(614) Refined | Spring 2023

Short North Art Dealer

*images are virtually staged

LUXURY LIVING IS A LOT CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.

Located in the heart of Bridge Park in downtown Dublin, The Theodore offers numerous features including open layouts, hand-selected finishes and hard-to-beat pool and city views. Easy access to the seasonal farmers market, running and walking trails, and a plethora of dining, retail and entertainment options are just the beginning of living here.

STUDIO, JR. ONE- AND ONE-BEDROOM CONDOS STILL AVAILABLE bridgepark.com/the-theodore

For more information about living at The Theodore, contact TOM GOECKE | 614.335.2072 | tgoecke@crawfordhoying.com

Photo:Photo243 photo243.com

PUBLISHER

Wayne T. Lewis

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Lindsay Press

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Megan Smith

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Taylor Dorrell

Ben Callahan

Leonardo Carrizo

Priscilla Dwomoh

Wendy Pramik

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jaelani Turner-Williams

Melinda Green

Canaan Lendell

Taylor Dorrell

Jack McLaughlin

CREATIVE DESIGNERS

Bryce Patterson

Tori Smith

Atlas Biro

VIDEO PRODUCER/ EDITOR

Austin Black

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Justynne Pride

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Julia Attanasio

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Meggin Weimerskirch

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Mindy Wilhite

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Paul VanHorn

Anna Gerhard

BRAND MANAGER, 614 LAGER

Lizzy Saunders

EVENTS COORDINATOR

Lizzy Saunders

LETTER from the EDITOR

Curating our inaugural issue of (614) Refined had me thinking about the zero-sum game. The theory goes for one to win in life, another must lose. That one’s success must come at the expense of others.

As each story unfolded, what rose to the top for me was an appreciation for these interviewees and their capacity to both find great success while also taking others along on the journey with them. In fact, they often removed the focus from themselves entirely to shine it on others - even seeming competitors.

This collaborative spirit reminded me of an article I read years ago about the friendship between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Once jealous rivals, they grew to admire each other intenselyultimately deciding to join forces on a little movie they dreamt up while on vacation in Hawaii. As a result, Indiana Jones became a film franchise that has garnered almost $1 Billion to date.

As you read, I hope you will get a sense of the cooperative energy these dynamic frontrunners in our city share in common. If you can, spend an

hour at Sharon Weiss’ gallery, meeting renowned Ohio artists working side-by-side. Head over to Chapmans Eat Market and devour dishes dreamt up during restaurant meetings - a nod to the staff’s personal food experiences. Take a stroll through the Highland Youth Garden and immerse yourself, with all your senses, in the dedication of volunteers, staff, and board members to create a safe space for children in Hilltop. And commission Celeste Malvar-Stewart to create a one-of-a-kind piece for your wardrobe - a garment comprising the ultimate teamwork of local skillmanship and environmental duty.

I hope you will love this new endeavor from (614) as much as I do. From talent to wealth, goals to successes, passion to purpose - let’s keep celebrating all that is excellent, purposeful, and refined in Columbus.

P.S. Have a story idea for us? I’d love to hear about it

~ megan@614mediagroup.com

with

with Chef BJ Lieberman

CONTRIBUTORS

Jaelani Turner-Williams is a culture writer, book enthusiast, and graduate of The Ohio State University. She specializes in digital and print media, with bylines in Billboard, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, VMP, and more.

Melinda Green is a freelance writer, web developer at Fahlgren Mortine in Columbus, and a former classical singer and horse trainer. She has been writing for publications around the city, covering arts and features for twenty years.

Based out of Columbus, Ohio, Canaan Lendell works at a design firm by day and develops recipes by night. When not testing experimental kombuchas, you can find him plotting his next trip to Tokyo.

Taylor Dorrell is a contributing writer, columnist, reporter, and freelance photographer based in Columbus, Ohio. His work has been published in Business Insider, VICE, Teen Vogue, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Jacobin Magazine.

Originally from Chicago, Jack McLaughlin relocated to Columbus in 2018 via Madison, Wisconsin, and has been covering everything from beekeepers to boba for (614) Magazine ever since. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief.

Ben Callahan is a writer, photographer, and entrepreneur, among other things. His motto is, “stay in learning mode,” which helps him remember that every interaction is an opportunity to grow. Find him at bencallahan.com.

Leonardo Carrizo is a multimedia photojournalist for an array of outlets. He also teaches at The Ohio State University. During the summers, he’s also a National Geographic Student Expeditions photography trip leader.

Priscilla Dwomoh is a multifaceted creative whose passion for art and fashion transcends a variety of mediums. Her expertise and experience in modeling, wardrobe styling, and photography adds great creative insight to her projects.

Wendy Pramik is a photographer and writer from Columbus. She works at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where she enjoys photographing and interviewing health care providers. She's also a freelance contributor to TourismOhio's blog.

Tori Smith is an ADDY awardwinning graphic designer. After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2o22, she moved to Columbus to work as a Creative Designer at (614) Media Group. She specializes in typography & layout, with experience in many mediums.

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Bryce Patterson is a graphic designer with 5+ years of professional experience. Since the summer of 2021, he has been working at (614) Media Group as a Creative Designer.

Atlas Biro is a visual storyteller with experience in mediums spanning from print design to augmented reality. Currently working as a Creative Designer at (614) Media Group, their work covers communities ranging from blue collar America to the nation’s elite.

Local Shopping Guide

1. Pre-Owned Chanel Fuchsia Medium Jersey Double Flap $2,400

store5a.com

2. Pre-Owned Cartier Diamond Love Ring $3,450

3. Pre-Owned Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Keepall Bandouliere 55 $1,895

4. Pre-Owned Tiffany & Co. Tiffany T T1 Hinged Bangle $2,935

5. Pre-Owned Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona Watch $46,000

6. Pre-Owned Omega Speedmaster Moon Watch Professional Watch $6,575

7. Candice 3-Pc Leather Sectional $7,699

elmandiron.com

8. Artemis Chandelier $1,069

9. Ardeth Leather Chair $2,099

10. Ardeth Leather Chair $1,399

11. Ping Pong Dining Table $7,599

12. Bartholomew Cabinet $3,299

13. Gibson Floor Lamp $979

14. Center Root Coffee Table $3,299

15. Quilted Velvet Pillow $69

16. Tibetan Fur Pillow $129

Columbus in PANTONE

Before 1963, every printing company had its own color guide; “blue” was printed differently depending on how each ink house interpreted that color to look. As a result, some blues were greener, and some were more violet. And, more likely than not, there would be a good bit of disappointment at the result a designer was looking at.

In 1963, Lawrence Herbert created a new system for identifying and matching colors to solve the problems printers and designers were having during the production process. Herbert called his system the Pantone® Matching System® - a thick book of standardized colors consisting of cardboard sheets, with a series of related color swatches bound together into a “fan deck.” The system proved successful, allowing designers in print, publishing, packaging, graphic arts, paint, plastics, computer, film, textile, and fashion to see what “blue” would genuinely look like on paper with no guesswork or surprises.

PANTONE 17-1221

Macchiato

A delectable brown with a light layer of foam

L

PANTONE 12-4604

Skylight

A pure and watery cleansing aqua

Hydrangeas during our walk to Chapman's Eat Market

Words by Megan Smith

Layout by Bryce Patterson

Metal Vase from Gallery II

As of 2019, there were 2161 Pantone colors. Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has announced a color “Color of the Year,” chosen during a secret meeting of experts from various nations’ color standards groups.

While the year’s color for 2023 was announced to be Viva Magenta, the Pantone Color Institute also released a list of 15 shades that would dominate the spring and summer of 2023.

At (614) Refined, we took inspiration from the ultracalm tints and tones of the Core Classics selections as we traveled about town for this issue. Here’s how we saw these five color swatches emerging around Columbus in the most delicious, delightful, and refined ways.

A soft and delicous creamy tone

A vegetal green with subtle flavor

PANTONE 12-1009 Vanilla Cream

Budino recipe on page 34

PANTONE 13-3804 Gray Lilac

A dreamy and ethereal lilac infused gray

Textiles from Celeste's studio

PANTONE 15-0628 Leek Green

Coffe table book from Gallery II

You Are Come as

A Studio Visit with Sharon Weiss

Words by Jaelani Turner-Williams

Photography by Ben Callahan & Megan Smith

Layout by Bryce Patterson

In 1994, the Short North was vastly different from the hip culture hub that Columbus residents know today. Visitors could park nearby without having to use an app. Upscale hotels and restaurants had yet to spring up in the area. But ‘94 would mark the same year that art collector Sharon Weiss would come to adore the Short North, which has housed the creative sanctuary of Sharon Weiss Gallery for nearly three decades.

“I came to the Short North with my significant other to go to dinner and saw a wonderful little retail space that I fell in love with,” Weiss tells (614) Refined. “One thing led to another, and I talked to the landlord and opened what was then Antiques and Art on Poplar [Avenue], and that just began this wonderful, exciting art career for me.”

Initially open only on weekends, the shop was the foundation for Weiss’ endeavors as an art collector becoming more serious. Several years later, the business would relocate to a small-scale retail space on Lincoln Street, take Weiss’ namesake, and become the place where Sharon Weiss Gallery has since resided.

“There were art galleries springing up, and I think what drew me to it was the charm of the buildings,” Weiss says about her admiration for the Short North. “The little store rooms up and down high and on the side streets are 900 square feet. If you come to the Short North even today, it is the epitome of small business.”

Scheduled to be showcased in the exhibition area of Sharon Weiss Gallery throughout May are works from painter Anita Dawson, her upcoming series titled ‘Histories and Mysteries.’ Despite the inquisitive theme, Weiss’ gallery is all-revealing. Weiss and her longtime partner, Roger Pettry, exhibit an art-centric space that allows Weiss to discuss her expansive collection at length.

I have a very small space, and my space is different than all of the galleries in Columbus. I have paintings all over the floor. I have them on the walls. They’re hanging salon-style from floor to ceiling everywhere,” Weiss says. “So it’s important for me to be able to say, ‘It may look overwhelming. There’s a lot of art here, but let me share with you what we have.’”

Weiss, an art collector for almost 50 years, looks for art that captivates her, but mainly visual artists that are enthusiastic about their work, no matter how long their career has been. “The prerequisite for my gallery is that I love [their art], that I feel that it is something that I can share with other people that come in the gallery and tell them how wonderful it would be for that art to be in their homes,” Weiss says.

Sharon Weiss Gallery is part of a trilogy of Weiss’ adjoining businesses, Gallery II (formerly known as Found), and a neighboring women-only house composed of art studios. Of course, men are invited to visit the 24 East Lincoln Street location, but Weiss sought to ensure that women artists, currently Lisa Parks Godfrey, Amy Adams, Karen LaValley, and Tamar Rudavsky, have a safe space to create. “Because there are four women, and they’re still there today, we just decided that it seemed natural just to turn the little blue house into a home dedicated to our women artists,” Weiss explains. “It’s delightful, and we always make sure that men know they’re very, very welcome, but look around, and you will see all of these beautiful paintings done by just women.”

L Gallery show featuring the work of Columbus based artist, Michael Guinane

The third of Weiss’ endeavors, steps away from the gallery, is the newly-opened Gallery II on 12 Lincoln Street, which displays gifts, coffee table books, antiques, and children’s literature courtesy of Cover to Cover Children’s Books in Upper Arlington. Like Weiss’ proximate gallery, Gallery II also presents additional artwork, many of which become the topic of conversation for interested art enthusiasts.

Weiss’ enjoyment of art has only grown as the years have passed. Drawn to different styles, including abstract, the Columbus native shares that being open-minded has taught her about diversity. “Thank goodness artists are bringing me their art

that is different, and I’m always in awe of all the different styles and how good art makes you feel,” Weiss says. “The artists that I’ve met and continue to meet are filled with passion about what they do. Their passion just rubs off, and I am so, so grateful.”

With three businesses under her wing, Weiss looks forward to the next chapter of Sharon Weiss Gallery, although the journey has already begun, much like it did in ‘94. “I am fortunate that the business is still growing, and I love it today as I did years ago,” Weiss says. “It’s my life, and what a wonderful thing to be surrounded by art every day.”

L Sharon and her partner, Roger Pettry

A Conversation with

Chef BJ Lieberman

Interview by Megan Smith

Introduction by Jack McLaughlin

Photography by Ben Callahan

Layout by Tori Smith

B.J. Leiberman is a man on fire. Not only has he engineered one of the city’s most popular restaurants in Chapman’s Eat Market (tapped for The New York Times’ list of the top 50 U.S. eateries in 2021), he and partner Bronwyn Haines launched a swanky new subterranean jazz and cocktail club, Ginger Rabbit, last year. His sights are now set on Hiraeth, an anticipated live-fire dining concept coming to the Short North in a few months.

614 Refined recently chatted with the lauded local restaurateur. While we learned about his culinary career and the ethos behind a famous Chapman’s dessert, we also wanted to look behind the white hat to learn more about B.J. as a person. From a passion for people to unusual ice cream toppings, here’s what we learned.

Your wife, Bronwyn Haines, and you recently opened Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge in the heart of the Short North. Walk us through what a perfect night at Ginger Rabbit would look like through your eyes. From cocktails to music, to the energy in the space.

Honestly, a perfect night at Ginger Rabbit happens more often than not. If the band is great and we have a full dining room where the crowd is engaged in the music, there isn’t a whole ton not to love. Our bar team is super consistent and quick with the beverages, so most nights I’d say we’re having an awesome time, and as long as our guests, the musicians, and our staff are happy, Bronwyn and I are happy.

You’ve lived and worked in quite a few cities. From a childhood in northern Virginia to college and a culinary career in Charleston, South Carolina, and Washington DC (I’m sure I’ve left out a few in between.) What, in your opinion, makes Columbus’ food scene different than the other cities you’ve been in?

I am very fortunate to have lived in both Charleston and DC when each city went through a huge transition from cities seeking their culinary identity to a true food destination. Both cities are obviously different from each other, as is Columbus, but I see a lot of the same things happening here that I’ve seen in Charleston and DC. I think Columbus’ food identity to this point has been tied to the idea that we’re “Anytown, USA” and the perfect proving ground for fast food, fast casual, and other franchise concepts, but that can’t be the defining characteristic of a serious food city. The thing that I see happening here that excites me is the rise of independent operators and unique dining concepts. Restaurants are one of the main building blocks of communities and community identities, and there cannot be an established identity if the best restaurant in your neighborhood is a fast food chain or a franchise that started in Boston. Some of my dear friends are doing amazing things at their restaurants in this city, and I see it trending the way Charleston and DC did years ago.

The Chapman’s Eat Market website says, “Our entire kitchen staff has input on the menu, so it’s an amalgam of all our shared and individual experiences with the food of our childhoods, our homelands and all things that inspire us in travel and research.” What’s one dish currently on the menu at the restaurant that is a nod to a specific experience or inspiration you’ve had? Would you share that memory with us?

Our Khao Soi is the best example of this. It’s one of maybe two or three dishes that are still on the menu from our opening and the story behind it means a lot to me. We call that dish our “love letter to Chiang Mai” because Bronwyn and I took our honeymoon in Thailand, and although we traveled to a bunch of cities, our favorite and most memorable experiences were in Chiang Mai. You can find Khao Soi all over Thailand and other SE Asian countries, but the term Khao Soi simply means “broken rice”, so every country, every city, and every establishment put its own spin on it, but at the end of the day, it is essentially a curry dish. In Chiang Mai specifically, there is actually no rice in the dish at all. It’s a yellow curry, generally with chicken or pork and the thing that makes it unique from other Khao Soi is that it features noodles that are both freshly boiled in the broth and noodles that are fried and added on top as garnish. In the tradition of the dish, we have also put our own spin on it by incorporating shrimp and a pea leaf salad on top, so it is less of a direct representation of what we ate in Thailand and more of a way for us to pay homage to an amazing dish in an amazing place.

Food is a connector. How do you see this essential element of our human connection as either cultivated or wasted in current culture?

Oh, jeez. I feel like there are some land mines here and I could easily go on a diatribe about our current state of politics and the forces that exist explicitly to divide us, but the least controversial and most honest answer that I can give is that I see restaurants as a vital part of human existence. Ditto for bars, pubs, etc. They are all meeting places. Breaking bread, sharing a drink, sharing a story, etc. You can’t do that dining alone in front of a TV or computer screen. Humans crave interaction and having a community-centric place to see others and share a meal is the most timeless of human behaviors. We’ve always said that we are a

neighborhood restaurant first. The folks of German Village are our backbone. Folks are obviously welcome from all over Columbus, but we love to see our GV regulars and get to know their names, and their favorites, and create a truly welcoming dining experience for our community.

You obviously know your way around a kitchen. Where do you see us everyday cooks messing up in terms of the basics? Are there a couple of areas in that we could have more success and less frustration in the kitchen in your opinion?

I feel like people rely too much on recipes and need to always try something new. I am a strong advocate for learning how to make a handful of dishes and learning them well, to the point that you don’t need a step-by-step recipe to figure it out. I’m also a big advocate for messing things up. If you don’t make mistakes, how will you know how to fix something? Bronwyn actually cooks more at home than I do and her greatest successes are cooking things that her mom made her as a kid since she knows what she wants out of the dish, she has a reference point, and she has a guide in her mother to teach her the recipes. She made her mom’s potato soup for us the other night and it was amazing, and I was like, “Why do you try to make stuff out of a cookbook when you have this awesome soup just sitting in your head, ready to go?” It was really delicious.

It’s a gorgeous day in Columbus and you have a rare opportunity to be out of the kitchen and exploring, eating, shopping, making memories. Where would you go?

Golf. I started playing during the pandemic since it was a great way to be outside and safe while doing something fun and somewhat exercise-adjacent for 4 hours and I just fell in love with it. I’m not very good, but you don’t have to be good at golf to enjoy it.

What are you most proud of within the walls of Chapman’s Eat Market?

Our team, absolutely. Restaurants are a team sport and we have some awesome folks who support me, challenge me, and take ownership of their roles in the restaurant. We, for the most part, all get along and I couldn’t be more proud when I walk in and everyone has a smile on their face getting ready to make our guests happy.

Quick 10

What would others say is your greatest virtue? Probably patience and having an analytical brain. I feel like there is a solution to every problem if approached logically.

What item of clothing gets the most mileage in your wardrobe? Either my Lox baseball cap or my black hoodie. Pretty much my uniform at this point.

What feeds you creatively? Being inspired by other people. I love working with my chefs and cooks to see their ideas come to life. I think I’m a better wingman than a chef at this point in my career.

What zaps you creatively? Admin work. It’s hard to wrap up a million emails and then put my creative hat on. I try to have certain days scheduled to do admin work and certain days scheduled to have fun with the team either before or during service.

Favorite pizza topping? I like a good veggie pizza. Mushrooms, onions, peppers.

Hamburger topping? I think the Chapman’s burger is perfect. Fast food style, two thin patties, onion, sauce, cheese, and a pickle and I’m a happy camper.

Ice cream topping? Depends on the ice cream! But we do French vanilla with olive oil and sea salt which is out of this world.

3 ingredients we should have in our pantry at all times? Kosher Salt, not table salt. Fish Sauce. Crunchy peanut butter.

Fridge? Iceberg Lettuce. Valentina’s Hot Sauce. Eggs.

Freezer? Chapman’s Ice Cream. Petit Pois (frozen sweet peas). Frozen fruit to make smoothies.

Chapman’s Eat Market

Maple Budino

Words & Photography by Megan Smith

Recipe by Chef BJ Lieberman

Layout by Victoria Smith

English has the word pudding, French boudin, and Italian budino.

If you packed lunch as a kid, you likely had the small boxy snack container of pudding with the (not-so) easy open lid in your brown paper bag. Hopefully, you remembered to bring a plastic spoon.

Budino is not that sort of pudding.

While relatively obscure in the US until the mid-century, budino has been making its way around Europe for centuries. In the 1960s, it garnered notoriety from the Van Nuys Valley News, which reported about the ‘budino course’ at a dinner for the Wine and Food Society. From there, budino had its west coast heyday, and by 2017 it was named “the dessert of Los Angeles” by Saveur, popping up in famed restaurants from sea to shining sea.

Bestia in LA is known for its Chocolate Budino Tart, and Hamasaku for its Matcha Budino with White Chocolate and Whipped Cream. And here in Columbus, we have a Maple Budino with Abuelita Chocolate and Toasted Hazelnuts from Chapman’s Eat Market.

Chef BJ Lieberman was generous enough to share his recipe - a nostalgic, comforting, and delightful nod to everything we have ever loved about dessert from childhood until now.

Maple Budino

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 c maple syrup

• 1 qt heavy whipping cream

• ¾ tsp salt

• ½ tsp vanilla paste

Topping:

• Abuelita Chocolate

• Toasted Hazelnuts

• Maldon Salt

Method of Prep:

• 1 egg

• 7 egg yolks

• 1/3 c dark brown sugar

• 1t kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Bring the maple syrup to a boil in a medium pot over medium-high heat and reduce it by half.

3. To the reduced maple syrup, add the heavy cream and vanilla.

4. Combine the egg, egg yolk, and brown sugar in a separate bowl.

5. Temper the egg and sugar mixture into the maple syrup and heavy cream.

6. Portion 4oz. of the budino mix in each ovenproof ramekin and place into a roasting pan with a water bath. Wrap the pan in foil.

7. Cook for 20 minutes or until the budino temps at 180º.

8. Remove from the water bath and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

9. To serve, top with Maldon salt, lightly crushed toasted hazelnuts, and shaved Abuelita chocolate.

From the Ground Up

Words by Jack McLaughlin

Photography by Aaron Massey

Layout by Victoria Smith

When PENZONE Salons + Spas President + CEO Debbie Penzone began to describe the brand overhaul undertaken alongside the concept’s 50th anniversary, the word “rebrand” fell short to describe the effort.

Instead, she opted for something (like the brand’s turnaround itself), a bit more ambitious.

“It was a recreation,” she said.

In 2015, the brand began work on a new flagship salon across from the original Charles Penzone Grand Salon in Dublin. Before any aesthetic or functional changes, Penzone said, the business knew it wanted to shift its ethos. It did so by embracing the body positivity movement and stressing the importance of self-care on mental health and general wellness.

“When we went back to the drawings of the rebranded salon, we realized we had to blow them up,” she said. “We saw it was missing those social spaces; that’s what we wanted to focus on.”

And that’s what the brand did, adding designated social rooms to each PENZONE location from that point on. These are spaces where guests can receive top-quality care, but also get to know others, meet someone new, or spend quality time with friends and loved ones.

Also inspired by L I T Life + Yoga, PENZONE now hosts events designed to bring communities together in an experiential way, through its recurring Evenings of Enlightenment and Sip + Shop events.

“Now it’s not just someone running in for a haircut, a husband and wife can come together on a date night and make an evening out of it,” Penzone said, adding that everyone from couples to corporate groups can create their own “spa days” by indulging in multiple PENZONE wellness services in a single session.

A full-scale revitalization of the guest experience was next on the docket. Guided by previous passion projects, Penzone looked to The Royal Rhino Club Barbershop & Lounge and L I T Life + Yoga for inspiration. Pulling in full bar elements, including craft cocktails, and a social hotspot from the shop and then mindfulness moments and self-care opportunities infused from the studio.

The barrier-breaking changes kept coming from that point on. In addition to adopting aromatherapy and a host of new relaxation elements, PENZONE locations now embrace a more open concept (with the addition of spacious patios). They’ve even adopted the paring down of the dress code for team members, which creates a more inviting atmosphere, for both guests and team members.

We didn’t just do a logo change, we dove deep into our pillars, our mantra, and who we are. We kept asking: What do we stand for?”

The story of PENZONE Salon + Spas’ award-winning transformation into the style-defining brand it’s become.

This evolution of the brand lead to PENZONE Dublin receiving top honors and being awarded as the 2019 Salon Today Salon of the Year and the North American Hairstyling Awards Salon Design of the Year in the same year. As PENZONE moved forward with new locations in new areas, it relied on this modern, open and experience-focused model as the blueprint for the brand.

Most recently, PENZONE opened a Gahanna/ New Albany location in the Hamilton Quarter development. The salon and spa, complete with a chic interior, sizable patios, local art and plenty of open space, boasts a Come as You Are theme. It’s

working with the design Penzone helped create, while making sure every new space is unique in its own way.

Because, as Debbie Penzone and PENZONE Salons + Spas learned, you always have to be willing to adapt to provide guests with innovative experiences.

“Change is never easy, but it can be necessary. Now, you can look around at any PENZONE and see things going on that inspire you,” she said. “It’s become this whole community of sharing and inspiring.”

To learn more, visit penzonesalons.com

Drip, Drip, Drop

Wellness Flow brings the world of IV therapy to Columbus with new Short North hub offering unique mind and body treatments

Words by Jack McLaughlin

Photography by Aaron Massey

Layout by Victoria Smith

If you ask Sean Carroo, about his plans for Wellness Flow, the unique new Ohio-born IV therapy company that has recently put roots down locally, he’ll give a straight answer.

“We want to make medicine cool again,” is what you’re likely to hear.

Wellness Flow, which has opened a Columbus brick and mortar hub in the heart of the Short North after launching in Dayton only two years ago, is rapidly expanding throughout Ohio as a unique new approach to health and wellness, beauty and ever spots performance treatments.

And all of it starts with an IV line.

While Carroo and fellow Wellness Flow cofounder Paul Adongo first discovered IV therapies in the context of addiction and cancer treatments, Carroo noted they’re also used by top-level athletes to rehydrate quickly, approached as a hangover cure in some circles, and embraced as a way to look younger for longer in others.

Wellness Flow borrows from all of these arenas to create an eclectic and wide-reaching approach to IV therapy that’s just as impactful as it is new and exciting.

One of the cornerstone treatments at Wellness Flow is the concept’s Drip Bar, where patrons can select from a wide variety of different infusions–in which fluid and vitamins are delivered into the bodily intravenously, providing benefits that oral administration simply cannot–including the Hydration Drip, Detox Drip, Brain Fuel drip, and even a pair of speciality drips focused on athletic performance and prenatal care.

“A lot of people think IV therapy is only for elitelevel athletes or celebrities, but that’s not the case,” Carroo said.

A lot of people think IV therapy is only for elite-level athletes or celebrities, but that’s not the case.”

This isn’t the only way Wellness Flow is making medicine cool again, either. The brand is doing so with a variety of other options, like aesthetic procedures like Botox and hydra facials, in addition to peptides and a variety of other lesser-known therapies.

These other options include bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, where critical hormones your bodily replies upon daily–such as testosterone–are

replaced by natural hormones that are biologically identical to those produced in the body. Similarly treatments that boost your body’s NAD+ supply–using dosages between 250-750mgs–streamline the chemical processes your body relies upon to generate energy at the chemical level. Increasing these can lead to more energy, enhanced brain function, faster cellular regeneration, a boosted metabolism and a reduction in bodily inflammation.

Now with its new Columbus hub, which is located at 15 Price Ave. in the Short North, Wellness

Flow allows central Ohio patrons to book an appointment at their convenience.

The fast-growing and Ohio-born brand also offers a “concierge” service, meaning Wellness Flow treatments will come to you, and can be undertaken from virtually anywhere. The company even offers event and large group rates for IV therapies, meaning a whole lot more people have a chance to get in on the ground floor of the Buckeye State’s coolest new therapies.

Avant Garde Alpaca to

Words by Melinda Green

Photography by Leonardo Carrizo & Wendy Pramik

Layout by Atlas Biro

Touch them. They’re so soft. They’re like buttah,” she croons, touching an indigo-andcream colored dress in her studio window, its hem pooling on the floor. She’s created this piece for the upcoming Decorative Arts Center of Ohio Gala.

Celeste Malvar-Stewart is a renowned sustainable fashion designer and felting artist based in Columbus. Not only is she very concerned about where she sources her raw materials, but she is also friends with the animals who provide her with fiber and wool. “I know all my animals by name, whose fibers I use. These are two animals. This one is Dameon,” she said, fingering a perfect creamcolored loc of fiber on the dress. “There are two types of alpacas. He’s a suri alpaca, which has these long locs. And then Santiago is this [fiber] here, which are more the alpacas that we’re familiar with, the fluffy ones.”

Those fluffy alpacas, huacayas, have fiber so soft and light that you can hold it in your hand and not know it. Sometimes, she has friends close their eyes and wait for her to drop the pouf of fiber… that’s already in their hands.

Pure silk is the only fabric she buys off the bolt. “This is felted with RaeRae, my favorite alpaca who lives in Springfield, Ohio,” she said, holding up a silk and felted dress. “And she is my favorite girl. RaeRae’s in a lot of my pieces.” She pulled out another silk dress with tiny, exquisite white curls. “This is actually from a little lamb named Christian Dior,” she laughed. “He lives in Medina. I got to name him because he was born when I visited the farm. There were two little ones, black and white. They’re Coco Chanel, for the little black dress and Christian Dior, for his wedding gowns.”

With a sustainable approach, Malvar-Stewart controls every facet of her materials usage, and all are biodegradable, except for deconstructed waste denim. “Every loc is accounted for,” she said. “Because of my methods and processes, I know how much material I’ll need to make my specific pieces. One time, I made a wedding gown that was a little too long, and the waste from that gown fit in one hand. So I had some waste, but it wasn’t significant. And then I reused that!”

Malvar-Stewart commits to being sustainable and mindful at every step, including collecting rainwater for the felting process and using natural dyes, like the indigo blue and logwood gray, on display in her studio. “I grow quite a bit in my courtyard,” she said. “I have madder root, an ancient dye, Hopi black dye sunflowers, marigolds, black-eyed Susans, all kinds of wonderful plants and flowers.” She pulls out a dress recently featured in Vogue Digital—a rippling combination of deep, lustrous browns

and tan with striking, rust-colored highlights. She had buried the lighter-colored silk with some rusty objects, creating “a really cool effect.”

The time in her studio lately has been dedicated to constructing pieces for her DACO Gala collection, themed “Ambiguous Citizenship.” Born in the Philippines and raised in San Francisco, MalvarStewart lives in ambiguity. “In the Philippines, they have a special word for us that means you

were born there, and you’re coming home—but it’s understood that you’re not really part of the community. And then here, people always ask me, ‘Where are you from?’ It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, can’t I have one place where it’s not ambiguous?’”

She feels this in certain aspects of her career as well. “I’ve been at this for more than 30 years, but I’ve only been known in Ohio as a fiber artist, a felting artist,” she said. “But I’m a tailor; I have my Master’s in fashion design.”

Celeste studied at the American College in London, then returned to San Francisco and started her brand. Quickly, she began seeing the adverse effects of her typical approach to fashion production. “We were in this building—it was slanted; it should have been abandoned. I had these big bins. I used natural fabric, but it was off the bolt, and I was sewing and would dump my waste into the bins. I would start to see how much waste I was creating, just me.’” This was where her zero-waste approach began to take shape.

It was in graduate school at Eastern Michigan University that she learned Nuno felting, her standard method of felting now. The process allows the fiber to retain its memory and gives MalvarStewart the ability to create form-fitting clothes free of closures.

Malvar-Stewart eventually moved to Columbus from New York City when her husband, a statistical geneticist, took a job at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Christmas gifts with that money. “I was like, ‘Oh my god! This is what it means to support our local farmers! Like, profoundly, that’s what it means!’” Malvar-Stewart exclaimed. “That motivated me to make sure our economy is robust, and let’s support local in a real way. Not just the finished products, but the raw materials available in our area.”

From farm to finished product, she estimates a typical garment, like a dress, takes 40 hours—and that’s now that she’s “pretty fast” at it.

Upstairs, in her work studio, a Santiago/Dameon fiber tube top sat, wet with soapy water, on a pattern much larger than life size. Scrubbing with soapy water intertwines the individual fibers to eventually create felt. Curls and locs are strategically placed by opening their fibers and scrubbing them into the base to become extensions of the felt.

“Gandalf was my first Lincoln Longwool,” she said, sorting through a rack to find a piece with fat curls and denim embroidery. “Look, he has really big curls. He’s my babe. He’s really old now.” She pulled out another dress. “This is Sugar,” she said proudly, touching tight, perfectly formed curls. “When I started working with [Lincoln Longwool sheep], they were endangered. Now they’re threatened, which is nice; they’re moving up. That’s why I want to use their wool. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Along with her design work, Celeste teaches tailoring and design sustainability at Columbus College of Art & Design, getting her students to think about using more local material. “When I came here, and we would fly around in our little plane, I would see all these farms.” She began cold-calling the farmers, seeking raw fiber. “We’re always like ‘support local, support local,’” recounting handing payment to a local farmer at Christmastime. The farmer got teary-eyed and admitted they could buy their grandchildren

Malvar-Stewart gives talks to promote using Lincoln Longwools. “They don’t have the finest wool, so they’re not popular for yarn,” she admitted. “One of my biggest fears is that we have these sheep breeds, and one day, they’re just gone because we don’t care to use their fiber.”

She held up yet another piece, covered with curls in delicious pecan, caramel, and buttercream hues. “This is Penelope, the variegated, and this is Brandywine. I’m just in love with the natural colors and the perfect little curls.”

I was like, ‘I am not moving to Ohio; I don’t know if they even have fashion there,’” she recalled.

“I was so ignorant. We’re third in the nation in concentration of fashion designers.”

Photo courtesy of Priscilla Dwomoh

Her energy for her craft is infectious. No matter what, though, her favorite part of her work is the farm. “The connection that you can have with these materials, these beings, you know… a lot of times, animals are just out in a field,” she said.

“I’m so grateful that they give me their fiber, and [grateful] to the shepherdesses who are so great about breeding and getting fine fiber. I love being able to have a deeper connection to the materials I have.”

She rushed across the room to remove a submersible heater from a five-gallon bucket of indigo dye sourced from a community of growers in Bangladesh. In a south-facing window, brightly colored jars of other natural dyes heated in the sunlight. She works mostly alone, bringing in interns or assistants occasionally.

Soon her studio is moving, possibly to her courtyard at home. For now, bags of fiber and wool, labeled with their sources’ names, line shelves and tables in the work area. She picked through various chunks of raw fiber, fluffing pieces from RaeRae and Dameon to show their inherent textures and their different warmth next to the skin, and returned to the bucket of indigo for a stir.

Every piece that Celeste makes has meaning, including the dress featured in Vogue, titled “Contrails.” She recalled one day, driving, noticing contrails in the sky—but no planes. “It made me realize, wow, what is the impact we make, even when we’re gone? What do I do in my life that impacts others when I’m gone from the room, gone from the city, gone from the world? Everything we do, we leave these contrails behind. Thinking about that, how much more mindful can we be?”

A Few of Celeste’s Favorite Local Things

Replenish +skin Hydrating Cream for your Body from Replenish Spa

I love this balm and the way it makes my skin feel soft and hydrated all day! It contains shea butter, cocoa butter, and grapeseed. I also love supporting this wonderful Women of Colour Owned Business replenishwith.us

Alpaca products (love their socks!) from Majestic Meadows Alpacas & Boutique (in Medina) Really wonderful yarn, accessories, and clothing made from alpaca fibre from this family owned/run farm and it’s a great place for families to visit too!

majesticmeadowsalpacas.com

ZenGenius Marketplace

This is a great local go to for eclectic creative gifts, home decor, local souvenirs and vintage fashions. Many of their items are by local artists and makers and many decor elements are gently used that support their reduce and reuse values!

I love their clever t-shirts and, of course, their disco balls! zengenius.com/marketplace

Ranchero Kitchen

Really great authentic Salvadoran food. I especially love their delicious pupusas (hand-made corn tortillas stuffed with various fillings)

Petals that Inspire

Whenever I need beautiful flowers, this is my go to! It is a woman owned social enterprise; so, supporting them means supporting the community! petalsthatinspire.com

Bendi Wok’n Bar

A neighborhood fave and my version of “Cheers” (in German Village), this local restaurant serves delicious Asian dishes with creative cocktails, and they have excellent service with the friendliest staff! bendiwoknbar.com

Everest Cuisine

Excellent local spot for delicious Nepali, Indian, and Tibetan dishes! everestcuisinecolumbus.com

Glass Axis

A great place to find cool and unique glasswork, and a fun way to support local glass artists! glassaxis.org

Star Jewelers

A great family owned/run jewellery store with beautiful and unique pieces. They are such a sweet family and I recently bought a beautiful necklace and had a special family coined made into a pendant with them!

GRANITA Coffee Tutorial

Words & Recipe by Canaan Lendell

Photography by Ben Callahan

Layout by Victoria Smith

C

olumbus has played host to a rapidly expanding specialty coffee scene over the past few years. Between roasters employing increasingly innovative methods and cafes expertly brewing their beans, it’s never been easier to find ethically sourced coffee crafted and brewed in exciting new ways. Thunderkiss Coffee is a prime example - what started in Jason Valentine’s Clintonville garage in 2011 has grown to a full-fledged commercial space on 5th, where he now offers same-day delivery of his single-origin coffees and cold brews to the Columbus area.

01

Combine 2 cups of coffee with a 1/4 cup each of brown sugar and heavy cream, although if you’re feeling a little sportive, you could use coffee liqueur.

02

After pouring it into a rectangular dish, place in the freezer, scraping it across the top with a fork every half hour or so as it freezes to get beautiful, fluffy crystals.

This bean is from the volcanic valley of Antigua in Guatemala, which Thunderkiss French-roasts to emphasize cacao, brown sugar, and cherry notes. Take care when brewing not to over-extract, as darker coffees tend to easily turn bitter. To prevent this, use a coarser grind size and slightly less water than normal.

The chocolatey flavor profile lends itself perfectly to refreshing, milky summertime desserts like an affogato (a hard-to-beat combination of floral gelato and rich espresso) or the classic tiramisu. I’ve opted to make my favorite; the perfect granita.

03

Serve on its own or with a dollop of justwhipped heavy cream.

Thunderkiss

Small Batch

Coffee Roaster @tkisscoffee

Purchase brewing equipment locally at:

- One Line Coffee

- Crimson Cup

- Parable Coffee

Summer Wines EARLY

Words by Canaan Lendell

The transition from spring to summer is marked by an appreciation for the new, the vibrant, and the immediate. Cobwebs cleared, windows opened, and conversations with friends are again moved to the patio, where dinner parties source from the tender bounties at the farmer’s market. The wines should be fresh, bracing, and easy to drink.

These two wines are perfectly priced to buy a case for the summer months - you won’t feel precious about opening another when some unexpected guests pop by, and they’re so irresistible you’d do it anyway.

The first is a somewhat unconventional pick, a sparkling red wine, the 2022 Vecchia Modena Lambrusco by the Cleto Chiarli family. For a varietal typically characterized by a syrupy, almost cloying sweetness, this dry Lambrusco is juicy and tart, like biting into a perfect green apple. With tons of strawberry and a clean, slightly sweet finish, this would perfectly balance charcuterie, wood - fired pizza, or even barbecue. Chill completely, and take out of the fridge 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

The second pick is a summertime classic, Sauvignon Blanc. Produced by Gaspard in the Loire Valley, this 2021 harvest is smooth, slightly buttery, and very moreish. Notes of honeydew, grapefruit, and a slight grassiness make this the perfect partner for a plate of pesto pasta, fresh fruit, or a spicy Thai curry. Serve chilled in the company of good friends.

Photography by Ben Callahan

Layout by Atlas Biro

Both wines can be purchased at Hausfrau Haven in German Village

Hotel Versailles & Silas Creative Kitchen

Words by Megan Smith

Photography by Megan Smith & Ben Callahan

Layout by Bryce Patterson

The newly built Hotel Versailles is a modern, luxury retreat just a short 2-hour drive from downtown Columbus. Perfect for a great staycation destination. With just 30 spacious, well-appointed guestrooms and suites, the hotel is a quiet, historic revival getaway, which sits on the same plot of land that has housed a hospitality space since 1865.

The hotel nods to Ohio makers, designers, and creators with a solid dedication to hyper locality. For example, the focal point private dining room table in the restaurant was crafted by Hayrake Furniture Company in Minster, Ohio; the centerpiece window banquette chandelier created by Glass Asylum in Chagrin Falls, Ohio; and locally sourced furnishings and artwork fill the hotel, its restaurant, and private event space, the 1819 Room.

“Working with Ohio-based Kimberly O Design, we have maintained the historical attributes of the property and its rich hospitality lineage while crafting a new modern-day atmosphere to bring a dynamic, one-of-a-kind upscale boutique hotel to Versailles for locals and visitors alike to enjoy,” Managing Director Jack Olshan shares. “We want our guests to experience a historically-rich property that is sophisticated and surprising, friendly and fancy, modern and memorable.”

While in Versailles, visit the Winery at Versailles or play a round at the Stillwater Valley Golf Club. Don’t forget to make reservations at Silas Restaurant on the hotel’s first floor, and if available, book the 350-square-foot Spa Suite with the oversized soaking tub to finish the day.

Executive Chef Aaron Allen, whose 14-year career has taken him around the country to cook and lead teams in famed restaurants like DANIEL in NYC, The Inn at Dos Brisas, and Nemacolin Woodland Resort, now curates an authentic farm-fueled epicureanism experience just two hours from Columbus, in quintessential Versailles, Ohio.

Every menu item at Silas Creative Kitchen + Cocktails is carefully created based on seasonally available ingredients sourced directly from the

property’s nearby Sycamore Bridge Farm and in partnerships with local husbandry farms. “As a true farm-to-table experience, each menu at Silas is crafted around ingredients that are seasonally available to source from our 85-acre farm—only minutes away from the hotel,” says Chef Allen. “The rich quality of colors, textures, and tastes that emerge from the heirloom vegetables and herbs harvested, partnered with locally raised meats and poultry, allow us to create an unmatched selection of freshly prepared dishes for guests to enjoy.”

Tasting Menu

Assorted Homemade Breads cultured butter, lava salt

1st COURSE

Tempura Fried Wild Mushrooms

anchovy mayo

Spicy Salmon

crispy rice, smashed avocado, micro cilantro

Pimento Cheese Gougeres

hot honey, pistachio

2nd COURSE

Dill Spaetzle

goetta, brussels sprouts, whipped chevre, fried egg, apple butter

3rd COURSE

Roasted Pork Belly Bao Buns chipotle maple kohlrabi slaw

4th COURSE

Grilled Nantucket Bay Scallops heirloom bean salad with cucumber, beets, tahini + dill lime ginger vinaigrette, crispy marble potatoes

5th COURSE

Slow-Roasted Ft Loramie Lamb marinated in rosemary, honey, and garlic. Served with homemade naan bread, assorted chutneys + sauces

6th COURSE

Vanilla Sponge Cake Sundae

mascarpone semifreddo, dark chocolate crémeux, orange curd, brûléed satsuma mandarins, candied walnuts

Created by Executive Chef Aaron Allen

Hopes Dreams & of Garden

An Afternoon at Highland Youth Garden

Words by Taylor Dorrell

It only took my son maybe a day or two of going to their youth program, and he was in love with gardening,” longtime Hilltop resident Kayla Davis told me. Before attending Highland Youth Garden’s summer program, her seven-year-old, Kaiden, had little desire or interest in what many children consider one of the most unappetizing pieces of the five main food groups: fruits and vegetables. But after collectively producing these foods in the garden, the greens transcended their negative reputation and became a means of enriching and expanding the existence of all those involved. The organization installed a garden bed in the Davis’ backyard, where Kaiden now grows his own food. Kayla told me,

structures, inviting members to the team, and partnering with nearby schools and youth centers to provide an empowering educational experience for the kids who live in the neighborhood. What was once an empty lot when Murphy started has transformed into a multi-plot facility with a building, greenhouse, and various crops that only a connoisseur of gardens could appreciate fully. By the time Murphy passed away in 2020, the Highland Youth Garden was a staple in the community.

After two Hilltop recreation centers closed their doors in 2009, founder Peggy Murphy banded with local educators and community members to grow food and teach children about gardening on a nearby vacant plot of land. “We started with a dollar and a prayer,” Murphy said of those early days. Over the next decade, the garden expanded, adding

The Highland Youth Garden is in that part of Columbus unfamiliar to admirers of the city’s more canonized neighborhoods: west of a quickly gentrifying Franklinton, the underside of deindustrialization, a lower-middle class region of old homes and businesses, and a severe lack of grocery stores. The garden provides an important, even necessary, service when considering the history of the Hilltop. Because the Hilltop had lost crucial 20th-century factories from General Motors, John Deere, Westinghouse, and its state-of-theart psychiatric hospital, the once segregated area and its reputation exists in that place of our urban imagination reserved hastily for that of crime and poverty. The Highland Youth Garden looks like an inverse of the aging homes, a modest plot of soil, a towering greenhouse, and, at the entrance, along an uneven sidewalk, a wooden sign that reads Highland Youth Garden: grow food, grow minds, grow community.

That excitement is wonderful for any youth, especially when they feel like they’ve grown it as a team, and they’re able to bear witness to it growing from a seed to now something that’s able to be picked,”

Photography by Taylor Dorrell

Layout by Atlas Biro

Shelly Casto, Executive Director of Highland Youth Garden, in the high tunnel.

“We actually prefer the term food apartheid...Because that makes clear that it’s not a natural circumstance; it is actually a societal choice.”

“So much of the land, especially where Highland Youth Garden is today, was actually family farms,” the Hilltop historian and Hilltop area commissioner, Jennie Keplar, told me. “So, it’s actually pretty appropriate to have the Highland Youth Garden where it is because much of that land in that area was private farmland.” But now, the neighborhood is a food desert, lacking any grocery stores within a mile radius. “We actually prefer the term food apartheid,” Shelly Casto, the executive director of Highland Youth Garden, told me. “Because that makes clear that it’s not a natural circumstance; it is actually a societal choice.”

While primarily focused on youth education, the garden also produces more than 4,000 pounds of food annually. While that doesn’t put a dent in the food access shortage, it’s at least an attempt to spur the necessary changes, Casto says. “We are encouraging people to take matters into their own hands by helping them build backyard gardens, learning how to grow their own food, making the tools to do so accessible to them, and then advocating for different policies.” This food, produced by the community, is given back to the

community through its various programs and free markets. In a desolate food desert like the Hilltop, these markets can provide the only produce available within miles.

The garden is a breath of fresh air peeking through a landscape of car-crowded roads, underinvested infrastructure, and a community recovering from decades of deindustrialization and segregation. It is an all too rare space designed for people in a city crammed with highways, parking lots, and nonplaces. “I think the biggest thing for other people to know, especially working in the greater hilltop area, is that it’s a huge service that is needed in the community,” Kayla Davis said. “Right now, we have to go to the garden to get your fresh fruits and veggies all throughout the week, so it’s a very much utilized resource in the community.”

Get involved in a variety of ways. From educational programming, gardening, creating art, behind-the-scenes planning & support, or simply sending a donation – there is a way for you to contribute.

highlandyouthgarden.org/get-involved