getting invited to open up for John Mayer caught even him by surprise.

“I used to sit in my bedroom listening to his songs since I was probably seven. I never thought in a million years we’d be sharing the same stage,” he confessed. “I hoped I might see him someday from the nosebleed seats of an arena. Opening for him was actually the first time I saw him perform.”

Like many professional musicians, Saylor also had a steady gig. Event planning afforded him the opportunity to travel a lot, which was the original inspiration for Wizard of Za, a visual diary of exceptional local pizza discovered along the way. But when the pandemic cancelled nearly everything in March, he started to hone another craft from home, reinventing the comfort food of his childhood and chronicling that journey on Instagram instead. Saylor pulled back the proverbial curtain and more than a few folks started to take notice.

“The more photos I’d post, the more people asked to try one of my pies. Once friends and family got their hands on it, they started posting to their Instagram accounts. The next thing I knew, I had people I didn’t know reaching out wanting one as well,” he explained. “I’d thought about maybe opening a restaurant two or three years from now. It’s hard to believe it’s only been four months.”

Time somehow moves slowly and quickly during a crisis. Though opening up a restaurant right now while so many are struggling to stay open may seem half-baked, Saylor’s savory side hustle isn’t. Buckeyes and Blue Jackets players whose seasons were sidelined were among his earliest unofficial endorsements, as were a surreal mix of celebrities who happened to pass through Columbus and heard rumors about this random guy slinging serious slices, from Chef Robert Irvine to John C. Reilly.

Their curiosity and enthusiasm are entirely deserved. The crunchy focaccia crust is covered in sesame seeds on the bottom instead of a dusting of corn meal, giving it an unexpected nuttiness. The spicy homemade sauce and cup-and-char Ezzo pepperoni are balanced by bubbly mozzarella and provolone in-between. Saylor then hits every pie with a drizzle of hot honey, grated Pecorino Romano, and a little fresh basil. His vodka sauce variation with fresh mozzarella he also makes himself is a culinary case study on how simple, yet sophisticated, pizza can be.

Is it the classic Columbus style pizza? Definitely not. But if that definition is distilled to something more essential — singular and authentic, steeped in family history, and a passion for people and the city they share, then yes. Wizard of Za is everything we love about pizza in Columbus.

The eminent opening of his still secret brick and mortar location in Clintonville will maintain the speakeasy mystique, absent any obvious signage outside. And though some may dismiss such a strategy as shrewd marketing or simply pretentious, it’s actually quite the opposite.

“I’m a one-man show, and the only reason there is a list is so I can keep up. But even with a restaurant and doing this full-time, I still want everyone to feel like they’ve discovered something new and unique,” Saylor noted. “Columbus has solid pizza all around. But I think Columbus has the power to make its mark like some of the better known pizza destinations in the country — like New Haven, New York, and Chicago. To be one of those places people come to Columbus to visit, that’s the kind of list I’d like to be on someday. ▩

To get in line for your own pie, and for the latest on his brick and mortar endeavor, follow the Wizard of Za on Instagram

July 24, 2020

Sexy Supper Club

Originally published in (614) Magazine’s digital daily, 614NOW

Restaurant openings have become rare recently, and nightclubs are almost an afterthought. Which is precisely why Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce deserves your undivided attention, even if a little striptease wasn’t on the menu.

“We’ve adapted our burlesque show to more of a supper club, to keep everyone comfortable and safe. We’ll still have our live trio and performances, but it will be a little more exclusive to ensure social distancing,” explained Ivan Kane, whose previous ventures in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City helped put corsets, fishnets, and risqué routines back into the mainstream. “It’s really not a compromise. It’s just a different experience.”

You’ll still find red velvet seating in an intimate setting, but with a deliberate attention to the practical realities of operating during a pandemic. Discrete cleaning during club hours and ultraviolet lighting after the doors close are among the added measures Kane demanded before he was ready to open the latest addition to Easton Town Center.

Shows are also limited to just 55 patrons spread across the club with inclusive pricing for drinks, dinner, and dessert—currently craft cocktails, bottle service, a selection of signature items from the café downstairs that is the counterpart to the club, well-hidden behind a freezer door at the back of the kitchen. Evenings offer two shows during the week, with a later cocktails-only show on the weekends.

“Forty Deuce is actually one of the safest rooms in the city because of these extra precautions we’ve taken,” he noted. “It’s a challenging time for everyone right now, and I hope we can provide a little respite from all the pressure.”

Performers Michelle Mejia and Tori Kent recently relocated to Columbus after auditioning in Los Angeles earlier this year. Both were already professional dancers, having worked with recording artists from Iggy Azalea to Janet Jackson. But the allure of burlesque and the chance to be part of something new drew both to Forty Deuce.

“People seem to think burlesque is another form of stripping. But it’s a performance with a live band and extravagant costumes,” Mejia explained. “We tease, but don’t take it all off, and that’s what makes the dance exhilarating, for us and the audience.”

Forty Deuce feels more industrial than the average nightclub, and distinct from the diner motif of the café below. But the design is intentional with bar tops and banquets connected by catwalks that turn the entire establishment into a stage. Pipes become props for inverted performances and an inconspicuous zipline carries dancers over patrons heads.

“I also have a background in gymnastics and Taekwondo, but this is actually my first experience with burlesque,” revealed Kent. “There are a lot of jumps and splits, and hanging upside down in our performances, so it still intertwines with that training.”

Columbus may not seem like the obvious city to open a sexy supper club. But May would have marked the return of the Midwest Burlesque and Rockabilly Weekend if not for COVID cancellations—and the Ohio Burlesque Festival in Cleveland, was forced to push their annual event from August to October. Our speakeasy scene is hardly a secret either, with basements and back rooms hosting bootlegger-inspired bars that are legal, but still mostly known only to the locals.

“I hadn’t thought about the Midwest to be perfectly honest, but it wasn’t a hard sell,” Kane confessed. “Once I saw what an incredibly sophisticated, diverse demographic is here, how vibrant and forward-thinking the city is, it was a no-brainer.”

Kane is somewhat notorious as a hands-on operator, and Forty Deuce is his passion project. His wife, better known by her stage name Champagne Suzy, deserves a degree of credit for the burlesque revival. Both will likely become more familiar faces around town having procured a place in the Short North, while still splitting time managing venues elsewhere.

“I don’t develop projects and move on. I’m on the floor involved in the choreography, the costumes, the lighting, the menu. So it’s imperative to be here,” Kane noted. “Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City are sexy. But Columbus was hands down the best decision I ever made in terms of viability, in terms of the community. I just love it.” ▩

Additional details on dining, showtimes, and tickets at fortydeuce.com

July 2, 2020

Summer Camp Soap Opera

Originally published in (614) Magazine’s digital daily, 614NOW

Summer camp is a rite of passage wrapped in revelry, rivalry, and romance — but rarely murder. So when Thurber House (humorist James Thurber’s former home turned local literary center) rushed to push their summer camps online this year, they feared some of the creative connectivity might be lost among aspiring young writers.

Hoping for a hook, camp counselors Justin Martin and Frankie Diederich decided to challenge campers with a genre they’d never tackled before: writing an original soap opera. Entirely on a whim, Martin took to Twitter to see if anyone happened to have a connection to the industry.

“I genuinely didn’t expect it to go anywhere, I didn’t even tag anyone. But an hour later I had half the cast of Days of Our Lives,” recalled Martin, whose disbelief still lingers. It was a plot twist even campers didn’t see coming. “California’s stay-home order was so uncertain, we never knew when everyone might go back to work. Even when we told writers and their parents the night before the performances, some of them didn’t believe us.”

Though daytime television isn’t an obvious obsession for middle school students, nearly every novel of young adult fiction is essentially a soap opera. And Days of Our Lives is set in the fictional Midwest city of Salem — folksy yet sophisticated, and never short on scandal, not unlike Columbus, Ohio. It’s a short stretch that only seems non sequitur.

“Everyone started with a blank page, but by the end of the week, Frankie and I had helped them create a complete screenplay. But the cast was still a shock,” Martin explained. “Kids admire anyone who has made a career out of doing something they love, and these actors and actresses were so enthusiastic, flexible, and generous. They were every bit as into it as the campers.”

It was actress Martha Madison who happened to see a retweet of Martin’s request and matter-of-factly replied, “Can I bring some friends?” She soon roped in more than a dozen of her costars, all equally eager to give a bunch of adolescent screenwriters the performance they deserved despite a pandemic.

“I’m a big believer in fate. It was an easy ask, everyone said yes,” revealed Madison, better known to many as Belle Black. Her character’s parents John and Marlena have been synonymous with Days of Our Lives for decades. “There was so much character development, and they all had love and murder in the plot. They were real soap operas.”

Like many nonprofits struggling to adapt, the shift to online programming has actually expanded the reach of Thurber House. Much like parents working remotely, kids from across Ohio, and from New York to California, also received insightful lessons in craft and collaboration from screenwriter Amanda Beall, whose credits include The Young and the Restless, All My Children, and General Hospital.

“If you’re a creative person, none of that goes away just because you’re stuck at home. You can still share your experience with anyone anywhere,” Madison noted. “I was very impressed with the writing. I’d love to work again with any one of these kids someday.” ▩

For more on Thurber House and upcoming events and programs, visit thurberhouse.org

June 1, 2020

The Parlor

Originally published in the June 2020 issue of (614) Magazine

When The Parlor celebrated its first anniversary earlier this year, it came and went without much fanfare. After all, you can’t risk raising a ruckus over the concert venue equivalent of a speakeasy. Now, the quietly-promoted proof of concept may offer an unintended road map for the future of live music.

“We had the whole season booked, so when the situation quickly started progressing toward cancellations, I was calling the health department every day. Based on their advice, we stayed open until the restaurant ban hit,” explained the host of The Parlor, who prefers to maintain the same secrecy as his clandestine concert series. (Anyone who has received one of his cryptic messages or been to a show simply knows him as “The Man in the Black Hat”.) “We couldn’t quite tell what was happening or what was coming. Even though we’re not a restaurant, we decided to follow those protocols for the safety of our audience.”

For the uninitiated, The Parlor isn’t invitation only, but it is somewhat exclusive. Intrigued would-be attendees are vetted before they’re offered tickets to shows barely publicized beyond the close-knit community of recurring concert goers. Imagine the intimacy of a house show, but not knowing the address until an hour before the band takes the stage. That’s The Parlor. But it’s also not a clique. The audiences are as unassuming as they are anonymous, strangers in the same secret society who actually sign the stage to seal their pledge of silence.

From perennial favorites like The Floorwalkers, Mojoflo, and Willie Phoenix to notable locals like Josh Krajcik and Chris Jamison, The Parlor creates interaction often absent from the concert experience, and offers artists compensation from ticket sales more commensurate with their talent.

With restaurants reopening, but most live music events on hold, The Parlor is ready to parlay their unique niche, rescheduling events and forging new formats that still meet strict guidelines for social distancing. Stadium shows and lawn seats are still a long way off, but small and simple gets artists back on the stage in short order.

“We’ve been trying to get in touch with national acts who may have cancelled tours through Ohio and pair them with local artists in a house show format,” he revealed. “But there are also local artists who need gigs now. So we’ve been ramping up to do different types of experiences than we’ve done before, featuring pairings with local restaurants.”

Plenty of musicians are reinventing their relationship with fans, hosting Facebook concerts from home, hoping to make enough in online tips and selling a little merch to hold on until the industry figures out what’s next. But any degree of real recovery could be months away, maybe more. Arena shows have additional obstacles, leading some to worry whether they’ll return at all, or if the venues themselves long survive.

“I’ve been considering guarantees versus percentages of sales and how to structure those arrangements. But at the end of the day, I think there’s a great opportunity to continue to pay artists really well, just like we always have,” he opined. “Honestly, I hope promoters in town who currently can’t work with traditional venues reach out, because house concerts could really emerge right now as a way to make gigs happen.”

That’s the edge The Parlor has over typical venues. Now those smaller audiences seem safer and the larger cut of ticket sales sound even more appealing to performers. But that’s also why everyone from concert halls to the club circuit have been quietly conspiring to shut down house shows and their organizers for years — and why the man in the black hat is just fine remaining under the radar.

“I think the hardest part for me is the empathy I have for the artists. When the national unemployment rate was passing 15 percent, the unemployment rate for full-time performers was nearly 99 percent because there was no place to play,” he noted. “I’ve been staying in touch with them just to make sure they’re okay. Some have decided to retire, or take corporate jobs. Others are taking time off hoping things will go back to normal in a couple of months and are just trying to get by.”

One of the only entertainment venues prepared for a sudden comeback are drive-in movie theaters. Outdoor screens from coast to coast have seen a steady increase in interest, and with patrons parked in the confines of their cars, social distancing is in force by default. The Parlor’s latest venture launching this month hopes to tap into that same nostalgic experience.

“The Hidden Drive-In is the first departure from our established format, and will feature live concert performances and modern and classic films on a 30-foot display at an undisclosed location in Downtown Columbus”, he explained. “We want to create socially-distanced events our audience can still enjoy together.”

A launch and a fundraiser, the Hidden Drive-In is scheduled to premiere June 12 and 13, with two shows each evening. Tickets are priced for both bikes and cars, with the added bonus of fresh barbecue served on-site. It’s dinner and a movie unlike anywhere else. But it’s also the less conspicuous launch of an entirely new audio platform The Parlor plans to incorporate into future events, offering a fidelity unrivaled by typical FM transmitters or standard concert technology. True to form, the exact origins and specifications of the audio setup are also a tightly kept secret.

“We knew 80 tickets would cover our initial costs, and spread across four shows, it allows us to spread our audience out as well,” he revealed. “We also knew which space in Columbus we really wanted to present this first, and there are multiple prospects and partnerships where we could present in the future. We expect this to be a magical experience that will help us make decisions on where to host additional events beyond the Hidden Drive-In.” ▩

For details on upcoming performances, including the Hidden Drive-In, visit The Parlor on Facebook.

May 1, 2020

Sgt. Peppercorn’s Pandemic Marathon

Originally published in the May 2020 issue of (614) Magazine

Musicians have been hit hard lately. Concerts are cancelled, auditoriums are empty, and curtains are closed indefinitely. But never tell Joe Peppercorn anything is impossible.

A decade ago, Peppercorn performed every Beatles song in chronological order — all 215 of them. It was a one-man show to top every one-man show before or since, one that’s become part of Columbus folklore and evolved into an annual event bringing together countless musicians and supporting artists. When we needed it most, Joe decided to repeat that first unlikely feat — simple, stripped down, and shared with the world from his living room.

“It was a lot like that first year. I thought I’d have a chance to prep the show a little more, but I was also figuring out how to livestream for the first time,” recalled Peppercorn. “I didn’t feel like anything completely went off the rails. I kind of thrive on chaos.”

Joe moved instinctively between guitar and piano, constructing drum loops on the fly, like Ringo Starr meets Reggie Watts. Fellow musicians joined in remotely by iPad, and several spontaneously showed up in his front yard, adding vocals and absent instruments from a microphone dropped out an open window. The visibly exhausted Peppercorn really did get by with a little help from his friends—and his three kids, who also helped close out the 12-hour marathon.

“I thought they’d be asleep, but they love Across the Universe and Golden Slumbers,” he noted. “It wasn’t planned. It was this beautiful moment that just happened.”

Fortunately, those who missed it can still find it on Facebook, a fitting soundtrack for social distancing and uncertain times. ▩