Cincinnati Magazine - August 2021 Edition

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T Red Flags at Red River Gorge Baseball Is Family for Florence Y’Alls A Fresh Start at Metropole

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SKY HIGH The Orion rollercoaster at Kings Island

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Y O UR C EN TER F OR I NS P I RAT I ON

We’re Back!

The SPCA Cincinnati’s 19th Annual Fur Ball Gala, Presented by ,$06ġ DQG EURXJKW WR \RX E\ 3ODWLQXP 6SRQVRU 6ZLσHU is back! Celebrate in-person Saturday, August 28, 6:30 p.m. at the Sharonville Convention Center. The theme is Disco InFURno, so break out those leisure Z\P[Z ILSS IV[[VTZ HUK ÅHZO` KPZJV KYLZZLZ )SHJR [PL H[[PYL VW[PVUHS Guests will enjoy an open bar, a signature cocktail presented by Absolut, appetizers, a plated dinner, entertainment, live and silent auctions, the Whiskey Wall, the Wine Wall presented by $ZDNHQLQJV &RσHH DQG :LQH, Christianne Zimmerman, Fur Ball Chair (Center), with SPCA Board of Trustee Members: Judy Recker, Past Fur Ball Chair (Left) and Joelle Ragland, Fur Ball Silent Auction Chair (Right)

H [YPW YHўL [LZ[PTVUPHSZ YLZJ\L Z[VYPLZ HUK HKVW[HISL WL[Z [OL` JHU adopt the following morning at the SPCA Cincinnati in Sharonville. Visit spcacincinnati.org/events for tickets. No need to attend to donate, enter [OL YHўL VY YLNPZ[LY MVY [OL VUSPUL :PSLU[ (\J[PVU The SPCA Cincinnati thanks the Fur Ball Planning Committee and their 2021 Fur Ball Chair, Christianne Zimmerman, for her tireless compassion, hard work, and dedication. In addition to Zimmerman’s Fur Ball leadership, she has led several critical rescue missions from St. Lucia to the SPCA Cincinnati. She has been fully committed to seeing that these dogs get their FURever homes – Christianne is no stranger to the SPCA Cincinnati’s kennels and play yards with daily visits until each dog has been adopted!

“Fur Ball is the biggest night of the year for the SPCA Cincinnati and we are so excited to be back in-person,” says Zimmerman, “Everything we do, we do for the animals!”

Fur Ball is the SPCA Cincinnati’s largest fundraiser and helps care for the thousands of homeless and injured animals that enter their doors every year. Thanks to all the Fur Ball 2021 Sponsors and Donors for making the Fur Ball possible!

Photo credit: Bruce Crippin

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TREASURES FROM THE TAFT Now on View Assembled nearly 100 years ago, does the Taft’s collection hold relevance today?

Join us as we look at our city’s celebrated art collection through a 21st-century lens.

taftmuseum.org | #TaftHouse200

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CINCINNATI FROM TOP TO BOTTOM Any way you slice it—rooftop to basement, sky to subway, head to toe—Cincinnati serves up lots of captivating stories.

P. 48

BASEBALL IS A FAMILY AFFAIR IN FLORENCE, Y’ALL

Dozens of host families support Northern Kentucky’s independent league team and its players, creating life-long bonds along the way.

BY JOHN STOWELL

TALL TALES HANG OUT WITH SOME LONGNECKED PALS AT CINCINNATI ZOO’S GIRAFFE RIDGE.

P. 52

RED FLAGS AT THE GORGE

A proposed destination resort has Red River Gorge residents and guardians concerned about exploitation; the question isn’t if this eastern Kentucky oasis will be developed, but how.

BY CARRIE BLACKMORE SMITH

PH OTO G R A PH CO U R TE S Y CINCINNATI ZO O/MICHELLE PETER S

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ON OUR SITE

18

FOOD NEWS

12 / LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FRONTLINES

16 / MUSIC

DINE

Books by local authors

Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s Summermusik Festival

16 / SPEAK EASY

18 / REAL ESTATE

112 / TAKEOUT HERO

Paddlefest’s Brewster Rhoads

An Anderson Township home that made a family

Chick’nCone, Hamilton

15 / DISPATCH

20 / STYLE COUNSEL Blogger Adelia Lauren

22 / ESCAPE

109 / DINING OUT Metropole, downtown

112 / TABLESIDE WITH… Kymberly Wilbon, The Passion Plate

South Haven, Michigan

113 / TRY THIS

24 / DR. KNOW

Slushies from Thai Tea House

Your QC questions answered

CITY NEWS

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

114 / LUNCHBOX Sleepy Bee On The Fly, Avondale

COLUMNS

26 / LIVING IN CIN Cincinnati’s famous radar detectors

BY J AY G I L B E R T

30 / PERSON OF INTEREST Zell Schulman’s wild ride

BY LISA MURTHA

120 / CINCY OBSCURA

114 / TAKE FIVE Mobile cocktail bars

115 / DINING GUIDE Greater Cincinnati restaurants: A selective list

ON THE COVER

HOME + LIFE

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

photograph courtesy KINGS ISLAND

Edge of Appalachia Preserve

BY LAUREN FISHER

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SPORTS

FOLLOW US @CincinnatiMag

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Cincinnati Magazine

@Cincinnatimagazine

Insight and analysis on the Reds and FC Cincinnati.

IM AG E S BY (B OT TO M) D E V Y N G LI S TA / ( TO P) CO U R T E S Y K E L L E R W I L L I A M S A DV IS O R S

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Western & Southern Open 2021 The Western & Southern Open returns to the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason for a full week of world-class tennis. Take a look back at the most popular players and events in the tournament’s 122-year history.

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INSIDE

THE PLUS SIDE TO TAKING A GAP YEAR

College Guide 2021 Learn about programs at select local and regional colleges and universities with these statistical profiles.

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DISCOVER HEALTHY, BEAUTIFUL SKIN

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CONTRIBUTORS

CARRIE BLACKMORE SMITH

W H E N I F I R ST M OV E D TO C I N C I N N AT I , I G OT A N A PA RT M E N T I N M T. A DA M S. I T was a ground-floor unit on a street near Eden Park, so I didn’t have a view, but I chose Mt. Adams because it practically hung over downtown, where I worked.

The popular views were spectacular, especially from Holy Cross-Immaculata Church and City View Tavern, but I liked finding my own secret views. My favorite was at the end of Pavilion Street, where it curves to become Carney Street. All of Newport, Bellevue, and Dayton spreads out from the Ohio River in front of you. It’s breathtaking.

I’d never lived in a city with so many views of downtown and the river from 360 degrees. As I got to know the city, I’d wander up and down tiny streets in Price Hill, Bellevue, Walnut Hills, and Mt. Auburn and— boom!—find another amazing view.

What’s funny about Cincinnati’s fascination with views is that it’s a fairly recent phenomenon. The hills have always been around, of course, but until maybe 75 or 100 years ago you couldn’t see much from them due to smoke and pollution clogging the downtown basin. Everyone who had the means moved up onto the hills in the 1800s to get away from that mess, and they rarely looked back.

But times change, and trends come and go.

A room with a view is coveted these days, and has been for a while, and new homes and businesses try to use views to their advantage— from Incline Public House on the west side to hotel and apartment rooftop decks downtown to Devou Park amenities in Covington.

A more recent Cincinnati trend is reimagining the city’s underground spaces, most of which stored beer during our brewing heyday in the late 1800s. Our German ancestors likely would laugh at the thought of tourists clambering through their basement refrigeration halls or a nightclub opening in one. How impractical!

These new uses of old spaces and ancient hills inspired “Cincinnati from Top to Bottom” (page 34). Go find your own secret views and underground hangouts, and let us know which ones to highlight next time.

J O H N F OX

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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ILLUSTR ATIO N BY L A R S LEE TA RU

In “Red Flags at the Gorge” (page 52), Carrie Blackmore Smith details plans for a new $135 million destination resort that could attract an influx of visitors to the place she lovingly refers to as her “nature living room.” “In a lot of places where we want economic development, we’re also trying to balance it with community needs,” she says.

ELIZABETH MILLER WOOD No one would believe that the best view in Cincinnati would be atop a landfill, but for Elizabeth Miller Wood, Mt. Rumpke proved there was more than meets the eye. In “Getting Trashed on Mt. Rumpke” (page 38), she explains how her hands-on experience gave her an appreciation of the view. “The whole Rumpke project has a lot of Cincinnati history,” she says.

“It’s not just a giant landfill, but also a really cool icon of the city with a lot of depth to it.”

VIDHYA NAGARAJAN Contributing artist Vidhya Nagarajan turns the world around her into intricate illustrations, often portraying subtleties an untrained eye might miss. Nagarajan says she creates art with two goals in mind: To make it enjoyable and to set a new standard for the depiction of people of color in media. She brings both to her illustrations in “Cincinnati from Top to Bottom” (page 34).

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“I’m right here” is one of the most common things you can hear around our halls. Those three words mean so much to us. And to those who hear them. As a hospital system, we’re proud yet humbled to share that we have been awarded a High Performing rating in Orthopaedics by U.S. News & World Report.

Visit stelizabeth.com/ortho to learn more.

20 YEARS OF PADDLING P. 16

A COLORFUL BLOGGER P. 18

ESCAPE TO MICHIGAN P. 20

CREATING A FAMILY HOME IN ANDERSON P. 22

WRITE ON

An unusually large number of books from local writers has emerged. Can we call them a brood? K E L L Y B L E W E T T A

SERIES OF LETTERS BETWEEN

communications specialists Byron McCauley and Jennifer Mooney about politics, protests, and the pandemic has turned into the nonfiction work Hope, Interrupted (Orange Frazer Press), an unvarnished snapshot of these turbulent times. It’s just one of an impressive number of books published this summer by Cincinnati authors.

McCauley is Black and grew up in the south, while Mooney is Jewish and grew up in the suburb of Wyoming. After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, McCauley texted Mooney, “I feel like we are living through history. I think we should start writing it down.” She texted back, “OK, I’ll start tomorrow.” Overall, the book models the type of dialogue they feel is needed today in Cincinnati and around the country. “We wanted to get people talking,” says Mooney.

“You can look at people a lot different than you and realize you both love your children and you both love your country, so you can start there.”

Or you can start with Michael Griffith’s The Speaking Stone (University of Cincinnati Press), which began as digital ramblings through Spring Grove Cemetery and became an unruly history of the city’s eclectic departed souls. The book’s website offers a free map CONTINUED ON P. 16

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ZACHARY GHADERI

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DISPATCH

MUSIC

SUMMER SOUNDS OUTDOORS

The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra hosts its Summermusik festival August 8–20 in outdoor venues at the Cincinnati Zoo, Coney Island, Pyramid Hill, and Eden Park. The orchestra and smaller ensembles perform with soloists like Sujari Britt (left) and Caroline Goulding. ccocincinnati.org/summermusik 1 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

SPEAK EASY

STILL PADDLING AFTER 20 YEARS X Thousands of floating craft take over the Ohio River August 7 in the nation’s biggest group paddle, raising awareness for river cleanliness and money for outdoor education nonprofit Adventure Crew. Paddlefest founder Brewster Rhoads looks back on how the event has grown over 20 years.

What was the original idea for Paddlefest? It started as a project of The Ohio River Way, Inc., and as a fund-raiser for Sands Montessori.

Several of us said, Wouldn’t it be fun if we did an event where we invite all our friends to go paddling on the Ohio?

Paddlefest then grew as an effort to celebrate and call for protection of the Ohio River.

You’ve pulled back a bit because Miriam Wise of Adventure Crew is now executive director. Yeah, we’re so blessed. Best thing that ever happened to me was Miriam taking over the event’s day-to-day management. She’s just amazing.

To what do you attribute Paddlefest’s growth and staying power? We make it easy for people to have a memorable and unique experience. We shut down the river to power boat and barge traffic

and help you get in the river safely and easily.

Then we have fun at the end with educational programs, beer, and bands.

What’s the most memorable watercraft you’ve seen paddled at the event? A couple of guys have a pedal boat they decorate like a pirate ship. So that’s a gas, but when the wind comes up they’re dead in the water. The most majestic vessels have to be the dragon boats paddled by breast cancer survivors.

What does the future look like for Paddlefest? Ten years ago, we said, I bet we can prove that Cincinnati is the recreational paddling capital of the U.S. We have five major rivers, which no other major metropolitan area has.

We have lots of businesses renting canoes and kayaks, and we have the two largest paddling clubs in the country. What’s so powerful about Paddlefest is, when people get out at the end, they can’t believe how beautiful the Ohio River is and how safe they felt being on it. They can’t wait to do it again. It shows that experience can change perceptions.

—CEDRIC ROSE OHIORIVERPADDLEFEST. ORG

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

ILLUSTR ATIO N BY Z AC H A RY G H A D E RI / (M U SI C ) PH OTO G R A PH CO U R T E S Y C I N C I N N AT I C H A M B ER O R C H E S T R A

enabling you to trail Griffith’s Press), Peter Bronson uses documents acquired through the Freedom of Informeanderings while enjoying his companionable prose. mation Act to present evidence that the Kevin Grace offers Cincinnati’s Littragedy was not an accident but arson, a piece of the long history of organized erary Heritage (History Press), a book crime in Newport and beyond. whose subtitle “A History for Booklovers” says it all. His writing prompted Danger can lurk in peaceful places. me to finally browse the Ohio Book Store Francesca (Adelaide Books), a novel by (established in 1940), and I’m anxious to Don Tassone, imagines the Vatican in check off the other sites in his “15 Essen2055 ushering in a new pope, an Ameritial Literary Points of Interest” appendix. can woman. Her faith-filled plans are For additional local color, consult met with opposition, and, like reformers in our own time, she struggles to stay Rick Pender’s Oldest Cincinnati (Reedy the course.

Press), which gathers 90 of the city’s “oldests, firsts, and Likewise in Fire in the finests.” You’ll learn about Field (Golden Antelope Press), John Young presents the oldest Art Deco buildings (Dixie Terminal in 1921 Book It 16 short stories of people Most if not all of these and Carew Tower in 1930), who, as he puts it, “survive titles are available the oldest roller coasters a difficult challenge only at your favorite local (Kings Island’s Bavarian Beeto arrive at a place where bookstore, or they’ll tle, which came to the park they can see some human order one for you. beauty out of the hardship.” from Coney Island in 1972), and the oldest underground railroad safe Whether a man hesitantly agreeing to house (John Rankin House in 1829). host his unemployed brother or a child Pender’s The Stephen Sondheim Ensitting between his parents on a road cyclopedia (Rowman & Littlefield) takes trip, his stories show the combustible an A-to-Z approach to the father of the dynamics underlying even the most mundane scenes. modern American musical. Despite the inevitable cataloging challenges, his Unpredictable family dynamics also animate Jessica Strawser’s A Million 652-page tome follows the master’s three writing mantras: content dictates Reasons Why (St. Martin’s Press), which form, less is more, and God is in the explores how the revelation of a secret impacts two half-sisters. details. I browsed for an entry on LinEmily Henry’s People We Meet on Manuel Miranda, a Sondheim protégé, and found it fast on page 335.

Vacation (Berkley) offers perfect pacing Few dramas loom larger in Cincinand smart writing to create a welcome nati history than the Beverly Hills Supfeeling of escape. What more could you per Club fire. In Forbidden Fruit (Chilidog want from a summer read?

@MetropoleOnWalnut

FAR FROM ORDINARY. CLOSE TO HOME.

Dress Up, Speak Up: Regalia and Resistance

Discover something new in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. #1 HOTEL IN THE MIDWEST – Condé Nast Traveler, Readers’ Choice Awards 2020

Michael Coppage, BLACKBOX @prosper_jones_

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ON THE MARKET

ADDRESS: 6991 CLOUGH PIKE, ANDERSON TOWNSHIP LISTING PRICE: $1,009,900

A FAMILY AFFAIR

WHEN BRIAN BARTAL AND REINALDO ALVES BARBOSA PLANNED TO

tour this 23-year-old Clough Pike home in 2017, they were skeptical. “It wasn’t the type of house we were looking for,” remembers Bartal. “But we drove up the driveway through the woods and saw this incredible house surrounded by nature.” They immediately thought of the parties they could host there and began to imagine a life in the plush Anderson Township house, “just the two of us and an old dog,” says Bartal. But a conversation with the then-owners would change their lives—and the lives of three local kids—forever. “[They] told us what a great home it was for a family,” Bartal explains. “We had never really thought about having kids before.”

Once they bought the home and settled in, that idea really took shape.“I think it was about a month after we [moved in],” Bartal says, “we started talking about it. We started looking on the Hamilton County website at the stories of children who needed families, and we were just so moved by that.” Bartal and Barbosa eventually 1 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

fostered then-3-year-old Lorenzo, who had been separated from his siblings—teenage sisters Brooklynn and Nadia. “They were sent to another foster home,” Bartal says. The couple adopted all three in August 2020. “It was a big thing for us to go from no kids to a 3-year-old,” Bartal says. “And then of course we had never even dreamed of teenagers. We just knew it was the right thing to do to keep a family together.”

That family is now relocating for work, and leaving their 7,000-square-foot home set on six wooded acres. An office, formal dining room, laundry room, and three floors of living space make the grand setting exceedingly comfy, whether you’re a guest or resident of one of the six bedrooms. The family built the on-site pool house, a one-bedroom, onebathroom setup with a built-in grill and outdoor fireplace, which allowed them to spread out even farther.

And that first party was a bit different from the one they had first imagined. Says Bartal: “It was our 5-year-old’s birthday party.”

P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y K E L L E R W I L L I A M S A D V I S O R S / FA M I LY P H O T O G R A P H B Y D AV I D S T E P H E N

A CHANGE OF PLANS—AND CHANGE OF HEART—MADE A FAMILY HOME IN ANDERSON TOWNSHIP. — A M Y B R O W N L E E

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STYLE STYLE COUNSEL COUNSEL

Adelia Lauren OCCUPATION: Blogger/influencer relations specialist STYLE: Extra, colorful, polished and poised How do you juggle all the various aspects of running a lifestyle website?

I started my brand in 2018, and at the time, I had no idea what I wanted to talk about. Am I beauty blogger? Am I fashion?

What am I? I just kind of wrote on things I wanted to write about, whether I felt like they fit into the brand at the time or not. Slowly it became this nice big range of lifestyle content from faith, fashion, and beauty to relationships and home.

What topics do people most respond to? The most popular topics are the more real ones, like when I discuss body positivity or relationships—just talking about the aspects of life that can get really hard. Second to that would probably be lifestyle content with tips or how-tos that are yet to be discovered. What’s been a popular how-to? I did a whole story on skincare fridges, and this was right before they became a really popular Christmas gift that year following. It was fun to get on that trend early, get to experience it, and do something nice and original with it. What does personal styling entail? How do you help your clients? People will reach out to me through my website or through social media, and I will typically gather answers from them about their style, hair color, size, body shape, height, and what style they aspire to. I think that’s really important—getting to know who this person looks up to—because that’s really going to tell me truly why they’re coming to me to help them develop their style. What’s your own personal style? I always follow a color palette. “Extra” is probably the best way I can describe it. I’ll either dress like a princess or a 12-year-old boy.

—J AC LY N YO U H A N A G A R V E R

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PH OTO G R A PH BY D E V Y N G LI S TA

Ah, fall. 80 degrees outside, 360 degrees of art inside.

You could be standing on one of America’s best beaches, looking out over a breathtaking sun-kissed horizon. Or you could stare deeply at one of Salvador Dalí’s legendary works of art.

Either way, the sensory visual experiences here never fall short.

Just let the warm autumn breeze guide you and take it all in.

VisitStPeteClearwater.com

the second lighthouse. Eat. Drink. Hike. Swim. Check every vacation item off your to-do list without getting back in the car.

ESCAPE

NORTH STARS 1: South Haven Harbor, from above. 2: Biking on the Kal-Haven Trail, over Black Creek. 3: Sunset on North Beach.

HIT THE BEACH

MAGICAL MITTEN

HAVE A BITE

SOUTH HAVEN IS ONLY FIVE HOURS NORTH, BUT THIS MICHIGAN BEACH TOWN PROVIDES A REAL GETAWAY.

—JAC LY N YO U H A N A G A R V E R

There’s something about South Haven, Michigan, that doesn’t feel like the Midwest.

Though the city is just three hours north of Indianapolis, a short visit will leave you feeling like you’ve traveled much farther from home than you really have.

It’s probably the Lake Michigan beaches. Or the lighthouses. Maybe it’s the boardwalk. The miles of trails. Or the fact that the city was designed, specifically, for visitors, which means it’s supposed to feel like somewhere other than home.

“We’re founded as a

tourist town,” says Jen Sistrunk, executive director of the South Haven/Van Buren County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We’ve tried to beautify [the city] that way.

It’s always been a getaway, and we want to keep it a getaway.”

Plus, South Haven is totally walkable. Park your car in the quaint downtown, full of locally owned shops, boutiques, restaurants, and tasting rooms. Walk to the beach. Walk from one lighthouse, over the drawbridge (which is staffed all day long during the peak season), to

Downtown South Haven is home to a variety of family and fine dining restaurants.

For something casual, try Clementine’s. Its spacious, sprawling building dates back to 1896, and, Sistrunk says, it sells nine miles of onion rings a year. Looking for something a little dressier? Try Taste for small plates and martinis or Tello Italian Bistro. (If the crab-stuffed mushrooms are on Tello’s menu, start there for one of the best apps of your life.) And with a small warm-weather patio and excellent pizza and sandwiches, Venezia Restaurant is a perfect drop-in spot.

Idler Riverboat and Admiral Jack’s, both seasonal restaurants on barges that butt against one another, are local favorites, says Sistrunk.

Get an A+ view of the Black River, watch the boats, feed

SIDE TRIP

HAVE A TASTE Sip and savor in Saugatuck. — J .Y. G .

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the ducks, and grab a bite (hint: get the seafood) and a drink.

TAKE A HIKE

In 2019, South Haven was designated a Pure Michigan Trail Town by the state’s Department of Natural Resources. That means, in a state full of rich scenery with an abundance of ways to play outdoors, South Haven represents some of the best. The region has more than 48 miles of hiking and biking trails—plus 91 miles of canoeing and kayaking trails, 11 miles of horseback riding trails, and 770 acres of nature preserves.

If you truly want to feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, try the Black River Preserve, just 10 minutes from downtown South Haven.

The trails range from easy to

difficult, and they wind hikers through forest and wetlands, including a mile along the Black River.

If you prefer to hike in-town, stroll the Maritime District Harbor Walk, which stretches from pierhead to pierhead along the Black River with scenic views of the river, Lake Michigan, and the harbor.

South Haven/Van Buren County Convention & Visitors Bureau southhaven.org Idler Riverboat idlersouthhaven.com Black River Preserve swmlc.org/project/blackriver-preserve

FOR A SLIGHT CHANGE OF (STILL GORGEOUS) SCENERY, VENTURE 20 MILES

north of South Haven to Saugatuck, Michigan. Downtown is full of artsy storefronts, wine and spirit tasting rooms, and breweries. One must-stop shop? The Mitten Brewing Co. The outdoor patio is spacious, and in addition to your flight of beer, you can get a flight of pizza (ideal for when you really want to try the Westerdog, a pizza with sliced hot dogs, but you don’t want to commit to an entire hot dog pizza). saugatuck.com

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The beach is visible from the east end of downtown, just a few minutes away.

Swim, play, and gather in the scenery: Sunset on North or South beach is a spectacular show against the crystal waters, made more beautiful by the pier and lighthouse silhouette.

South Haven remains fairly busy even post-Labor Day (so long as the weather holds up), so if you prefer a beach with even fewer people, try Woodman, Dyckman, Packard Park, Oak Street, or Newcome beaches. These smaller spots are sprinkled along North Shore Drive.

ANN 8TH

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

5 : 0 0 –9 : 0 0 P M , Y E AT M A N ’ S C OV E

AT

All-you-can-eat pizza and fund-raising event that benefits cancer research at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center.

Purchase tickets at cincinnatimagazine.com/slice

TH

ABOUT

E

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PRESENTED BY

T CEN

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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

opening in the 1930s as a posh high-society destination. By the late 1940s, however, it had became a not-so-secret Mafia operation, with gambling and other, um, proclivities occurring behind revolving walls. This is clearly the historical theme that restaurateur Jeff Ruby wishes Carlo & Johnny to accentuate today. Prominent portraits of Capone, Corleone, the Rat Pack, etc. gaze upon the lush surroundings. As Ruby has said, “Gangsters should be recognized for their contribution to upscale steakhouses.” Charley’s Crab, while a commendable seafood restaurant in its day, blurs the Bada Bing image.

The Doctor encourages readers to submit more questions about fine Cincinnati restaurants. He shall fearlessly investigate them all, no matter how many expense account evenings they may require.

Q+ A

Somebody paintballed the Freeman Avenue exit sign on I-75 South. It’s covered with big white blotches, like giant bird poop. How much of my taxpayer money has to go for cleaning it? Also (trying not to sound like a compliment here), do they know how the creeps did it? —CAN’T HANDLE THE VANDAL DEAR VANDAL:

The famous Carlo & Johnny steakhouse in Montgomery displays oval tiles at the entrance honoring the old mansion’s previous restaurants, but there’s no oval for Charley’s Crab. Cincinnati enjoyed that wonderful seafood destination for over 20 years! Why such a glaring omission?

—BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH DEAR MOUTH:

The Doctor, whilst savoring the Carlo & Johnny Butcher’s Cut Australian Tender, posed this question to General Manager Charlie Bledsoe.

Charlie enjoyed Charley’s, too, back in the day. He offers a theory about the absence of its well-deserved oval tile.

The blame falls upon the Fox and Crow, the venue’s first restaurant,

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The Doctor regrets to report that, after two cleanup attempts, the sign has been declared unrestorable. Those weren’t paintballs. Paintballs are tiny pellets that leave easily washable marks of about one inch around. Our creeps used indelible paint that splotched almost three feet wide. The Ohio Department of Transportation, with more than a little experience of sign vandalism, has a good guess about how such a splat was accomplished, but they don’t want to give our readers any ideas.

Currently there is an aluminum shortage, so you’ll be cursed under a bad sign until autumn at least. The 12-by-10-foot rectangle will cost about $1,500 to replace, plus another $1,000 for labor and equipment. And we must unfortunately double these figures: Another exit sign (for Dana ILLUSTR ATIO N S BY L A R S LEE TA RU

Avenue on I-71 North) has suffered the same damage. Our vandals clearly did not wish to imply any favoritism toward Cincinnati’s east or west side.

There’s a newly-built Bank of America branch at Kenwood and Montgomery roads. The parking lot’s corner has a large pedestal with a bronze plaque, but it faces out to traffic instead of into the lot. Nobody sees the pedestal from the lot, and nobody driving by can possibly read the plaque.

What is it? —SLOW AND FURIOUS DEAR FURIOUS:

Do not blame Bank of America for this; their customer service queue is long enough already. And don’t blame the two guys pictured on the plaque; they are long gone. Brothers Jim and Nick Stagge purchased the corner at Kenwood and Montgomery in the 1940s, which was a stroke of either luck or genius. They built a modest Shell station and motel there, followed in 1962 by a multibusiness edifice called the Kenwood Corner Building. They then watched their companion corners morph into the parade of Kenwood Mall, Plaza, Towne Centre, Square, and Collection, leaving the little Kenwood Corner Building looking ever humble and dated.

In 2019, the family demolished the old landmark and leased the corner to Bank of America, but with this detail: The corner would display a memorial plaque to Jim and Nick, telling the long (and, in this case, wide) story of their lifetime of service to the community. As you have observed, only the rare pedestrian might actually notice and read it, or perhaps a motorist stuck at what seems to be a suspiciously long red light. Hmm. Might the Stagge brothers have arranged—from heaven— one last corner deal?

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LIVING IN CIN

BY JAY GILBERT

Radar Love Story WHEN CINCINNATI WAS THE WORLD CAPITAL OF RADAR DETECTORS, I WAS A BLIP.

I HAVE GOTTEN ONLY ONE SPEEDING TICKET IN MY LIFE. NOT THAT I HAVEN’T DESERVED A papered wall full of them, but so far there’s been just the one time. I could lie and say it was for something sexy, like the 90 mph I clocked on my mother’s Ford Falcon during my first day with a driver’s license. That one I got away with.

No, my speeding ticket came decades later, absent-mindedly zooming past a hidden cop on a Norwood street. It was the last day of the month—I should have been more alert.

Like you, I tell myself I’m a pretty safe driver. If I decide to break the law, it’s only after carefully looking around, assessing the moment, and quickly but scientifically reaching the conclusion, Yeah, I can beat that S.O.B. Just don’t attempt it on the last day of a month.

By coincidence, my first speeding ticket in 1982 was soon followed by my first radar 2 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

detector. I acquired an Escort Radar Receiver—universally considered the world’s best—as a gift from Mike Valentine, the guy who helped invent it. We were at Cincinnati Microwave, his factory near the Fields-Ertel exit on I-71, where Escort sales had grown quickly and Valentine wanted my help in continuing this welcome problem.

I WAS HIRED TO WRITE, CAST, AND PROduce a recording for placement inside every new Escort package. It would quickly and amusingly demonstrate the device’s basic functions. The recording would also function as a commercial, accompanying fullpage ads in popular magazines.

At this point, some readers may have trouble visualizing a magazine with a recording inside it. (Thank you for not having trouble visualizing a magazine.) Perhaps PH OTO G R A PH BY D E V Y N G LI S TA

LIVING IN CIN you’ve forgotten the “flexi-disc,” which looked like a small vinyl LP but was no thicker than a bumper sticker. This allowed it to be flopped inside magazines, newspapers, envelopes, or packages. Hundreds of millions of the things were made between the 1960s and 1990s.

Cincinnati Microwave decided to call theirs the “Escort Radar Disc” and planned to distribute truckloads of magazines, with the discs placed inside of them. I was about to have a hit record, guaranteed! After my script was approved—we’ll give it a closer look in a moment—I booked the recording session.

WLW’s Gary Burbank ruled Cincinnati afternoon radio for years, except for the occasional ratings period when I managed to beat him on WEBN. (If you don’t know, I am simultaneously a radio DJ and a freelance writer/producer. Don’t worry, I’ve received therapy.) Burbank’s team of on-air characters—mostly himself —provided my fiercest competition. His talent always forced me

to work harder. That’s why my first decision in casting the Escort Radar Disc was to hire Gary Burbank as a voice actor, even though we were rivals at the time. In Cincinnati’s radio wars he was the enemy, but in my alternate world as a producer I wanted the best.

On the Escort Radar Disc, Burbank plays a cop who pulls a guy over. When the annoyed driver protests that he was definitely not speeding, the cop confesses: “The real reason I stopped you was so I could get a better look at your badass car! Man, this thing is hot!” Officer Gary then notices the Escort, whereupon the driver proceeds to show him how it works. Hey, I never said my script was realistic. In my defense, nowhere on the Escort Radar Disc does it say “based on a true story” or “inspired by actual events” or “plausible only to small children.”

The other character, driver of the badass car, was played by Frank Wood, my boss at WEBN. Also known as DJ Michael Xanadu during the station’s early years, he was now general manager and was delighted to help

with my side project. I was sure Wood really did have a badass car and knew his way around a radar detector.

Then again, he was less than thrilled to learn that Gary Burbank, WEBN’s mortal enemy, would be his costar. Ultimately it turned out OK. One of Wood’s strengths lay in rolling with his creative people’s choices.

OUR RECORDING SESSION TOOK PLACE at a downtown studio. I arrived first, setting up the microphones for Burbank, Wood, and the star of the show, an actual Escort Radar Receiver. It would have several dramatic lines—beeps, buzzes, clicks—to perform on cue. Its acting coach was Mike Valentine, who brought along a tiny radarfrequency generator, built by Cincinnati Microwave, to make the device perform.

Next to arrive was Burbank, his usual boisterous self. I don’t remember if I’d already given him a script to look over, but probably not. He rarely needed preparation more than a few lines ahead. Now all

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

we needed was Wood, who should have shown up by this time. We didn’t worry.

Back then, getting downtown from WEBN’s Hyde Park office and finding a place to park was the same minefield it is today. As this was the pre-mobile-phone Stone Age, nobody panicked when someone was a little late without communicating.

OK, we did start to worry after about 40 minutes. But Wood finally arrived, carrying an Escort in one hand and a speeding ticket in the other. Holding both hands out, he walked over to Valentine and said, “Before I record anything, I expect you to pay this... because this, my friend, did not work.”

There was no time to reflect upon the many layers of irony. Valentine performed an emergency examination of Wood’s Escort and found nothing askew, but probably agreed to cover the ticket anyway. We never did determine whether the unit or its owner had malfunctioned. We were just glad to get started.

The session proceeded smoothly from

there. Everyone, including the Escort, performed their lines admirably. Burbank returned to WLW just in time for another afternoon of cutting into WEBN’s ratings and profits. Wood got back to Hyde Park and continued growing WEBN until it was large enough to purchase WLW in revenge. Valentine got back to his FieldsErtel headquarters and continued inhaling money at an incomprehensible rate. Me, I had to stay and edit everything down into a master track.

While preparing this story, I dug out the recording and listened to it, which I hadn’t done since Men At Work topped the Billboard charts. Like so many productions I considered first-rate at the time, the Escort Radar Disc has aged about as well as my prom photo. I’m grateful that everyone who heard the record lived in a pre-Twitter/ Yelp world. You, of course, deserve a chance to judge: tinyurl.com/39nmv8na A radar detector named Escort still exists, but its Cincinnati roots were severed

long ago. Its innards today barely resemble those of its ancestors. WEBN still exists, too, with innards just as unrecognizable. Frank Wood, innards intact, left Cincinnati radio but still is involved with lots of local endeavors. Mike Valentine has similarly moved on from his initial success and, with his wife Margaret, is the principal donor to the Cincinnati Ballet’s new Center for Dance. Gary Burbank retired to Florida, hopefully with all innards accounted for. Flexi-discs also retired, but in recent years they’ve returned to join the modest revival of vinyl LPs. Me, I still enjoy my ADHD mixture of careers on the radio and in freelance.

And I still speed sometimes. Really, though, I’m just in sync with other drivers—each of us playing the odds. I don’t have an Escort any longer. The arms race of radar detectors vs. police detector-suppressors escalated beyond my price range. I depend instead on the popular technique of I’ll just follow a quarter-mile behind this maniac. But not on the last day of the month.

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A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 2 9

PERSON OF INTEREST

BY LISA MURTHA

Zell’s Wild Ride

ZELL SCHULMAN IS A WHIRLWIND, BUT SHE KNOWS IT’S THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WHO REALLY MATTER. “YES, I’M USING MY COOKBOOKS! WHOSE COOKBOOKS AM I GONNA USE?” PASSOVER IS two weeks away and Zell Schulman is filling me in after meeting with the chef at her senior living community about menu suggestions. She’s hoping there will be “two items for lunch and two for dinner each day,” she says, things like salami and eggs, lamb chops, baked apricot ginger chicken—all recipes from Schulman’s 1998 cookbook, Let My People Eat. (It’s clever play on the book of Exodus line from Moses to Pharaoh “Let my people go.”)

Suggesting she might use someone else’s Passover recipes is absurd because Schulman has published not one but four cookbooks, three on Jewish cuisine. She spent years writing food columns for the oldest English-language weekly Jewish newspaper in the nation, Cincinnati’s The American Israelite. All that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Zell Schulman. Turns out, after 93 years on this earth, she’s had a bit of a Forrest Gump–like life.

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Never mind that she was likely the first Jewish student ever to attend Dixie Heights High School or that she once had a cameo in a pre-Twilight Zone Rod Serling production; she also knows the super-secret recipe for Frisch’s tartar sauce by heart, once served as hospital translator for German Holocaust survivors, and spent countless hours teaching inner city kids how to swim in her backyard pool. In 1975, she was also named a Cincinnati Enquirer “Woman of the Year,” which is funny because, when a staffer called to say she’d received the honor, Zell hung up on her not once, but twice— fully believing the paper had the wrong number. Maybe even the wrong person.

But anyone who knows Zell, who also happens to be a widowed wife of 50 years, mother of four, “Bubbe”—Yiddish for grandmother—of 11, and great-grandma of six, knows it was no mistake. In many ways, her life’s path resembles a how-to guide for those who want to do life right. You know that Hunter S. Thompson quote? The one that says life isn’t about “arriving safely” and untouched, but about skidding to the finish line “in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a ride!’ ” ?

Zell is neither used up nor worn out (in fact, she’s in better shape than many people half her age), but the “Wow! What a ride!” part is spot on. Bolstered by deep family roots and a strong Jewish faith, she’s spent the past nine decades wholly embracing life and blooming profusely wherever she’s been planted—TV studio, opera fund-raiser, food processing plant, and newsroom alike. But what others might see as a remarkable journey has always been, for her, business as usual. “What you see is what you get, honey,” she says today with a smile and a shrug. “It’s just me.”

ZELMA JEANNE “ZELL” SHARFF ENTERED this world a fighter. “I only weighed twoand-a-quarter pounds when I was born,” she says. “I spent the first three months of my life in an incubator at the old Jewish Hospital because they didn’t know what a preemie was in those days.” Eventually, though, she made her way home.

Her mother, a “working woman”—highly unusual back then, says Zell—taught her daughter to love and appreciate the arts.

Her father, a Russian immigrant who spent PHOTOGRAPH BY JEREMY KRAMER

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PERSON OF INTEREST his career in life insurance sales, was a skilled cook who taught Zell everything he knew about food.

He also taught her about people. “Zelma,” she recalls him saying, “I want you to remember that money does not make your life. It puts clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and food in your stomach. But the people you will meet along the way—no matter what color they are, what language they speak or where they come from—the people will make your life.” It’s something she took to heart.

As a freshman at Edgewood’s Dixie Heights High School, Zell says she was “the only Jewish child of 600 students” at a time when cultural diversity was not embraced.

“They called me ‘dirty Jew.’ They stepped on my Matzah sandwiches at Passover—it was not a good scene.” Thankfully that all changed when the principal brought Zell and her parents up on stage, called an assembly, introduced her family, and said something along the lines of, “If I find any-

body treating her like they do not want to be treated themselves, you will no longer be a student at this school.” After that, says Zell, “people left me alone and I did have some really good friends.”

Zell’s first job out of college (she attended the University of Kentucky, studying physical education and secondary education) took her back to Jewish Hospital, where she worked as a translator for Yiddish-speaking German refugees who’d survived the Holocaust. Many of them stayed, she says, and “have become very important people who work and do things for our community.”

Later, she worked multiple behind-thescenes jobs in radio and TV production— first in the offices of Fred Ziv, a Cincinnati- and Los Angeles-based TV producer known as “The Father of Syndicated Television” per IMDB.com, and then, in the early 1950s, at WKRC. There, she worked as a production assistant for Rod Serling, the future Twilight Zone creator, who was then

the main script writer for a local weekly drama series called The Storm. “My mother kept saying, ‘When am I gonna see you on television?’ ” says Zell. “I tried to explain that I did not work in front of the camera but she didn’t understand. So one day I said to Rod: ‘Would you do me a favor? How about if I just have a walk-on in the first second of the show?’ He said, ‘OK, Zell, I’ll write you into the script.’ Well, what was I? An accident victim being pulled from the ambulance.” Her ecstatic mother flooded the studio with phone calls after the cameo.

Zell met her future husband, Melvin Schulman, through a young working adults’ group at Wise’s Plum Street Temple. On their first date, she was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts when he arrived in his parents’ big, flashy car, wearing a suit and intent on taking her to a fancy restaurant. “You can drive me in a car like that when you buy it yourself,” she said; then she drove him in her ’57 Plymouth convertible to Covington’s White Horse Tavern. Afterwards, they

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rode to the very highest point at Devou Park, where they sat on a bench overlooking Cincinnati. Rest assured, he took no “liberties,” says Zell, noting he was a “very sensitive gentleman.” By 1953, the couple was married. They’d stay married until Melvin’s death in 2003.

She gave up her TV career to raise four kids but even then worked extensively at Melvin’s family business, a food processing company in Roselawn called Food Specialties that made, among other things, Frisch’s tartar sauce. Zell says she “was the best onion peeler you could get for that Frisch’s tartar sauce. I peeled buckets of them. Buckets and buckets. I could peel an onion today and not a tear would come out of my eye.” She also knows the recipe by heart and has kept it secret to this day, much to the chagrin of the kitchen staff in her senior living complex.

STAYING INVOLVED HAS BEEN A WAY OF life for Zell. In fact, once Melvin acquired

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

automated equipment for the business and the couple’s kids got older, Zell redirected her energies toward volunteering for places like the Cincinnati Symphony, the Cincinnati Opera (one of her cookbooks, Planning Perfect Parties, was a fund-raiser for that organization), the American Music Scholarship Fund, and the College-Conservatory of Music. She also taught swimming lessons to disadvantaged city kids in her own pool. “What else am I gonna do with an Olympic-sized pool?” says Zell of the feature a previous homeowner had installed.

As well, she hosted Russian immigrants, Asian foreign exchange students, and opera stars at her home for both everyday dinners and holidays. It bears mentioning that these were not things most people did in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s.

By the time she’d reached mid-life, Zell’s generosity was clearly legend— hence her place on the Enquirer’s 10-person “Woman of the Year” list in 1975. The award is one of her proudest achievements,

she says, but was also an honor that “was very hard for me” to receive. As more of a behind-the-scenes kind of person, “I didn’t know how to act,” she says. Giving back was just something she’d been taught to do.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Zell pressed on, tackling whatever life brought next. For decades, that included freelancing for The American Israelite as everything from a general reporter to a features writer who interviewed celebrities and first ladies alike. She was best known for her work as a food columnist, first with “Zell’s Bites,” then with “The Modern Jewish Cook.”

When she officially retired in 2015, at roughly 87 years old, The American Israelite published a tribute, noting “Zell Schulman has been a household name in the Jewish Community of Cincinnati for nearly seven decades.” At the end of the piece Zell is quoted, saying something she still calls her mantra today: “Each day is a gift. It’s up to me to open the package.”

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Little Miami Brewing Company

CiNCiNNATi fROM T O P Any way you slice it—rooftop to basement, sky to subway, head to toe—Cincinnati serves up captivating stories.

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Ghost Baby

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tO B O T T O M

SUMMiT PARk SERVES UP QUALiTY views On a clear day you can see a long way from Blue Ash’s Observation Tower, but don’t miss the sights, smells, and tastes down below.

T

H E W E S T C OA S T OYS T E R S are from Vancouver, British Columbia, our friendly server informs us from behind her mask at Senate restaurant in Summit Park. My boyfriend and I have decided to indulge in oysters, bloody marys, and a massive platter of poutine before ascending 153 feet to one of the region’s highest viewpoints atop the park’s Observation Tower.

City planners have been developing Summit Park on the former Blue Ash Airport property for about a decade now.

The first phase—which included four restaurant spaces, a popular playground, great lawn, and events stage—opened in 2014. The tower followed in 2016.

People are not deterred by the onand-off rain on this mid-week afternoon.

Pet owners walk dogs, and caretakers follow kids on the playgrounds. Blue Ash estimates roughly a million people visit the 130-acre park per year.

We polish off the poutine and pay our

—CARRIE BLACKMORE SMITH

tab, stepping into the fresh air. Umbrellas rolled up at our sides, we stroll toward the tower. The air smells of hydrangeas—or maybe it’s the Japanese lilac trees.

We walk past giant swings that flank the lawn, like the ones at Smale Riverfront Park downtown, and approach the tower.

Once inside its glass elevator, we head up to the 360-degree top deck. The height is equivalent to standing on the 27th floor of the 40-floor Great American Building downtown.

The highest point in Hamilton County might be Mt. Rumpke landfill (see more on page 38) and the highest natural point might be in Mt. Airy, but Summit Park got its name because it’s among the highest elevations around. On a clear day you can see some of downtown’s skyscrapers, the Kings Island Eiffel Tower in Mason, Mt. Rumpke in Colerain Township, and Top Golf in West Chester.

A birds-eye view of the immediate scenery in the park is fun, too. To the west, about half of the park is natural or evolving

to a more natural state, including the Sycamore Creek headwaters restoration project. We spy a blue heron fishing in a pond, and behind it kids glide down zip lines and climb wooden jungle gyms.

We take the elevator to the lower observation deck, 26 feet from the ground, to see the view from closer range. Then we descend the rest of the way and exit the west side of the tower in time to see our heron friend catch a fish. Construction noise spills over from work sites on the park’s southern periphery, where a 290-unit luxury apartment complex is being built along with 250,000 square feet of firstfloor commercial space.

The Observation Tower is free and open year-round 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. It hosts a farmers’ market every Wednesday afternoon along with weekly yoga, Zumba, and line dancing classes through the end of September. The city has an iceskating rink there in the winter.

We enjoy a top-notch afternoon and talk of returning—for both the view and the oysters. 4335 Glendale-Milford Rd., Blue Ash, summitparkblueash.com

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SOAR WITH DOWNTOWN’S FALCONS Peregrine falcons released as part of a project to bring the species back from the brink of extinction started shacking up on downtown’s PNC Tower in 1993. They’ve reared their young on the city’s tall buildings almost every summer since. But learning to fly around high-rises is high risk, and when a young falcon loses its way, local wildlife nonprofit Raptor Inc. comes to the rescue. After birds are nursed back to health at its Union Township mews, volunteer Jeff Hayes smuggles a towel-covered box onto the fire escape at the back of the Mercantile Library’s fiction stacks and lets loose another beautiful bundle of fury high above the city streets. Keep an eye out for them soaring between the skyscrapers. raptorinc.org — C E D R I C R O S E

SIP ATOP A BREWERY At long, long last, Northern Kentucky has a rooftop destination to call its own. Clocking in at an impressive 5,000 square feet, Braxton Brewing’s West Seventh Street addition, which opened in July 2019, offers a tantalizing peek of the Cincinnati skyline and unparalleled views of Covington that sparkle at sunset. It’s easily one of the most Instagrammable spots in NKY with its extensive

lawn space, loungeworthy seating, and lush living wall. Order a bite from Parlour on Seventh straight from the bar, grab your favorite Braxton brew from one of 20 rooftop taps, and settle in under the string lights for a picture-perfect Kentucky evening.

27 W. Seventh St., Covington, (859) 261-5600, braxton brewing.com —LAUREN FISHER

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GEtTiNG TRAShEd oN Mt. RUMPkE How a sorority girl ended up at the top of Cincinnati’s highest garbage heap. — E L I Z A B E T H M I L L E R W O O D

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There was a labor shortage one week, and the company didn’t have enough hands to complete its scheduled junk-removal jobs.

My boss asked if I’d like to “hop on the truck” and get some “first-hand insight” into the company. Sure, I said, I love a good adventure! Little did I know it would land me atop Mt. Rumpke.

T WAS THE SUMMER AFTER MY freshman year at Miami University. I’d been hired as marketing coordinator for a local junk removal company to distribute promotional materials and be a pleasant face for networking events. I was peppy and young and lacked basic social inhibitions, so it was a good fit.

CiNCiNNAti’S GEOlOGiCAl bEdROCK iS fAMOUS

Here’s the dirt on this area’s world-renowned limestone, shale, and fossils. — G R E G H A N D

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HE STAGE FOR CINCINNATI’S FORMATION WAS SET A billion years ago when this area sat on the coast of what later became North America. That proto-continent slammed into another continent drifting in from the east, smooshing up a mountain range from Michigan to Alabama that geologists inexplicably call the Cincinnati Arch.

Those ancient mountains eroded over time and sank beneath a series of shallow seas teeming with marine life, some as familiar as

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My fashion style then was sorority chic, meaning lots of pearl earrings and popped collars, which were very cool in 2005. But on this marketing-turned-manual-labor job, I wore unisex navy workpants, steel-toed boots, a company T-shirt two sizes too big (because every other employee was a middle-aged man), and a branded blue baseball hat that was never intended to be tomboycute. The job was straightforward: Go to people’s homes and remove their junk. We cleaned out attics, basements, garages, and backyards. We hauled remodeling debris, broken toys, sunken couches, and even a refrigerator or two. It was hard and sweaty work, yet I kept up with the boys just fine, thankyouverymuch.

At the end of the workday, like every neighborhood garbage truck or junk-removal crew across the Cincinnati area, we lumbered up the utility path of

Mt. Rumpke (a.k.a. Rumpke Sanitary Landfill) in Colerain Township. Up and up we wound around the massive mountain of trash. The higher we climbed, the lower my stomach dropped. We reached the top at last, a plateau of garbage growing daily by 6,000 to 9,000 tons. A cocktailed collection of spilling trash bags, broken furniture, decomposing food, and diapers. So. Many.

Diapers.

The ground trembled from the heft of the trucks. A yellow-brown ooze slushed around the soles of my boots. The stench of rot and festering food clung to the July humidity and my hair. If only my sorority sisters could see me now!

And yet the panorama was a sight to behold. Mt. Rumpke is fabled to be the highest point in Hamilton County, and I’m delighted to report the rumors are true. At

coral and some extinct like the trilobites. The time period when our Upper Ordovician rocks and fossils were deposited, about 450 million years ago, has been named the Cincinnatian Epoch.

Geologists name lots of things for Cincinnati because our bedrock is unique and world-famous. Page through the major earth-science literature, and you’ll find references to fossilrich rock known scientifically as the McMillan Formation or the Fairview Formation. The Edenian Stage of the Ordovician Period is named for Eden Park. Other rock layers commemorate Corryville, Madisonville, Mt. Auburn, Miamitown, and Mt. Hope Road in Price Hill.

As those primordial seas rose and fell, they left behind alternating layers of limestone and softer shale. Commuters navigating the I-71/75 “Cut in the Hill” in Northern Kentucky can view a dramatic example of these hillside “layer cake” deposits.

Cincinnati’s limestone is rock-solid and constitutes the many “fieldstone” walls that line our more venerable streets.

Those stones, despite the name, did not come from any field— quarries atop Price Hill, Mt. Auburn, and Fairview churned out native building stone for a century or more.

Our shale, on the other hand, turns into a slippery, oleaginous muck when saturated with rainwater, which is why Cincinnati has the highest per-capita damage from landslides of any U.S. city. If your commute along Columbia Parkway

1,064 feet above sea level, its apex awards an impressive view. On a clear day, you might even glimpse the downtown skyline.

There’s a reverence when standing atop Mt. Rumpke, a sort of acknowledgement about human behavior and the necessary evils of our existence. It’s humbling to feel an entire city’s trash beneath your feet, a weightiness for how we regard our possessions, our planet, and our city.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Visitors are welcome for free, guided tours with groups of 10 people or more.

Boots are optional, but I highly recommend them.

has been detoured due to hillsides pouring onto the roadway, you can appreciate our wet shale.

Paleontologists, a contrary bunch, appreciate a good landslide because it exposes new specimens, and Cincinnati’s offerings are treasured around the world. No respectable natural history museum considers its collections complete without some representative samples of Cincinnati fossils.

Much of this reputation was built by paleontologists who got their start picking up a trilobite or brachiopod from a nearby creek and following that inspiration into a professional career. In his magnificent Rising from the Plains, John McPhee proclaimed, “Geologists tend to have been strongly influenced by the rocks among which they grew up. Cincinnati has produced an amazingly long list of American paleontologists—Cincinnati with profuse exceptional fossils in its Ordovician hills.”

Few American cities claim their very own official fossil, but Cincinnati does. Quarter-sized Isorophus cincinnatiensis is described by Brenda Hunda, curator of invertebrate paleontology at the Cincinnati Museum Center, as “an upside-down starfish on a dinner plate.” It was named in honor of our city in the 1850s by a German scientist. Cincinnatians will be able to better appreciate the abundance of our Paleozoic heritage when the Museum Center unveils its new Mission Ordovician: Cincinnati Under the Sea exhibition hall in 2023.

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UNiTiNG ThE tOP ANd bottom

Over-the-Rhine’s Union Hall is everything great about Cincinnati rolled into one building, from a rooftop deck and an underground nightclub to historic spaces repurposed for today’s entrepreneurs. — J O H N F O X

TOPPING IT OFF The rooftop deck and rear courtyard offer building tenants and guests some fresh air. 3CDC is renovating Imagination Alley on Union Hall’s north side to provide public outdoor seating and activities.

START THEM UP Union Hall is the headquarters for Cintrifuse, The Brandery, and other supporters of Cincinnati’s startup scene and hosts multiple floors of meeting and coworking space totaling 38,000 square feet.

COME TOGETHER Street-level space has served a variety of purposes through the years, beginning as a coffeehouse and saloon in the 1850s and ’60s and most recently housing Panino restaurant. 3CDC is seeking a restaurant tenant to bring life to the space again.

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HE OVER-THE-RHINE ENTREPRENEURIAL HUB WE KNOW TOday as Union Hall is actually three buildings 3CDC connected together during 2015 renovation work: 1311, 1313, and 1315 Vine Street. The middle one famously served as a multi-level attraction for generations of Cincinnatians, from meeting rooms for unions and social organizations upstairs to street-level saloons and retail stores to beer storage cellars deep in the foundation, not to mention a large beer/pool/dance hall in the back.

Estimated to have been built in 1855, the property is the epitome of our pragmatic German ancestors building something to last that would be useful from top to bottom. Let’s take a quick peek inside.

MEET ME IN OTR The building was known as Cosmopolitan Hall, Tivoli, and Central Union Hall over the years but always served as a meeting and organizing place. Records show the Ancient Order of Good Fellows meeting there in 1870 and the Horse Shoers Union meeting in 1900, among many others.

HALL PASSES Up a flight of stairs in the rear of Union Hall, the majestic sky-lit “beer hall” was mostly an actual beer hall through the decades, though it also served as a dance hall, a pool room, and even a furniture store.

CONEY’S HIGH DIVE RETURNS As my 10-year-old daughter jumps off the high diving board at Coney Island without hesitation, I catch her flight of joy in a quick snapshot. The nine-foot diving board opened as part of Cannonball Cove at Coney in 2019, after being closed several years ago for water-depth issues. “We wanted to bring back the high diving board for guests who remembered it fondly,” says Marley Wallace, assistant brand manager for Coney Island. High diving boards used to be ubiquitous in public pools, but they’re a rarer sight now in our risk-averse world. My goal is to honor the challenge and swan dive off it at least once before the summer is over. 6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Twp., (513) 232-8230, coneyislandpark.com — J U D I K E T T E L E R

A NEW SOCCER BAR’S ROOFTOP HANGOUT The Pitch is a soccer bar. Sure, you can catch a Reds game on its 30-plus TV screens, but The Beautiful Game is in the DNA of this new hangout directly across the street from TQL Stadium. Artificial turf and stadium-style lighting create the right mood, but the oft-raucous energy shouldn’t chase away thirsty locals in search of a local beer or craft whiskey.

Climb up to the orange-and-blue (for FC Cincinnati, naturally) open-air rooftop to take in the stadium’s wild matchday (and sometimes non-match night) fin lighting displays, or stay downstairs for a low-key round of cornhole on the picnic-styled covered patio. Olé! 1430 Central Pkwy., Over-the-Rhine, thepitchcincy.com —RODNEY WILSON

DEFENDING THE (DELICIOUS) BOTTOM FEEDERS

GET DOWN AT GHOST BABY Ghost Baby nightclub opened in 2020 in the largest beer storage cavern under Union Hall. The entrance is via Republic Street in the rear of the building. (Read more about Ghost Baby on page 42.)

People earn the label of bottom feeder by demonstrating deplorable character traits, but what about fish? Do good-tasting fish hover near the bottom deck, or do the best always float at the top? “The greatest misconception is that bottom feeders are somehow unclean or not sanitary,” says Allison Simmons, whose father, Jeff, opened Seafood Station fish market in Loveland in 1998.

“Lobsters and shrimp and certain species of fish are bottom feeders, but perfectly healthy and delicious to eat.” Many creatures from the lower level are particular about their diets, says Jeff; take halibut, for example. “They will sit on the bottom of the ocean and wait for prey to come by,” he says. “Then they will come up off the bottom and eat it.” “It’s all part of the life cycle,” says Allison. “I’ve always thought there’s something beautiful about that.” 10488 Loveland Madeira Rd., Loveland, (513) 683-5993, seafoodstation.net — M I C H E L E D A Y

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THIS ROLLERCOASTER IS A SCREAM The view from the very top at Kings Island can seem pretty calm until you crest the first hill of its newest roller-coaster, Orion, and drop 300 feet at a staggering 85-degree angle. The steel giga coaster debuted last summer, when USA Today named it the country’s best new amusement park attraction.

Reaching speeds up to 91 mph, the coaster takes riders over and through another seven hills. Check out videos of Orion and other heart-stopping rides on the park’s new TikTok page (@officialkingsisland).

6300 Kings Island Dr., Mason, (513) 754-5700, visitkingsisland.com — NATALIE CLARE

TAKE THE PARTY UNDERGROUND AT GHOST BABY What would happen if you mashed together a 1920s speakeasy and a 1970s discotheque four stories under Vine Street? The glorious result is Ghost Baby, a subterranean cocktail-loungeslash-time-machine that might just be the coolest space to emerge from the pandemic. There’s no formal entrance (part of the fun); instead, you enter through an unmarked door before riding an elevator down into the bowels of a cellar that kept beer cool back in the 1850s. These days you’ll find an intimate space that runs on burlesque shows, plush velvet lounges, craft cocktails, and pure, unadulterated swank. 1314 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-5333, ghost-baby.com — L . F .

PHOTOGRAPHS (TOP) COURTESY KINGS ISLAND / (BOTTOM) BY RONNY SALERNO

GUSHING OVER OUR UNDERGROUND ATTRACTIONS

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Demand rises for access to Cincinnati’s subway and beer cellars.

LTHOUGH NOT AS HIGHLY touted as Over-the-Rhine, —STEVEN ROSEN increased attention and tourism is shining more light these days on Under-the-Rhine, the mysterious places under Cincinnati’s original neighborhood.

The centerpieces are rediscovered subterranean cellars and tunnels that pre-Prohibition breweries used to cool their lager beer and the almost mythical abandoned Cincinnati subway.

The demand to see these long-dormant underground attractions— urban caves—has created a booming business for those who sponsor tours. And some are now hoping to regain access to the subway tunnel, where Cincinnati Museum Center sponsored sold-out tours until 2015. The city owns roughly two miles of tunnels underneath Central Parkway that constitute the length of the never-used 1920s-era subway, but officials say they’re worried about its lack of utilities and the limited number of entrances and exits.

“We’d love to do a double tour of lager cellars and subway tunnels,” says Steven Hampton, executive director of the nonprofit Over-theRhine Brewery District. “It would be really cool.” And Craig Maness, business relations director of for-profit American Legacy Tours, has also asked the city for access. “They have no interest in it,” he says. “But my fingers are crossed. Maybe one day.”

There are at least two projects in American cities right now that seek to reuse similarly abandoned underground transportation infrastructure. New York City’s Lowline has been proposed for a former trolley terminal inside an existing subway station on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, converting it into a one-acre underground park and using solar technology to bring in sunshine and grow plants. The first piece of Philadelphia’s three-mile Rail Park opened in 2018, while future plans envision using an abandoned underground train tunnel.

An idea for similar revitalization here was expressed by Christian Huelsman, whose nonprofit Spring in Our Steps urges preservation and public use of Cincinnati’s historic urban steps and alleys. “The subway could serve as a bike tunnel and connected trail system along I-75, especially where right-of-way access is restricted by stateowned land adjacent to the freeway,” he says.

City officials say another reason access to the subway is limited is because Cincinnati Water Works laid a water transmission main through the tunnel in 1957. As Water Works prepares for its next master plan, however, it may assess relocation, which could open up new prospects for public reuse of the space.

It looks like the idea of preserving historic structures below street level as well as above is no longer just an underground movement.

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STYLiNG fROM hEAD tO tOE Two Northern Kentucky shops create personalized experiences, whether you’re looking to tip your hat or click your heels. — J A C L Y N Y O U H A N A G A R V E R

Taj Hat Co. While Bryn Cuzick has always been a hat-wearer, she didn’t realize that hats could come with specific, custom detailing. While shopping in Malibu, California, she visited a marketplace that featured a variety of hatmakers; when she got home, she fell down what she calls “a YouTube black hole spiral” researching how to make them herself.

Cuzick, who’s based in Walton, opened the online retailer Taj Hat Co. in December.

Most of her hats are new, some are refurbished, and others use vintage pieces to make something one of a kind—think updated scarves, bandanas, leather belts, brooches, keys, or even postage stamps. “Antique stores and thrift stores are where I find most of my materials for bands and the detailing,” she says. “There’s a fun story to every hat.” Making one hat takes Cuzick six to eight hours, she says, depending on the amount of detail, and they retail for $250–$450 on the Taj website.

Finding the right hat is about knowing what looks good on your face shape, she says.

Shorter, round faces pair well with hats with a taller crown, the raised part of the hat that fits over the wearer’s head. Shorter crowns, then, are more flattering on those with longer, oval faces. “If there’s a hat that looks good on your face and looks made for you,” says Cuzick, “other people will always think it’s cool.” tajhatco.com

Sole by Style When Jacob Cain opened online shop Sole By Style in 2016, his goal was to make high-end sneakers a little more affordable by offering both new and resale shoes.

A new pair that costs over $1,000 can run for $500 or $600 preowned, he says.

Before older sneakers are ready to sell, Cain puts each one through a cleaning process and an authenticity check. “Knockoffs are a problem,” he says. “There are a lot of counterfeits and fakes out there. I could probably put the same shoe in front of you, one real and one fake, and it would be hard for the average person to be able to tell which one’s which.”

A major difference is in overall quality, he says, because if a sneaker lacks in quality it also lacks in comfort and durability.

Cain and his business partner, Mitchell Wolfe, opened a Covington storefront in 2018 to provide customers a personal experience. Employees are knowledgeable, and customers can browse the store’s inventory via iPad. “Our store is definitely unique,” he says. “It’s a sneaker community.” solebystyle.com

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WhEN ThE bOtTOMS WENt tO tHE dOGS

This neighborhood was Cincinnati’s gateway until the riverboat era ended, and then it descended into chaos. — C A R R I E B L A C K M O R E S M I T H

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CRUFFY WITH FAWN-COLORED MEDIUM-LENGTH fur, Cincinnati’s first police dog got his name, Handsome, a bit sarcastically. Some 120 years ago, Patrolman James “Big Jim” O’Neill found the abandoned furball on a bitter winter’s night shivering in a doorway in the rough-andtumble and now long-gone downtown neighborhood called The Bottoms.

The oral history on Handsome is a little fuzzy, but every account says he made numerous arrests in his 14 years accompanying O’Neill and other patrolmen fighting crime along the city’s riverfront. We know O’Neill was killed on the job in 1915 and Handsome died some years before him, so Handsome patrolled the streets at some point between 1890 and 1910, back when The Bottoms was a place for the down and out. It was known as “rat row,” home to “rousters, tramps, no-accounts, and crooks,” according to one source, and “sausage row,” named less for Cincinnati’s thriving pork industry than for its basement brothels.

The neighborhood hadn’t always been so seedy. Earlier on, The Bottoms was Cincinnati’s gateway, where 19th century visitors stepped off their riverboats. Population and industry expanded in the 1870s, when Cincinnati was the second-larg-

est U.S. center for steamboat construction, christening more than 50 steam-powered vessels a year. According to the neighborhood’s historical marker in Lytle Park, The Bottoms was “a dense urban neighborhood full of churches, full of people” that stretched from the riverbank north to Sixth Street, west to Walnut Street, and east to the foot of Mt. Adams.

In its heyday, The Bottoms was home to the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Pearl Street Market, and Spencer House Hotel, all since razed. Some recognizable Cincinnati names got their start there; the Lindner brothers owned an ice cream shop, and Buddy LaRosa sold produce on Pearl Street. The historical marker paints the picture of a safe neighborhood where people looked out for one another.

By the start of World War I, though, the shipyard business was almost nonexistent. Buildings sat vacant, and The Bottoms became a dangerous place.

As the stories go, Handsome would walk ahead of his police colleagues and had a nose for sniffing out crime. It was said the dog was once on the scent of a murderer and trotted off on his own. Not long after, his partners heard the faint sound of his barking. They traced the noise to a steamboat, where Handsome had cornered the man below deck in a dark hole.

Handsome is still around, you know. His police friends loved him so much that when the city’s top veterinarians couldn’t save Handsome and he died, they had him taxidermized. Stuffed Handsome guarded a hallway at police headquarters for years, spent some time on display at the Public Library and at the Fraternal Order of Police building, then was put in storage.

Today, the Greater Cincinnati Police Museum is Handsome’s keeper. That’s where he keeps an eye on a remarkable collection of historic police gear and equipment as well as what’s said to be the world’s largest collection of police badges. A bit of The Bottoms preserved. 308 Reading Rd., Suite 201, Pendleton, (513) 300-3664, police-museum.org

BOTTOMS UP The Spencer House Hotel (left) and the riverfront at the foot of Sycamore Street (above).

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VISIT SPRING GROVE’S TALLEST TREES You know you’ve found the prize-winning baldcypress, Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum’s tallest tree, even before you spot the plaque identifying it as an Ohio Champion tree. Spring Grove’s 750 acres are home to 27 champion trees, more than any other institution in the state. “They are basically the oldest ones of their kind, which means they don’t have that much time left,” says Dave Gressley, director of horticulture. You still have time, though. Grab a visitor’s map in the main office and prepare to look skyward.

4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, (513) 681-7526, springgrove.org — J . K .

THE LITTLE MIAMI FROM ABOVE Perched on the banks of its namesake waterway, Little Miami Brewing Company is the king of casual brewpubs. The rotating taps boast 16 house brews (a pilsner, a hefeweizen, and a Belgian wit among the staples), while the menu offers brick-oven pizzas, gourmet salads, and a tantalizing tower of shareable nachos. A trip to the upper deck delivers sweeping river scenes, but virtually anywhere on the patio awards a bucolic view. Picnic tables, colorful Adirondack chairs, and fire pits line invite visitors to sit, sip, and stay a while. Bring the kids, bring the dog, bring your mom. The unpretentious vibes are just as worthy as the view. 208 Mill St., Milford, (513) 713-1121, littlemiamibrewing.com — E . M .W.

STUDYING BLIND MEXICAN CAVEFISH University of Cincinnati biologist Josh Gross has dedicated his life’s work to a tiny fish whose natural habitat is limited to caves and rivers in northeastern Mexico. It’s commonly called the blind Mexican cavefish, and you’ll find thousands of the species in his lab on UC’s main campus. They evolved to survive in harsh conditions with no light, low oxygen levels, and scarce food, providing lessons to Gross and research colleagues about genetic characteristics that could lead to treatments for diabetes, cranial malformations, and blindness in humans. “It’s such an interesting natural experiment to take an animal and put it into complete darkness and see what happens,” says Gross. homepages.uc.edu/~grossja — M . D .

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SEE EYE TO EYE WITH A GIRAFFE If you’ve ever wanted to have a staring contest with a giraffe, Giraffe Ridge at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens is the place for your tête-à-tête. The 27,000-square-foot exhibit’s elevated platform allows you to feed lettuce to Kimba, Tessa, and CeCe. Although they were born a little over the average height of an adult male human, Theo (the baby giraffe born in November 2019) and his older brother, Fenn, aren’t quite tall enough to participate in the feedings yet, but they’ll be able to get in on the action soon. After all, these are the world’s tallest animals we’re talking about.

3400 Vine St., Avondale, (513) 281-4700, cincinnatizoo.org — A I E S H A D . L I T T L E

RISE ABOVE IT ALL AT THE BANKS If you’re a sucker for skylines (and who isn’t?), beeline for AC Upper Deck by way of the AC Hotel Cincinnati at The Banks. Go to the elevator, press Floor 8, and emerge at an insta-gasp panorama of the riverfront, Great American Ball Park, and twinkling skyscrapers.

Sultry string lights, vibey tunes, and city breezes make the space ooze with ambiance. Seasonal cocktails dominate the menu, but spiked slushies and savory nibbles (flatbreads, paninis, and a sassy brown-sugar bacon plate) deserve honorable mentions. Or, if you prefer, just feast on the satisfying view. 135 Joe Nuxhall Way, downtown, (513) 744-9900, acupperdeck.com — E . M . W .

GET DOWN AND DIRTY IN MADISONVILLE Plants know one thing: how to grow and keep growing. The same can be said of Fleurish Grounds, a Madisonville plant and coffee shop offering indoor greenery, original coffee blends, and home goods.

Christine Kim started the business as a coffee cart and flower bar in 2019; she morphed it into a plant delivery and pickup service and then a garage shop after steadily gathering Instagram followers with her botanical photos. Now the cozy and inviting brick-and-mortar store thrives by welcoming first-time plant parents, green-thumbed experts, and coffee aficionados alike. 5907 Bramble Ave., Madisonville, (513) 978-0334, fleurishgrounds.com — N . C .

REVISIT THE ICE AGE After five years in hibernation, the Ice Age Gallery has reopened in the Cincinnati Museum Center to transport visitors back 15,000 years to the glacier era. You still enter through the familiar ice cave and trail inhabited by sculpted dire wolves, giant bison, saber-toothed cats, and Jefferson ground sloths, where you also encounter a mastodon skeleton (70 percent original) on display for the first time. The exhibition closed when the Museum Center launched renovations in 2016 and received a complete makeover as part of the Center’s $85 million Champion More Curiosity fund-raising campaign. 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, (513) 287-7000, cincymuseum.org — J . F .

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HOME AWAY FROM HOME TREVOR CRAPORT IS SPENDING ANOTHER BASEBALL SEASON WITH THE WISE FAMILY IN ALEXANDRIA: (FROM LEFT) SCOTT, MICHA, AND LILA.

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EBALL S A B

F LO R E N C E , Y ’A L L

Dozens of host families support Northern Kentucky’s independent league team and its players, creating life-long bonds along the way.

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N SUMMERS GONE BY, VICKI WALKER HAD

a weekend routine she loved. Get up in the morning. Cook a good breakfast. Watch it being hurriedly devoured. Manage the chaos.

Make sure the boys have all their equipment.

Stuff them in the back seat and barrel to the ballpark, where she couldn’t wait to see them on the field with joy on their faces.

“It was so much fun,” she recalls, sitting with her husband, Scott, in their Ft. Wright living room. Her story isn’t unique, but to Vicki and every other mother and father with similar memories it’s a special chapter in the book of parenthood.

Vicki’s children are grown now and running base paths on their own. But, she says wistfully, she didn’t really know what she was missing until she met Scott and their “baseball son,” Jordan Brower.

The Walkers are just one of more than a dozen Northern Kentucky families who, every spring and through the summer, open their homes to players with the Florence Y’Alls, an independent professional baseball team previously known as the Florence Freedom. “They become members of our family,” says Micha Wise, the team’s host family coordinator. “They are our boys.”

She coordinates with team management and her host families to assign players to local homes, fill in gaps when players are released, and mediate any issues that arise.

Wise’s “boy” this year, as he was the last full season the Frontier League played ball, in 2019, is Trevor Craport, a talented young player who sometimes mans the hot corner at third, sometimes patrols the outfield, and sometimes dons the chest protector and mask for a turn behind the plate. At 24, he’s had a taste of minor league ball and hopes to catch the attention of Major League Baseball scouts who frequently attend independent league games.

For now, though, he has his own room in the Wise family’s Alexandria home, which comes with 4-year-old Lila. “I love him,” she says softly as she snuggles in Craport’s lap and buries her face in his shoulder. She’s just offered him a carefully crafted masterpiece from her coloring book, and he stops in the middle of an answer to my question to look down at her and say “pretty” to the beaming upturned face. He’s going to make a great father one day.

Y’Alls, saying he came back for one more season simply because he loves baseball and wants to win a Frontier League championship. He’ll turn 30 during the season and is at peace with a career that never took him to The Show.

Walker is a small business owner who started hosting Florence players after reading an ad in a local newspaper. He hadn’t yet met Vicki, who was then living in Lexington, and learned the hard way that there can be as much heartache in baseball as there is joy.

“My first year as a host, I had a kid who was dropping down from the major leagues and wanted to try and restart his career here,” Walker recalls. “That’s always a tough situation anyway, but then I found out he had a wife in California and she was coming here, too, which I hadn’t counted on.”

She wasn’t coming alone either, as he learned—she was a food blogger and planned to cook all day long in his kitchen and then blog at night. She would fly to Cincinnati but ship her pots, pans, and kitchen utensils along with the family car to Walker’s house. He wondered if, pardon the pun, he’d bitten off more than he could chew.

He never found out. The night before the season opener, Walker was at the movies when a text lit up his phone screen saying his player had been cut. “We’re leaving,” the text read, and Walker bolted from the theater to arrive home just in time to say goodbye.

There’s a scene in one of the best baseball movies of all time, Bull Durham, when Skip, manager of the minor league Durham Bulls, calls a dripping wet Crash Davis out of the shower and

“I WOULD SAY I’M NOT A BASEBALL FAN,” SCOTT WALKER

admits, as Jordan Brower breaks into a knowing grin across the table and shakes his head. “I’m really in it for the kids.”

Brower is, purely and simply, an athlete with a winning smile and an easygoing manner. He was “that kid” in high school— starting quarterback on the football team and point guard on the basketball team after, at age 12, pitching in the Little League World Series. He’s now one of what he calls “the old guys” on the

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B A S E B A L L I L LU S T R AT I O N BY KO LO N KO/ S TO C K . A D O B E .C O M

TEAM PLAYERS JORDAN BROWER RETURNED FOR ONE MORE INDEPENDENT LEAGUE SEASON, THANKS TO SUPPORT FROM VICKI AND SCOTT WALKER.

“Without the host families, maybe we could get 10 guys in a two-bedroom apartment or house,” says Jordan Brower. “We’re pretty spoiled.”

painfully utters heartbreaking words. o “It’s the hardest thing i a mannager has to do,” Skip says to Crash, but he’s being released. In baseball parlance, that means you’re fired. Used and used up.

That’s how it often happens. When W the decision is made to cut a player, it’s typically made after a practice ct during spring training. When the locker-room manager shows up iin the shower area, boisterous players turn silent as the name of the d doomed o is summoned ed to o take kee his final walk. err the th he lla he a t 10 ast 0 years e who Angie Bailie has housed several players over last have taken that lonely last walk, and she admits it’s as hard on her as them. She lost two players this season, and she knew the news before their real moms did. The retired middle school teacher has hosted 51 players over the past decade, and she often plays the role of counselor and consoler.

“A lot of times they don’t want to go home right away,” says Bailie, “so I tell them, You can stay as long as you want. Sometimes I’ll take them to a bar, and we’ll talk it out.” She assures them that, while their families back home will be as disappointed as they are that they’ve been cut, Take it from a mom, they won’t be disappointed in you.

Bailie remembers one player who’d been cut and, in frustration, vowed he was quitting for good. “I told him, Look, this is your dream and if you give it up now, you’ll never go back and you’ll regret it,” she recalls.

“I always tell them to give baseball another chance.”

The two players Bailie lost early this season, Kevin Whatley and Pete Perez, quickly found jobs on another independent league team.

But she knows she’s lost some players for good—players who are cut and either give up or are too old to attract the attention of another teams. “I put on a good front,” she says, “but when they drive away from the house and I know he’s said he’s done or I just know myself that he is, well, it just breaks my heart.”

FAMILIES AND PL AYERS FORGE QUITE A BOND OVER THE

course of a long season. The Frontier League and another independent league merged during the COVID year, and Major League Baseball recently reduced the total number of minor league affiliates. So the majors are closely watching the independent leagues, looking for hidden talent. Players hope there’s a gold-plated contract in their future, but right now they’re free agents—with a salary closer to free.

“It wouldn’t be possible without them,” Brower says of the host families. “We’re all grateful to be here and have a chance to play, but without the host families, maybe we could get 10 guys in a two-bedroom apartment or house if we’re lucky. So, yeah, we’re pretty spoiled.”

Brower is in Florence one more time to have fun before returning to life on the Big Island in Hawaii with his wife, reggae singer Anuhea, and tending to his growing business as a personal trainer. Craport, however, is on a different path. Every bit as athletic as Brower, he still has the major leagues in his sights.

Craport focused on baseball early on and earned a scholarship to Georgia Tech, where he won the attention of several major league teams. The Baltimore Orioles drafted him in 2017, and he began a steady ascent through the low minors. Aberdeen in the New YorkPennsylvania League was first, followed by Delmarva in the South Atlantic League and the Frederick (Maryland) Keys in High-A. And then he was undone by a gyroscope.

Baseball used to be a game of dirt, sweat, and hunches, but today it’s all about the metrics. Players are evaluated on bat speed, launch angle, and a pitcher’s spin rate, as well as C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 1 0 4

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Carrie B l ac kmo re Smith

A PR OP OSED DESTINATION R ESORT HAS R ED R IVER GOR GE R ESIDENTS AND GUAR DIANS CONCER NED ABOUT EXPLOITATION, BUT THE NATUR AL AR EA IS ALR EADY OVER RUN

BY VISITOR S. THE QUESTION ISN’T IF TH I S EASTERN KENTUCKY OASIS W ILL BE DEVELOPED, BUT HOW.

I L LU S T R AT I O N C O U R T E SY R E D R I V E R E C O N O M I C D E V E LO P M E N T L LC

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WITH HIS STEELY BLUE EYES FOCUSED

on the omelette in front of him on the picnic table, Dario Ventura recalls childhood hikes with his siblings in Red River Gorge. Back then, they rarely saw a soul on the trails and felt like they had the place to themselves. It was the 1990s, and the eastern Kentucky oasis was off the beaten path—a place you learned about through word of mouth.

“If it was a gorgeous Saturday at the right time of the year, yeah, there’d be people out, but not even close to the scale it is now,” says Ventura, now in his mid-30s. We’re sitting outside of Miguel’s Pizza, the restaurant his parents opened in 1984, the year of his birth. He’s spent his whole life in “The Red,” as rock climbers from around the world call it, or “The Gorge,” as backpackers and day hikers call it.

The wilderness area attracts roughly 750,000 people a year to hike, camp, or climb in the breathtaking natural setting of sandstone arches, cliff lines, rock shelters, and waterfalls. The Red River and its headwater creeks teem with swimming holes and trout fishing opportunities.

Summer vegetation is lush, and fall colors astound. Cliffs and caves drip huge icicles in the winter, and then the area comes alive in the spring with a chorus of frogs and delicate wildflowers. It’s all protected by a series of environmental designations, including a Wild and Scenic River status provided by Congress in 1993.

In more developed parts, you can take a ski lift (very cool, actually) to stand atop Natural Bridge for a 360-de-

5 4 54 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

gree view of the river gorge that formed roughly 300 million years ago during the Pennsylvanian Period. You can also go into “town” to visit a Kentucky snake pit or an aerial adventure park.

“If I think about the Gorge when I was 16, compared to now—and I’m 45—it definitely attracts a lot more people,” says Michael Harr, a Florence resident and creator of the KentuckyHiker.com website, which provides reviews of the state’s many options for hiking, including Red River Gorge.

“Today, you have to hunt and peck for a camping site. The trails are getting wider, and there’s less vegetation.”

There’s a saying here that the Gorge is being “loved to death.” The area is facing several big developments that locals think, and some fear, will change the place forever. Front and center are plans for a $135 million destination resort on nearly 1,000 acres about a mile from the protected wilderness area. Planners liken the concept to French Lick Resort in Indiana, and have drafted a detailed master plan, as well as an economic development and tourism plan for the four-county region.

The U.S. Forest Service has begun the process of making major changes to its outdoor recreation management at the Gorge due to overcrowding. On nice weekends, it can now be difficult to find a single open parking spot in all of the forest.

Activity has definitely been increasing, says Ventura, who reports that business is booming at Miguel’s, where he’s general manager. There are several restaurants to choose from in the area now, and more attractions for adventure seekers, including river and cave canoe and kayak rentals, zip lines, and rock-climbing. He says the number of rental cabins in the area grows by the week. “The secret is out,” Ventura says.

“What we’re dealing with are products of our success. Where it used to be hard for businesses to stay open, places are starting to stick and people are starting to buy up every nook and cranny.”

Kristen Wiley is worried what will become of the place she’s called home since taking a job at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo in the 1990s. The attraction is open almost daily to visitors, but its primary function is to provide venom for research. With

one of the largest collections of venomous snakes in the world, Animal Planet has turned to Wiley or her husband Jim Harrison, the zoo’s founder, for expert knowledge through the years.

Wiley is also board chair of Red River Gorge United, a community-led nonprofit formed to oppose development of the resort. “The Gorge has been growing for the last several years on its own,” she says. “The credit for that growth goes to the people who are already here, and also by chance. Word has gotten out about just how pretty it is here. Ultimately, though, I really worry that the local community will end up being exploited.”

PICTURE YOURSELF PULLING

off of scenic Mountain Parkway in eastern Kentucky and skirting around the Slade exit until you arrive at an elegant gatehouse. Cruising through the forest alongside a picturesque creek, the view opens up into a meadow hemmed by a towering cliff line. Nestled in the natural setting is an ecofriendly 170-room resort, where you can enjoy miles upon miles of hiking and

P H OTO G R A P H S BY J O N AT H A N W I L L I S P H OTO G R A P H S BY L A N C E A D K I N S / I L LU S T R AT I O N BY Z AC H A R Y G H A D E R I

“THE SECRET I S OU T ABOU T THE GO RGE , ” SAYS DARIO VE NTU R A. “WE ’ RE DE AL I NG W I TH THE PRO DUC TS O F OU R SUCC E SS.” mountain biking trails and rock-climbing routes. The site has more than a dozen natural sandstone arches, including the region’s third and fourth largest. There are terraced pools, waterslides, a spa, and a signature restaurant to entertain visitors, and maybe even an amphitheater, a microbrewery, and a distillery.

The target market for this scenario?

Modern adventurers seeking luxury accommodations. “We want to create something that people in downtown Cincinnati will talk about,” says Dave Adkisson, a partial owner of the C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 1 0 6

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What's New This Year at the Western & Southern Open

MOBILE TICKETING The tournament has switched to digital tickets for 2021. All you will need to remember to take with you is your phone. Transferring tickets to friends, family, and colleagues will be as easy as entering the recipient’s email address or mobile number.

GOING CASHLESS The tournament venue will go cashless for 2021, so have your cards ready! If you are not a card carrier, no problem. Reverse ATMs will be available where cash can be loaded onto gift cards that can be used throughout the grounds.

IMPROVED TOURNAMENT APP The Western & Southern Open app will be the go-to resource during tournament week. Get the latest on the tournament action– from live scores to draws to the practice courts–on the app. Look for exclusive content available on the app to get you closer to the action. The app can also be used to manage digital tickets.

TENNIS CHANNEL ACCESS If you cannot make every session, you can still watch from wherever with the tournament’s new broadcast partnership with Tennis Channel which is now the exclusive home of the tournament.

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CLARA LOUISE ZINKE

S

Clara Louise Zinke, born in Cincinnati in 1909, would eventually go on to win 12 titles in her hometown’s tennis tournament. She made her first appearance in the women’s singles finals in 1923 during a somewhat unusual tournament. That year, it fell during the funeral of President Warren G Harding, who died of a stroke on Aug. 2, just eight days before the tournament began. The game was stopped for an hour to honor Harding.

While Zinke didn’t win the title in 1923, she would return in 1927 to take her first Cincinnati title after beating the tournament's top seed Marion Leighton, ranking second in the nation as a junior girl that year. In 1928, she and fellow Cincinnati native Ruth Oexman won the first of five doubles titles. Two years later, after winning her third title in Cincinnati, she made her eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament's finals, after defeating Ruth Riese. The following year she returned to defeat Riese for her fifth title.

Zinke is considered one of 29 all-time No. 1 winning seeds, having remained

either a finalist or champion in women’s singles from 1923 until 1932. She holds the record for the most singles finals appearances and finals appearances playing 10 times and 18 times, respectively. She has the most double titles at six and the most titles ever at 12. She also holds the record for the most consecutive singles finals appearances at 10.

— A B BY B A M M ER L I N

HISTO RIC PLAYER RUN S

SERENA WILLIAMS Former world champion in women’s single tennis, Serena Williams first made her appearance in Cincinnati in 2006. She had previously been on a hiatus from the sport after suffering an injury earlier that same year. As the No. 2 seed, she quickly defeated her opponent, Anastasia Myskina, and two other opponents before losing to Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals. She would return to the tournament in 2013, only to fall short of the title win after losing to Victoria Azarenka in the finals.

Finally, in 2014, Williams took her first Cincinnati title.

The following year, Williams made history when, for the first time since 1938, both the men’s and women’s singles champions were the same from the previous year. Roger Federer took his seventh win and Williams claimed her second after defeating Simona Halep in the finals. She was the top seed in 2014 and 2015 and is considered one of the 29 all-time No. 1 winning seeds.

With 10 wins, Williams holds the record for longest winning streak from 2014 and

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2015. She holds the record for winning with the largest age difference in 2015–when she was 33 and her opponent was 23–as well as the records for all time most semifinals and quarter final appearances from 2006-2015. She also holds the second place record for the most wins and matches for women’s singles with 22 wins and 29 matches during the Open Era of tennis.— A . B.

ZINKE PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN / WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF HOUCHIN

B

BOBBY RIGGS

M

Bobby Riggs won the title of men’s singles champion and was a finalist for the men’s doubles during his first appearance at the tournament in 1936. At the time, he was only 18 years old, but he would go on to become not only one of the youngest champions of all time, but several additional successful tournament runs. The 1937, 1938, and 1940 tournaments resulted in more men’s singles champion titles for Riggs, making him one of the players with the most singles titles of all time for these years (including his first tournament in 1936).

In 1938, Riggs won another men’s doubles title with tennis partner Charles Hare. Overall, the year proved to be a pivotal one for him as he beat a familiar opponent, Charles Harris, early on in the semifinals of the men’s singles tournament (he beat Harris for the first time in 1936, where he had been Harris’ opponent in the finals round). In his final appearance in 1940, he took home two singles titles as well as a doubles title. Throughout his four years playing in the Cincinnati tourna-

ment, Riggs earned several titles for his overall performances, including one of several players with the highest number of semifinals appearances of all time as well as one of the players with the most total titles for singles, doubles, and mixed. Riggs was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967.

— S A M CI O FFI

HISTO RIC PLAYER RUN S

MATS WILANDER Sweden’s Mats Wilander dominated the tournament in the mid- to late 1980s. In 1983, when he was only 18 years old (one of the youngest champions of all time), he won the men’s singles title. That year, out of six total singles matches he played, he only lost one set.

In 1984, Wilander was once again a men’s singles winner, despite playing in six matches and losing two sets. He also ranked 4th that year, compared to his previous 5th spot the year before. From 1983 to 1985, Wilander had one of the longest win streaks for the Open Era, during which professional players and amateurs alike are allowed to compete against one another.

Although 1983 and 1984 were particularly strong years for Wilander, he received the finalist title for both men’s singles and doubles in 1985. Boris Becker from Germany defeated him in the final round of men’s singles. Despite this loss, he emerged triumphant in the 1986 and 1988 tournaments by taking the men’s singles title once again. In 1986, with six singles

64 // WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021

matches played, he lost zero sets.

Wilander was one of only a handful of players with the most final appearances for singles, doubles, and mixed in a sixyear period (from 1983 to 1988). He was also one of the players with the most all-time total titles throughout those same tournament years.

In 2002, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.— S .C .

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

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ROGER FEDERER In 2005, a young Swiss player changed the future of the Cincinnati Western & Southern Open when he entered as a top seed, eager to show off his skill. Up-and-coming Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in the finals that year with a 6-3, 7-5 win.

He was picked as the favorite to win in the 2006 tournament but rising star Scot Andy Murray beat the Swiss Federer in the second round. He redeemed himself the following year when he defeated James Blake in the final and collected his second title in Cincinnati. During his final trophy presentation, Federer commented that he “either loses in the first round here or wins the whole thing,” which he held up to in the following years.

In 2009, Federer won a third title when he took down Novak Djokovic. A year later, he became the first player since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win four titles at the tournament. In 2012, he won his fifth title in Cincinnati making him the only player to ever do so.

The years 2014 and 2015 granted Federer back-to-back wins when he

claimed his sixth and seventh men’s singles title, taking out Djokovic, his toughest opponent, in 2015. However, a rematch between the two in 2018 resulted in him losing to Djokovic in the finals. Despite the loss, Federer, a proven champion, remains one of the tournament’s most well-known names.

—J O R JA B U T T

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R

RUTH SANDERS CORDES Cincinnati native Ruth Sanders Cordes (right) entered the Open in 1913 as a singles player after being a tennis champion at the University of Cincinnati, from which she graduated from in 1912. The young schoolteacher built on her winning 1911 doubles performance (with partner Helen Ratterman), scoring her first singles career title that year. When the tournament was moved to Indianapolis in 1914, she represented her hometown and brought the women’s singles title back to the Queen City. In 1917, she returned to the sport where she played in the National Clay Court Championship in Cincinnati. That year, she won the women’s singles title, women’s doubles title, and the mixed doubles title with her fiancé, Howard Cordes.

Cordes brought home her fourth singles title in 1920 at the Open when she played in the tournament hosted in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When the tournament returned to the city in 1922, she was finally able to play in her hometown again, where she easily won her fifth

women’s singles title that year. She was a women’s single finalist the year after, in 1923, marking her final appearance in the tournament. After winning a five singles titles throughout her career in the tournament (in addition to several doubles titles), she was posthumously inducted into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003 to commemorate her passion and drive for the sport.—J. B.

HISTO RIC PLAYER R UN S

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021 // 67

V

VICTORIA AZARENKA At 31 years old, Victoria Azarenka has been crowned champion of the Western & Southern Open’s singles tournament twice. Her professional career in tennis started in 2003, when she was just 14 years old, and by 20, she had experience playing on ITF Circuit in Israel and participating in several other tournaments around the world. It wasn’t until 2009 that she made her first appearance in the Open. During her first tournament, she managed to make it three rounds yet fell short against Jelena Jankovic. Despite her loss, her drive persisted, and she came back for the following year, only making it one round in the singles but claiming victory in the doubles with partner Maria Kirilenko.

Following a two-year hiatus from the tournament, in which time Azarenka had climbed the women’s rankings to No. 1 in 2012, she came back in 2013 to claim her first singles victory against Serena Williams. She returned to the Western & Southern Open’s singles tournament three times in the years following, placing third

in 2015 and second in 2018 and 2019.

When she came back in 2020, she made it to the second round of the doubles and claimed a win of the singles yet again after Naomi Osaka had to step down from their final match because of a hamstring injury. She completed the year strong, finishing with a win-loss record of 18-6 and ranking at No. 13 by the end of the 2020 tour.

— EMMA BALCOM

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC Novak Djokovic is currently the No. 1 seed for the Association of Tennis Professionals and record-holder for most weeks to hold that title (more than 300). His involvement in the Open includes 15 years of participation that began at age 18, just two years after the start of his professional career in 2003. During his first year in 2005, he claimed a loss in the first round of the singles matches but made it to the second in 2006. That year also marked his first entry into the doubles alongside partner Fernando Verdasco, yet he was beaten again in the first round. In 2007, he continued his upward climb in the rankings of the tournament, making it to the second round of the singles and the quarterfinals of the doubles with partner Nenad Zimonjic, but was overtaken by Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram. After that year, Djokovic did not participate in the doubles again for more than a decade, but his commitment to the singles matches persisted for years.

He was a part of the tournament every year until 2015, making it to the finals

five times in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015. Yet it wasn’t until 2018, after taking two years off from the tournament, that he secured his first win against Roger Federer. In 2020, he secured another win, this time against Milos Raonic.— E.B.

HISTO RIC PLAYER R UN S

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Remember the Times A historical look back at the Western & Southern Open.

BY M. LEI G H H O O D Before the Carew Tower rose to dominate the city skyline, and long before “skyline” became synonymous with chili, Cincinnati had another tradition: tennis. In 1899, the Avondale Athletic Club hosted the first of what would become one of the longest-running tennis tournaments in America.

2018

WE’RE OPEN The first Cincinnati Open–now known as the Western & Southern Open–attracted players from across the country to compete in what could’ve easily been a closed, state-only event. Instead, the number of men’s singles competitors that participated rivaled that of the National Championships. Thousands turned out to see the weekend’s competition, picturesquely framed by Avondale’s rolling hills. Some of the best prizes came from Rookwood Pottery, proof that the tournament was a very Cincinnati affair from the beginning. Nat Emerson, the first men’s champion, took home an ale set valued at $150. The first women’s champion, Myrtle McAteer, won a $100 vase.

COUPLE’S DOUBLE In 1945, with WWII still looming large and taking eligible a number of male players to the battlefield, referees determined there was no rule banning women from competing alongside men in a doubles draw. Palfrey Cooke made history by reaching the men’s doubles finals with her husband, Elwood Cooke.

GOING PRO The tournament turned professional in 1969. It added prize money and took on a new name, becoming the Western Tennis Championships.

MEN’S ONLY The women’s events disappeared in 1974, and for decades, the Western Tennis Championships would be a male-only competition. Women’s events did not return until 2004.

RECORD BREAKERS Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, seating and attendance grew, smashing audience records time and time again.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Another name arrived in 2000: Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati. It didn’t last long, though. In 2002, the tournament changed names again to the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

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CLAY NATION Just as it shouldn’t be surprising that a region so rich in clay embraced the drama on the clay court, it’s little wonder how much local flavor seeped into the tournament over its 122-year history.

When the tourney first adopted the idea of cups, they chose traditional metal chalices. Although these trophies came from generous donations bestowed by Cincinnati industry leaders, like Procter & Gamble, they weren’t a pure reflection of the city.

Since 2010, Rookwood has designed and crafted The Champion’s Trophy, or Rookwood Cup. The hand-painted pottery vessel stands out in victors’ collections, as unique a fixture in the world of tennis championships as the Open that awards it.

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

TITANIC TRIUMPH Richard Norris Williams II witnessed his father’s death on the Titanic, floated partially submerged for six hours, refused amputation of his legs aboard the Carpathia, and played in the 1912 Tri-State Tennis Tournament just three months later.

AWAY GAMES The Western & Southern Open is the oldest American tennis tournament still held in its city of origin. Since 1899, the event has only been held outside of Greater Cincinnati five times. It hadn’t left town since 1922–until last year when it was relocated to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It isn’t the first time a national crisis has interrupted the event. The Great Depression pushed organizers to skip a year in 1935, and several times competing tennis matches pushed it into Indiana.

The Western & Southern Open is a continuing story. It’s grown with the region, showcasing some of the area’s most unique treasures, and embraces the sporting tradition that began on clay and brick dust. Men and women overcame personal and international disasters to play the game, and war and loss made room for patriotic problem-solving.

Although it’s ongoing, the tournament is a success story.

As records grow and break–both on and off the court–it continues to build on its roots of longevity and good sportsmanship.

1900 1945 1999 2020

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021 // 71

Around Town

This iconic tournament, which put the Queen City on the map in the tennis world, has had nine different homes in the Greater Cincinnati area since its inception. BY A N N A S O FI A S CH E V E 1. AVONDALE ATHLETIC CLUB, EVANSTON Now home to the Cintas Center at Xavier University, this was the site of the first tournament in 1899, which was then known as the Cincinnati Open. Because of its status as an “open” tournament, competitors from across the country were allowed to play.

2. CINCINNATI TENNIS CLUB, EVANSTON The newly named Tri-State Tennis Tournament moved from Avondale Athletic Club to this location in 1903. Founded in 1880 and still active today, the Cincinnati Tennis Club is one of the oldest tennis clubs in the nation.

3. HYDE PARK TENNIS CLUB, HYDE PARK After four years in Indiana, the tournament returned to the Queen City in 1922 and took up residence at this spot. It was here in 1926 that two future Hall of Famers would compete against each other – Bill Tilden and George Lott.

4. KENWOOD COUNTRY CLUB, KENWOOD Unfortunately, weather conditions rained on the festivities’ parade here in 1934 and the men’s and women’s doubles final had to be determined by coin flip. Rain also forced the singles finals to be held at the Cincinnati Tennis Club.

5. BOYD CHAMBERS COURTS, CLIFTON HEIGHTS In 1967, The Cincinnati Professional Tennis Championship was held simultaneously with the Tri-State Tennis Tournament at the University of Cincinnati’s Boyd B. Chambers Courts, becoming the world’s first tennis event for both amateurs and professionals. This was also the first

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1899

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6

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only matches. This location also saw another tournament first – all matches were played indoors. The prime downtown spot generated more interest in midday matches which brought in lunchtime crowds.

1976

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time the tournament was played on a hardcourt.

6. QUEEN CITY RACQUET CLUB, SHARONVILLE The tournament moved here in 1972, where it held matches at night for the first time. Every title winner that year would later become Hall of Fame members.

Despite growing attendance numbers, a fundraiser was held before the 1973 tournament here to try to offset financial hardship.

7. CINCINNATI CONVENTION CENTER, DOWNTOWN In 1974, two “supreme” courts were built at the convention center, where for the first time, the tournament held men-

8. OLD CONEY SUNLITE SWIM & TENNIS CLUB, ANDERSON TOWNSHIP In 1975, the tournament moved to this location on the Ohio River, where six new hard courts were created. This period saw a huge increase in sponsors such as The Cincinnati Enquirer and Taft Broadcasting with Paul Flory of P&G serving as its new director.

9. LINDNER FAMILY TENNIS COURT, MASON At the same time the tournament changed its name to the “ATP Championship” in 1979, its location changed again. This Mason facility, which would become the tournament’s permanent home, has undergone numerous expansions since 1979, including four stadiums with 16 courts.

P H OTO G R A P H S P R OV I D E D BY W E S T E R N & S O U T H E R N O P E N / M A P I L LU S T R AT I O N BY E M I V I L L AV I C E N C I O

MISSION TO MASON Welcome Home This year the City of Mason celebrated a marvel of scientific discovery as our own L Harris technology landed on Mars Part of the rich portfolio of technology life sciences and advanced manufacturing companies who call Mason home L Harris put Mason on an entirely new map As our footprint grows from Mason to New York City to even Mars one thing we know for certain – there’s no place like home We can’t wait to again experience the energy passion and heart of the players and fans who travel from around the world for outstanding tennis There’s nothing like the roar of the crowd to make it feel like August in Mason Welcome home

www imaginemason org www whymason com

REMEMBERING TONY TRABERT The local tennis player was a legend on and off the court. BY On Feb. 3, Bond Hill native Tony Trabert passed away at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. He was 90 years old.

Born Marion Anthony Trabert on Aug. 16, 1930, his introduction to tennis came at Bond Hill Park, which sat at the end of his childhood street. At the age of six, he started hitting balls on the park’s clay tennis courts. When many of the city’s best players came around for an after-work match, Trabert looked for any opportunity to be a ball boy or to run other errands for them. If anyone showed up early, he would hit a few balls with the adult players.

At 12, Trabert met fellow Cincinnatian and future Hall of Famer Bill Talbert, who decided to take him under his wing, thus beginning a lifelong friendship. After graduating from Walnut Hills High School, he attended the University of Cincinnati. During his second year there, Talbert invited him to travel to Europe as his doubles partner. The duo found quick success, claiming the 1950 French Open among their titles together that season. Trabert returned to UC, winning the 1951 Intercollegiate singles title before defeating Talbert at the Tri-State Tennis Tournament.

After serving two years in the Navy Reserve,

PE TE H O LTERM A N N

Trabert would go on to win the second of his two Tri-State titles before winning his first singles Major at the U.S. Championship in Forest Hills. In 1954, he added a second Grand Slam tournament singles title at the French Open.

A five-time member of the U.S. Davis Cup team, Trabert played 23 tournaments, winning 18 singles and more than a dozen titles with a record of 106-7 in one of the greatest single seasons in tennis history in 1955. The success landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August of that year.

After that sensational season, he went pro, playing with the Jack Kramer tour until 1963. Late in his touring days, he would help Kramer run the tour.

Upon retirement, he began a three-decade career as a broadcaster covering tennis and golf for CBS Sports. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970, he served as that organization's president from 2001 to 2011.

In 2006, UC recognized him as well as his friend and mentor by naming its new tennis facility after them (Trabert-Talbert Tennis Center). The following year, he was honored alongside former Bearcat basketball great Oscar Robertson with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

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Mason 9540 Mason Mongomery Rd, Suite D Mason, OH 45040 (513) 492-8115

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GIVING BACK Charitable partnerships at the Western & Southern Open. BY With nearly 77,000 hours spent working on 32 committees, more than 1,300 volunteers from 28 states and five countries enable the tournament to extend its reach well beyond the tournament week by making it possible for the Western & Southern Open and Tennis for Charity to make annual contributions to Cincinnati-based organizations.

Over the years, nearly $12 million has been donated to the tournament’s three beneficiaries–Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth.

In 1974, the tournament reached out to Children’s about becoming the

PE TE H O LTER M A N N

event’s first official beneficiary, which has resulted in nearly $10 million of contributions from the tournament to the hospital in the last 47 years. “After a lot of discussion, they decided, ‘Okay, we’ll be your beneficiary,’” explains former W&S Open CEO Elaine Bruening. “And what a smart decision.”

Beyond the financial support, the tournament annually organizes for several players to visit with hospital patients each August. “I think the players enjoy it,” says Ken Berry, CEO of Tennis for Charity. “Any player that I have ever talked to that has been in the hospital has been very excited about the opportunity.”

In 1991, the Western & Southern Open added a seniors event. With the additional play, Tournament Director Paul Flory wanted to also add another beneficiary and insisted on choosing an organization that had ties to tennis. Thus began the tournament’s support for Tennis for City Youth, an organization that puts on National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) programming throughout Greater Cincinnati, contributing nearly $1 million in 30 years.

The Barrett Cancer Center became a beneficiary in 2004, and it has received $1.5 million in funds, including last year when the tournament made a $100,000 donation to recognize the continued support of the Western & Southern Financial Group, who has been title sponsor of the tournament since 2002.

FAMILIAR FAC ES

PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021 // 75

By the Numbers CHALLENGED 144 OVERTURNED

sixteen

531

CALLS

5,464

*All numbers are from the 2019 Western & Southern Open Wrap Up Report

food vendors

EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE

CALLS

coneys sold

cups of coffee brewed in the media center

7,231

5

slices of pizza consumed

77,000

states hours of donated volunteers time by call home volunteers

32,681 scoops of ice cream enjoyed

1,462

fifty Seven

RACQUETS

musical acts

STRUNG

198,044

attendance (second highest in tournament history)

2,000 pounds of cheese sampled at Cheeses of Europe

5

countries volunteers call home

ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE

VOLUNTEERS

15

sessions sold out (a tournament record)

210 4,722 503

matches

games

sets

47 Nations REPRESENTED

AMONG PLAYERS

FOUR THOUSAND FORTY-FOUR TENNIS

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BALLS USED

FIVE

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COLLEGE

GUIDE 2021

INSIDE

THE PLUS SIDE TO TAKING A GAP YEAR

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Art Academy of Cincinnati ....................... 85 The Christ College of Nursing & Health Sciences ............................. 83 Bowling Green State University ............... 90 Butler Tech .............................................. 91 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College............................ 81 Eastern Kentucky University .................... 93 Galen College of Nursing ......................... 94 Gateway Community and Technical College............................. 103 Great Oaks Career Institute of Technology .................................... 80 Hanover College....................................... 95 Heidelberg University .............................. 84 Indiana Tech ............................................ 96 Morehead State University ...................... 86 Mount St. Joseph University..................... 88 Miami University Regionals ..................... 97 Northern Kentucky University .................. 98 Sinclair Community College ..................... 99

o education o experience o results 8 0 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

Spalding University................................ 103 Thomas More University ........................ 100 University of Cincinnati ........................... 92 University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College ............................... 78 University of Toledo ............................... 103 Wright State University.......................... 101 Xavier University ................................... 102

CONTENTS 82 TAKE TIME OFF TO GAIN PERSPECTIVE 84 MIND THE GAP 85 THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FIRST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE

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P H O T O G R A P H B Y ( C O V E R ) S C S T O C K R A P H Y/ S T O C K . A D O B E . C O M / ( T H I S PAG E ) WAV E B R E A K M E D I A M I C R O/ S TO C K . A D O B E .C O M

EDUCATION INDEX

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TAKE TIME OFF TO GAIN PERSPECTIVE WHEN ST. XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUate Jack Berding joined the 40,000 students annually who take a gap year, he—like 92 percent of these students—did so to gain life experiences. While this often translates to determining a college major or career path, students on a year off tend to gain even more: namely, perspective.

As a ski tech in Colorado, Berding’s assistant manager “was 38, making very little money, [had] no kids…and [was] the happiest person I ever met,” Berding says. This uprooted Berding’s belief that to be happy you must go to college, work, start a family, and send your kids to college. As he continued meeting joyful people who veered from this 8 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

traditional path, Berding’s “entire outlook changed forever.” Now a student at Loyola University Chicago, he plans to film a docuseries exploring happiness this summer.

You won’t know when your perspective will change on a gap year. University of Cincinnati student Amelia Carpenter discovered her resilience traveling alone in Europe.

Holding back tears after missing her train, a 19-year-old Carpenter took a deep breath and found a way to her destination—a moment that made her realize just how capable she is. You don’t have to leave the U.S. to learn, either. “I spent a month in a 55-andup community in frickin’ Daytona, Florida,” Carpenter’s UC DAAP peer Austin Hines

says, “But I learned so many lessons, hanging out with people who’ve lived whole lives already.” By allowing time for unconventional opportunities, gap years can challenge the way you’ve always seen the world.

—BEBE HODGES

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A break from the traditional path to college gives gap year students a new way of thinking about the world.

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Know Your “Why” You might take a gap year to decide on which college you’d like to attend (or whether to attend college at all), save money, travel the world, or delay adulthood. No one reason is better than any other. But if you know why you chose a gap year, then you can focus on how to achieve your main goal.

1

Make a Plan “A gap year is only as valuable as it is planned and executed,” says Bethany Perkins, director of admission at Miami University. Determine how to achieve your gap year goals by chunking your plans into three-month periods and reflecting on your progress after each period.

2

MIND THE GAP Tips for creating a productive gap year.

Find a Routine One of the biggest challenges for students returning to college after a leave

3

is learning to manage their time again. If your gap year isn’t inherently structured, create a sense of routine by choosing at least one activity to complete daily, like a workout, a check-in call with a friend, or reading and researching a topic that aligns with your gap year goal.

Incorporate Life Skills In college, you cook, do laundry, and manage budgets. Learning these skills during a gap year will make college— and life in general—a lot easier.

4

Document Your Experience “You’re going to regret [taking a gap year] at one point,” says Perkins. But if you photograph or write down your experience, you can “remember the value that [your gap year] added to your life. You made a plan and executed it…and that’s really powerful.” — B . H .

5

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OPPORTUNITY

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THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FIRST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE I WON’T SUGAR COAT IT: FIRST SEMESTER SUCKS. BUT YOU WILL GET THROUGH IT.

D

sors, RAs, and faculty members are available for advice. “You never know who’s going to help,” says Craig Bennett, director of Miami’s Student Success Center. In fact, your peers can help the most. At Miami, students dealing with homesickness are first put into group therapy.

In the group setting, students “start to understand that they’re not alone [and] they can learn strategies others [use] to get through the issues,” says John Ward, Ph.D., Miami’s student counseling services director.

Over winter break, when I confessed my struggles to my high school friends, I received a resounding “me too.” I was shocked. But knowing that my feelings were normal, and I would deal with them even at a local college, provided the wake-up call I needed to seek help. If you experience long, intense homesickness at college, please know it’s not just you and there are resources available. And, I promise, things get better. — B E B E H O D G E S

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

uring my first semester in college, every day I looked forward to one thing: going to bed. I was only happy when I was asleep, dreaming about my pre-college life. I was homesick, like thousands of students every year. But I thought I was the only one.

I knew attending the University of Pennsylvania—nine hours from home, where I didn’t know anyone—wouldn’t be easy. But I assumed I’d adjust. In high school, I was the outgoing girl who said “hi” to six people during every fiveminute class change. I’d make friends easily.

I was wrong. In college, you don’t have the same schedule or courses as your roommates.

Proximity doesn’t equal friendship like it did before. But when you eat by yourself while your peers dine at packed tables, it seems like everyone else has friends. So you feel alone. And you think it’s your fault.

Schools want to support students struggling to adjust. Counseling services, academic advi-

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MOREHEAD STATE UNIVERSITY 150 University Blvd. • Morehead, KY 40351 (606) 783-2000 • www.moreheadstate.edu Morehead State University is a comprehensive public university. We have served generations of students and families through education to improve their lives, careers, and communities.

MSU offers excellent academic programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, emphasizing hands-on research and skill development for career success. MSU is committed to providing affordable education and personal support to our students. We are one of the best-valued universities in Kentucky and offer various financial aid and scholarship options. Last year,

we awarded nearly $18 million to our students in scholarships and grants through institutional aid and the MSU Foundation. We offer degree programs and courses on our residential campus, regional campuses and online. Morehead State University is ranked 17th as one of the top public universities in the South in the 2021 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report. MSU also made the publication’s list as one of the top public regional universities in the South for social mobility. 2021 is MSU’s 17th consecutive year on this list.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1887 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 9,660 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 16:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 141 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 70 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 1 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Art and Design, Biomedical Sciences, Business, Communication and Media, Computer Science, Education, Engineering Technology, Imaging Sciences, Music, Nursing, Space Science Engineering // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 110 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: Undergraduate: $4,485 per semester; Graduate: $570 per credit hour // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: Undergraduate: $6,778 per semester; Graduate: $570 per credit hour // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: More than 94% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Best Bachelor’s in Legal Studies Degrees (No. 8), Study.com • Bachelor’s in business programs were ranked No. 19 in U.S. News & World Report’s list of the Best Online Bachelor’s in Business Programs for 2021 • Best 25 X-Ray Tech Schools in 2021 (No. 13), BestValueSchools.org // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: MSU at Ashland (KY), MSU at Mt. Sterling (KY), MSU at Prestonsburg (KY), University Center of the Mountains in Hazard, KY 8 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

SOAR Higher At MSU, you’ll find excellent academic programs and a campus community committed to supporting you as an individual. You’ll learn the skills and earn the experience you need for a successful career.

WWW.MOREHEADSTATE.EDU MSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity, educational institution.

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MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY 5701 Delhi Rd. • Cincinnati, OH 45233 Undergraduate Enrollment Information: (513) 244-4531 or (800) 654-9314 • www.msj.edu Graduate Enrollment Information: (513) 244-4233 or (800) 654-9314 • www.msj.edu/graduate For more than a century, Mount St. Joseph University has enabled students to climb higher than they ever thought possible.

As a Catholic university rooted in the values of the Sisters of Charity, the Mount is dedicated to the success and well-being of each student, empowering them to become competent, compassionate, critical thinkers who make a meaningful impact on the world with the heart of a lion.

Each student is given the opportunity to reach their peak potential: our students receive personal attention from some of the world’s leading scholars, who know their students by name; the MSJ Career & Experiential Education

Center prepares students for success with real-world and leadership experience; and students gain vital problemsolving skills through the Mount’s liberal arts core curriculum.

A rock-solid experience is available on our safe, ideal campus— just 15 minutes west of downtown Cincinnati. Our new Centennial Field House was designed for all students, featuring the latest exercise equipment, indoor practice areas, and the only indoor NCAA regulation-size track in the region. Students can get involved through 20 NCAA DIII programs, Esports, band, choir, theatre, campus ministry, or a diverse range of student activities and organizations.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1920 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 2,031 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 11:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 33 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 7 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 3 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Doctoral: Nursing, Physical Therapy, Reading Science; Graduate: Business, Education, Nursing, Physician Assistant; Undergraduate: Biology, Education, Health & Exercise Science, Nursing, Sport Management, Social Work // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 8 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $32,100 // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $32,100 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 94% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: 96.9% three-year Career Outcomes Rate. Over the last three years, more than 96% of MSJ graduates were successfully employed, enrolled in graduate studies, or volunteering within six months of graduation. • Mount St. Joseph University has been named as one of 18 undergrad teacher prep programs to earn an A+ for their early reading instruction in @NCTQ’s 2020 Teacher Prep Review.

• In 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranked the Mount #83, Regional Universities Midwest. // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: Mount St. Joseph University continues to foster partnerships with several Greater Cincinnati colleges, universities, businesses, and hospitals for bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

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Mount St. Joseph University is committed to providing an educational and employment environment free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other minority or protected status. Visit www.msj.edu/non-discrimination for the full policy and contact information. 10-WO-001900/21/Ad

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BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY 1001 E. Wooster St. • Bowling Green, OH 43403 Undergraduate Enrollment Information: (419) 372-2478 • www.bgsu.edu/admissions Graduate Enrollment Information: (419) 372-2531 • www.bgsu.edu/graduateadmissions BGSU: Belong. Stand out. Go far.

Belong. BGSU offers the benefits of a major university, with the feel of a small college. Welcoming smiles, hellos, and nods from familiar faces help students feel relaxed, motivated, and ready to unlock their potential.

Stand out. Nearly 9,000 students participate in service-learning and/or community service projects each year at BGSU, giving them one way to stand out from the crowd.

Leadership opportunities, personalized career planning, and interactions with caring faculty are other ways students can be part of something bigger than themselves—building their résumés and their character.

Go far. To meet the needs of future students and job demand, BGSU offers high-quality programs. These programs offer students the opportunity to become the next generation of educators, participate in cuttingedge research, and acquire in-demand skills.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1910 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 19,000 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 18:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 200+ // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 55 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 17 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Arts, Business, Education and Human Development, Health and Human Services, Musical Arts, Science and Technology // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 180 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $21,750.80 // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $29,739.20 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 90% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Fastest growing public university in Ohio • No. 1 public university for boosting graduates’ earnings after college • One of the safest college campuses in the U.S. // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: BGSU Firelands in Huron, Ohio

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BUTLER TECH 3603 Hamilton Middletown Rd. • Hamilton, OH 45011 (513) 645-8344 • www.butlertech.org At Butler Tech, every student is a top priority. Our mission is transforming lives by making our students career-ready and college-prepared.

Choose from classes and career training programs that interest you. From healthcare and public safety to industrial technology and commercial driving, Butler Tech provides a purpose for every passion.

Our training programs are designed to prepare you for employment and to begin a successful career, advance in your current career, and industry certification. All of our programs offer state and/or nationally recognized credentials and certifications. With more than 40 career-focused programs, Butler Tech Adult Education will provide you the career training you want in 11 months or less.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1975 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 750 yearly // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 15:1 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Adult Career Training Programs: training programs designed to prepare you for employment and to begin a successful career in: Healthcare – training for Nursing, Clinical Medical Assisting, Phlebotomy, Medical Billing & Coding, and STNA. Public Safety programs – Firefighter, Paramedic/EMT, Police. Industrial Technology programs – Industrial Maintenance Technology, Industrial Welding, and HVAC/R Technician, Commercial Drivers program. Nationally recognized certifications and program length range from two weeks to 11 months. // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 34 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: Varies by program // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: N/A // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 75% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Student completion rate of 91% • Earned Industry Credential Rate of 89% • 100% hands-on career experiences for students!

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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI 2600 Clifton Ave. • Cincinnati, OH 45221 (513) 556-6000 • www.uc.edu At the University of Cincinnati, experience doesn’t just count—it changes everything. Through the power of ingenuity, innovation, and inclusion, our graduates are ready to push their future forward.

Boasting a diverse student body of nearly 47,000, UC houses 13 colleges and offers over 300 academic programs. As the birthplace of cooperative education, 100% of students participate in experience-based learning.

Ranked No. 1 for Return on Investment (Mic), UC combines big campus amenities with a small college feel—70% of classes have fewer than 40 students.

And on One of the World’s Most Beautiful Campuses (Forbes), there are countless ways to get involved. From 500-plus student organizations to intramural and club sports to numerous identity-based groups, Cincinnati students are sure to find their home away from home.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1819 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 46,798 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 19:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 195 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 135 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 85 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Top-ranked academics, research, experience-based learning, and athletics on a beautiful, urban campus. // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 4.3 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $12,138 // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $27,472 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 73% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: No. 33 among America’s public research universities, National Science Foundation • Top 5 in the nation for co-ops and internships, U.S. News and World Report • Top 100 most-innovative universities, Reuters // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash; University of Cincinnati, Clermont

UC THE VALUE College is one of the most important investments you’ll ever make. And University of Cincinnati offers one of the most valuable ROI’s in higher ed: •

Top 5 in the nation for co-op and internships

•

100% student participation in experience-based learning

•

Average student loan debt 12.2% lower than at peer institutions

•

Average semester co-op earnings = $10,500

•

Dedicated resources for professional development and career planning

Learn what more than 46,000 students already know: a Cincinnati education is worth it!

uc.edu/value

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EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY 521 Lancaster Ave. • Richmond, KY 40475 (859) 622-1000 • www.eku.edu Eastern Kentucky University, centrally located just 90 minutes from Cincinnati in Richmond, Kentucky, is a student-centered comprehensive regional university dedicated to highquality instruction, service, and scholarship. Underscoring the University’s legacy as a “School of Opportunity,” many of Eastern’s successful alumni were the first in their families to attend college. Even today, nearly 40 percent of EKU graduates are first-generation college graduates. At the same time, EKU attracts more of the best and brightest students. Approximately 14,500 students come from every state, and thousands of alumni worldwide have distinguished careers. Approximately 62 percent of the University’s bachelor’s graduates are employed in Kentucky three years after graduation—the highest rate among Kentucky’s public institutions. Many EKU graduates are employed in service occupations vital to any community’s quality of life: education, health care, and public safety.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1874 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 14,465 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 15:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 86 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 47 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 6 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: American Sign Language (English Interpretation), Animal Studies, Athletic Training, Aviation, Criminal Justice, Education, Fire and Safety, Forensic Science, Interactive Multimedia (Game Design), Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Professional Golf Management, Social Justice Studies // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 105 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $9,452 // OUT-OFSTATE TUITION: $10,500 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 81% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: U.S. News & World Report • Forbes • Military Times // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: Regional Campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester, Kentucky

FIND OPPORTUNITY AT EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Choose from more than 100 in-demand degree programs, including aviation, criminal justice, education, nursing and more! Plus, with EKU’s discounted out-of-state tuition rate, you can go away to college for less and still be within an hour-and-a-half drive of Cincinnati.

1 year after graduation, 79% of EKU bachelor’s grads are employed within Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio or Tennessee.

EXPLORE PROGRAMS programs.eku.edu KYSTATS Multi-State Postsecondary Report Eastern Kentucky University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and Educational Institution.20210624_CincinnatiMagazine_HalfPage_AR03

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GALEN COLLEGE OF NURSING 100 E Business Way, Suite 120 • Cincinnati, OH 45241 (513) 475-3636 • https://galencollege.edu/ Founded over 30 years ago, Galen College of Nursing is one of the largest private nursing schools in the United States. Focused solely on nursing education, Galen dedicates 100% of resources to helping prepare confident, caring professionals for successful careers and advancement in nursing. With no prerequisites required, earlier hands-on education, a clinical emphasis, small class sizes, and personalized attention and support, Galen is there for you every step of the way. Plus, flexible and accredited pre- and post-licensure programs, including online options, offer multiple pathways to achieving your goals. Start your journey to one of the most fulfilling—and in demand—jobs you will ever love. For more information about Galen College of Nursing and to schedule an admissions appointment, visit galencollege.edu.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1989 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 7,990 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 14.7:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 2 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 1 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Nursing // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 21 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: Varies by program // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: Varies by program // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: N/A // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: 91% First Time NCLEX Pass Rates (2020 - Cincinnati Campus) • 34,000+ Students and Alumni • One of the largest nursing colleges in the U.S., with campuses in Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, and Online // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: Campuses also in Miami, FL; Tampa Bay, FL; Hazard, KY; Louisville, KY; Richmond, VA

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HANOVER COLLEGE 517 Ball Dr. • Hanover, IN 47243 (800) 213-2178 • www.hanover.edu Located just 78 miles from downtown Cincinnati, Hanover College is a premier, nationally recognized liberal arts institution that has core strengths in the natural and life sciences, education, and business. Founded in 1827, Hanover is Indiana’s oldest private, four-year college and sits on a beautiful 650-acre campus overlooking the Ohio River. Hanover is a distinctive intellectual, challenging, and supportive community whose members value transformative learning, meaningful service, and lifelong inquiry. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and nurtured to develop their unique individual abilities. Bachelor’s degrees are offered in more than 30 areas and a hybrid two-year doctor of physical therapy program began in 2021. Nearly 100 percent of Hanover’s students receive some form of financial aid. More than 99 percent of the College’s graduates gain full-time employment or enroll in graduate/professional school within seven months of graduation.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1827 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 1,028 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 12:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 35 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 1, physical therapy // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Business, education, natural and life sciences // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 78 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $39,400 // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $39,400 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 99% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review

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INDIANA TECH Northern Kentucky Campus, 809 Wright Summit Pkwy., Suite 310 • Ft. Wright, KY 41011 (859) 916-5884 • www.IndianaTech.edu/GOFORIT Indiana Tech educates students beyond its home base in Ft. Wayne, Ind., with regional campuses throughout the Midwest, as well as online programs that meet the needs of students worldwide. The private, not-for-profit university offers career-oriented degree programs at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. levels, as well as professional certificate programs. Busy working adults find Indiana Tech an ideal fit, with class schedules that allow students to take one class at a time and still make rapid progress toward a degree. Classes start every six weeks, so students can begin their education at any time of year. The university is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). For more information or to enroll today, contact the Northern Kentucky admissions team at (859) 916-5884.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1930 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 1,500 undergraduates on main campus, 6,500 online undergraduate and graduate students // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 16:1 average class size // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 50 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 7 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 1 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: More than 45 degree programs align with in-demand careers, including project management, engineering, business, cybersecurity, accounting, information technology, computer science, health care administration, criminal justice, and more. // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 4.5 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $399 per credit hour for undergrad/$515 per credit hour for graduate // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: same as in-state // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 90% // TOP THREE AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Rated among nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s in Business programs by U.S. News & World Report • Ranked as a Gold Level Military Friendly School for the past 10 years • Cyber Warriors collegiate cyber defense team has won 7 straight and 14 total Indiana state championships // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: Indiana Tech’s main campus is in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, with regional locations throughout Indiana and Kentucky.

RISING STARS

LIFE-CHANGING EDUCATION Indiana Tech will help you go further with 45-plus quality online degree programs. Our class schedules allow you to take one class at a time and make rapid progress toward degree completion.

• Degrees at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. levels.

• Undergraduate and graduate certificates that will expand your skills and advance your career.

• Dedicated staff and resources that will support you throughout your education.

ENROLL TODAY! Indiana Tech ì_p}:!pX á!X} M

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INDIANATECH.EDU/GOFORIT

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MIAMI UNIVERSITY REGIONALS Middletown • Hamilton • West Chester • E-Campus (513) 785-3111 • https://MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/ If you’re looking for the best place to earn a degree at a price you can afford, look no further than Miami University Regionals. Miami Regionals was recently ranked number one in Ohio by Stacker as offering the best return on investment among public colleges in the state. Regional students can earn bachelor’s degrees in-person or online for about $27,000 in one of more than 30 majors including Applied Biology, Engineering Technology, Commerce, and Health Information Technology. The Work+ Program allows students to earn a college degree debt-free, and Integrative Studies helps students build a bachelor’s degree that fits their educational and personal goals. All this, plus the opportunity to take classes on our main campus in Oxford, makes Miami University Regionals your best choice.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: Hamilton 1968, Middletown 1966 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 4,100 // STUDENT-FACUTLY RATIO: 18:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 27 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Commerce, Nursing, Criminal Justice, and Engineering Technology (electrical and computer, electromechanical, mechanical, and robotics) // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 30 miles// IN-STATE TUITION: $272.06/credit hour // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $722.21/credit hour // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 56% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Number one public college in Ohio for return on investment • Miami Regionals’ E-Campus, established in 1999, ranked in the top 20 nationally for best ROI by Online U • First university in the country to offer ICAgile-accredited courses // LOCATIONS: Miami University Regionals has campuses located in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a robust E-Campus program.

Expect the unexpected AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY REGIONALS • 96.7% of 2018-19 graduates employed or furthering their education within 6 months of graduating • 30+ majors with online and in-person course offerings • #1 public college in Ohio for return on investment by Stacker • Work+ Program allows students to earn a college degree debt-free • Member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association • Student support services including academic advising, tutoring, counseling, disability services and more

MiamiOH.edu/Regionals | 513-785-3111

Hamilton | Middletown | West Chester | E-Campus

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NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY 1 Nunn Dr. • Highland Heights, KY 41099 Undergraduate Enrollment Information: (859) 572-5200 • www.nku.edu/admissions/undergrad Graduate Enrollment Information: (859) 572-6364 • www.nku.edu/admissions/graduate Fueled by an unstoppable spirit and a passion for knowledge, Northern Kentucky University students engage and impact their communities, the region, and our world. The university’s long-standing commitment to academic excellence offers abundant opportunities for experiential learning in the region’s best facilities, including the new Health Innovation Center. NKU connects students to their world-changing dreams through classroom experiences, faculty mentorship, and internships and co-ops with hundreds of community partners and more than 200 student organizations. We’re also home to 17 NCAA Division I athletic programs.

We shape driven individuals and create opportunities for our students to succeed in this knowledge-based economy. We will continue to nurture inclusive and equitable communities where people want to live, work, and tackle complex challenges.

You belong here.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1968 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 16,212 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 19:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 89 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 22 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 3 // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 7.4 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $ 417/credit hour // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $ 836/credit hour // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 93.9% of full-time undergraduates // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Forbes Top College 11 years running • 2020 Safest College Campuses in America list (YourLocalSecurity.com)

TOGETHER

we will create a brighter future NKU is breaking barriers, transforming lives and shining a light across our region and beyond.

For more than 50 years, our professors have provided students with a world-class education. Whether you’re an aspiring undergraduate or graduate student, or looking to further your professional development, you can discover and live your dreams here.

Come to learn on a safe, vibrant campus just minutes from downtown Cincinnati, or choose to take classes online.

Schedule a visit or apply today!

NKU.EDU/APPLY

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SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE 5386 Courseview Dr. • Mason, OH 45040 Undergraduate Enrollment Information: (513) 339-1212 • www.sinclair.edu/mason The Sinclair College campus in Mason continues Sinclair’s mission of providing accessible, affordable, flexible education to meet the needs of the community. Conveniently located, the campus is easily accessible from I-71. Sinclair in Mason offers a full-service small-campus feel, with all the advantages and resources of a large public community college. More than 25 degree and certificate programs are offered in Mason, with over 30 fully online programs and almost 300 programs available system-wide.

Students can earn job-ready credentials, or earn credits that transfer easily to any four-year college or university.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1887 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 30,000 college-wide; 1,400 in Mason // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 17:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: Nearly 300 degrees and certificates system-wide; more than 25 at Mason // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Healthcare, Business, Engineering Technologies, Biotechnology, Information Technology, and programs designed for transfer to a four-year college or university. // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 24 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $173.26/credit hour // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $ 329.40/credit hour // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 60% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Sinclair has awarded more degrees and certificates than any other Ohio Community College in the last five years. • More than 100 University Transfer agreements. • Board member, League for Innovation in the Community College // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: Locations in Dayton, Huber Heights, Englewood, Centerville, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and online.

YOUR COMMUNITY’S COLLEGE Ready to get on track to your future? You don’t have to go far! Sinclair College’s campus in Mason is conveniently located off I-71 for easy access.

Choose from over 30 degrees and certificates in high-demand fields that can be completed entirely at our Mason Campus – even more when you add in online options. Plus, your credits move easily to any Sinclair location, providing over 300 academic options.

Come explore our Mason campus today.

LOCATED NEAR YOU

5386 Courseview Drive • Mason, Ohio 45040 • 513-339-1212

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THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY 333 Thomas More Parkway • Crestview Hills, KY 41017 (859) 341-5800 • www.thomasmore.edu Thomas More University graduates are prepared for any career, but they leave here prepared for much more. They are exposed to the very best thought, literature, art, and music. They learn to harness the power of human reason to solve problems and discover truth. Most importantly, they have the chance to begin to become the person they were created to be. This is the power of the liberal arts in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition at Thomas More University. Our students come here looking for more. And that’s exactly what we offer. Here our students take that opportunity and Make It More.

Founded in 1921 as Villa Madonna College, the first college in Northern Kentucky, the University celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, commemorating a century of academic excellence and innovation. This excellence is evidenced by a recent report released from Georgetown University in 2019 that ranked Thomas More University no. 1 for return on investment (ROI) in Kentucky. To explore academic undergraduate, graduate, accelerated, and professional programs or to schedule a tour, visit thomasmore.edu.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1921 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: More than 2,000 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 14:1 // NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 40+ // NUMBER OF MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 4 // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 8 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $33,060 // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $33,060 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 100% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: No. 1 for ROI in the state of Kentucky, Georgetown University Report • Best Regional Universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report

Schedule your visit today and learn more about how you can Make It More. at Thomas More University.

Visit options include virtual or in person. To schedule, go to thomasmore.edu/visit, call 859-344-3332, or scan the code.

Just minutes from downtown Cincinnati. thomasmore.edu

@ThomasMoreKY

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WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy. • Dayton, OH 45435 • (937) 775-1000 • www.wright.edu Wright State University offers world-class higher education right here in your backyard.

Over the last 50-plus years, Wright State has evolved from a small branch campus into today’s powerful economic engine, with more than 114,000 alumni around the world.

Our undergraduate tuition is among the lowest for Ohio four-year universities. The Wright Guarantee program locks in the same annual cost of in-state tuition, housing, and meal plans over a four-year college career. Our Dayton campus includes tunnels that connect 20 of the 23 academic buildings, adding to the university’s international reputation for accessibility for those with disabilities.

Enjoy campus life that includes music concerts, theater performances, outdoor recreation, NCAA Division I athletics, club sports, more than 150 student organizations, Greek life, and many opportunities for leadership and service.

Find your passion, find your people, find your future. Right Here. Right Now. Wright State.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1967 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 12,234 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 13:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 140 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 65 // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 8 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Most populated undergraduate programs are nursing, mechanical engineering, psychology, biological sciences, computer science, and early childhood education. // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 63 miles // IN-STATE TUITION: $4,981/semester (11–18 hours) // Out-of-state tuition: $9,690/semester (11–18 hours) // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 68% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Princeton Review Best Business School • Industrial and Human Factors Engineering, No. 37, U.S. News & World Report • Accredited Nursing Schools in Ohio, No. 3, NursingProcess.org // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: Wright State-Lake Campus, Celina, OH

Get a world-class education at one of the lowest four-year tuition rates in Ohio.

Safe. Affordable. Welcoming.

Inclusive. Excellent.

Visit Wright State right now, virtually or in person.

wright.edu/visit

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY 3800 Victory Parkway • Cincinnati, OH 45207 Undergraduate Enrollment Information: (513) 745-3301, xavier.edu/undergraduate-admission Graduate Enrollment Information: (513) 745-3360, xavier.edu/graduate-admission ALL FOR ONE. Xavier University was founded in Cincinnati nearly two centuries ago.

As a community of educators firmly grounded in Jesuit tradition and values, we prepare students for an increasingly complex future by always striving to be better.

How do we do it? By believing in the power of Magis—that more is always possible.

Our focus on developing intelligent minds and compassionate spirits inspires us to do more in the tradition of learning, serving, and achieving. We care about success, and about each other. We give students the tools to live a life that truly matters. Learn more at xavier.edu.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1831 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 7,112 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 12:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 90+ // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 40+ // DOCTORAL DEGREES OFFERED: 3 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Business, Education, Health, Liberal Arts // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 5 miles, 7 minutes // IN-STATE TUITION: $42,460 // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $ 42,460 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 99% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Among top 10 Midwest colleges and universities for 26 consecutive years (U.S. News & World Report) • One of the best values in private college education (Kiplinger’s Personal Finance) • One of the Best Colleges for 17 consecutive years (Princeton Review) // AFFILIATED COLLEGES/SATELLITE CAMPUSES: Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, downtown Cincinnati and Columbus locations; online program options available for MEd, MBA and more

xavier.edu

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ART ACADEMY OF CINCINNATI COLLEGE FOR THE REAL WORLD.

1212 Jackson St. •Countless Cincinnati,research OH 45202

Undergraduate and opportunities, Graduate Enrollment Information: two beautiful campuses — (513) 562-6262, artacademy.edu

one amazing experience.

The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a place where “Make Art, Make a Difference” is a way of life!

As one of the smallest independent art colleges in the country, our program is distinct. The intimate community is composed of radical artists and designers who establish the rules for the future. Our students receive individualized attention from faculty who are die-hard creatives—which makes them perfect for ushering in a new generation of artists.

Our commitment to preparing students to be innovators in the visual arts started in 1869 and holds true today, just in a different location, the historic district of Over-the-Rhine.

THE STATS YEAR FOUNDED: 1869 // CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 210 // STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 8:1 // UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: 6 // MASTER’S DEGREES OFFERED: 1 // SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE: Visual Art and Design Majors: Design, Illustration, Painting and Drawing, Print Media, Photography, Sculpture // DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI: 0 // IN-STATE TUITION: $28,908 // OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $28,908 // PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON FINANCIAL AID: 86% // TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Accredited by National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD); Higher Learning NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOU of Art & Commission: A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges & Schools; Charter member of Association of Independent Colleges GATEWAY.KCTCS.EDU/YOU Design (AICAD) // AFFILIATED CAMPUSES: Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities; The Art Academy of Come see forCOLLEGES/SATELLITE yourself: utoledo.edu/visit Cincinnati actively participates in the consortium’s New York Studio Residency Program.

TOP 5 REASONS

1.

FLEXIBLE SIX-WEEK BLOCKS

2. AFFORDABLE TUITION 3.

NCAA DIII ATHLETICS

4. 11:1 STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO 5. ONLINE CLASS OPTIONS

Stay close. Go far.

ON CAMPUS I ONLINE I SPALDING.EDU

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B

ASEBALL

F LO R E N C E , Y ’A L L

Dozens of host families support Northern Kentucky’s independent league team and its players, creating life-long bonds along the way.

BY J O H N S T O W E L L PHOTOG R A PHS BY A A R O N M . C O N W A Y HOME AWAY FROM HOME TREVOR CRAPORT IS SPENDING ANOTHER BASEBALL SEASON WITH THE WISE FAMILY IN ALEXANDRIA: (FROM LEFT) SCOTT, MICHA, AND LILA.

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dizzying formulaic acronyms such as wOBA (weighted on-base average) and BABIP (batting average on balls in play). It drives baseball fans who grew up following Mantle, Maris, and Mays crazy.

Craport understands the old-school attitude. He recalls the blast-motion gyroscope placed on the end of his bat when he was playing for Frederick, whose new owners were devotees of the game’s new devotion to science. Someone in the front office didn’t like what the spinning device said about Craport’s swing, so they let him go. “They hadn’t drafted me, so I was one

polite attitude won the day, and he played in the Freedom’s last 22 games of the season.

Ballplayers are assigned their host families in March, before spring training begins, so there’s a scramble when someone like Craport arrives on the scene in August. It’s up to Micha Wise to figure out where to put him. There’s no time to gather the player’s biographical information, meet with the manager, or figure out the best fit. Trevor was already on I-70 heading west when she found out he was coming.

Micha’s husband, Scott, helps her as a sort of logistics coordinator, and he recalls it was a Sunday when they got a text about Craport’s arrival while the family was at McDonald’s. He called all of the other host families but came up empty. He texted Craport to say he could stay at their place for a few days. He loved it, Lila loved it more, and those days have turned into a relationship that will likely last a lifetime.

Lila listens intently to the story and then brings me a packet of two-year-old

INDEPENDENT LEAGUE BASEBALL IS A TOUGH BUSINESS, SAYS Y’ALLS CO-OWNER DAVE DELBELLO. HOST FAMILIES PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND A TASTE OF HOME. of the first players out the door,” he says. “I learned the business side of baseball.”

His agent found the independent league gig in Florence, so Craport packed up his car and put Maryland in his rear-view mirror, heading toward an uncertain future where the Freedom were already more than three-quarters of the way through the 2019 season. He knew his credentials as a draft choice and veteran of minor league ball would draw some attention. As he drove into Cincinnati, he wondered if he’d be greeted with eye rolls or haunted by whispers about a washed-up player taking one of their jobs. Would he ruin the team’s chemistry? Would he find fear or open hostility from his new teammates?

“It was awkward,” Craport admits. “I didn’t even know most of the other players’ names, and it was a little abrupt being put into the lineup and batting fourth.” But his laid-back manner, modesty, and Georgia-

photos of an end-of-the-summer family outing at Kings Island. She and Craport are in every photo, and her favorite is the two of them sharing a bumper car. He was clearly a part of the Wise family already.

HOST FAMILIES ARE CRITICAL TO THE team’s success, says Dave DelBello, managing partner of the Y’Alls. He and a group of investors purchased the team in July 2019, and he serves as both the team president and the general manager. That’s how independent ball works: You do it all.

“This is a marginally profitable business,” DelBello explains, symbolically switching out his cleats for wingtips. “Unlike the minor league teams whose major league affiliates pay the bills, we have to pay for everything ourselves—the players, the coaches, the trainers, everyone. If we had to supplement the players living here, too, it probably wouldn’t be a viable business. But

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more importantly, I think, the host families provide a home atmosphere that’s so crucial for these guys.”

That home atmosphere extends beyond the diamond and even the baseball season.

Many of the host families correspond with their players during the winter months, use their vacations to visit them in their hometowns, and meet their real families.

The Walkers flew all the way to Hawaii to attend Brower’s wedding just a month before COVID-19 closed down the world.

Now in his fourth and presumably last season in Florence, Brower hadn’t played in a game since 2018, when he was injured in a jet ski accident that knocked him out of the 2019 season. Like almost everyone else, he missed the 2020 season as well when the Frontier League suspended operations. Baseball in the Commonwealth last summer was reduced to four Kentucky teams—two in Florence and two in Lexington—playing each other in a wash/ rinse/repeat cycle that generated little fan interest.

Nearly 5,000 miles away, Brower kept in shape mostly because his training business is all about building muscle and athleticism. He didn’t pick up a baseball for more than a year after the 2019 season ended, but decided early this year that he wanted one more summer on the diamond.

Brower started hitting off a tee with a local high school team and felt the old swing come back. His wife encouraged him, even though it meant up to six months apart.

She travels in her singing career, too, so she began to look for bookings that would bring her to the mainland.

“I’m playing as much for my kids [the high schoolers back in Hawaii that he’s been training] as for myself,” says Brower.

“I want to show them what you can do if you work at it.” He continues to run his business from here, sending videos and programming individualized workout regimens for his clients. Unlike Craport, he never had a taste of minor league baseball, but the lost season proved to him that he still had the passion to play.

The host families missed their players as COVID wiped out last season. I heard words such as lonely, boring, and empty used several times. They missed each other, too.

The families sit together in a section di-

rectly behind home plate and attend almost every home game. They cheer as loudly as any parents you’d see at their 5-year-old’s tee-ball game.

When the Frontier League decided to play the 2021 season, Micha Wise says, the families were elated and everyone signed up. Many, like the Walkers and the Wises, welcomed back the same players they’d taken in two seasons ago.

When the new Y’Alls management decided to invite 42 players to camp, Wise says her carefully-designed but complex spreadsheet and logistical skills were tested. Only 24 would survive spring training and go on to play this season, but she needed to find 42 beds for at least a few weeks.

Some families took up to five players.

Host families are not paid. They sign an agreement to provide a room, access to a bathroom, and kitchen privileges so the players can cook their own food. Players are responsible for their own transportation, doing their laundry, adhering to the “house

rules,” and purchasing their own food. Most players, however, report that they often eat with their host families, and it isn’t unusual to be sent to practice or a game with a Tupperware container full of leftovers.

“It’s so nice to come back from a week and a half road trip and not have to think about finding that all the food you’ve got at home is spoiled,” Craport says, reflecting on the long bus sojourns he’s taken through Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

The homey atmosphere extends to the field. Florence’s stadium bordering I-71/75 features a huge children’s playground in right field, $4 craft beers and $2 Buds, attention-grabbing antics between innings, good sight lines from every seat, and lots and lots of advertising. Every player has a sponsor, and when he’s introduced, so is an ad. There are ads for almost everything that happens on the field. My favorite is from a local plumber that follows every strikeout of an opposing player with the cheery dismissal of the failed batter: “Another

player flushed down the toilet by Marco Plumbing.” I laugh the first time I hear it, and Angie Bailie, sitting next to me, looks perplexed. “Oh,” she says, “we don’t even hear that stuff anymore.”

It’s a long drive from Atlanta, where Craport lives during the off-season, and there was no time to rest once he arrived at the Wises’ home for this season’s spring training. Lila was waiting for him. Their connection is sweet to watch, and I remembered his gentleness with her a few days later when I saw Craport spear a hot grounder at third and throw off-balance to nip the runner at first.

Lila is more impressed with the large dark circles under Craport’s right arm and down his back. They’re bruises resulting from a suction device athletes use to force more blood to flow into tired muscles, a procedure called “cupping.”

Lila assures me it doesn’t hurt and then shows off her own dings. “I’ve got them, too, but I got mine on the giant slide.”

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RED FLAGS AT THE GORGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 55

property. “We want to create a place where Procter & Gamble and Fifth Third Bank want to have their corporate retreats and board meetings. It needs to be of that caliber.”

When the idea of a destination resort in Red River Gorge began to percolate, Adkisson was president of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the state’s largest business association. Its charitable nonprofit arm, called the Kentucky Chamber Foundation, first convened a task force to consider

learned to listen, or they’ve learned to hide their intentions better.”

At the time, RRED was led by a board of managers that included some of the area’s top bankers, business leaders from or still living in the Red River region, and a few of the area’s county judge executives (the highest level of elected county office in Kentucky). After that initial meeting, RRED put together a 12-member local advisory board to solicit public opinion on the plan. Dario Ventura was invited to join, and he immediately saw the potential for the area getting overrun.“What happens when a mega hotel is doing good? Someone will build another one,” he says. “It’s a ripple effect.”

Still, Ventura says he went into the advisory process gung-ho, with another idea for the property—a music venue, sort of like Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater in Colorado. “That supports everything here

“I CAN THINK OF A LOT OF USES FOR $1 MILLION THAT WOULD BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF THESE COUNTIES MORE THAN A RESORT HOTEL,” SAYS KRISTEN WILEY. economic options for eastern Kentucky in 2013, hoping to create jobs and strengthen the state’s economy.

The foundation identified Red River Gorge as the prime location and created a subcommittee called Red River Economic Development (RRED) to apply for grants and to begin inching the idea forward.

RRED secured $500,000 from the federal Appalachian Regional Commission, which the state government matched with another $500,000.

The general public in Red River Gorge first learned of the plan in fall 2019, says Wiley, when an e-mailed invitation to a meeting about a resort began to circulate.

She attended the meeting and was immediately struck by the presenters’ tone. “It was like, We want to help you, you poor little people. We’re going to bring in good jobs. It will be good for you,” she recalls. “I have a master’s degree, and I’m not a stupid person, but I felt very talked down to as part of that audience. I can’t say I’ve felt that as much through the process. Maybe they

and could make some investors a lot of money,” he says. The further he got into the process, however, the more he realized there was “a bigger wheel turning.” It became clear to him that RRED would not drop the resort concept.

Wiley was also invited to be on the advisory board, as were individuals in the cabin rental business, leaders in local tourism and at health agencies, and environmentalists like Laura Gregory, Red River Watershed coordinator for the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. She moved to the area in 2009 after earning a bachelor’s degree in geography at the University of Texas. She and her husband fell in love with the people, the place, and the pace of life in the Gorge.

When it comes to water quality, the good news is the Red River is pretty healthy, says Gregory, but some of its headwater streams are impaired, meaning they don’t meet all environmental standards. Further development of the area, more people, and more traffic could make it harder to keep everything in good shape, she says.

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RRED held an option to buy the nearly 1,000-acre plot of land, which had been cobbled together, parcel by parcel, by Ian Teal, a Cincinnatian in the cabin business.

He initially thought of building cabins on the property, according to a video interview with The Lexington Herald. RRED hired Canadian consulting firm Stantec to complete a master plan for the resort and a tourism plan for the region that would not only make the place more welcoming to visitors but also leverage opportunities to add jobs, education opportunities, and infrastructure improvements. They consulted dozens of people, organizations, and businesses in the Red River Gorge and held a series of public meetings.

Corralling so many voices was a highlight of the process, Gregory says. Elected officials heralded the process, noting it was the first time people from across the region had come together to discuss a tourism plan and future development in the Gorge. She feels that RRED leaders and their consultants listened to the local advisory board on some points and that Stantec created a “pretty decent plan,” with environmental standards for construction and thoughtful considerations for the community, including ways to ease flooding issues. She still thinks the resort is too big.

“I have plenty of friends in other parts of eastern Kentucky who say their communities would love a project like this,” Gregory says. “Those areas are more affected by the loss of coal jobs, which much of the funding for this development project came from in the first place.”

Her biggest concern, which is echoed throughout the community, is how the plan will get implemented, because there are no rules for planning and zoning here—no way for anyone to hold a developer accountable. “How will the community and environment handle the increase of visitors regarding wastewater, trash, and search and rescue, which are already really overused,” asks Gregory. “I came here 12 years ago, and it’s frustrating for me to hear people who move here and expect the door to close behind them, with no one else allowed in. The Gorge is going to keep growing, but will it be at an organic pace? A pace we can manage?”

THE OTHER ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, locals say, is the community’s mistrust over who will benefit financially from the resort project. Locals repeatedly asked at the public meetings whether the bankers and businessmen on the board would be the ones who would ultimately profit.

“They were very political in their answers,” says Gregory, “like, Well, anyone can put up the money for this. So, we asked if it could be organized as a community cooperative resort.” The Gorge has always been grassroots, she says, with an all-volunteer search and rescue team and local organizations maintaining and rebuilding trails.

That everyone could get a cut was wishful thinking, though, she says.

In March, the property was purchased for $2.25 million by a group of investors that includes two founding members of RRED (Charles Beach III, CEO of People’s Exchange Bank in Winchester, and Elmer Whitaker, CEO of Whitaker Bank) as well as Adkisson, who retired from the chamber and became RRED’s project manager.

Adkisson contends that there is nothing nefarious about the property purchase and that it was done “sacrificially.” The day before RRED’s option to buy the property was set to expire, a group of project supporters banded together to buy the property and keep the plan alive. “We hope to find a developer who will buy the property and recover our investment,” he says in a Zoom interview. “Our goal is to hold onto the property up to three years. If we can’t sell it, we will auction it off. Nobody has a majority interest, and, in our bylaws, no one can buy a majority interest.”

Beach and Whitaker stepped down from the RRED board to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest, but because Adkisson is now volunteering for the nonprofit and is no longer paid he’s been advised that he does not have a legal conflict and can stay involved. “We don’t want to leave the impression we have our hand in the till here,” says Adkisson, who points out that without planning and zoning rules the property could just as easily become a pig farm or a stone quarry. The property’s new owners, he says, have literally bought more time to find a developer to build something along the lines of the master plan.

RRED has been flexible and accommo-

dated community requests, according to Adkisson. It quickly dropped an unpopular idea to include a casino, and the resort plan takes up just 8 percent of the property, leaving the rest as conservation-access land and preserving the natural landscape.

Adkisson wants to dispel a rumor that he bought an adjacent 500-acre property, saying, “I have not had nor plan to have any other investments in the area, though I do occasionally buy a pizza at Miguel’s.

Red River Gorge is going to grow regardless. They could all close their doors, and it would continue to grow because of its reputation and beauty. Some of the stakeholders are hesitant, of course, but if you went and talked to the graduating class of Powell County High School about 500 jobs being created, they’d probably hug you.”

Wiley remains wary. “I do have some real questions about forming a nonprofit, getting $1 million from state and federal government, and then benefitting from that,” she says. “It feels wrong. I can think of a lot of uses for $1 million that would benefit the people of these counties tomorrow.

It’s disappointing that the one little corner of the world I chose to be in may fall to the kind of exploitation that seems to happen to a lot of beautiful places.”

THE THREE-YEAR COUNTDOWN IS NOW on to find a developer. Adkisson says the local advisory board will be asked to continue working with RRED, which is no longer part of the Kentucky Chamber Foundation but a stand-alone nonprofit. Its board of managers doesn’t include any investors now, he says, and the group is committed to working with the public and local government to get something built that will serve the area’s citizens.

Red River Gorge United no longer considers itself an opposition group, says Wiley, but instead is working to find the best way to influence and limit any negative impacts a big resort might have on the community. And one of the county judge executives in the area has suggested area residents get involved in local government by pushing for some sort of checks and balances on area development.

“It’s a balance between providing highlevel recreation for all who love the Red River Gorge but also protecting the archeo-

logical, geological, botanical, and wilderness aspects that make it so unique,” says Tim Eling, a supervisor with the U.S. Forest Service who has worked in the area for 16 years. Proposed changes include designating all official backcountry campsites, creating a reservation system for both backcountry and car camping, and expanding the official trail system.

Wiley and others say it’s a good thing the Forest Service is taking steps to curb overcrowding, like adding parking and possible shuttle service and expanding trails. It should help reduce the impact of an additional 90,000 annual visitors, which is what resort planners estimate they’ll bring in.

Gregory hopes the RRED process won’t be the last the community hears of regional tourism and economic development efforts.

Ideas like a proposed one-stop-shop adventure hub at the Slade exit where visitors can book adventures, catch a shuttle, or hike new trails connecting the area’s small businesses and attractions are much needed—but so are the creation of a local business incubator and more educational, career, and healthcare opportunities. RRED identified local tourism directors, elected officials, and business leaders as ambassadors for the resort plan to help move it forward.

Back at Miguel’s, Dario Ventura worries most about people in the community who the development might eventually price out, either when their land becomes more valuable, they sell and move, or their rent becomes too high to stay. Rural gentrification, some around the Gorge call it.

There’s already a shortage of service and hospitality workers in the area, Ventura says, and little to no affordable housing available for them.

His father, Miguel, sits nearby in the sun after making the day’s pizza dough.

The family patriarch recently bought some more land in the Gorge that he plans to preserve. He encourages anyone who wants the place to remain a shadow of itself to do the same.

Perhaps a destination resort will just polish the area up a bit and leave it mostly intact, someone suggests. “It doesn’t need polishing,” Miguel Ventura says. “You can over-polish something and ruin the natural beauty.”

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NEWSLETTERS

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CHICKEN WAFFLE CONES P. 112

CHEF KYMBERLY WILBON P. 112

SLEEPY BEE IN AVONDALE P. 114

MOBILE BARS P. 114

GONE FISHING Metropole’s seared tuna crudo, served with herbed Greek yogurt, savory granola, sunflower seeds, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS VON HOLLE

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DINING OUT

FRESH START

A downtown institution gets a thorough makeover, with a new chef, new menu, and new attitude. — A K S H A Y A H U J A

F

OR THE PAST FEW YEARS, METROPOLE HAS STRUCK ME AS BEING IN A RUT. THE menu was chugging along, serving a lot of the same food they had served for years, without the sense of invention or excitement that had marked its early days, or the long tenure of Chef Jared Bennett. What a relief it is, now, to see an almost entirely new menu under Executive Chef Vanessa Miller. When I ate there, it was early spring, and dishes were full of the first products of the season—pea shoots, radishes, asparagus, and a few strawberries.

Miller’s style is less playful than the old Metropole, but direct, uncluttered, and often more satisfying. The chef says she tries to keep plates as simple as possible, with a focus on self-editing and a belief that ingredients, from carrots to scallops, “should look and taste like what they are.”

One dish exemplifies her vision at its most successful: the jam and cheese toast. She takes two excellent local products—Urban Stead’s gouda and Sixteen Bricks bread—and makes them sing with a beautiful house-made jam that changes with the seasons (during our visit, it was rose and raspberry). In each bite, you get the luscious and creamy, the tart, and a little sparkle of prickly spice from pink peppercorns in the jam. Utterly simple in conception, there is still a complexity and roundness that makes the dish intriguing to the last bite.

This dish is only one of many highlights. The kitchen clearly has a special knack with pasta. The tagliatelle was beautifully made, tender without losing texture or definition. That night, the carbonara was made with lobster instead of crab, lightly blistered asparagus, still fresh and crisp, with a perfect bal1 1 0 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

FYI

Metropole 609 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 578-6660, metropole onwalnut.com Hours Dinner: Sun, Wed, & Thurs 5:30–10 pm, Fri & Sat 5– 10 pm. Brunch: Sat & Sun 9 am–2 pm.

Prices $8 (Jam and Cheese Toast)–$32 (Grilled NY Strip Steak) Credit Cards All major The Takeaway A rejuvenated Metropole gets a welcome shot of simplicity.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS VON HOLLE

DOWNTOWN VIBES (From left) Metropole’s main dining room; tagliatelle carbonara made with king crab, sweet corn, and speck; seared sea scallops pop with pickled strawberries; Executive Chef Vanessa Miller.

ance between spice and citrusy brightness.

Dishes like this—or the New York strip with mashed potatoes and broccolini— don’t try to reinvent the wheel, but highlight the quality of the meat and produce.

As Miller mentioned, you taste what they are as much as you taste what the kitchen has done to them.

A few of the dishes, though, show what might make the new Metropole unique on our culinary landscape. Miller has a gift for creating fascinating flavor and textural combinations, like the sweet-and-savory black sesame granola served with the tuna crudo. Several of my favorite dishes straddled the line between sweet and savory. The scallop dish, in particular, was fascinating, as it kept defying normal categories, with savory lentils dotted with sliced strawberries, and the naturally sweet scallops paired with pecans and another granola-like breadcrumb topping. It felt odd, at times, but also very intriguing and, after I wrapped my head around it, totally delicious.

The menu is so thoroughly transformed that I was surprised to see one holdover from the restaurant’s old days: the famous burnt carrot salad. Fans of this dish and its tart pickled onions, creamy avocado, and intense charred flavor will be surprised if they order it today. The carrots are whole and tender crisp, not burnt at all, and the entire dish is saucier and redolent of sesame, without the sour Latin-tinged flavors it once had. This strikes me as one of Miller’s few mistakes. If you keep an iconic dish on the menu, you’d better keep it the same. Holding onto a name that’s no longer accurate just ends up being confusing for diners. The dish, also, felt much

muddier and unfocused than the others, and contained the only real execution error of the meal—a seriously underripe avocado.

It’s time to forget about the old Metropole, get this dish off the menu, and celebrate the many new and excellent things that Miller is cooking up.

When we ate at Metropole, the fog of 2020 was starting to lift, and the restaurant was filling up again—albeit with the tables still farther apart than they once were. The big yellow penguins were making the rounds again, the zingy lemon cotton candy came at the end of the meal, and there were interesting new tapestries in the neighboring gallery. The vibe was good, and part of this vibe, I think, relates to the sense of respect for staff that comes across when you talk to Miller. There are little signs of this respect if you look for them. I noticed, for example, the menu calls out the initials of the bartenders who developed each unique cocktail. There was even a menu item where you could buy a round for the kitchen staff. During a hard service, Miller says the staff always sends up a little cheer when they hear that one of these gifts has been ordered.

During the past year, it’s been hard not to notice that the people who actually keep our society running—from delivery drivers to grocery store workers—aren’t paid very well. Equally vital contributions are made by the people who grow, harvest, prepare, and serve our food. Even small gestures of respect, like a line in the menu, are important.

Lots of changes are coming to Metropole as the year continues.

The menu will transition to summer as soon as fresh corn and tomatoes are available. Pasta offerings will expand and the rooftop bar will start serving more dishes, particularly more fresh seafood.

Thanks to Miller, a lot to look forward to. Metropole, I’m glad to say, is back on its feet again.

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TABLESIDE WITH...

TAKEOUT HERO

KYMBERLY WILBON

THE OWNER AND PRIVATE chef behind The Passion Plate discusses her Easy-Bake Oven, taking a leap of faith, and her zeal for food.

How did you get into cooking? I knew I loved to cook when I got my Easy-Bake Oven. I simultaneously realized that people like cakes and that I’m a people pleaser. It made me feel good to make them happy.

Still does.

What’s your specialty? I don’t have a style or specialty. I have a way of cooking. When you eat my food, it’s unexpected. That’s where “S.O.U.L.” comes from: “Seasonal, Organic, Unexpected, and Local.”

Cone Head GIVEN THE POPULARITY OF CHICKEN AND WAFFLES AND WAFFLE CONES, IT WAS ONLY a matter of time before someone decided to serve chicken in a waffle cone. Turns out, that “someone” was Chick’nCone, a popular franchise that recently opened its first Ohio location in Hamilton.

Of course, a clever concept will only take you so far. Thankfully, Chick’nCone also nails the execution. For one thing, the cones are made onsite with a waffle iron (now I want all my waffle cones hot off the iron). The chicken nuggets are air fried, so they’re soft and light, which is crucial, as too much grease would soak through the cone. It’s about the softest chicken I’ve ever had, fitting for something packed in an ice cream cone.

Like a good ice cream shop, Chick’nCone offers several sauces/toppings. Looking to satisfy my sweet tooth, I went with cinnamon-maple. The chicken was coated with cinnamon and glazed with a maple drizzle, which made it taste like a meaty monkey bread. I rounded out the meal with Caj’nCorn—a sweet and spicy side that helped slow the sugar rush—and a side of creamy mac and cheese.

Part of a new mixed-use development, Chick’nCone sits along the Great Miami River between the resurgent bustle of downtown Chick’nCone, 134 Riverfront Plaza, Hamilton and the quiet green space of Marcum Park. It’s the perfect Hamilton, (513) 889spot for a summer stroll, dinner in hand. — B R A N D O N W U S K E 3075, chickncone.com 1 1 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

Why did you want to start your own business? I was a bridal consultant and also working at McCormick & Schmick’s, and a friend said, Why don’t you just concentrate on your catering? I couldn’t do both, so I just leap-frogged into the next chapter in my life. I didn’t decide. Fate decided it for me.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned by cooking for people? That food can be so many different things to so many different people. When I interview clients about the food they love the most, I find people mostly eat their childhood. Though their palates may have gotten a bit more sophisticated, what they really want are foods they loved as a child. People who really know food understand what food can do for you. Food is love.

—A I ESH A D. L I T T LE The Passion Plate (at Findlay Kitchen), 1719 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, thepassionplate.com

PH OTO G R A PH BY A N D R E W D O E N C H / H A N D M O D ELIN G BY A M A N DA MILLER- D O EN CH / ILLU S TR ATI O N BY C H R I S DA N G E R

TRY THIS

ICE, ICE BABY It’s burning up outside. You know what would soothe your heat exhaustion? A slushie.

But not just any slushie will do. Enter Thai Tea House in Florence. This spot, which focuses on bubble teas, slushies, and specialty coffees, is the casual little sister to the full-service Mai Thai Restaurant & Sushi Bar nearby. Blended primarily with regular ice, frappe powder, fruit syrup, and water, Thai Tea’s slushie comes in a variety of flavors, including iced tea, lychee, yogurt, and cocoa. But owner Scarlett Stander says the taro is the fan favorite. A puree made with taro—the starchy Asian root vegetable— replaces the fruit syrup used in other flavors for just a touch of sweetness. If you can’t make it over this summer, don’t worry; the slushie is available year-round.

—AIESHA D. LITTLE Thai Tea House, 7563 Mall Rd., Florence, (859) 869-4114, thaiteahouseky.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS VON HOLLE

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LUNCHBOX

Bee Mine

Serving brunch for the busy.

LEEPY BEE ON THE FLY (FORMERLY WAGGLE) feels like a Sunday morning, even on a Tuesday afternoon. The bright venue greets customers with flower-shaped lamps and nature-themed decor, while workers sling scrambles, sandwiches, and bowls loaded with everything from quinoa to chorizo to vegan goetta.

We enjoyed The Queen City Bee, a goetta and egg sandwich with sliced apple, arugula, and Sleepy Bee’s spicy “nectar” sauce on a fluffy milk bun. The flavors were perfectly balanced, and all the produce transformed the generous slab of meat-and-grain patty into something nearly healthy. “Dessert” was a chocolate chip pancake with just enough sweetness in every bite that it paired well with a classic cappuccino.

The menu covers all the brunch essentials, including mimosas. Carnivores have Piggy Cakes (pancakes laced with bacon), vegans get The Sweet Bee (a brown rice bowl packed with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and chimichurri), and with the Build It menu option, your only limitation is your imagination.

A stone’s throw from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, this branch of the popular local breakfast mini-chain leans into the mobile order revolution.

Hence, the picnic tables a few steps outside the door, offering a seat in the shade, perfect for lunch breaks. But if you’re in a rush, this cafe is made with you in mind.

Sleepy Bee On The Fly literally delivers.

S

—M. LEIGH HOOD Sleepy Bee On The Fly, 3440 Burnet Ave., Avondale, (513) 221-1307, sleepybeeonthefly.com

TAKE 5

DRINKS TO GO

Luxury mobile bars are all the rage these days. Take your pick of these traveling booze slingers sloshing their way around the Queen City.

—AIESHA D. LITTLE

THE MERRY MARE

FOXTAILS

CLEMENTINE CARAVAN

POP! MOBILE BAR

MAY BELLS MOBILE BAR

Entrepreneurs Emma Jones, Tracy Tekulve, and Melissa Gerth converted an old horse trailer into a luxury mobile bar from which they serve cocktails for special occasions. They offer signature drinks blended with fresh botanicals. themerrymare.com

Owner Erin Fox serves prebatched specialty craft cocktails out of a refurbished 1962 Airstream at pop-ups and private events.

You can also book a “Foxtender” (a Foxtails bartender) through the business’s in-home services. findfoxtails.com

Owner Amanda Nelson serves drinks out of a renovated camper.

Specializing primarily in wedding receptions, she’ll prepare two signature craft cocktails with custom framed menus as well as fruit-infused water and lemonade for the non-drinkers. clementinecaravan.com

Daveed’s Catering & Culinary Kitchen’s repurposed Burro camper is available for beverage and bar service at any type of party. Daveed’s also offers the Coco Champagne cart, which can serve Champagne, beer, wine, and coffee. popmobilebar.com

Part of the “garden to glass” movement, Meggie Wainscott Martin and her team grow as many of their own ingredients as they can on a farm in Boone County and then sling their specialty mocktails and cocktails out of a 1968 Scotty Serro camper. themarianevents.com/ maybellsmobilebar

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PHOTOGRAPH BY DYLAN BAUER

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

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

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

115 AMERICAN 115 BARBECUE 116 CAJUN/CARIBBEAN 116 CHINESE 116 ECLECTIC 117 FRENCH 117 INDIAN 117 ITALIAN 118 JAPANESE 118 KOREAN

= Named a

118 MEXICAN

March 2019.

118 STEAKS

Top 10 Best Restaurant

119 VIETNAMESE

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 cumin-spiced 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 old-fashioned, slow way.

AMERICAN 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—exquisitely golden from pan searing—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. $$

GREYHOUND TAVERN Back in the streetcar days, this roughly 100-yearold roadhouse was at the end of the Dixie Highway line, where the cars turned around to head north. The place was called the Dixie Tea Room then, and they served ice cream. The fried chicken came along in the 1930s, and they’re still dishing it up today. Families and regulars alike pile in on Mondays and Tuesdays for the fried chicken dinner. While the juicy (never greasy) chicken with its lightly seasoned, crisp coating is the star, the side dishes—homemade biscuits, cole slaw, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy—will make you ask for seconds. Call ahead no matter what night you choose: There’s bound to be a crowd.

Not in the mood for chicken? Choose from steaks, seafood, sandwiches, and comfort food options that include meatloaf and a Kentucky Hot Brown.

Or just try the onion rings. You’ll wonder where onions that big come from.

2500 Dixie Highway, Ft. Mitchell, (859) 3313767, greyhoundtavern.com. Lunch and dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC, DS. $$

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 ILLUSTR ATIO N BY EMI VILL AVICENCIO

DATE NIGHT

This summer, EpicPicnic is offering “luxury picnic experiences” for you and your boo with its two-hour Picnic Date. For $240, the package comes with decor (including a blanket, a rug, pillows, tableware, and linens) and a grazing board of gourmet cheeses, cured meats, fig spread, dried fruit, nuts, and crackers/ bread.

epicpicnic.com

1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 5798400, gooseandelder.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

OTTO’S Chef/owner Paul Weckman opened Otto’s, named after his father-in-law, with $300 worth of food and one employee—himself. Weckman’s food is soothing, satisfying, and occasionally, too much of a good thing. His tomato pie is beloved by lunch customers: Vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and chopped green onions packed into a homemade pie shell, topped with a cheddar cheese spread, and baked until bubbly. Weckman’s straightforward preparations are best. The shrimp and grits with sauteed shrimp spinach, mushrooms, Cajun beurre blanc atop a fried grit cake, short ribs braised in red wine and herbs, served over mashed potatoes with green beans and caramelized baby carrots that will bring you the comfort of a home-cooked meal. This is, at its heart, a neighborhood restaurant, a place with its own large, quirky family.

521 Main St., Covington, (859) 491-6678, ottosonmain.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

RED FEATHER KITCHEN Historically peasant-grade cuts of meat get the full Pygmalion treatment at Red Feather in Oakley, where there’s deep respect for the time and tending necessary to bring a short rib, pork chop, or hanger steak to its full potential. After a quick sear to lock in juices, the steak takes a turn in the wood-fired oven. While primal cuts play a leading role, the supporting cast is just as captivating.

The hot snap of fresh ginger in the carrot soup was especially warming on a winter evening and the crispy skin on the Verlasso salmon acts as the foil to the plump, rich flesh. Service here only im-

proves the experience.

3200 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 407-3631, redfeatherkitchen.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$

THE WILDFLOWER CAFÉ Wildflower Café is not the sort of place that tries to wow anyone with feats of inventiveness. Its formula is simple 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 (salads, steaks, burgers) 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, wildflowergourmetcafe.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$$

BARBECUE ELI’S BBQ 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 Mason-Dixon 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-yourown, and the barbecue is bona fide.

3313 Riverside Dr., East End, (513) 533-1957, elisbarbeque.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

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WHERE TO EAT NOW

SINNERS & SAINTS TAVERN You won’t leave this Texas smokehouse/sports bar hungry. From the Not Yo Mama’s Fried Bologna sandwich to the slow-smoked brisket—served with Texas BBQ sauce, white bread, and pickles, or in a hoagie—you can’t go wrong with these rich barbecue flavors. Several dishes, like the housemade sausage links, draw on German influences found in both Texas and Cincinnati cuisine, while the sides take flavors back to the country (try the creamy coleslaw, crispy onion straws, and chilispiced cornbread). The resaurant’s character shines through its decor, which includes hanging hockey memorabilia, pictures of public figures and tables made from real NBA courts.

2062 Riverside Dr., East End, (513) 281-4355, sinsaintsmoke.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

CAJUN/ CARIBBEAN BREWRIVER CREOLE

DA BOMB

If you’re ever in London and you want to try to the United Kingdom’s take on Skyline’s three-way, head to Cincinnati Chilibomb. Started by restaurateur and former P&Ger Tim Brice, the restaurant turns out its own version of our famous chili, served in a “brioche sphere.”

cincinnatichilibomb. co.uk

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 cornmeal 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 & lunch Fri–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 homestyle 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, letseat.at/KnottyPine. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

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CHINESE CHINESE IMPERIAL INN The chilies-on-steroids cooking here will have you mopping beads of garlic-laced sweat from your brow. The musky, firecracker-red Mongolian chicken stabilizes somewhere just before nirvana exhaustion, and aggressively pungent shredded pork with dried bean curd leaves your eyes gloriously glistening from its spicy hot scarlet oil.

Even an ice cold beer practically evaporates on your tongue. Do not fear: not all the dishes are incendiary. Try the seafood—lobster, Manila clams, Dungeness and blue crabs, whelk, and oysters—prepared with tamer garlicky black bean sauce, or ginger and green onions. The Cantonese wonton soup, nearly as mild as your morning bowl of oatmeal, is as memorable as the feverish stuff. Sliced pork and shrimp are pushed into the steaming bowl of noodles and greens just before serving. Think comforting, grandmotherly tenderness.

tuguese-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. $$

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. $$

11042 Reading Rd., Sharonville, (513) 5636888, chineseimperialinn.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

ECLECTIC

GREAT TANG Although the (24-page!) menu features classic dishes in every style, the specialty at Great Tang is the refined coastal cuisine of Zhejiang. If you like spice, you can get still the Sichuanese and Hunanese classics. One dish will hint at the surprises in store for people who are mainly used to Chinese takeout: the lovely Xian cold noodle. The dish is exquisitely layered: the creamy and nutty undertone of sesame paste, mixed with notes of tang and spice, topped with the bright pop of cilantro.

The combination of textures is also delightful, with crunches of cucumber and sprouted mung and the softness of the flat noodles. And that tofu! It was wonderfully meaty, with dense layers, substantial and satisfying as a counterpart to the noodles.

Be as brave as you are in the mood to be. Ask for some suggestions and prepare to be astonished.

7340 Kingsgate Way, West Chester, (513) 847-6097, greattangohio.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Mon, dim sum Sat & Sun. 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.

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 Por-

Top 10

BOCA

With its grand staircase, chandelier, and floor-to-ceiling draperies, Boca has an atmosphere of grandeur and refinement. There is a sense of drama not only in the decor but in everything it serves. In some dishes, there is a painterly sense of contrast and surprise, like violet-derived purple sugar beside the pain de Gênes (French almond cake). In others, there is a dramatic suspense, like the whole egg yolk quivering in the center of the Fassone tartare waiting to be broken. While staying mostly grounded in the fundamentals of Italian and French cuisine, Boca has an air of international sophistication that sets its food apart. The hamachi crudo, an old standby on the menu, takes Japanese flavors and gives them new dimensions with grapefruit suprêmes and slivers of shishito pepper. This is food of extraordinary creativity and flair.

114 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 542-2022, bocacincinnati.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$$

Top 10

BOUQUET RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR

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. $$

CHÉ This Walnut Street spot draws on authentic Argentine recipes, including the empanadas. Choose from more than a dozen different crispy, perfectly cinched dough pockets, with fillings ranging from ILLUSTR ATIO N BY EMI VILL AVICENCIO

traditional (a mixture of cumin-spiced beef, egg, and olives) to experimental (mushrooms, feta, green onion, and mozzarella). There are also six different dipping sauces to choose from, but you need not stray from the house chimichurri. It complements practically every item on the menu, but particularly the grilled meats, another Argentinian staple. Marinated beef skewers and sausages are cooked on an open-flame grill, imparting welcome bits of bitter char to the juicy meat.

brings back the vegetable-forward menu with a few concessions to contemporary tastes. Dinner options now include steaks and heavier, braised entrées. But the stir-fries, beans and rice, pasta, and the traditional option to add a protein to an entrée (tofu, tempeh, chicken, or local chorizo) for a $2 upcharge are all old standards. While dishes are generally hearty, they are rarely too rich, leaving room to freely consider dessert. There are a small selection of baked goods, including a gooey butter cake, homemade fruit pies, and Madisono’s Gelato.

1342 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 345-8838, checincinnati.com. Lunch Tues–Sun , dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

1550 Blue Rock St., Northside, (513) 542-7884, ruthscafe.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$

MASHROOTS

TERANGA

After serving mofongo at Findlay Market for nearly four years, Mashroots opened its first brick-and-mortar spot in College Hill this year. For the uninitiated, mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish of mashed fried plantains with garlic and olive oil, typically served with protein and sauce.

Here, you can get plantain, yuca, or sweet potato as your root and a protein, like skirt steak or pulled chicken. Top it off with veggies (pinkslaw, vinagrete, citruscarrot) and a sauce (pink mayo, anyone?), and wash it all down with refreshing cocktails made with rum and harder-to-find spirits.

5903 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 620-4126, mashroots.com. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sat, Lunch and dinner Sun. MCC. $

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.

Top 10

501 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-6482, mitas.co.

Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

ORCHIDS AT PALM COURT

The food at Orchids is wonderfully complex, diverse, and surprising. A dish of parsnip soup has a quinoa chip and apple butter, along with salty duck prosciutto, notes of smoke and spice from the espelette pepper at the base of the bowl, and a touch of acid that crept in on the roasted parsnip. In a few dazzling bites it all comes together like a highly technical piece of music.

A Southeast Asian–inspired halibut dish, with its green curry paste, adobo, and peanut brittle, breaks out of the restaurant’s traditionally European comfort zone. Aside from the food, part of the pleasure is simply being in the space, enjoying the jazz band, and watching the grace and assurance of the staff as they present the meal.

Top 10

35 W. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 564-6465, orchidsatpalmcourt.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$

PLEASE

It’s hard to describe the food at Please to a person who hasn’t been there, except that it’s like nothing else in Cincinnati. Some of chef-owner Ryan Santos’s culinary experiments have been bizarre, some fascinating, and some simply delicious—and all of it emerges from a dining room–centered kitchen that seems like it belongs in a small apartment. Almost all of his risks hit their marks, from the frothy bay leaf–grapefruit mignonette on the oysters to the cedar-rosemary custard. What has made Please increasingly wonderful is a willingness, at times, to deliver something straightforward, like an outstanding course of rye gnocchi or a spicy green kale sauce with a lemony zing.

That this weird and wonderful restaurant exists at all, and is actually thriving, is a compliment not just to Santos and his staff but to the city as a whole.

Top 10

1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 405-8859, pleasecincinnati.com. Dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $$$

RUTH’S PARKSIDE CAFÉ

The spiritual successor of Mullane’s Parkside Café, Ruth’s

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. $

THE VIEW AT SHIRES’ GARDEN

The name of this restaurant demands that one question be answered first: So, how’s that view? Well, it’s impressive.

The cocktail list tells you a lot about The View at Shires’ Garden. Some restaurants create a whole list of original drinks. Here, it’s the classics: things like the Sazerac and the old fashioned. The menu is full of genuinely seasonal dishes, like the spaghetti squash with a creamy pecorino Alfredo sauce. The Asian-inspired skin-on black cod in dashi broth gently flaked apart in a subtle, flavorful miso broth and was served with wontons of minced fish, each with a magical citrusy quality (from lemongrass) that elevated the whole dish and made it special.

309 Vine St., 10th Floor, downtown, (513) 407-7501, theviewatshiresgarden.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$$

LE BAR A BOEUF

Jean-Robert de Cavel’s upscale alterna-burger-shack 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 mac-and-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 (all-vegan on Wed), dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

BRIJ MOHAN

ZULA

For a restaurant whose name loosely derives from an Israeli slang term for “hidden treasure,” it seems apt that a dish or two might sneak in and stun—like the mussels Marseilles, with its bouillabaisse-style broth, rich with saffron, tomato, and fennel. But Zula is no one-trick pony. With a wood-fired oven on the premises, it’s incumbent on you to try the flatbreads. One zula is the eggplant option, where caramelized onions and marinated red bell peppers pair well with subtly sweet fontina. Not every bite at Zula is a game-changer, but one is all you need.

1400 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 744-9852, zulabistro.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

Order at the counter the way you might at a fast food joint, except the shakes come in mango and there’s no supersizing your mint lassi. The saag, full of cream in most northern Indian restaurants, is as intensely flavored as collard greens in the Deep South—real Punjabi soul food. Tarka dal is spectacular here, the black lentils smoky from charred tomatoes and onions, and the pani puri, hollow fried shells into which you spoon a peppery cold broth, burst with tart cool crunch. Follow the spice with soothing ras malai, freshly made cheese simmered in thick almond-flavored milk, cooled and sprinkled with crushed pistachios.

11259 Reading Rd., Sharonville, (513) 769-4549, brijmohancincinnati.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MC, V, DC. $

I TA L I A N

FRENCH CHEZ RENÉE FRENCH BISTROT

233 Main St., Milford, (513) 428-0454, chezreneefrenchbistrot.com. Lunch and dinner Tues– Sat. MCC. $$

A TAVOLA

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.

In 2011, Jared Wayne opened A Tavola Pizza with two friends just as OTR was blowing up. Fast-forward a decade. The OTR outpost is closed but the second location is still going strong in the ’burbs: A Tavola Madeira capitalizes on the menu from the Vine Street location, including the fresh and zesty asparagus, artichoke, and feta pizza on a Neapolitan crust; gooey mozzarella-filled arancini, or risotto fritters; and the unequaled Blue Oven English muffin eggplant sliders. Wash down your small plates with a glass of crisp and grassy Sannio falanghina or an ice-cold Peroni lager. Not ones to rest on their laurels, they also fire up a third Italian import—an Italforni Bull Oven—for their take on Romanstyle pies (with a thinner, crispier crust). They’re definitely going to need a bigger parking lot.

7022 Miami Ave., Madeira, (513) 272-0192, atavolapizza.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

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WHERE TO EAT NOW

FORNO Cristian Pietoso’s second restaurant has all the bones of an upscale eatery, but the menu is infused with enough Italian soul to make nonna proud. In most instances, raving about a side of creamed corn wouldn’t bode well for the rest of the menu. Here, that side dish—kernels swimming in a pool of truffle-laced heavy cream that demands sopping up—is evidence that each component prepared by chef de cuisine Stefano Carne is purpose-driven. The red wine–braised honeycomb tripe, which carries a warning label (“Don’t be scared!”), and the pappardelle with spiced cinghiale (wild boar) ragu are examples of the elevated, adventurous comfort food that Pietoso strives for.

3514 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 818-8720, fornoosteriabar.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$ Top 10

RETURN TO SENDER

Postmark, which topped our Best New Restaurants list in 2018, permanently closed its doors in June. The Clifton restaurant, housed in what used to be the neighborhood’s post office, is one of several eateries that have occupied the space over the years, including Tink’s Café and La Poste.

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) 721-6200, 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 gardenfresh 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. $$

PRIMAVISTA Besides offering the old world flavors of Italy, Primavista also serves up a specialty no other restaurant can match: a bird’s eye view of Cincinnati from the west side. The kitchen is equally comfortable with northern and southern regional specialties: a Venetian carpaccio of paper thin raw beef sparked by fruity olive oil; house-made fresh mozzarella stuffed with pesto and mushrooms; or artichoke hearts with snails and mushrooms in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce from Lombardy. Among the classics, nothing is more restorative than the pasta e fagioli, a hearty soup of cannellini, ditali pasta, and bacon. Most of the pastas are cooked just a degree more mellow than al dente so that they soak up the fragrant tomato basil or satiny cream sauces. The fork-tender osso buco Milanese, with its marrow-filled center bone and salty-sweet brown sauce (marinara and lemon juice), is simply superb. Desserts present further problems; you’ll be hard-pressed to decide between the house-

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made tiramisu or bread pudding with caramel sauce, marsala soaked raisins, and cream.

810 Matson Pl., Price Hill, (513) 251-6467, pvista.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DC, 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 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.

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 teamarinated soft-boiled egg, but the kimchi subs in tofu and its namesake cabbage for the meat.

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 5410381, kikicincinnati.com. Lunch (carryout only) and dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $

MATSUYA At this relaxed little sushi boutique, try ordering kaiseki, a traditional six-course meal that features a succession of small plates but plenty of food. You might encounter an entire steamed baby octopus or yellowtail with daikon radish, pickled mackerel or deep-fried oysters. You can depend on cucumber or seaweed salad, tempura shrimp, a grilled meat or fish, and of course, sushi—and sometimes even the colorful Bento box sampler. There’s a Nabemono—tableside pot cooking—section on the menu featuring shabu shabu: slices of prime beef swished through bubbling seaweed broth just until the pink frosts with white. Served with simmered vegetables, ponzu sauce, daikon, and scallions, the concentrated, slightly sour flavor of the beef is vivid.

7149 Manderlay Dr., Florence, (859) 746-1199.

Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $$

KOREAN HARU After the closing of Sung Korean Bistro, Haru is a welcome addition to the downtown scene. Dishes are served along with the usual Korean accompaniment of pickles, kimchi, fish cakes, and other mysteriously delicious dainties. A favorite is the japchae, a traditional dish sporting silky sweet potato noodles with sesame-and-garlic sauce, matchsticks of assorted crisp vegetables, and behind it all a wonderful smokiness that pervades the whole meal. The accompanying pot of gochu-

jang, a fermented Korean chili paste, adds its own sweet and spicy note. The result is a homey, soulful, and satisfying taste that appeals even to those who’ve never eaten a bite of Korean food before.

628 Vine St., downtown, (513) 381-0947, harucincy.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$

RIVERSIDE KOREAN RESTAURANT Come for the jo gi mae un tang—a bowl of sizzling, happy hellbroth pungent with red pepper, garlic, and ginger, crowded with nuggets of fish, tofu, and vegetables. Come for the restorative power of sam gae tang, a chicken soup for the Seoul—a whole Cornish hen submerged in its own juices and plumped with sticky rice and ginseng, dried red dates, and pine nuts. Revered for their medicinal properties, both dinner-sized soups will leave your eyes glistening and your brow beaded with sweat. They’re a detox for your overindulgence, rejuvenation for when you’re feeling under the weather. Expect crowds on weekends. Expect too, that dozens of them have come for dolsot bibimbap, the hot stone pots filled with layers of rice, vegetables, meat or tofu, egg, and chili paste.

Characterized by its electric color and addictive flavors, Riverside Korean’s version is a captivating bowl of heaven.

512 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 291-1484, riversidekoreanrestaurant.com. Lunch Mon– Fri, dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

MEXICAN MONTOYA’S Mexican places seem to change hands in this town so often that you can’t get the same meal twice.

Montoya’s is the exception. They’ve been hidden in a tiny strip mall off the main drag in Ft. Mitchell for years. It’s unpretentious and seemingly not interested in success, which means success has never gone to their head here. At a place where you can get Huracan Fajitas with steak, chicken, and chorizo or Tilapia Asada, the tacos are still a big item.

2507 Chelsea Dr., Ft. Mitchell, (859) 341-0707.

Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MC, V, DS. $

TAQUERIA MERCADO On a Saturday night, Taqueria Mercado is a lively fiesta, with seemingly half of the local Hispanic community guzzling margaritas and cervezas, or carrying out sacks of burritos and carnitas tacos—pork tenderized by a long simmer, its edges frizzled and crispy. The Mercado’s strip mall interior, splashed with a large, colorful mural, is equally energetic: the bustling semi-open kitchen; a busy counter that handles a constant stream of take-out orders; a clamorous, convivial chatter in Spanish and English. Try camarones a la plancha, 12 chubby grilled shrimp tangled with grilled onions (be sure to specify if you like your onions well done). The starchiness of the rice absorbs the caramelized onion juice, offset by the crunch of lettuce, buttery slices of avocado, and the coolhot pico de gallo. A shrimp quesadilla paired with one of their cheap and potent margaritas is worth the drive alone.

6507 Dixie Hwy., Fairfield, (513) 942-4943; 100 E. Eighth St., downtown, (513) 381-0678, tmercadocincy.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $

STEAKS LOSANTI A bit more upscale than its sister restaurant, ILLUSTR ATIO N BY EMI VILL AVICENCIO

Crown Republic Gastropub, Losanti is also more conservative in its offerings. Service is friendly and informal, and though the meal feels like a special occasion, prices and atmosphere are right for, say, a date, rather than a wedding anniversary. The filet mignon, rib eye, and New York strip are cut to order for each table (there are a few available weights for each). The steaks themselves are totally irreproachable, perfectly seasoned, cooked to precisely the right point. Losanti even makes the steakhose sides a little special. Sweet and smoky caramelized onions are folded into the mashed potatoes, a nice dusting of truffles wakes up the mac and cheese, and the sweet corn—yes, totally out of season, but still good—is at least freshly cut off the cob and recalls elote with lime and chile powder.

1401 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 246-4213, losantiotr.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

JEFF RUBY’S

Filled most nights with local scenesters and power brokers (and those who think they are), everything in this urban steakhouse is generous—from the portions to the expert service. White-jacketed waiters with floor-length aprons deliver two-fisted martinis and stacks of king crab legs, or mounds of greens dressed in thin vinaigrettes or thick, creamy emulsions. An occasional salmon or sea bass appears, and there’s a small but decent assortment of land fare. But most customers, even the willowy model types, inhale slabs of beef (dry aged USDA prime) like they’re dining in a crack house for carnivores. The best of these is Jeff Ruby’s Jewel, nearly a pound-and-a-half of bone-in rib eye.

This is steak tailor-made for movers and shakers.

700 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 784-1200, jeffruby. com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC. $$$$

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE

No one has replicated the concept of an expensive boys’ club better than Morton’s. Amid the dark polished woods and white linen, the Riedel stemware and stupendous

flower arrangements, assorted suits grapple with double cut filet mignons, 24 ounces of porterhouse, pink shiny slabs of prime rib, overflowing plates of salty Lyonnaise potatoes, or mammoth iceberg wedges frosted with thick blue cheese dressing. Jumbo is Morton’s decree: Oversized martini and wine glasses, ethereal towering lemon soufflés, roomy chairs, and tables large enough for a plate and a laptop. Even steaks billed as “slightly smaller” weigh in at 8 to 10 ounces.

thy 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 flavorful); 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.

441 Vine St., downtown, (513) 621-3111, mortons.com.

Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$

1828 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 376-9177, pholangthang.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS, DC. $

TONY’S

He is a captivating presence, Tony Ricci. Best known for his 30 years in fine dining—including the Jeff Ruby empire while managing the venerable Precinct—Ricci has built a life in the hospitality industry. Much of Tony’s menu is right out of a steakhouse playbook: jumbo shrimp and king crab legs from the raw bar; Caprese, Greek, and Caesar salads; sides of creamed spinach, mac-and-cheese, asparagus, and sautéed mushrooms; toppings of roasted garlic or Gorgonzola butters to accompany your center cut of filet mignon. There are boutique touches, though, that make it stand out—a garlic herb aioli with the calamari, steak tartare torch-kissed and topped with a poached egg, a superb rack of lamb rubbed with aromatic sumac and served with mint pesto.

12110 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Township, (513) 6778669, tonysofcincinnati.com. Dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$$$

VI ETNAM E S E PHO LANG THANG

Owners Duy and Bao Nguyen and David Le have created a greatest hits playlist of Vietnamese cuisine: elegant, bro-

QUAN HAPA

The Nguyen brothers, Duy and Bao, along with partner David Le, have followed up on Pho Lang Thang’s success at Findlay Market by bursting onto the OTR scene with some of the boldest flavors in the city. A tuna ceviche makes use of the fiery sweetness of Malaysian sambal oelek and a banh mi steakburger gains crunch from pickled daikon and a side of Indonesian shrimp chips. Or try the okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese pancake topped with a choice of bacon, prawns, or vegetables. The Vietnamese coffee, a complex, chicory-forward blend, is an ideal way to end the meal.

1331 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-7826, quanhapa.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $ CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, (ISSN 0746-8 210), August 2021, Volume 54, Number 11.

Published monthly ($14.95 for 12 issues annually) at 1818 Vine St., Suite 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513) 421-4300. Copyright © 2021 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 1-866-660-6247.

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CINCY OBSCURA

Life on the Edge IT’S BEEN CALLED OHIO’S MOST SPECTACULAR VIEW FOR A REASON. IN THE ROLLING FOOT-

hills of Adams County, Buzzardroost Rock is the crown jewel of the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System, a sprawling ecological marvel located at the convergence of four geological systems. As recently as the 1800s, this land was blanketed with towering oaks and chestnut trees as far as the eye could see. Industrialization and agricultural encroachment threatened to destroy the forest—one of the most biologically diverse in North America—but today, the 20,000-acre preserve protects rivers and natural habitats, providing a safe haven for threatened and endangered flora and fauna. “You get your mix of regenerating forest stands, you’ve got open areas—prairies and the like—that we’re still maintaining for the open aesthetics, as well as their biological value,” says Forest Manager Mike Hall. “There’s the older forests, and then, of course, there’s a number of rock outcroppings that really, really underscore how unique that area is.” It’s a bit of a hike to reach Buzzardroost Rock, a massive limestone outcropping named for the black vultures often seen circling overhead, but make it to the top, and you’ve got a front-row seat to a forest coming back to life. — L A U R E N F I S H E R 1 2 0 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 1

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