Cincinnati Magazine - April 2022 Edition

Our Future Is Female

Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney,

VICE MAYOR

Tyra Patterson,

Ixi Chen,

CONCERT: NOVA

25 Women Driving Change in the Arts, Politics, Medicine, Social Justice, and More

OHIO JUSTICE & POLICY CENTER

Carla Walker,

WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE

Cal Cullen,

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F E AT U R E S A P R I L 2 02 2

P.

36

THE FEMALE GAZE EMILY WOLFF PHOTOGRAPHED AT MAMA’S ON MAIN, FEBRUARY 28.

OUR FUTURE IS FEMALE Meet 25 women driving change throughout Cincinnati, whether in policing, politics, the arts, environmentalism, social justice, business, or the dining scene.

GIVING THEIR REGARDS TO BROADWAY

P. 52

Eight CCM grads talk about the challenges of building a New York theater career, learning to adjust during the pandemic, and the lessons they still carry from their time at the University of Cincinnati.

BY RICK PENDER

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANGIE LIPSCOMB

KILLING OFF OHIO’S DEATH PENALTY

P. 56

A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers hopes to end executions and make Ohio the 24th state to stop the death penalty’s “failed experiment.” Joe Deters is not on board.

BY PATRICIA GALLAGHER NEWBERRY

A P R I L 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 5

D E PA R T M E N T S A P R I L 2 02 2

ON OUR SITE

90

FOOD NEWS

12 / LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FRONTLINES

18 / SPEAK EASY

104 / CINCY OBSCURA

Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Pavan Parikh

Cincinnati’s piece of the Berlin Wall

Laura Trujillo’s moving new memoir

18 / EVENTS

BY BEBE HODGES

17 / DISPATCH

Happy 200th birthday to Ulysses S. Grant

20 / STYLE COUNSEL Former Marine and CrossFit coach Raquel Theodosopoulos

32

22 / STOREFRONT Stitches Quilt Shop, Glendale

24 / REAL ESTATE Mansion vibes in Indian Hill

26 / DR. KNOW Your QC questions answered

DINE

86 / OFF THE MENU Jacob Treviño of Gorilla Cinema

88 / FINE DIVING Mi Tierra, Sharonville

88 / TABLESIDE WITH…

28 / LIVING IN CIN

Decoding our civic DNA, from history to politics to personalities.

Phil Gentry of Fausto

90 / HOT PLATE Blind Squirrel, Florence

92 / SNACK TIME Bombolini at Mama’s Mornings, Covington

COLUMNS

CITY NEWS

96 / DINING GUIDE Greater Cincinnati restaurants: A selective list

HOME + LIFE

Tracking what’s new in local real estate, artisans, and storefronts.

A real soap opera

BY J AY G I L B E R T

32 / PERSON OF INTEREST Hamilton’s West Side Little League All-Stars

ON THE COVER

photograph by ANGIE LIPSCOMB

BY LISA MURTHA

SPORTS

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04.22 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS

PAGE 65

2022

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

TOP DENTISTS

PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW DOENCH

Our annual list of the top dentists in the Cincinnati region, 278 professionals in seven specialties who are making smiles brighter.

A P R I L 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 6 1

Top Dentists 2022 The list of the region’s best dentists, as chosen by their peers. Learn more about some of those chosen and how they can improve your smile.

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PROMOTION

15 MINUTES

MUSICAL BRUNCH FEBRUARY 2022

CINCINNATI MAGAZINE KICKED OFF OUR MONTHLY MUSICAL BRUNCH SERIES WITH MODERN SWING MUSIC COURTESY OF THE MATT TOLENTINO BAND. Toes were tapping as guests enjoyed a delicious brunch alongside mimosas and an outrageous garnish-it-yourself Bloody Mary bar.

Join us on April 24 for reggae, soca, and calypso music from the Queen City Silver Stars. Get more info and purchase your tickets at CincinnatiMagazine.com/musicalbrunch.

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L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I TO R A P R I L 2 02 2

O

CONTRIBUTORS

LAUREN FISHER

O N M O S T W O R K D AY S O V E R T H E PA S T 3 0 Y E A R S , I ’ V E S AT I N F R O N T O F A computer or a notepad searching for the right words to communicate an idea forming in my head. The physical distance between your brain and your fingers isn’t much, but the chasm between your thoughts and your written words often feels as wide as the Milky Way. Those of you who are writers—and especially those who aren’t—understand the frustration of not being able to translate into words what the mind is spouting.

In my experience, the “right words” often aren’t the easiest words. They’re usually not the first words. And they rarely have to be the perfect words. Like most things in life, “perfect” can be the enemy of “good” when it comes to writing—so I aim to be the best writer I can be, not the perfect writer. And sometimes, when I least expect it, the words flow like butter—as Randy Quaid (playing a newspaper columnist) says in my second favorite journalism movie, The Paper— and I momentarily feel that all is right in the universe.

When you work with words every day, you tend to develop favorites. Among mine is possibly the most insignificant word in the English language: “the.” It’s especially valuable when differentiating between these two sentences: She runs a new restaurant at 14th and Vine streets; she runs the new restaurant at 14th and Vine streets. The first describes a new place no one’s heard of; the second recognizes the savvy reader is already “in the know.”

These thoughts flowed like butter as I contemplated this month’s “Our Future Is Female” (page 36), celebrating 25 women driving change in Cincinnati.

Note that we’re not interviewing the 25 women driving change; the absence of that small word says a lot. (It’s also a pre-emptive explanation to those who will inevitably complain Why didn’t you include….)

It takes a village to drive change in any community, and thousands of women are doing their part across Cincinnati. These 25 leaders are some of our favorites; get to know them a little better and maybe they’ll inspire you to be the change you hope to see in the world.

J O H N F OX

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

1 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

ILLUSTR ATIO N BY L A R S LEE TA RU

Associate Editor Lauren Fisher knows there are far more than 25 women shaping Cincinnati’s future. “It took so much thought and conversation to decide who to include on this list, and the more we got into it, the more we realized that 25 is actually a very small number,” says Fisher, who is proud of each interview she did for this issue.

JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER Interviewing successful changemakers can be intimidating. But when Jaclyn Youhana Garver sat down to chat with several of our picks for “Our Future Is Female,” (page 36) she felt nothing but warmth and welcome. “My favorite thing about interviewing someone is the permission to pick a person’s brain,” Garver says. “And the brains we picked for this project were spectacular.”

ANGIE LIPSCOMB Contributing photographer Angie Lipscomb’s talent especially shines in her portraiture. This month, you’ll find Lipscomb’s intimate, joyful portraits on the cover and in “Our Future Is Female” (page 36). “As if we didn’t know already, Cincinnati is overflowing with phenomenal women,” she says. “What a gift to be able to meet with so many of them.”

CORRECTION

March’s restaurant feature incorrectly stated that Matt Loomis owns the building that houses China Gourmet and that takeout makes up a majority of the restaurant’s business. We regret these errors.

Financial advice is not gender neutral.

At Bartlett Wealth Management, we understand the roles women play, the circumstances women face, and the perspectives women bring to every decision. That’s why we work hard to help our clients feel empowered, informed, and comfortable making financial decisions for themselves and their families.

Let’s talk about your future today.

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CELEBRATING GRANT P. 18

ATHLETIC STYLE P. 20

GLENDALE HAS US IN STITCHES P. 22

A MANSION ON THE MARKET P. 24

STEPPING UP TO HELP Journalist Laura Trujillo opens up about her mother’s suicide and hopes others will start addressing mental health.

K E L LY B L E W E T T

“I

DON’T KNOW WHY I HAVE MY

notebook out,” Laura Trujillo says when I sit down across from her. “I don’t need to take notes about myself!” The experienced journalist, formerly with The Cincinnati Enquirer, has published a new memoir, Stepping Back from the Ledge, exploring her mother’s death by suicide, but she’s more accustomed to interviewing others than being interviewed.

Trujillo’s mother jumped to her death at the Grand Canyon in 2012. Though she had struggled with depression, the suicide was a surprise to her family. Once the shock wore away, though, the tragedy seemed—at least to Trujillo—almost predictable. “Everyone knows part of someone’s story,” she says.“But we don’t put the pieces together. Everyone had some little reason to be worried about my mom. What if we’d all shared them with each other?”

These kinds of questions haunted Trujillo, who wondered if a recent disclosure to her mother—that she’d been sexually abused as a teenager—had impacted her mother’s decision to end her life. In the months that followed, Trujillo felt herself spiraling into hopelessness. “I wanted to be with [my CONTINUED ON P. 18 PH OTO G R A PH BY D E V Y N G LI S TA

A P R I L 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 1 7

DISPATCH

EVENTS

RECONSTRUCTING GRANT’S LEGACY

Ulysses S. Grant’s 200th birthday is being celebrated April 27 near his Clermont County birthplace. The underrated U.S. president will be feted at a Bicentennial Dinner at Batavia’s Norlyn Manor, with an 1860s-themed menu and period music. Tickets start at $75. discoverclermont.com/grant 1 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

SPEAK EASY

A CLERK OF MANY HATS Hamilton County’s new Clerk of Courts, Pavan Parikh, was appointed to fill the vacancy after Aftab Pureval became Cincinnati mayor in January. Parikh wore many hats before entering the field of public service, serving as chief legal counsel for the Ohio Senate Minority Caucus and a judge advocate for the Army Reserve and working for the Federal Home Loan Bank. He also juggles multiple hats as Clerk of Courts.

What exactly does the Clerk of Courts do?

Everything. I say that slightly facetiously but realistically. Judges have all this authority but the clerk has to run the courthouse.

The judge can issue an order, but that order doesn’t mean anything if it isn’t transmitted to the right people and if it isn’t filed appropriately.

Our office is actually unique in the state of Ohio, because Hamilton County is the only jurisdiction that has all of the courts as part of the same unified, countywide judiciary— our municipal court, our common pleas court, our domestic relations court, and our court of appeals. It’s the one place to go for all of them. A one-stop shop.

Why is the Clerk of Courts office important to voters? It’s your front line. If you have to do anything in the justice system, chances are you have to come see people in our office.

If you’re seeking a protective order, you come to the clerk’s office to file before you go see the magistrate to get it adjudicated. We have our whole auto title division, so you need to go over there if you’re buying a car. If you need to get your passport renewed, we handle that.

We coordinate having citizens serve jury duty.

We’re the plumbing that holds the entire courthouse together.

Anything else you think is important to share?

People should vote and should volunteer to be an election official.

They need to take more of an interest in local government, because the president and congress get all the media, but 90 percent of the decisions that impact our daily lives are made at the statehouse, the courthouse, and city hall. People need to pay attention, because this is where all the governing that affects their lives actually happens.

— L E Y L A S H O KO O H E READ A LONGER INTERVIEW WITH PAVAN AT CINCINNATIMAGAZINE. COM

PH OTO G R A PH S BY J O N ATH A N W I LLI S

IM AG ERY CO U R TE S Y (I CO N) EMI VILL AVI C EN CI O / (SPE A K E A S Y ) D O RE SE J EN A E / (E V EN T S) B R A DY- H A N DY CO LLEC TI O N AT TH E LIB R A RY O F CO N G RE SS

mother] in the canyon,” she wrote story that led to her contract with Penlater in an article for USA Today. guin Random House for Stepping Back Just before she left for the airport to fly from the Ledge. Still, she has the opportuto Arizona, her son handed her a note. “I nity today, as the features editor for USA love you,” it read, “and I know you love Today, to frame the topic of suicide in me.” She did not get on the plane. Today sensitive ways that keep the conversation the note is framed by her bedside, and moving forward. “I want to do what I can the child who wrote it is in his twenties. to advocate,” she says. “I won’t monitor a Like her mother, Trujillo tended to suicide hotline, it’s just too painful. But I can tell my story as honestly as I can.” experience depression intensely and privately. Determined to try to heal, she One concrete change: The shuttle busfound a therapist and created a list of ses at the Grand Canyon’s south rim now post a suicide hotline number, what to do when she felt low. which Trujillo’s son texted her Years later, on a discussion a photo of during his last visit. panel about suicide prevenThe canyon was an importion, she would realize that she’d created an “action plan,” tant place for her mother, a a strategy recommended for place of connection and parathose at risk of suicide. doxically of joy. By researching Part of her healing involved Let’s Talk About It her mother’s life and death, Laura Trujillo writing about what happened, Trujillo has come to see her as though she calls it “the story I discusses her book at adventurous and strong—but 6 p.m. April 28 at the also that her mother had been never wanted to tell.” Trujillo Mercantile Library. began in long Facebook posts mercantilelibrary.com struggling for a long time.

Trujillo often wears a accompanied by photographs, and the response was overwhelming. One bracelet engraved with the word “Love” in acquaintance shared that his mother had her mother’s handwriting. Looking at the handwriting makes Trujillo feel close to died by suicide when he was 12. “You are her mother, though she doesn’t want to giving me permission to talk about it,” he wrote. Though these words moved Trujillo wear it every day. In that way, the bracelet and eventually gave her courage to write is not dissimilar from the book. “Sometimes I want to explain the book, and about the experience publicly, she still cringes when she looks back at those posts. sometimes I don’t,” she says. And that She wishes that she’d been more insimple sentence alludes at once to the tentional about her language and that power of both telling stories and having boundaries. In this moment and many she’d included a mental health charity others, Trujillo walks readers through as a donation option with her mother’s her pain and, by honestly describing it, obituary. She also wishes that she had talked more about hope in the USA Today models self-compassion and comfort.

2022 EVENTS

CALENDAR MONTHLY Musical Brunch 2/27, 3/27, 4/24, 5/22, 6/26, 7/31, 8/28, 9/25, 10/30, 11/27, 12/18

MARCH Best Restaurants 3/16

APRIL Spring Savor Chef’s Table 4/26 – 4/29

JUNE Girls Night Out – Madeira 6/8

PRIDE Party 6/24

JULY Summer Food Fest 7/16 & 7/17

SEPTEMBER On The Rocks 9/16

OCTOBER (SFBU $JODJOOBUJ #BLF 0Ɗ 10/8 & 10/9

NOVEMBER Fall Savor Chef’s Table 11/8 – 11/11

DECEMBER Celebrate Cincinnati Box featuring the Best of the City On sale 11 /18 – 12/17

cincinnatimagazine.com/ourevents

STYLE STYLE COUNSEL COUNSEL

RAQUEL THEODOSOPOULOS OCCUPATION: General Manager, NewCov CrossFit STYLE: Gender-Bending You’re a former Marine. A CrossFit athlete and coach. A business owner.

You’re a student. And you model. Where does all of this drive come from? When I was younger, I was very driven. I was a soccer athlete for my entire life. Even when I was a kid, after practice, I was staying for hours. It was just so normal for me to work for myself and do what I wanted to do. I knew that the only way I was going to get that was through me. I go into every day full of energy, and I leave every day very empty. What’s your proudest athletic moment? There was one year we were doing training in the Marine Corps and we had to climb a mountain: 13 miles up in negative 10-degree weather with over 110 pounds on our back. They put me on a team of all women, expecting us to fail. There were five women on my team. We basically carried a sled with 110 pounds on it. You’re supposed to rotate through those five people. It ended up that my entire team almost didn’t make it. They wouldn’t have made it if I didn’t carry this sled by myself. I was the only Marine out of all those people to carry the sled up those entire 13 miles. It was the most horrifying three days in my life. That was something that was—it’s a callback to your life, right?

When you go through hard things, you’re like, Yeah, but I fucking did that. On Instagram, you recently talked about how suits make you feel undeniably powerful. What is it about suits that gives you that confidence? I think it’s because they were meant for men. When you think of a CEO, you think of a guy standing in a suit at the top of a building, looking out of a beautiful window, right? So when I put on a suit, I think people look at me differently.

I love that. I think that it brings me power knowing that this world does not revolve around what you were made of.

–LAUREN FISHER

2 0 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

PHOTOGRAPH BY LANCE ADKINS

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MATERIAL WORLD

STITCHES QUILT SHOP HAS BEEN SERVING AREA QUILTERS FOR 25 YEARS.

—JAC LY N YO U H A N A G A R V E R

At Stitches Quilt Shop, quilters can find 3,000 bolts of fabric.

To a non-quilter, that sounds like a ridiculous amount. Owner Becky Terrell assures us it is not.

Terrell is the third owner of the Glendale shop, which has been supplying area quilters with the tools of their trade for 25 years. When she moved to her current home—which is across the street, in eyesight of the store—she quickly became a Stitches regular. Eventually, she started thinking about what it’d be like to own the shop one day.

“I watched my father during his retirement, and he did not retire well,” Terrell says, laughing. “He quit his full-time day job and started doing what he wanted to do.

Otherwise, he would have driven my mother crazy.”

Terrell spent 20 years at Procter & Gamble followed by eight years of consulting work. Eventually, tired of the travel, she decided to turn to a job that was more hobby than work. She told the shop’s previous owners that if they ever considered selling, she was interested in buying Stitches. And in 2014, they handed her the keys.

Under Terrell’s ownership, the shop’s wares have gotten a little brighter, a little more modern. Her bestselling fabric is by Kaffe Fassett, a fiber artist in his early 80s whose bold, colorful designs border on trippy. Take the four peony options

available at Stitches in early February: Huge, realistic bloom illustrations seem to float on a duotoneesque background in shades of lilac, turquoise, coral, and forest green.

The Charley Harper fabric is a huge hit, too. Harper’s son licenses the designs to a fabric printer. The material is all organic, finely milled, and, Terrell says, “some of the nicest feeling fabric we have in the shop.”

While the shop’s customers are largely women in their 50s and up, Terrell says there is a growing contingent of younger quilters in their 30s and 40s. During the pandemic, Stitches saw an increased interest

in quilting as people turned to creative hobbies as an alternative to TV-binging. This was evidenced, Terrell says, by how many people have needed to replace their sewing machines recently. And like nearly every other industry these days, there have been supply chain issues.

“It was an interesting challenge,” she says.

“We’ve never had that challenge, where the world is short of sewing machines.”

STITCHES QUILT SHOP, 16 VILLAGE SQUARE , GLENDALE , (513) 733-3999, STITCHESNSUCH.COM

During the pandemic, Stitches owner Becky Terrell made masks to help offset the shortage.

She also took phone orders from others who were purchasing supplies to make masks.

GOOD TO KNOW

2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

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IS IT AN ITALIAN VILLA? A MALIBU ESTATE OVERLOOKING THE PACIFIC?

Spoiler alert: It’s neither. Hidden from Drake Road by a wall of towering pines, this Indian Hill property was built in 2004, but its stucco walls, copper roof tiles, and high-climbing ivy exude the uncanny sense that it bel o n gs s o m ewh e re i n a n o t h e r t i m e — a n o t h e r p l a ce.

And we know what you’re thinking: Great. Another Indian Hill megamansion. But it’s the unexpected touches that make this property shine.

Take the stone floors that stretch throughout the home. No cold toes here: They’re all heated. Sick of sitting at the kitchen table? Not a problem. Take your meals at the swing hanging from the ceiling, right in the middle of the kitchen dining area.

The home theater is framed with rustic barnwood, the tiles covering the walls of the kitchen rise all the way across the ceiling, and 2 4 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

the library is fit for an Ivy League campus. Upstairs, each bedroom has a different personality. And the kitchen is a serious chef’s dream, anchored by a massive La Cornue range and full of professional amenities that extend into the butler’s pantry, which well exceeds the size of an average apartment kitchen.

Outdoor space abounds—even inside. Just off the kitchen, a sun-filled conservatory is a plant-lover’s paradise, offering sweeping views of the gardens through the bronze windows. The backyard is private and lush with its California-inspired pool yard, built-in firepit, and a stone pizza oven, perfect for outdoor dinners on warm summer nights. Prefer to spend time in the shade? A spacious, well-ventilated veranda beckons.

The home, with its soaring ceilings, floorto-ceiling windows, and imported touches, isn’t just breathtaking. It’s also a heck of a lot of fun.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY SIBCY CLINE

THIS LAVISH WEST-COAST-INSPIRED ESTATE IN INDIAN HILL IS FULL OF UNEXPECTED DETAILS AND NEW-WORLD CHARM. — L A U R E N F I S H E R

Your journey to the right home loan starts here.

Ryan Kiefer

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Dr. Know is Jay Gilbert, weekday afternoon deejay on 92.5 FM The Fox. Submit your questions about the city’s peculiarities at drknow@cincinnati magazine.com

DR. KNOW

less steel box.

Your grandfather was correct, though, about the items inside. The May 26, 1955, editions of Cincinnati’s Enquirer, TimesStar, and Post daily papers are in there, along with a pottery tablet inscribed with the first sentence of the Book of Genesis, in 40 languages. Sorry, there are no Reds cap, Hudepohl can, Crosley radio, or Skyline bib. Ah, the missed opportunities.

When might this cornerstone/lobbystone be opened? The Doctor suggests the year 2056, when another famous 1955 cornerstone is set to open. You can view it at the end of the classic Warner Brothers cartoon, “One Froggy Evening.” Will a frog in a top hat also jump out of P&G’s box and start singing? Only your grandfather knows.

Q+ A

In Walnut Hills I drove past a tiny, friendly-looking park on East McMillan Street. Most everything about it looked typical, except for one thing: a large stone face on the corner of a wedged stone wall. Probably there’s a plaque explaining it, but I had to keep driving.

What’s the story? —I’VE JUST SEEN A FACE DEAR FACE:

Next to Procter & Gamble’s Twin Towers downtown is their old headquarters, built in 1955. My grandfather helped to install a cornerstone there, a time capsule with mementos inside. I’ve walked around the entire building but don’t see it. Was it removed? What happened to it, and what exactly was in it?

—SOAP BOX

DEAR BOX:

The Doctor admires the steps you took, literally, to locate your grandfather’s handiwork. Your Fitbit must be proud. Your quest was thrown off, however, in trying to find a cornerstone. It’s actually a “lobbystone” inside the building’s south entrance. And it isn’t a stone, but a stain-

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To atone for any confusion in our previous story, let us now unquestionably talk about a real corner and a real stone. You were looking at the Green Man of Green Man Park. This limestone sculpture originally adorned an upscale Walnut Hills apartment building in 1890, the work of stonecutter David Hummel. Not to brag, but he also created carvings on Cincinnati City Hall, Union Terminal, and the Duke Energy Building. He got around. The building was demolished in 1991, but the sculpture was saved and stored. Loyal resident Fred Orth found it in 2013 and with neighborhood support helped return it to its original corner, now surrounded by greenery and recreational areas.

You may have noticed that the Green Man is not green. Oh, picky, picky. A stone face of this type has existed for many ILLUSTR ATIO N S BY L A R S LEE TA RU

+ + + + + centuries representing rebirth and spring, and it’s usually surrounded by greenery. The Walnut Hills Green Man today enjoys many times the greenery he originally gazed upon, along with play areas, picnic tables, etc. Now that spring has sprung, plan for a few extra minutes next time you drive by to stop and smell the flowers. Green Man Park is truly a grassroots triumph.

“FIVE STARS. UNMISSABLE AND UNFORGETTABLE. ALL RISE FOR THE MIRACLE THAT IS ‘MOCKINGBIRD’.”

During the runup to the Super Bowl, Mayor Aftab Pureval proudly (and repeatedly) mentioned Cincinnati’s current bid to host the 2026 World Cup. That reminds me of our laughable 1990s attempt to host the 2012 Olympics. How’s it going for hosting the World Cup? Any better?

—MY CUP RUNNETH UNDER DEAR CUP:

For those unfamiliar, Cincinnati once dreamed of hosting the 2012 Olympics. (Spoiler alert: We didn’t.)

For a while there, though, it almost resembled something like an infinitesimally remote possibility. In 1996, City Councilman Nick Vehr resigned his seat (not in disgrace, refreshingly) to commit himself full-time as a fund-raiser and promoter of the idea to host the games in cities and venues within a 120-mile radius of Cincinnati. Some called it “The Cindianacolexiville Olympics.” We didn’t make it past the first round.

This time, the city’s World Cup chances don’t look quite as ridiculous. Instead of hosting the whole shebang, we’d be one of 10 or 11 participating U.S. cities. We’d have Paul Brown Stadium for big matches and many area venues for team practices, including, of course, TQL Stadium.

We have more hotel rooms now, and we definitely have residual street cred from the Bengals’ Super Bowl run. Could it happen? We might know by the time you read this, and might need to seriously rethink the word “football.”

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LIVING IN CIN

BY JAY GILBERT

My P&G Soap Opera

CINCINNATI’S BLUEBLOODS CAME TO ME FOR HELP WITH A NEW PRODUCT. IT WENT WELL AT FIRST. I ONCE WALKED AMONG THE PROCTOIDS. DON’T WORRY, MY EXPOSURE LEFT NO LASTING damage. For those unfamiliar with the term, Proctoid was a pejorative nickname for the typical Procter & Gamble conformist robot. That reputation has since faded, but P&G shouldered it for most of the 20th century—a rigid code of rigid work methods, rigid dress, and rigid hair. Much of corporate America was this way back then, but Procter & Gamble just had to be No. 1, didn’t it? If a can of Pringles showed how potatoes could be compressed into a nested stack of identical pretend-chips, P&G showed how employees could be compressed into a nested stack of identical pretend-humans.

This stereotype was already in decline when a ray from the Proctoid phaser first grazed me. Fortunately, I was mostly unaffected because I never had been an actual Procter & 2 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

Gamble employee; I merely provided freelance writing and music for some of their brands during the 1980s and ’90s. Just to be safe, I still wore a sport jacket and tie whenever I’d visit the Dolly Parton Towers (a name many locals gave the P&G buildings downtown at Fifth Street and Broadway).

MY STORY BEGINS, OF COURSE, WITH soap. Procter & Gamble’s world conquest owes everything to soap. In periods of growth they expanded into things like peanut butter and coffee, and during the overreach years even stationery and batteries, but whenever times required belt-tightening and brand selloffs the soaps stayed. P&G was unbeatable there.

Well, there was that time a tiny Minnesota company blindsided the entire industry with the first liquid soap in a pump PH OTO G R A PH BY D E V Y N G LI S TA

LIVING IN CIN bottle: Soft Soap. The product exploded into popularity in the early 1980s, and an embarrassed P&G desperately scrambled to catch up. Naturally, they called me.

Before we continue, I should explain an important concept: the difference between “consumers” and “customers.” If you think they’re the same thing, you are unaware of the dual universe that companies like Procter & Gamble inhabit. Consumers are ordinary people who buy consumer products. Customers aren’t ordinary people; they’re mammoth grocery chains and international retailers who must be convinced of a new product’s right to replace an existing one on Aisle 6. The world’s shelf space is a ruthless battleground that shifts constantly according to customer whims, and companies like Procter & Gamble spend huge dollars trying to persuade them.

Customers are, to coin a phrase, tough customers. They were my target audience.

The mission: to justify P&G’s tardy entry into the liquid soap category and to get

those bottles onto store shelves. I helped to create a presentation that the public never saw—a specific message sent exclusively to customers.

P&G’s new liquid soap was named, well, for now let’s call it B-2. We all referred to it that way in conversations and written communications, because corporate espionage is a real thing, and anyone who violates rules of security can be banished from P&G forever. So B-2 it was. Whatever the final name, our goal was to present it as an attractive new bathroom miracle. How hard could that be, really, to persuade America’s grocers that a new product from Procter & Gamble—we’re talking about soap from Procter & Fricking Gamble, people—was anything but a sure-fire winner?

It was actually very hard, because Cincinnati’s sure-fire company had famously misfired. The trade was aware that P&G had missed the boat on a major new entry. Soft Soap had not only embarrassed the company in marketing but had also screwed them

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in strategy. The little plastic pump atop liquid soap bottles was a new technology back then, made by just two companies. Soft Soap, those bastards, bought up the entire supply. They’d spent more than the entire net worth of their little company doing it, but the result was that nobody else could enter the market for almost two years.

When Procter & Gamble was finally able to launch B-2, they decided their message to customers would be this: Our success comes from developing a product worthy of P&G’s commitment. We won’t bring it to market until we’ve made sure it will be a blockbuster. We took the time to this right! Um, OK. That was the theme I was to incorporate into a two-minute inspirational song to be used for the B-2 presentation’s grand finale, a big audio/visual extravaganza. When I say big, I mean big. There was a time when new product presentations to customers could be as lavish as a Broadway show. Many were created by actual Broadway writers, producers, and

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PH OTO G R A PH BY J O N ATH A N W I LLI S

performers and were sometimes shown in rented Broadway theaters. Look up a documentary on Netflix called Bathtubs Over Broadway, and you’ll be astonished at the extravagance that used to go into corporate shows. It’s one reason a box of Pampers costs $30. The budgets for these things have drastically declined—the shows are quite modest now—but back when I did this project some were still pretty big.

I WILL NOW REVEAL THE BRAND NAME of B-2, Procter & Gamble’s exciting new liquid soap, and tell you its fate. The product was called “Rejoice.” I wish I could brag and tell you that I helped P&G achieve its next huge success, but no. Rejoice had disappointing results during test campaigns in Texas and California and was discontinued.

Personally, I think the name was trying a little too hard, and then there was the slogan in its TV commercial: What soap should have been in the first place. It seems to be saying We’re Procter & Gamble, getting soap wrong

PH OTO G R A PH BY J O N ATH A N W I LLI S

since 1837! Eventually P&G tried again, this time using the name everyone knows: Liquid Ivory. I seriously don’t know why they didn’t start with that. Liquid Ivory did fairly well and is still around. The name Rejoice was reborn years later as a shampoo.

Here is a link to the Rejoice song I wrote and produced: tinyurl.com/5n6rfjwx. I have no access to the visuals that accompanied it, unfortunately, but please note that I followed my instructions very well.

I was told to make it feel vaguely like a gospel revival, with hand claps. Listening to it now, this sounds like the whitest gospel revival ever. Also note that the official “we never rush things to market” theme is mentioned throughout. It might have even worked on some people.

I must have done something right, because P&G brought me back for several more years, requiring more sport jackets.

When the household cleanser Top Job introduced a new grease-cutting formula, they wanted a 1950s musical takeoff on

the movie Grease. When Camay launched a new line of soaps, Michael Jackson was at his peak of fame, and they wanted music sounding like songs from Thriller.

Here’s a link to both tunes: tinyurl.com/ mmpef58j. I’m proud of my years as a semiProctoid; they really do know their stuff.

And I do have one thing from the failed Rejoice project I am very proud of.

Whenever I tell a Procter & Gamble vet about my two-minute long Rejoice song, they’re always impressed that the lyrics went through P&G’s maddening process of approval at every level—a process that invariably pummels and bruises a script until the final version is a Frankenstein monster—but emerged without a single word changed!

With Rejoice, I submit that I successfully learned the P&G way: listening to my target audience and delivering what it wants. Or perhaps it just reflects the rushed pace of the product’s doomed launch. Let’s go with my first draft on that point.

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PERSON OF INTEREST

BY LISA MURTHA

ries bid is rooted in a remarkably successful 70-year-old Hamilton-based baseball program whose all-star teams have won the state tournament for something like 10 out of the last 14 years, says Coomer. “There are no bandwagons when it comes to West Side Little League,” notes Hamilton Vice Mayor Michael Ryan (himself a West Side alum).

“You’re born a West Side fan and you follow the team, win or lose.”

Good Sports

MAKING IT TO THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES. ON AUGUST 29, 2021, HAMILTON’S WEST SIDE LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STARS MADE HISTORY by becoming the first Ohio team ever to reach the championship game of the Little League World Series. No international teams were allowed to play, so the top two little league teams from every U.S. region attended, and West Side came in second in the Great Lakes region—as West Side’s 2021 All-Star manager Ken Coomer says, “You can only play with the cards you’re dealt.” And play the West Siders did.

The final game was an emotional roller coaster. West Side scored once in the top of the second and had the bases loaded multiple times, but ultimately lost, 5–2, to a team from Taylor, Michigan. Turns out, though, there’s a whole lot more to West Side’s World Series story than that. Off-base Vegas oddsmakers, last minute injuries, and some pretty intense COVID quarantines aside, the tale of West Side’s Little League World Se3 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DISCUSS West Side Little League without first mentioning Ray Nichting, a local baseball hero who passed away in November. Once upon a time (in 1952—the same year the West Side program began), Roger Bacon alum Nichting was a professional baseball player, playing for the minor-league Fitzgerald Pioneers. His promising career abruptly ended when he was drafted to fight in the Korean War. Offered the chance to play baseball for the Armed Forces team, he chose instead to fight and subsequently lost his leg in a grenade attack at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. Nichting was awarded two purple hearts, a silver star, a bronze star, and the Korean Service Medal, then came home to marry his high school sweetheart, start a family, work, and, in 1954, begin a 45-year-long side gig as a Little League baseball coach, which ultimately led him to the West Side program. There, he touched likely thousands of lives as a coach and mentor.

He was coaching for West Side in 1985, in fact, when the organization began international play by joining up with the Little League World Series program. (Nichting coached his team to the regional finals that year.) He also became the first West Side coach to field a team in the Little League World Series, taking All-Star teams there in 1991 and 1993. (West Side also sent teams in 2007 and 2010.) But Nichting’s most impactful legacy as far as 2021’s West Side All-Star team goes involves 48-yearold manager Ken Coomer. Not only did “I grow up through West Side Little League,” says Coomer, who played from ages 7–12 and joined the coaching staff when he turned 21, he also calls “the late, great Ray Nichting” and his son, Tim, mentors.

“They’ve been involved with the league forever,” he adds, and West Side, in turn, has “just kinda always been a part of my life.”

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PERSON OF INTEREST WHEN COOMER WAS ELECTED BY WEST Side’s board and fellow coaches to manage the 2021 All-Star team, comprised of West Side’s top players—13 12-year-olds and one 11-year-old—he had no way of knowing how things would go. Almost no one, especially not the Vegas oddsmakers, thought West Side’s 2021 All-Stars could make it as far as they did. After the games, in fact, “my buddy showed us our odds to win,” says Coomer, laughing. “We had the worst odds. If I was a gambling man, I guess I should have bet on us.”

The West Side All-Stars also had stringent COVID regulations to contend with.

After a week quarantined together in an Indianapolis hotel for the regionals, the coaches and team all had to quarantine together for another two weeks in a gated dorm in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, says Coomer. “They had security guards everywhere. The only time we were allowed outside of the gate was to walk down to practice or a game.”

In addition, everyone—kids and coaches alike—had to get tested for COVID every other day. One positive test would have meant the end of the road.

Plus, the players’ families were not allowed to be anywhere near them over the whole three weeks. They were allowed to cheer for them in the stands and do their laundry, says Coomer, but that was it. “You can only imagine what the kids went through, the parents went through, and the coaches went through,” he adds. In hindsight, he says, “It could have gone two ways. It could have got really bad.” Thankfully, he says, “our kids united. For being together that long crammed in a small space—they all jelled [and] were able to just concentrate on baseball.”

By far the biggest challenge was a major last-minute position change that Coomer and assistant coaches Chris Craft and Danny Adams had to make after the state tournament, when Levi Smith, the team’s No. 2 pitcher, was sidelined with

a season-ending injury. There were other pitchers behind him in the lineup, but he’d also been the team’s best shortstop, so the coaches had to put Cooper Clay, a utility player who’d never played shortstop before, at the position.

Add it all up, and “we didn’t really have any expectations,” says Coomer. “We just thought we’ll work hard and see where that takes us.” Turns out, it took them pretty far. The fill-in shortstop “did a phenomenal job and made a couple highlights on ESPN,” says Coomer. Plus, the whole team’s “chemistry was a good fit—we didn’t have one player you depend on all the time. It was different kids stepping up every time.”

When all was said and done, one of Coomer’s favorite parts of the championship day was watching the boys’ faces light up as they walked into Williamsport’s World Series stadium for the first time—something neither team was allowed to do until an hour before the actual game. “It was just like they thought they were in the major

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PH OTO G R A PH BY J O N ATH A N W I LLI S

leagues,” says Coomer. “It was pretty cool.”

The game was by no means a blowout— “We definitely knew we were the underdog and we competed with Michigan,” says Coomer—but what stuck out to Hamilton fans the world over (yes, they apparently have a letter-writing fan in Australia) was the way the West Side team treated their opponents. When a Michigan player made a nice play, one of the West Side players tipped his hat in recognition, says Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller, who attended the Williamsport game. (The same thing has happened in multiple games, says Coomer.)

And, without any prompting from their coaches, “when the last out ended, our kids actually stood up and clapped for the Michigan team, [then] went over and shook their hands and gave them a little players hug,” says Coomer, who still gets emotional just thinking about it. “When I saw that I was pretty proud.

“I’ve been coaching for 27 years,” he adds. “This is probably the most enjoyable

PH OTO G R A PH BY J O N ATH A N W I LLI S

I’ve seen kids play. Don’t get me wrong— there’s pressure: you’re on TV, there’s ESPN. But the kids were able to look past all of that and have fun, and I think that contributed to a lot of our success.”

THE OTHER REMARKABLE PART OF THIS Little League World Series story concerns the fans—not just the few in Williamsport, where the normal crowd of 25,000 was reduced to roughly 500, but the ones back home in Hamilton.

Four days after the big game, the city of Hamilton hosted a parade, starting at the West Side Little League baseball fields.

Each team member and coach got to ride in his own Corvette, waving to fans along the route. “They closed the main street down that led to Marcum Park in downtown Hamilton, where the amphitheater is,” says Coomer. “It was just flooded with people. It was so cool to see the kids treated like rock stars. The fan support from our town—it wasn’t fake either. You can tell when some-

thing’s real. Everybody smiled, everybody was just so happy.”

The mayor, city council members, and the Sheriff (among others) spoke in the amphitheater. Highlights from the game played on a projection screen overhead. “All the people who were watching the parade came down and filled up the amphitheater lawn and watched,” says Coomer. “It was just something you never forget.”

After the World Series, he adds,“players I coached a couple years ago came up to me and said: ‘Oh, our team was way better than that team!’ I say: ‘Hey, but you didn’t win!

You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t have the chemistry, that’s how it is sometimes.’ ” Besides, says vice mayor Ryan, West Side’s 2021 season was a pretty good parallel to what Hamilton is all about: “resiliency, hard work, grit, and the willingness to never give up and never give in.” Odds are, Ray Nichting couldn’t have said it better himself.

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Our

36

Future

P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y ( T O P T O B O T T O M ) X AV I E R U N I V E R S I T Y / A A R O N M . C O N WAY / A L I C I A R E E C E / C V G / C H E V O N N E N E A L / J E F F R U B Y C U L I N A R Y G R O U P

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Meet 25 women driving change throughout Cincinnati, whether in policing, politics, the arts, environmentalism, social justice, business, or the dining scene.

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Emily Wolff Builds a Culinary Empire in Covington The self-described creative entrepreneur uses her ƑĚƙƥîƭƑîŠƥ ĚNJƎĚƑĿĚŠČĚȡ ǛŠĚ îƑƥƙ ċîČŒijƑūƭŠēȡ îŠē ƎîƙƙĿūŠ IJūƑ ĺĿƙƥūƑĿČîŕ ƎƑĚƙĚƑDŽîƥĿūŠ ƥū ċƑĚîƥĺĚ ŠĚDž ŕĿIJĚ ĿŠƥū qîĿŠ¬ƥƑîƙƙĚ ×ĿŕŕîijĚȦ —MICHELLE SIKORSKI WHY COVINGTON? When I graduated college pregnant with twins, we knew if we wanted to start a restaurant, we had to do it now, and we had to do it here. Covington was the perfect place—we could run Otto’s downstairs and live upstairs, and get to be part of the tradition of this little German village where, historically, everyone lived above their shops. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHILOSOPHY WHEN YOU TACKLE A PROJECT? I love to be in a space, to just sit in a room and take it in. If the building is falling down, I love it—I’ll find some beautiful staircase or great window, and all of a sudden, the whole design boils down to, “How do we make this historic piece shine?” From there I kind of approach design as a painting, so I’ll stand back and think about composition the same way I would on a canvas. Is the light moving through correctly? Does it need a pop here? And ultimately it all comes down to, “How do I feel in the space?”

WHAT ARE YOUR MAJOR DESIGN GOALS? It always comes back to storytelling. Over at The Standard, in that front room, there’s a mural of [the garage’s former owner] and his wife, and it’s made of receipts and tools, all things we found while renovating the space. It’s that play of I can see what this was, and then I can sit in that space and be part of what it is now.

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES?

Well, with Mama’s [Wolff’s new Italian restaurant], this space used to be a restaurant. People in this community already had the experience of walking through these doors. I’d just stand at the front doors and I’d look at this space and think, What do I have to do so that when you walk through this door, it swings open and you say, “Oh, this is Mama’s. I’m at Mama’s house now.” YOU SEEM DEDICATED TO STABILIZING AND PRESERVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT GENTRIFYING IT. HOW HAVE YOU MAINTAINED THAT GOAL? I think mostly

because I have a love for buildings that are falling apart, you know, it’s not disruptive. It’s bringing life back into something that has essentially lost its heartbeat, bringing back that pulse to the community. For my rental properties, I make sure my rents are affordable for the community here.

I want my bartenders to be able to live down the street.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU? Right now, the magic I create, it’s for everyone to enjoy. These spaces are for the public. But I keep thinking, what if I got to create a space that’s just for myself and my family and get to be very choosy about who gets to come into that space with us. That intimacy seems super cool.

I would like to use my forties to create that.

Alicia Reece Hits Her Stride TŠƙƎĿƑĚē ċNj ƥĺĚ DžūŞĚŠ Džĺū ČîŞĚ ċĚIJūƑĚ ĺĚƑȡ ƥĺĚ OîŞĿŕƥūŠ ūƭŠƥNj ūŞŞĿƙƙĿūŠĚƑ ĚŠČūƭƑîijĚƙ ƥĺĚ ŠĚNJƥ ijĚŠĚƑîƥĿūŠȦ —LAUREN FISHER YOU’VE HELD A VARIETY OF ROLES IN OHIO POLITICS, SERVING AT THE STATEHOUSE, WITH CITY COUNCIL, AND AS VICE MAYOR OF CINCINNATI. WHY DID YOU WANT TO BECOME A HAMILTON COUNTY COMMISSIONER? I’m in

the helping people business. Being a Hamilton County Commissioner is a platform that allows me to do that. It’s up to us to make the rubber hit the road. And so that’s what the county commission does. We are the delivery system. And if we don’t deliver, then the people do not receive the help, the services, or the opportunities. YOU’VE BEEN WORKING AS A WOMAN IN MALE-DOMINATED FIELDS FOR A WHILE NOW.

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PHOTOGRAPHS (RIGHT) BY ANGIE LIPSCOMB / (BOTTOM) COURTESY ALICIA REECE

AND YOU’VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. HAVE YOU FACED ANY CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY? Oh, absolutely. My first

election that I ran in and won was in 1999. And people felt like it was a triple no. At that time, being young and running for city council was out of the question. And being young and female was like, Oh my god, how are you going to do this?

And then being young, female, and African American, it was really difficult. The challenge has been coming to the table and understanding that we’re at the table as equals. We’re not at the table for symbolism. We’re at the table as equals.

The people have to vote for us. We have to go through the same test of being on the ballot and running campaigns.

YOU’VE DEVELOPED A REPUTATION AS “THE WOMAN WHO GETS THINGS DONE.” LOOKING BACK ON YOUR CAREER TODAY, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED? I do want

to be remembered as a woman who delivered for the people, opened the doors, shook it up, and was more transparent, so everybody can participate. My goal in life is for everyone to have a chance—an equal chance at the American dream.

And each of us has a responsibility to make it easier for the next generation.

Candace McGraw Watches the Sky CVG’s CEO reshapes Cincinnati into a global hub for passengers and cargo.

—JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

WHEN YOU BECAME CVG’S CEO IN 2011, WHAT PASSENGERFOCUSED AREAS DID YOU WANT TO IMPROVE? At one time

many years ago, Cincinnati was a major hub for Delta Airlines.

We had 20 million passengers, but 90 percent of those passengers were not living in our community. They were transiting through the airport. When Cincinnati’s hub was downsized—this happened over the course of the 2000s—the passenger decline was still going on. Their service was a huge issue. Being able to connect for business purposes [and] leisure purposes was difficult. When I took over my role in 2011, [I focused on] stabilizing the business and doing it via either passenger, cargo, or land development. WHAT DOES THAT CHANGE LOOK LIKE? On the passenger front in 2012, we did a huge capital project [that] gained 22 gates. Now, passengers have 12 different carriers to pick from. In diversifying our carriers and bringing competition in, we’ve also been able to go from what had been one of the highest airfare airports in the region to the lowest airfare airport in the region. Now, it’s easier for families to travel. They have more options, and we also have the ability for small- and medium-sized businesses to travel more easily because it’s more cost effective. In the business, it’s called leakage, when you have passengers in your geography who go to other airports to travel. We’ve been able to reverse all that. HOW HAS YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH DHL HELPED PASSENGERS? DHL is the largest global cargo carrier in the world, and we are now their second largest operation in the world. As we grew the cargo business, it generated jobs for the community. At the same time, the more business they bring in, it lowers the cost overall to operate at the airport for the passenger carriers and then lowering the airfares. WHAT MAKES YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THIS JOB? I have a passion to deliver for this community and for this industry. I would say grit and focus.

P H OTO G R A P H S BY J O N AT H A N W I L L I S

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY CVG

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Cal Cullen Makes Waves Spreading Cullen’s Wave Pool model far and wide could help improve communities through art. —NATALIE CLARE WHAT’S BEEN THE PATH THAT LED YOU TO THIS POINT IN YOUR CAREER? I’ve always been an artist. When we

started Wave Pool, we wanted to, number one, fill the gaps for artists. How can we provide artists with space for networking and sharing their work and gaining new ideas and collaborating? But number two, how can we make art so integral to the Cincinnati community that it would never be a question of, Do artists deserve fair wages? Should artists be part of our community? Do artists need to be at the table when we’re making big decisions around community development? HOW HAS WAVE POOL INFLUENCED THE NARRATIVE OF ART IN THIS COMMUNITY? I’d say it’s made this community art-centric. There were art faces before

Wave Pool in Camp Washington, but none have been as public-facing or as community-involved. The neighborhood has been so welcoming and so participatory for what we have to offer. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOUR PERSONAL SUPERPOWER IS TO DO THIS JOB? I think it’s making creative connections. It’s pairing deficits with assets to make something—or sometimes deficits with deficits to make an asset. You may have a vacant lot that is maybe owned by the city and was the site of a torn-down house but now it’s just a place for trash. Maybe you’ve got a group of teenagers who have nothing to do and are just causing trouble because they’re bored. How can we pair those things together, maybe with an artist who’s got a vision, to make a really amazing asset? You’ve got all these talents in one place. HOW DO YOU ENVISION WAVE POOL’S ROLE IN COMMUNITY CHANGE? We keep expanding because we do a lot of listening. Listening, I would say, is one of our values.

We started Wave Pool on the premise that we would listen first before doing any community activation and figure out what the needs of the community were. We continue to do that, and it’s just never-ending. It leads us to new places and new ways to go. So, it’s hard to say where that’s gonna lead us next, but there have been requests for more places like Wave Pool throughout the country.

Aziza Love Grooves to a New Beat Hard lessons from the pandemic became fodder for a new album and a promising future in the L.A. music scene. —LAUREN FISHER TELL US ABOUT THE JOURNEY THAT GOT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY. HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN AN ARTIST? My mother

would say that I started singing fresh out the womb. I came out and I would hum myself to sleep. That transpired into her having [my sister and me] in youth choirs in school. When I was in sixth grade, I picked up the flute and started studying, which carried me into middle school, high school, and college. I got my first guitar when I was around 8 and just really fell in love with music. I always leaned toward showcasing what made me happy—what made me dance, what made me sing. WHAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT WHAT YOU DO? It’s really important to me that people have a moment of just pure being. Think of your favorite concert, think of your favorite artists, whenever you listen to your favorite songs. When you’re listening, there’s not much else that matters but that moment—that music, that lyric, your favorite part of the song. What I get to do is create something based off my experience or how I’ve translated another’s experience. And it gives people the opportunity to just observe, to just be with the art, be with the song, be with the colors, be with the film, the music, video—whatever it is.

WHAT PROJECTS CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SOON?

I have a mixtape out called “God Enough.” I’m really excited about it because I feel like it’s one of those projects that in 20 years, people are going to look back at and say, Wow, this was quite a time in the world. I’m grateful to now have a step into the industry. My mentor is Kerry “Krucial” Brothers. And he is a phenomenal human being. He and Alicia Keys created her first four albums together. He is on the production part of the engineering and a part of the writing for those projects. And it is a blessing to be working with him right now and to be building and growing, and creating timeless art.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY (LEFT) ANGIE LIPSCOMB / (RIGHT) CHEVONNE NEAL

Money Matters The wage gap is real, and here’s what it means to Cincinnati’s women.

$21.20

$17.05

Average hourly wage for men in Cincinnati

Average hourly wage for women in Cincinnati

Disparity is equivalent to…

Daily:

A meal at most fast food restaurants.

Weekly:

The grocery budget for a family of four

Monthly:

Mary Wineberg Runs a Different Race The Olympic gold medalist turned teacher won a seat on the Cincinnati Public Schools board last fall. —AIESHA D. LITTLE WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD? To be a voice for the students who don’t have someone speaking up for them. As a teacher for over 11 years, I saw many families being affected by the lack of communication/transparency.

Some were having trouble navigating the public school system. I wanted to ensure that all children would be given an equitable education option, and families would be able to regain trust back into the district. HAS BEING ON THE BOARD MADE YOU LOOK AT TEACHING DIFFERENTLY? No. It allowed me to use my background as a former teacher to be able to relate to the key issues that are hot topics right now and discuss them with confidence. I feel that having this kind of edge allows me to see things with a critical lens. WHAT MAKES YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THIS JOB? I’ve learned to take all of my opportunities and make them into greatness. I have the skills, the drive, the tenacity, and unwavering perseverance. I will not give up on our students. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU’VE CHANGED THE SPACES THAT YOU’RE A PART OF OVER THE YEARS? Change, for me, isn’t about how comfortable I may be, but how it will take me out of my comfort zone and challenge me.

WHAT DO YOU THINK CHANGE IN THOSE SPACES WILL LOOK LIKE FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN THE FUTURE? I want students to be able to look up to me as a role model and say that they, too, may want to become a board member who will give back to their school system.

P H OTO G R A P H BY A N G I E L I P S C O M B / I L LU S T R AT I O N S BY S TO C K . A D O B E .C O M

The median rent for an apartment in Cincinnati

Yearly:

Approximate average cost of a used car

Over a Career:

Average wage loss of

$327,953 DATA C O U R T E SY G R E AT E R C I N C I N N AT I F O U N DAT I O N W O M E N ’ S F U N D, 2 0 1 7

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Tyra Patterson Breaks Down Barriers Free after two decades of wrongful imprisonment, Patterson drives change at the intersection of art and social justice.

—ELIZABETH MILLER WOOD

WHAT ARE THE GAPS YOU’RE FIGHTING TO CLOSE REGARDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORMERLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS? The barriers

we face uphold the narrative that once you make a mistake, you will always be that mistake. It doesn’t recognize that an individual could be

a survivor of extraordinary circumstances. Far too often, people coming home from prison get poverty-wage positions that are menial. We

need access to meaningful work, housing, banking, and guidance along the way.

HOW DOES ART FACILITATE THIS MISSION? We find the

arts community to be more inclusive and more willing to give opportunities based on talent and less likely to be exclusionary. We have nothing to lose by humanizing people. WHAT PROGRESS HAVE YOU SEEN FROM YOUR EFFORTS? My efforts have

started with equal pay. Seeing those who are still inside the prisons selling their art for the money it deserves and getting recognized for their true talents and selves has been incredible. HOW DOES YOUR PERSONAL STORY GIVE YOU GREATER IMPACT?

I often feel inadequate because of my limited education and difficult upbringing.

I spent over half of my life in a situation where being assertive had consequences and individuality was highly discouraged, so my dedication to survival and hope is what keeps me going.

Colleen Houston Paints Cincinnati’s Empty Walls The ArtWorks CEO and artistic director is engaging community and beautifying the city one mural at a time. —EMILY CHIEN HOW ARE YOU CHANGING CINCINNATI’S PUBLIC ART SPACE?

When we started our mural program in 2007, there was one mural to speak of in the city—the [Homage to Cincinnatus] mural that was commissioned by Kroger. We’ve been a real leader in creating the public art world because there really wasn’t much of one. WHAT PROJECT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? There’s a lot of deep community engagement behind every single project.

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It’s not just art that’s placed there—there’s strong, authentic ties. [Price Hill Will] purchased a house that was sitting empty in East Price Hill. We brainstormed what a welcoming installation could look like, inviting the artists to consider every surface of the house as part of the installation. [The artists] employ some traditional Mexican folk art materials, cutting and painting tin, some cast concrete tiles. Also, the butterflies. There’s hundreds and hundreds of Monarch butterflies that adorn the window boxes of the house [and] symbolize that migration is beautiful. There are so many hostilities across cultures; the art itself breaks boundaries. WHEN DO YOU KNOW YOU’VE MADE A DIFFERENCE? When I was growing up, there wasn’t a lot of civic pride—a lot of kids couldn’t wait to leave Cincinnati. It’s been incredible to see people who move back and just value what an amazing place it is. It’s small things; it’s people thanking the artists, people changing their foot paths like, This is how I’m going to walk to work every morning now because I want to experience this beauty every day. Public art, it’s like a backdrop for life.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY (TOP) ANGIE LIPSCOMB / (BOTTOM) TINA GUTIERREZ

Kathy Y. Wilson Speaks Her Truth A revamped Your Negro Tour Guide— co-adapted from Wilson’s former CityBeat column—premieres at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati this month. —AIESHA D. LITTLE WHY DID YOU WANT TO REVAMP YOUR NEGRO TOUR GUIDE?

The play is a piece that needs and demands remixing, regardless of whether it’s being produced and performed. I constantly write and rewrite scenes. Cultural references change by the second, so it forces me to know what’s the what and make changes in the play accordingly. As America and the world burn brighter as the dumpster fire they are, this play is like a mood ring and a mirror. WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE PLAY FOR YOU SINCE IT WAS LAST PERFORMED LOCALLY? Jeff [Griffin], Torie [Wiggins], and I are all older, wiser, and more experienced so the production will move differently this time. Most importantly, ETC is giving us the honor of putting us in its regular season schedule, so the funding is better, and all the bells and whistles will ring and whistle. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE CHANGED THE SPACES THAT YOU’RE A PART OF OVER THE YEARS AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT CHANGE HAS MEANT? I am unsure

if I’ve changed any spaces. Frankly, I’m always surprised when folks call on me for inclusion in anything because I rarely have had my hand raised in class. The spaces I’ve been in have changed me. My spaces are mainly lonely; however, one I will take credit for changing is the college classroom. My former UC journalism students have told me directly I was the first teacher who was honest with them and who treated them like adults.

Now that is a space changer. HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR WORK WILL BE REMEMBERED? Probably as raucous, verbose, angry, honest, hilarious, necessary, thoughtful, loving, and just good.

I pride myself on the craft of crafting sentences. It kills me but I do labor. I’m far back in the woodshed right now. HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED? I just want to be remembered.

Aren’t I memorable?

Julie Brehm Challenges Health Taboos Postpartum moms turn to this TriHealth pelvic health physical therapist for help with a sensitive issue.

—ALEXANDRA FROST

WHY DO YOU THINK PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY HAS GAINED SO MUCH TRACTION AND ATTENTION RECENTLY? I have been a

physical therapist for 20 years with most of that doing pelvic health physical therapy. When I first started working in rural Knoxville, Tennessee, some of it was preventative health but a lot of it was reactionary—patients who have had pelvic floor disorders for a long time would eventually be referred. It’s

different now, and I love it. It’s a lot more preventative health.

I really attribute it to better education and people talking.

Social media has helped. People are less afraid to speak up, and fewer think this is a taboo topic. WHY DO YOU HAVE SUCH A LONG WAITLIST? AND WHY ARE YOU KNOWN AS PELVIC FLOOR ROYALTY IN CINCINNATI? It’s multi-faceted. I’ve been doing this

for a really long time, so that helps to have a lot of experience. I think I’m a little more unique in the fact that to me this is not just a job—it’s a way of life, and I am self-motivated to learn. I have a strong passion to help people and I want to be really spectacular at that. WHERE DO YOU HOPE PELVIC HEALTH IS HEADED IN THE FUTURE? Preventative medicine is so important. We are comprised of the things we have done in our past…if we fall off a sled and injure our coccyx. If we were competitive dancers or gymnasts or played volleyball or basketball. Those events form who we are today as a pregnant mother, and that should not be overlooked in any capacity. Doing preventative pelvic checks and pelvic floor health during pregnancy is a great way to reach people at a critical time in their life.

P H O T O G R A P H S ( T O P ) B Y T O N Y W A L S H / ( B O T T O M ) C O U R T E S Y T R I H E A LT H

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Sarah Weiss Cultivates Empathy Weiss, CEO of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, honors the past.

—JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

HOW ARE YOU HELPING MAKE CINCINNATI MORE EMPATHETIC?

Elizabeth Blackburn Shows Her Stripes A new generation directs the Bengals’ strategy and engagement.

—ALEXANDRA FROST

HOW ARE YOU CHANGING THE SPACE YOU’RE WORKING IN? I bring a

customer-focused approach to everything I do, with the goal of driving energy and engagement. The way we saw that come to life this year was self-awareness and humility on our social media channels, such as

making the best out of a uniform leak last spring… seeing situations and turning them into positives, and things that fans want to engage with and bring positive energy to their lives. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF, OR WHAT WAS MOST MEMORABLE THIS SEASON? The gameday

experience, and how it came to life and got better and better every home game, ultimately culminating in the home playoff win over the Raiders where we set an attendance record and an audio record, making it the loudest home-field advantage we’ve had at Paul Brown Stadium. I’m proud of my team. I’m proud of the Ring of Honor and how not only the halftime ceremony came to life but all of the engagement with our alumni that was part of the entire process as well as our season ticket members. WHAT’S

IT LIKE TO BE A WOMAN IN THE NFL, A TRADITIONALLY MALE-DOMINATED SPACE? I’m in the fortunate

position of working on a leadership team with my mom and sister, [where] the CFO is a woman, and the head of communications is a woman…I think it’s a strength of the Bengals ownership and leadership group being led by strong individual females. [It] is a differentiator that can set us apart and a thing that I think we can and should take advantage of, in our leadership style, our brand, and our values.

Renee Mahaffey Harris Improves Health Outcomes The president and CEO of The Center for Closing the Health Gap wants to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. —JUDI KETTELER

Our center was started by Holocaust survivors who made their lives in the Greater Cincinnati community. When they came here, they came often with no family, no education, no home, no background. They had to rebuild their lives from nothing. Amazingly, 30, 40 years after they arrived in Cincinnati, they began speaking, and they were met with empathy. These survivors, they wanted people to care about one another, to stand up for one another, to speak out when they see injustice. They hoped they could build empathy in this city, and I just get the privilege of carrying on that legacy. A lot of our work is about story, and we carry that into the work we do in our museum and the humanity gallery, where we also share stories of modern-day upstanders who are making a difference in our world today.

Instead of saying, Let’s learn about that dark past, let’s ask ourselves, How can we be better? WHAT IS AN UPSTANDER? An upstander is somebody who uses their strengths to stand up against injustice or make a difference in some way. WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS YOU USE TO STAND UP TO INJUSTICE? First of all, honesty is a big strength of mine. Love of learning is a big strength of mine. Curiosity. I’m fortunate that I have some leadership ability and platform to be able to help others become upstanders, as well.

ing the outcome. So, my vision is that we recognize the bias and that we keep it in the forefront of our minds. If we can begin to understand what role we all play in maintaining and perpetuating a bias or inequity in how we treat or perceive a person or situation, I believe we can get there. CLOSING THE HEALTH GAP STARTS WITH THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE PEOPLE MOST AFFECTED BY HEALTH DISPARITIES MUST LEAD THE MOVEMENT. WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? The person who is impacted must see themselves in

the solution, because they need to be able to sustain the solution.

It is more sustainable when you come at it from the bottom up.

WHY IS BIG CHANGE—ESPECIALLY THE KIND OF CHANGE YOU’RE WORKING TOWARD—SO HARD? The kind of shifts that we need are

WHAT IS YOUR BIG VISION FOR CLOSING THE GAP ON HEALTH DISPARITIES? When you look at almost every health indicator,

they all show a disproportionate mortality rate for Black people, regardless of socioeconomic status. People’s racial construct causes them to have a perception, and that bias winds up impact-

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hard because people don’t like or easily accept change. Who wants to give up resources? Who will give up power? There’s a perception that we can’t tackle systematic, structural racism because it’s too big and daunting. But we have to try, or we’ll be having the same conversations in 20 years.

P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S T ( L E F T ) C I N C I N N AT I B E N G A L S / ( R I G H T ) H O L O C A U S T & H U M A N I T Y C E N T E R / ( B O T T O M ) C C H G

Ixi Chen Plays a New Melody Concert:Nova challenges how we experience classical music thanks to Chen. —JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

YOU HAVE YOUR HAND IN SO MANY AREAS OF CINCINNATI’S SOUNDSCAPE. WHY HAVE YOU PUT SO MUCH OF YOUR FOCUS IN THAT ARENA? Seeing what the classical scene is missing, seeing what

education is missing, has been the driver. Concert:Nova, which is now in its 15th season, was born out of the recognition that people were afraid to come to Music Hall. The fact that I had friends who were always saying, “Wow, Concert:Nova is so cool. You play in the symphony. What a cool job.” When I would say, “Hey, you wanna come this weekend?” they’re like, “No, no, no. No, that’s not for me.” Concert:Nova, at first, started as a way of giving people a gateway to classical music, especially the younger demographic. HOW DOES CONCERT:NOVA ACHIEVE THIS? When you go to an opera, when you go to a ballet, there’s often a visual aspect. With the static nature of orchestra, we miss a lot of that visual stimulation. [For example], there’s a piece written by Stravinsky called “The History of the Soldier.” It’s a very Faustian story about a soldier who sells his soul to the devil.

So we took the old scripts and rewrote it. There are three actors: One is a mute princess, one is the devil, one is a soldier. Most of the action takes place between the soldier and the devil. In our case, we chose to shine a light on PTSD and told the story uniquely from the princess’s point of view. We wanted to bring in more modern themes that people can relate to. HOW HAVE AUDIENCES REACTED TO THESE CHANGES? Having the time before and after a concert was a wonderful way to actually hear what their experiences were. [We hear] surprise, delight. I think sometimes people hated things, but to elicit some sort of thoughtful engagement there was the key. Part of our mission is thought-provoking performances. There was one on the music of John Cage, where one piece was four minutes of silence, and the piece was everything that was happening around you, and people hated that. They were really uncomfortable with just sitting there. One of the pieces in the program was the musicians just watching the audience.

People took out popcorn. We’re looking at the audience and having this live sort of interplay, and that was it. It was another three or four minutes, and that was really uncomfortable. [People said] “No, that’s not music.” So then the discussion of “What is music? What constitutes art?” was pretty fascinating. ARE YOU DRAWING A NEW CROWD TO THE SYMPHONY? Absolutely. There was a lot of comments like, “Oh, you know what? We only could have found this in New York.” I could probably give you a good list of people who are converts to the symphony. I’m really happy about that and just to kind of bring that elitism down, where people aren’t in tuxedos. WHAT MAKES YOU THE RIGHT PERSON TO CHANGE CINCINNATI’S SOUNDSCAPE?

There’s the holistic approach I like to take with everything, that philosophy of everything comes together. I’ve always been curious about people.

I have a Taiwanese background, but we lived in Chicago, and I was raised on the West Coast near San Francisco. My husband is half Swedish. I think just feeling our global connectedness and being able to act regionally on it is pretty unique. I didn’t grow up here and stay here and raise my family here, but I lived in Europe; and I think this love of understanding other cultures, understanding other people, knowing about traditions, always being curious about what the world has to offer [makes me the right person for the job]. Both my international awareness and my love of living here is a good pairing.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANGIE LIPSCOMB

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Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney Works for You The vice mayor wants everyone to feel welcome at City Hall. She carries that ethos into her leadership. —LAUREN FISHER YOU’RE ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL CHANGEMAKERS IN CINCINNATI RIGHT NOW. YOU HAVE A LAUNDRY LIST OF RESPONSIBILITIES. AND YOU STARTED DURING THE PANDEMIC. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? I was sworn in [to City Council] on March

28, 2020. And City Hall had just closed down. There’s no reception. No orientation. It was like, Here’s your key. Best of luck!

And I thought, Oh my goodness, what do I do? But meanwhile, people need food. We need everything. The phone’s ringing.

So we started working with The Center for Closing the Health Gap and the NAACP. You need to really get the facts out there because people are asking crazy questions. I’ve done over 40 town hall meetings. And of course, George Floyd was murdered.

There were protests. Then we hit the budget cycle, where there were just a ton of needs. So it was a whirlwind. But the thing about it—you could never question, Am I needed? Because there was a really great need. It was kind of like drinking from a firehose. WITH ALL OF THIS SWIRLING AROUND YOU, HOW DO YOU STAY FOCUSED ON THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH? It’s really hard, because what might be the prior-

ity in terms of policy might not be the emergency of the day. The emergency of the day might be someone calling to say, Hey, I’m about to be evicted. Or, I’m already homeless. Our job is policy making. A big issue is gun violence, for sure. When we look at the statistics on gun violence, over the last few years, they’ve really increased. The numbers really increased in terms of juveniles involved. A lot of it is what to do in terms of addressing underlying causes. People are struggling. They’re in poverty. So we have to start looking at what we can do with those larger issues. IT SOUNDS SO DIFFICULT TO STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE BIG-PICTURE ISSUES, LIKE GUN VIOLENCE, BUT ALSO THOSE EMERGENCIES THAT POP UP EVERY DAY. I feel so bad when

we’re never too busy. Because that’s our job, right? And we want people to feel that they have access to City Hall. Everybody’s here working for the people of Cincinnati. This is your house.

So come on in. YOU’VE FOUND SUCCESS IN MANY TRADITION-

people say, I know you’re really busy. Because we’re here to serve you. We’re working for you. That’s why we’re here. So we’re not too busy for you. We’re busy trying to work for you, so

ALLY MALE-DOMINATED FIELDS. SURELY, YOU’VE FACED CHALLENGES, WHETHER YOU’RE THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, OR WHEN YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT TO SPEAK UP. I think

All in This Together Whether you’re searching for womanto-woman mentorship or looking for îŠ ūƭƥǛƥ ƥū ĺĚŕƎ îČĚ NjūƭƑ ŠĚNJƥ ŏūċ ĿŠƥĚƑDŽĿĚDžȡ ƥĺĚƙĚ ǛDŽĚ ŕūČîŕ ūƑijîŠĿǕîƥĿūŠƙ ĺîDŽĚ NjūƭƑ ċîČŒȦ —LAUREN FISHER

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Women Helping Women Serving women in Hamilton and Butler counties, WHW works to prevent gender-based violence and empower survivors through crisis intervention and support services ranging from a 24-hour hotline and hospital accompaniment to legal advocacy and professional training. The organization serves more than 15,000 clients each year and provides sexual violence crisis services to women in Brown and Adams counties. 215 E. Ninth St., downtown, (513) 977-5541, womenhelpingwomen.org

[speaking up is] something that women are getting better at, but we have to keep encouraging each other to do it. Use your voice.

It’s OK to speak up. What you have to say is just as important as what everybody else has to say, even if you’re the only woman in the room. And it can be intimidating at times. But we have to push through it, and also bring other people with us. We can’t be afraid to say, We need some more representation here.

MomsHope Through individualized, one-on-one mentorship and programming, this Mason-based organization aims to lift single, low-income mothers out of poverty. More than 90 percent of the 100-plus moms who have graduated from the multi-year program remain financially self-sufficient. 408 Fourth Ave., Mason, (844) 224-4673, moms-hope.org

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANGIE LIPSCOMB

Candice Brackeen Builds up Minority Entrepreneurs Venture capital funds don’t always serve BIPOC-led businesses well. The Lightship Foundation CEO changes that.

—JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

WHAT KIND OF WORK DO LIGHTSHIP FOUNDATION AND LIGHTSHIP CAPITAL DO FOR MINORITY ENTREPRENEURS? Lightship Foundation has a mission to support remarkable entrepreneurs from

diverse backgrounds. That includes BIPOC founders, people who identify as women, people from the LGBTQ community, and folks with disabilities. Lightship Capital is an organization that funds companies both that go through our programming but that also fit within that demographic. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FOCUS ON THESE POPULATIONS? Less than 1 percent of all venture capital goes to a Black-led company. That was the original goal, to make certain we were moving the needle in that space, but as you look at the numbers amongst other minority populations, it is just as abysmal. So I thought, if we’re fixing one thing, let’s just try to fix multiple things at the same time.

While intelligence is distributed equitably across the country and across all people, opportunity isn’t, and we’re just bringing [that] to light to our investment partners, to our ecosystem partners, and to folks nationally: [There are] great deals in companies that are led by diverse founders.

WHAT MAKES YOU THE RIGHT PERSON TO CHANGE THE FUTURE FOR MINORITY ENTREPRENEURS IN CINCINNATI? Why not me? Because it’s gotta be someone. Yes, I was the right person, but I also

had the right network. I have the passion for it. I think it’s my life’s work. I think the things I did before—building community, running a small tech company, understanding those things—helps me to understand the plight of an entrepreneur, most specifically a tech entrepreneur.

Rachel DesRochers Bakes in Collaboration DesRochers, the creator of Grateful Grahams, uses her Incubator Kitchen Collective to reshape Cincinnati’s entrepreneurial scene. —MICHELLE SIKORSKI HOW HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LOCAL FOOD ENTREPRENEUR COMMUNITY? When we started, there wasn’t anywhere to call home; not even just from the kitchen side of things, but nowhere to be seen, heard, and loved. That’s what the incubator is to me. I tell people, “If you’re just here for the ovens, we’re probably not a good fit.” IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’VE FOUGHT OFF THE COMPETITIVE BUSINESS MINDSET. What’s the point of competition when there’s enough for everybody? I want to build community; I want to show people that we’re better together. HOW HAS THAT SHAPED POWER TO PURSUE? Well, Power to Pursue already feels like a success because through these micro events, women are showing up and being seen. We’re all here, we’re all of value. IF EVERYTHING WENT PERFECTLY WITH POWER TO PURSUE, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? We become a national summit. We change the way women think, work, and play. We bring enoughness to every woman we can. CAN YOU SAY MORE ABOUT ENOUGHNESS? Feeling like we’re not enough at home, in our jobs, it’s a common theme for us. I wonder where that stems from, because I truly believe that we are enough. I mean, just imagine if all the women in Cincinnati woke up tomorrow and said, “I’m enough.” We are enough.

Dress for Success Cincinnati Dignity and respect—that’s the promise made to each woman at Dress for Success, the local nonprofit that has provided workwear to tens of thousands of job-seeking Cincinnati women since its founding in 1999. The interview outfitting StyleHER program remains a hallmark of DFS, but the organization has broadened its services to include career development programming for unemployed and underemployed women. 4623 Wesley Ave., Norwood, (513) 651-3372, dfscincy.org

Galia Collaborative This mental health collective offers individual, women-focused therapy delivered by licensed clinical psychologists and behavioral health experts in a positive, comprehensive environment. Join one of the collaborative’s “Thrive Circles,” small groups that gather regularly for eight-week sessions to work through a variety of topics, from burnout and body peace to postpartum life and coping with chronic illness. 2245 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills, (513) 216-0068, galiacollaborative.com

P H O T O G R A P H S B Y ( T O P ) A A R O N M . C O N W AY / ( B O T T O M ) T A S H A P I N E L O

YWCA Greater Cincinnati Our chapter of the world’s oldest and largest multicultural women’s organization provides a wide variety of programming and assistance programs to help women thrive. More than 900 professionals have been honored as part of the YWCA’s Rising Star Leadership Program, a five-month program shaping the city’s future leaders in gender and racial equity.

898 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 241-7090, ywcacincinnati.org

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Jill Meyer Steers Our Economic Future With Meyer at the helm of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, businesses have a relentless advocate.

—LAUREN FISHER

WALK US THROUGH THE CAREER JOURNEY THAT GOT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY. I began my professional life as a young

litigator, practicing law at Frost & Jacobs (a.k.a. Frost Brown Todd). I loved practicing at the firm and thought I would end my career there. I had a great practice. Colleagues and clients were like family, and I became the Member-in-Charge of the Cincinnati office. Then the opportunity to lead the Chamber came knocking and I realized that the only thing I was more passionate about than the First Amendment (my legal practice area) was Cincinnati—its strength, potential, [and its] need for bold leadership. WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP ROLES LIKE YOURS? Just given the demographics of our country and workforces, the answer is obvious. Despite [that], we still don’t have the commensurate amount of representation at the highest levels in so many professions. Data now consistently show women earn more college degrees, women have increasing financial power and wealth, women make the majority of consumer purchase decisions, and corporations with women on their boards perform better. That women are increasingly ascending into the highest levels of the business world is overdue but is happening. WHY ARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON TO LEAD THE CHAMBER? Any opportunity has to come during the right season. This one came when the business community was poised and ready for strategic, collaborative, passionate leadership and the broader community was hungry for growth. I am fortunate that my skill set, coupled with my experience and my passions, align perfectly. WHO HAVE BEEN YOUR MENTORS ALONG THE WAY? Some of the key mentors I’ve had the good fortune to learn from are Dick Goehler, who passed away too soon in 2011—he taught me how to practice law, keep my eye on the ball, and keep people as the center of all that you do.

Judge Beth Myers taught me how to enter the room and stand tall regardless of who else was in it. Delores Hargrove-Young taught me to not shy away from the impact you can have when you stand for something and say it out loud. John P. Williams Jr., a predecessor who created the gold standard in this role and who also passed away too soon in 2019, taught me literally everything I know about how to be the president and CEO of the Cincinnati Chamber. WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE IN THE LIFE OF JILL? WHERE DO YOU FIND TIME TO TAKE A BREATH? A “typical” day is one that

is wholly unique, filled with a wide variety of people, difficult challenges, strategic opportunities, laughter, and—happily again—lots of meetings. I recharge regularly by coaching my 8-year-old son’s soccer team and otherwise goofing around with and learning from him; hiking our local parks or walking Cincinnati’s steps; and riding sidecar for the whims of my wine-loving, music-making, world-traveling, always-joking, chef husband.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY ANGIE LIPSCOMB

Kristen Schlotman Brings Hollywood to Cincinnati ƥ GĿઠĿŠČĿŠŠîƥĿȡ ¬ČĺŕūƥŞîŠ DžūƑŒƙ ƥū ċƑĿŠij OūŕŕNjDžūūē ēūŕŕîƑƙ ƥū ūƭƑ ēūūƑƙƥĚƎȦ —NATALIE CLARE WHAT DOES A TYPICAL “DAY IN THE LIFE” LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? If there’s a production in Cincinnati doing principal

photography, I’m putting out fires and solving problems. We wake up in the morning and we’ve got four inches of snow and the streets haven’t been plowed. How can we pivot to a different location and make it make sense? The other day in the life is spending time creating relationships, both in the industry and in the community. HOW ARE YOU CHANGING THE CINCINNATI FILM LANDSCAPE? I was born and raised in Cincinnati, growing up knowing that the Cincinnati Ballet and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Opera were these pillars in our community. And one of the things I wanted to change was that I wanted film to be another pillar in that arts and culture piece of Cincinnati. So when people think of Cincinnati, they think of the films that have come out of that market. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THAT LOOKS LIKE? One, people are working full-time in the industry. That is their livelihood, that’s how I know it’s working. Two, I look at all of the film groups, nonprofits, degree programs at the universities. Women in Film has a chapter now. Black Cinema has a chapter now. UC has a film degree program and a film center. Seeing all of those things, that’s telling me we have blazed a trail for enhancing this whole film ecosystem.

Carla Walker Tackles Climate ØîŕŒĚƑ ċƭĿŕēƙ ƙƥƑîƥĚijĿĚƙ ƥū îēēƑĚƙƙ ČŕĿŞîƥĚ ČĺîŠijĚ ĚƐƭĿƥîċŕNjȦ —LAUREN FISHER

YOU WORK ON VERY BIG, COMPLEX ISSUES. DOES IT EVER FEEL OVERWHELMING? It often does feel

overwhelming, but I feel that way because of the urgent need to equitably address the climate crisis—and I feel as if we are not moving fast enough. Last year’s global climate change report was one of the latest red alert warnings about the increasing risks and impacts of climate change.

Those alarms may still sound to some as if it is all happening in some distant faraway place. The reality is that the impact is local.

We also know that some communities, in particular communities of color and other historically marginalized communities, are being impacted the most. YOU’VE DONE

suite of programs my team created while I was the Climate Advisor for Cincinnati as a participant of the American Cities Climate Challenge.

The programs filled a much-needed energy efficiency services gap for income-eligible renters since most of Cincinnati’s existing energy efficiency programs provided servic-

es for owners of single-family homes. DO YOU THINK THE CITY OF CINCINNATI IS DOING ENOUGH IN TERMS OF PROTECTING ITS CLIMATE FUTURE? I have been involved

with Cincinnati’s climate change efforts since Mayor Mallory launched the first climate action plan in 2008 and I’m known for saying that the city is punching above its weight in the climate fight for cities. So I think we are doing great work and we are recognized as a municipal leader in the climate space. But we can be doing so much more, and we have an opportunity to do so with the next iteration of our climate strategy [in 2023] and new city leadership.

LOTS OF WORK AT THE INTERSECTION OF CLIMATE AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE IN CINCINNATI, INCLUDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS FOR LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS IN MULTI-FAMILY HOMES.

Yes, the WarmUp Cincy

Colleen Hanycz Opens the Doors to Higher Ed

fully identified yet. WHAT

OîŠNjČǕ ƭƙĚƙ ĺĚƑ ƙƥîƥƭƙ îƙ ƥĺĚ ǛƑƙƥ DžūŞîŠ îŠē ǛƑƙƥ ŕîNj ƎƑĚƙĿēĚŠƥ ūIJ ÝîDŽĿĚƑ ÀŠĿDŽĚƑƙĿƥNj ƥū ċƑūîēĚŠ îČČĚƙƙ ƥū ĚēƭČîƥĿūŠȦ

Education is, in fact, a common good, which means it cannot be limited in its access. If you believe education is a common good, then you are always looking for ways to help students and families lift themselves through education. Education cannot be something that is preserved only for those who can afford it or only for those that can envision what their pathway is.

LESSONS DO YOU BRING FROM YOUR PAST LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES?

—JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO CHANGE EDUCATION IN CINCINNATI? As Xavier embarks on its

next strategic plan, which we’re in the midst of building right now, one of the questions I have asked this community is, What does this region need Xavier to be in our next chapter? In higher education, we

have a tendency to look inward when we are developing strategies and priorities and planning. As we prepare students for jobs and careers that don’t even exist right now, we can only do that well if we are looking outward rather than inward. WHAT ARE YOUR INSIGHTS INTO WHAT THE COMMUNITY

MIGHT NEED? As we come out of this pandemic, how that has shifted perceptions of work, what it means to work, what it means to be part of a career progression—young people are looking at that

very differently. The young people who we serve are completely different than the college students we served two years ago.

They have suffered from this pandemic in ways that really are not even being

P H OTO G R A P H S ( L E F T ) C O U R T E SY F I L M C I N C I N N AT I / ( R I G H T ) A N G I E L I P S C O M B / ( B OT TO M ) C O U R T E SY X AV I E R U N I V E R S I T Y

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Charmaine McGuffey Creates a Lasting Legacy Elected Hamilton County Sheriff in 2020, McGuffey is one of only three women to hold the title in the state îŠē ƥĺĚ ǛƑƙƥ ūƎĚŠŕNj ijîNj ƙĺĚƑĿIJIJ ĿŠ ~ĺĿūȦ —JUDI KETTELER

HOW ARE YOU CHANGING THE SPACE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT? First, I’m helping

people recognize that women in law enforcement are making great contributions.

Second, having diversity, including women, makes law enforcement more relatable to the public at large and better able to serve all the different communities that we have in the tri-state area.

Finally, I’m changing how we approach criminal justice reform by bringing things to the table, like training and policy changes, that will help to sustain a change in culture. WHAT HAS IT MEANT FOR YOUR CAREER THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN SO RESISTANT TO CHANGE?

I remember when women weren’t allowed to be in a car, patrolling a neighborhood.

That law had to change, and when it did, I was one of the

Katie Nzekwu Supports Foster Kids ~ŠČĚ î ČĺĿŕē ūIJ ƥĺĚ IJūƙƥĚƑ ČîƑĚ ƙNjƙƥĚŞ ĺĚƑƙĚŕIJȡ ƥĺĚ /~ ūIJ GūƭŠē ×ĿŕŕîijĚ ĺĚŕƎƙ ČĺĿŕēƑĚŠ îŠē ƥĚĚŠƙ ĿŠ ŠĚĚēȦ —ELIZABETH MILLER WOOD

HOW ARE YOU STRIVING TO CHANGE THE WAY FOSTER CHILDREN ARE CARED FOR? The foster system is well-intended, but it

can’t provide that sense of safety and support that young people need to thrive and to grow. The system was never designed to raise children. We start with looking at kids as humans. We really believe that if we can provide the same type of support we provide our own kids, the better chance they have to succeed.

What’s the second best option to a family? A really supportive

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first to step into the arena.

When a space is resistant to change, it’s a very difficult situation to navigate. And when you are the change, you risk putting yourself in peril. “SHERIFF” IS THE OLDEST LAW ENFORCEMENT POSITION IN THE U.S. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CARRYING THIS POSITION INTO THE 2020S? It means that I

have a huge responsibility to create a lasting legacy that is forward looking and embedded in the current century. I feel an incredible responsibility to be a model for the state of Ohio. WHAT DO YOU FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE ABOUT CHANGE? It

is my firm belief that law and order and criminal justice reform can exist together.

One of the things that I do in the Sheriff’s Office is bring people to the table. Everyone is invited.

community. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO NOT GIVE UP ON TEENS? We believe that nothing is wrong with our kids. They have normal responses to really abnormal things they’ve experienced.

Because we have that posture, we expect things to be hard. When others walk away, we’re going to lean in, even if they’re pushing us away because of previous experiences. That’s where we’ve found breakthrough in relationships. We’re able to establish that we are different, and we can be trusted. WHAT PROPELLED YOU TO START FOUND VILLAGE? When I was 15 years old, I spent a year in a detention center and a year in foster care. I was labeled as a bad kid, but I was just a misunderstood kid who needed to be loved and cared for in a different way. I was lucky to have a grandmother who paid for me to go to boarding school the year I came out of the detention center. That was the place I started to thrive, when people really saw me and brought out the strengths in me.

WHAT DOES PROGRESS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? The overarching goal is mobilization out of poverty and the individual’s ability to meet their full potential in all areas of their life.

PHOTOGRAPHS (TOP) BY ANGIE LIPSCOMB / (BOTTOM) COURTESY FOUND VILLAGE

Elizabeth Pierce Stays Curious The Cincinnati Museum Center CEO keeps families coming back to Union Terminal. —EMILY CHIEN WHAT DOES PROGRESS LOOK LIKE IN THE WORLD OF MUSEUMS? There’s a stat

out there somewhere that museums are more trusted than almost any other entity in the world. Progress in the museum industry is being consistently loved by your community, bringing topics forward that keep the community learning. I think the Museum Center has done that since moving into Union Terminal. HOW HAS BEING A WOMAN BENEFITTED YOU IN THIS FIELD? I’m a mom, and as moms we’ve got our hands in a lot of places and we’re trying to bring a lot of people together. Being at the Museum Center when my kids were in elementary school, I was intuitively aware of What do moms want from the museum? WHAT ATTRACTS YOU TO THIS SPACE OF LEARNING AND DISCOVERY? I was able to get an internship at the Florence Nightingale Museum in London one summer—a very specific topic, but her story of professionalizing nursing during the Crimean War had ripple effects across the ages. I really got excited about the ability of museum experiences to create context and to tell greater stories. I was just in the Children’s Museum the other day looking at the ‘Inside the Grin’ exhibit. Not a lot of people are walking around inside a giant set of teeth on a daily basis. We go into the collections—we have birds that are being prepared; we have dinosaurs that are being prepared. I never get bored, and my brain is always stimulated, if not overstimulated. HOW ARE YOU BRINGING CHANGE TO THE CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER? Fundamentally, we have taken the building apart, we have taken everything out of the building, we have reconfigured this National Historic Landmark. Now, we have to be curious about what’s next.

The Women Who Made Us What’s the Queen City without its queens? A look into the history books reminds us that our city’s past—recent and otherwise—was shaped by strong-willed women. —LAUREN FISHER

Maria Longworth Widely credited with sowing the seeds of the art pottery movement, Longworth also made history as the first American woman to found and own a large manufacturing enterprise. If that wasn’t enough, the Rookwood Pottery maven was a staunch women’s rights advocate whose influence reached halls of power worldwide.

Marian Spencer As the first Black woman elected to Cincinnati City Council, Spencer holds a place in the hearts and minds of a new generation of city leaders. “As much as I can, I try to channel her,” says Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney. The firebrand councilwoman made her name leading desegregation efforts everywhere from the pools of Coney Island to the classrooms of Cincinnati Public Schools.

Sarah Fossett

Britney Ruby Miller Weathers the Storm Through industry upheaval, the heir to the Jeff Ruby throne pushed her restaurants to new heights.

—JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

HOW ARE YOU CHANGING THE DINING EXPERIENCE IN CINCINNATI? One of our core values with

our company is to change the game. When we originally shut down [for COVID], we had to figure out what it was like for guests to dine outside the restaurant. So the introduction of the meal kits and delivery program [changed things]. The shutdown not only gave us an opportunity to change the game with our guests, but it was the opportunity to change the game with how restaurant operators all interacted. WILL ANY OF THE CHANGES MADE DURING COVID EXTEND PAST THE PANDEMIC? There are other revenue streams that we opened doors for. We are doing basically a white tablecloth delivery program. I think there’s always going to be a certain amount of people who never feel safe dining in restaurants again. We also opened up the business of the grocerystyle meal kits. Those are the steaks, mac and cheese, salad, a family bundle kit for four that is significantly underpriced if you were to walk in the restaurants and we were to cook it for you and you get that whole experience. They are still going really strong, which means there’s still a demand for that. I don’t foresee that changing, really, ever. WHO HAS HELPED YOU ALONG THE WAY? My dad was always my mentor, so watching the way he looked at the dining scene, the way he drove menus and ideas, the way he built the restaurants, he really taught me a lot and still does teach me a lot. During COVID, even though I am CEO, it was certainly reassuring having him double-checking all the decisions. He lives across the street from me, so there was constant communication, which I think was refreshing for both of us to see each other during the lockdown.

P H O TO G R A P H S C O U R T E SY ( TO P ) C I N C I N N AT I M U S E U M C E N T E R / ( B O T TO M ) J E F F R U B Y C U L I N A R Y G R O U P

Born in 1826, Fossett shaped Cincinnati’s history as an abolitionist, risking her life as a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Alongside her husband, Peter Fossett, she founded the First Baptist Church of Cumminsville and launched a 1860 legal battle that led to the partial desegregation of Cincinnati’s streetcars.

Ruth Lyons Turn on the TV, and it’s nearly impossible to escape the influence of this Cincinnati legend.

Lyons is largely credited with inventing daytime talk television. Also lasting to this day? The Ruth Lyons Children’s Fund, the charitable arm of this broadcast legend’s legacy. At last count, the fund had raised more than $22 million for local hospitals.

Mamie Smith If it wasn’t for Mamie Smith, music history might look very different. Sometimes dubbed the first Black superstar in America, Smith was the first Black woman to make a blues recording. “Crazy Blues” was a runaway success, but even more poignant was the singer’s lasting impact on the industry—and on Cincinnati’s history.

PHOTOGRAPHS (TOP TO BOT TOM) COURTESY MEMOIRS OF THEODORE THOMAS (1911) / M A R I A N A N D D O N A L D S P E N C E R PA P E R S , A R C H I V E S A N D R A R E B O O K S L I B R A R Y, U N I V E R S I T Y O F C I N C I N N AT I / C I N C I N N AT I L I B R A R Y / W LW T / P U B L I C D O M A I N

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EIGHT CCM GRADS TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF BUILDING A NEW YORK THEATER CAREER, LEARNING TO ADJUST DURING THE PANDEMIC, AND THE LESSONS THEY STILL CARRY FROM THEIR TIME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI.

BY RICK

PENDER

I L LU ST RAT I ON

BY AURELIE

MARON

5 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

P H OTO G R A P H S BY J O N AT H A N W I L L I S

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 5 3

CURTAINS UP

CCM GRADS ARE TRYING TO HANG ON AS BROADWAY RECOVERS FROM THE PANDEMIC, INCLUDING ( FROM TOP ) SHARON WHEATLEY ( FRONT LEFT ), ALYSHA DESLORIEUX, AND MAX CLAYTON (WITH HUGH JACKMAN).

SHARON

WHEATLEY GREW UP ON AYRES

Road in Anderson Township, but she lives in Manhattan today and has a key role in one of Broadway’s most popular shows, Come from Away. She honed her theatrical skills at Ursuline Academy, including a performance as the Stage Manager in Our Town. Envisioning a career in opera, she explored training at a variety of college programs, but ended up taking a year off.

“Everyone kept telling me I had the best musical theater school in my backyard,” Wheatley says, so she finally decided to explore the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Fast forward a few years, and she left UC’s campus just before graduation in 1990 for a national tour of The Sound of Music.

If she’d been at CCM a few years later, she might have gone to New York City for a senior showcase, but that opportunity didn’t begin until 1993. In Wheatley’s time, casting directors working with renowned British producer Cameron Mackintosh held auditions at several U.S. college campuses, including CCM, and she landed early roles in tours and Broadway productions of his legendary shows Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Misérables.

Over the past decade in Come from Away, Wheatley originated the role of Diane, a gal from Texas who falls in love with a British petroleum engineer when flights

are diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, after the September 11 terrorist attacks. She loves the humane musical about community, recognizing the characters as kindred spirits to family and friends back in Cincinnati. “It’s not a big jump from the Midwest to Newfoundland,” she says. “They have very similar sensibilities, a lack of ego and a work ethic, a sort of nonnegotiable pragmatism.” The popular show shut down with most of Broadway in March 2020. Wheatley and her wife Martha packed up their daughters and returned to her roots. “I spent the vast majority of the pandemic in an Airbnb in Cincinnati,” says Wheatley.

Already an established author—she published a memoir, Till the Fat Girl Sings: From an Overweight Nobody to a Broadway Somebody, in 2006—her local lockdown inspired another memoir, Drive: Stories from Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere.

Wheatley stayed in touch with the Come from Away cast and traveled back to New York for an Emmy Award–winning film

version of the show. The stage production reopened on September 21, 2021, and she was again on a Broadway stage.

Numerous CCM grads have followed similar successful paths while coping with the worldwide pandemic. Scott Coulter (class of 1993) was already on his own journey. Nikki Renée Daniels (2001), Betsy Wolfe (2004), Alysha Deslorieux (2012), and Max Clayton (2014) sustained and grew. Recent grads Gary Cooper (2017) and Aria Braswell (2019) worked on broadening their horizons. They all hearken back to their CCM training, especially with the musical theater program’s longtime chair, Aubrey Berg.

They remember how Berg, who retired in 2019, taught them that successful performers must simultaneously perfect the voice, the body, the head, and the heart. “The greatest gift actors can bestow on their characters,” he says via e-mail, recalling his advice to students, “is the use of their voices and bodies to express what lies in the characters’ hearts and minds.”

“THE GREATEST GIFT ACTORS CAN BESTOW ON THEIR CHARACTERS IS THE USE OF THEIR VOICES AND BODIES TO EXPRESS WHAT LIES IN THE CHARACTERS’ HEARTS AND MINDS.”

TALENT

IS ESSENTIAL, OF COURSE, BUT

Broadway careers also require courage, creativity, faith, and optimism. That’s been especially true since the emergence of COVID-19, which caused most theaters to go dark for 18 months.

Reopenings have been marred by fits and starts. Even exceptionally well-trained performers, such as CCM musical theater grads, have had to explore new paths.

Since Berg launched senior showcases in 1993, each graduating class has performed for agents, casting directors, and producers and in turn has landed parts in high-profile productions almost right away. For 2020 and 2021 seniors, videos were produced to show off their skills. The Class of 2022 plans to travel to New York City this month for a round of in-person performances.

Scott Coulter was part of the very first showcase in New York, landing him a national tour of the musical Forever Plaid a few years later. While touring he flew back to New York to audition for a Broadway revival of Grease. Feedback convinced him he had the gig, but he never got a definitive “yes.”

“I decided I’m not going to wait ever again for anyone to give me a job,” Coulter recalls. “I’m going to make my own jobs.” With three classmates, he remounted their CCM showcase as a cabaret that got the attention of Stephen Schwartz, composer of Pippin and Wicked. Coulter was recruited for a concert tour with Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte, with Schwartz at the piano.

They traveled the world, performing songs from Wicked before it became famous.

Coulter began to create and book shows such as Defying Gravity: The Music of Stephen Schwartz and other concert programs for orchestras and performing arts centers promoted by his company, Spot-On Entertainment. He also organizes cabaret shows at 54 Below (the current incarnation of New York’s legendary Studio 54), including annual events featuring successful alumni when CCM classes come to town for showcases. He involves each current class for a number as well.

After her own New York showcase, Nikki Daniels was cast almost immediately in Elton John’s Aida as an understudy for the title role. For two decades she’s been in show after show, including the revival of Les Misérables. Her principal role debut came in 2012 as Clara in The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess, singing “Summertime.” In The Book of Mormon she played the intelligent but naive Nabalungi for just over three years, the longest anyone has filled the show’s leading female role. She later played Angelica Schuyler in the Chicago production of Hamilton.

Early in 2020 Daniels was cast in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. British director Marianne Elliott reconceived the 1970 show for a London production by switching the gender of the indecisive bachelor Bobby, the central character, to Bobbie, a 35-year-old woman. For the Broadway revival, Daniels played a married friend and understudied Bobbie.

The Broadway shutdown came just 10 days before Company’s scheduled opening. “At first, I thought it was going to be great to have some time for my kids, but it turned into much longer than that,” says Daniels. “For months, we weren’t even certain we’d be coming back. Broadway was so bleak compared to any other field. Being able to perform for audiences is such a gift.”

But the cast held out hope and CONTINUED ON PAGE 76

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Killing off Ohio’s Death Penalty A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers hopes to end executions and make Ohio the 24th state to stop the death penalty’s “failed experiment.”

Joe Deters is not on board.

D

BY PATRICIA GALLAGHER NEWBERRY ILLUSTRATION BY MARKO MANEV

errick Jamison served 20 years on Ohio’s death row for a crime he did not commit.

He lived in a one-man cell, his meal trays slid through a slot in the door. He said goodbye to 18 fellow inmates who were executed.

He faced six execution dates himself, with the governor calling off each, one just 90 minutes before it was scheduled. When family visited, he talked with them from behind Plexiglas. He was awaiting his mother’s visit one day in 1997 when guards arrived to report her death.

Throughout it all, he worked on his case, eventually convincing a court that he was convicted of murdering Cincinnati bartender Gary Mitchell based on false testimony and withheld evidence.

In 2000, he won a new trial. In 2005, he was freed, with all charges against him dismissed.

“I was in hell, a living hell,” Jamison says now from Tampa, Florida, where he lives with his dog, Lucky, and works for the national anti-death penalty group Witness to Innocence. “They came to ask me six times what did I want for my last meal and where did I want my body sent.”

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mong Jamison’s former Ohio death row friends, five with 2022 execution dates will be asked those same questions this year. The balance of the state’s 131 condemned men, plus one woman, will face them in the years ahead.

Or, like Jamison, they could be saved by a dramatic turn of events—in this case, the votes of Ohio lawmakers who are currently considering identical bills in the Senate and House to end capital punishment. Supporters of the bills think they have the votes. They have sponsors from both parties. They have national trends and prominent advocates on their side. They have a governor, running for re-election, who hasn’t overseen any executions since his election in 2018 and a state that’s produced just one death sentence in the last two years. “The death penalty is on its way out,” Ohioans to Stop Executions predicted in a year-end letter, “and this year has ensured that its demise will be sooner rather than later.”

Others, particularly those in charge of prosecuting murder charges, believe a death sentence is warranted for certain heinous crimes and that supposed public opposition to capital punishment is overstated. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, for one, thinks the death penalty is “sometimes the only thing that [victims’] families or the community demands and can get justice for.”

Jamison, as one of 186 inmates exonerated from death rows across the U.S., says the criminal justice system too often convicts innocent people. Like a growing number of Ohioans, he believes a life sentence—with or without possibility of parole—is a better option for the guilty. “We should end the death penalty in America, period,” he says. “It’s wrong. Nobody should have the right to say who should live or die.”

Ohio has been killing people who kill people since its founding. In the 1800s, the condemned were hanged. From 1897 to 1963, they died in the electric chair. After a variety of interruptions—including

a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1972 that the death penalty was unconstitutional and the drafting of a new Ohio capital punishment law in 1981—the state resumed executions in 1999, as “volunteer” Wilford Berry selected lethal injection over electrocution. In 2001, the state disconnected the electric chair, allowing for execution only by lethal injection. By its own count, Ohio has executed 393 convicted murderers in its history.

The state can seek the death penalty only in aggravated murder cases—that is, killings with special circumstances.

Among them: killing a governor or presi-

“We should end the death penalty in America, period,” says Derrick Jamison.

“Nobody should have the right to say who should live or die.” dent; killing someone younger than 13; and killing that involves kidnapping, rape, aggravated arson, or terrorism. The annual review of Ohio death row cases, published by the attorney general’s office, reads like 132 mini horror stories, with terse retellings of shootings, stabbings, slashings, strangulations, beatings, and bindings. Domestic partners (and their families) are frequent victims. Alcohol and drugs are often involved.

The most recent Ohio death row arrival, 40-year-old Joel Drain, was convicted of killing fellow Warren Correctional Institution inmate Christopher Richardson in 2019, hitting him with a fan before putting a pencil in his eye and strangling him with a cord. The Findlay

man was already serving time for killing an associate named Randy Grose in 2016, strangling and stabbing him and stealing his car. Death row’s longest resident, Gregory Esparza, was convicted of killing a Toledo store clerk in 1983 and stealing money from her cash register. He arrived on death row the following May. The second longest held, John Stumpf, was convicted of shooting Mary Jane Stout four times in 1984, when he showed up at her Guernsey County home and asked to use the phone. He landed on death row that September and is scheduled for execution on August 13, 2024.

In the last two decades, Ohio lawmakers have revisited capital punishment regularly and governors have had their say by way of commutations, typically turning death sentences into life without parole. Bob Taft commuted one sentence; Ted Strickland, five; and John Kasich, seven. Before that, on his way out of office in 1991, Richard Celeste commuted eight death sentences. Since he took office in January 2019, Mike DeWine has not made any commutations, but he has issued 30 reprieves to delay execution dates. “Lethal injection appears to us to be impossible from a practical point of view today,” he told the Associated Press at the end of 2020, confirming the state’s “unofficial moratorium” on capital punishment.

This spring, Ohio legislators could write new state history with Senate Bill 103 and House Bill 183, which would abolish the death penalty. Aggravated murder convictions would instead result in either a life sentence without parole or a life sentence with parole after 20 or 30 years.

Current death row inmates would not get an automatic reprieve and would instead need to seek resentencing to avoid execution. If the bills pass, Ohio would be the 24th state in the country without a death penalty. At present, the state ranks No. 6 nationally for its number of death row inmates. Eighteen of the current 132 inmates are from Hamilton County, second only to Cuyahoga County (24).

Last summer, when Senate and

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PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY WITNESS TO INNOCENCE

H o u s e c o m m i tte e s staged hearings on the bills, 58 witnesses spoke in favor of them and three spoke against.

The first in line was an unlikely champion: Jean Schmidt, a Republican who supported capital punishment in her first four years in the Ohio House, then during eight years in the U.S. House. She was drawn back to state politics in 2020, she says, partly to repeal the death penalty. She and Columbus Democrat Adam Miller are the primary sponsors of HB183 with 16 other Democrats and six Republicans as cosponsors.

“You know, life changes you,” Schmidt says now. “When I left Congress, I began to go back into my community…and became convinced that we needed to end this.” Early on, she heard anti-death-penalty nun Sr. Helen Prejean speak. She read False Justice, written by former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro and his wife, Nancy, about failings of the criminal justice system. She spoke with exonerees convicted of murder with flawed evidence, such as Tyra Patterson, a Cincinnati woman released in 2017 after 23 years behind bars, and Joe D’Ambrosio, a Cleveland man released in 2010 after 21 years in prison. Most recently, she’s taken interest in the case of Anthony Apanovitch, released from death row in 2015 but returned in 2018 for an error in his earlier appeal.

Those encounters and her faith— she’s a pro-life, practicing Catholic— convinced Schmidt that a life sentence is the better punishment for convicted murderers. So did the expense of capital punishment, which she’d rather see directed to crime victims.

In public appearances, Schmidt is asked about COVID and the econo-

SET FREE DERRICK JAMISON, RELEASED IN 2005, IS ONE OF 186 INMATES EXONERATED FROM DEATH ROWS ACROSS THE U.S.

my more often than her death penalty bill. But she says she’s not been shy about raising the issue with fellow Ohio lawmakers. “I do believe that I’m changing hearts on my side of the aisle, one at a time,” she says.

Margery Koosed knows all about the costs of the death penalty, along with a long list of other issues that, in her words, make Ohio’s death penalty “the most inefficient state program ever devised.” She’s researched and written about the topic since the 1970s, as a law professor (now retired) at the University of Akron and currently as chair of Ohioans to Stop Executions. With SB103 and HB183 on the table, Koosed helped OTSE summarize its objections to capital punishment in The Failed Experiment: 40 Years of Ohio’s Death Penalty, a report released in December 2020.

On the cost front, the report notes that capital murder cases, from start to finish, cost two-and-a-half to five times more than non-capital ones. Put another way, the state spends at least double when it sentences a convicted murderer to death instead of life in prison. As just one example, in the Akron area, Summit County spent close to $268,000 on just

the initial trial in a capital case in 2017, compared to $19,000 for a murder case without a death penalty specification.

One additional expense: The state last year paid D’Ambrosio, the Cleveland exoneree, $1 million from its wrongful imprisonment fund.

Those dollars are largely wasted, Koosed says, since so few capital cases end in execution. How few? Just 1.6 percent by this math: Ohio counties have filed 3,365 capital cases since the state enacted its current death penalty law in 1981. Of those, 340 ended with a death sentence. Of that number, 56 defendants have been executed. That’s 1.6 percent of the initial cases, “not worth the massive investment Ohioans have made in it,” the OSTE report says.

Execution by lethal injection has been problematic. The drugs often don’t work, leading to ugly botched procedures. More recently, the state has not been able to buy the drugs it needs, since pharmaceutical companies don’t want to be tied to executions. Alternatives (firing squads, a return to hanging or electrocution) have not been seriously considered.

The death penalty is not applied evenly, says Koosed. Study after study has shown C O N T I N U E D O N PAG E 8 0

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2022

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TOP DENTISTS

PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW DOENCH

Our annual list of the top dentists in the Cincinnati region, 278 professionals in seven specialties who are making smiles brighter.

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CHRIS BALSLY

TOP DENTISTS 2022

Trailside Dental Care, 5382 Cox-Smith Rd., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 229-7711

ANNE G. BANTA Anne G. Banta, DDS, Inc., 5680 Bridgetown Rd., Suite B, Cincinnati, OH 45248, (513) 574-2444

ANDREW F. BARTISH Velle Dental, 5916 Cheviot Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 654-2882

S

earching for a new dentist? Whether you need routine care or a complete smile makeover, our list of top dentists is the place to start. This carefully researched list was compiled by Professional Research Services (PRS) of Troy, Michigan. The firm conducted peer-review surveys of professionals in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky to determine the top dentists around our region. Those who made the list have been screened carefully to ensure the legitimacy of their licenses and their status with the State of Ohio and the Kentucky Board of Dentistry.

L I S T C O M P I L E D BY P R S ; I N F O R M AT I O N C O R R E C T A S O F A P R I L 2 0 2 2

DANA K. BATEMAN Bateman Complete Family Dentistry, 6526 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45213, (513) 351-7252

RICHARD T. BAUDENDISTEL Richard T. Baudendistel, D.D.S. & Joseph Jacob, D.D.S., 3860 Race Rd., Suite 101, Cincinnati, OH 45211, (513) 661-8509

DAVID A. BECK Beck Family Dental, 5112 Cedar Village Dr., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 204-0054

ENDODONTICS VAISHALI AGARWALA Yonchak & Agarwala DDS MS Inc, 5180 Winton Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 829-1935

ERIC M. BRAMY Endodontics North: Eric M. Bramy, DDS, 6900 Tylersville Rd., Suite C, Mason, OH 45040, (513) 754-0900

RICHARD P. BROERING JR. Dr. Richard P. Broering Jr., 3005 Dixie Hwy., Suite 100, Edgewood, KY 41017, (859) 344-8000

ERIC D. BROWN Eric Brown Endodontics, 810 Plum St., Cincinnati, OH 45202, (513) 241-0018

MICHAEL D. FULLER University Pointe Endodontics, 7760 W. VOA Park Dr., Suite A, West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 759-2700

CAREY M. HEIN Carey Hein DDS LLC, 4030 Smith Rd., Suite 450, Cincinnati, OH 45209, (513) 321-5353

ZACHARY IMPERIAL Imperial Endodontics, 10597 Montgomery Rd., Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 583-5700

TIMOTHY J. KREIMER Timothy J. Kreimer, DDS, Inc., 3560 Blue Rock Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 385-9888

DARYL KWAN

CLAIRE SIEGEL GERHARD

Kenwood Endodontics, 8250 Kenwood Rd., Suite A, Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 394-6299

Paul F. Siegel Jr., DDS, 9403 Kenwood Rd., Suite B-205, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 821-2668

G. ROBERT LAWLEY

J. ERIC WALDEN

Lawley Endodontics, Inc., 748 State Rte. 28, Suite C, Milford, OH 45150, (513) 456-4144

Northern Kentucky Endodontics, 8729 US Hwy. 42, Suite A, Florence, KY 41042, (859) 647-0006

CHUCK BELL

HARISH K. MALYALA

WILL YODER

DAVID BELL JR.

River Valley Endodontics, 809 Wright’s Summit Pkwy., Suite 110, Ft. Wright, KY 41011, (859) 780-2550

Crestview Endodontics, 340 Thomas More Pkwy., Suite 130, Crestview Hills, KY 41017, (859) 331-2800

Bell Dental Group, 2767 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 449-2694

ALEX K. MIHAILOFF

THOMAS YONCHAK

Alex K. Mihailoff, DDS, MSD, 9200 Montgomery Rd., Bldg. F, Suite 22A, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 793-6500

Yonchak & Agarwala DDS MS Inc, 5180 Winton Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 829-1935

HEATHER MORRIS

LAUREN M. ZOLLETT

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45229, (513) 636-4200

Zollett Endodontics, 7661 Beechmont Ave., Suite 140, Cincinnati, OH 45255, (513) 231-1500

RICHARD MULLINS

GENERAL DENTISTRY

Dr. Richard Mullins, 7205 Dixie Hwy., Suite 3, Florence, KY 41042, (859) 371-8686

ROBERT S. SCHNEIDER Schneider Endodontics, 5420 N. Bend Rd., Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 661-7668

PAUL F. SIEGEL JR. Paul F. Siegel Jr., DDS, 9403 Kenwood Rd., Suite B-205, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 821-2668

6 62 2C I CNICNI CNINNAT N AT I MIAMGAAGZAI ZNIEN. C EO . CMO MM OANPTRHI LX X2 X0X2 2

MALLORY ADLER Wolf + Adler Family Dentistry, 10475 Reading Rd., Suite 408, Cincinnati, OH 45241, (513) 563-8188

ABDALLAH AL-ZUBI Cosmetic & Implant Dental Center of Cincinnati, 910 Barry Ln., Cincinnati, OH 45229, (513) 370-2400

BARRY APPLEGATE Applegate Dentistry, 324 Greenup St., Covington, KY 41011, (859) 291-8600

KATHERINE BEITING Beiting Family Dentistry, 2617 Legends Way, Suite 200, Crestview Hills, KY 41017, (859) 341-2234

Bell Dental Group, 2767 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 449-2694

JOHN BENNET JR. Bennet Family Dental, 5606 Bridgetown Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45248, (513) 662-2000

CHAD BIERBAUM Chad Bierbaum DDS, 8974 Columbia Rd., Loveland, OH 45014, (513) 6835405

TODD BLINCOE Blincoe Dentistry, 12 Orphanage Rd., Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017, (859) 331-1960

RACHELLE BOUDREAU Illuminate Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, 11333 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45246, (513) 772-0722

KENNETH C. BRANDT Kenneth C. Brandt DDS, 2751 Blue Rock Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45239, (513) 741-8223

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TOP DENTISTS 2022 LEE BROWN

NATHAN FENNELL

ANDREW J. HARRIS

ANDREW JORDAN

Brown & Gettings, DDS, 8191 Beckett Park Dr., West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 854-8667

Fennell, Yoxthimer and Associates, DDS, Inc., 5451 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45212, (513) 631-6600

Fountain Square Dental Care, 525 Vine St., Suite 1020, Cincinnati, OH 45202, (513) 621-2483

Vita Dental, 5841 Snider Rd., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 777-9117

ANGELA BURLESON-OTT

ANTHONY E. FORTE

REBECCA W. HAYDEN

Cornerstone Dental Group, 4030 Smith Rd., Suite 110, Cincinnati, OH 45209, (513) 631-8920

Anthony E. Forte DDS, 3475 N. Bend Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45239, (513) 6616100

MARIA BUSTAMANTE

GENERAL DENTISTRY

Hayden Family Dental, 9200 Montgomery Rd., Bldg. G, Suite 20B, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 791-4500

Seven Star Dental, 7 W. Seventh St., Suite 1, Cincinnati, OH 45202, (513) 241-7827

Fox Dental Excellence, 6410 Thornberry Ct., Suite D, Mason, OH 45040, (513) 398-3322

ROBERT CAPOZZA

DAVID J. FRANZ

Gates Family Dentistry, 3249 W. US 22 & 3, Loveland, OH 45140, (513) 683-3838

David J. Franz, DDS, 8333 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 771-2230 www.cincinnatismiles.com

JOHN A. CLEMENTS Clements Family Dentistry, 25 N. F St., Hamilton, OH 45013, (513) 887-7027

JONATHAN D. CONOVER Conover Family Dental, 9312 Winton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 931-7542

HEWITT J. COOPER Hewitt J. Cooper, DDS, 1305 William Howard Taft Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45206, (513) 751-3384

CHRISTOPHER F. HECK Christopher F. Heck, DMD, 9370 Main St., Suite B, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 794-1884

FREDERICK A. HEISELMAN Frederick A. Heiselman, DDS, 7140 Miami Ave., Suite 201, Madeira, OH 45243, (513) 561-8600

WARREN GASE

BROOKE A. HENAGE

Warren Case, D.D.S., 9294 Winton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 268-2037

Henage Dentistry by Design, 7208 Dixie Hwy., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 525-1420

CONNIE GAWRYCH Cincinnati Dental Services Fairfield, 2760 Mack Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 874-2444

WALTER E. “SKIP” GAY JR.

ERIC D. HENIZE Complete Health Dentistry, 4723 Cornell Rd., Blue Ash, OH 45241, (513) 489-0607

MARVIN N. KAPLAN Marvin N. Kaplan DMD, 3406 Ormond Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220, (513) 540-4630

DANIEL KELLEY Eastgate Dental Excellence, 3241 Mount Carmel Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45244, (513) 463-5437

RUCHIKA KHETARPAL Colerain Family Dentistry, 7074 Harrison Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 923-1215

JOEL R. KOCH Joel R. Koch, DDS, 9655 Cincinnati Columbus Rd., West Chester, OH 45241, (513) 779-2200

CAMERON LAYER Lowitz, Meier & Layer, 8712 Winton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 521-8900

CHRISTOPHER P. LEARY Christopher P. Leary D.D.S., 7852 Camargo Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45243, (513) 271-6611

Walter E. Gay, Jr., DDS, 19 Garfield Pl., Suite 414, Cincinnati, OH 45202, (513) 381-7900

DARLENE HENRY

Hyde Park Dental Arts, 2761 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 321-0886

DAVID N. CROOP

MARK GEROME

PATRICK HOBAN

Peters and Lenz DDS, Inc., 6431 Bridgetown Rd., Suite 1, Cincinnati, OH 45248, (513) 574-1477

Mt. Lookout Dentistry, 3197 Linwood Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 871-2852

Gerome & Patrice Family Dentistry, 6378 Branch Hill-Guinea Pike, Loveland, OH 45140, (513) 647-4973

Hoban Dentistry DDS, 5184 Winton Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 858-1600

AMANDA LEVINSOHN

THOMAS DILTS

BEN T. GOSNELL

JEFFREY R. CRONLEY

Dilts Family Dentistry, 723 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 2, Crescent Springs, KY 41017, (859) 431-3900

Mt. Lookout Dentistry, 3197 Linwood Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 871-2852

SHAWN DORNHECKER

CATHY GRAVES

Patel and Dornhecker Dentistry, 3500 Siaron Way, Fairfield Township, OH 45011, (513) 815-3166

ANDREW DORR Andrew Dorr DDS, 3473 N. Bend Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45239, (513) 661-6800

CHRISTINE L. ELFERS Dr. Christine L. Elfers, DDS, 2758 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 321-7076

RON ELLIOTT JR. Smith and Elliott Dental Associates, 265 Main St., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 371-4620

Tylersville Dental, 6410 Thornberry Ct., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 759-9500

RONALD GRYCKO Grycko Dentistry of Blue Ash, 9050 Plainfield Rd., Blue Ash, OH 45236, (513) 791-3138

PATRICIA HANNAHAN Advance Dentistry, 5823 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45227, (513) 272-9009

TARA N. HARDIN Hardin Advanced Dentistry, 5350 Socialville-Foster Rd., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 398-4448

MAGGIE ERNST Bell Dental Group, 2767 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 449-2694 6 644 C ICNI N C ICNI N N ATAT I MI M AG AA G ZA IZNI N E .EC.O CO MM MAOPNRTIHL X2 X0 X2 X2

Darlene Henry DMD, 3505 Dixie Hwy., Erlanger, KY 41018, (859) 344-8500

JOSEPH W. JACKSON Jackson Family Dental Wellness Center, 322 N. Elm St., Oxford, OH 45056, (513) 523-6267

KEITH JACKSON Madeira Dentistry, 7113 Miami Ave., Madeira, OH 45243, (513) 561-5318

LAURA JACKSON Madeira Dentistry, 7113 Miami Ave., Madeira, OH 45243, (513) 561-5318

NATHANIEL J. JACKSON Jackson Family Dental Wellness Center, 322 N. Elm St., Oxford, OH 45056, (513) 523-6267

ERICH D. LENZ

Anderson Ferry Dental, 411 Anderson Ferry Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45238, (513) 922-8500

STEVEN LEVINSOHN Anderson Ferry Dental, 411 Anderson Ferry Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45238, (513) 922-8500

CHRISTOPHER LOGEMAN Hyde Park Dental Arts, 2761 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 321-0886

MARK LOGEMAN Hyde Park Dental Arts, 2761 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 321-0886

TERRY LOWITZ

RICHARD L. JACKSON

Lowitz, Meier & Layer, 8712 Winton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 521-8900

Richard L. Jackson D.D.S., Inc., 3650 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 321-3037

KARL I. LUTES

STEVEN JOHNSON Dental Wellness of Milford, 1170 OH-28, Milford, OH 45150, (513) 575-9600

Karl I. Lutes, DMD PLLC, 225 Thomas More Pkwy., Crestview Hills, KY 41017, (859) 426-9700

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TOP DENTISTS 2022

David J. Franz, D.D.S. Dr. David Franz and his team have been providing outstanding comprehensive dentistry at their Kenwood location for almost 10 years. The newly renovated state-of-the-art facility allows Dr. Franz and his team to provide their patients with a wide variety of preventative, restorative, and cosmetic procedures—with quality and longevity being of utmost importance. Leveraging today’s latest technology, Dr. Franz and his team are able to provide each patient with an individualized plan of care in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Patients often share that they feel like family when visiting the practice.

The newly renovated office has provided Dr. Franz and his wife, Molly, with a beautiful new operatory dedicated to facial esthetics, such as cosmetic neuromodulators and dermal fillers. Through his extensive training, Dr. Franz is able to compliment dental makeovers with injectables, as well as provide treatment for facial pain and TMJ. Dr. Franz and his team pride themselves on outstanding patient care and excellent communication.

8333 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 771-2230, www.cincinnatismiles.com

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TOP DENTISTS 2022 ALEXIS MAI

SEAN T. MCCAULEY

POOJA MISRA

Elite Cosmetic and Family Dentistry, 11039 Prince Ln., Cincinnati, OH 45241, (513) 771-5212

McCauley Dental, 7581 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria, KY 41001, (859) 635-7471

Colerain Advanced Dental Care, 3548 Springdale Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45251, (513) 385-5430

SCOTT MALAVICH

JEROME E. MCMAHON

ASHLEY J. MOSER

Beckham Square Family Dental, 12500 Reed Hartman Hwy., Suite 110, Cincinnati, OH 45241, (513) 489-7800

UC Health Dental Center, 3231 Harvey Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45229, (513) 584-6650

NKY Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, 2047 Centennial Blvd., Independence, KY 41051, (859) 356-5100

MARC L. MARLETTE

CHRIS MCVEY

THOMAS B. MUELLER

Florence Family Dentistry, 7303 US Hwy. 42, Florence, KY 41042, (859) 283-0033

Dr. Chris McVey, D.D.S., 797 Compton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 5228660

Mueller Family Dentistry, 1862 Ashwood Cir., Ft. Wright, KY 41011, (859) 331-2202

CHRISTOPHER MARTINEZ

MELISSA MEIER

JASON MULZER

Martinez & Martinez Family Dental Care, 5375 Cox Smith Rd., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 229-8609

Lowitz, Meier & Layer, 8712 Winton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 521-8900

Pinnacle Family Dentistry, 1495 Cavalry Dr., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 647-7760

KRISTINA MARTINEZ Martinez & Martinez Family Dental Care, 5375 Cox Smith Rd., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 229-8609

JANE R. MAYS Jane R. Mays, D.M.D., 2631 Erie Ave., Suite 14, Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 216-5095

R. SCOTT MEUSELBACH Meuselbach Family Dental, 7200 Tylersville Rd., West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 342-8162

DREW MEYERS Advance Dentistry, 7655 Five Mile Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 231-1973

SUNNY PAHOUJA

Lifetime Smiles, 5205 N. Bend Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 661-8586

K. MICHAEL PALMER Palmer Dentistry, 6895 Burlington Pike, Florence, KY 41042, (859) 3441185

JESAL A. PATEL Patel and Dornhecker Dentistry, 3500 Siaron Way, Fairfield Township, OH 45011, (513) 815-3166

JERRY PAUL Southwood, Paul & Pope, 5601 Cheviot Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 741-0900

PAUL M. PAVLOFF

MARK R. ONADY Dr. Mark R. Onady, DDS, 333 W. Kemper Rd., Springdale, OH 45246, (513) 771-5084

ELIZABETH L. OSTERDAY Elizabeth L. Osterday D.D.S., LLC, 7655 Five Mile Rd., Suite 121, Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 233-0001

Bridgewater Family Dental, 6518 Winford Ave., Hamilton, OH 45011, (513) 712-9642

FRED H. PECK Fred H. Peck, DDS, FAACD, 8251 Cornell Rd., Suite 130, Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 657-1047

Advance Dentistry

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TOP DENTISTS 2022 JORDAN PELCHOVITZ

TIMOTHY L. POHLMAN

MICHAEL T. SCHAEFFER

SHELLEY SHEARER

Kenwood Complete Dentistry, 5050 E. Galbraith Rd., Suite C, Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 531-5050

Timothy L. Pohlman, D.D.S., 2761 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 871-2989

Michael T. Schaeffer, DDS, 522 Old State Rte. 74, Suite 1, Cincinnati, OH 45244, (513) 528-2363

Shearer Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, 1335 Hansel Dr., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 647-7068

THOMAS J. PERRINO

BRIAN POPE

LAURA SCHILLER

DANIEL J. SHERIDAN

Perrino Family Dentistry, 7565 Kenwood Rd., Suite 201, Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 791-9092

Southwood, Paul & Pope, 5601 Cheviot Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 741-0900

Schiller Dental, 5330 Glenway Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45238, (513) 922-7111

Daniel J. Sheridan, D.M.D., 7827 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria, KY 41001, (859) 635-1756

JEFFREY D. PETER

DEENA RASSENFOSS

Peter Family Dentistry, 2025 Declaration Dr., Suite B, Independence, KY 41051, (859) 429-1327

Rassenfoss Family Dentistry, 3014 Washington St., Burlington, KY 41005, (859) 689-9225

ANTHONY PHILIPS

ROB REINECK

Cincinnati Dental Services Landen, 8944 Columbia Rd., Suite 2, Loveland, OH 45140, (513) 774-8800

Milford Dental Excellence, 1188 OH-131, Milford, OH 45150, (513) 831-1446

Seibert Complete Dentistry, 1149 Fehl Ln., Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 231-9300

MICHAEL D. ROLFES

ANN SHACKELFORD

Michael D. Rolfes, DDS & Euna C. Koo, D.D.S., 7729 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 793-1241

Hebron Advanced Dentistry, 1930 Petersburg Rd., Hebron, KY 41048, (859) 586-5620

ELIZABETH PLAS Dr. Elizabeth Plas, 3964 Edwards Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45209, (513) 351-3700

ANDREA SCHMERLER Beckham Square Family Dental, 12500 Reed Hartman Hwy., Suite 110, Cincinnati, OH 45241, (513) 489-7800

JAMES M. SEIBERT

RICHARD PLOTNICK

SCOTT SAYRE

AARON SHAFTEL

Drs. Franklin, Plotnick & Carl, 6204 Ridge Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45213, (513) 731-1106

Advance Dentistry, 5823 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45227, (513) 272-9009

Vita Dental, 5841 Snider Rd., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 777-9117

GREG SHERMAN Kenwood Complete Dentistry, 5050 E. Galbraith Rd., Suite C, Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 531-5050

RICK SILVERMAN Silverman Family Dentistry, 4464 Carver Woods Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 984-3700

JIM SIMPSON Pearce Dental Group, 425 Walnut St., Suite 201, Cincinnati, OH 45202, (513) 651-0110

RICK M. SINGEL Rick M. Singel D.D.S., 2752 Erie Ave., Suite 8, Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 871-4200

Photograph by Alex Taylor

Dr. Frederick A. Heiselman, D.D.S., Inc. General and Implant Dentistry In the heart of Madeira, Dr. Frederick Heiselman has been providing optimal comprehensive dentistry to families for more than 25 years. His state-of-the-art facility allows him to perform a wide variety of cosmetic and general procedures including implants, root canals, veneers, extractions, whitening and Invisalign. Dr. Heiselman is a graduate of the Ohio State University College of Dentistry and the prestigious Misch International Implant Institute. Dr. Heiselman and his dedicated staff make it a top priority to deliver the gentle and compassionate care you deserve.

They look forward to welcoming new families searching for their dental home.

7140 Miami Ave., #201, Cincinnati, OH 45243, (513) 561-8600, www.fheiselmandds.com A P R I L 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 6 7

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TOP DENTISTS 2022 THOMAS SMITH

COLLEEN TEPE HOFSTETTER

WHITNEY R. WAULIGMAN

Smith and Elliott Dental Associates, 265 Main St., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 371-4620

Tepe Dentistry, 3507 Glenmore Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45211, (513) 481-5885

Wauligman Dentistry, 7 South Rd., Addyston, OH 45001, (513) 662-4242

GREGG TESTERMAN

ALAN R. WEINSTEIN

Testerman Dental, 767 Columbus Ave., Lebanon, OH 45036, (513) 932-4806

Alan R. Weinstein DDS, 7835 Remington Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 793-1977

STEVEN SOUTHWOOD Southwood, Paul & Pope, 5601 Cheviot Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 741-0900

MICHELLE E. STORY Michelle E. Story DMD, 1227 S. Fort Thomas Ave., Ft. Thomas, KY 41075, (859) 572-6700

JULIANNE SWAYNE Julianne Swayne, DDS, 410 W. Loveland Ave., Loveland, OH 45140, (513) 6834500

DAVID L. VORHERR David L. Vorherr DDS, 5968 Cheviot Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 385-2411 www.vorherrdental.com

PAM WALDEN Shearer Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, 1335 Hansel Dr., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 647-7068

JANE WALKER

MONICA B. SWOPE

Dr. Jane Walker, DDS, 27 Water St., Suite 1, Milford, OH 45150, (513) 831-4133

Kingdom Family Dentistry, 772 Waycross Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45240, (513) 742-2322

MICHAEL J. WALKER

ALEC TACKETT

Michael J. Walker, DMD, 8150 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria, KY 41001, (859) 635-5388

Ivy Dental, 7201 Main St., Cincinnati, OH 45244, (513) 231-3990

WAYNE R. WAULIGMAN

ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY V. RUSSELL BOUDREAU JR. Thatcher & Boudreau, DDS, Inc., 800 Compton Rd., Suite 20, Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 521-0110

JAMES P. CASSIDY

TODD E. WILLIAMS Todd E. Williams, D.D.S., 11325 Springfield Pike, Springdale, OH 45246, (513) 772-9100

Cincinnati Oral, Maxillofacial & Dental Implant Surgery, 7140 Miami Ave., Suite 202, Cincinnati, OH 45243, (513) 271-5900

JODIE YILDIRIM

TIMOTHY W. CONLEY

Eastgate Dental Excellence, 3241 Mount Carmel Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45244, (513) 548-3990

REBECCA B. YOXTHIMER Kingdom Family Dentistry, 772 Waycross Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45240, (513) 742-2322

ROB YOXTHIMER Fennell, Yoxthimer and Associates, DDS, Inc., 5451 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45212, (513) 631-6600

Affiliates in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, 5188 Winton Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 829-8080

BABAK EMAMI Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Ohio, 7462 Jager Ct., Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 232-4600

MELISSA H. FISHER Cincinnati Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Inc., 2852 Boudinot Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45238, (513) 451-7300

Wauligman Dentistry, 7 South Rd., Addyston, OH 45001, (513) 662-4242

Illuminate Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Rachelle Boudreau At Illuminate Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, formerly Boudreau Dental Studio, Dr. Rachelle Boudreau and her team provide advanced dental treatments with exceptional bedside manner. She is one of 480 accredited members of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Dr. Boudreau’s purpose for her practice is to celebrate the person behind the smile. At Illuminate Dentistry, individuals are welcomed and treated like family. Procedures are explained, discussed, and delivered with compassionate care. We take time to get to know each patient because we work to brighten the world through their smiles.

11333 Springfield Pike., Cincinnati, OH 45246, (513) 772-0722, https://Illuminatedentistry.com 6 68 8CCIICNNICN CIICNNINNAT N ATAT IIMMIAM AGG AAA GZZAIIZNNIEN E. .CECO .O CMO MMMMOAONPNTRTHIHLX X2X0X2 X2

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

TOP DENTISTS 2022 MICHAEL J. GRAU

MATTHEW F. PAGNOTTO

JAMES M. SCHIRMER

RODNEY STIGALL

Michael J. Grau, DMD PSC, 3805 Edwards Rd., Suite 160, Cincinnati, OH 45209, (513) 321-9627

Tri-State Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2300 Conner Rd., Hebron, KY 41048, (859) 586-4825

The Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Countryside, 1726 Deerfield Rd., Lebanon, OH 45036, (513) 932-9991

Implants and Orofacial Surgery Specialists - Rodney C. Stigall, DMD, 720 E. Pete Rose Way, Suite 305, Cincinnati, OH 45202, (859) 525-0022

KHURRAM A. KHAN

STEVEN P. PIEPER

GARRETT SEGHI

About Face Surgical Arts, 7523 State Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45255, (513) 2328989

Cincinnati Oral, Maxillofacial & Dental Implant Surgery, 7140 Miami Ave., Suite 202, Cincinnati, OH 45243, (513) 271-5900

Cincinnati Oral Surgeons, Inc, 11438 Lebanon Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45241, (513) 769-5545

MARK A. KNIBBE Oral Facial Surgery Associates, 1481 Cavalry Dr., Suite 200, Florence, KY 41042, (859) 371-0123

DEEPAK G. KRISHNAN UC Health, 222 Piedmont Ave., Suite 7300, Cincinnati, OH 45219, (513) 475-8783

ROBERT LUCAS Cincinnati Oral Surgeons, Inc, 11438 Lebanon Rd., Sharonville, OH 45241, (513) 769-5545

CHRISTOPHER A. MCDANIEL Affiliates in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, 5188 Winton Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 829-8080

GARY G. PIES

HANK W. SLEET

SCOTT L. THATCHER Thatcher & Boudreau, DDS, Inc., 800 Compton Rd., Suite 20, Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 521-0110

Northern Kentucky Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Associates, 20 Medical Village Dr., Suite 196, Edgewood, KY 41017, (859) 331-2100

GLENN S. WATERS

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Ohio, 7462 Jager Ct., Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 232-4600

MICHAEL D. RECHTIN

NATHAN SPENCER

YAVUZ YILDIRIM

Tri-State Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2300 Conner Rd., Hebron, KY 41048, (859) 586-4825

Cincinnati Oral, Maxillofacial & Dental Implant Surgery, 7140 Miami Ave., Suite 202, Cincinnati, OH 45243, (513) 271-5900

Oral & Facial Surgery Associates, LLC, 10506 Montgomery Rd., Suite 203, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 791-0550

STEVEN J. REUBEL Steven J. Reubel D.M.D., 7729 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 891-2992

MICHAEL L. ROBINSON Northern Kentucky Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Associates, 20 Medical Village Dr., Suite 196, Edgewood, KY 41017, (859) 331-2100

Oral & Facial Surgery Associates, LLC, 10506 Montgomery Rd., Suite 203, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 791-0550

ORTHODONTICS

RANDALL D. STASTNY Blue Ash Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Inc., 4350 Malsbary Rd., Suite 201, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 984-2100

FREDERICK L. STEINBECK F. L. Steinbeck, DDS, MD, 627 Highland Ave., Ft. Thomas, KY 41075, (859) 781-0500

ROBIN BAKER Cassinelli, Shanker, & Baker, 4881 Cooper Rd., Blue Ash, OH 45242, (513) 549-6982

SPENCER BOLEY Boley Braces, 5530 Muddy Creek Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45238, (513) 347-9222

Khurram A. Khan BDS, DMD Dr. Khan is a Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. After his initial surgery training at Louisiana State University and Indiana University, he proudly served in the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton. After his military service, he completed a fellowship in pediatric cleft and craniofacial surgery. Currently, he is the only oral surgeon who has fellowship training in both pediatric cleft and craniofacial surgery in the state of Ohio. Besides treating his patients in the U.S, he also operates on children with cleft lip and palate deformities around the world. Dr. Khan brings a wealth of knowledge and surgical expertise he acquired internationally, and from around the country, bringing cutting edge surgical techniques for his patients.

7523 State Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45255, (513) 232-8989, www.aboutfacesurgicalarts.com A P R I L 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 6 9

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TOP DENTISTS 2022 DARCIE R. BRADLEY

STEPHEN HAVERKOS

JAMES W. LOGEMAN

Dr. Darcie R. Bradley, 5947 Cheviot Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 385-2161

Haverkos & Reddy Orthodontics, 5754 Bridgetown Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45248, (513) 481-8000

James W. Logeman, D.D.S., M.S., 5240 E. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 540-3266

ERIC HICKMAN

CHARLES A. MANILLA

Hickman Orthodontics, 3116-L Montgomery Rd., Maineville, OH 45039, (513) 697-9772

Manilla Orthodontics, 347 Park Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013, (513) 216-9984

ALEX CASSINELLI Cassinelli, Shanker, & Baker, 4881 Cooper Rd., Blue Ash, OH 45242, (513) 547-3405

JERROD DEMPSEY Gruelle Dempsey Orthodontics, 9675 Montgomery Rd., Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 697-9999

NELSON R. DIERS Nelson R. Diers, DDS, MSD, 1251 Nilles Rd., Suite 14, Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 829-4400

BART GIRDWOOD Girdwood Orthodontics, 600 Columbus Ave., Lebanon, OH 45036, (513) 932-7675

TERRY GRUELLE Gruelle Dempsey Orthodontics, 9675 Montgomery Rd., Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 697-9999

KEVIN J. ISON Orthodontic Specialists, 4845 Rialto Rd., Suite A, West Chester Township, OH 45069, (513) 772-6500

LAMONT (MONTY) B. JACOBS Lamont Jacobs Orthodontics, 1242 Nilles Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 829-7045

GERALD F. JOHNSON Johnson Orthodontics, 6499 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 336-6200

GRACE KERR Grace Kerr Orthodontics, 2706 Observatory Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 533-4200

FERNANDO MARTINEZ Martinez Orthodontics, 6381 Bridgetown Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45248, (513) 598-9800

ASHLEY MENCARELLI Gruelle Dempsey Orthodontics, 9675 Montgomery Rd., Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 697-9999

KENT MORRIS

MONICA L. NEWBY Monica L. Newby, D.D.S., 5050 Oaklawn Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45227, (513) 531-7566

DANIEL A. NOLL Orthodontic Specialists, 4845 Rialto Rd., Suite A, West Chester Township, OH 45069, (513) 772-6500

TIMOTHY M. REDDY Haverkos & Reddy Orthodontics, 5754 Bridgetown Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45248, (513) 481-8000

ANTHONY RINALDI Rinaldi Orthodontics, 5987 Meijer Dr., Milford, OH 45150, (513) 831-6160

Kent Morris Orthodontics, 9573 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 683-3900

MONA RINALDI

DONALD R. MURDOCK

BRIAN W. ROMICK

Murdock Orthodontics, 5420 N. Bend Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 662-2100

Romick Orthodontics, 7655 Five Mile Rd., Suite 207, Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 232-4110

Rinaldi Orthodontics, 5987 Meijer Dr., Milford, OH 45150, (513) 831-6160

The dental office of Terry K. Lowitz, D.D.S., Melissa S. Meier, D.M.D., and Cameron R. Layer, D.D.S. offers a unique dental experience for our patients. From the minute they walk into our warm, friendly environment, our patients know they are not just at the dental office, they are at home. Located centrally in Cincinnati, we have been serving our community for over 40 years. From a regular checkup to a complete smile makeover, our doctors’ top priority is the comfort and health of our patients. Drs. Lowitz, Meier, and Layer pride themselves in offering our patients the most state-of-the art dental procedures available. We have incorporated the latest technologies in digital dentistry to make our practice one of the most technologically advanced offices in Cincinnati. From digital X-rays and impressions to fully-guided dental implant surgeries and same-day CEREC crowns, we give our patients the best, and they definitely know it. Our patient reviews speak for themselves. Our doctors and dental team are committed to giving our patients the most professional, compassionate care for a lifetime of dental health.

Drs. Lowitz, Meier, and Layer, 8712 Winton Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231, (513) 521-8900, www.cincinnatidentists.com 7 0 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

Photograph by Ryan Back

Lowitz, Meier & Layer

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

TOP DENTISTS 2022 SHIV SHANKER Cassinelli, Shanker, & Baker, 4881 Cooper Rd., Blue Ash, OH 45242, (513) 549-6982

JACOB STADIEM Northeast Orthodontic Specialists, 9380 Kenwood Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 793-4770

JANICE STRUCKHOFF Struckhoff Orthodontics, 1944 Declaration Dr., Independence, KY 41051, (859) 356-6630

JERI L. STULL

MARYEVAN THACKER HELLEBUSCH Thacker Orthodontics, 1057 Nimitzview Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 8029360

SHELLEY A. TRETTER Tretter Orthodontics, 11831 Mason Montgomery Rd., Suite A, Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 697-9999

BRYAN R. WIRTZ Bryan R. Wirtz, DDS, MS, 11329 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45246, (513) 772-1671

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY KATIE BLOMER Hyde Park Pediatric Dentistry, 3870 Paxton Ave., Suite G, Cincinnati, OH 45209, (513) 979-6998

MARIE CALLEN Marie Callen DMD - Dentistry for Kids, 11306 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 376-8200

LAUREN CAPOZZA Loveland Pediatric Dentistry, 10570 Loveland Madeira Rd., Loveland, OH 45140, (513) 806-2060

Jeri L. Stull Orthodontics, 637 Highland Ave., Ft. Thomas, KY 41075, (859) 781-2662

EDWARD WNEK

PETER M. SUFFIELD

JAMES J. ZETTLER

Montgomery Pediatric Dentistry, 4881 Cooper Rd., Blue Ash, OH 45242, (513) 891-0660

Zettler Orthodontics, 417 Park Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013, (513) 863-1984

LAURA DOSS

Precision Orthodontics, 8154 Montgomery Rd., Suite 102, Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 891-4324

JAMES N. THACKER Thacker Orthodontics, 1057 Nimitzview Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 802-9360

Wnek Orthodontics, 2712 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 871-0324

JAMES R. ZETTLER JR. Zettler Orthodontics, 417 Park Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013, (513) 863-1984

STEVEN M. ZETTLER Zettler Orthodontics, 417 Park Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013, (513) 863-1984

MURRAY DOCK

Village Pediatric Dentistry, 8179-H Princeton Glendale Rd., West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 844-0046

SOPHIE DUVAL-AUSTIN

JOHN GENNANTONIO Sea of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry, 1319 Nagel Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45255, (513) 474-6777

WILLIAM A. GREENHILL Union Pediatric Dentistry, 2012 Callie Way, Suite 202, Union, KY 41091, (859) 384-6050

SARAH HUSTED Sea of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry, 1319 Nagel Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45255, (513) 474-6777

KAITLIN JENNISON Union Pediatric Dentistry, 2012 Callie Way, Suite 202, Union, KY 41091, (859) 384-6050

DENNIS LAMBERT Dennis Lambert Pediatric Dentistry, 8205 Corporate Way, Mason, OH 45040, (513) 754-8900

TRISHA R. MCNAMARA The Pediatric Dentist, 5177 N. Bend Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45211, (513) 662-5203

Pediatric Dental Garden, 25 Town Center Blvd., Suite 202, Crestview Hills, KY 41017, (859) 344-6200

Photograph by Ryan Back

Dr. Jane Mays The office of Dr. Jane Mays sets itself apart from other dental practitioners by actively working with patients on whole-body well-being through the practice of Oral-Systemic Health. The correlations between oral diseases and systemic conditions are broadly accepted. Inflammation and/or bacteria in the oral cavity can be connected to seven of the 10 leading causes of death. The experienced staff at Mays Dentistry utilizes patient education, has implemented screening protocols and tools, and collaborates with local medical professionals to effectively manage the oral manifestations of systemic diseases.

OralDNA Labs’ MyPerioPath saliva testing is one tool utilized in Dr. Mays’ office to diagnose the specific underlying oral pathogens causing periodontal disease and inflammation and leading to a higher incidence of chronic systemic diseases. This allows you to effectively manage your health, well-being, and longevity as our office guides you to the goal of a longer and more active life.

2631 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 321-1102, www.janemaysdmd.com A P R I L 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 7 1

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TOP DENTISTS 2022 ELIZABETH MUELLER

BRAD SKELTON

PERIODONTICS

MARY ANN HANLON

Elizabeth Mueller, DDS & Associates, 9200 Montgomery Rd., Suite 4B, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 791-3660

Fairfield Pediatric Dentistry - Chew Chew Junction, 1246 Nilles Rd., Suite 3, Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 858-6575

ANDREW BAKER

Mary Ann Hanlon, DDS, MS, 7074 Harrison Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45247, (513) 662-4867

CINDY R. PONG

ERIC M. SOPER

Smiles 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry, 11350 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45246, (513) 771-5231

The Pediatric Dental Center, 5495 N. Bend Rd., Suite 102, Burlington, KY 41005, (859) 908-1872

RONALD L. POULOS

KATIE STEWART

Pediatric Dentistry of Anderson, 7655 Five Mile Rd., Suite 214, Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 232-0550

Sea of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry, 1319 Nagel Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45255, (513) 474-6777

DAVID RIDER

DAVE SULLIVAN

David Rider, D.M.D., 1809 Alexandria Pike, Suite A, Highland Heights, KY 41076, (859) 781-1500

Sea of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry, 1319 Nagel Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45255, (513) 474-6777

LISA RUDOLPH

ADEL M. TAWADROS

Montgomery Pediatric Dentistry, 4881 Cooper Rd., Blue Ash, OH 45242, (513) 891-0660

Adel M. Tawadros DDS MPH, 420 Ray Norrish Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45246, (513) 671-1666

NANNETTE R. SHERMAN

BRACKEN WEBB

Nannette R. Sherman, DDS, 7908 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd., Suite R, West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 755-7220

West Chester Pediatric Dentistry, 9215 Cincinnati-Columbus Rd., West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 777-2313

Shapiro and Baker Periodontics & Dental Implants, 8350 E. Kemper Rd., Unit C, Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 984-4867

CHRISTOPHER W. BECKNER Christopher W. Beckner, DDS, 5850 Boymel Dr., Unit 2, Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 856-8253

STACEY BLUME Stacey Blume, DMD, MS & Abhishek Patel, BDS, MSD, 4030 Smith Rd., Suite 225, Cincinnati, OH 45209, (513) 871-8488

RAYMOND BONOMO Bonomo Periodontics, 6208 Muhlhauser Rd., West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 671-0222

RYAN P. ESTES Southern Roots Periodontics and Implant Specialists, 8136 Mall Rd., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 371-6543

RYAN HARRIS Harris Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, 5138 Cedar Village Dr., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 336-8100

TIFFANY HARRIS Harris Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, 5138 Cedar Village Dr., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 336-8100

DAVID KRILL Wessel Periodontics, LLC, 8221 Cornell Rd., Suite 430, Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 891-3933

NEAL LEMMERMAN

Lemmerman Periodontics, 6950 E. Kemper Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 851-9292

ROBERT LIMARDI, D.D.S., M.S., M.ED., E.D.S.

Periodontal Visions, Inc., 3174 Mack Rd., Cincinnati and Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 870-9672

Pearce Dental Group Dr. Pearce has been practicing cosmetic and implant dentistry on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati for 15 years. He has built a team of four doctors (Dr. Tara Aboumahboub, Dr. Jim Simpson, Dr. Troy Pearce, and Dr. Jon Barry) who practice a wide range of dental services including veneers, dental implants, and single visit Cerec crowns. They are Cincinnati Magazine’s Face of Cosmetic Dentistry and are also the top Invisalign provider among general practitioners in the area.

The team at Pearce Dental Group is committed to providing their patients with a memorable experience and making a lasting impact on patients’ lives.

425 Walnut St., Cincinnati, OH 45202, (513) 651-0110, www.pearcedentalgroup.com 7 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

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TOP DENTISTS 2022 ALLISON K. MARLOW

VLAD SHAPIRO

Southern Roots Periodontics and Implant Specialists, 8136 Mall Rd., Florence, KY 41042, (859) 371-6543

Shapiro and Baker Periodontics & Dental Implants, 8350 E. Kemper Rd., Unit C, Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 984-4867

LARRY S. MARTIN Martin Periodontics, 1211 Nilles Rd., Fairfield, OH 45014, (513) 829-8999

MATTHEW M. PARKER Parker Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, 8000 Five Mile Rd., Suite 350, Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 474-4486

ABHISHEK PATEL Stacey Blume, DMD, MS & Abhishek Patel, BDS, MSD, 4030 Smith Rd., Suite 225, Cincinnati, OH 45209, (513) 871-8488

MICHAEL POTH Harris Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, 5138 Cedar Village Dr., Mason, OH 45040, (513) 336-8100

VIDYA PRABHU Martin Periodontics, 6410 Thornberry Ct., Suite C, Mason, OH 45040, (513) 445-4282

MARK SILVERS Mark Silvers DDS MS, 7710 Shawnee Run Rd., Suite G1, Cincinnati, OH 45243, (513) 271-1101

SCOTT SILVERSTEIN Ohio Valley Center for Periodontics & Implants, 748 State Rte. 28, Suite A, Milford, OH 45150, (513) 854-0338

MICHAEL C. TOMS Michael C. Toms, DDS, MS, 5532 Muddy Creek Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45238, (513) 922-7300

MICHAEL VIETH

PROSTHODONTICS DAVID D. CARRIER David D. Carrier, DDS, 121 William Howard Taft Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45219, (513) 961-8113

MANNY CHOPRA Center for Dental Health, 2752 Erie Ave., Suite 1, Cincinnati, OH 45208, (513) 871-4411

ROBERT F. FAULKNER Cincinnati Prosthodontics, 6355 E. Kemper Rd., Suite 150, Cincinnati, OH 45241, (513) 489-8070

ROBERT J. FAULKNER Cincinnati Prosthodontics, 6355 E. Kemper Rd., Suite 150, Cincinnati, OH 45241, (513) 489-8070

Parker Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, 8000 5 Mile Rd., Suite 350, Cincinnati, OH 45230, (513) 474-4486

JEFFREY R. WESSEL Wessel Periodontics, LLC, 8221 Cornell Rd., Suite 430, Cincinnati, OH 45249, (513) 891-3933

Photograph by Ryan Back

Dr. Fred Peck Dr. Fred Peck, D.D.S., FAACD, is a third-generation dentist practicing in Cincinnati for more than 30 years. He is the first Accredited Fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in Ohio, a process that involved rigorous training in cosmetic dentistry and required passing an extensive AACD Accreditation Board Examination.

A graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Dr. Peck went on to complete the curriculum at the Kois Center in Seattle, regarded by many as the leading advanced continuing education center for dentists in the United States. Being accomplished in cosmetic dental techniques, Dr. Peck has published numerous articles in a variety of dental journals and presents lectures and hands-on techniques to share his skills to dental professionals across the United States and Canada.

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GIVING THEIR REGARDS TO BROADWAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 55

those pieces in your career when you have to take the biggest leap of faith.”

began rehearsing again in October 2021.

The show opened in December, although performances were again interrupted by COVID infections.

Betsy Wolfe grew up in California obsessing over a VHS tape of Sondheim’s Into the Woods. “I watched it every single day for an entire summer,” she says. Her CCM training prepared her for a number of highprofile Broadway productions, including a 2012 concert staging of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along at City Center Encores with Lin-Manuel Miranda. In 2017, she spent a year on Broadway in the lead role in Waitress.

ALYSHA DESLORIEUX WORKED CONTINUously following her 2012 CCM showcase.

She was first cast in Sister Act, then Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She joined the original ensemble of Hamilton, the megahit that started at New York’s Public Theater, playing multiple roles. She went on to the Chicago production and the national tour. She recently returned to the Public Theater for a new musical, The Visitor, originating a role alongside David Hyde Pierce.

“I love to be busy, and I love to work,” says Deslorieux. While in Chicago doing Hamilton in 2019, she traveled back and forth to New York to film The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for Amazon TV. She’d leave after Hamilton’s Sunday matinee, work for several days in New York, then hustle back to the demanding role of Eliza Schuyler. At first, the lockdown struck her as a welcome break after nearly 10 years of

“THROUGHOUT 2020 AND 2021, WE WEREN’T EVEN CERTAIN WE’D BE COMING BACK TO BROADWAY,” SAYS NIKKI RENÉE DANIELS. “BUT BEING ABLE TO PERFORM FOR AUDIENCES IS SUCH A GIFT.” Her pregnancy and the lockdown led to an unusual project: the title role in Estella Scrooge, a modernized video retelling of A Christmas Carol. As an arrogant Wall Street tycoon descendent of Ebenezer Scrooge, Estella is visited by a trio of ultracontemporary ghosts. Shot in mid-2020 using a lot of well-known Broadway talent, the musical has been available for video streaming the past two holiday seasons.

“It was one of the strangest things I’ve ever done,” Wolfe says, laughing. “We all just kind of said yes because we didn’t really know what it was.” Actors were safely recorded one at a time using green-screen technology. “Dickens stories were cleverly woven together with constant twists and surprises for audiences. I was amazed with the final product, something that truly looked beautiful and seamless. It was one of 7 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

steady work. “I guess I just went back to my roots,” she says. “I was always a musician, I loved to sing and play, so that took me back to the core of who I was. I play the piano. I taught myself to play the ukulele. Growing up, I learned the most when I spent time by myself.”

Last year Deslorieux filmed another TV series, Only Murders in the Building, on Hulu. She played the wife of a police detective investigating a murder in the building where series creators Steve Martin and Martin Short were amateur detectives.

Her pregnant character was married to another woman of color. “We were painting the nursery, regular life stuff,” she says. “It was diverse without having to do a lot of talking about the importance of diversity.

It felt like a privilege to do something that represented my community.”

Max Clayton likewise had some exciting opportunities before the pandemic in On the Town; Gigi; Bandstand (by Cincinnati composer Richard Oberacker); Something Rotten; Hello, Dolly!; and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. During Hello, Dolly! he met choreographer Warren Carlisle, who moved on to the revival of The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman. “Warren was doing a four-week dance lab in October 2019 with the Music Man ensemble and some principal actors,” says Clayton. “Hugh was unavailable. I got a call saying the team would like me to stand in for Hugh Jackman in The Music Man lab.”

Naturally, he leapt at the opportunity.

Clayton worked closely with Sutton Foster, Jackman’s costar, while still performing eight times a week in Moulin Rouge. “I was so fulfilled, so exhausted, but that will always be a career high for me,” he says. Just before the pandemic shutdown, he received an offer to be Jackman’s standby for The Music Man, someone who’s ready to step in for the show’s star on a moment’s notice. Rehearsals for the show’s January opening began in October with Clayton working exclusively with Jackman and Sutton. “It was the three of us and the creative team teaching Hugh what we’d learned a year prior,” he says.

Younger CCM grads without those kinds of connections had to scramble during the pandemic. Gary Cooper performed in Awaited at Crossroads Church for several years while at CCM, then was cast in Aladdin on Broadway and on tour after graduation (he performed at the Aronoff Center for the Arts in 2018). Once that tour ended, he had several roles in the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago, which the pandemic cut short.

Cooper flew home to Los Alamos, New Mexico, and worked on songwriting, a side project he’d begun in New York. A musician friend from the Chicago orchestra helped him produce a batch of songs that he released during 2021. Cooper remained in New Mexico, with occasional trips to New York to record vocals and stay in touch. “I took the pandemic to figure out the music industry,” he says.

He moved back to New York in October. “I have a family of theater artist friends there, and we’re trying to infiltrate New York’s night life,” says Cooper. “I’m trying

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GIVING THEIR REGARDS TO BROADWAY to paint a bigger network for myself, definitely Broadway and theater but also the dance music industry, all kinds of nightlife entertainment. I’m saying yes to a lot of things and seeing what kind of cool projects can come out of that.”

Recent grad Aria Braswell had just a year of professional experience before the lockdown. The winter after performing in a summer 2019 production of Oklahoma in Pittsburgh, she sent an audition video for a new musical at Lincoln Center, Flying Over Sunset, by director and playwright James Lapine. She earned a role as an understudy. The show, which is about authors Aldous Huxley and Claire Booth Luce and actor Cary Grant experimenting with LSD, began rehearsals in early 2020 but was postponed until late in 2021. Its brief run (December 13 to January 16) was an invaluable experience for Braswell to work with a legendary director and veteran actors.

As the lockdown extended to months and then more than a year, she explored writing, composing, and recording music. She restarted a novel she began during her first year at CCM and rewrote during her junior year, and she’ll publish two fantasy short stories later this year.

ALL OF THESE CCM GRADS—AND INdeed theater and music performers everywhere—have been trying to find positives from the disruption caused

by COVID. Clayton attended real estate school and obtained his license to be an agent for luxury properties in Manhattan. He paused for The Music Man’s rehearsals and previews, “but once we get settled on our regular schedule, I’ll be able to do more and more.” Standing in for Hugh Jackman could open doors for future prominent opportunities, but Clayton believes this flexible career path will give him something to fall back on.

Wolfe launched a Broadway training program based on her experience preparing for college. Aspiring performers ages 14 to 18, whose theatrical experiences were upended by the pandemic, participated in Zoom sessions with professional actors. In 2021, she says, “we held three open-air summer sessions in New York’s Bryant Park for over 100 7 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

students, 34 in each session.” Broadway artists offered the masked participants training and inspiration.

Throughout the pandemic, Coulter’s Spot-On Entertainment organized online master classes by CCM alums on acting, singing, dancing, business administration, and audio/visual recording for aspiring performers. A video contest, “Give My Regards,” garnered 700 submissions from around the world, with many participants winning orchestra placements in their home towns.

Deslorieux’s work on The Visitor at the Public Theater last fall was especially meaningful to her. “This was a dream I’ve had for nearly 10 years,” she says. The play tells the story of a pair of illegal immigrants struggling to stay in the U.S.; Deslorieux played an iron-willed Senegalese jewelry maker partnered with a spirited drummer from Syria. The show was about to open in 2020 when the lockdown happened, then went back into rehearsal in September 2021 and was presented from October 14 to December 5.

“It was an intense process trying to return after the social and racial awakening that occurred during the pandemic,” says Deslorieux.“If our show had opened before the pandemic, it would have been received much differently. While I’m glad society is moving forward, I do think everything that occurred in 2020 will have long-lasting effects on the creation of art, both positive and negative.”

A number of these CCM grads hearken back to advice from their theater professor, Berg, about the importance of auditioning. “You can be really talented, but it’s hard to execute when you’re under pressure and you really need a job,” says Deslorieux. “You can tell yourself, I’m really good, but how do you show that? Whenever I’ve done a master class for young actors, I tell them their real job is auditioning.”

Daniels says Berg ingrained in his students that show business is tough and not necessarily fair. “Your job is not to try to compete with people, but to compete with yourself and be the best version of yourself that you can be,” she says. “You can do a great audition and not get the job, but at least you’ve

shown yourself in a good light. Maybe it will turn into something else later.”

Other aspects of CCM training have buoyed these performers. “CCM has a really well-rounded approach to learning and absorbing a lot of different types of techniques,” says Cooper. “Nothing really feels new when you’re asked to do it after graduation because you dabbled in it when you were at school.”

CCM grads in New York have created a supportive network for new arrivals. Coulter says it includes people who make websites or direct cabaret and concerts, drag performers, and Broadway actors and musicians. Daniels calls the network an advantage of sorts. “When I’d go into auditions with my University of Cincinnati binder, people behind the table would say, Oh, you went to CCM,” she says. “That opens doors.”

Any sort of support system in the competitive Broadway world is welcome, say the CCM grads. “I think that theater in general is a hard job, because there’s a lot of rejection,” says Wheatley.“But right now I have the job I dreamed about when I grew up in Anderson. I’m not gonna give it up. I’ve worked too hard to get right here. I’m gonna love it, and I’m gonna help other people who want to do it.”

Wolfe shares that sentiment. She’s had considerable success, but now she’s moving on to a new stage in her career.

“There’s no time in this life for Uh, maybe,” she says. “I’ve got to do it. I’m trying to be positive about the forward momentum coming out of the pandemic and making sure the stories we tell are relevant and will challenge the status quo.”

Even recent grad Braswell is brimming with optimism. “I definitely have high hopes for Broadway’s future,” she says. “Things need to change with inclusivity and things like that, in addition to safety. This past year has made everyone much more empathetic.”

Coulter says that if there’s anything COVID has proven to artists, “it’s the importance of live performance.” Creativity around streaming shows was initially exciting, he says, “but it pointed out that you just can’t replicate the feeling of a live performance. Musical theater is the true American art form.”

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K I L L I N G O F F O H I O ’ S D E AT H P E N A LT Y CONTINUED FROM PAGE 59 56

57

Killing off Ohio’s Death Penalty A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers hopes to end executions and make Ohio the 24th state to stop the death penalty’s “failed experiment.”

Joe Deters is not on board.

D

BY PATRICIA GALLAGHER NEWBERRY ILLUSTRATION BY MARKO MANEV

errick Jamison served 20 years on Ohio’s death row for a crime he did not commit.

He lived in a one-man cell, his meal trays slid through a slot in the door. He said goodbye to 18 fellow inmates who were executed.

He faced six execution dates himself, with the governor calling off each, one just 90 minutes before it was scheduled. When family visited, he talked with them from behind Plexiglas. He was awaiting his mother’s visit one day in 1997 when guards arrived to report her death.

Throughout it all, he worked on his case, eventually convincing a court that he was convicted of murdering Cincinnati bartender Gary Mitchell based on false testimony and withheld evidence.

In 2000, he won a new trial. In 2005, he was freed, with all charges against him dismissed.

“I was in hell, a living hell,” Jamison says now from Tampa, Florida, where he lives with his dog, Lucky, and works for the national anti-death penalty group Witness to Innocence. “They came to ask me six times what did I want for my last meal and where did I want my body sent.”

that persons on trial for murder are more likely to face the death penalty if they’re Black and/or tried in a county with a prosecutor who favors the death penalty.

The death penalty prolongs trauma.

When cases play out over years and years— the average stay for Ohio’s 56 executed inmates was more than 17 years—the families of victims and murderers are in and out of the court system and headlines. “The death penalty simply adds to the pain for all those involved,” OTSE’s report says.

Support for capital punishment is in decline, the report reminds. Nationally, 54

Koosed’s OTSE board. She’s the Cincinnati woman who won national attention when she hugged the killer of her son in court. On a June night in 2015, Suliman Abdul-Mutakallim withdrew $60 from an ATM, picked up food from White Castle, and began walking back to his South Cumminsville home.

En route, the 39-year-old Navy veteran was shot in the back of the head, robbed, and left to die. Two years later, Javon Coulter, one of three assailants, was sentenced to 20 years for his part in the murder.

That’s when Rukiye Abdul-Mutakallim asked to hug Coulter and his mother. With a judge’s permission and cameras rolling, she offered him forgiveness and he in turn asked for hers. One YouTube recording of the hug has been watched more than 37 million times. Abdul-Mutakallim was moved, then as now, by Coulter’s youth; he was just 14 at the time of his crime.

In the years since her son’s death, AbdulMutakallim has become an advocate for reform at multiple levels. She speaks against

“WHO’S CAUSING THE DELAY IN DEATH PENALTY CASES,” ASKS HAMILTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR JOE DETERS. “IT’S NOT THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE. IT’S NOT THE VICTIM’S FAMILY.” percent support the death penalty for murder convictions, lower than at any time since 1966, according to a 2021 Gallup poll. In Ohio, 59 percent prefer life in prison (with or without the possibility of parole) to death, according to a 2020 poll of 600 voters commissioned by OTSE and the ACLU. And finally, as Derrick Jamison knows, the state sometimes gets it wrong. He is among 11 Ohio death row inmates released after courts determined they were wrongfully convicted.

Koosed’s verdict is that the death penalty is “a wasteful system that’s totally broken and provides no societal benefit.” Even some right-of-center politicians are coming to that conclusion, she says. “If you’re a conservative Republican, chances are you have great concern about governmental overreach—and the most serious form of governmental overreach is taking life.”

Rukiye Abdul-Mutakallim serves on 8 0 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

the death penalty on behalf of OTSE. She created a nonprofit called The Musketeer Association, launching projects that address childhood trauma. She told Suliman’s story on stage at Memorial Hall. “You have to get to the root of our prison situation, and I found that it’s the disease of trauma,” she says. “Too many children suffer from trauma not of their own making. Yet we still put young people in prison without addressing the root causes of their [criminal] actions.”

This year, the retired banking professional is aiming to raise $7,000 to install 1,000 flowerpots across Cincinnati. The pots would replace pop-up memorials that mark trauma—the kind with teddy bears, balloons, and flower bouquets that die— with QR codes that provide the backstories of victims of violence.

She’s also working to keep a promise she made to Coulter to stay in his life. The prison system has made that difficult, since

inmates are barred from communication with their victims. She can’t visit or write letters, but she’s sent him a dictionary and a book on Black history, and she’s seeking other ways to connect this year.

NOT EVERYONE THINKS SB103 AND HB183 will pass, or should. They include prosecutors who handle murder cases in Warren, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, along with the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, which wants to preserve the death penalty for “the worst-of-the-worst offenders,” Executive Director Louis Tobin told legislators last summer.

Tobin believes polls overstate public opposition to capital punishment because their questions fail to highlight the circumstances that allow for a death sentence. He believes life without parole is not the ultimate solution because it provides no greater punishment for committing more than one murder. And the blame for high costs and inefficiency, he says, is baked into a system that allows for extended appeals.

Tobin’s group believes Ohio voters should weigh in. If they vote to keep capital punishment, he says, “then we owe it them to find a way forward” by figuring out a way to reduce delays and resume executions.

Deters says he pursues the death penalty in Hamilton County only when he’s 100 percent sure a defendant is guilty and when he’s got solid proof for trial. “I don’t enjoy it,” he says of capital cases. “No one takes any pleasure because there’s tragedy everywhere.” His job, says Deters, is to enforce the law of Ohio, which currently calls for the death penalty for certain murderers.

Raised in a big family and the product of local Catholic schools, Deters originally opposed capital punishment, even as a law student. He changed his mind while prosecuting murder cases. “There are some cases that are so horrible that I never saw until I was in this office and that leave incredible carnage,” he says.

Deters did not testify against the state bills and doesn’t think they will pass. He takes issue with many of the arguments offered by their supporters and is especially aggrieved when appeal cases blame

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bad lawyering. “Appellate judges are reading a transcript and aren’t seeing the reaction of the witnesses, of the jury, of the judge,” he says. “They’re just detached from everything, which makes it easy for a defendant to claim Oh, I had a bad lawyer. It’s very subjective.”

He’s convinced a life sentence is not adequate punishment for some murderers, since prison time can include “working out every day, watching TV and movies, [using] your computer.”

He’s concerned that life sentences are sometimes wiped away by “a goofy governor that lets them out” and returns murderers to communities where they can commit new crimes. And he’s most agitated by the argument that says the death penalty should be eliminated because of the long number of years between death sentences and execution.

“You have defense attorneys arm in arm with complacent judges…who are against the death penalty, for whatever reason, and they subvert it by delay after delay after delay,” says Deters. “The first thing they say is We need to end the death penalty because it takes too long.

Really? Who’s causing this delay? It’s not the prosecutor’s office. It’s not the victim’s family.”

This spring, as lawmakers consider whether to end executions, 131 inmates will continue sitting in single cells on death row in the Chillicothe Correctional Institution, with the lone woman housed at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. The Chillicothe prison—built as a federal facility in 1936 and taken over by Ohio in 1966— is situated on 72 acres along the Scioto River 50 miles south of Columbus and 100 miles east of Cincinnati. Executions, when and if they resume, take place about 40 miles south in Lucasville at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. The state moved death row inmates to Chillicothe from Youngstown in early 2012 to reduce the time and cost of transporting them between death row and the so-called death house.

Death row residents live in one of three 50-inmate units in Chillicothe, segregated from the rest of the 2,800 or so other prisoners in the general popu-

lation. They have access to a common area, outdoor recreation, and a limited number of programs. When they leave their unit, two guards cuff and escort them. Meals still come on trays slid through cell doors.

Besides the 18 inmates convicted by Hamilton County juries, Ohio’s current death row population holds another 10 from Butler, Clermont, Brown, and Warren counties. Last year, Butler County’s Donald Ketterer became the second removed from death row under a new law prohibiting the execution of people with severe mental illness at the time of their crimes. Seven of the inmates from southwest Ohio are among the 29 with scheduled execution dates stretching into 2025.

I contacted those seven with local ties and asked how their lives would change if the pending bills become law; three responded via the penitentiary e-mail system. One said he’s focused on getting evidence in his case reviewed and that “the topic of prison life, for a number of reasons, is not something that I like to discuss.” Another agreed to an interview and sent a dense four-part history of his case, but then changed his mind about talking.

A third offered details about his dayto-day life, saying he spends most of his time in his cell drawing, listening to music, reading, and working on his case.

After nearly three decades on death row, he lives in hope that the death penalty will end. “Most of the guys” on death row, he says, know about the bills and hope they pass. “Do I want to die as opposed to spending the rest of my life in prison?” he asks in a subsequent phone conversation. “I would rather spend the rest of my life in prison, being a better person, than be executed for something I did back when I was 19 and I’m very sorry for doing.” Given the severe restrictions on death row, he adds, “giving us life in prison would be like giving us our freedom back.”

After a few e-mails and one call, he declined to talk again and asked not to be named, saying it could harm his ongoing efforts to win a sentence that could remove him from death row.

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MEXICAN FOOD IN SHARONVILLE P. 88

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THEME KING

Jacob Treviño and his Gorilla Cinema properties find new audiences. — B R A N D O N W U S K E

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HEN I MET WITH JACOB TREVIÑO AT COSMIC GORILLA, HIS NEW comic book store/board game shop/bar near Findlay Market, I got to see a bit of the creative process in action. “We were just throwing out ideas for a Mario-themed party,” he says, pointing to his staff at the registers. “Oh, and a weird celebrity game show.

Just another Saturday morning.”

Gorilla Cinema, Treviño’s hospitality group, is responsible for some of the most interesting bar and restaurant concepts in the city. It’s also the home of the themed pop-up—everything from fly-by-night movie showings to a Pan Am pop-up party complete with “flight attendant” servers decked out in authentic Pan Am uniforms.

The kind of spitballing I witnessed spawns most of Gorilla Cinema’s endeavors, and Cosmic Gorilla is no exception. That particular seed was planted four years ago, when Treviño and his team imagined a fresher, more interactive take on the “comic con” concept.

“We love comic cons to death, but it is too much of a passive experience,” he says. “So we brought a bunch of comic book artists to the Woodward Theater to show their work, with one requirement—they had to be creating something at the show.”

From then on, he knew he wanted to do a comic-themed brick-and-mortar; it was just a matter of finding the right spot. Sensing a need in the neighborhood, Treviño wanted to bring a concept to Findlay Market that was truly all ages because of the number of families the hub attracts.

8 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

FYI Gorilla Cinema has been opening experiential theme bars and restaurants around the Tristate since 2015. The hospitality group’s current properties are the Overlook Lodge (Pleasant Ridge), Tokyo Kitty (downtown), the Lonely Pine Steakhouse (Pleasant Ridge), Tiki Tiki Bang Bang (Walnut Hills), La Ofrenda (Overthe-Rhine), and Cosmic Gorilla (Over-the-Rhine).

For more information, visit gorillacinemapresents. com.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW DOENCH

SUPER, MAN (From left) Jacob Treviño’s Gorilla Cinema properties mix drinks with fun; the colorful stylings of Day of the Dead–themed bar La Ofrenda; staffers man the checkout counter at Cosmic Gorilla.

His instincts were right: It’s easy for kids to get excited about a comic book shop that doubles as a board game store offering craft mocktails (as well as the hard stuff for grownups) and complimentary bowls of cereal and milk. At least that’s what I gathered from the steady stream of kids that filed into the store, wide-eyed parents in tow.

“So much of what Gorilla Cinema does is about making adults feel like kids again,” Treviño says. “Now we get to introduce a new generation to Gorilla Cinema through the parents.”

None of this would have happened, by the way, if the housing market hadn’t bottomed out in 2008. Treviño was following in his father’s footsteps as a home inspector in his native Texas. But his heart wasn’t in it, and he hated having to “show up at people’s houses and tell them everything that was wrong with their home.” What he really wanted to do was open something like Alamo Drafthouse, the bar/ restaurant/movie theater he fell in love with while at college in Austin. It was with a sense of relief that he was forced to find new work during the Great Recession.

He found that work at TGI Fridays, slinging frozen margaritas behind the bar. Soon after, he started working for David Sorrells, a prominent Louisiana chef and restauranteur whom Treviño identified as his first mentor in the business. It was under Sorrells that he ran his first successful pop-up. It was called the Calcasieu Project (named for a parish in Louisiana) and it took place in old bank vault.

Sorrells prepared an extravagant multi-course meal, and Treviño created a craft cocktail to go with each course.

He would probably still be in Louisiana if it weren’t for a fateful night out on Bourbon Street, where he met his future wife and business partner, Katie Fraser. She’d flown down from Cincinnati to attend a bachelorette party, and he eventually followed her back, falling more deeply in love with her and her city.

In 2014, after stints working for Jose Salazar and Molly Well-

man, he set up a screen and projector, guerilla style, at an outdoor event space in Northside. He brought seats for 50 people and—against all expectations—they filled up. He showed Pulp Fiction while serving a nine-course meal prepared by Chef Martha Tiffany, formerly of Maribelle’s eat + drink. In retrospect, he’s shocked by the audacity of it. “It was completely over the top,” he says, beaming. “Like, there was a scene in the movie where Bruce Willis eats a Pop-Tart, so we served these homemade Pop-Tartstyle pastries for everyone to eat along with Bruce. I still can’t believe we pulled that off.”

Luckily, Treviño and his team at Gorilla Cinema have continued to stoke that audacity as the company has grown. How else to explain a cozy watering hole based on one of the creepiest movies ever made or a Lost in Translation-themed bar where robot dumbwaiters lower drinks into private karaoke rooms through holes in the ceiling? And how else would one even begin to explain La Ofrenda, a Day of the Dead–themed tequila bar where customers are encouraged to contribute photographs and other mementos to a massive altar?

Like Cosmic Gorilla, La Ofrenda, which Treviño describes as his “heart,” is a dramatic departure from Gorilla Cinema’s previous ventures and a homage to his heritage (his grandparents, Hilda and Jose, immigrated to Texas from Mexico).

“Our first few bars were about escapism, which for me was often personal escapism,” he explains. “I spent so much time running from the small Texas town that I’m from. But now, like salmon, I find myself wanting to swim back home.” Of course, families continued to file in and out of Cosmic Gorilla as he’s telling me this. It struck me that Gorilla Cinema’s two most recent concepts have put family front and center. I’m tempted to say that this marks a new direction for Treviño. But that’s too bold a prediction to make for someone like him, one who has shown he can change directions on a dime: from home inspector to immersive impresario; from Texas to Louisiana to Cincinnati, and (metaphorically) back; from amplified spectacle to hushed communion.

If you do want to know what’s next for Treviño and crew, head down to Cosmic Gorilla, and maybe you’ll hear some of the ideas being thrown around.

A P R I L 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 8 7

TABLESIDE WITH...

PHIL GENTRY

FINE DIVING

THE CHEF DE CUISINE AT FAUSTO makes art out of food.

How did you decide cooking was for you? I decided at age 9 that I would be a chef. I went to cooking camp four summers in a row. That was the first insight I had to restaurant-level cooking.

What was your first restaurant job?

Five days after graduation, I began working at Nation. It was fast, greasy, hot work and my 17-year-old self was immediately hooked. But I wanted fine dining, that’s where the love is.

Your work at Maribelle’s got you there, right? That’s where I learned the beauty of blending ecological, sustainably sourced and raised foods, with comforting, satisfying fare.

Mi and You I’M THROUGH WITH CALLING RESTAURANTS “AUTHENTIC” SO I’LL JUST WARN YOU: THERE ARE no chips and salsa on the table at Mi Tierra Marisqueria & Taqueria. And if you ask for something not exactly like it is on the menu, expect it to be wrong. Everyone’s treated politely by the waitstaff, but typically with a chuckle when casual Spanish speakers order the cool-sounding lengua taco to find it’s beef tongue in a tortilla.

The place is a grande Mexican grocery with a good size restaurant inside. Last time I went, there was laughter, there were families, there was a bad direct-to-video Jean-Claude Van Damme movie on the widescreens. (Usually it’s soccer, but the season is over and I guess the next best thing is watching a Belgian kickboxer’s lips flap to overdubbed Spanish?)

The menu is extensive with a huge emphasis on seafood with shrimp and tilapia everywhere. The sea-fare cocteles (cocktails) and caldos (soups) are big enough to be appetizers for the table. People rave about the fish tacos, but if you’re celebrating something you might try the Fajitas Mi Tierra with chicken, steak, shrimp, green peppers, roasted jalapeños, onions, lettuce, beans, and rice. It’s dinner, tomorrow’s lunch, and possibly two midnight snacks. Personally, I can’t get past putting green sauce on the chile rellenos, which may be the best around.

I took a friend here for his birthday. He ordered octopus so fresh it looked like it was moving a few minutes earlier. He said it was exquiMi Tierra, 1770 E. site, but I made him sit at the next table over. Some things might be Kemper Rd., Sharonville, (513) 648-9498 too fresh. — J . K E V I N W O L F E 8 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

And then Metropole. That’s where it really took off. Numbers for service like I’d never seen before, techniques and procedures I’d only ever read about. It was the bigs for me.

How’d you get to Fausto? I was starting to get antsy for a chef position while approaching my three-year mark at Metropole. That’s when Tony Ferrari contacted me to become his sous chef. I worked hard to get there.

Then the pandemic hit.

What happened? Fausto closed for six long months. When I returned, I took on role of chef de cuisine. I like to consider us a stand-alone in Cincinnati. A beacon to seasonal, sustainable cooking and eating that is here to stay.

—AIESHA D.

LITTLE

Fausto, 44 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 345-2979, faustoatthecac.com Read a longer conversation with Phil at cincinnatimagazine.com

PH OTO G R A PH BY C H RI S VO N H O LLE / ILLUSTR ATIO N BY C H R I S DA N G E R

A monthly live music series by

HOT PLATE

Blind Truth

This pub hoards everything from pizza to pulled pork.

COMFORTABLY DIM WITH A BIT OF flash around the main bar, Florence’s Blind Squirrel makes every table and booth feel like a private one. There’s sports coverage on the big screens and good drinks, but it does its best work in the kitchen. You’ll need an extra minute or two to ponder this menu. If you want any kind of pub food, you’ll find it here—just be prepared to make difficult choices.

The Rumpke Mountain Nachos live up to the name. This tray-sized serving needs at least four eager diners to do it justice. In addition to pulled pork, ground beef, or chicken (when available), the nachos come layered with queso, fresh jalapeños, green onions, pico de gallo, spiced sour cream, and a generous heap of guacamole. The blend of flavors is a savory delight, but don’t fear the jalapeños; they have a gentle bite that a sip of beer can kiss better.

If you have room for an entrée after that, the Boursin chicken sandwich tastes just as good as it sounds. Stacked on a pretzel bun, it features grilled chicken, herbed Boursin cream cheese, red onion, lemon vinaigrette, and lots of crispy bacon. While the herbed cream cheese and lemon vinaigrette brightens each bite, the toasty pretzel bun and crunchy bacon keep things grounded with a savory core, all brought together by the marinated chicken.

When your friends can’t agree on where to go, this may be the compromise everyone actually enjoys.

—M. LEIGH HOOD Blind Squirrel, 8537 U.S. Hwy. 42, Florence, (859) 869-9886, blindsquirrelflorence.com

9 0 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

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SNACK TIME

BOMBS AWAY

epending on your Italian translation, a bomboloni could be called bomboloni for two very different reasons. Some say the name refers to the shape of this traditional Italian doughnut, which looks a bit like a bomb. Others believe the dessert is so rich, you may as well be bombing your diet. We’re not taking sides. But we’d absolutely make a cheat day out of the bomboloni at Mama’s Mornings, the weekends-only bakery in MainStrasse. A constantly changing menu gives pastry chef Chase Maus (formerly of Covington’s Rose & Mary Bakery) plenty of time and creative freedom to brainstorm Mama’s Mornings, 621 Main St., new fillings. Our favorite? November’s cannoli-style doughnut, generously stuffed with Covington, (859) 360-6051 sweet cream filling. Calorie bomb or not, we’re all in on this Italian import. — L A U R E N F I S H E R D

9 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

PHOTOGRAPH BY LANCE ADKINS

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CHEF’S TABLE AT THE CINCINNATI CLUB

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Experience Savor: Chef’s Table, a fresh take on our classic dinner series. Safely #savorthedate with us and support our favorite local restaurants while enjoying a unique five-course dinner. Limited tickets available.

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WHERE TO EAT NOW

AMERICAN 96 BARBECUE 96 CAJUN/CARIBBEAN 98 CHINESE 98 ECLECTIC 99 FRENCH 100 INDIAN 100 ITALIAN 100 JAPANESE 102 VIETNAMESE 103

DINING GUIDE CINCINNATI MAGAZINE’S

dining guide is compiled by our editors as a service to our readers.

The magazine accepts no advertising or other consideration in exchange for a restaurant listing.

The editors may add or delete restaurants based on their judgment.

Because of space limitations, all

AMERICAN BOOMTOWN BISCUITS & WHISKEY Boomtown leans hard into the Gold Rush theme: prospector-style overall aprons on servers, bluegrass tunes humming, and rustic decor details. And the dense grub isn’t for the faint of heart. Arrive with an empty belly, ready for a carbo load. The biscuits are all they’re cracked up to be, and the gravy’s not playing around, either. Sample its biscuits and gravy styles with a gravy flight. Or try The Yukon, an anytime breakfast sandwich, featuring fried chicken on par with the best the city has to offer. By the end of the meal, you’ll feel a little out of place without your own denim getup.

1201 Broadway St., Pendleton, (513) 381-2666; 9039 U.S. Route 42, Suite H, Union, (859) 384-5910, boomtownbiscuitsandwhiskey.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Tues–Sat. Breakfast and lunch Sun. MCC. $

BROWN DOG CAFÉ If you haven’t had a plate of Shawn McCoy’s design set in front of you, it’s about time. Many of the menu’s dishes show his knack for the plate as a palette. A trio of stout day boat diver scallops perch atop individual beds of uniformly diced butternut squash, fragments of boar bacon, and shavings of Brussels sprout. The eye for detail and contrasts of colors and textures belongs to someone who cares for food.

1000 Summit Place, Blue Ash, (513) 794-1610, browndogcafe.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Mon– Fri, brunch and dinner Sat, brunch Sun. MCC, DS. $$

THE EAGLE OTR The revamped post office at 13th and Vine feels cozy but not claustrophobic, and it has distinguished itself with its stellar fried chicken. Even the white meat was pullapart steamy, with just enough peppery batter to pack a piquant punch. Diners can order by the quarter, half, or whole bird—but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the sides. Bacon adds savory mystery to crisp corn, green beans, and edamame (not limas) in the succotash, and the crock of mac and cheese has the perfect proportion of sauce, noodle, and crumb topping. The Eagle OTR seems deceptively simple on the surface, but behind that simplicity is a secret recipe built on deep thought, skill, and love.

1342 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 802-5007, eaglerestaurant.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

9 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

of the guide’s restaurants may not be included. Many restaurants have changing seasonal menus; dishes listed here are examples of the type of cuisine available and may not be on the menu when you visit.

To update listings, e-mail: cmletters@cincinnati magazine.com

GOOSE & ELDER The third restaurant from chef Jose Salazar, Goose & Elder is a more everyday kind of joint compared to his others.

The prices are lower, and most of the dishes, from burgers to grits, are familiar. Salazar’s menus have always hinted that the chef had a fondness for, well, junk food.

But junk food is only junk if it is made thoughtlessly. Everything here is made with little twists, like the cuminspiced potato chips and delicate ribbons of housemade cucumber pickles with a sweet rice wine vinegar. Even the fries, crinkle cut and served with “goose sauce,” a mildly spiced mayonnaise, are wonderfully addictive. The restaurant demonstrates that what we now consider “fast food” can be awfully good if someone makes it the oldfashioned, slow way.

1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 579-8400, gooseandelder.com. Mon & Wed–Fri, dinner Mon & Wed– Sun, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

MIGHTY GOOD With a kitchen full of students from the Findlay Culinary Training Program, this “meat and three” makes food good enough that everyone involved can hang their chef’s hats on. (Served in a small skillet so it stays hot and slightly creamy throughout the meal, the mac and cheese casserole would be the favorite dish at any church potluck.)

At $11 for an entrée and three sides, Mighty Good offers one of the best values, not just in Over-the-Rhine, but in all of Greater Cincinnati.

1819 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 263-6893, mightygoodotr.com. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sat. MCC. $$

SYMPHONY HOTEL & RESTAURANT Tucked into a West 14th Street Italianate directly around the corner from Music Hall, this place feels like a private dinner club. There’s a preferred by-reservation policy. Check the web site for the weekend’s five-course menu, a slate of “new American” dishes that changes monthly. You can see the reliance on local produce in the spring vegetable barley soup.

Salads are interesting without being busy, and the sorbets are served as the third course palate cleanser. Main courses of almond-crusted mahi-mahi, flat-iron steak, and a vegetable lasagna hit all the right notes, and you can end with a sweet flourish if you choose the chocolate croissant bread pudding.

KEY: No checks unless specified.

AE American Express, DC Diners Club DS Discover, MC MasterCard, V Visa MCC Major credit cards: AE, MC, V $ = Under $15 $$$ = Up to $49 $$ = Up to $30 $$$$ = $50 and up Top 10

= Named a Best Restaurant March 2020.

but satisfying: lots of mostly local meat and produce, a menu that continuously changes with available ingredients, a nice selection of wine and beer, and well-made, homey food.

The small, focused menu has a classic American quality with enough surprises to keep things interesting. Many of the dishes are designed with open spaces to be filled with whatever is available in the kitchen that day, an advantage of an unfussy style. You don’t go to Wildflower expecting a certain kind of perfection; you accept that your favorite dish from last time might be made differently tonight, or no longer available. Like the farmhouse that Wildflower occupies, the imperfections are part of the charm.

207 E. Main St., Mason, (513) 492-7514, wildflowermason.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Fri. MCC. $$$

BARBECUE BEE’S BARBEQUE You’ll want to get to Bee’s Barbecue in Madisonville early if you want to avoid the line of friendly regulars. The restaurant’s smoker churns out a variety of meats—including brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey breast, and two kinds of sausage—so it’s easy to see why they keep coming back.

If you enjoy the spicy grease that oozes out of a good chorizo, you’ll love the Cincinnati Hot Link, which tastes like the delicious love child of a chorizo and a hot mett. Word to the wise: Bee’s opens at 11 a.m. and closes when they run out of meat. Understandably, this doesn’t take long.

5910 Chandler St., Madisonville, (513) 561-2337, beesbarbecue.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $

ELI’S BBQ

THE WILDFLOWER CAFÉ

Elias Leisring started building his pulled pork reputation under canopies at Findlay Market and Fountain Square in 2011. Leisring’s proper little ’cue shack along the river serves up ribs that are speaking-in-tongues good, some of the zazziest jalapeño cheese grits north of the MasonDixon line, and browned mashed potatoes that would make any short order cook diner-proud. The small no-frills restaurant—packed cheek-by-jowl most nights—feels like it’s been there a lifetime, with customers dropping vinyl on the turntable, dogs romping in the side yard, and picnic tables crowded with diners. The hooch is bring-your-own, and the barbecue is bona fide.

Wildflower Café is not the sort of place that tries to wow anyone with feats of inventiveness. Its formula is simple

3313 Riverside Dr., East End, (513) 533-1957, elisbarbeque.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

210 W. 14th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 721-3353, symphonyhotel.com. Dinner Fri & Sat. $$

PHOTOGRAPH BY TK FREELANCER

I wish to have a themed room makeover Katherine, 6 leukemia

E R O T S E R HOPE Did you know that Make-A-Wish is right here in our community?

In nearly 40 years, thanks to the generous support of people like you, we’ve granted more than 2,000 life-changing bv_;v =ou bm1bmm-ঞ 1_bѴ7u;m b|_ 1ubঞ1-Ѵ bѴѴm;vv;vĺ A wish is a turning point in a child’s medical journey that or;mv |_; 7oou |o ; 1bঞm] rovvb0bѴbঞ;vĺ )_;m o _;Ѵr grant a wish, you restore hope for a child and improve their l;m|-Ѵ ;ѴѴŊ0;bm]ĺ )b|_ _or;ķ |_; Cm7 Ѵb]_| bm |_; 7-uhm;vv o= |_;bu 1 uu;m| 1bu1 lv|-m1;vĺ $_bv _or; 1-m omѴ 0; =o m7 bm - bv_ -m7 o _- ; |_; ro ;u |o 1u;-|; b|ĺ Right now, nearly 300 children bm bm1bmm-ঞ -m7 o u v uuo m7bm] 1oll mbঞ;v -u; -bঞm] =ou |_;bu bv_;v |o 1ol; |u ;ĺ +o 1-m _;Ѵr u;v|ou; _or; b|_ - bv_ |o7- 0 v1-mmbm] |_; ! 1o7; -| ub]_| ou bvbঞm] |_; &! 0;Ѵo ĺ

oki.wish.org/Cincy

with a wish

WHERE TO EAT NOW

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Just Q’in recently launched its ghost kitchen concept Burger Love Cincy, which dishes out burgers made from brisket trimmings.

Proceeds from each purchase go to the local jobs nonprofit RENEW Employment Services.

burgerlovecincy.com

WALT’S HITCHING POST

A Northern Kentucky institution returns. Roughly 750 pounds of ribs per week are pit-fired in a small building in front of the restaurant, with a smaller dedicated smoker out back for brisket and chicken. Walt’s ribs begin with several hours in the smokehouse and then are quick-seared at the time of service. This hybrid method takes advantage of the leaner nature of the baby-back ribs they prefer to use. Each rib had a just-right tooth to it where soft flesh peeled away from the bone. One hidden treasure: Walt’s housemade tomato and garlic dressing. Slightly thicker than a vinaigrette yet unwilling to overwhelm a plate of greens, the two key elements play well together.

3300 Madison Pke., Ft. Wright, (859) 3602222, waltshitchingpost.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$

CAJUN/ CARIBBEAN BREWRIVER CREOLE

More than 800 miles from New Orleans, this may be as close as you can get to the real deal here in your own backyard. The menu fully leans into Chef Michael Shields’s penchant for cuisine from the Crescent City. His six years of training under NOLA’s own Emeril Lagasse comes through in a scratch kitchen menu that spans a range of the city’s classics. The enormous shrimp and oyster po’ boys—the former protein fried in a light and crispy beer batter and the latter in a hearty corn-

9 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 2

meal breading—are served on fluffy French bread loaves and dressed with lightly spicy rémoulades.

The jambalaya packs all the heat of a late summer day in the French Quarter without masking a hint of its satisfying flavors. Paired with a Sazerac and nightly live jazz, you may just feel tempted to start a second line.

4632 Eastern Ave., Linwood, (513) 861-2484, brewrivercreolekitchen.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch and lunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $

SWAMPWATER GRILL

At first blush, this place is a dive where homesick Cajuns can find a good pile of jambalaya. But thoughtful details like draft Abita Root Beer and char-grilled Gulf Coast oysters on the half shell signal its ambition. Bayou standards like jambalaya, gumbo, and fried seafood also make an appearance. But the extensive menu also features amped up pub-style items for those who may be squeamish about crawfish tails (which can be added to just about anything on the menu). You’ll also find a roundup of oyster, shrimp, and catfish Po’Boys, as well as a selection of hardwood-smoked meats.

3742 Kellogg Ave., East End, (513) 834-7067, swampwatergrill.com. Lunch and dinner Wed– Sun, brunch Fri–Sun. MCC. $$

KNOTTY PINE ON THE BAYOU

The Pine serves some of the best Louisiana home-style food you’ll find this far north of New Orleans. Taste the fried catfish filets with their peppery crust, or the garlic sauteed shrimp with smoky greens on the side, and you’ll understand why it’s called soul food. Between March and June, it’s crawfish season. Get them boiled and heaped high on a platter or in a superb crawfish

etouffee. But the rockin’ gumbo—a thick, murky brew of andouille sausage, chicken, and vegetables—serves the best roundhouse punch all year round. As soon as you inhale the bouquet and take that first bite, you realize why Cajun style food is considered a high art form and a serious pleasure. And you’ll start planning your return trip.

6302 Licking Pke., Cold Spring, (859) 7812200, theknottypineonthebayou.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

CHINESE AMERASIA

A sense of energetic fun defines this tiny Chinese spot with a robust beer list. The glossy paper menu depicts Master Chef Rich Chu as a “Kung Food” master fighting the evil fast-food villain with dishes like “fly rice,” “Brocco-Lee,” and “Big Bird’s Nest.” Freshness rules. Pot stickers, dumplings, and wontons are hand-shaped. The Dragon’s Breath wontons will invade your dreams.

Seasoned ground pork, onion, and cilantro meatballs are wrapped in egg dough, wok simmered, and topped with thick, spicy red pepper sauce and fresh cilantro. Noodles are clearly Chef Chu’s specialty, with zonxon (a tangle of thin noodles, finely chopped pork, tofu, and mushrooms cloaked in spicy dark sauce and crowned with peanuts and cilantro) and Matt Chu’s Special (shaved rice noodle, fried chicken, and seasonal vegetables in gingery white sauce) topping the menu’s flavor charts.

521 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 261-6121 , amerasia.carry-out.com. Lunch Sun–Fri, dinner

PHOTOGRAPH BY TK FREELANCE

seven days. MCC. $

ORIENTAL WOK

This is the restaurant of your childhood memories: the showy Las Vegas-meets-China decor, the ebulliently comedic host, the chop sueys, chow meins, and crab rangoons that have never met a crab. But behind the giant elephant tusk entryway and past the goldfish ponds and fountains is the genuine hospitality and warmth of the Wong family, service worthy of the finest dining establishments, and some very good food that’s easy on the palate. Best are the fresh fish: salmon, sea bass, and halibut steamed, grilled, or flash fried in a wok, needing little more than the ginger–green onion sauce that accompanies them. Even the chicken lo mein is good. It may not be provocative, but not everyone wants to eat blazing frogs in a hot pot.

UNCLE YIP’S

Long before sushi somehow un-disgusted itself to the Western World, China had houses of dim sum. Uncle Yip’s valiantly upholds that tradition in Evendale. This is a traditional dim sum house with all manner of exotic dumplings, including shark fin or beef tripe with ginger and onion. As for the seafood part of the restaurant’s full name, Uncle Yip has most everything the sea has to offer, from lobster to mussels. The menu has more than 260 items, so you’ll find a range of favorites, from moo goo gai pan to rock salt frog legs.

10736 Reading Rd., Evendale, (513) 733-8484, uncleyips.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, discount for cash. $$

317 Buttermilk Pke., Ft. Mitchell, (859) 331-3000; 2444 Madison Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 871-6888, orientalwok.com. Lunch Mon–Fri (Ft. Mitchell; buffet Sun 11–2:30), lunch Tues–Sat (Hyde Park), dinner Mon– Sat (Ft. Mitchell) dinner Tues–Sun (Hyde Park). MCC. $$

RAYMOND’S HONG KONG CAFÉ

It has all the elements of your typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant: Strip mall location. General Tso and kung pao chicken. Fortune cookies accompanying the bill. The dragon decoration. But it is the nontraditional aspects of Raymond’s Hong Kong Café that allow it to stand apart. The menu goes beyond standard Chinese fare with dishes that range from Vietnamese (beef noodle soup) to American (crispy Cornish hen). The Portuguese-style baked chicken references Western European influences on Chinese cuisine with an assemblage of fried rice, peppers, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and squash all simmering together in a creamy bath of yellow curry sauce. Deciding what to order is a challenge, but at least you won’t be disappointed.

11051 Clay Dr., Walton, (859) 485-2828. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

ECLECTIC ABIGAIL STREET

Most people who’ve eaten at Abigail Street have favorite dishes that they order every visit: the Moroccan spiced broccoli, for example, or the mussels charmoula, with its perfect balance of saffron, creaminess, and tomatoey acidity. Many of the new items on the menu have the same perfected feeling as these classics.

Working within a loose framework of Middle Eastern and North African flavors, Abigail Street has never fallen into a routine that would sap its energy. New offerings like the duck leg confit, with spicy-sour harissa flavors, firm-tender butternut squash, and perfectly made couscous, feel just as accomplished as old favorites like the falafel, beautifully moist and crumbly with a bright parsley interior. The restaurant is always watching for what works and what will truly satisfy, ready to sacrifice the superficially interesting in favor of the essential.

Top 10

1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-4040, abigailstreet.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

Top 10

Normally diners aren’t pleased when a restaurant runs out of something. At Bouquet, though, surprise changes to the menu are simply a sign of integrity. Chef-owner Stephen Williams is serious about using seasonal ingredients, and if the figs have run out or there is no more chicken from a local farm, so be it. The flavors at Bouquet are about doing justice to what’s available. Preparations are unfussy, complexity coming from within the vegetables and proteins themselves. A tomato salad—wonderfully fresh and vibrant, so you know the tomatoes have just come off a nearby vine— is dressed with chopped shiso, a crimson herb that tastes like a mysterious combination of mint and cilantro. This determination to make something delicious out of what’s on hand, to embrace limitations, gives the food at Bouquet a rustic, soulful quality.

519 Main St., Covington, (859) 491-7777, bouquetrestaurant.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

DEAR RESTAURANT & BUTCHERY

The concept behind the name for Dear is that the restaurant is a kind of love letter from the team to the guests, to Hyde Park, and to Cincinnati. Occupying the old Teller’s spot on Hyde Park Square, it’s two establishments in one.

One side is a full-service butchery that sells housemade sausages, wine, coffee, sandwiches, and take-and-bake offerings and the other is a grand two-story restaurant.

Animals, from pigs to Wagyu beef, arrive bi-weekly and are broken down in house, and turned into charcuterie and other cuts that make it into most of Dear’s dishes. The menu is small and focused, with dishes changing weekly

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and seasonally. This variability means the restaurant is serious about letting the availability of the best ingredients dictate what comes out.

And if the dishes turn out to be as good as the sugo, with its tender gnocchi-like dumplings and deliciously crumbly house-made pork sausage, they can serve us whatever they want.

Pellegrino, and vodka is oddly satisfying. The service is good, and there is some flair about the place—including vintage touches, from the facsimile reel-to-reel audio system to the mostly classic cocktails—even within its rather chilly industrial design. In short, go for the late night grub; stay for the elegant, shareable twists on classic snacks.

2710 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 321-2710, dear-restaurant.com. Dinner Wed–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$$

1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 213-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com. Lunch, dinner, and late night seven days. MCC. $$

Top 10

MITA’S

It’s fitting that chef Jose Salazar named this restaurant after his grandmother, because there is something deeply homey about the food at Mita’s. With a focus on Spanish tapas, it always feels, in the best possible way, like elevated home cooking. Its sophistication is modestly concealed. The flavors are bold and direct, whether the smoky depths of the chimichurri rojo on skewers of grilled chicken or the intensely bright sourness of the pozole verde.

In dishes like the mushroom soup, the chef hits every register: the acid of red piquillo peppers to balance the earthy mushrooms, the crisp fried leeks against the delicately creamy soup. But what mainly comes through is the warm-hearted affection a grandmother might have put into a meal for a beloved grandson. It’s the kind of big hug everyone needs from time to time.

501 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-6482, mitas.co. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

PAMPAS

BREAK BREAD

This winter, Bond Hill’s Sixteen Bricks and Allez Bakery in Over-theRhine were named to Food & Wine’s list of the “Best Bread in Every State.”

All of the bakeries included in the list exemplify the high-quality work and popularity that has exploded since the beginning of the pandemic.

foodandwine.com/ travel/restaurants/ best-bread-every-state

Much like American food, Argentine cuisine is a melting pot shaped by immigration, particularly from Italy and Germany, and with plenty of meat on the plate. You see that mix in the menu, but Pampas puts parrillada, the Argentine method of cooking over an open flame, front and center. The chimichurri appears throughout the menu, and does wonders wherever it goes. Spicy, tart, and filled with the flavor of oregano, it wakes up the marinated skirt steak. Magnificent desserts deserve special mention. Cabernet pears are cooked in a complex spiced wine reduction that beautifully sets off the sweetness of the fruit. A cinnamon crumble adds texture and a touch of vanilla whipped cream rounds out the whole dish.

2036 Madison Rd., O’Bryonville, (513) 3210863, pampascincinnati.com. Brunch Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

ROSIE’S COCKTAILS & PIES Equipped with clever cocktails and a healthy amount of truffle oil, Rosie’s Cocktails & Pies offers Jersey-style pizza, sandwiches, salads, gelato, and plenty of drinks to wash it all down. Flavors bonded in holy mozzarella, the classic Margherita (tomato, basil, parmesan, and fresh mozz) is ideal comfort pizza. The mushroom pizza starts strong: Mushrooms get the love and attention they deserve, with a generous serving of truffle oil before they join the pizza’s garlic sauce and fresh mozzarella. All of the cocktails rock names inspired by pop tunes and tongue-in-cheek sass, but it’s the Matcha Man (Irish whiskey, Drambuie, honey, matcha, lemon, avocado, and coconut) that cuts through the pizza grease, delivering enough of a punch to prove it means business.

300 E. Seventh St., downtown, (513) 381-1243, rosiescocktailsandpies.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sun. MCC. $$

SACRED BEAST Sacred Beast advertises itself as a kind of upscale diner, but the real gems are the oddball dishes that don’t quite fit the diner mold. The menu can be disorienting in its eclecticism: foie gras torchon is next to lobster poutine, and a king salmon is next to a diner breakfast and deviled eggs. Winners are scattered throughout the menu in every category.

On the cocktail list, the Covington Iced Tea, a lemon and coffee concoction made with cold brew, San

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THE STANDARD Owners Paul Weckman and Emily Wolff offer a pared down menu of six small plates (if you include the fries) and five mains. It’s simple but satisfying, with an interesting Pan-Asian street food vibe. The two kinds of satay (particularly the lemongrass chicken) and the fried honey sriracha tenders, with an excellent housemade bread-and-butter pickle, are the highlights. In terms of drinks, try the Hot Rod, which has the flavor of kimchi captured in a drink. There is a gochujang (salty, fermented Korean chile paste) simple syrup and a rim of Korean pepper—and the result is wonderful and unique.

434 Main St., Covington, (859) 360-0731, facebook.com/thestandardcov. Dinner Tues– Sun. MCC. $

TERANGA West African cuisine consists of mostly simple, home-style dishes of stews and grilled lamb with just enough of the exotic to offer a glimpse of another culture. Be prepared for a few stimulating sights and flavors that warm from within. An entire grilled tilapia—head and all—in a peppery citrus marinade and served on plantains with a side of Dijon-coated cooked onions is interesting enough to pique foodie interest without overwhelming the moderate eater.

Stews of lamb or chicken with vegetables and rice are a milder bet, and Morrocan-style couscous with vegetables and mustard sauce accompanies most items. The dining room atmosphere is extremely modest with most of the action coming from the constant stream of carryout orders.

8438 Vine St., Hartwell, (513) 821-1300, terangacinci.com. Lunch and dinner seven days.

MCC. $

FRENCH CHEZ RENÉE FRENCH BISTROT Based on American stereotypes of French food— that it’s elaborate, elitist, and expensive—one might expect Chez Renee to fall on the chichi side.

Instead, it’s elegant in an everyday way, operating on the principle that it is better to excel at simplicity than to badly execute something complicated.

The formula is not complex: Simple ingredients, generally fresh and from nearby, prepared without much fuss. Asparagus is beautifully roasted and perfectly salted, and the quiche Lorraine (yes, the old standby) has a nice, firm texture, and a fine balance of bacon, mushrooms, and oignons (to quote the menu, which is a charming hodgepodge of French and English). This is solid, tasty food, both approachable and well executed. It’s well on its way to becoming, as a good bistrot should be, a neighborhood institution.

233 Main St., Milford, (513) 428-0454, chezreneefrenchbistrot.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

FRENCH CRUST Located in the old Globe Furniture building at the corner of Elm and Elder Streets, this JeanRobert de Cavel creation offers French fare in the heart of Over-the-Rhine. Swing by for lunch and have a quiche Lorraine (French Crust’s quiches are unrivaled in our humble opinion) and an avocado and shrimp salad, or opt for a more hearty entree—like bouillabaisse or

cassoulet—for dinner. If you’re an early bird, a Croque Monsieur (sunny side up egg) is a great way to start the day.

1801 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 455-3720, frenchcrustcafe.com. Breakfast and lunch Wed– Sun, dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $$

LE BAR A BOEUF Jean-Robert de Cavel’s upscale alterna-burgershack features bifteck haché, ground beef patties that are a mainstay of French family dinners, according to de Cavel. His “Les Ground Meat” is available in beef, Wagyu beef, bison, lamb, and fish (a blend of albacore tuna and salmon). Portions are eight ounces, taller than a typical burger, and seared on the kitchen’s iron griddle. It’s easy to turn many of the generously portioned appetizers into dinner. Pair the open-faced beef tongue “French Dip” sandwich with a spinach salad and you’ll have one of the best choices in the house. Or go for macand-cheese. The lobster mac always sounds lush, but do consider the humble beef cheek version, enlivened by a touch of truffle oil, instead.

2200 Victory Pkwy., East Walnut Hills, (513) 751-2333, barboeuf.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

INDIAN AMMA’S KITCHEN Muthu “Kumar” Muthiah serves traditional southern Indian and Indo-Chinese vegetarian cuisine, but with a sizable Orthodox Jewish community nearby, Muthia saw an opportunity: If he was going to cook vegetarian, why not also make it kosher? Muthiah prepares every item—from the addictively crunchy gobhi Manchurian, a spicy Chinese cauliflower dish, to the lemon pickle, tamarind, and mint sauces—entirely from scratch under the careful eye of Rabbi Michoel Stern. Always 80 percent vegan, the daily lunch buffet is 100 percent animal-product-free on Wednesdays. Tuck into a warm and savory channa masala (spiced chickpeas) or malai kofta (vegetable dumplings in tomato sauce) from the curry menu. Or tear into a crispy, two-foot diameter dosa (chickpea flour crepe) stuffed with spiced onions and potatoes.

7633 Reading Rd., Roselawn, (513) 821-2021, ammaskitchen.com. Lunch buffet seven days (allvegan on Wed), dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

BOMBAY BRAZIER Indian food in America is hard to judge, because whether coming from the kitchen of a takeout joint or from a nicer establishment, the food will rarely taste all that different. It will generally be some twist on Punjabi cuisine. Bombay Brazier does it just right. Chef Rip Sidhu could serve his dal tadka in India, along with several other extraordinary dishes, and still do a roaring business Try the pappadi chaat, a common Indian street food rarely found on American menus, and you will see what sets this place apart. They do everything the way it is supposed to be done, from the dusting of kala namak (a pungent black rock salt) on the fried crisps to the mixture of tamarind and mint chutneys on the chopped onion, tomatoes, and chickpeas—having this dish properly made is balm to the soul of a homesick immigrant, and fresh treasure for any American lover of this cuisine.

12140 Royal Point Dr., Mason, (513) 794-0000, bombaybraziercincy.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

I TA L I A N BETTA’S ITALIAN OVEN This Italian place hits the spot on all levels. It’s PHOTOGRAPH BY TK FREELANCE

The need is great.

1 in 11

children in Ohio will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18.

WHERE TO EAT NOW casual—we felt at home in jeans and a T-shirt—but not so casual to rule it out as a date-night spot.

It’s friendly, with a staff that stays on top of refilling that Morretti La Rossa beer. And best of all, the food is amazing (especially for the price). We ranked their pizza the best in the city. Dubious?

Their pizza Margherita will make a believer out of you. Their lasagna, spaghetti, and eggplant Parmesan will have you crying Mama Mia and other Italian-sounding phrases. Their dessert options (Cannoli! Tiramisu! Amaretto cream cake!) are all homemade, and delicious to the very last bite.

3764 Montgomery Rd., Norwood, (513) 6316836. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat. MC, V. $$

Top 10

NICOLA’S

Chef/Restaurateur Cristian Pietoso carries on the legacy of his father, Nicola, as the elder Pietoso’s Over-the-Rhine eatery celebrates 25 years in business. Nicola’s has entered a new era of exuberant creativity under the leadership of chef Jack Hemmer. You can still get the old Italian classics, and they’ll be as good as ever, but the rest of the menu has blossomed into a freewheeling tour of modern American cuisine. Any establishment paying this level of attention to detail—from the candied slice of blood orange on the mascarpone cheesecake to the staff ’s wine knowledge—is going to put out special meals. Rarely have humble insalate been so intricately delicious, between the perfectly nested ribbons of beets in the pickled beet salad or the balance of bitterness, funkiness, and

creaminess in the endive and Gorgonzola salad.

Order an old favorite, by all means, but make sure you try something new, too.

1420 Sycamore St., Pendleton, (513) 7216200, nicolasotr.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC, DS. $$$

PADRINO This sister restaurant to 20 Brix is also owned and operated by the Thomas family and their superstar Executive Chef Paul Barraco, who brings his passion for the slow food movement to the Padrino menu. Billed as “Italian comfort food,” Padrino offers the classics (like lasagna and chicken carbonara) plus hoagies and meatball sliders, an impressive wine list, seasonal martinis, and a decadent signature appetizer—garlic rolls, doughy buns smothered in olive oil and garlic. Best of all, Barraco’s pizza sauce, which is comprised of roasted tomatoes and basil, is so garden-fresh that one can’t help but wonder: If this is real pizza, what have we been eating all these years?

111 Main St., Milford, (513) 965-0100, padrinoitalian.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

SUBITO Focusing on Northern Italian cuisine, Subito carves out its own worthwhile place in the landscape. Most of the items on the menu—from pizza to risotto to various pastas—will be familiar, but there are delightful surprises, like the vegan torta di ceci. At the base of the dish is a light, flaky farinata—a griddled pancake made out of chickpea flour. Topped with an herbed tofu ricotta, and covered with roasted ribbons of beet and carrot, the whole dish is rounded out with a touch of astringent tartness from pre-

served lemon oil. Everything at Subito is done with intelligence and a light touch.

311 Pike St., downtown, (513) 621-4500, thelytleparkhotel.com/dining/subito.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

VIA VITE Cristian Pietoso serves up crowd-pleasing entrées, including the Pietoso family Bolognese, over penne, right on Fountain Square. (Add in a golf-ball-sized veal meatball heavy with lemon zest, and it’s an over-the-top comforting main dish.) The same applies to the risotto, where a few small touches add sophistication. Carnaroli rice results in a glossier, starchier dish. A puree of asparagus turns the risotto an eye-popping green, and the poached lobster garnish creates a nice back-and-forth between vegetal and briny flavors.

Braised lamb shank over polenta is comforting workhorse, and the flavorful Faroe Island salmon with butternut squash puree, caramelized Brussel sprouts and truffled brown butter balsamic vinaigrette.

520 Vine St., downtown, (513) 721-8483, viaviterestaurant.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC, DS. $$

J A PA N E S E ANDO You don’t go just anywhere to dine on uni sashimi (sea urchin) or tanshio (thinly sliced charcoalgrilled beef tongue). Don’t miss the rich and meaty chyu toro (fatty big-eye tuna), or the pucker-inducing umeshiso maki (pickled plum paste and shiso leaf roll). Noodles are also well

CEREAL KILLERS

This spring, Avondale is getting its very own cereal restaurant. SMV (Saturday Morning Vibes) Cereal Bar will feature your favorite cereals topped with everything from chocolate chips to sliced bananas and covered in syrups (like chocolate or strawberry).

smvcerealbar.com

A Traditional Favorite

Heavenly Ham® The proof is in the first bite of this honey-glazed, spiral-sliced Heavenly Ham®. Thanks to the slow cure and mild hickory smoking process, it comes fully cooked and ready to heat and serve.

Oakwood (937) 299-3561 Washington Square (937) 434-1294 Springboro (937) 748-6800 D O RO T H YL A N E . CO M

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P H O T OI CGOR NA PBHY BJ YE STSKI CFAR EDEULNAHNACME

represented, with udon, soba, or ramen options available.

And don’t forget to ask about the specials; owners Ken and Keiko Ando always have something new, be it oysters, pork belly, or steamed monkfish liver, a Japanese delicacy that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in any of those Hyde Park pan-Asian wannabes. The only thing you won’t find here is sake, or any other alcohol. Bring your own, or stick to the nutty and outright addicting barley tea.

slices of a samurai roll—all between shots of chilled sake.

12082 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Twp., (513) 583-8897, kyotosushibar.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

MEI Mei’s menu is meant to represent traditional Japanese cuisine, appealing to the novice as well as the sushi maven. It is divided into sections that encourage a progressive meal of small dishes: One each for hot and cold appetizers, noodles, sushi and sashimi, special rolls, soups and salads, sushi dinners (with miso soup), and combinations (such as tempura paired with sashimi). Deep-fried soft shell crab comes with ponzu sauce—a dipping sauce made of rice vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and citrus juice—and the kind of yakitori that you can find on the streets of New York. Bento boxes—lacquered wooden boxes divided into compartments—offer the neophyte a sampling of several small dishes. Mei’s are lovely: deep red and stocked with tempura, cooked salmon, sashimi, stewed vegetables, and a fabulous egg custard with shrimp and gingko nut. Mei’s sushi—nigiri, maki, and handrolls—is exceptionally good with quality cuts of fresh seafood. The staff is knowledgeable, extremely efficient, respectful, and attentive, even when it’s at peak capacity.

5889 Pfeiffer Rd., Blue Ash, (513) 791-8687, andojapaneserestaurant.com. Lunch Tues & Thurs, dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$$

KIKI Kiki started as a pop-up at Northside Yacht Club, then leapt into brick-and-mortar life in College Hill. Your best bet here is to share plates, or simply order too much, starting with the shishito buono, a piled-high plate of roasted shishito peppers tossed in shaved parmesan and bagna cauda, a warm, rich blend of garlic and anchovies. Add the karaage fried chicken, with the Jordy mayo and the pepe meshi, confit chicken on spaghetti and rice that somehow works. And, yes, the ramen, too. The shio features pork belly and tea-marinated soft-boiled egg, but the kimchi subs in tofu and its namesake cabbage for the meat.

8608 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 891-6880, meijapaneserestaurant.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 541-0381, kikicincinnati.com. Lunch (carryout only) and dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $

KYOTO

1828 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 376-9177, pholangthang.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS, DC. $

SONG LONG The menu does have a substantial Chinese section, but make no mistake, the reason there’s a line at the door on weekend nights is the fine Vietnamese specialties cooked and served by the Le family. Begin with the goi cuon, the cold rolls of moistened rice paper wrapped around vermicelli noodles, julienned cucumbers, lettuce, cilantro, and mung bean sprouts. Or try the banh xeo, a platter-sized pan-fried rice crepe folded over substantial nuggets of chicken and shrimp, mushrooms, and wilted mung sprouts. The phos, meal-sized soups eaten for breakfast, are good, but the pho dac biet —crisp-tender vegetables, slices of beef, herbs, and scallions glide through the noodle-streaked broth—is Song Long’s best.

1737 Section Rd., Roselawn, (513) 351-7631, songlong.net.

Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC, DS. $

VI ETNAM E S E

Owner Jason Shi seems to know everybody’s name as he chats up diners, guiding them through the extensive sushi and sashimi menu. Five young sushi chefs, all part of Shi’s family, work at light speed behind the bar, a choreography backlit by rows of gleaming liquor bottles. Dinner proceeds with glorious chaos as a feisty Carla Tortelli–like server delivers one dish after another—slivers of giant clam on ice in a super-sized martini glass, a volcanic tower of chopped fatty tuna hidden inside overlapping layers of thin avocado slices, smoky grilled New Zealand mussels drizzled with spicy mayo, and delicate

ful); fresh julienned vegetables, crunchy sprouts, and herbs served over vermicelli rice noodles (again, the vegan version, bun chay, is the standout); and bánh mì. Be sure to end with a cup of Vietnamese coffee, a devilish jolt of dark roast and sweetened condensed milk that should make canned energy drinks obsolete.

PHO LANG THANG Owners Duy and Bao Nguyen and David Le have created a greatest hits playlist of Vietnamese cuisine: elegant, brothy pho made from poultry, beef, or vegan stocks poured over rice noodles and adrift with slices of onions, meats, or vegetables (the vegan pho chay is by far the most flavor-

CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, (ISSN 0746-8 210), Apri l 2022, Volume 55, Number 7.

Published monthly ($19.95 for 12 issues annually) at 1818 Race St., Ste. 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513) 421-4300. Copyright © 2022 by Cincinnati Magazine LLC, a subsidiary of Hour Media Group, 5750 New King Dr., Ste. 100, Troy, MI 48098.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without permission. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and artwork should be accompanied by SASE for return. The magazine cannot be held responsible for loss. For subscription orders, address changes or renewals, write to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071, or call 1-866-6606247. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Please send forms 3579 to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

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CINCY OBSCURA

Piece of Peace WHEN THE BERLIN Wall separated east and west, the concrete barrier symbolized an obstacle to freedom.

“It would be like if you suddenly had a wall around the center of Cincinnati. You can’t go to your office, you can’t go to your relatives,” says Ute Päpke, who helped bring a piece of the wall from Berlin to Cincinnati in 2008. “The wall represents a kind of slavery.” The dictatorship in poverty-stricken East Berlin erected the barrier in 1961 to stop citizens from seeking work elsewhere. People in East Berlin had no freedom to leave for 28 years. Today, the segment of the wall outside Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center honors those who died trying to escape. The east side of the wall faces the Ohio River, formerly a divider between freedom in the American North and slavery in the South.

While this side is painted white, the west side showcases the original graffiti painted by artists protesting the block. Päpke hopes that the memorial inspires kindness. “If we are kind to each other, we cannot build walls around anyone,” she says.

—BEBE HODGES

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PH OTO G R A PH BY B RIT TA N Y D E X TE R

Empowering Communities, Changing Lives Recent years have been a cultural awakening in our community and our country. The question for us all as individuals, families, communities, and organizations — am I a part of the solution?

The Center for Closing the Health Gap believes women play a key role in changing the health outcomes for our community, which is why we are powering the Black Women’s Health Movement. The movement engages and empowers African American Women across the socioeconomic spectrum to live healthier lives — body and mind. Black women must lead the charge in creating a culture of health where they are by starting with themselves.

ClosingTheHealthGap.org

BWHMovement.com

Attend the We Must Save Us Health Expo Saturday, April 30, 2022 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

We partner with individuals, community organizations, hospitals and government to save lives and improve life every day for the marginalized populations in our Region. Join us to create a culture of health and equality across Greater Cincinnati.