Ray Ray's FOR DAYS

By Molly Hammond

Last year, Ray Ray’s Meats + 3 in Granville was converted to a Ray Ray’s Hog Pit location. While fans of the brand may have initially been disappointed to lose the dine-in focused Meats + 3 concept for the more casual, carry-out centered Hog Pit, Ray Ray’s head chef and founder James Anderson—as is usually the case— had a plan.

Anderson, the former James Beard Award semifinalist, created a new Supper Club concept at the Granville restaurant, a recurring multi-course dinner event that brings a uniquely elevated experience to food lovers and libation enthusiasts alike.

With its new Supper Club concept, Ray Ray’s hosts weekly dinners that see Anderson and the Ray Ray’s team partner with any number of local culinary entities to create small bite plates and perfectlypaired drinks.

In its six-month history, the Club has cooked alongside the likes of Wario’s Stephan Madias, Dan Varga of the Hungarian Butcher, the Yellow Springsbased Moonshine distillery called TuckN-Reds Spirits & Wine, Columbus Brewing Co. and many more.

“People get really excited when they see we’ve partnered with their favorite brewery or bar. We were really trying to elevate the experience of people going out for a casual meal and drink while demystifying fine dining,” said Adam Fleischer, a Columbus libations expert who now serves as Ray Ray’s Beverage Director. “We wanted to create beautiful food and drinks while still implementing a sense of relaxation and informality.” →

The Supper Club experience consists of a meal featuring six courses, each one carefully measured out to ensure diners savor each bite. Additionally, every course is rounded out with a drink pairing—alcoholic or nonalcoholic—that has been collaboratively selected with the help of pairing experts. Fleischer, Anderson and the Ray Ray’s team spend months preparing and brainstorming the perfect drink pairings for each dish.

For Anderson, a heritage hog farmer at Anderson Farms in Granville, and the operator of a handful of different Ray Ray’s locations, the Supper Club allows him to share a kind of closeness and creativity with diners that isn’t always possible in the day-to-day.

“I wanted a way to connect to the guests past the full-service restaurant scene where it’s harder to connect with them,” Chef Anderson explained. “I wanted a place to be able to flex the culinary muscle that you can’t necessarily do through the barbecue business. I have the opportunity to create other dishes besides barbecue.”

To this end, Supper Club guests are allowed to sit at the so-called Chef’s Table, a long, communal seating area directly in front of Ray Ray’s open kitchen, where they can chat up with Anderson and the other chefs about the dishes as they’re being prepared.

And while Ray Ray’s Supper Club diners are likely to experience a range of unique, chef-driven bites and pairings that might recall Michelin-starred eateries or the fact that Anderson was a semifinalist for one of the largest awards in American dining, the man behind Ray Ray’s never forgets where he—or his love for cooking— comes from.

“My mother was a barbecue genius. She was an amazing cook and growing up, I would see her create these amazing dishes,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to do that too.” ♦

By Jack McLaughlin

Story Design by Atlas Biro

For Blue Jackets center Sean Kurlay, it was never a question of if he was going to play hockey, it was just a matter of where. With a pro career that started in Boston, this native son of Columbus has made his way back to the Arch City to play for his home team.

Kurlay, who was born in Lewiston, New York, but relocated to Dublin, Ohio at the age of two, has hockey in his blood.

“My parents are from Toronto, Canada, and my dad played [collegiately] for Miami of Ohio, so hockey was always big in our house,” he said. “I grew up on skates.”

And his immersion in the sport from a young age paid off. When Kurlay was 18, he was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the fifth round–the 133rd player overall–in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Unlike the NFL or NBA Draft, many NHL draft picks don’t immediately become part of the professional teams that selected them. And while Kurlay knew he had a lot to prove before becoming a pro, the selection still felt like a huge validation to the Columbus-area product.

“Getting drafted is by no means a guarantee that you’ve made it, but it was still important. For me it was that nudge that kept telling me, ‘Stick to this,’” Kurlay said.

After following his father’s footsteps and heading to Miami University, Kurlay played college hockey for four seasons, racking up a pair of NCHC Academic All-Conference Team accolades, in addition to being named NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year for the 2015-2016 season.

While at Miami, Kurlay’s rights were traded from San Jose to Boston, and after finishing school, he signed his first professional contract with the Bruins in 2016. After some minor league play, Kurlay skated onto NHL ice for the first time in November of 2016, when Boston traveled to Tampa Bay. →

“That first time I stepped on the ice for an NHL game, that’s something I’ll remember,” he said.

In 2020, after four solid years with the Bruins, Kurlay had the chance to come home. And he took it, inking a deal with the Blue Jackets. Last year, his first season on the team, Kurlay scored a career-high 14 goals.

The team’s veteran center attributed his signing to a mixture of circumstance plus his desire to play for his hometown team. And it’s an opportunity he’s not taking for granted.

“It’s a cool thing to be able to play for my hometown team; It’s such a unique opportunity,” he said. “Since I was 16, I’ve been traveling for hockey, and it’s so nice to have the chance to be around family and friends again.”

Columbus, which first received an NHL hockey team in 1997 when Kurlay was four years old, is in a unique position as a sports city. While the team is newer than most NHL franchises, Kurlay said the fan support in central Ohio is just as adamant as others.

And as Columbus is primed for major growth over the next decade, the hometown product Kurlay hopes to lead the city’s growth on the ice.

“Columbus has come a long way as a hockey town, it’s exciting to see,” he said. “We’re a young team right now, but the support we have is pretty amazing, especially seeing a sold-out crowd on New Year’s Eve. It’s like the city and the team are growing together.” ♦

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