Cincinnati Magazine - October 2023 Edition

BY GIL KAUFMAN

LAURIE PIKE

New Tech in Anti-Aging

Mona Dermatology is the first office in the tri-state area to offer Ellacor micro-coring. The technology reduces loose skin and wrinkles without surgery—and Dr. Mona answers your questions about this new procedure.

Q: Who is Ellacor a good treatment for?

A: Ellacor is good for anyone with fine lines and wrinkles in the cheeks or lower face, as well as for people who have moderate lower face and neck laxity. It is also a great treatment for acne scarring because it actually removes some of the scars. This is a great alternative to traditional acne scarring treatments, such as lasers or microneedling, that typically just build collagen.

Q: How is this different from microneedling?

A: Micro-coring may sound like microneedling but they are very different treatments. Microneedling uses small needles to create a small injury in the skin, whereas micro-coring uses hollow needles to actually “core” out a percentage of skin. This is an innovative and unprecedented alternative to surgery.

Q: How is this different from a laser treatment?

A: Ellacor is most similar to a fractional laser resurfacing where a “fraction” of the skin is treated so that the untreated skin helps to heal

the treated area faster. The difference is that Ellacor actually cores out and removes a percentage of skin without delivering heat to the treated area. Laser resurfacing is still a great option for treating sun damage, texture, pore size and general full face rejuvenation. Ellacor will deliver more compelling results for concerns such as loose skin and wrinkles—in fact, 90% of patients showed improvements in moderate to severe wrinkles.

Q: When is someone a candidate for surgery vs. Ellacor?

A: Ellacor removes anywhere from 1–8% of loose skin on the lower face and neck without the downtime of surgery. It is a great treatment for mild to moderate skin laxity, but if you have more severe loose skin, surgery may be a better option. It is always best to have a consultation to determine which option is best for you.

Q: What is the downtime?

A: You will be swollen for two to

The Ellacor Process

three days and can see stamp marks from the micro-coring for anywhere from one to three weeks. Makeup can be applied to the treated area after a week. It is very important to avoid sun exposure and use approved skin care products during your healing process.

Q: When will you see results?

A: Your skin will become firmer and tighter over the next three to six months as collagen builds leaving you with firmer and smoother skin. Some patients may see best results after having a series of three treatments.

A

After the procedure, the body’s natural healing response goes into effect as the skin quickly realigns to close the cores, improving skin architecture in the process.

The

internal diameter

of each needle is less than 0.5mm, which is below the threshold for scarring.

The device precisely

moves

these needles across the treatment area, removing microcores of skin as it goes.

10mm square area can be treated in less than three seconds, which means the entire procedure is typically finished within in less than 30 minutes.

Ellacor has been recognized in the Innovation Category for Best Non Surgical SkinRemoval Procedure by NewBeauty.

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P. 32

THE AGE OF INFLUENCE

A new generation is using social media to amplify their voices—putting Cincinnati on the map in the process.

NAPOLEON MADDOX LEADS A ONE-MAN FRENCH REVOLUTION P. 44

Splitting time between France and Cincinnati, the musician/composer often feels like “the other” wherever he is—which he thinks is actually a blessing.

BY GIL KAUFMAN

READ MY HIPS P. 48

New blood and creative adaptations are shaking up Cincinnati’s growing belly dance scene.

BY LAURIE PIKE

12 / CONTRIBUTORS

12 / LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FRONTLINES

15 / DISPATCH

The world’s oldest UFO investigation group calls Cincinnati home again

16 / SPEAK EASY

Conor McPherson gets Bob Dylan’s blessing

16 / MUSIC

The Nina Simone Piano Competition chooses a winner at Music Hall

18 / ESCAPE

Ft. Wayne, Indiana

20 / STOREFRONT

Baqette’s leather goods

22 / REAL ESTATE

Gracious living in Ft. Mitchell

24 / DR. KNOW

Your QC questions answered

COLUMNS

26 / LIVING IN CIN

When Wildman Walker went up…and didn’t come down

BY JAY GILBERT

120 / CINCY OBSCURA

A reanimated Charlie Taft BY LAUREN FISHER

DINE

102 / DINING OUT

Baru, downtown

104 / LUNCHBOX

Chacabanas Cuban Sandwiches, Over-the-Rhine

104 / TABLESIDE WITH…

Home baker and blogger

Josh Lehenbauer

106 / ROAD TRIP

Shelby, Detroit

106 / FIELD NOTES

Frightfully good drink events

108 / DINING GUIDE

Greater Cincinnati restaurants: A selective list

ON

An extra serving of our outstanding dining coverage.

CITY NEWS

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

HOME + LIFE

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

Insight and analysis on the Bengals, Reds, and FC Cincinnati.

FOOD NEWS

Schools: The Open House Guide

Local schools are working to provide the best education possible. Here’s what schools want parents to know now. Plus, a list of open houses, virtual tours, and other admission events.

Five Star Wealth Managers

Our list of the city’s award-winning wealth managers and investment professionals.

Fall Travel

Whether you’re looking for an outdoor adventure or an artsy weekend getaway, we found 42 regional destinations perfect for your fall travel plans.

IMAGINEAWORLD WHEREYOUR MENTALHEALTHIS YOURTOP PRIORITY.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John Fox

DESIGN DIRECTOR Brittany Dexter

DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

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AS I READ THROUGH THIS MONTH’S “THE AGE OF INFLUENCE” (PAGE 32), I WAS amused by the headline’s double meaning. We are, in fact, living through the heyday of influencers, when ordinary folks use social media to comment on niche interests and trends of the day and attract large followings. More importantly, they encourage virtual (and sometimes in-person) conversations that wouldn’t otherwise occur. The headline is also a fun play on another dynamic time in American history, the Age of Innocence, and I absolutely love puns.

The other meaning I latched on to was the popular assumption that all the cool influencers are twentysomethings or younger. I mean, how many times have I read about 19-year-old college dropouts racking up half a million followers on Instagram? The funloving influencers we highlight on the cover all look pretty young to me, too. (Spoiler alert: At my age, everyone looks young.)

It turns out that Cincinnati’s influencers, like the city itself, can’t be squeezed into one-sizefits-all boxes when it comes to age, background, schooling , or professional goals. They’re all over the place, literally. They poke around and dive into the area’s interesting restaurants, shops, and neighborhoods, and a good number make a living at it. Or aspire to.

Speaking of age, this issue is Cincinnati Magazine’s Volume 57, Issue 1, meaning we’re embarking on our 57th year in business. Were we one of the city’s first influencers? Many of us recall when dazzling color printing on glossy paper was considered the state-of-the-art medium—long before smart phones and laptops and VR. We’re energized and grateful to know this magazine continues to help influence opinions about our hometown.

One other small item in the influencers section caught my attention: our suggestions for the area’s best “Instagrammable” spots. I notice manufactured IG backgrounds in cities like Nashville or Austin, Texas, where a pair of wings painted on a wall beckons visitors to line up for selfies. Here, our favorite backdrops (Krohn Conservatory, American Sign Museum, etc.) are historic, organic, and authentic. Which is a lot like Cincinnati in general, don’t you think?

JOHN FOX EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

There’s plenty to love about the charming Indiana city of Ft. Wayne, says Jaclyn Youhana Garver. She should know—the contributing writer calls the city her home. In “Hoosier Bound” (page 18), Garver divulges a few of her top spots. “This city is home to so many creative, hard-working chefs, and the variety of cuisine for a city of this size is bonkers: Middle Eastern, Thai, Vietnamese, pizza in a fromItaly pizza oven,” she says. “It all makes this eater very happy.”

Gil Kaufman knows from personal experience how difficult it can be for Americans to find their way in France. So when he heard that Napoleon Maddox, the genre-blending hip-hop artist from ISWHAT?! (“Napoleon Maddox Leads a One-Man French Revolution,” page 44) lives there, he was immediately intrigued. “The fact that he has made a home, found collaborators, and made this whole second life in Besançon really struck me,” Kaufman says.

When Toronto-based artist Jaimie Shelton isn’t drawing, you can find her in her “excessively large vegetable gardens.” Her illustrations are just as colorful and impressive. “I definitely lean toward more conceptual pieces in my work but I do love portraiture,” Shelton says. “And getting to combine them both is a really rewarding experience.” This month, you can find her work in “The Age of Influence” (page 32) and in “Out There” (page 15).

GIL KAUFMAN

JAMIE SHELTON

THEY CONDUCT THE STUDIES THAT OTHERS FOLLOW

The physician-scientists of the UC Pancreas Program perform laboratory research and lead groundbreaking national clinical trials to discover and prove the latest therapies and techniques to treat people with pancreas cancer. They are internationally recognized leaders who deliver the treatment advances that are followed by doctors around the world. The pancreas experts at the UC College of Medicine and UC Physicians deliver bench to bedside advances giving patients the best chance for long-term survival and the highest quality of life. Indispensable medicine, right here

Cincinnati.

med.uc.edu/indispensable

Left to right: Olugbenga Olowokure, MD; Syed Ahmad, MD; Jordan Kharofa, MD; Davendra Sohal, MD; and Milton Smith, MD.

in

OUT THERE

The world’s oldest UFO investigation group calls Cincinnati home again.

JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

IT’S EASY TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS about an organization that investigates UFOs, even the world’s oldest and largest such group. And we all know what those assumptions are. But 10 minutes of discussing the Cincinnati-based Mutual Unidentified Flying Object Network (MUFON) with David MacDonald, its executive director, is enough to quash those queasy feelings.

It doesn’t hurt that, the day before MacDonald shares MUFON’s history and duties with me, a U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee heard a range of testimony from current and retired government officials about the existence of UFOs. Former intelligence official David Grusch, who used to work with a Pentagon task force that looked into unidentified aerial phenomena (government-speak for UFOs), told the hearing that “longstanding covert programs within the U.S. government possess materials of nonhuman origin that were taken from crash sites.”

The revelation doesn’t surprise MacDonald. MUFON representatives have been meeting with Congress—and even presidents—since the 1970s. “We do have a history of working with our government,” he says. “I’ve been in Washington, D.C., twice a month for about a year and a half now meeting with House and Senate intelligence committees,” as well as providing quarterly reports and white papers.

MUFON has been

BOB DYLAN IS ON BOARD P. 16 FUN IN FT. WAYNE P. 18 UPCYCLED LEATHER P. 20 WHEN NEW LOOKS OLD P. 22

DISPATCH

based in Cincinnati since July 2020. It’s the second time in its 54year history the group has called the Queen City home, and the reasons for moving back are simple: Cincinnati is welcoming and centrally located within a six-hour drive of 60 percent of the U.S. population.

And you can’t beat the cost of living here. In Irvine, California, which was MUFON’s home from 2013 to 2020, rent ran about $3,600 per month. The new home on Airport Road in the East End is $824 per month. Plus, MacDonald is from the area, a Covington Catholic High School grad.“We tell everybody, Me and my wife sleep in Kentucky, but we live at Lunken Airport,” he says.

MUFON’s stated mission is “the scientific study of UFOs for the benefit of humanity.” It has 7,000 members, or “observers,” as well as 700 fully equipped and trained field investigators spread across all 50 states and 46 countries. The membersupported nonprofit organization maintains a 54-year database with more than 200,000 cases of sightings. Most of them have been explained: drones, satellites, the International Space Station. “We have an 85 to 87 percent solve rate,” says MacDonald of those previously unidentified flying objects. “So there’s 15 or fewer percent that we just can’t identify.”

midnight,” says MacDonald—when she saw a light in the sky. It turned, descended, and headed straight for her. “She freaked out, so she grabbed the dog,” he says. “The dog was going nuts.”

MacDonald handled this investigation himself. He found three distinct flat spots in a triangular pattern in the grass. It looked like something had set down and scooted forward, he said. He took soil samples and called in hunters, who said no animal could have made those depressions; something heavier had to have been involved.

GETTING BOB DYLAN’S BLESSING

Seeing Is Believing

Join MUFON and train to be a certified field investigator at mufon.com.

He also checked out the animals and found three triangular marks on the horses’ shoulders, where their hair had turned white. He contacted veterinarians, who said the marks looked like something called freeze points, made with a freezing device sometimes used in medical procedures on horses that can dye the skin white. Or, the vets said, maybe they’re bug bites.

During that initial investigation, the woman was terrified by every subsequent light in the sky. “Calm down,” MacDonald told her. “That’s an airplane. It’s got a red light and a white light.”

In Girl From the North Country, Irish playwright Conor McPherson has his cast perform 20 Bob Dylan songs to tell the story of travelers at a Depression-era guesthouse in Duluth, Minnesota, the singer’s birthplace. The touring musical, which was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won one, comes to the Aronoff Center for the Arts October 17–29. (By coincidence, Dylan performs October 20 at the Andrew J Brady Music Center.)

musicals that tell bits of their subject’s biography between song performances? Weirdly, it never occurred to me to think of this as a biographical story. I suppose I knew that if that’s what Bob wanted me to do, there are a million people he could get to do that. So maybe they were looking for something else.

Like that time in Buffalo, Oklahoma, around 2015. A woman was feeding her horses around midnight—“I guess that’s what you do in Buffalo, Oklahoma, at

MUSIC

After a few moments, “her husband very calmly says, Well, Dave, what’s that? I look up, and my jaw dropped. It was five florescent green spheres in a V-shape silently moving across the sky. That’s the kind of stuff we deal with. When we eliminate everything it could be, you’re left with I don’t know.”

PIANO PRODIGIES

The inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition’s three finalists perform with Louis Langrée and the CSO on October 6.

Led by CCM’s Awadagin Pratt (pictured with the finalists), the program for young Black pianists awards $50,000 to the winner.

cincinnatisymphony.org

How did this partnership with Bob Dylan come about? People had come to my agent wondering if I was interested in creating a theater show based on the music of Dylan. I said, “That doesn’t sound like a great idea to me,” because I’d never done a musical and I wasn’t sure if his songs were musical theatertype songs. Then, out of the blue, I had the idea of a show set in the 1930s with a kind of Eugene O’Neill-type feeling. I felt Bob’s songs could fit into that concept. I sent the idea to my agent, and in a couple of days I was told that Bob really liked it and I had his blessing to use his songs.

How would you describe this show compared to “jukebox”

Might I ask you about using “Like a Rolling Stone”? It’s one of Bob’s most famous songs, if not the most famous. It’s such an influential song—a lot of musicologists would see it as a landmark in the development of popular music. It’s just too big to ignore.

One more song, also one of his most famous, “Forever Young.” It’s almost like a hymn, that song. It could be sung at a wedding or a funeral or a baptism or any of those things. It’s a beautiful song of blessing and healing. I think there’s a lot of warmth and goodness that come from the sentiments in a lot of Bob’s songs. This is one of pure benediction, so having that song toward the end of our show is really moving.

—STEVEN ROSEN READ A LONGER INTERVIEW WITH CONOR AT CINCINNATIMAGAZINE. COM.

Ovation features luxury homes with magnificent views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline, secure parking, private and direct elevator access, and best-in-class appliances, amidst a community along the boardwalk enriched with walking trails, restaurants, hotels and more.

When out-of-town friends visit me in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, they usually say some variation of this when they leave: “I didn’t know Ft. Wayne was so cool!”

The city has changed drastically since I moved here in 2008, and largely for the better—especially if you define more places to eat, drink, and play as “better.” And at just about three hours north of Cincinnati, it’s an easy drive for a long weekend getaway, or even just an overnight change of scenery.

WHERE TO STAY

Ft. Wayne is home to Vera Bradley, once best-known for brightly patterned quilted bags. Today, those patterns adorn everything: pajama pants, stationary sets, wallpaper. No, that’s not an error—and VB wallpaper is perhaps on best display at The Bradley, the all-Vera-Bradley-allthe-time boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Ft. Wayne. The space is modern, pretty, and, of course, patterned. Don’t miss out on Birdie’s, the hotel’s rooftop

bar. Ft. Wayne’s skyline may not be as glamorous as Cincinnati’s or Chicago’s, but it’s still a spectacular sight, especially from a few stories up at night.

INDIANA CHARM

1: Downtown Ft. Wayne at sundown.

2: Dessert from Copper Spoon.

3: Marquee at the Landing, a walkable downtown destination.

WHERE TO EAT

This is where Ft. Wayne really shines: Oh, man, this city knows how to feed you. Head straight for The Landing, a pedestrian-friendly strip of eateries and shops barely a block from The Bradley. Don’t miss Nawa, a crowdpleasing Thai/Asian restaurant (get the duck buns), and Marquee at the Landing (the steak frites, holy cow). Chance Bar, just over two miles straight south of The Bradley, might secretly be one of the city’s best spots. The menu is small and changes often, but the attention to detail and creativity of mains stand out—plus they often have fresh oysters. And every meal is so pretty. If you like craft cocktails, Copper Spoon is a muststop spot. The drink menu is more of a drink Bible, leatherbound and requiring at least 20 minutes to review fully. The staff is incredibly helpful, too; they’re great with requests like, “I love rye old fashioneds, but want to switch it up—what should I have?” or “Some sort of Prosecco cocktail, please?”

WHAT TO DO

Ft. Wayne sits on three rivers, so renting a kayak from Ft. Wayne Outfitters & Bike Depot is a great way to see the city. Paddle left on the St. Marys River out of the depot and meander through downtown. You can wave to the folks at The Deck (one of

the city’s few al fresco dining options on the water) as you pass, float past The Old Fort (an at-scale reproduction of Ft. Wayne’s eponymous fort), and soak in the pretty at Promenade Park. Paddle right out of the depot, and you’ll veer toward nature, scenery, and plenty of water friends (lots of ducks, a turtle or two, a groundhog if you’re lucky).

Don’t forget to check the schedules at the Embassy Theatre, a gorgeous space that will celebrate 100 years in 2028 and attracts national acts including plays, musicians, and comedians, or The Clyde Theatre, which will quickly become one of

your favorite spots to see a concert.

The Bradley Hotel provenancehotels.com/ the-bradley

The Embassy Theatre fwembassytheatre.org

ABOUT AN HOUR NORTH OF FT. WAYNE, YOU’LL FIND TINY FREMONT, INDIANA, JUST A MINUTE OR two south of the Michigan border. If tastings are your thing, stop at Satek (rhymes with attic) Winery, the region’s oldest winery, on your way to Pokagon (say po-KAYgun) State Park. The park features nine hiking trails ranging from easy to moderately rugged, beach access, and guided horseback rides at the Saddle Barn. In the winter, the park transforms into a snowy wonderland. At the warming center, you can rent a pair of snowshoes or cross-country skis to explore the landscape. Or, if you’re brave enough, check out the refrigerated toboggan run, a quarter-mile-long twin track with a 30-foot drop that draws more than 90,000 riders each season and has clocked a record speed of 42 miles an hour.

PHOTOGRAPHS (LEFT) BY NICHOLAS J. KLEIN / STOCK.ADOBE.COM/ (TOP) COURTESY PIPER STEINER / (BOTTOM) COURTESY THE ADDISON GROUP LLC / (SIDE TRIP) BY JULIA_SIOMUHA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM 1 2 3

FT. WAYNE MIGHT BE A MUST-STOP FOR ANY SELF-PROCLAIMED FOODIE.

HOOSIER-

BOUND

Hard Rock Cincinnati is your Ultimate Entertainment Destination with Fine-Dining, First Class Gaming and LIVE Concerts happening right now! #DiscoverYourRhythm

IT’S IN THE BAG

established an official LLC for the hobby turned small business. At the end of 2020, she promoted Baqette from side gig to fulltime career, and by that time she’d moved to Cincinnati with her husband, Teddy.

“I loved the bigger city feel with so many accessible options and creative energy,” Mcilhargey-Nicholson says of her new home. “I get so inspired by new spaces and experiences, and Cincinnati has offered so much of that.”

THERE’S QUALITY, AND THEN THERE’S HANDmade. And few things shout “style” like a well-made leather handbag or wallet. Add to that a dedication to use primarily upcycled materials and you have Quinn Mcilhargey-Nicholson’s shop, Baqette.

When Mcilhargey-Nicholson visited her uncle’s company, Cumberland Furniture, she found inspiration in the discarded materials. “I immediately started playing around with its potential,” Mcilhargey-Nicholson says. “Leather is such a cool, durable, sustainable material, and I love how it wears and ages with you and your use of it.”

For the next few years, she developed her skills, creating a leatherworking space in her home (and maintaining it, despite three moves) and eventually landing wholesale accounts with Magnolia and Hosanna Revival. In 2016, she graduated to local sales at The City Flea, and in 2017 she

Most of the leather in Baqette’s products is upcycled—and that comes with challenges. Specific colors are available in limited volumes, and Baqette may never restock the same product in the same shade. But that also means the collection on shelves is always fresh, and it gives the artist new opportunities to explore.

“I get enthusiastic about color pairings,” Mcilhargey-Nicholson says. “Although black and tan leather will never go out of style, I want my customers to feel inspired by their pieces.”

With her first baby on the way, Mcilhargey-Nicholson is still excited about pop-ups at local events and upcoming launches. As her brand and family grow, she reflects on the long-haul approach to building her small business.

“Creative entrepreneurship is a journey and not always a fast process. Trust your gut,” Mcilhargey-Nicholson says. “Find people who equally challenge and inspire you, and keep going.”

LEATHER LOVE

1: Quinn McilhargeyNicholson in her studio.

2: Burning off loose ends of thread.

3: Cutting upcycled leather for a new piece.

QUINN MCILHARGEY-NICHOLSON CREATES LUXURY LOOKS WITH UPCYCLED LEATHER. —M. LEIGH HOOD

HOMEGROWN

THIS OLD (NEW) HOUSE

IT’S NOT EASY TO MAKE A NEW HOUSE LOOK LIKE IT’S BEEN AROUND for decades. But this Ft. Mitchell home, built in the early 2010s, is deceptive like that. It took a whopping five years to take the property from empty lot to European-inspired fruition, in part, seller Maureen Gerner says, because it was purposely “built to look old.” To achieve that perfectly timeless appeal, the owners enlisted the help of Drawing Dept., a collaborative Oakley-based architectural practice.

The architects sourced antiques from across the world, shipping in eight-foot mahogany doors from a manor house in Italy, etched glass from France, and wrought iron from Argentina. And the authentic vintage details aren’t just for decoration. The solid-wood beams in the kitchen, for instance, actually hold up the house. Construction itself took two years, but all that hard work paid off. In 2012, the property took home a coveted Cincinnati Design Award for its outdoor living space.

Built with entertaining in mind, the home

features a kitchen that takes “chef’s dream” to a whole new level with two spacious islands and not one, not two, but three Wolf ovens. Gathering space flows seamlessly from the inside out, spilling from the screened porch onto the terraced stone patio and then into the perfectly private backyard. It’s a Mediterranean-influenced dream of an outdoor living space, anchored by a waterfall-fed pool.

Entertaining might be the obvious next step in a house like this, but designers were careful to make sure the home felt cozy and livable. Walk out of the primary bedroom and onto a private, screened-in porch, enjoy a soak in the copper bathtub, and settle in for the evening in front of the wood-burning fireplace in the family room. Gerner didn’t spare the slightest detail in the two walk-in closets, which feature abundant built-in storage, dedicated shoe spaces, and a special sit-down vanity room with custom-made jewelry drawers. It’s a new(ish) house, sure. But it’s chock full of both old-world class and modern sensibilities.

DESIGNERS TOOK THEIR TIME SOURCING ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUES FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE TO MAKE THIS FT. MITCHELL HOUSE A SHOWSTOPPER. —LAUREN FISHER

Embrace change and inclusion.

REALTOR® Alliance of Greater Cincinnati (RAGC) proudly stands against all fair and equal treatment to all. Upholding ethical standards is not just our of Ethics, enriching our community and fostering a brighter future for all. www.cincyrealtoralliance.com

Roy Rogers, the famous movie/TV cowboy, used to joke that his Cincinnati birthplace was “now second base” at Riverfront Stadium. That’s not true, but many sources mistakenly say it is, including Roy! I’m a fan, and I bought his autobiography. That’s what he wrote. Did Roy forget he’d been joking? —TRIGGERED

DEAR TRIGGERED:

Gol’ dang it, but Roy Rogers started this gosh-dern mess himself when he stopped by Cincinnati in 1973. He saw his old downtown neighborhood had been bulldozed for Riverfront Stadium and said sumpthin’ ’bout second base replacin’ his birthplace. But, hey, he was

Dr. Know is Jay Gilbert, radio personality and advertising prankster. Submit your questions about the city’s peculiarities at drknow@cincinnati magazine.com

jest joshin’! Old Cincinnati maps prove it: A bullet fired from Roy’s six-gun on his childhood front porch would have hit the dirt long before reaching that there future stadium! Roy’s joke, though, got all messed up. George Will, that baseballcrazy newspaper feller, wrote it as gospel. Then the Cincinnati Reds went and gave Roy an autographed second base!

The “King of the Cowboys” famously lived by the cowboy code of honesty. But ol’ Doc here is lookin’ straight at his 1994 autobiography, and right there Roy hisself said his old home was “now second base.” Tarnation! There’s an old saying: “When legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Ironically, whatever that means, the quote comes from an old cowboy movie (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance). Looks like Roy fell under its spell. Sorry, pardner.

I’ve always preferred seeing movies at the Esquire, Mariemont, and Kenwood, Cincinnati’s group of small independent theaters. The Kenwood, though, closed over a year ago. So why do the Esquire and Mariemont websites still have links for it? It looks weird. Are they in denial? —UNSATISFYING ENDING

DEAR ENDING:

If you’d attended the big mainstream theaters and watched more superhero and scifi franchises, you’d know that anything, absolutely anything, can be rebooted, re-imagined, and revived. Even a movie theater. The Kenwood closed in July 2022, victim to a major reconstruction (or, if you prefer, an enormous explosion from an alien spaceship). But it’s now back! Be the first to see the exciting new sequel, Kenwood II: The Final Awakening Endgame Strikes Back Forever X!

The real story: Another theater, Envision, was across the street from the Kenwood, but it closed in 2020 and later reopened as City Base Cinemas. Now it’s performing a mind-meld with its former neighbor. By the time you read this, you may already have seen the rebooted name “Ken-

wood Theatre” at the entrance (above Whole Foods and L.L. Bean), but this time with reserved seating and full dine-in and beverage service at your seats. The Kenwood Theatre links you saw on the Esquire and Mariemont websites were simply waiting for this moment, like a surprise ending. More of a surprise beginning, really. Or an Awakening. Maybe a Strike Back? See you at the movies.

You recently wrote about whether or not downtown’s Broadway is really called “Broadway Street.” But I also wonder: Since New York City’s Broadway wasn’t famous way back when, why did Cincinnati even call it Broadway? Was it actually extra-broad? And if it was, why? —BROADEN MY HORIZONS

DEAR HORIZONS:

Your hunch is correct: Long ago, Cincinnati’s Broadway was indeed wider than all other North-South streets. But before you congratulate yourself, please note the street’s original name: Eastern Row. This area of the riverfront became the prime spot for commercial ship traffi c, so Eastern Row was fattened up and renamed Broad Way (two words) in 1808. Your other hunch that New York’s Broadway wasn’t famous back then, however, is wrong. While that thoroughfare had not yet turned recycled intellectual property into overpriced musicals, it was already well-known and highly regarded—or at least it didn’t smell like Cincinnati’s pigpacked landing.

Incidentally, when our Broadway was created, it widened only up to Fourth Street. Residents to the north wanted to stay slim and quiet. Today’s Broadway, though, spreads wide all the way up to Eggleston, after which it segments like the historical “Join or Die” sliced-up snake. Look it up, kids.

The controversy you mentioned about “Is it Broadway or Broadway Street?” was fearlessly investigated by the Doctor in our March 2022 issue. Look it up, adults.

BY JAY GILBERT

Billboard Chairman

WILDMAN WALKER SPENT 61 TRAUMATIC DAYS

less sports passion. Despite the paradox of my close-to-zero interest in sports versus his beyond-infinity love of sports, we’re almost friends.

Cincinnati is currently living through another anniversary of Wildman’s famous Unexcellent Adventure, when he climbed atop a downtown billboard and swore to stay up there until the Cincinnati Bengals won their first game of the 1991 season. It was a cute promotional stunt that would last three weeks, tops. Spoiler alert: The Bengals lost eight games in a row, and Wildman spent more than two months imprisoned on the roof of a four-story building facing the Gilbert Avenue off-ramp at Eighth and Broadway. His deep faith in Bengals coach Sam Wyche and quarterback Boomer Esiason became shakier by the week, especially the bye week. Wildman’s book gets a few minor details of his story wrong (like putting the billboard at Sixth and Main), but it also leaves out some very, very important things. Me, for instance.

I WENT TO VISIT WEBN’S SPORTS COMmando (his official title) just once, climbing up through the 4-foot-square hole to the building roof. His large tent was lavishly decorated in Martha Stewart Man-Cave splendor: mattress, comfy chair, small fridge, two small tables, lamps, cushions, porta-potty, and a TV/VCR. (I didn’t ask whether the porn tapes were donated or from his home collection.) Also on hand was a long rope tied to a large bucket, which could be lowered on a pulley for hoisting up meals and beverages. This probably reminds you of the 1991 movie Silence of the Lambs, because Wildman and his rope resembled that film’s deranged kidnapper: It places the six-pack of Bud in the bucket.

IT MAY LOOK LIKE THE SMALL PAPERBACK BOOK ON MY BEDROOM FLOOR WAS DROPPED accidentally, but it wasn’t. I put it there. I noticed my cat clawing at a loose loop in the carpet, so I covered the spot with the book. I’ll eventually repair the hole, I promise, but for now the book is a loyal sentry and protector. It’s been there for about three years. Thanks, Wildman!

Wildman Walker’s autobiography, creatively titled, Wild Man: The Book, tells the story of Cincinnati’s most (choose one) unforgettable/forgettable/inspiring/uninspiring/entertaining/embarrassing sportscaster of all time. It chronicles his many escapades at WEBN-FM during that radio station’s golden era, a time period that also included me. I jumped out of the way every afternoon for his on-air sports roundups. Wildman Walker (Dennis, in case you were wondering) remains our city’s ultimate poster child for bottom-

By the time I came to see him during the third week, Wildman was enjoying HGTV-like billboard living. Local businesses were delivering all kinds of free merchandise and consumables in exchange for his on-air thanks. The comfy chair was now a Barcalounger. Mealtimes had upgraded from McDonald’s to Morton’s. A treadmill and pinball machine somehow made it up there. And so many visitors! Wildman held court with players from the Bengals and the Reds, got a private concert from a local band, welcomed other local celebrities, and our mayor even

UP THERE. I GOT DAMAGED DOWN HERE.

awarded him a Key to the City.

Visitors were especially plentiful for Bengals games, surrounding Wildman with lots of company to offer condolences when the team lost. And lost. And lost. And lost.

On the day of my visit, I tried to convince Wildman that he should start singing some song parodies I’d written about his predicament, even though it would require him to perform during his precious off-air nap time. He would sing at the billboard while I was back at WEBN recording him in sync with an instrumental track—a theoretical remote connection that I wasn’t completely sure would work. Wildman was

already regretting being a guinea pig for a radio stunt and wasn’t crazy about signing up for another one, but he agreed.

As it turned out, I was the one with regrets. Recording was hell. Remember, this was 1991 and the technology was Stone Age. I wrote the lyrics on a typewriter ! I phoned Wildman’s landline ! He got the

Flashbacks of MC Hammer! ) Sometimes he had to stop singing when a heavy truck drove past or a plane flew overhead. It took endless takes and lots of manual editing. ( Splicing tape! Razor blades! I’m hearing Taylor Dayne! ) You’ll find a link below of the parodies, and you’ll hear his, um, unique singing voice deteriorate as the weeks and game losses mounted.

lyrics on his fax machine! I’m having nervous flashbacks right now of Vanilla Ice!

Wildman sang into his microphone while listening in one ear to the instrumental track squawking through the landline as I tried to avoid an audio feedback loop on the rolling reel of tape. ( Tape!

By late October, the nights were getting colder and the Bengals were sinking lower. Wildman was starting to crack. And then some external issues began piling on. The billboard itself, sporting a giant WEBN logo, had been booked months earlier to change on November 1 for a TV station’s November sweeps campaign—the kind of ad you can’t delay. Since this whole thing had become too big to back off now, our corporate bosses stepped in and paid the TV station to put an equivalent billboard elsewhere. But then an even worse problem crept up: The city’s hot new hockey team, the Cincinnati Cyclones, had a sold-

THE NIGHTS WERE GETTING COLDER AND THE BENGALS WERE SINKING LOWER. WILDMAN WAS STARTING TO CRACK. BUT THIS WHOLE THING WAS TOO BIG TO BACK OFF NOW.

out opening game just days away, and their official P.A. announcer was—wait for it—Wildman Walker. Would he leave the billboard for this important gig? Break his promise and betray his Bengals? After all that sacrifice, all that anguish, all that porn?

LET’S NOT FORGET THAT THE ENTIRE purpose of this crazy billboard promotion was, well, promotion. Buzz. Publicity. Therefore, it was a glorious night when WEBN Sports Commando Wildman Walker came down from the billboard, stepped into a limousine, got driven directly to center ice at Cincinnati Gardens, and stepped out to the screaming cheers of thousands like a redcarpet diva at the Oscars. It was thrilling. Moving. Magnificent. The Cyclones lost. Two days later, so did the Bengals. Again.

Sure, it had been all laughs back in September. Sure, the international media attention was a great sugar high, but after that eighth loss, the attention—like the weather—frosted over. There was no new

Wildman coverage in the week that followed. Yeah, the Bengals lost again, but, hey, the Minnesota Twins won the World Series! And did you hear: Somebody stole 48,000 videocassettes of Walt Disney’s Fantasia that were destined for Cincinnati Blockbuster stores! Wildman who?

Finally—and by “finally” I mean in the final seven seconds—the Bengals blocked a Cleveland Browns field goal and won their first game of the season. It was November 3, and the overnight low was going to be 18 degrees. If those seven seconds had gone the other way, who’s to say what tragedy might have occurred. Wildman, shivering, could have acted out one of his song parodies: Might as well jump! Here, without further ado, is the link to hear all of those parodies: tinyurl.com/yne8x27a

So much has changed since the Great Billboard Squat of 1991. The Bengals, after spending the next decades hemorrhaging talent and fans, eventually found their mojo and are once again Cincinnati’s beloved

football team. WEBN also spent the next decades hemorrhaging talent and fans, but like most radio stations, their mojo remains in the wilderness. There are no more promotional stunts that get press coverage as far away as Australia and no more ratings that dominate Cincinnati radio.

And today’s Wildman Walker? He remains unchanged, steady, and strong. He’s working on a sequel to his book, which I’m sure will get the billboard’s location right this time and might even get around to mentioning me and the song parodies. Then again, it might not, especially when Wildman sees that I wrote this entire column without once mentioning Pete Rose.

I hope Wildman’s sequel at least shares more emotions of his descending that billboard for the last time and kissing the ground like a hostage returning from Russia. I wasn’t there, so I can neither confirm nor deny that the WEBN Sports Commando was lowered via the pulley and the bucket. But I’m delighted to spread the rumor.

Presenting Sponsor

NATI OFF

F

A Portion of the Proceeds Benefit

DEVYN GLISTA

Influ Age THE OF

A NEW GENERATION IS USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO AMPLIFY THEIR VOICESPUTTING CINCINNATI ON THE MAP FOR ITS ART, FASHION, ARCHITECTURE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.

SOCIAL STARS

Influencers take over OTR: (clockwise from left) Heather of Savagemomlife, Morgan Angelique Owens, Ask Ashlee, Hugo Pereira, Adelia Killian

ence

BY ASHLEY CAUDILL, LAUREN FISHER, CAROLINE KAMMERER, MACKENZIE MANLEY,

KATE MAUER, KANE MITTEN, LILY OGBURN, OLIVIA ROHLING, SAM ROSENSTIEL, ANNASOFIA SCHEVE, AND KATE SHIELDS

1

MICROINFLUENCER• Adelia Killian

When Adelia Killian started blogging on WordPress in January 2018, she had no intention of making it her career. At the time, she was still navigating life as a college student. Even when she moved to Cincinnati after graduation, she worked a day job, curating outfits and shooting photos on her days off in an attempt to not only explore her new city, but romanticize it.

As she promoted her blog online, Killian’s social media following quickly grew. Soon, she wasn’t just blogging. She was influencing, sharing her favorite brands with her readers. And when she was laid off from her day job, she realized she was actually earning more through sponsored content on her blog. In 2022, she took her side gig full-time.

Today, the 26-year-old has more than 215,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 18,000 on Instagram, where she’s proudly “making Cincy look like NYC.” “When I first moved [here] in 2019, I moved downtown,” Killian says. “There’s more to Cincy than meets the eye.”

On her accounts, Killian posts about lifestyle, beauty, motherhood (she and her husband welcomed a daughter, Madeline, in April), and plus-sized fashion inspiration.

“I’ve always loved putting outfits together and I love the challenge of finding inclusive sizing,” Killian says. “It’s how I find confidence—when I put together something that I’m really proud of, style-wise. Now I really want to create content that’s for everyone and isn’t simply sharing outfits that only go up to a certain size.”

For Killian, the world of social media has given her the work-life balance that suits her lifestyle and family. And it’s a path she believes anyone can pursue. “I feel like there’s a misconception that you have to already have a platform in order to be an influencer,” she says. “That’s not true at all. [Influencing] is truly for everyone.” OLIVIA ROHLING

TIPS FOR GETTING THE PERFECT SHOT

USE VIDEO TO EXPAND YOUR OPTIONS

Next time you’re trying to secure that effortlessly candid shot, consider shooting a video rather than a still photo. Once you’re finished shooting, use the playback controls to scroll through your video in slowmotion, screenshotting your favorite stills as you go.

2 EDIT BEFORE YOU SHOOT

iPhone users are probably aware of the edit button in the top right corner of every photo. But did you know you can make those changes before you take the shot? Adjust exposure, apply a filter, or even switch up your aspect ratio, all before you hit the shutter.

3 USE THE GRID

The rule of thirds is one of the first principles you learn in any photography class. Split the screen into thirds, placing the subject in the middle. Make it easy on yourself: On iPhone and Android, visit your camera’s composition settings, switch on the grid, and thank us later.

4 LOOK TO THE SUN

No, really. When you’re taking outdoor photos, avoid the biggest rookie mistake of all: taking a backlit picture by standing in front of the sun (or any light source, really). Instead, consider the time of day, adjust your exposure, and use the sun as your own personal spotlight.

“I’VE ALWAYS LOVED PUTTING OUTFITS TOGETHER AND I LOVE THE CHALLENGE OF FINDING INCLUSIVE SIZING. IT’S HOW I FIND CONFIDENCE.”

MorganAngelique Owens

You might recognize Morgan Angelique Owens from her social media accounts, her appearances on local TV, or from her column in The Cincinnati Herald, where she recommends the best beauty products. But she feels one of her biggest accomplishments is something she doesn’t put in the spotlight. Owens wrote an after-school program curriculum to help girls in third grade through high school build their confidence and “find their sparkle.”

Owens struggled with low selfesteem and dark thoughts when she was younger—something she knows girls can experience at higher levels due to the internet. “They’ll find their way,” she says. “But it’s hard for them because they have social media.”

Owens was in the middle of a tour for her book, Finding My Sparkle, which deals with these issues, when the pandemic hit. She’d stepped away from her corporate job about a year earlier and already had a start in entrepreneurship with fitness company Curvy Cardio and workshops designed to empower women in business. With a degree in creative writing and a longtime dream of blogging, the pandemic became the perfect time to launch her beauty blog Professional Pretty.

Her work also appeared in The Cincinnati Herald, which prompted Owens to ask an important question: Why isn’t there a beauty section in Cincinnati’s foremost news source for the Black community? Black consumers contribute more than $7 billion to the beauty industry but are three times more likely than non-Black beauty consumers to have dissatisfying options for products. In response, Owens founded The Herald Beauty, a permanent section of The Cincinnati Herald where she educates on makeup, skincare, mental health and more as chief creative beauty consultant. It’s “bringing

beauty back to a demographic that deserves beauty,” Owens says.

Owens has now kicked off a revamped version of the tour that was cut short by the pandemic and is looking forward to shooting an upcoming campaign with Palmer’s. Through all of it, she stays true to herself. “I’ve never lost an opportunity I’ve wanted being myself,” she says.

ANNASOFIA

SCHEVE

INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS

Krohn

Conservatory

Built in 1933 in one of Cincinnati’s most stunning parks, Krohn Conservatory is the perfect backdrop for any photo, whether you’re surrounded by butterflies during the annual summer show or by the exotic collection of plants that fill the conservatory year-round.

ASHLEY CAUDILL

•THE MEDIA MAVEN•

Ready or not: TikTok has changed the social media landscape, reinventing the way people explore interests, pursue their passions, and, in rare

•THE TIKTOK SENSATION•

After downloading the app four years ago, Cincinnati native Heather “Savagemomlife” became a TikTok sensation known for “to the comments” videos where she reacts to the hilarious—and sometimes absurd—comment sections on viral videos. Loved for her quick wit and huge heart, she has amassed more than 5.6 million followers, in addition to the listeners of her iHeartRadio podcast, Simply Savage.

Savagemom TIKTOK TAKES OVER

WHAT HAS THE JOURNEY TO “FAME” FELT LIKE FOR YOU? It does not resonate with me the way it resonates with other people...I don’t hang my hat on that. I don’t go to bed at night like, “I’ve got 5.6 million people that follow me on one platform.” I just look at it as, “Oh my gosh, I have this giant family that’s amazing and gets to hang out with me and I get to hang out with them.” HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE BEING AN “INFLUENCER?” I feel like there’s a responsibility we have. I don’t want to be an influencer of “Oh, I just want you guys to buy products.” I want to be an influencer of being a good human and being able to see the light in the darkness and things like that. YOU HAVE THE TITLE “MOM” IN YOUR USERNAME, BUT YOUR CONTENT DOESN’T CENTER ON YOUR CHILD. WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THAT? When I first got on TikTok, everything was “savage.” Savage love, and savage this, and “I’m a savage.” So I was trolling people with the name. I don’t feel like I need to drag my kid in the middle of my content all the time. I don’t need to rely on him. That’s something that is very important in any relationship, in parenthood, in anything. There is a you. There is a child. And then there is you and your child. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CONTENT TO SOMEONE NEW TO YOUR PAGE? People come in and stick around for the quick wit and humor, and they fall in love with me for the hear t that I have. KATE SHIELDS

INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS

Carol Ann’s Carousel sits in a glass building near The Banks, located between Great American Ball Park and Paycor Stadium. Hop aboard one of the colorful and whimsical carousel animals and strike a pose for the perfect Instagram photo. A.C.

FIVE MORE LOCAL TIKTOK FOLLOWS

•THE CINCINNATI KID•

I would strike out Timothée Chalamet in three pitches.

If you’re a Cincinnati sports fan who has been online in the last three years, you’ve almost certainly seen a video of a goofy guy in a Reds jersey detailing how his two-seam fastball would make the Dune star “feel like he’s drowning.” Will Sennett is one of the most popular comedians online today, with almost 500,000 combined followers across platforms, 10 million TikTok likes, a GQ profile, and a nationwide comedy tour. But even now that he lives in Los Angeles, the Middletown native still prefers sitting at home obsessively watching highlights of his favorite Cincinnati sports teams.

Sennett is one of those guys who can pull out the names of players you forgot were even on the team, but one name illustrates the first big sports moment that stuck with him: Carson Palmer. In 2006, the Bengals were good for the first time in Sennett’s life. But on the second play of their first playoff game in 14 years, Palmer tore his ACL and MCL. The Bengals’ new dynasty was snuffed out before the team could finish one postseason drive. Sennett saw his family break down in anger.

“Because they, like every [Bengals] fan, were used to constant devastation and hope being snatched away right before their eyes,” he says. “That’s where I was like, Oh, this is going to be my whole life, isn’t it?”

Fast forward through nearly 20 years of pain and suffering, and Sennett feels like there’s a reason for optimism for the first time in a long while. He comes back every year for sports (he also gets “three Skyline coneys and then I’ll wish I got four”), no matter how the

teams are performing, but there’s never been a moment in his lifetime where every single team was good at once. “There’s light at the end of the tunnel. I think we’re gonna win a World Series soon. I think we’re gonna win a Super Bowl soon. I think Cincinnati fans have been in a sort of Job situation. If we just power through, if we just keep on trucking, I think there’s a nice reward in sports heaven waiting for us.”

KANE MITTEN

UNDERSTANDING TIKTOK

GIVE ME THE SPARKNOTES HISTORY OF THE APP. TikTok, which is essentially a hosting platform for user-generated videos, was released in 2017 by a Chinese company called ByteDance. Since then, it’s been downloaded more than 2 billion times. HOW DOES IT KNOW WHAT I WANT TO WATCH? When you interact with a video, whether that’s by watching, liking, commenting, or sending it to your friends, TikTok’s superpowered AI algorithm takes note, feeding you more and more of what you like. I WANT TO MAKE A TIKTOK. HOW DO I GET STARTED? The beauty of the app is that anyone can get in on the action. Videos range from three seconds to three minutes. Just tap that plus button at the bottom of your screen, open up the camera, and have fun with it. BUT WAIT: ISN’T TIKTOK GOING TO BE BANNED? In Ohio, some state legislators are pushing for a complete ban. But as long as you’re not using a government-owned device—the app is banned on those in both Ohio and Kentucky—you should be OK. L.F.

1 @BENGALS

When it comes to social media, professional sports teams—the Bengals most certainly included—have taken a turn toward the absurd in recent years, answering “burning questions” for fans. For instance: Who would players definitely not want to be stuck next to on a long flight? Spoiler alert: It’s almost unanimously B.J. Hill.

2 @CINCINNATIZOO

Viewers may have come for Fritz and Fiona, but they stay for the day-making carousel of content that is the Cincinnati Zoo’s TikTok account. With more than a million followers on the platform, the Zoo lets viewers get up close and personal with the animals.

3 @CINCYLIBRARY

A library on TikTok? Really?

Trust us on this one. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s official account is stunningly on-trend and posts almost daily content that’s as informative (how to check out library materials on your phone) as it is entertaining (a shortlived Days of Our Lives sketch parody about—what else?—librarians).

4 @SKYLINECHILI

Cincinnati’s most notable chili parlor is out to evangelize the ever-reluctant masses with its account, which features enough order hacks and Skyline-themed recipes to keep the tried-and-true menu fresh. It’s also plenty entertaining. Skyline orders as Taylor Swift songs, anyone?

5 @JOEYVOTTO

For a few glorious months, the Reds’ first baseman dazzled and confounded leagues of baseball fans when he posted his (surprisingly very good) rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Name” to the app, live from the dentist’s chair. The account has since been deleted, and there’s no word from Votto on a sequel to the iconic single.

Dione Wu

Anyone can take a picture of a meal. But when it comes to documenting perfectly Instagrammable plates, local food blogger Dione Wu has a gift. While exploring restaurants and bars in the Greater Cincinnati area, her Instagram account, @drinkingdiningdione, has amassed more than 22,000 followers.

From the beginning, Wu’s mission has been simple. “I started my page because I like trying new things and checking out different places,” she says. After nearly seven years of posting, Wu has lighting, angles, and food positioning down to a science. “The longer you do it, you kind of figure out what angles are good or what works for you,” she says.

Within the local dining landscape, food influencers are an increasingly vital resource for locals and visitors alike, exploring the city’s hidden gems and sharing them with the community. And they’re just as vital to the restaurants. “Cincinnati has a really good up-and-coming food scene,” Wu says. “I just want to let people know that we have all these different options.”

Living downtown, she’s constantly immersed in Cincinnati’s vibrant culinary community. Wu also takes her followers along on her travels and food adventures, sharing everything from escargot in France to bar bites in Columbus.

Running a successful Instagram account, constantly creating content, and staying on top of restaurant openings isn’t as easy as it looks. “I do work a full-time job,” Wu says. “So this is something I do mostly for fun on the side.”

But despite the time commitment, the account has given Wu the opportunity to forge new connections both in Cincinnati and beyond. “Without this account,

I definitely wouldn’t have been able to connect with so many people and make so many relationships,” Wu says. “Cincinnati is not a small city— but it can feel small. And [influencing] makes you feel more connected to the community.” CAROLINE KAMMERER

“CINCINNATI HAS A REALLY GOOD UPANDCOMING FOOD SCENE. I JUST WANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT OPTIONS.”

•THE FOODFLUENCER•

•THE DREAM TEAM•

Chefs Christian Gill and Kayla Robison have been friends through thick and thin, from their Pendleton days to their Food Network showdowns. They also happen to have mastered the social media game, using their platforms to showcase their restaurant prowess and love of Cincinnati’s culinary scene to a global audience.

YOU’RE NOT “INFLUENCERS” IN A TRADITIONAL SENSE. WHEN YOU WERE FIRST GETTING STARTED, DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA JUST HOW BIG A ROLE SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD PLAY IN YOUR CAREER?

C: I don’t like the word influencer While some brands consistently ap-

FRANKIE GAW

pear in my reels and stories, I actually use them and believe in them. I don’t just cash checks to promote things I don’t believe in. My content relating to elevating my local chef friends, culinary comrades, restaurants, and businesses is what I will never let go of. K: This phenomenon of “chef influencers” can be a contentious issue for

those of us who have earned the chef title. My path has involved 18 years and counting in restaurant kitchens, which is my livelihood. [But] social media has provided a valuable avenue for connecting with fellow chefs and like-minded food lovers.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU TWO KNOWN EACH OTHER? WHAT’S THAT FRIENDSHIP LIKE?

K: Imagine the iconic “Did we just become best friends?” scene from Step Brothers. Two individuals navigating a chaotic world that only they comprehend because they’re fully immersed in it. That’s Christian and me.

C: Oh boy, oh berto, we go back to the days of Pendleton. I first really got to know Kayla when she was the executive chef at Nation. Since both of our exits from Pendleton, we’ve grown closer through navigating the world of culinary content creation.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR AUDIENCE TO BE GETTING OUT OF YOUR POSTS?

K: I wouldn’t be where I am now without others sharing their platform with me. I simply wish to do the same for others. There’s nothing more gratifying than witnessing how collaborations can bring awareness and sales to a small business.

C: I want them to be entertained— maybe inspired. At the end of the day I’m making fun reels that make you giggle for 30 seconds, to take you away from the day to day for the briefest moment. For many of us, those brief moments mean a world of happiness. LAUREN

FISHER

Food writer and social media star Frankie Gaw may live in Seattle these days, but he’s the first to admit that he’ll always be a Cincinnati boy at heart. His debut cookbook, First Generation, is a reflection of that: a collection of recipes from his Taiwanese-American kitchen, steeped in the flavors of the Midwest. “I always find that the most comforting meals I cook or eat are the ones that remind me of Cincinnati staples,” he says. One of Gaw’s favorite dishes (the recipe’s in the cookbook) is a riff on his grandmother’s hand-pulled noodles, featuring a sauce inspired by his go-to Skyline order (4-way with onion). “Every pizza and ice cream joint I’ve been to since being on the West Coast is forever compared to LaRosa’s and Graeter’s,” he says. “If I make chili, it’s always saucier and more in the style of Skyline, which baffles everyone around me. But I can’t help myself!” L.F.

•THE ARTIST•

@HoodMidCenturyModern, also known as the “Streets’ Preservation Society,” is on a mission to make architecture accessible while helping preserve the legacy of Black modernism. The account’s feed spotlights architectural gems—interiors, exteriors, furniture, and more—from across the globe. But it was in his hometown of Cincinnati that Jerald Cooper, the man behind Hood Century, discovered his passion for architecture. Since launching in late 2019, the Instagram account has amassed 90,000 followers and has been featured in publications like The New York Times, Architectural

Digest, and Vogue

“We’re going to be celebrating four years in December, which is crazy,” Cooper says of the account. At the time of this interview, he was a few weeks out from flying to London and had just returned from a trip to Tennessee. Cooper’s home base, however, is still his West End studio. One of his favorite architectural features in the city also happens to be in the neighborhood: the West End Branch Library, marked by its zigzag overhang.

“Having grown up in that building and seeing the changes in the neighborhood…it’s a mainstay,” says Coo-

per, adding that he’s also keeping his eye on King Records, the legendary music studio founded in Cincinnati in 1943 that helped launch the careers of Bootsy Collins and James Brown.

With Hood Century’s fourth birthday right around the corner, Cooper is working to create a website that represents the archive. Hood Century is also moving toward getting funding to support a crowdsourced map, which would lean into Cooper’s mission of preserving modernism within Black culture. “Unfortunately, there’s just not a lot of things like [Hood Century],” he says. “I’ve still got my foot on the gas to create the world that I want to see for my friends and family.” MACKENZIE

MANLEY

Jerald Cooper Hugo Pereira

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO DIGITAL ART? I was very much traditional at the beginning, but I was always very into computers and video games. On my 14th or 15th birthday, my mom gave me one of those digital drawing tablets. And I had no idea that they even existed, so she just opened up a whole new world for me where I could marry my love for drawing and my passion for computers. WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BRING YOUR ART TO SOCIAL MEDIA?

The pandemic. Like everyone else, I had a lot more free time on my hands. So I started challenging myself. Can I do a drawing a day? That’s how it started. The algorithm rewarded me at the beginning for that very strong consistency. Then early last year, I started getting into [Instagram] Reels and those are really good for growth. And that’s what really helped the whole thing take off. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF BEING AN ARTIST ON SOCIAL

MEDIA? Consistency is the biggest one. Sometimes, depending on the artist and on the type of work you do, [art] takes a week to make. How do you post every day if your artwork takes a week to make? [It’s] trying to understand how to milk your artwork to get more posts per artwork. ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, HOW HAS SOCIAL MEDIA HELPED YOU AS AN ARTIST? The reach that social media can get you. If you’re doing your homework, understanding the best

ways to increase your reach on these platforms and seeing what’s trending, your reach increases tremendously. Because of social media, I’ve had so many great opportunities. I’ve made the cover of a physical video game that just released. And that was mindblowing for me. If I told little Hugo that he’d be making the cover of a video game one day, he’d be like, Get out of here! You know? LILY OGBURN

Dylan Morton

“It’s really hard to be mad on roller skates,” says Dylan Morton. “It gives people a release that you can’t really find anywhere else.” Morton, who’s been roller skating since the age of 9, saw his career take off shortly after he visited Los Angeles following his high school graduation. “[It’s when] I realized skating was more than just a hobby,” he says. “I made a video with a couple different skate influencers at the time, and ended up booking a finale live show performance for one of the contestants [on The Voice]. That’s when I was like, I can make something out of this.” As his social platform grew, brands like Canon and Adidas began taking notice. Then Disney came knocking.

Soon, Morton found himself onset for the pilot of Saturdays, a Disney Channel comedy about roller skating. After the pilot was picked up, Morton booked three roles in the show’s first season: assistant choreographer, a “golden skater,” and a double. “That’s when I really was like, This might be life-changing,” Morton says. “And it was.”

After Saturdays, social media launched the 22-year-old toward even more unique opportunities, from performing at the AMAs with P!nk to traveling to South Korea to film a K-Pop music video. He’s since moved back to Cincinnati, where he teaches lessons at the Over-the-Rhine Community Center. This fall, he’s embarking on his first world tour.

Becoming a professional skater— let alone a social media star—was never something Morton thought would be a reality. “To be able to be a professional roller skater is unimaginable,” he says. “Having a following changes the way I live my life, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. To have the ability to influence people in a positive way—it’s just something I can’t take for granted.” KATE MAUER

SQUAD GOALS

Meet some of the local influencers working with Cincinnati Magazine to promote our events.L.F.

@ANGIEKNOWSTHETRUTH: Colorful, creative, and always fabulous, Realtor Angie Haering (mom of two!) keeps it real, both on Instagram and on her blog, angieknowsthetruth.com.

@HEYMICHELLE1: Consider HeyMichelle your guide to what’s happening in the Queen City, whether you’re looking for the newest restaurant openings or the trendiest events.

@ASK_ASHLEE: When she’s not hosting her podcast or writing her Cincinnati Herald advice column, AskAshlee shares her positive affirmations and spreads joy on her social channels.

@JESSMESTYLE: This lifestyle guru chronicles her outfits, eats, and travels on her main account, but don’t forget to check out @magic4two, where Jess and her husband share their Disney adventures.

@DELICIOUSLY_CINFUL: Tag along with blogger and foodie Abby as she discovers and shares new and exciting ways to dig into Cincinnati’s vibrant dining scene.

@PURSUITOFDELIGHTS: Food and travel blogger Tiffany B isn’t just exploring everything Cincinnati has to offer—she also takes her followers on culinary adventures beyond the tri-state.

Travis

McElroy

also includes the popular tabletop RPG podcast, The Adventure Zone. You might have caught their cameo in Trolls 2, or the more adventurous among you may know them for their namesake Appalachian millipede, Nannaria mcelroyorum (look it up).

better place, and you’re all welcome,” he laughs.

“If anything, I think the thing that we’ve done most is to make people feel more comfortable being awkward. Everybody, apparently, in the world is awkward and doesn’t know how to talk to anyone else,” says podcaster Travis McElroy. We're talking in the Cincinnati office studio where he hosts My Brother, My Brother, & Me, on which he and his eldest brother Justin and

“sweet baby brother” Griffin dole out unique tips for thwarting life’s biggest quandaries: Are shrimp baby lobsters? What’s our national soup? Got any oneliners in case I meet Dave Matthews?

For millions of listeners subscribed to the Maximum Fun independent podcast network, the family churns out hundreds of hours of content yearly in a lineup that

While he’s no doubt a creator, the term “influencer” may not exactly fit. “I think [internet influencing] expands to the way we treat each other, comedy influencing society, and the way that we interact with each other and kindness. I’d like to think that we’ve increased the amount of positivity and kindness and good humor in the world. But like, I don’t know. And it feels weird to say I definitely have made the world a

YOUTUBER MARKIPLIER

The Huntington, West Virginiaborn McElroy first moved here in 2009 to become technical director for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. After six years of rediscovering his love of theater and doing a little bit of everything for CSC, he and his wife moved to Los Angeles to produce podcasts full-time. They always knew it would be a two-year detour, but where would they land next? “We ended up coming back to Cincinnati because we both really liked the city—it had a lot going on in regard to the arts and theater, which we both love very much, and it’s close to family.”

Now with a seat on the CSC board— “I’ve basically come full circle”—he, his wife, and their two children spend time gardening and trying the bevy of new restaurants around town. McElroy is also getting into blacksmithing at Blue Hell Studios. “We’re not going anywhere for a while,” he says.

SAM ROSENSTIEL

Who’s the biggest star to come out of Cincinnati? George Clooney? Steven Spielberg? Maybe. But if we’re talking social media, we’d be remiss to leave out Markiplier. The 34-year-old (real name Mark Fishbach) is one of the world’s biggest and brightest YouTubers, known for jumping onto the “Let’s Play” format of video game streaming when it spiked in popularity in the early 2010s. Fischbach grew up in the Cincinnati suburbs, attending Milford High School before dropping out of UC to pursue his YouTube career. Safe to say that risky move paid off: Fischbach’s videos have been viewed more than 20 billion times, catapulting him to god-like status in the online gaming community. The streamer is pretty quiet about his Cincinnati roots—he moved to Los Angeles in 2014—but that doesn’t keep him from giving back to his hometown in a big way: Fischbach and his fans have donated well over $500,000 to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. L.F.

The Newport Aquarium

Go for the exhibits, stay for the photo ops—turn a visit to the aquarium into the perfect Instagram photoshoot. Stand in a glass tunnel full of sea life and coral or walk along a netted bridge above sharks for a colorful photo that’s sure to stand out. A.C.

Means

•THE

BRAND GURU•

In 2011, Means Cameron started selling streetwear out of the trunk of a Honda Accord. Today, the visionary behind BlaCkOWned Outerwear has the biggest names in sports repping his brand. And he’s got his sights set on going global.

TELL US ABOUT THE ROLE SOCIAL MEDIA HAS PLAYED IN GROWING THE BRAND. We realized early on that we didn’t have a lot of money. So the power was going to be in getting the “it” people—the people with clout—to wear the brand or mention it in some way on Facebook, which was much more active than Instagram back then. But that was our strategy. And we knew that our tactics of never being closed and selling shirts out of a trunk were things people could get excited about and wanted to talk about on social media. DO YOU SEE YOURSELVES AS REPRESENTATIVES OF CINCINNATI? Yes. In fact, when I started the brand, it was intentional to be a voice for the urban core in Cincinnati—specifically those people who never thought ownership was an option for them because of systemic racism. When we started the brand, we would often say that we’re going to work until BlaCkOWned is synonymous with Cincinnati. It wasn’t easy. People weren’t open to the idea of something called BlaCkOWned. Twelve years later, it almost feels like, How do you have Cincinnati without BlaCkOWned? DO YOU SEE THE BAND EX PANDING OUTSIDE OF CINCINNATI? Yeah. Our core audience is here in Ohio—specifically Cincinnati. But we’re starting to get eyes on us from other places, whether that be Dwayne Wade wearing the brand or Chris Paul wearing the brand, or something as dope as the BET collaboration. [That] comes with validity, which is important, because to scale and build a brand, you need hype. Now that we’re almost there in terms of being able to manufacture at a cheaper rate, we’re gonna open the doors and we’re gonna allow other stores to carry the brand, which is probably going to be the pathway to having that national notoriety and becoming not just a staple here in Cincinnati, but becoming a staple across the states for Black culture. LAUREN FISHER

“WHEN WE STARTED THE BRAND, WE WOULD OFTEN SAY THAT WE’RE GOING TO WORK UNTIL BLACK OWNED IS SYNONYMOUS WITH CINCINNATI.”

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Splitting time between France and Cincinnati, the musician/ composer often feels like “the other” wherever he is—which he thinks is actually a blessing.

BY GIL KAUFMAN

ILLUSTRATION BY DALE EDWIN MURRAY

NAPOLEON MADDOX HAS KEPT HIS mother’s maxim as a lifelong guiding light and traveler’s code of the road: “No matter where you go, you always have to take yourself with you.” The singer, beatboxer, DJ, playwright, and composer who first rose to prominence playing grimy rock clubs like the beloved Sudsy Malone’s in the 1990s, often with his jazz/hip-hop ensemble ISWHAT?!, has had plenty of experience testing that wise adage in recent years.

He’s tattooed it on his brain and in his heart since 2019, when he received his “carte de sejour”(the equivalent of a green card) and moved to Besançon, France, a city of 110,000 near the border with Switzerland. There, he’s an unofficial ambassador for both his hometown and the experimental fringe of hip-hop exploration.

“Without realizing it, I think I really internalized that phrase so I’m like, OK, wherever I am it’s me that’s going to make this place, and the relationships I build here mean something,” says Maddox, 51, when we meet at the Music Resource Center in Walnut Hills during one of his frequent visits home. “It’s not because I go to New York or London or Paris or Japan that something is going to happen for me. I focus on what I do where I am.”

“Where I am” is a rule of the road that came in handy when the Northside native— he graduated from Spring Valley Academy, a Seventh-Day Adventist school in Centerville, because of course you were wondering—decamped to Besançon just months before the pandemic locked everything down. Suddenly confined to his apartment in a country he’d grown to love after years of touring Europe with ISWHAT?! and his other music collaborators, Maddox spent three years painting and hosting an online

radio show, Bestown State of Mind.

The program, whose title pays homage to rap icon Nas’s 1994 “N.Y. State of Mind,” featured Maddox interviewing guests from both his hometowns as well as spinning African music, jazz, and hip-hop while sharing thoughts on the state of the world and pop culture.

He was locked down for the better part of 10 months in the country, where citizens were allowed to leave their homes for just short periods of time every day

PHOTOGRAPHS BY (TOP) GAELLE LE TARGAT / (BOTTOM) GREGOR KHUEN-BELASI

in the face of stiff fines, so he wrote, filled oversized canvases, and pondered his next projects. Like so many of us, Maddox also binge-watched TV, in his case the espionage series Homeland, which follows the adventures of a globe-hopping CIA officer played by Claire Danes.

Most importantly, though, he began sketching out a tribute to revolutionary 18th century Haitian general Toussaint Louverture, known as the Father of Haiti. Maddox and his longtime French collaborator/ producer Sorg (born Léo Duf) recorded an album and then, in August 2021, presented a musical show, L’Ouverture de Toussaint, at the Château de Joux in Franche-Comté, a French prison that was Louverture’s final home. It’s emblematic of Maddox’s fascination with finding the crossroads of jazz, hiphop, historical tales of struggle, and the fight for freedom and recognition.

Maddox is well aware, he says, smiling, of the back-of-the-envelope math of a Black man from Cincinnati named Napoleon telling the story of the former slave who wrote Haiti’s first Constitution against the wishes of that other Napoleon. To a French audience. In French. And English. While rapping and beatboxing.

“I was looking for something that wouldn’t be just, Oh, I’m here, I’m gonna write some songs and say some stuff,” Maddox says of the inspiration he took from a visit to the chateau where Louverture was imprisoned

in 1802, a year before his death in custody. “I wanted something that was going to relate to the region and relate to the different historical social movements there.”

THE VISIT CAME BEFORE LOCKDOWN, which gave Maddox time to do his research and write an arresting piece that mixes pensive English and French rapping and singing over smoky jazz saxophone and subtle drumming: “Make sure Bonaparte/ Know this part/ Them souls with skin dark/ Got big hearts/ We see you slicing the Tarte/ And we claim our part.”

Sorg, who first met Maddox more than a decade ago on one of the American’s frequent tours of France, says the language barrier both is and isn’t a major factor when they perform live. If they’re in Paris, for instance, where audiences are more accustomed to Americans and English speakers, fans might understand more than half of Maddox’s funky bilingual lyrics. “But when we are in the countryside, where people are clearly not getting some of the lyrics, his energy, his movement on stage, and the way he tries to speak between tracks to explain the text and ask the audience if they understand him help get his message across,” says Sorg, 34, during a WhatsApp call from Besançon, his hometown.

Often, while signing autographs after those French shows, Maddox says he gently explains to his new fans that, no, Napoleon

isn’t a stage name and, yes, he knows it’s wild. In the back of his mind, though, he says he’s thinking, Just wait until you hear what I’m rapping about!

Sorg says most of the time those audiences get the “spirit” of Maddox’s lyrics about topics such as human rights, “but of course they don’t understand it like Americans.” Frankly, he says, it’s the same for him when he sees other American rappers in France: He can catch some of what they’re saying, but when the beats come quickly even he has trouble catching it all. “When I see someone like Nas, even I don’t get everything,” he says. “But they always say that Napoleon’s energy is so incredible and dope that they are happy.”

It helps, he says, that Maddox’s French has gotten better and better since he began touring the country in 2005. And while his pronunciation can occasionally go sideways, Sorg says the rapper has been using more and more French in their performances, honing his skills in a live setting.

As for his unusual name, Maddox says his parents presciently chose his big stature moniker because they wanted their nine children—eight daughters and lone son Napoleon—to have impactful names. His youngest sister, naturally, is named Omega. “She’s the last, and she is really strong,” he says, dressed in his signature off-stage look: a newsboy cap covering his bald head, jeans, not-too-flashy sneakers, and, on the day we meet, a T-shirt repping the Cincinnati clothing brand Misfit Genius, with one of his countless pairs of sunglasses CONTINUED ON PAGE 

A HOMEBODY NAPOLEON MADDOX PERFORMS IN FRANCE (OPPOSITE PAGE) AND CELEBRATES THE STORY OF HIS CONJOINED GREAT-GRANDAUNTS (ABOVE). WITH HIS CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY (LEFT), INCLUDING HIS MOTHER (BOTTOM CENTER) AND SISTER OMEGA (RIGHT OF NAPOLEON).

PHOTOGRAPHS BY (LEFT) PRUDENCE RUFUS / (RIGHT) JOELLE GUEGUEN

Read My

New blood and creative adaptations are shaking up Cincinnati’s growing belly dance scene.

Hips

ByLaur ie Pike

Photographsby Catherine Viox 49

Middl e Eastern po p iddle Eastern pop music is thumping at Sahara Hookah Lounge, a cavernous BYOB club in Sharonville. Dancers in bejeweled bra tops and voluminous sheer skirts writhe and wriggle, expertly manipulating a sword, 6-foot metallic “wings,” and hand fans trailing floaty chiffon.

The performers weave and twirl through the crowd, pausing to give patrons an up-close look at precise isolations in their belly, shoulders, or backside. A grinning fellow jumps up to shimmy with one performer.

DJ Fatty (a.k.a. Fatty the Baddie Who’s Your Daddy from the Nati) pumps his hands and sings along in Arabic from his booth.

Fadi Shalash, a first-generation Palestinian immigrant, owns the Sahara Lounge and delights in the cross-cultural exchange between his customers, who come from all over the globe, and the dancers, who are Americans enamored with Middle Eastern culture. “I was gagged on that energy,” he says later. “It was so much fun.”

Emily Marie was the star of the show, with abdominal movements as wavy as her long, dark hair. A professional dancer, she books the performers at Sahara and, on this particular night, led a handful of novice students for a few numbers. The women were Black and white, old and young, ample and lean. After just five weeks of study with her, they had enough skills and confidence to show off their nascent hip drops, body rolls, and shoulder shimmies in public.

“Post-COVID, I have gotten a lot of new students,” says Emily Marie, who does not use her last name professionally. Her pupils are more diverse demographically than ever before.“People want to get out and get moving, and they don’t just want to jump around to get fit. They want

something free-flowing and creative.”

Belly dance is alive and well in Cincinnati. Besides the weekend performances at Sahara and at Andy’s Mediterranean Grille in Walnut Hills, frequent showcases bring the ancient art form to festivals, Renaissance fairs, charity benefits, and (especially) Halloween events. Pro dancer Meleesa Mink has more than 13,000 Instagram followers; Emily Marie has 15,000. “There were only two belly dance instructors in Cincinnati when I started,” says Azha, a tall dancer and teacher with the requisite long hair, which she can whip around with aplomb, who arrived on the scene in the 1990s. “It’s grown by leaps and bounds ever since.”

Most Cincinnatians, however, are unaware of all this hip-shaking and veil-

spinning. Despite a surge in students, shows for the public are modestly promoted and attended. Part of the secrecy, though, is intended.

Due to the age-old association of belly dancing with more salacious kinds of entertainment, a lot of women don’t let everyone in their social or professional circles know about it. Few agreed to use their full names here, and some preferred to use their mono-moniker dancer names. There’s no getting around it: Belly dance is the most misunderstood of dance forms.

Torso-c entric mov em ents in

b elly

Torso-centric movements in belly dancing started as a simple folk dance in North Africa and the Middle East. Some historians believe that, like fla-

menco, it originated in India as long as 5,000 years ago and spread westward via migrating Travelers (also known as Roma). Turkey, North Africa, Egypt, and Lebanon remain its strongholds, even though it’s restricted (for “immorality”) in some of those places.

When belly dancing arrived on American shores in the late 1800s, it was dubbed the “hoochie coochie” by promoters cashing in on its lurid reputation. Exposed bellies were shocking to Victorian-era audiences. Movies and TV

Fifty years later, those same notations and choreographies are still taught at Habeeba’s namesake studios in Columbus and Cincinnati.

shows ever since have characterized belly dance as a bump-and-grind for men’s ogling eyeballs. The Hollywood stereotypes cheapened its perception but also spread and infl uenced its movements and costumes, both of which became more glamorous and flamboyant.

Historically, belly dance was more about celebration than seduction. It originated by and for the delight of women. In the late 1960s, when it took hold nationally in the U.S., it became an unexpectedly feminist endeavor.

Classes were a “safe space,” especially for women who felt their curvy bodies were not something to be proud of or show off. Belly dance turned such thinking around. Trending again now—with social media disseminating instruction, music, and performances—the sounds and the culture that belly dance embodies are coming to the fore.

“We are not talking about an art form

Continued on Page 98

Continu ed on Pag e 98

Shake It Off Cincinnati belly dancers include (from left on the opposite page) Margaurita, Meleesa, and Ericka, plus (front) Anna, and others who performed at the Summer Sizzle event (above and left) in Elmwood Place. The scene traces its origins to Habeeba (top), who was featured on album and book covers 50-plus years ago.

“I spent hours in front of a mirror with music on, trying to break down every movement I did.”

ALBUM PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY HABEEBA’S

What local schools want prospective parents to know now.

PLUS A select list of open house events

FRESH START

We asked educators how they’re innovating and preparing schools for the future. They told us what they’re doing that prospective families should know about before they choose a school.

Badin High School

Hamilton

Badin’s outstanding curriculum prepares students to achieve their personal best, live their faith, and lead the future in the 21st century. Our academic leadership team is always looking to add courses of interest for students—Culinary Science and Introduction to Film Studies are among the popular additions for 2023–2024. Numerous “College Credit Plus” courses dot the schedule, too, to help our students get a leg up on credits as they head to college.

Badin is a comprehensive high school that welcomes all who wish to attend. Our curriculum promotes academic excellence through rigorous and varied classes, grounded in problem-solving experiences. Badin is focused on the development of the whole person—academically, spiritually, socially, emotionally, and physically. It’s a focus that creates an outstanding co-ed family environment that makes students proud to be a part of the Ramily.

—Dirk Q. Allen, Media Relations Liaison

Bethany School

Glendale

At Bethany School, our north star is to nurture and empower our community to thrive in a diverse world. We are teaching our students how to be a beloved community committed to living out the way of love

and grow as reconcilers, justice-makers, and healers who share a passion for God’s dream of loving our neighbor.

We equip children to achieve academic excellence while developing a love for learning and a meaningful connection to the world around them. Experiences both inside and out of the classroom help our students build strong character, with a focus on empathy, responsibility, independence, and a passion for service and leadership.

—Holly Fidler, Head of School

Cincinnati Country Day School Indian Hill

Since our founding in 1926, Country Day has been at the forefront of providing a demanding academic curriculum that is more progressive than traditional.

in the mid-1990s to the makerspaces and outdoor learning centers of today, students are provided with a learning environment where they develop perseverresourcefulness. Our innovative learning and teaching initiatives focus on providing faculty with the latest research on how students learn, creating opportunities for students that go beyond the typical classroom practices, and developing both physical and virtual hubs to support all types of learning.

At the core of our educational program

is the personal development of students. Through the house program where we live our core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, courage, and compassion to our diversity and service-learning days, we cultivate self-advocacy, emotional resilience, and essential personal skills necessary for students to explore new ideas, persevere through challenges, and lead a life of purpose.

Our goal is to create leaders by providing both an engaging educational environment and the person growth opportunities for college, career, and life—because who they become is as important as what they learn.

— Aaron B. Kellenberger, Director of Enrollment Management

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy Symmes Township

Our entire community works together to be ready to take on the challenges of college and adult life—and nowhere does our commitment shine through more than in our engaging curriculum and innovative learning spaces. Students experiment and explore in state-of-the-art science labs, outdoor classrooms, learning gardens, robotics labs, and our greenhouse and teaching kitchen.

Because a third grader doesn’t learn the same way a sophomore does, our intentionally planned program incorporates not

only what students need to learn, but how and where he or she needs to learn.

During the preschool years, we nurture children’s cognitive, language, social, physical, emotional, creative, and spiritual development through project-based learning opportunities designed to build a steadfast foundation for the formal learning experiences ahead. Students discover the effects of wind and gravity in CHCA’s

plant life cycle by planting and harvesting vegetables in our organic gardens.

In the Lower School, we vertically build skills and concepts in math, science, language arts, and more, while fostering children’s natural curiosity through an experiential approach. Students are introduced to the engineering design process and coding in robotics and participate in engineering units that teach them about erosion, structures, and light during weekly visits to the science lab.

In Upper School, students engage in rigorous college-preparatory academics, deepen their faith through Christian Studies, and investigate God’s world— and their own lives—during Intersession, a two-week out of the classroom learning experience. Students can also participate in the Entrepreneurship & Sustainability Program. It’s more than just a business class, it’s where innovative education moves past the classroom walls to teach real-world problem-solving skills, develop leadership potential, and foster the growth of life-long habits and values where students become visionary problem-solvers, hard-working innovators, and outside-the-box thinkers.

—Danielle Wilson, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications

Cincinnati Waldorf School Mariemont/Madisonville

The Cincinnati Waldorf School provides an active, hands-on academic education infused with nature, community building, and the arts. Waldorf Education is more than just memorizing facts for a test. Instead, Waldorf Education is holistic, intentional, and well-rounded. CWS students learn critical thinking, compassion, resilience, creativity, balance, problem solving, and independent thinking—exactly what our world needs most right now, and what our world will need in the future.

—Karen Crick, Enrollment Director

Elder High School

Price Hill

Elder has continued to invest in our outstanding digital media and broadcasting group called Elder News Network. Starting as a club less than 10 years ago, this group has evolved into a hands-on digital broadcasting program that is second to none in the state of Ohio. We have state-of-the-art broadcasting and news rooms that allow our students to develop and master their skills in real world scenarios. Their work is then distributed and viewed by tens of thousands of people each year. Anyone interested in this highly sought after indusrealize their potential!

—Brian Hiles, Director of Admissions

Bishop Fenwick High School

Franklin/Middletown

Bishop Fenwick High School prepares students for the future by providing a holistic education to an academically diverse population. Fenwick offers a wide range of college prep, AP, and CCP courses, and we are proud of our highly successful intervention program. Our counselors meet with all students in small groups multiple times each year and provide many other

opportunities for individual meetings. In their junior year, students take the Birkman Assessment, which allows our counselors to provide instruction and guidance on college and career readiness skills. Fenwick’s Flock Block program, a daily 40-minute block period, gives students the time to meet with teachers, complete independent study work, receive academic or personal guidance, do college or career planning, enjoy prayer and faith formation, and try new activities. We offer a wide range of clubs, activities, and athletics, and over 90% of our students participate in our extra/co-curricular activities. The Fenwick experience is much more than just four years of challenging classes, diverse activities, competitive sports, creative arts, and close friendships.

—Kaylene Schwab, Director of Communications and Marketing

Great Oaks Career Campuses

36 School Districts in Southwest Ohio

Great Oaks is the largest public career-technical school district in Ohio partnering with 36 school districts in an area spanning 2,200 square miles.

Each year, thousands of area high school juniors and seniors prepare for a career

at one of Great Oaks’s state-of-the-art campuses—Diamond Oaks in Dent (Green Township), Laurel Oaks in Wilmington, Live Oaks in Milford, or Scarlet Oaks in Sharonville.

health care to high-tech manufacturing to cybersecurity to construction trades, culinary arts, cosmetology, digital arts, animal science, auto technology, aviation

its four campuses, Great Oaks offers over 30 different programs that focus on skills in demand by industry. Students spend half of the school day in their super-elective lab programs and the other half in academic classes. High school students can earn college credits, gain work experience through internships and co-ops, and secure industry credentials.

Great Oaks also offers over 100 “satellite” programs embedded in 30 partnering high schools across the region focused on workforce development including biomedical sciences, business management, marketing, teaching professions, and more.

The district serves adult learners through career training in high-demand

ations and engineering, police, and health care, among many others. Great Oaks also provides programs like English for speakers of other languages, high school equivalency, and personal enrichment classes. Partnerships with local business,

education, and community agencies help shape the programs offered.

—Chris Pinelo, Community Relations and Education Foundation Strategist

Guardian Angels School Mt. Washington

Guardian Angels School is a mission-driven school providing a Catholic education to students in preschool through 8th grade. Our focus is to deliver an individualized education to each student through innovative practices such as our Halo Bell enrichment services, Makerspace Lab, and technology usage. We provide an environment that prepares each student to be faithful disciples through service and leadership by proclaiming values rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please join us and become part of our family!

—Sara Rehl, Director of Marketing & Communications

Mercy McAuley High School College Hill

Through an innovative partnership with Butler Tech, Mercy McAuley students have the opportunity to participate in Butler Tech’s State Tested Nurse Aid (STNA)

Program, which prepares them to take the State Tested Nurse Aide exam and be licensed through the Ohio Department of Health. This enables them to be employed by nursing homes as a State Tested Nurse Aide, which is a great stepping stone for students who wish to pursue a nursing degree in college. New in the 2023–24 school year, students will take the semester course onsite at Mercy McAuley, where a portion of a classroom has been converted into a hospital room setting. After completion of the semester course, students will participate in clinicals on twotion test in December. Mercy McAuley is the only local Catholic high school to bring this Butler Tech course onsite, making this innovative program even more accessible to students.

—Patty Thelen, Director of Marketing

Mercy Montessori Center East Walnut

Hills

Mercy Montessori provides a world-class education and a strong foundation for learning and discovery as Greater Cincin-

We dedicate ourselves to addressing the root causes of systemic injustices and work to become an anti-racist multicultural community. Our ever-evolving commitment to anti-bias and anti-racist educa-

tion, programs, and protocol is how Mercy Montessori strives to live up to Dr. Maria Montessori’s mandate that we commit to a systematic study of self. In of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) who works with staff, students, families, and stakeholders to cultivate a community where every person feels seen, heard, and valued. When considering school choice, we know that families seek schools that actively work to provide a culturally responsive and enriching education experience. With families representing 60 zip codes, the core of our DEIB work is to provide guidance and support that builds a diverse, equitable, and inclusive school where all those who are part of our community feel a sense of belonging.

In conjunction with our DEIB efforts, “Care of the Earth” as our focal concern for this school year. We work toward the sustainability of all life by caring for Earth’s ecosystems, addressing global climate change, and advocating for the fundamental right to clean water. We are a Saint Kateri Habitat and home to a unique farm-to-table and microeconomy learning program. Our Farmessori features a greenhouse, raised garden beds, rain barrels, a chicken coop, and Italian Bees for pollination. Mercy also offers swimming instruction for every student as part of our commitment to

BECAUSE WHO THEY BECOME IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT THEY LEARN.

We ensure that each child, 18 months to 18 years, will be known, nurtured, and inspired. Our program is designed to connect students both academically and personally. Whether in the classroom or on our 60-acre campus, we cultivate a passion for innovative learning, independent thinking, and self-discovery that guides students to be scholars, athletes, artists, inventors, and leaders. Country Day is The Place to Be.

TO BE. APPLY NOW FOR ADMISSION, TUITION ASSISTANCE, AND SCHOLARSHIP CONSIDERATION.

health and wellness within our community.

—Dee Watson, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Miami Valley Christian Academy Newtown

For 26 years, Miami Valley Christian Academy has developed leaders for Christ through a Christ-centered educational approach. Our community is growing and thriving and in the middle of new construction to be able to host even more Christian families. An MVCA education is built on 4 Pillars—Faith, Academics, Fine Arts, and Athletics. MVCA graduates are prepared to walk in the future God has planned for them and make a positive impact on their world.

—Jill Beasley, Advancement Director

Mt. Notre Dame Reading

Guided by the Catholic faith and St. Julie Biliart’s belief in the goodness of God, Mt. Notre Dame educates and empowers young women to recognize and develop their unique capabilities to learn, live, lead, and serve. We are recognized for graduating young women who are empowered

to transform the world. This is an exciting time for MND students, as we have just

Bold Future...Creating Women of Impact

Since 1860. This bold plan sets the stage for an ambitious mandate; one that will propel MND to the forefront of excellence for generations to come.

—Elaine Skeldon, Director of Marketing and Communications

Purcell Marian High School East Walnut Hills

Purcell Marian is the only local private school offering the International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous course of study designed to uncover students’ passions and advance their critical thinking. Students are welcomed, nurtured, and encouraged to learn in an environment that fosters collaboration and belonging. Learn why IB is the worldwide standard for advanced learning during our IB Experience Day on October 6 and our Open House on November 12 from 1 to 4 p.m.

— Dawn Ellington, Director of Admissions

Saint Ursula Academy East Walnut Hills

academic excellence and innovation in education. For more than 110 years, SUA has prepared young women for the future by teaching them in a vibrant community that continually grows and evolves to meet the highest standards. The results speak for themselves. Ninety-four percent of the Class of 2023 earned college scholarships totaling more than $28 million in academ-

—Jill Cahill, Vice President of Marketing and Communications

School for Creative and Performing Arts

Over-the-Rhine

Creative kids belong at The School for Creative and Performing Arts, Cincinnati’s only magnet school for the arts. We offer a full slate of challenging academics as well as dance, drama, technical theatre, creative writing, visual art, instrumental music, and vocal music. SCPA grads are prepared graduation whether they decide to enroll in university or enter the arts and entertainment industry. Located in the heart of OTR, with access to our city’s greatest arts

AleaderinCatholic,girls',highschooleducationsince1910

by City Beat Magazine Readers

organizations, your child will experience a wealth of creative opportunities and an artistic community to call their own at SCPA.

—Maggie Perrino, Artistic Director

Seton High School West Price Hill

At Seton High School, our strong Catholic faith is at the forefront of every aspect of the school. The young women here are challenged to be critical thinkers in an individualized, supportive and experiential learning environment. Seton offers an Honors Program, a variety of both AP and dual college credit courses, and an inclusive and collaborative support services program. Our students are leaders in the ricular clubs and activities, on stage and in their communities. They are prepared for college and beyond. The mission and values of Seton High School, strong academics and a true sense of sisterhood are why thousands of young women choose to become Seton Saints.

— Sarah Cranley Lykins ’02, Director of Institutional Advancement

The Seven Hill School Madisonville/East Walnut Hills

Seven Hills is ranked the No. 1 Private K–12 School in the Cincinnati area and the No.1 College Prep Private High School in the Cincinnati area for 2023 by Niche.com. The real difference at Seven Hills is not what kids learn, but how they learn. Our Seven Hills Method is designed to foster the skills our graduates will need to excel in 21st-century workplaces. Our expert teachers engage students in learning by doing, exploring concepts through direct experience, experimentation, and inquiry. Through our signature programs—like Experiential Learning, Global Awareness, and Social and Emotional Learning—our students engage in real-world experiences and active learning that challenge them to think harder, look closer, and read deeper, all while discovering more about themselves and the world around them. Over time, students learn who they are, what they love, and what they may want to do with their lives. And, in the end, students are ready to explore a wide new world of engaged young people.

—Auriel Buchanan, Director of Communications & Marketing

Springer School and Center Hyde Park

Springer now serves students with learning differences in grades 1 through 9. Students in all levels are empowered by a challenging curriculum and a supportive network of teachers.

At the lower and middle school levels, each child receives individual goals and strategies to support academic and social development. Strategies and goals are monitored and re-evaluated for effectiveness, allowing students to make progress and realize their potential beyond what they thought was possible. Education

and STEAM complement academics to prepare students to be innovative contributors in an evolving world. Structured literacy instruction, based on the science of reading, is utilized in all levels leading to meaningful strides in reading ability. In lower and middle schools, a wide reading approach ensures access to a variety of

Individual attention is a constant and leadership opportunities are woven into the fabric of school life.

Springer’s 9th grade program is designed to empower high school students with learning differences to lead successful lives. Our program includes explicit instruction in executive function skills, targeted intervention ,and handson learning opportunities. Students are challenged with a rigorous curriculum but receive individual accommodations and support. Small class sizes, student interest based co-curriculars and personalized college and career planning are a part of each student’s experience.

— Jill Wieging, Admissions Director

The Summit Country Day School Hyde Park

The Summit Country Day School has always provided students with an extraordinary educational experience with highly-trained faculty, state-of-the-art resources and innovative curriculum. A virtual dissection table brings health science to life at The Summit. The newly acquired Anatomage Table is a 3D virtual anatomy and science platform enabling learners of all ages (PreK–Grade 12) to closely examine human and animal anatomy along with virtual labs for older students in biology, chemistry, and physics. Activities are correlated to the innovative and unique Montessori curriculum, which includes an annual skeletal study, where even the youngest Summit scientists can be guided by the Upper School scientists to explore science with hands-on technology. As The Summit embarks on its 133rd year, the school celebrates 60 years of Montessori-based •Continued on page 66

PEACE OF MIND

These organizations work with local schools to provide mental health support for Cincinnati students.

MindPeace

MindPeace grew out of the Junior League of Cincinnati and connects schools and families with mental health resources. It works to close gaps between these groups to help schools establish on-site programs and partnerships with professionals while assisting families with finding affordable mental health care.

MindPeace currently partners with CPS and dozens of Greater Cincinnati schools. Its website offers a directory of providers for families. mindpeacecincinnati.com

Sources of Strength

Sources of Strength is a national youth suicide prevention organization. It provides evidence-based programming for teachers, faith-based organizations, and community groups. It also offers assistance with grant writing to help client organizations cover costs.

Because Sources of Strength tailors pro-

gramming to individual schools and organizations, it offers a few resources online, but you can contact the organization directly for more information. sourcesofst rength.org

Grant Us Hope

Grant Us Hope is a peer-to-peer, schoolbased youth suicide prevention organization with roots in Cincinnati. Student volunteers in “Hope Squads” learn anti-bullying, suicide prevention, and selfcare techniques. The organization partners with a number of Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana schools. More information about Hope Squads and a list of partnered schools is available online. grantushope.org

CPS Bullying Prevention and Reporting

CPS has several anti-bullying measures, including the Report Bullying Button on the district’s website. Students may also report directly to teachers, and school nurs-

es are required to report instances of bullying as well. The district tracks and acts on repeat instances of victims and aggressors to prevent further attacks. cps-k12. org/Page/606

For emergency mental health support, call or text 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

—M. LEIGH HOOD

Cincinnati’s K-12 arts magnet school for pre-professional arts training

EXTRA CREDIT

STEM-related fields and enhance their skills through hands-on presentations and activities. cincymuseum.org/stem-girls

Is your child gifted and looking for more?

Does your daughter dream of being the next Sally Ride?

The Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC)’s STEM Girls program equips the next generation with all the tools needed to take on the world (no big deal or anything). The CMC offers free programming for students in grades 3–8; and all kids, regardless of gender, are welcome. During these STEM-rific sessions, kids have the opportunity to meet women actively working in

Gifted kids need to be challenged, and enrichment program ExploreMore! is designed to meet the high-level needs of academically, creatively, and artistically gifted students. ExploreMore! classes are for students in grades K–6 with courses offered in an ever-changing variety of science, mathematics, visual and performing arts, and original interdisciplinary studies. It’s the full STEAM menu of options sure to have your gifted kiddo reaching higher than they ever thought possible. explore moregifted.org

Is your teen musically inclined?

The benefits of music education are well-documented; however, most teens get little more than a weekly block of time devoted to this wonderful art. The solution?

The Music Resource Center, a multifaceted center that uses recording and performing arts, as well as life-skills mentoring, to empower and bolster teens. This is a place that truly speaks to the beauty of music— and its power to connect us in a way no other medium can. mrccinci.org

Got a future Amanda Gorman on your hands?

Poetry is one of the most beautiful forms of expression and a wonderful way to encourage self-awareness and critical thinking. Elementz is a celebration of hip-hop culture in all its richness, from dance to rap to poetry. The troupe works with local high schools to coordinate the ECHO Youth Poetry SLAM (formerly known as Louder Than a Bomb) and state-wide Poetry Out Loud competition. elementz.org/programs#classregistra tionform

— SARAH M COSHAM

• Halo Bell: Enrichment Services for ALL Students

• Leader In Technology

- New Makerspace Lab Opened in Fall 2022

- K–4 Grade Students Have

Access to iPads -

• All K-8 Students

Participate in Spanish, Art, Music, and Physical Education Weekly

• Extra-Curricular Activities Include Athletics, Music, Drama, & Robotics Clubs, Plus Much More

Whatever your child’s interest, there’s an enrichment program that covers it.

GET TO KNOW US!

We know that choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make. At Seven Hills, we’re devoted to offering each student an engaging, enriching school experience in preparation for a life full of learning — whatever they do and wherever the world takes them.

Want to know more? Join us for our virtual and in-person admission events!

FALL ADMISSION EVENTS

EARLY CHILDHOOD AND LOWER SCHOOL EVENTS

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UPPER SCHOOL EVENTS

WALK & TALK: MIDDLE SCHOOL, UPPER SCHOOL

(Grades 6-12)

THURSDAY, OCT. 19 9-10 a.m.

VIRTUAL EVENTS: MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UPPER SCHOOL INFO SESSIONS

(Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12)

TUESDAY, OCT. 24 6:30-8 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT: EARLY CHILDHOOD INFO SESSION

(pre-k for 2-yr-olds through kindergarten)

TUESDAY, SEPT. 26 1:30-2:15 p.m.

WALK & TALK: DOHERTY

(pre-k for 2-yr-olds through grade 5)

TUESDAY, OCT. 1O 9-10 a.m.

WALK & TALK: LOTSPEICH

(pre-k for 2-yr-olds through grade 5)

THURSDAY, OCT. 12 9-10 a.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT: LOWER SCHOOLS INFO SESSION

(pre-k for 2-yr-olds through grade 5)

THURSDAY, OCT. 26 9-10 a.m.

WALK & TALK: MIDDLE SCHOOL, UPPER SCHOOL

(Grades 6-12)

THURSDAY, NOV. 2 9-10 a.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT: STUDENT AND PARENT PANEL

(Grades 6-12)

THURSDAY, JAN. 18 7-7:45 p.m.

•Continued from page 63 educational learning for its youngest students.

The Schiff Family Science Research Institute, now entering its celebratory 10th year, is designed for students who plan to seek degrees and careers in the sciences. The program’s goals are to increase

The Summit connects students with menexperiences. The Homan Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is a program

preneurial mindset. The program includes a one-semester introductory course ship Course, a full-year entrepreneurship course, and a business-related summer trepreneurial-minded Summit students a head start in college and careers by helping them zero in early on their passions and interests and expand the skills they

The Summit’s school-wide Leaders of Character program continues to round out

numerous character traits are celebrated and discussed in a cross-curricular manner supporting all students through their educational journey.

— Elaine Pearl, Montessori School Associate Director of Admission

ALL VIRTUAL EVENTS WILL BE PRESENTED VIA ZOOM

OPEN HOUSE GUIDE

2023-2024

Badin High School

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2023, 1–5 PM Reservations are required. RSVP on BadinHS.org

571 New London Rd. Hamilton, OH 45013 (513) 863-3993 | https://BadinHS.org

Bethany School

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023, 2–4 PM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2024, 2–4 PM

Link to tour or RSVP for an Open House: https://bethanyschool.org/visit

555 Albion Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45246 (513) 771-7462 | https://bethanyschool.org

Cincinnati Country Day School

Personal appointments are available Monday–Friday, 8:30 am–2 pm. Call (513) 9790220 to arrange a tour and meeting with our admission staff. Tour our beautiful, 60acre campus virtually at: www.countryday. net/admission/visit-us/campus-map

6905 Given Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45243 (513) 979-0220 | www.countryday.net

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2023, 10 AM–1 PM

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2024, 10 AM–1 PM

To inquire: admissions@chca-oh.org

Schedule a tour, shadow visit, or register for Open House: www.chca-oh.org/admission/visit-us

CHCA Campus Locations:

Martha S. Lindner Campus (Upper School Grades 9–12)

11525 Snider Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45249

(513) 247-0900 | www.chca-oh.org

Founders’ Campus (Upper School Grades

7–8 & Upper Elementary Grades 4–6)

11300 Snider Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45249

(513) 247-0900 | www.chca-oh.org

Edyth B. Lindner Elementary School

(Lower Elementary Grades K–3)/Blake Lindner Thomas Early Learning Center (Preschool 2–4 Years)

11312 Snider Rd.

Cincinnati, OH 45249

(513) 247-0900 | www.chca-oh.org

Otto Armleder Memorial Education Campus (Preschool 3–4 Years–Grade 6)

140 W. Ninth St. Cincinnati, OH 45202

(513) 721-2422 | www.chca-oh.org

Cincinnati Waldorf School

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2023, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024, LOWER SCHOOL: 10 AM–1 PM HIGH SCHOOL: 11AM–2 PM

For more information, e-mail: enrollment@ cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org or go to www. cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org/news

Cincinnati Waldorf Lower School

6743 Chestnut St.

Cincinnati, OH 45227

(513) 541-0220 | www.cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org

Cincinnati Waldorf High School

6703 Madison Rd.

Cincinnati, OH 45227

(513) 386-7974 | www.cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org

Elder High School

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023, 4–8 PM

Elder Virtual Campus Tour: https://uploads.myschoolcdn.com/1145/ uploads/2022/elder/index.html

3900 Vincent Ave.

Cincinnati, OH 45205

(513) 921-3427 | https://elderhs.org

Bishop Fenwick High School

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2023, 1–4 PM

Information Nights

WEDNESDAYS, 6–7:30 PM: SEPTEMBER 6, 2023; SEPTEMBER 27, 2023; OCTOBER 11, 2023; AND OCTOBER 25, 2023

Shadow Days are available throughout the fall. For more information about Admissions or any of our Admissions Events, please contact Director of Enrollment Chris Kemper at ckemper@fenwickfalcons.org or (513) 428-0525.

4855 State Route 122 Franklin, OH 45005 (513) 428-0525 | www.fenwickfalcons.org

Great Oaks Career Campuses

DIAMOND OAKS: THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

LAUREL OAKS: THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

LIVE OAKS: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2024

SCARLET OAKS: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2024

www.greatoaks.com

Diamond Oaks Career Campus

6375 Harrison Ave.

Cincinnati, OH 45247

(513) 574-1300 | www.greatoaks.com

Laurel Oaks Career Campus

300 Oak Dr.

Wilmington, OH 45177

(937) 382-1411 | www.greatoaks.com

Live Oaks Career Campus

5956 Buckwheat Rd. Milford, OH 45150

(513) 575-1900 | www.greatoaks.com

Scarlet Oaks Career Campus

300 Scarlet Oaks Dr. at 3254 E. Kemper Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45241

(513) 771-8810 | www.greatoaks.com

Guardian Angels School

Please call us at (513) 624-3141 to schedule a personal tour today!

6539 Beechmont Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45230

(513) 624-3141 | www.gaschool.org

Mercy McAuley High School

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2023, 1–3:30 PM Register at www.mercymcauley.org/Open House. 6000 Oakwood Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45224 (513) 681-1800 | www.mercymcauley.org

Mercy Montessori Center

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2024, 1–3 PM

Mercy Meet-Ups (Virtual Information Events)

TUESDAYS, 9 AM: OCTOBER 17, 2023; NOVEMBER 7, 2023; DECEMBER 12,2023; JANUARY 9, 2024; MARCH 12, 2024

WEDNESDAYS, 6:30PM: OCTOBER 18, 2023; NOVEMBER 8, 2023; DECEMBER 13, 2023; JANUARY 10, 2024; MARCH 13, 2024

Please visit www.mercymontessori.org or email Amanda Grimm (agrimm@mercymontessori.org) to register for our Open House or Mercy Meet-Ups. Thank you! 2335 Grandview Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45206 (513) 475-6700 | www.mercymontessori.org

Miami Valley Christian Academy

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2024, 10 AM–1 PM Register online beginning January 1, 2024 at mvca-oh.com/openhouse. Contact Paige McElfresh, Admissions Director, at pmcelfresh@mvca-oh.com for details, additional information, or a private tour date. 6830 School St. Cincinnati, OH 45244 (513) 272-6822 | http://mvca-oh.com

OPEN HOUSE GUIDE 2023-2024

Mount Notre Dame

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2023, 1–5 PM

711 E. Columbia Ave.

Cincinnati, OH 45215 (513) 821-3044 | https://www.mndhs.org

Purcell Marian High School

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023, 1–4 PM www.purcellmarian.org/openhouse

Shadow Visits

TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, SEPTEMBER 12–DECEMBER 14

Register at www.purcellmarian.org/shadow

IB Experience Day

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023

Register at www.purcellmarian.org/ibdays

Parent Info Nights

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11 AND WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2023, 6 PM

Questions? Contact Dawn Ellington, Director of Admissions at 513.751.1230 ext 128 or at dellington@purcellmarian.org.

2935 Hackberry St. Cincinnati, OH 45206 (513) 751-1230 | www.purcellmarian.org

St. Ursula Academy

Open House

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023, 1–4 PM

Showcase Nights

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023 AND WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2023, 6:30–8:30 PM

Register: www.saintursula.org/Visit.aspx

1339 E. McMillan St. Cincinnati, OH 45206 (513) 961-3410 | www.saintursula.org

School for Creative and Performing Arts

DISCOVER SCPA DAY, OCTOBER 21, 2023, 11:30 AM–1 PM 108 W. Central Pkwy. Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 363-8000 | https://scpa.cps-k12.org

Seton High School

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023, 4:30–8:30 PM

Pre-registration required

To learn more about Seton High School, Open House, and Parent Information Sessions, please visit www.setoncincinnati. org or contact Seton Director of Institutional Advancement Sarah Cranley Lykins ’02 at (513) 471-2600, ext. 2422 or lykinss@setoncincinnati.org.

13901 Glenway Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45002 (513) 471-2600 | http://setoncincinnati.org

The Seven Hills School

Early Childhood & Lower School

Admission Events

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2023, 1:30–2:15 PM

Virtual Info Session: Early Childhood

Education

Pre-k for 2-yr-olds through kindergarten

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2023, 9–10 AM

Doherty Campus Lower School Tour

Pre-k for 2-yr-olds through grade 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023, 9–10 AM

Hillsdale Campus Lotspeich Lower School

Tour

Pre-k for 2-yr-olds through grade 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023, 9–10 AM

Virtual Info Session: Lower Schools

Pre-k for 2-yr-olds through grade 5

Middle School & Upper School

Admission Events

WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, 9–10

AM: SEPTEMBER 27, OCTOBER 19, AND NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Hillsdale Campus Middle & Upper School

Tours Grades 6–12

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2023, 6:30–8 PM

Virtual Info Sessions: Middle & Upper School Grades 6–8, grades 9–12

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024, 7–7:45 PM

Virtual Event: Student and Parent Panel Grades 6–12

Learn more and register to attend one or many of our admission information sessions at 7hills.org/Explore or call (513) 728-2400!

Campus locations:

Hillsdale Campus 5400 Red Bank Rd.

Cincinnati, OH 45227 (513) 728-2400 | www.7hills.org

Doherty Campus 2726 Johnstone Pl.

Cincinnati, OH 45206 (513) 728-2400 | www.7hills.org

Springer School and Center

Open houses take place monthly, in person and online. Contact Admissions Director Jill Wieging at jwieging@springer-ld.org for a personal tour. www.Springer-LD.org/ admission 2121 Madison Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513) 871-6080 | www.Springer-LD.org

The Summit Country Day School

Parent Preview Days

THURSDAYS, 8:30 AM: OCTOBER 19 AND NOVEMBER 9, 2023

Ages 18 months–Grade 8

WEDNESDAYS, 8:30 AM: OCTOBER 4 AND OCTOBER 18, 2023

Grades 9–12

Upper School Open House

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023, 6:30 PM

Grades 9–12

RSVP required for all events. Online RSVP at Visit The Summit.

Main Building 2161 Grandin Rd.

Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513) 871-4700 | https://summitcds.org

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGERS

These days, it takes a village to manage your fi nancial world. Whether it is managing your assets with a wealth manager, navigating the ever-changing tax landscape, sorting out your estate and succession planning or picking the right life insurance, fi nding the right team can be a daunting task. In fact, many consumers have a hard time fi guring out where to even begin.

Sometimes, a few simple questions can put you off on the right path. Asking a professional what makes working with them a unique experience can help you understand how they work and if their style meshes with your own.

This is a great place to start! Five Star Professional uses its own proprietary research methodology to name outstanding professionals, then works with publications such as Cincinnati Magazine to spread the word about award winners. Each award candidate undergoes a thorough research process (detailed here) before being considered for the fi nal list of award winners. For the complete list of winners, go to www.fi vestarprofessional.com.

RESEARCH DISCLOSURES

In order to consider a broad population of high-quality wealth managers and investment professionals, award candidates are identified by one of three sources: firm nomination, peer nomination or prequalification based on industry standing. Self-nominations are not accepted. Cincinnati-area award candidates were identified using internal and external research data. Candidates do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final lists of Five Star Wealth Managers or Five Star Investment Professionals.

• The Five Star award is not indicative of a professional’s future performance.

• Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets.

• The inclusion of a professional on the Five Star Wealth Manager list or the Five Star Investment Professional list should not be construed as an endorsement of the professional by Five Star Professional or Cincinnati Magazine.

• Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager, Five Star Investment Professional or any professional is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected professionals will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future

• Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm and the content of this article should not be considered financial advice. For more information on the Five Star Wealth Manager or Five Star Investment Professional award programs, research and selection criteria, go to fivestarprofessional.com/research.

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA

Award candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. Eligibility Criteria –Required:

1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative. 2. Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years. 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review.

4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards. 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation Criteria – Considered: 6. One-year client retention rate. 7. Five-year client retention rate. 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered. 9. Number of client households served. 10. Education and professional designations. 1,649 award candidates in the Cincinnati area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award. 240 (approximately 15% of the award candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers.

FIVE STAR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL DETERMINATION OF

AWARD WINNERS

CRITERIA

The investment professional award goes to estate planning attorneys, insurance agents and select others in the financial industry. Eligibility Criteria – Required: 1. Credentialed with appropriate state or industry licensures. 2. Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years. 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review. 4. Accepting new clients. Evaluation Criteria – Considered: 5. One-year client retention rate. 6. Five-year client retention rate. 7. Number of client households served. 8. Recent personal production and performance (industry specific criteria). 9. Education and professional designations/industry and board certifications. 10. Pro Bono and community service work. This year, we honored 3 Cincinnati-area investment professionals with the Five Star Investment Professional award.

Financial Planning

Dwayne E. Adams · Adams Wealth Management Group

Ryan F. Antepenko · The Rosselot Financial Group

Francisco J. Armada · 3Sixty Legacy Financial Group Page 8

Matthew C. Bayer · The Bayer Financial Group, LLC Page 5

Susan M. Bennett · Thrivent Page 9

Greg M. Bonner · Merrill Lynch

Amy Burgraff · Morgan Stanley Page 3

Robert Stephen Castellini · Wells Fargo Advisors

José L. Chavez · The Rosselot Financial Group

Chris Collier · WestPoint Financial Group

Daryl J. Demo · DayMark Wealth Partners Page 9

David Dinn · Brecek & Young Financial Services

Monica Dwyer · Harvest Financial Advisors

Chuck Futel · Primerica

Casey Gregory · Morgan Stanley Page 7

Ryan P. Grote · The Rosselot Financial Group

Henry H. Hampton · Thrivent Investment Management

Gregory Warren Hang · LPL Financial

Randy E. Hein · The Rosselot Financial Group

Aubrey Herman · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Gary E. Hollander · Hollander & Associates, LLC

Youngjin Jung · Morgan Stanley

Thomas P. Keller · Kehoe Financial Advisors

Nathan M. Kosman · The Rosselot Financial Group

Brian P. Lillis · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Page 9

Mark Lindloff · Lincoln Financial Securities

MaryAnn Pietromonaco · Morgan Stanley Page 7

Jamie M. Powell · Capital Advisory Services

Alan Runkel · Independent Financial Resources

Sonya R. Saskin · TouchPoint Wealth Partners

Andrew D. Sathe · MCF

Erik Shifflett · Wells Fargo Advisors

Michael E. Short · Periscope Financial Page 4

Mark B. Sutton · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Page 8

Kimberly Ann Thompson · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Chris R. Ward · EntryPoint Wealth Management Page 9

Mark Noble Wilkins · Thrivent Investment Management

Investments

Greg Brown · Brown Financial Advisors Page 8

Paul E. Burgdorf · Harvest Financial Advisors

Mitch Edwards · Morgan Stanley

John Gould · Morgan Stanley Page 2

Marc Henn · Harvest Financial Advisors

John Michael Kilcoyne · Wealth Enhancement Group

Tim Klauke · Blue Bison Investments Page 6

Matthew J. Larmann · Larmann Financial

Paul McCauley · Morgan Stanley Page 3

Peter D. McColgan · Wells Fargo Advisors Page 6

Michael A. Mueller · The Coastal Advisory Group

Nick Otto · WestPoint Financial Group Page 5

Jonathan Peirson · Peirson Financial Services

LLC Page 7

Jason Sirotak · WestPoint Financial Group

Page 5

Jeffrey David Stanley · Morgan Stanley

James O. Stewart · The Rosselot Financial Group

Todd David Stout · Lincoln Investment

Beckham Wyrick III · Kenwood Financial Group

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. The Chartered Financial Consultant® credential [ChFC®] is a financial planning designation awarded by The American College.

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,649 Cincinnati-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 240 (15% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required:

1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com. This year, we honored 3 Cincinnati-area investment professionals with the Five Star Investment Professional award.

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

John Gould

CFP®, CPWA®, CPM®, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager YEAR WINNER

to

2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 winner John Gould, CFP®, CPWA®, CPM®, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, Alternative Investment Director, Dedicated Equity Plan Specialist, Portfolio Management Director;

Assistant Vice President, Wealth Management Assoc iate, Financial Planning Specialist; Janie

Business Development Director

Helping Make Your Wealth Work Harder So You Can Pursue a Life Well-Lived

The more money you earn, the more complicated your financial life can become. The stakes get higher, and the challenges get more complex.

As a financial advisor here in Cincinnati, I help clients overcome their toughest financial challenges every day. With my 27 years of experience, Anna Kohlem’s 25 years of experience and Janie Shaffer’s six years in the industry, our highly experienced team provides worldclass resources, a commitment to exceptional service and a relentless drive to help make your wealth work harder.

I have been named a Five Star Wealth Manager in 2016 – 2017 and 2019 – 2023.

• Professional portfolio management

• Retirement planning

• Alternative investments

• Stock option planning

755 Montgomery Road, 2 nd Floor • Cincinnati, OH 45236 Direct: 513-562-8309 • Cell: 513-815-3263

Fax: 513-322-4574 • Toll-Free: 800-659-6599

john.gould@morganstanley.com • advisor.morganstanley.com/john.gould

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the C ERTIFIED F INANCIAL P LANNER ™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. The strategies and/or investments discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. ©2023 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 5788266 07/23.

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed were considered for the award; 240 (15% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # 15%, 9/1/20, 12/2/19 - 6/12/20; 2019: 1,371, 238, 17%,

-

2017: 985, 288, 29%, 9/1/17, 2013: 1,367, 509, 37%, 9/1/13, 2/10/13 - 7/25/13; 2012: 1,265, 477, 38%, 9/1/12, 2/10/12 - 7/25/12.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

Left

right:

Anna Kohlem,

Shaffer,

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Paul McCauley and Amy Burgraff

2012

• Over 38 years of combined experience in the financial services industry*

Paul and Amy are part of the Madison Group at Morgan Stanley, which comprises 11 investment professionals in Morgan Stanley’s Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky, branches. Forbes ranked the Madison Group as the No. 1 Wealth Management Team in the state of Kentucky in their 2023 Inaugural Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams Ranking. The Madison Group is a team of dedicated investment professionals with various areas of concentration and complementary skill sets that share values and are guided by the golden rule. Members of the Madison Group care deeply about their clients and each other.

Paul’s area of concentration is portfolio management, while Amy’s focus is wealth planning. These specializations are closely intertwined in their clients’ lives. Amy collaborates closely with families to help develop plans to meet their goals, such as funding education, retirement, charitable giving and generational wealth transfer. Paul tailors each client’s portfolio with a disciplined investment approach to help protect and grow their assets on the path to achieving the personal goals that Amy has helped them define.

Paul and Amy often work closely with clients’ CPAs and estate planning attorneys. They believe that serving high-net-worth clients is a team sport. This is the Madison Group Way!

221 E 4 th Street, Atrium Two, Suite 2200 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 859-237-7707

paul.d.mccauley@ms.com amy.burgraff@ms.com

www.morganstanleyfa.com/madisongroupsb

*Paul McCauley has over 28 years of experience and Amy Burgraff has over 11 years of experience in the financial industry. Certified Financial Planner Board of

©2023 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria.

managers Winners,

Date, Research Period.

investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and the CFP® mark (with plaque design) in the U.S.

• Amy Burgraff : 2020 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager

Left to right: Eleven-year winner Paul McCauley, CPM®, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor; Four-year winner Amy Burgraff, CFP®, Financial Advisor

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

• Paul McCauley:

and 2014 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Michael E. Short

Wealth Advisor

Comprehensive Service. Individual Attention.

• Comprehensive wealth management

• Robust investment and protection strategies

• Caring and attentive service

• Network of financial professionals

For nearly 18 years, I have been helping my clients build, protect and pass on their wealth in order to pursue their personal and professional goals. Through careful planning, calculated risk-taking and diligent accountability, my clientele can navigate life’s financial ups and downs and focus on the long-term goals that are most important to them.

We are now taking on new clients again and have moved into our new office space. We look forward to continuing a high level of service while welcoming new friends into the Periscope Financial family. Please feel free to reach out to schedule a time with us and see the new Periscope Financial office.

7119 Maple Avenue • Cincinnati, OH 45243

Phone: 513-430-0171

michael@periscopefinancial.com • lisa@periscopefinancial.com

www.lpl.com

Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC.

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed were considered for the award; 240 (15% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # 15%, 9/1/20,

-

-

2017: 985, 288, 29%, 9/1/17, 2013: 1,367, 509, 37%, 9/1/13, 2/10/13 - 7/25/13; 2012: 1,265, 477, 38%, 9/1/12, 2/10/12 - 7/25/12.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth

Left to right: Lisa O’Brien, Operations Manager; 2013 – 2023 winner Michael Short, Owner, Wealth Advisor

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

The Sirotak-Otto Team

Helping Build Secure Financial Futures

Our combined experience of over 25 years in the financial services industry allows us to help clients like you. Whether it’s retirement planning, investment allocation, insurance, college savings or something else, we develop strategies to help you meet the goals that are important to you.

We listen. In our first meeting, we let you do the talking. Here, we discover your goals and risk tolerance, current position, where you want to go and how to get you there. We work together. A solid financial plan requires teamwork and trust, which is why we take the time to discover what you envision for your financial future to tailor recommendations to your situation and set you up for success.

We care. We want to see you live the life you work hard to achieve. It will be a marathon rather than a sprint, but we’ve trained to run alongside you every step of the way. By analyzing, implementing and reviewing your strategy, we can ensure you’re on course to achieve your goals. 8044 Montgomery Road, Suite 620 • Cincinnati, OH 45236

Jason: 513-332-9982 • jsirotak@financialguide.com • Nick: 513-332-9973 • notto@financialguide.com www.sirotakottoteam.com

plaque design) in the U.S. Securities and investment advisory services offered through qualified registered representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. 8044 Montgomery Road, Suite 620 East, Cincinnati, OH 45236, 513-332-9982. CRN202605-4457568.

Matthew C. Bayer

Portfolios With Purpose

Matt Bayer is celebrating over 28 years of providing independent financial advice. As an independent advisor, he can truly work in his clients’ best interests without external pressures. Matt is a SmartVestor Pro. He has the heart of a teacher, not the attitude of a salesman. Matt has positioned The Bayer Financial Group, LLC to work within fiduciary and suitability standards. Through a combination of fee-based and commission-based investment strategies, Matt has created the opportunity to not only keep client costs low, but guard against deep market swings and preserve assets for generations to come. Please visit the BFG website for a complete description of the planning process and to schedule some time to chat with Matt. 1948

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,649 Cincinnati-area wealth managers Winners, %

candidates, Issued Date, Research Period.

- 7/25/14;

investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Left to right: 2012 – 2023 winner Jason Sirotak, CFP®, ChFC®, CASL®, RICP®; Michelle Graham; 2019 – 2023 winner Nick Otto, CFP®, ChFC®, FSCP®

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and the CFP® mark (with

2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018 – 2023

winner Matthew C. Bayer, President

Securities and Advisory Services offered through Harbour Investments, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Tim Klauke

Founder, CEO

Farm and Finance: Where Facts Meet Reality

• Accumulation for your financial future

• Maximizing the return on your money

• Protection for your assets

• Income for your retirement years

Tim holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Iowa and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa.

Tim has had distinguished careers with well-known companies, such as Mobil Oil Corporation, Prudential Securities, Fifth Third Securities and Huntington Investment Company. He is the founder and CEO of Klauke Asset Management Group, Inc. and Blue Bison Investments Corporation.

He is here to help you make foundational financial choices that will serve you now, well into the future and for the rest of your life.

Blue Bison Investments

5664 S Centerville Road • Centerville, IN 47330

Phone: 513-227-4589

tjklauke@gmail.com

www.bluebisoninvestments.com

Peter D. McColgan

Working Toward Your Financial Dreams

•

•

•

•

•

Peter’s investment team provides comprehensive planning focused on achieving your financial objectives. It’s a process designed to grow your wealth in support of your life and retirement goals. Peter believes his years of experience provide a significant benefit to his clients. He works with you to keep investment strategies aligned with ever-changing goals and needs. He is a 2021 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award winner. For three decades, he has helped clients develop investment strategies that meet their objectives. Peter’s 32 years of experience as a financial advisor gives him a perspective on market behavior. His knowledge of and access to an expansive array of investments and platforms provides him with the tools necessary to help clients succeed financially.

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed were considered for the award; 240 (15% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # 15%, 9/1/20,

-

-

2017: 985, 288, 29%, 9/1/17,

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth

Three-year winner Tim Klauke, Founder, CEO

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

Three-year winner Peter D. McColgan

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

MaryAnn Pietromonaco and Casey Gregory

We Work for You So You Can Live Joyfully

• Financial planning

• Divorce planning

• MaryAnn: 2012 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager

• Casey: 2021 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager

The NKY Group at Morgan Stanley is a dynamic team of female financial professionals dedicating their platform to financial wellness — earning it, saving it, spending it, investing it, giving it and talking about it! Fundamentals of our core philosophy start with having meaningful and personal conversations with our clients and their families. MaryAnn believes advice and counsel should be enjoyable and always gracious while deeply rooted in advanced analysis, custom planning and measured risk assessments. MaryAnn

Morgan Stanley and its Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. ©2023 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 5804976 07/23.

Jonathan Peirson

CFP®, President, CEO

2018 – 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager

• Wealth management

• Financial planning

• Wealth protection

We work with select families and businesses across the country to oversee and coordinate their financial affairs, thus providing the confidence to pursue their goals. We do this by thoroughly assessing a client’s financial state of affairs and determining how we can best assist them. 7450 Whispering Way • Cincinnati, OH 45241

Office: 513-202-6228 • jonathan.peirson@lpl.com

www.peirsonfinancialservices.com

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and the CFP® mark (with plaque design) in the U.S. Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. The LPL Financial Registered Representatives associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: CA, NC, SC, GA, FL, IN, KY, NH, and OH. This communication is strictly intended for individuals residing in the state(s) of CA, NC, SC, GA, FL, IN, KY, NH and OH. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident outside the specific states referenced.

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,649 Cincinnati-area wealth managers Winners,

-

investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Left to right: Beth Adkins, Registered Associate; Twelve-year winner MaryAnn Pietromonaco, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor; Beth Niemeyer, Client Service Associate; Three-year winner Casey Gregory, Vice President, Financial Advisor

Pietromonaco has over 32 years of collaborations and experience.

Six-year winner Jonathan Peirson

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Greg Brown

Financial Advisor

Working for Clients, Not Companies

• Financial planning and investment management

• Lifetime income planning

• Pension, Social Security and Medicare planning

• Insurance solutions

• Tax advice and preparation

• Estate planning

A significant part of our holistic practice is establishing close relationships with clients and helping them achieve their specific financial-life goals.

All fee-based financial planning and investment advisory services are offered by Brown Financial Advisors, LLC. a SEC Investment Advisory Firm registered in the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida. Insurance and tax services are offered through Brown Insurance and Tax Advisors, LLC. Brown Financial Advisors, LLC. and Brown Insurance & Tax Advisors, LLC. are affiliated companies with 5 convenient office locations around the tri-state.

Francisco J. Armada

Private Wealth Advisor, CRPC®, APMA®

3Sixty Legacy Financial Group

3Sixty Legacy Financial Group

A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC 11145 Reading Road • Cincinnati, OH 45241

2023 Five Star Wealth Manager

Mark B. Sutton

Private Wealth Advisor, CFP®

225 Pictoria Drive, Suite 180 Cincinnati, OH 45246

Phone: 513-346-1771

• Tax planning

• Charitable giving

Time is truly a priceless commodity. You shouldn’t spend precious time worrying about your finances. Instead, you should spend your time doing the things you love with the people you love. With our unique discovery process, no detail is too small. We seek to understand the financial and emotional details of your life. With those details as our foundation, we develop deeply personalized life strategies for you and your family to solve financial dilemmas and help reduce financial uncertainty. Let us help you reclaim your time!

Not FDIC or NCUA InsuredNo Financial Institution GuaranteeMay Lose Value

Investors should conduct their own evaluation of a financial professional as working with a financial advisor is not a guarantee of future financial success.

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER AWARD WINNER

Phone: 513-554-1104 francisco.j.armada@ampf.com FIVE

mark.b.sutton@ampf.com YEAR

9

Advice Worth Talking About

• Tax-planning strategies• Investment strategies

You may have many goals ahead; retirement, education, travel or a new home. We tailor our advice to your goals and go beyond just investments to help you feel more confident. We help navigate the present while staying focused on the long-term, helping to reevaluate your goals over time and update your strategies. You can track your progress and review your portfolio from any device. Mark is a 2012 – 2018 and 2022 – 2023 award winner.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, C ERTIFIED F INANCIAL P LANNER ™, and the CFP® mark (with plaque design) in the U.S.

Not FDIC or NCUA InsuredNo Financial Institution GuaranteeMay Lose Value Investors should conduct their own evaluation of a financial professional as working with a financial advisor is not a guarantee of future financial success.

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed were considered for the award; 240 (15% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # 15%, 9/1/20, 12/2/19 - 6/12/20; 2019: 1,371, 238, 17%, 9/1/19,

2018:

9/1/18,

- 7/19/18; 2017: 985, 288, 29%, 9/1/17,

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth

Left to right: Alexander Brown; Nine-year winner Greg Brown; James Borth; Julie D’Orazio

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Susan M. Bennett Financial Consultant,

4055 Executive Park Drive, Suite 400 Cincinnati, OH 45241

Phone: 513-370-2273

susan.bennett@thrivent.com

connect.thrivent.com/susan-bennett

Helping You Live and Leave a Legacy

Susan leverages 30 years in the financial industry and her values of creativity, leadership and service to create retirement income strategies for those five to 10 years from retirement. She will help you prepare for a tax-efficient wealth transfer to potentially maximize your generosity to future generations and the causes you care about.

Thrivent and its financial advisors and professionals do not provide legal, accounting or tax advice. Consult your attorney or tax professional. Thrivent is the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Insurance products issued by Thrivent. Not available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., a registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC, and a subsidiary of Thrivent. Licensed agent/producer of Thrivent. Thrivent provides advice and guidance through its Financial Planning Framework that generally includes a review and analysis of a client’s financial situation. A client may choose to further their planning engagement with Thrivent through its Dedicated Planning Services (an investment advisory service) that results in written recommendations for a fee. Registered representative of Thrivent Investment Management, Inc. Advisory services available through investment adviser representatives only. Thrivent.com/disclosures. 3711313.3.

Brian P. Lillis

CRPC®, Private Wealth Advisor Further Financial Group – West A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Cincinnati, OH 45211

Phone: 513-347-8010 brian.p.lillis@ampf.com

12

YEAR WINNER

30 Years of Experience in the Financial Industry

• Five Star Wealth Manager award winner, 2012 – 2023

I deliver personalized financial advice to help you achieve your goals today and tomorrow through our Confident Retirement® approach.

I take the time to understand what’s truly important to you. Together, we document your goals, track your progress, make ongoing recommendations to help you diversify your portfolio and adjust to whatever life brings — both the expected and the unexpected. With regular reviews of your goals, anytime access to your investments and digital tools to help you stay on track, I can help you feel confident, connected and always in control of your financial life.

Not FDIC or NCUA InsuredNo Financial Institution GuaranteeMay Lose Value

Investors should conduct their own evaluation of a financial professional as working with a financial advisor is not a guarantee of future financial success. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

Daryl J. Demo

Founder 9675 Montgomery Road, Suite 20 Cincinnati, OH 45242

Phone: 513-838-2526

daryl.demo@daymarkwp.com daymarkwealthpartners.com YEAR WINNER

12

• Leadership

• Innovation

• Independence

• Generational tools and services

Leadership. Loyalty. Legacy.

We bring the advantages of our experience and expertise to help you better organize your financial life, identify achievable objectives for the future and build a plan designed to be both disciplined and adaptable to inevitable change.

We strive to be independent in all aspects, offering objective advice and transparency in our actions. We work in an open architecture that enables us to create intellectual and capital advantages by accessing a full competitive marketplace.

“Remember your goals and don’t let emotions make the decisions.”

— Five Star award winner

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria.

investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

RICP®

Wealth Managers

Brian Keith Albach Morgan Stanley

Daniel Joseph Altenau · Hornor Townsend & Kent

Greg Neal Altenau · Hornor Townsend & Kent

Michael Louis Andrews · Merrill Lynch

Brian Francis Antenucci · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Edward L. Apfel · Morgan Stanley

Stephen M. Ashworth · Morgan Stanley

Lewis Andrew Assaley · Morgan Stanley

Adam Paul Atkinson · Morgan Stanley

Ronald Timothy Bates · 1919 Investment Counsel

Richard Howard Beckert · Merrill Lynch

Zachary Thomas Binzer · Foster & Motley

Mark Black · Vantage Point Financial Services

Casey Michael Boland · HCM Wealth Advisors

Ryan Pat Bonaventura · Bonaventura Wealth Advisors

Keith Jerome Bookbinder · Crown Capital Securities

Wesley Davis Botto · Hillcrest Financial Group

Peter Robert Bouley · Merrill Lynch

Jill Bracci · Morgan Stanley

Phillip Ray Brann · Morgan Stanley

Drew Brazie · Tudor Financial

John Michael Brueggeman · Viceroy Wealth Counsel

William Carl Bruns · MAI Capital Management

Gregory Brian Burch · Lighthouse Agency

Jake Elliott Butcher · HCM Wealth Advisors

Jerry Butts · 3 Point Wealth Strategies

Matthew Nicholas Calme · HCM Wealth Advisors

Michael Sayers Cambron · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Robert Carroll · Carnegie Investment Counsel

Neerja J. Chaudhry · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Douglas Cline · Morgan Stanley

Jeffrey Earl Daniher · Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory

Michele R. Daniher · Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory

Stephen Edward Dauer · Morgan Stanley

Joshua David Deeter · Deeter Advisory Group

Nancy Louise Del Grosso · Morgan Stanley

Keith Dershem · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Emily Katherine Diaz · Foster & Motley

Charlotte Anne Dougherty · Dougherty & Associates

John E. Dougherty · Dougherty & Associates

John David Dovich · MAI Capital Management

Judd Matthew Eberhart · Creative Planning

James Robert Eck · Eck Getter & Greenwell Wealth Management

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Justin Ellis · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Ryan Ryan English · Foster & Motley

Jim Randall Eutsler · HCM Wealth Advisors

Michael J. Fieler · Hambleton Fieler Wealth Partners

Jay Alan Finke · Lincoln Financial Advisors

Tim David Foster · UBS

David Philip Francis · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

James David Gaunt · Formidable Asset Management

Jahn Dorab Gazder · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Michael Anthony George · Tri-State Financial Group

Lisa Gerardi · Gerardi Wealth Management

James Clarence Getter · Eck Getter & Greenwell Wealth Management

Christopher M. Gongola · Gongola Financial

James Edward Gore · THOR Wealth Management

David J. Gray · Merrill Lynch

Victor Jerome Gray · Alphastar Capital Management

Elizabeth Marchal Green · Foster & Motley

Eric Matthew Greenwell · Eck Getter & Greenwell Wealth Management

Robert John Grossheim · Family Wealth Advisory Group

Thomas J. Guidi · Foster & Motley

Joseph Clifford Hack · Madison Wealth Management

James Brian Hagerty · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Lucas Parker Hail · Foster & Motley

Sandra Faith Hall · Faith Financial Advisors

Kathy J. Hamm · Principled Wealth Advisors

Joel Nicholas Handorf · Morgan Stanley

Chris Harold Hansen · Personal Choice Financial Advisors

Helen Hartmann · Morgan Stanley

Stephen Duane Hawkins · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Matt Aaron Held · Clarity Wealth Management

Mike Thomas Hengehold · HCM Wealth Advisors

Steven Elias Hengehold · HCM Wealth Advisors

Alan Richard Henning · Madison Wealth Management

David Brian Henning · Formidable Asset Management

Shawn Shawn Hill · Hill Financial Strategies

Zach Tyler Horn · Foster & Motley

Robert Paul Huesman · 1919 Investment Counsel

Bethany Bohmer Huffman · Huffman Wealth Management

Sally Humphrey Humphrey · Madison Wealth Management

Matthew Jessup · Jessup Wealth Management Inc.

Jason Martin Katz · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

George Edward Kavalauskas · Park Avenue Securities

Stephen Paul King · Wealthquest

Erin D. Knodel · Park Avenue Securities

Ronda L. Koehler · Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory

Garry Phillip Kohn · Kohn Wealth Management Advisors

George Peter Koumoutsos · Omega Financial Group

Steven Lee Kramer · ARGI Investment Services

Ryan Scott Krift · Morgan Stanley

Edward R. Kuresman · Madison Wealth Management

Arun Lai · Equitable Advisors

Thomas Joseph Lalley · MAI Capital Management

Karen F. Levy · Wells Fargo Advisors

Thomas Kevin Liguzinski · Cornerstone Financial Group

Lance Allen Lohr · Merrill Lynch

Ted Michael Lucien · Morgan Stanley

Tony Robert Luckhardt · Foster & Motley

Gregory Charles Luke · THOR Wealth Management

Steven Dale Lutz · Morgan Stanley

Richard Edward Martin · Securities America Advisors

Holly Hirt Mazzocca · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

James McDermott · Madison Wealth Management

Beth A. McDonald · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

James Barry McGrath · Cassady Schiller Wealth Management

Mackey Miriam McNeill · The Prosperity People

Bradley Meeks · Madison Wealth Management

Bart Francis Metzler · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

John Patrick Meyer · Meyer Capital Management

Timothy Robert Meyer · Meyer Capital Management

Greg Allen Middendorf · HCM Wealth Advisors

Catherine Miller · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Eleanor Kirby Moffat · Bahl & Gaynor

William Mark Motley · Foster & Motley

David J. Nienaber · Foster & Motley

Kristine Sue O’Brien · Wealth Transitions

Molly A. O’Connor · Lifetime Financial Growth

Stephen Frederick O’Neill · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Sean Sean O’Reilly · Merrill Lynch

Christopher Robert Oberholzer · Infinity Wealth Counsel

Brian Tallman Parker · Hyde Park Wealth Advisors

Joseph Anthony Patterson · Foster & Motley

Boyd Patton · Huntington Financial Advisors

Thienthanh Thuy Pham · Morgan Stanley

Tyrone Phillippi · McKinley Carter Wealth Services

Ryan L. Pitts · Retirement Security Group

Kyle William Pohlman · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Lori Beth Poole · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Terry Powers · Thrivent Investment Management

This award was issued on 09/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and were considered for the award; 240 (15% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # 15%,

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth

Andrew Pulsfort · The Prosperity People

Carter F. Randolph · Randolph Co.

Rachel Ann Rasmussen · Foster & Motley

Michael Rawlings · Viceroy Wealth Counsel

Aliya Lindsay Riddle · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

John Kenneth Ritter · Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory

Christopher Douglas Robbins · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Wilson Frederick Rosebraugh · SR Investment Holdings

Eric Scott Ross · F2 Wealth

Michael Edward Rudnicki · Fort Washington Investment Advisors

Deborah Anne Saas · Center For Wealth Management Advisory

Craig Sarembock · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

William Rankin Sarran · Morgan Stanley

Chris Lee Saul · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Kenneth Lawrence Schlachter · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Dan Allen Schneider · Crew Capital Management

Adam Joseph Schoster · Morgan Stanley

Michele Suzanne Schumacher · Securities America Advisors

Timothy John Schwiebert · LM Kohn & Co.

Shawn M. Scott · Wealthquest

— WEALTH MANAGERS —

Philip Edward Seibert · Julius Arthur Seibert & Co.

Matthew Broderick Selker · Morgan Stanley

Barry Patrick Shelley · B. P. Shelley & Associates

J. Scott Sims · Mariner Wealth Advisors

Matthew Ronald Smith · Morgan Stanley

Troy Ray Snider · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Brad Michael Soper · Foster & Motley

David Lauren Speer · Cornerstone Financial Group

John Charles Spencer · HFG Advisors

W. Russell Stewart · Camargo Investment Management

Christopher Stiver · LPL Financial

Elaina Cordelia Stuard · Robert W. Baird & Co.

Andrew Scott Tedesco · Dougherty & Associates

Amy Lynn Thomas · Foster & Motley

Steven Mark Thomas · Wells Fargo Advisors

Jonathan Thornberry · Baird Wealth Management

Angie Trandai · Trandai Financial Solutions

D.J. J. Trindle · Morgan Stanley

Dean D. Trindle · Morgan Stanley

Woodrow Hunter Uible · Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management

Christopher Lawrence Vordemesche · Morgan Stanley

Tim Joseph Walsh · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

William Lewis Washburn · Morgan Stanley

Donald Waterbury · Waterbury & Associates

Jonathan Daniel Weber · Wells Fargo Advisors

Steven Maurice Weinstein · Weinstein Financial Group

Gregory Bennett Wells · Morgan Stanley

Charles Matthew Williams II · Park Avenue Securities

Matthew Lee Willig · Lifetime Financial Growth

Walter Ray Wilson · Waddell & Reed

William A. Wittich · LPL Financial

Christopher A. Wysong · Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Michael David Yannucci · Hillcrest Financial Group

John Paul Zuba · Morgan Stanley Investment Professionals

Jeff Bauer · JLB Consulting LLC

David Hampton · HG CPAs, LLC

Andrew Zylka · Flynn & Company, Inc.

questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,649 Cincinnati-area wealth managers ongoing certification requirements. The Chartered Financial Consultant® credential [ChFC®] is a financial planning designation aw Winners,

Period.

investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com. This year, we honored 3 Cincinnati-area investment professionals with the Five Star Investment Professional award.

Experience Fall

It’s time to hit the road for a weekend adventure. This region holds plenty of options, whether you’re a foodie, an outdoor explorer, or a patron of the arts. Pack your bags!

FALL FLAVOR TRY THE CHICKEN AT FRANKENMUTH, MICHIGAN’S BAVARIAN INN; BASE JUMPING AT WEST VIRGINIA’S BRIDGE DAY.

Outdoor Destinations

An Educational Lodge

Wayne National Forest, in southeast Ohio, covers more than a quarter of a million acres, and Nelsonville, Ohio, provides a convenient home base for exploring. Book your stay at the Lodge at Hocking College, a revamped Ramada Inn staffed by students in Hocking’s hospitality programs. Sample the (literal) fruits of the students’ labors at the school-run Rhapsody Music & Dining, a combination restaurant and music venue. Students in the college’s fermentation science program operate Black Diamond Distillery and Starbrick Brewery, named after the signature incised bricks crafted by Nelsonville Block. Sample those products at the lodge, too. thelodge.hocking.edu

Mountain Bike Mania

With just about 30 miles of mountain biking trails (and a skills park where beginners can brush up), Mohican State Park is one of the best places in the state for two-wheeled thrills. But those aren’t the only trails. The 34 miles of bridle trails here are some of the most-used in the state, and the Gorge Overlook Trail—which features views of the gorge formed by the Clear Fork of the Mohican River— crosses Clear Fork on a swinging bridge, and the Hemlock Gorge Trail leads to a scenic covered bridge. While in the area, be sure to check out Malabar Farm, now a state park, but once a private home where Lauren Bacall married Humphrey Bogart. ohiodnr.gov

Explore Horse Country October in Kentucky means Keeneland’s Fall Meet, 17 days of live Thoroughbred racing at the Lexington track that opened in 1936. A variety of behind-the-scenes tours can help you understand

track life, and if you can’t make it during racing days, you can still visit the grounds, which are open 365 days a year. A number of horse farms offer their own tours, where you can learn more about their operations and even get up close and personal with their charges. A great overview of the sport of kings can be found at the Kentucky Horse Park, where you can visit the International Museum of the Horse, see live shows, and even camp onsite. keeneland.com, kyhorsepark.com

Kayak Red River Gorge

While you can certainly camp, hike, and rock climb at Red River Gorge (and we recommend you do), you can also take in the grandeur of this popular destination from the seat of a kayak. Red River Adventure offers high water and low water options on the Red River, as well as the beginner- and family-friendly Mill Creek Lake, where dogs are also welcome. At The Gorge Underground, you can kayak through a 100-year-old

the driving on a cave boat tour). redriveradvent ure.net, gorgeunderground.com

Peep Leaves in Michigan

While the U.P. and northern parts of the lower peninsula have gorgeous foliage—Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising or the M-119 Tunnel of Trees north of Harbor Springs are just two examples—there’s plenty of leaf peeping to be had in the southern part of the state. Along the “thumb coast,” scenic M-25 runs along the Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron from Bay City to Port Huron, and there are plenty of parks and beaches where you can stretch your legs. Cyclists enjoy Huron River Drive between Dexter and Ann Arbor, but you can hop from Dexter-Huron Metropark to Delhi Metropark to Bird Hills Nature Area by car if you’d rather. michigan.org/fallcolormap

Celebrate Bridge Day

During the third Saturday in October, Fayetteville, West Virginia, hosts the largest single-day festival in the state: Bridge Day. It celebrates the October 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge

876 feet to the river below. Too much? Some folks rappel off the underside of the bridge, or simply walk the catwalk below the bridge deck. The night before the festivities showcases local restaurants

WHAT A RIDE MOUNTAIN BIKING AT MOHICAN STATE PARK (TOP) ; KENTUCKY HORSE PARK (BOTTOM)

a boutique experience in our spacious hotel rooms or upgrade to apartment style 1-2 bedroom lofts and suites.

And during your stay enjoy a unique culinary experience at Coppin’s Restaurant & Bar or have an elevated cocktail experience at the Knowledge Bar & Social Room, both located within Hotel Covington and North by Hotel Covington.

Located near the Cincinnati Riverfront, the award-winning Hotel Covington and it’s newest addition, North by Hotel Covington shine with historic charm and modern character. Our rooms offer sophisticated luxury, with no detail spared. Choose

and vendors at Taste of Bridge Day.

Chasing Waterfalls

Explore West Virginia’s natural beauty by downloading your waterfall trail passport and all over the state. There are now 38 falls on the list, including The Grotto in Charleston’s Coonskin Park and Drawdy Falls, a pair of cascades just off Route 3 in Peytona. If you’d rather take your falls frozen, check out Cathedral Falls in Gauley Bridge. It made Fodor’s list of stunning frozen North American Waterfalls.

Go off the Grid

It’s often called the “Little Smokies,” so you know

Cars and Cake

the views and terrain in Brown County State Park in Indiana are reminiscent of the Great Smoky Mountains. Explore the 16,000-acre park with two must-sees: the very easy Ogle Lake Trail 7, which circles Ogle

at the beginning of Trail 10, which offers 360-degree views of the area, including Ogle Hollow Nature Preserve. About 20 minutes from the park, you can stay at the quirky Story Inn, which does not offer internet, television, or even alarm clocks—but does offer a prix

Museums and Arts

Visit Bowling Green, Kentucky, and satisfy your need for speed and your sweet tooth, all while learning a little bit about the history of two American icons. At the National Corvette Museum, seven decades of automotive design, engineering, and innovation are on display in a variety of exhibits, including a peek at the sinkhole that swallowed eight vehicles in 2014. For more tasty historical tidbits, the Kentucky Museum on the campus of Western Kentucky University serves up , covering the life of the travel writer-turned-packaged foods icon.

Explore Modern Architecture

One of the most architecturally important cities

in the United States is just 45 miles south of Indianapolis—Columbus, Indiana. J. Irwin Miller, the CEO of Cummins Engine Co., started a fund to cover design fees for a slew of the town’s public buildings. Eero Saarinen’s North Christian Church might be one of the most recognizable, but it’s just one of dozens of structures designed by noted architects including I. M. Pei, Harry Weese, and Deborah Berke. Saarinen also designed Miller’s home, which is now a gallery and open for tours. Public artworks by internationally known artists are scattered throughout the community, and Exhibit Columbus explores community, architecture, art, and design each August.

Pro Football and a President

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2023 class included Bengal Ken Riley, which creates a perfect opportunity to pay homage to the sport’s icons enshrined in Canton. Learn about the history of the game, check out memorabilia on display, and learn more about the players who left it all on the William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum showcases the life of the 25th president and is also home to the Discover World Science Center. There, Alice the Allosaurus oversees Natural History Island, where you can check out a mastodon skeleton.

A German Wonderland in Michigan

If you’ve driven along I-75, you’ve probably seen billboards touting Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland any type of light or ornament you could want at Bronner’s, but that’s not all there is to see in Frankenmuth. Known as “Little Bavaria,” it’s packed with plenty of old-world architecture, adorable shops, and authentic German cuisine.

SIMPLY ICONIC BOWLING GREEN’S CORVETTE MUSEUM (TOP) ; BRONZE BUSTS AT THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME IN CANTON, OHIO (BOTTOM)

COURTESY (TOP) NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM / (BOTTOM) PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

8 EXPERIENCES / 1 LOW PRICE

Enjoy the best of Indiana’s capital city with 1-day and 3-day Indy Attraction Passes at a budget-friendly price.

SCAN CODE OR GO TO VISITINDY.COM/ATTRACTION-PASS

The Covered Bridge Shop is a Main Street mainstay, offering plenty of gifts and leather goods. Zehnder’s and Bavarian Inn are just two of the restaurants serving German specialties and fried chicken dinners. Don’t miss the iconic covered bridge or River Place Shops, along the Cass River. franken muth.org

Henry Ford’s Time Machine

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, in Dearborn, Michigan, offers a unique blend of history, innovation, and Americana. Explore exhibits celebrating furniture, agricultural equipment, presidential vehicles, art pottery, and even Hallmark Keepsake ornaments. The adjacent , organized into seven historic districts, is a living history museum. With costumed interpreters manning working farms and other small industry, the village offers an opportunity to step back in time. Visit restored homes, businesses, and other structures from our past, including slave quarters from The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home; Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park Laboratory; the Wright Brothers’ Cycle Shop; and Noah Webster’s home. For the full Ford watch the F-150 pickup truck being assembled, look back at vehicles made at the Rouge complex, and see one of the largest living roofs. thehenryford.org

West Virginia’s Heart of Glass

You might not realize that West Virginia was once one of the world’s top exporters of glassware. Changes in the industry, including cheaper imports and changing technology, mean there are far fewer companies producing today, but glass museums offer a captivating journey into the state’s rich heritage. Wheeling’s is home to the largest piece of cut lead crystal ever made. More than 20,000 pieces of glass—from marbles to Tiffany designs—are on display in Weston, at the Museum of American . One of the few companies still producing, in Milton, welcomes visitors for factory tours and has its own museum where you can see a more than a century’s worth of its pieces. oglebay.com/ activities/museums/glass-museum, magwv.com, blenko.com

BRIGHT LIGHTS BRONNER’S CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BRONNER’S CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND

Food & Drink

Follow These Foodie Trails

Explore the trails in Columbus, Ohio—the food trails, that is! The Columbus Coffee Trail highlights independent shops and local chains, like Stauf’s Coffee Roasters, which has four area locations. The Columbus-Style Pizza Trail will lead you to square-sliced pizza bliss at a number of pie outposts, including Columbus-based Donato’s locations. Watershed Distillery pours samples for those following the Distillery Trail, and 33 craft breweries make up the Columbus Ale Trail, including Pretentious Barrel House, which specializes in barrel-aged beers. Once your belly is full, explore the Short North Art Trail, or maybe catch a show along the Columbus Live Music Trail experiencecolum bus.com

Sip Bourbon in Bardstown

While there are plenty of ways to sample Kentucky’s state spirit, do yourself a favor and head to the heart of bourbon country in Bardstown. There are 11 distilleries within 16 miles of Bardstown, from Lux Row to Four Roses to Heaven Hill. The Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History contains rare whisky industry artifacts from the collection of Chicago-born salesman and distiller Oscar Getz (and the museum buys and sells memorabilia, too). Get a taste of Kentucky cuisine with a hot brown at Talbott Tavern, on the courthouse square. It dates to the late 1700s, and you can also stay overnight. Bourbon not your thing? Bardstown’s just down the road from the Abbey of Gethsemani, where you can worship with Trappist monks, explore 1,500 acres, or just grab a jar of honey from the Welcome Center gift shop. visitbardstown.com, monks.org

Stay at a Working Dairy Farm

Take a weekend trip to Kenny’s Cheese, and you’ll be able to see the

at The Summit Hotel

ROLL OUT BARRELS OF BOURBON

whole cheese-making process, from cow to curd. There are two Airbnb suites directly above the dairy barn. Watch the robotic milkers in action, make friends with barn cats, or just sit on the porch overlooking the rolling hills. If it’s a cheesemaking day, you can also tour the production facility and learn about the different varieties made on-site, including cheese curds and Kentucky Bleu—you’ll get cheese samples in the fridge when you stay the night. kennyscheese.com

A College Town Getaway

A visit to Bloomington, Indiana, doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck dining on pizza (though you should try Mother Bear’s). B-Town has a wide variety of cuisines and styles represented in the nearly 150 downtown area eateries, from Anyetsang’s Little Tibet, where the momos are a musttry, to FARMbloomington, where the eclectic menu tweaks home-style fare, like the grilled, smoked pork chop with sorghum demi and cheese grits. After a meal like that, you’ll need the walk back to your room at the charming Grant Street Inn, which started as a small bed-andvisitbloomington.

com

Raise Your Glass to Michigan

Grand Rapids is known as Beer City, USA, and with more than 50 breweries in the area, it’s no wonder. If you want to get an overview of the scene, book one of Grand Rapids Beer Tours’s walking tours. The downtown walking tour will give you a strong overview of some Beer City basics. You’ll visit Founders Brewing Co., one of the largest breweries in the state, as well as Grand Rapids Brewing Co., founded in 1893, and B.O.B.’s Brewery (it stands for Big Old Building, by the way). Once you’ve got those down, explore downtown on your own—New Holland’s Knickerbocker, The Mitten Brewing Co., and Perrin Brewing Co. are also local favorites. If all that’s too much, you can always fall back on a festival: the Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival lets you sample the best of the scene in November. experiencegr.com

CHEERS! TOAST THE GRAND RAPIDS BEER SCENE

PHOTOGRAPH BY GIOVANNA GOMES/UNSPLASH

FORGE AMAZING MEMORIES IN KENTUCKY

From Horse Country to the Bourbon Trail

Discover the rolling farms and working barns nestled in Kentucky Horse Country, then get a taste of the Bluegrass State’s iconic spirit at distillery tours throughout Bourbon Country and beyond. Explore an outdoor wonderland of stunning caves and gorges, woods and waters, then savor signature flavors that have been passed down through generations.

HISTORIC ENTRANCE TO CAVE COUNTRY

Venture to a designated Kentucky Trail Town in the heart of Kentucky Cave Country. Minutes from Mammoth Cave National Park and Diamond Caverns, Park City offers all sorts of outdoor fun. Book a cave tour of the world’s longest cave system. Mammoth Cave National Park is also popular for hiking, biking, horseback riding and paddling. Explore Bell’s Tavern Park to see the historic tavern ruins. Then, explore Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail from the park’s trailhead. Extend your adventure with a stay at Grand Victorian Inn. I-65 exit 48, Say Yes to Adventure! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @parkcitytourism.

GET AWAY TO SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY

Start planning your Shepherdsville adventure. Journey along Bullitt County’s Wine, Whiskey & Ale Trail, with stops at the James B. Beam American Outpost and four award-winning wineries. Looking for some outdoor fun? Explore more than 16,000 acres at Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest — and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the resident Forest Giants.

hooked on the collar.

Omega Isabelle, 34, born as her brother was graduating from high school, recalls a dinner she had with Napoleon the night before he left for France in late 2019. At the

In addition to having to live up to his imperial name, Maddox says he spent much of his youth trying to convince his late father, Nathaniel, that hip-hop was a vocation rather than a distraction from a more righteous path. “My mother is very proud of me, my whole family is, but she used to be more worried about me being around unsavory hip-hop types, especially when I was much younger, and it may not have been clear for her how I was going to make a living,” he says of family matriarch Ruth Maddox, who also frequently quoted an Old Testament passage to her son to remind him about traveling a virtuous path. “Train a child up in the way

ticking off a list of perceived teenage deficits that included not being good at sports, having an interest in art and fashion, and standing out in just about every way you could imagine. “But in time I would say this was actually a blessing, because I can relate to a lot of different people. I’ve felt many times like a foreigner at home.”

FOR THE RECORD, ISABELLE SAYS IN HER

head Napoleon “was always cool, so traveled, so eclectic...not so cookie-cutter.” In other words, not the oddball he perceived himself to be but rather the stand-out big brother whose vibe she wanted to soak in at every opportunity.

time she and one of their other sisters were planning a trip to visit him, never imagining that within months the entire world would shut down and that she and her brother would be separated for the longest time in their lives. “I was happy that he was going to do his thing, representing our family,” says Isabelle, who keeps a picture of the family on her desk at work. “I’m never not proud of him.” She describes the photo as all eight sisters leaning out, naturally drawing the eye toward their brother, who stands smiling in the middle. “I’m grateful that he is there, but I really wish he was here.”

Isabelle describes her brother’s hugs as practically rib-snapping and says that she sometimes has to remind herself that “as much as he goes away, he always comes back.” In between—sometimes several times a month—she and as many of her sisters as are available hop onto hours-long Zoom calls where they laugh, joke, reminisce, and make fresh memories as they share the new things they’ve learned.

The emphasis on evolving, changing, and acquiring knowledge helps explain the unexpected path taken by self-described teenage “oddball” Maddox, whose parents, his sister says, drilled into their children the importance of “education, education, education.”

he should go: And when he is old he will not depart from it,” he recalls of the citation from Proverbs 22:6.

In a house where Gospel music was on the turntable and the only TV allowed other than his father’s nightly news fix was The Cosby Show on Thursdays—decades before the allegations of sexual assault against the once-beloved comedian—Nathaniel Maddox’s disdain for secular music was clear and present. So, while his son was collecting CDs by A Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr and hosting a hip-hop show on community radio station WAIF, the Maddox patriarch kept insisting that his son needed to let that frivolous hobby go. “You need to get serious about your life,” Maddox says his dad would counsel. “You know nothing about that world out there!”

As it turns out, though, his father’s wariness about hip-hop would help push Maddox further into that outside world, landing him in genre-blending collaborations with everyone from avant-garde jazz composer/saxophonist Archie Shepp and acclaimed jazz drummer Hamid Drake to the Burnt Sugar Arkestra and longtime French musical right-hand man, electronic producer Sorg. “The irony is that I grew up feeling like ‘the other,’ and for a very long time that made me angry,” says Maddox,

That sentiment is seconded by drummer Drake, who appeared on several ISWHAT?! albums and toured with the group in the early 2000s, as well as in a side project called Phat Jam. When they fi rst met during one of Drake’s shows in Covington with a jazz ensemble in the early 2000s, the percussionist says he was impressed with Maddox’s unique blending of jazz, hip-hop, and “profound” lyrics. But he was more taken by another obvious, though not always universal, quality that’s most essential to jazz: the ability to listen deeply.

Growing up in a region that represents the old North/South tension between freedom and enslavement—or, as Maddox describes Cincinnati, “the bottom of the North and the top of the South”—Drake says when they toured France and other parts of Europe Maddox brought a unique set of skills to the table. “He had this great knowledge of hip-hop from being part of it in the U.S. and having that dual viewpoint from where he grew up,” he says on a Zoom call from Milan, Italy.

Drake puts Maddox in the great lineage of Black artists who made their homes in France from the 1940s to today, from sculptors Harold Cousins and Nancy Elizabeth Prophet to singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone, about whom Maddox wrote a 2009 tribute show entitled A Riot Called Nina. “But he was also open to learning the traditions of France, and he didn’t go there thinking he knew more than they did.”

Drake says Maddox was always keen to learn about the development of hip-hop in France, the cultural roots that created French rappers’ takes on music imported from the

NAPOLEON MADDOX SAYS HIS PARENTS CHOSE HIS MONIKER BECAUSE THEY WANTED THEIR NINE CHILDREN (EIGHT DAUGHTERS AND ONE SON) TO HAVE IMPACTFUL NAMES.

U.S., and nuances of the French language that he could incorporate into his own flow. “That big heart open to sharing and wanting to expand and learn, it’s just like jazz: It comes from the United States, but every country it goes to puts its own stamp on it,” he says.“He’s never afraid to learn and never thought he knew more than anyone else.”

Nathaniel Maddox didn’t live to see how far his son’s nettlesome hobby would ultimately take him, but he’d surely be proud that Napoleon has found homes in a foreign place and in the familiar world of his childhood. “I’m at home at home,” he says. “I’m ‘the other,’ so what? That’s who I am. To accept that is to understand that at some point all of us are ‘the other’ whether we realize it or not, which is a very American story.”

Isabelle says her brother has done his family proud in other ways as well, includ-

humor and the understanding (Maddox was a one-time early childhood education major) that learning a little something while enjoying a cocktail in a concert hall shouldn’t feel like homework.

DURING THIS SUMMER VISIT TO CINCINnati, Maddox is thinking about the fifth iteration of the Underworld Black Arts Festival, which he launched in 2018 with artistic director Kimberly Gory and help from members of ISWHAT?! The event, scheduled for October 19–21, explores African diasporic history through music, film, dance, photography, visual and spoken arts, and live performances in multiple spaces and features local, regional, and international artists.

Maddox launched the event as the Underworld Jazz Festival, but in 2022 he changed the title in order to expand be -

that informed his career are aging at a time when many younger fans and artists are incurious at best about the past. “So we can sit around the table with Lil Whatever and listen to Louis Armstrong and they can say, Yeah, it’s not my thing, but now I can listen to that and work with it. There’s something restorative about that.”

Days after our first meeting, Maddox sits on the “Turn Table Talk” panel in the Contemporary Arts Center basement during the Cincinnati Music Festival weekend. Next to him is hip-hop icon Grandmaster Caz, one of the uncredited co-writers of the first true rap crossover hit single, the Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 classic “Rapper’s Delight.”

ing with his 2017 award-winning multimedia, multi-genre performance piece, Millie-Christine: Twice the First Time. It’s the real-life story of his great-grandaunts, Millie-Christine McKoy, conjoined twins who were born into slavery in North Carolina in 1851 and later became a sideshow circus act.

The wild tale of exploitation, enslavement, and liberation was one their mother, Ruth, used to tell her children often, the Maddox siblings recall. Isabelle would go on to research them further during one of her many trips to the library to work on reports for the customized homeschool curriculum their mother created for her.

Twice the First Time traced the twins’ path as they traveled the world, learned multiple languages, and made enough money from their act to help support their family. The resulting piece had all the elements that have made Maddox a unique force: a reverence for the history of Black struggle and a serious approach to storytelling that melds an unexpected variety of media with a hip-hop flavor. Most crucially, it avoided dry pedantry via a sly sense of

yond the stereotype of music that “swings and tuxedoes and champagne.” His goal was to blend the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance and Black intellectualism and tell Black stories that aren’t found in most books. Especially, he says with a wary look, at a time when there is a debate in some states over how history, especially Black history, is taught.

“I think the time is right for this kind of festival, where everybody is welcome and we’re sharing our culture and our stories,” he says. “And a French guy can come all the way from Besançon and share in that same story and meet people and discover something and take it back with him. Or someone can come from Haiti and share their story.”

The festival, and Maddox’s musical raison d’être, is to help people who attend this year’s event discover what he calls “continuum music”—the thread of traditions that connect Black music. “Young rappers should be talking to their grandparents, who are blues fans, or listen to old spirituals, right?” he says, noting that the generation of fans and purveyors of the traditions

In front of an audience of several dozen smartly dressed hip-hop fans of a certain age—the genre turned 50 this year—as well as sister Isabelle, Maddox reiterates his mother’s travel mantra. He tells the majority Black audience that wherever their passports take them, “the most valuable thing that will be there is you and your relationships. It’s not the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum in Rome, none of that stuff. The most valuable thing is you. That’s what I can bring back from Besançon, and that’s what I’m always trying to rediscover and reconnect with: Where are we showing up, how are we showing up, where is our ingenuity? Not so we can show up at their table, but so we can build our own table—and they can sit down at our table.”

It’s a heady thought for a Saturday morning, but it elicits claps and positive murmurs of acknowledgment from the crowd sipping on mimosas and nibbling brunch in the black box theater. In France, says Maddox, the reaction from his mostly white audiences is a sense that they’re seeing “the real deal.”

He recalls a festival in Bologna, Italy, just before his trip home for the summer. It was an early celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary where he was one of several rappers on the bill and the only American rapping in English, freestyling lyrics and beats in the spur of the moment. Was he as comfortable in that situation as he was in the basement of the CAC? “Fully comfortable,” Maddox says later. “For the audience in Italy, it was this major experience, but for me I’m just doing what we do.”

What excites him when he’s in front of an

MADDOX'S UNDERWORLD BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS MONTH TO EXPLORE AFRICAN DIASPORIC HISTORY THROUGH MUSIC, FILM, AND VISUAL AND SPOKEN ARTS.

NAPOLEON MADDOX

American audience, he says, is that whether he’s rapping or telling a story he often gets goosebumps, “because suddenly I’m in front of people who understand emotionally and spiritually what I’m talking about. If I say ‘Timothy Thomas’ [in reference to the young Black man killed by Cincinnati police in 2001, leading to days of civil unrest and protests] people are really moved by it.”

Asked if he can sense a difference when Maddox is performing at home or in France or based on the audience makeup, Sorg says his musical partner is “always the same” whether it’s a crowd of 10 in a club or 1,000 in a theater. “He doesn’t think about who is in the venue, if they are white or Black. One thing I’ve learned from him is how to be during a performance. He has an ease and confidence with himself that you can see on stage, something few people have.”

In a testament to his ease in any venue, hours after the CAC event Maddox is hanging with a room full of Cincinnati Music Festival VIPs in a Paycor Stadium suite during a set by R&B legend Babyface. This time he isn’t performing or presenting, he’s just a fan. Babyface breaks into a series of covers of songs he helped produce and write, and for a few minutes it seems like Maddox is a kid again—the one his father feared would be led astray by focusing on beats instead of Beatitudes.

He’s rocking side-to-side, shimmying his shoulders and smiling along to Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step” and Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison,” old school jams from his high school years. Sporting a Maradona soccer jersey, jeans, and one of his signature caps, Maddox isn’t worried about making connections or schmoozing. He’s just like the tens of thousands gathered below him, a certified fan of the culture moved by the music of his youth.

He’s that Cincinnati kid who’s traveled as far as his art could take him. One who’s never forgotten where he’s from, geeking out to hip-hop and R&B classics in his hometown stadium, dancing like nobody is watching. He’s lost in the music, comfortable where he is in that moment, but ready to pack his bags again soon and settle back in halfway across the world.

And, as always, when Maddox goes, as his mom instructed, he will bring himself (and his stories) with him.

only,” says Kathy Godber (a.k.a. Nataj), Cincinnati’s pre-eminent belly dance teacher and owner of Habeeba’s, the city’s longest-running belly dance studio. “We are talking a culture and a history.”

To a public weaned on So You Think You Can Dance or hip-hop videos on TikTok, belly dance’s subtleties and repetitions can seem anachronistic, like other historic dances such as kabuki, waltz, or flamenco. To the untrained eye, it may even look easy. (It is emphatically not.) “If you see a belly dancer and think, She’s just walking around doing suggestive moves, that’s not it at all,” says Jeanne Miller, a retired chemist who, at 76, might be Cincinnati’s oldest belly dancer. “It’s very complex, which you don’t realize until you get into it. Certain parts of your body move in opposition to other parts. Then you have to think about where your feet are and keep your knees soft and thumbs tucked. Your head has to be lifted, and on top of all these movements in different directions you’re doing a belly roll, or snake, or shimmying. There are eight or nine types of shimmy! And you have to make it all look effortless.”

Unlike ballet or hip-hop, belly dance was not originally performed in choreographed ensembles for a large audience. It developed in small settings and is best observed up close. Eye contact between audience member and dancer is crucial for many performers. As such, traditional belly dance, in its thousands of years of expansion worldwide, has never been supersized for modern pop-culture consumption. In the Middle East, it’s done in clubs and at weddings and other relatively small celebrations, where women and men do it.

An eff ort by impresario Miles Copeland 20 years ago to bring his “Bellydance Superstars” to the masses fizzled.

Shakira is the only pop star to seriously undertake it. There still isn’t a huge audience for it—yet. But that may be about to change, especially in Cincinnati, where the subculture is growing. Offshoots of the dance, mixed with everything from industrial music to acrobatics, have expanded its appeal.

Ericka, a lifelong Cincinnatian, is one proponent. In many ways, she’s a typical Queen City belly dancer. She’d been an athlete, not a dancer, in her youth, and, as a teenage foreign-exchange student, she was intrigued by all things international. A 2005 radio story on belly dance piqued her interest, so she looked online for classes.“I loved the costuming and the music,” says Ericka. “It was just so different and alternative. It was a mix of liking the energy and the women in the class.”

Two decades later, Ericka is retired from her corporate career but still sews shiny accoutrements onto stagewear and performs. Of late, she’s started to produce belly dance showcases. Her semi-annual “hafla” (Arabic for “party”) enlivens the Kennedy Heights Arts Center each spring and winter.

Becoming a show organizer was the last place she imagined her interest in dance would lead her. In fact, the mere concept of stepping on a stage herself initially freaked her out. “After an eightweek beginner class, our teacher said, We’re going to do a hafla so invite friends and family,” says Ericka. “I thought, I’m not doing this in front of anybody. I didn’t even take my husband to it. But I danced in it so I could check it off the list. I wanted to feel the fear and do it anyway. And then I just got hooked. After that first little performance, I felt relaxed and happy with a sense of accomplishment.”

Ericka has since taken hundreds of classes and traveled to other cities to attend shows and workshops. She now adores performing. “I want to be an ambassador for anybody trying this out,” she says.

In her Amberley Village home, Ericka has converted the living room into a personal dance space, complete with mirrored wall. On a summer evening, she cues up “Dance of Life” on a boom box. The heady, slow-tempo Middle Eastern classic oozes

layered guitars, drums, and a ney (think: “snake-charmer” flute). Azha, mentioned earlier, sits in Bermuda shorts on the hardwood floor near the fireplace, giving Ericka pointers on a number she’s choreographing.

AZHA: Your shoulder thingies. Don’t do them all at the same speed. You could do these cutesy ones fast and, when you get to the top, do them slow.

ERICKA: Sassy!

AZHA: I want the drama on the up at the end. I like your head there.

ERICKA: What is it doing?

AZHA: Dropping a little bit. Your eyes are cast down. But the veil needs to go below your face.

ERICKA: Or the belly dance police will arrest me?

AZHA: If you’re going to spend that amount of time on your makeup, the last thing you want is the veil covering your face.

The small scene encapsulates so much about belly dance in this city. The women come for the music and the exercise, then stay for the body positivity and the sisterhood. It becomes their social life and their therapy. “Belly dance changed my relationship with my belly,” says Mrs. Knueven, who prefers to use her last name only. “I have a pudgier belly and have always thought, I wish my belly could be flat. But now it’s, Wow, look at how strong my abs are! I can do this move and it looks so cool!”

THERE ARE THREE MAIN VARIETIES OF belly dance in the U.S.: American Cabaret, which is the most traditional, involving age-old movements to Middle Eastern music; Fusion, which blends aspects of other dances, such as hip-hop or jazz, often done to modern music; and American Tribal Style, which also mixes various kinds of choreography and music and is done by a group of dancers who take turns to cue each other on a series of moves. Tribal has a hippie-ish personality, while Fusion, which is often slower than traditional belly dance, leans toward a goth aesthetic.

When Ericka started in belly dance, she first landed on Tribal, in part because the costumes weren’t skimpy (“I’m a prude!”) and in part because group dance appealed to her. She has since migrated to American Cabaret (a.k.a. Am Cab), the choice for purists. “You have to understand where

the dance comes from, using the correct terms and music, and understanding the instruments,” says Nataj, who has taught Am Cab for five decades. “If you’re dancing in Middle Eastern clothing and using Middle Eastern music, the dance should be Middle Eastern.”

Ericka’s haflas feature Middle Eastern and Turkish music exclusively.“Most shows have Fusion dance in them, but I wanted to see more traditional stuff,” she says. “I do it as a love letter to the art form and the music.”

Pretty much every metropolitan city has a belly dance scene, but few can trace their origins as clearly as Cincinnati can. It all started with Habeeba (“Sweetheart” in Arabic), who grew up of Italian and Lebanese origin in Detroit, which has a sizable Arab population. “I loved the music,” she says of the live bands in Greek and Middle Eastern nightclubs and restaurants she frequented with her parents in the 1960s. “It has a lot of passion and makes you want to move.” The belly dancers, Moroccan and Turkish, dazzled her. “But how did they do it?” she says she always wondered. She learned by watching and practicing on her own; there were no classes in Detroit at the time. Habeeba became that rare novelty of an American belly dancer in the 1960s.

“Men thought it was burlesque and would say, When are you going to take something off?” she recalls. At restaurants she would change into her fanciful costumes in an office or “in with the pickles” and sometimes give notes to a jazz band in order to approximate Middle Eastern rhythms.

Habeeba was a pioneer, hiring a booking agent and traveling internationally for gigs. She landed a residency in Las Vegas and posed for photographs for record-album covers. She settled in Columbus, where she opened Habeeba’s Dance of the Arts in 1971. “I spent hours in front of a mirror with music on, trying to break down every movement I did,” she says.

Fifty years later, those same notations and pedagogic choreographies are still taught at her namesake studios in Columbus and Cincinnati. “In the beginning, I got a lot of publicity,” says Habeeba. “Women’s lib was really heavy. Most of the students were housewives in their 20s. It was a way to express themselves, be more independent, and accomplish something very different.”

The students wore basic leotards and tights, as hip scarves with fringe or spangles were hard to come by. Until the end of the ’70s, Habeeba says, “There was no music to buy or get, and you had to sew your own costumes.”

Nataj, a belly dance aficionado from Northern Kentucky, bought the Habeeba studio in 1977 when she was just 20 years old. It’s changed locations several times and now resides inside Anaya, a Fusion belly dance studio in Silverton. Nataj has kept it pumping through successive waves in the popularity of belly dance—classes in the 1980s took a hit from competition with aerobics, and in the ’90s Zumba and yoga drained some students, followed by pilates. But a core of belly dance aficionados kept coming. Today, a third generation of students now learn Habeeba’s OG choreographies from Nataj and her colleagues.

Nataj laments that Cincinnati no longer has venues for live Middle Eastern music, especially since “we have more instructors than ever and more people who want to perform than we’ve ever had.” Says Ericka, “The old generation of oud, kanun, and doumbek players has retired or died, and their children don't follow in their footsteps.”

The dearth of musicians is changing the dance, says Nataj, who in the ’70s and ’80s performed professionally every week to live music. Besides lacking the excitement of live music, recorded music has led dancers to prepare choreographed numbers rather than allowing the music to drive impromptu movement.

Nataj was a queenly presence at the Summer Sizzle show produced by her studio in August. Booze and baklava were dispensed at the bar of The Place in Elmwood Place. More than 25 dancers, including Nataj, took turns on stage, ranging in age from 23 to 67. Aside from a bra top that popped mid-performance, the show was a triumph. Azha led the latest crop of students in Habeeba’s choreography, and Ericka drew hoots and claps when she filled the entire stage by twirling with 6-foot wings. The audience could have been bigger, but there was a palpable feeling of artistry and connection.

“Still belly dancing?” friends will ask Ericka. It irks her when they suggestively shake their chest or wiggle their butts. But yes, she replies, “I’m still dancing.”

The Chirashi Don at Baru includes various ingredients of the chef’s choosing such as tuna, wagyu beef, scallops, salmon, lobster, and pankocrusted deep-fried asparagus over sushi rice.

D NE

DOWNTOWN SUSHI P. 102 CUBAN SANDWICHES IN OTR P. 104 BAKING INFLUENCER Q&A P. 104 SWANKY FOOD IN DETROIT P. 106

BOWLED OVER

BAR NONE

This playful izakaya’s offerings pair perfectly with its expansive drink menu. —BRANDON WUSKE

IT REMINDS ME OF PARIS!” MY GERMAN DINING COMPANION EXCLAIMED, AS WE SIPPED cocktails and swapped small plates at Baru, the sleek izakaya in the former MidiCi space. Criminally, I’ve never been to the City of Light, and this Japanese-inspired menu is miles away from French fare, but I knew what she meant. Perhaps it’s the light itself—the early evening glow filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Or it could have been the sophisticated-yet-playful space. Giant red tigers all but pounce from the walls behind the massive bar. The lights above the bar, suspended from the ceiling, rise, fall, and change colors in time to an R&B soundtrack. It certainly didn’t hurt that the restaurant was starting to fill up with a diverse group of diners, stylishly clad and brimming with the joie de vivre of cocktail hour revelers. Most likely, it was some rare combination of all of the above. Baru buzzes with the energy of a city much bigger than Cincinnati. I imagine it’s what owner Tyler Wogenstahl had in mind when he opened the restaurant.

Bar dining is prioritized here; this is food that’s meant to be enjoyed alongside the eclectic drinks list. That’s why Wogenstahl chose the izakaya concept, drawing influence from the laid-back Japanese gastropubs where food and drink go hand in hand. To flesh out the menu, he turned to Robert Grace, a Nashville chef he’d previously worked with through his hospitality management company, Further Concepts and Investors. Grace developed the fledgling izakaya’s food and cocktail menus, which work remarkably well, together or apart.

The menu is broken down into drinks, sushi, “small plates,”“plates,” sides, and ishiyaki. Naturally, we start with cocktails. The options are clever, with offerings like the Japanese Highball (which uses Japanese

FYI

Baru

595 Race St., downtown, (513) 2460150, barusushi.com

Hours

Tues–Thurs 4–11 p.m., Fri & Sat 4 p.m.–midnight

Prices

$6 (Sticky Rice)—$40 (American Wagyu Ishiyaki)

Credit Cards

All major

The Takeaway Sophisticated izakaya further enlivens downtown dining.

whiskey), the Sake-tini, and the sweetly spicy Wasabi Margarita.

Sushi came next, and it didn’t disappoint. Sushi chef Samson Kim’s offerings are—like the rest of the menu—fun and funky. You won’t find pages of sushi rolls here: The sushi menu is varied, but concise. And, happily, nigiri gets as much attention as the aforementioned rolls. We went with the Gravlax Nigiri, cured salmon atop rice soaked in yuzu (a tangy Japanese citrus fruit) juice. The salmon hinted at smoky lox, with a little welcome heat from a yuzu/chili paste.

The Tuna, Tuna, Tuna roll features a trio of ahi tuna, spicy tuna, and escolar (an oily mackerel that is sometimes marketed as “white tuna”). While the ahi and spicy tuna brought bold flavors, the escolar was the odd fish out in both flavor and name. But the highlight of the sushi menu was the quail egg nigiri—three pieces of nigiri topped with soy pearls, a bright, yellow fish roe called tobiko, and a rich quail egg. The thick, viscous quail egg serves as a slightly sweet sauce while the tobiko brings the dish from air to briny sea. In keeping with the raw theme, I took a chance on the Wagyu Tartar, with its soy-cured egg yolk and clever assortment of rice and nori crackers for dipping into the velvety meat. It was a hit. And while tartar is often a prestige dish—decadent and eye-catching, but rarely ordered—at Baru it is a top seller. Its popularity affirms Baru’s decision to put bolder, riskier dishes front and center.

Even the restaurant’s “safer” dishes have a slight twist that inches them out of the familiar. Take the Chicken Katsu entrée. It seems like the sort of dish intended to give raw meat and quail eggaverse diners something to fall back to, but it comes with an unagi

(eel) sauce mustard that you’ll either want to slather on the perfectly breaded chicken or down like one of Baru’s many cocktails.

If sushi got the party going, the theatrical ishiyaki kicked it into high gear. The term refers to dishes that diners grill tableside on a hot stone. We went with the Sakura Wagyu, sourced from Ohio’s own Sakura Farms. At $40 for a few thin strips of steak, this DIY show is a steep ticket, but the quality of the steak is in line with the price. The wagyu was tender and flavorful enough to stand up on its own, but a pinch each of the accompanying sea salt and togarashi (a smoky seasoning blend made from dried chilies) will enhance the flavors even further.

For all its convivial buzz, Baru is also a spot where solo diners can enjoy a few peaceful bar-side bites. When I went back alone, I skipped the sushi menu, but the Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna from the small plates portion of the menu brought the same level of freshness and quality. The tuna is a soft tartar that nearly melts on the tongue, with seared rice and sesame seeds for the perfect textural contrast.

By far, the seared scallops entrée was the highlight of the entire assignment. Served alongside a slurpable nest of soba noodles, the plump, toasted scallops get a hint of sweetness from a delightful maple soy sauce. I was grateful that I didn’t have to share. Sometimes, it pays to dine alone.

It’s shocking that Baru operates with such flair and precision, considering how quickly it all came together. The restaurant went from conception to opening in a mere eight months. And Further Concepts is already at work on another downtown spot: an allday to late-night sports bar called Vintage, slated to open in The Foundry next spring. With Grace helming the menu and Wogenstahl handling the design, I’m sure I’ll be bringing my family there the next time they’re in town.

LOUNGE ACT (From left) The cozy design of Baru’s bar encourages conversation; American Wagyu ishiyaki is cooked on a stone plate and paired with various sauces; the Tuna Tuna Tuna roll features escolar, ahi, and spicy tuna with tempura crunch, sriracha, and cilantro; Chef Robert Grace.

Viva la Sandwich

IF YOU’RE WALKING ALONG ELM STREET NEAR FINDLAY MARKET AROUND LUNCHTIME on any given day, you’re liable to hear the sounds of rumba and salsa music pumping out of Chacabanas Cuban Sandwiches. Named after the lightweight version of the traditional Dominican military shirt, it’s appropriately festive for an eatery that turns out tasty Cubanos, empanadas, and croquetas.

While the signature the El Cubano—roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard pressed between two pieces of toasted Cuban bread—is a savory delight, it’s the Croqueta Preparada that shines brightest here. Croquettes (crispy fingerlings of ground ham rolled in breadcrumbs) share space with ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on pressed Cuban bread, offering an extra crunch in this variation of a Cuban sandwich. A side of yuca fries or tostones (fried green plantains), both tossed in garlic-infused oil and served with a dusting of Manchego cheese, are fitting companions but you may not need them. The chunky croquettes almost act as their own side, adding a little heft to the hearty sandwich. (It’s best to two-hand it to keep from making a mess.)

Top off your meal with a piece of tres leche, a milk-soaked sponge cake topped with fresh meringue. Better yet, snag a Mexican Coke to go. There’s always room for something sweet.

—AIESHA D. LITTLE

JOSH LEHENBAUER

THE MAN BEHIND THE @joshisbaking account on Instagram tells us his confectionary secrets.

How did you get into baking? My earliest memories of baking include me sitting at the kitchen island as my mom worked on wedding cakes for close friends or family. It was then that the seeds were sown and over time, slowly fostered themselves into the love and passion I have for baking now.

How do you describe your food style? In three words, I’d have to say: fun, vibrant, and flaky. At the risk of sounding overly cheesy, I’ve always strived to make people feel something with my videos or bakes, hopefully in the realm of joy.

Do you have any special recipes coming out soon? Currently, I’m partnering with Betty Crocker, releasing fun twists on classic Betty Crocker recipes each month, so while I can’t exactly reveal what’s coming for October, I can say that it’ll be cozy. It is the fall, after all!

Do you have any baking secrets you’d like to share? The best advice I could give to an aspiring home baker is to not expect perfection the first time you’re baking something. It’s better to set more realistic expectations and exceed them than to anticipate the cookbook cover photo, fail, and discourage yourself from ever trying it again.

FYI For recipes, follow @joshisbaking on IG or visit joshisbaking.com

Chacabanas, 809 Elm St., Over-theRhine, (513) 717-2172, chacabanascincy.com Read a

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HELBY’S HIDDEN ENTRANCE GRANTS IT SPEAKeasy status, its vaulted blue door hiding on the basement floor of downtown Detroit’s old U.S. Mortgage Bond Building. It’s a cozily cloistered interior—a smallish area dotted with high-top and dining tables, an all-aglow back bar running the width of the room—that pays homage to the property’s history.

The menu changes seasonally, and you’ll want to start with a cocktail, like the State Fair Old Fashioned: high-proof Elijah Craig bourbon blended with aged apricot brandy, almond syrup, and bitters of orange and walnut, served with a paper cone of candied almonds clipped to the glass. Pair it with the Pink Moon oysters: Shucked perfectly whole with no manhandling scars, they’re plated simply with lemon and salt, save for the slightest, perfuming spritz of sherry vinegar gastrique.

Not to be outdone, the beef tartare offers lightly cured and ground eye of round glistening in a toss of light oil and herbs on a lightly brushed base of homemade mayonnaise, along with blistered crusty bread from Ann Arbor’s White Lotus Farms and crisp leaves of iceberg sprayed with a dried beef reduction. Shelby should bottle this. For carnivores, it could make salad dressings obsolete.

For dessert, try the Poor Man’s Bread Pudding. It’s more cake-battered than the classic custardy construct; the restaurant bakes in maple cream, ladles on cider caramel, and flambés the confectionary with Myers’s rum to finish.

—ROBERT STEMPKOWSKI

Shelby, 607 Shelby St., Detroit, shelbydetroit.com

FRIGHT NIGHT

Get spooky with these booze-filled Halloween events.

—AIESHA

D. LITTLE

Halloween season is here and there are plenty of alcohol-related ways to celebrate. First up, HallowEve Brew Bash (October 20, $30–$40, Ault Park Pavilion, aultparkac.org) features 10 five-ounce tastings from some of the city’s best microbreweries and a live band playing all your favorite songs from the ’70s. Next, there’s A Date with Jane Presents: Fright Night! (October 26, $40, findlaymarket.org/marketevents). Held at Jane’s, Findlay Market’s outdoor bar, the event features Halloween-themed cocktails and light bites from market vendors. Round out this haunting month with the Cincinnati Halloween Bar Crawl (October 27 & 28, $17.99–$24.99, multiple locations, pubcrawls.com/city/cincinnati-oh), which includes free entry to at least four bars and 50 percent off drinks. Costumes aren’t required for these events but, really, where’s the fun in not dressing up?

Photograph by Amanda Burman of Burman

Photography

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SEAFOOD 117

STEAKS 119

THAI 119

VIETNAMESE 119

AMERICAN

THE BIRCH

On any given evening, guests nibble at spicy hummus served with French breakfast radishes and pita bread while sipping slightly spumante glasses of Spanish Txakolina. And while the dinner menu reads strictly casual at first glance—soups, salads, and sandwiches and sharing plates—the preparation and quality are anything but. A chef salad with chopped romaine, sweet peas, applewood smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg, and sunflower seeds surpassed many versions of the bistro classic. And both the Brussels sprouts and fingerling potato sides refused to play merely supporting roles. Both were sensational studies in the balance of sweet, spicy, and acidic flavors.

702 Indian Hill Rd., Terrace Park, (513) 8315678, thebirchtp.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $

BRONTË BISTRO

You might think this is a lunch-only spot where you can nosh on a chicken salad sandwich after browsing next door at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. But this Norwood eatery feels welcoming after work, too. The dinner menu features entrées beyond the rotating soup and quiche roster that’s popular at noon. Mac and cheese? Check. Quesadillas and other starters? Yep. An assortment of burgers? Present, including a grilled portobello option. Casual food rules the day but the surprise is Brontë Bistro’s lineup of adult beverages, which elevates the place above a basic bookstore coffeeshop. The regular drinks menu includes such mainstays as cosmopolitans and sidecars.

2692 Madison Rd., Norwood, (513) 396-8970, josephbeth.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. $

COPPIN’S

With wine on tap and an extensive local beer list, Coppin’s is an ideal place to meet for drinks. In addition to plenty of Kentucky bourbon, much of the produce, meat, and cheese comes from local growers and producers. House-cured meat and cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse and cheese from Urban Stead populate the “Artisan Cheese and

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

GOT V?

Black-owned vegan restaurant Almost V’Gan Lounge is scheduled to open on Court Street Plaza by early next year. The eatery—which will feature a full bar and menu items such as smoked pot roast or smoked jackfruit tacos, grilled watermelon and feta salad, and grilled salmon or grilled tofu sliders— will join the growing field of food offerings on the plaza, including Pilar, Mid-City Restaurant, and Pata Roja Taqueria.

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

Charcuterie Board,” which dresses up the main attractions with honey, dijon mustard, house pickles, and Sixteen Bricks purple barley bread. The mussels—made with seasonally rotating sauces and chorizo from Napoleon Ridge Farms in Gallatin County—were served with a peppery tomato sauce, perfect for sopping up with bread. The seven-ounce Sakura Farms Wagyu ribeye with wild mushrooms, roasted parsnip, and beef jus is a must have. Or try the striped bass with grape farro roasted broccolini and mussel cream sauce.

638 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 9056600, hotelcovington.com/dining/coppins.

Breakfast seven days, lunch Mon–Fri, and dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $$

THE EAGLE OTR

The revamped post office at 13th and Vine feels cozy but not claustrophobic, and it has distinguished itself with its stellar fried chicken. Even the white meat was pull-apart steamy, with just enough peppery batter to pack a piquant punch. Diners can order by the quarter, half, or whole bird—but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the sides. Bacon adds savory mystery to crisp corn, green beans, and edamame (not limas) in the succotash, and the crock of mac and cheese has the perfect proportion of sauce, noodle, and crumb topping. The Eagle OTR seems deceptively simple on the surface, but behind that simplicity is a secret recipe built on deep thought, skill, and love.

1342 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 802-5007, eaglerestaurant.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Mon–Thurs. MCC. $

MR. GENE’S DOGHOUSE

Cumminsville is home to arguably the best hot chili cheese mett and chocolate malt in Greater Cincinnati. A family owned business that began as a simple hot dog stand more than 50 years ago, Mr. Gene’s still attracts lines of loyal customers at its windows. Can’t stand the heat? Order the mild chili mett—more flavor, fewer BTUs. And if you still haven’t embraced Cincinnati-style coneys, try the Chicago-style hot dog with pickles, onions, relish, mustard, tomato, and celery salt; a pork sandwich; or wings (a sign proclaims “So hot they make the devil sweat”). Although the chocolate malt is the biggest seller, we love the $3.75 pineapple shake, made with real pineapple.

3703 Beekman St., South Cumminsville, (513)

KEY: No checks unless specified.

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$ = Under $15 $$ = Up to $30

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Top 10 = Named a Best Restaurant March 2023.

541-7636, mrgenesdoghouse.com. Open Feb–Oct for lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MC, V. $

IVORY HOUSE

The menu here generally doesn’t reinvent dishes or introduce outlandish flavors, but simply pays attention to enough little things to make the results unusually good. The Wagyu is served in cheeseburger form, but the exceptional tomme from Urban Stead gives it that extra something. The cocktails are things you’ve probably seen before, but everything—from the Death Valley Old Fashioned to the Queen City’s Bees Knees—had an extra dash of liveliness from a house-made element, like a rhubarb honey syrup or the raspberry shrub. Even when an ingredient seems out of left field, like the burnt grapefruit hot sauce on the Hamachi, it never tastes as unusual as it sounds. The hot sauce is just a hint of sweet citrusy spice that melts into the grits—a softly intriguing element rather than a slap in the face. Ivory House also has an excellent brunch.

Top 10

2998 Harrison Ave., Westwood, (513) 3890175, ivoryhousecincy.com. Dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$$

RED ROOST TAVERN

At its best, Red Roost Tavern—located in the Hyatt Regency, downtown—meets its singular challenge with verve: offering a locally sourced sensibility to an increasingly demanding dining public while introducing out-of-town guests to unique Cincinnati foods. Take the goetta, rich pork capturing the earthiness of the steel-cut oats, served as a hash with sweet potatoes and poached eggs. The seasoning added a restrained, almost mysterious hint of black pepper. But the kitchen’s talent seems straightjacketed. Chefs thrive on instincts not covered by the five senses; restaurants thrive by taking careful risks. Red Roost seems to be struggling to find its third eye, and sometimes the entrées don’t live up to their ambitions.

151 W. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 354-4025, redroosttavern.com. Breakfast and lunch Sat & Sun, dinner seven days. MCC,DS. $$$

RON’S ROOST

They stake their reputation on their fried chicken, serving 10,000 pieces weekly. It takes a few minutes, since each batch is made to order. Ron’s also serves chicken 18 other ways, including chicken

livers in gravy. It’s all about the chicken here, but that’s not all they have. The menu is five solid pages of stuff good enough to be called specialties: Oktoberfest sauerbraten, Black Angus cheeseburgers, fried whitefish on rye, hot bacon slaw, lemon meringue pie (homemade, of course), and the best Saratoga chips this side of Saratoga.

3853 Race Rd., Bridgetown, (513) 574-0222, ronsroost. net. Breakfast Sun, lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

THE SCHOOLHOUSE RESTAURANT

An old flag stands in one corner and pictures of Abe Lincoln and the first George W. hang on the wall of this Civil War–era schoolhouse. The daily menu of familiar Midwestern comfort fare is written in letter-perfect cursive on the original chalkboard. Once you order from a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to your high school lunch lady, the elevated lazy Susan in the center of the table begins to fill up with individual bowls and baskets of corn bread, slaw, salad, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, and vegetables. The deal here is quantity. More mashed potatoes with your fried chicken? More corn bread with your baked ham? You don’t even have to raise your hand.

8031 Glendale-Milford Rd., Camp Dennison, (513) 8315753, theschoolhousecincinnati.com. Lunch Sun, dinner Fri–Sun. MCC, DS. $

SYMPHONY HOTEL & RESTAURANT

Tucked into a West 14th Street Italianate directly around the corner from Music Hall, this place feels like a private dinner club. There’s a preferred by-reservation policy. Check the web site for the weekend’s five-course menu, a slate of “new American” dishes that changes monthly. You can see the reliance on local produce in the Greek lemon chicken soup. Salads are interesting without being busy, and the lemon lavender sorbet is served as the third course palate cleanser with the five-course menu. Main courses of panseared rainbow trout, grass-fed strip steak, and a veggie burger hit all the right notes, and you can end with a sweet flourish if you choose the strawberry lavender shortcake.

210 W. 14th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 721-3353, symphonyhotel.com. Dinner Fri & Sat. $$

TELA BAR + KITCHEN

Classically conceived but casually executed comfort food, including a royale with cheese, mac and cheese topped with a Mr. Pibb–braised pulled short rib, and steak frites with garlic aioli. Servers are slightly scattered, yet enthusiastic and friendly, with a good grasp of the beverage program.

1212 Springfield Pke., Wyoming, (513) 821-8352, telabarandkitchen.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat.

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, wildflowermason.com. Dinner Mon–Fri. MCC. $$$

BARBECUE

BEE’S BARBEQUE

You’ll want to get to Bee’s Barbecue in Madisonville early if you want to avoid the line of friendly regulars. The restaurant’s smoker churns out a variety of meats—including brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey breast, and two kinds of sausage—so it’s easy to see why they keep coming back. If

you enjoy the spicy grease that oozes out of a good chorizo, you’ll love the Cincinnati Hot Link, which tastes like the delicious love child of a chorizo and a hot mett. Word to the wise: Bee’s opens at 11 a.m. and closes when they run out of meat. Understandably, this doesn’t take long.

5910 Chandler St., Madisonville, (513) 561-2337, beesbarbecue.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $

ELI’S BBQ

Elias Leisring started building his pulled pork reputation under canopies at Findlay Market and Fountain Square in 2011. Leisring’s proper little ’cue shack along the river serves up ribs that are speaking-in-tongues good, some of the zazziest jalapeño cheese grits north of the MasonDixon line, and browned mashed potatoes that would make any short order cook diner-proud. The small no-frills restaurant—packed cheek-by-jowl most nights—feels like it’s been there a lifetime, with customers dropping vinyl on the turntable, dogs romping in the side yard, and picnic tables crowded with diners. The hooch is bring-your-own, and the barbecue is bona fide.

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

SINNERS & SAINTS TAVERN

You won’t leave this Texas smokehouse/sports bar hungry. From the brisket—served with Texas BBQ sauce, white bread, and pickles, or on toasted sourdough—to the chicken thighs, you can’t go wrong with these richly smoked flavors. Several dishes, like the Korean style pork belly, the pulled pork naan tacos, and Bigos stew, draw on global influences, while the sides take flavors back to the country (try the creamy coleslaw, the house-made mac and cheese, and chili-spiced cornbread). The restaurant’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. Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

WALT’S HITCHING POST

A Northern Kentucky institution returns. Roughly 750 pounds of ribs per week are pit-fired in a small building in front of the restaurant, with a smaller dedicated smoker out back for brisket and chicken. Walt’s ribs begin with several hours in the smokehouse and then are quick-seared at the time of service. This hybrid method takes advantage of the leaner nature of the baby-back ribs they prefer to use. Each rib had a just-right tooth to it where soft flesh peeled away from the bone. One hidden treasure: Walt’s housemade tomato and garlic dressing. Slightly thicker than a vinaigrette yet unwilling to overwhelm a plate of greens, the two key elements play well together.

3300 Madison Pke., Ft. Wright, (859) 360-2222, waltshitchingpost.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$

CAJUN/ CARIBBEAN

BREWRIVER CREOLE

More than 800 miles from New Orleans, this may be as close as you can get to the real deal here in your own backyard. The menu fully leans into Chef Michael Shields’s penchant for cuisine from the Crescent City. His six years of training under NOLA’s own Emeril Lagasse comes through in a scratch kitchen menu that spans a range of the city’s classics. The enormous shrimp and oyster po’ boys—the former protein fried in a light and crispy beer batter and the latter in a hearty 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 and lunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $

SWAMPWATER GRILL

At first blush, this place is a dive where homesick Cajuns can find a good pile of jambalaya. But thoughtful details

like draft Abita Root Beer and char-grilled Gulf Coast oysters on the half shell signal its ambition. Bayou standards like jambalaya, gumbo, and fried seafood also make an appearance. But the extensive menu also features amped up pub-style items for those who may be squeamish about crawfish tails (which can be added to just about anything on the menu). You’ll also find a roundup of oyster, shrimp, catfish, and alligator 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 Sat & Sun. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

KNOTTY PINE ON THE BAYOU

The Pine serves some of the best Louisiana home-style food you’ll find this far north of New Orleans. Taste the fried catfish filets with their peppery crust, or the garlic sauteed shrimp with smoky greens on the side, and you’ll understand why it’s called soul food. Between March and June, it’s crawfish season. Get them boiled and heaped high on a platter or in a superb crawfish etouffee. But the rockin’ gumbo—a thick, murky brew of andouille sausage, chicken, and vegetables—serves the best roundhouse punch all year round. As soon as you inhale the bouquet and take that first bite, you realize why Cajun style food is considered a high art form and a serious pleasure. And you’ll start planning your return trip.

6302 Licking Pke., Cold Spring, (859) 781-2200, theknottypineonthebayou.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

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.

11042 Reading Rd., Sharonville, (513) 563-6888, chineseimperialinn.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

SICHUAN BISTRO CHINESE GOURMET

Like many Chinese restaurants that cater to both mainstream American and Chinese palates, this strip mall gem uses two menus. The real story here is found in dishes of pungent multi-layered flavors that set your mouth ablaze with fermented peppers and fresh chilies and then just as quickly cool it down with the devilish, numbing sensation of hua jiao, Sichuan pepper. Its numbing effect is subtle at first: appetizers of cold sliced beef and tripe, as well as slices of pork belly with a profusion of minced garlic, lean toward the hot and sweet; mapo tofu freckled with tiny fermented black beans and scallions, and pork with pickled red peppers and strips of ginger root, progress from sweet to pungent to hot to salty—in that order. Alternated with cooling dishes—nibbles of rice, a verdant mound of baby bok choy stir-fried with a shovelful of garlic, refreshing spinach wilted in ginger sauce, a simply sensational tea-smoked duck—the effect is momentarily tempered.

7888 S. Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 7703123, sichuanbistro.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

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 160 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. $$

ECLECTIC

Top 10 BOCA

With its grand staircase, chandelier, and floorto-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. $$$

CROWN REPUBLIC GASTROPUB

What makes Crown Republic special isn’t its handful of outstanding dishes. It’s the place’s sheer consistency. No single dish is absolutely mind-blowing or completely original, but when almost everything that comes out is genuinely tasty, the service is always friendly and attentive, and (stop the presses!) the bill is quite a bit less than you expected, you sit up and pay attention. The crab and avocado toast, served on toasted bread with lime juice and slivers of pickled Fresno chiles, is a prime example of what makes Crown Republic tick. The cocktails are equally unfussy and good, like the Tequila Honey Bee, made with tequila reposado, honey thyme syrup, lemon, bitters, and mezcal rinse, which adds a smoky kick.

720 Sycamore St., downtown, (513) 246-4272, crgcincy. com. Brunch, lunch and dinner Wed–Sun. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

THE GOVERNOR

This Milford restaurant playfully elevates diner classics. Breakfast is available all day so if you’re looking to greet the morning with decadence, try the ricotta toast, a thick slab of brioche toast smothered in ricotta and fresh, seasonal jams. Sandwiches also get an inventive twist here. The “Governor Tso’s chicken”—a crispy fried chicken breast glazed with a General Tso’s–inspired sauce, topped with apricot slaw and served on a toasted brioche bun—is a gigantic, happy mess of a sandwich, but the sweet glaze faintly evokes the namesake “General” while letting the sublimely fried chicken lead the charge. Order a side of crinkle cut fries and ask for the housemade Maple Thousand Island dipping sauce. (You’ll thank us later.)

231 Main St., Milford, (513) 239-8298, governordiner. com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. Brunch and lunch Sun. MCC. $

MAPLEWOOD KITCHEN

At Maplewood, you order at the counter, then find a table, and a server will deliver what you’ve selected. There’s no cohesive cuisine, rather, the menu takes its cue from all corners of the globe: chicken tinga, Verlasso salmon skewers, and a guajillo bowl are all represented, along with appetizing sides like lemon hummus and lavash chips. Brunch is available all day so try the light lemon ricotta pancakes

or the satisfying avocado benedict.

525 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-2100, maplewoodkitchenandbar.com. Breakfast and lunch seven days. MCC. $$

MELT REVIVAL

In this Northside sandwich joint, the restaurant’s name pretty much dictates what you should get. Diners have their choice of sandwiches, including the vegetarian cheesesteak—seitan (a meat substitute) topped with roasted onions, peppers, and provolone—and the J.L.R. Burger, a black bean or veggie patty served with cheese, tomato, lettuce and housemade vegan mayo. For those who require meat in their meals, try the verde chicken melt: juicy pieces of chicken intermingle with pesto, zucchini, and provolone. Not sure you’ll want a whole sandwich? Try one of the halvesies, a half-salad, half-soup selection popular with the lunch crowd.

4100 Hamilton Ave., Northside, (513) 818-8951, meltrevival.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Fri, breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sat, brunch Sun. MCC, DS. $

METROPOLE

Metropole has been remarkably stable since it opened in 2012. Even when chefs have left, the organization has promoted from within, kept pop-ular dishes on the menu, and maintained a certain vibe, a balance between sophistication and rustic-ity. Its vegetarian fare contains many of its most inventive and delightful creations. The seared salmon is served with beluga lentils, green tomato, cucumber, brown butter, and smoked onion. The blistered shishitos, served with refreshing watermelon, goat cheese, yuzu, and spiced almonds, encapsulates Metropole at its best: fun and whimsical, but rooted in careful execution of deep and satisfying flavors.

609 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 578-6660, metropoleonwalnut.com. Dinner seven days. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

Top 10 MITA’S

It’s fitting that chef Jose Salazar named this restaurant after his grandmother, because there is something deeply homey about the food at Mita’s. With a focus on Spanish and Latin-American 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 spicy freshness of the ceviche de camarones with passionfruit leche de tigreor the intensely bright sourness of the pozole verde. In dishes like the alcochofas y hongos, the chef hits every register: the acid of red espelette peppers to balance the earthy ramp-garlic hummus, the crunchy pistachios against the soft sautéed mushrooms and artichoke hearts. But what mainly comes through is the warm-hearted affection a grandmother might have put into a meal for a beloved grandson. It’s the kind of big hug everyone needs from time to time.

501 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-6482, mitas.co. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

PAMPAS

Much like American food, Argentine cuisine is a melting pot shaped by immigration, particularly from Italy and Germany, and with plenty of meat on the plate. You see that mix in the menu, but Pampas puts parrillada, the Argentine method of cooking over an open flame, front and center. The chimichurri appears throughout the menu, and does wonders wherever it goes. Spicy, tart, and filled with the flavor of oregano, it wakes up the marinated skirt steak. Magnificent desserts deserve special mention. The dolce de leche crème brule, with its caramelized sugar crust and shaved chocolate, is particularly popular.

2036 Madison Rd., O’Bryonville, (513) 321-0863, pampascincinnati.com. Brunch Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

SACRED BEAST

Sacred Beast advertises itself as a kind of upscale diner, but the real gems are the oddball dishes that don’t quite fit the diner mold. The menu can be disorienting in its eclecticism: foie gras torchon is next to fries with lobster gravy, and a king salmon is next to a diner breakfast and deviled eggs. Winners are scattered throughout the menu in every category. On the cocktail list, the Covington Iced Tea, a lemon and coffee concoction made with cold brew, San Pellegrino, and vodka is oddly satisfying. The service is good,

and there is some flair about the place—including vintage touches, from the facsimile reel-to-reel audio system to the mostly classic cocktails—even within its rather chilly industrial design. In short, go for the unique grub; stay for the elegant, shareable twists on classic snacks.

1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 213-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sun. MCC. $$

SALAZAR

A freewheeling tour through Korean, Moroccan, Italian, and French flavors—and that’s just on one iteration of the ever-evolving menu. Salazar turns out fresh, well-balanced dishes dotted with seasonal surprises: the cauliflower steak special (a Moroccan spiced, seared wedge of the cruciferous vegetable complemented by a strong hit of lemon), the chicken liver mousse (so good it deserves its own trophy), and the succulent chicken Milanese (with its musky, sweet-and-sour notes of ground cherry). With its bustling bar and cheek-by-jowl tables, Salazar hums with energy at every meal.

1401 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 621-7000, salazarcincinnati.com. Dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

SENATE

Ever since it began dishing out its lo-fi eats, Chef Dan Wright’s gastropub has been operating at a velocity few can match. From the howl and growl of supremely badass hot dogs to the palate-rattling poutine, Senate has led the charge in changing the local conventional wisdom about what makes a great restaurant. Consumption of mussels charmoula means either ordering additional grilled bread to soak up every drop of the herby, saffron-laced broth or drinking the remainder straight from the bowl and perfectly crisped and seasoned fries inspire countless return visits.

1100 Summit Place Dr., Blue Ash, (513) 769-0099, senateblueash.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MC, V, DS. $

TASTE OF BELGIUM

Jean-François Flechet’s waffle empire grew from a back counter of Madison’s grocer y at Findlay Market to multiple full-service sit-down spots. There’s more on the menu than the authentic Belgian treat, though it would be a crime to miss the chicken and waffles: a dense, yeasty waffle topped with a succulent buttermilk fried chicken breast, Frank’s hot sauce, and maple syrup. There are also frites, of course, and Brussels sprouts—served with pancetta and sherry vinaigrette—plus a gem of a Bolognese. And let’s not forget the beer. Five rotating taps offer some of the best the Belgians brew, not to mention those made in town.

1133 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-4607, and other locations, authenticwaffle.com. Breakfast and lunch Mon–Sat, dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $

TERANGA

West African cuisine consists of mostly simple, home-style dishes of stews and grilled lamb with just enough of the exotic to offer a glimpse of another culture. Be prepared for a few stimulating sights and flavors that warm from within. An entire grilled tilapia—head and all—in a peppery citrus marinade and served on plantains with a side of Dijon-coated cooked onions is interesting enough to pique foodie interest without overwhelming the moderate eater. Stews of lamb or chicken with vegetables and rice are a milder bet, and Morrocan-style couscous with vegetables and mustard sauce accompanies most items. The dining room atmosphere is extremely modest with most of the action coming from the constant stream of carryout orders.

8438 Vine St., Hartwell, (513) 821-1300, terangacinci. com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

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. Especially if the weather cooperates and you can get a seat outside. Most dishes are rotated out every six months, but a few remain staples from season to season. Try the panroasted chicken, featuring a Freebird Farms skin-on breast. Or go for the Chef’s Feast for Two, a shareable steak with an

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Argentine shrimp salad and two sides. The cocktail list offers high, low, and zero proof options alongside a well-rounded beer and wine selection. 309 Vine St., 10th Floor, downtown, (513) 407-7501, theviewatshiresgarden.com. Dinner

Tues–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$$

YUCA

Yuca is in The Fairfield’s former space, retaining much of the same modern, airy, and inviting café vibes with a neighborhood feel, but boasting a menu certainly worth a commute. In the mood for a hearty breakfast? Indulge in the Fat Zach, a heaping corn gordita packed to the brim with chicken, chorizo, and scrambled egg, served with avocado, pineapple pico, and sweet and spicy potatoes. There’s a full drink menu ranging from coffee to Bloody Marys—or a selection of margaritas and palomas if you’re looking to stick around.

700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, (859) 360-0110, yucabycedar.com. Breakfast and lunch Tues–Sun. MCC. $

FRENCH

CHEZ RENÉE FRENCH

BISTROT

Based on American stereotypes of French food— that it’s elaborate, elitist, and expensive—one

might expect Chez Renée 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. Warmed brie is served with thyme, almonds, fruit, and bread, and the chicken risotto is served with creamy mushrooms. This is solid, tasty food, both approachable and well executed. It’s well on its way to becoming, as a good bistrot should be, a neighborhood institution.

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

FRENCH CRUST

Located in the old Globe Furniture building at the corner of Elm and Elder Streets, this Jean-Robert de Cavel creation offers French fare in the heart of Over-the-Rhine. Swing by for lunch and have a quiche Lorraine (French Crust’s quiches are unrivaled in our humble opinion) and an avocado and shrimp salad, or opt for a more hearty entree—like bouillabaisse or cassoulet—for dinner. If you’re an early bird, a Croque Monsieur (sunny side up egg) is a great way to start the day.

1801 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 455-3720, frenchcrustcafe.com. Breakfast and lunch Wed–Sun, dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $$

Top 10 LE BAR A BOEUF

If it’s been a couple of years since you’ve been to Le Bar a Boeuf—Jean-Robert de Cavel’s fun-yet-refined French bistro located on the first floor of the Edgecliff Private Residences in East Walnut Hills—it may be time for a revisit. The formerly burger-centric menu now approaches

the full repertoire of bistro classics. The menu reads like a greatest hits list of bistro fare, with escargot, beef tartare, duck leg confit, steak frites, and French onion soup all making appearances. As France’s influence on American fine dining has waned, it’s refreshing to see a restaurant committed to not only preserving the French classics but reinvigorating them.

2200 Victory Pkwy., East Walnut Hills, (513) 7512333, barboeuf.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

INDIAN

AMMA’S KITCHEN

Muthu “Kumar” Muthiah serves traditional southern Indian and Indo-Chinese vegetarian cuisine, but with a sizable Orthodox Jewish community nearby, Muthia saw an opportunity: If he was going to cook vegetarian, why not also make it kosher? Muthiah prepares every item— from the addictively crunchy gobhi Manchurian, a spicy Chinese cauliflower dish, to the lemon pickle, tamarind, and mint sauces—entirely from scratch under the careful eye of Rabbi Michoel Stern. Always 80 percent vegan, the daily lunch buffet is 100 percent animal-product-free on Wednesdays. Tuck into a warm and savory channa masala (spiced chickpeas) or malai kofta (vegetable dumplings in tomato sauce) from the curry menu. Or tear into a crispy, two-foot diameter dosa (chickpea flour crepe) stuffed with spiced onions and potatoes.

7633 Reading Rd., Roselawn, (513) 821-2021, ammaskitchen.com. Lunch buffet seven days (allvegan on Wed), dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

SOUP-ER MEN

Fall is in full swing and Tom & Chee has just the salad for you: the Taco Soup. Featuring beef, onions, diced tomatoes, flameroasted corn, diced green chilies, a four-cheese blend, and tortilla strips, the menu favorite is available at all T&C locations through October 31. tomandchee.com

BRIJ MOHAN

Order at the counter the way you might at a fast food joint, except the shakes come in mango and there’s no super-sizing your mint lassi. The saag, full of cream in most northern Indian restaurants, is as intensely fl avored 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, AMEX. $

ITALIAN

A TAVOLA

In 2011, Jared Wayne opened A Tavola Pizza with two friends just as OTR was blowing up. A Ferrara pizza oven was ordered from Italy; Wayne, a skilled woodworker, built custom tables; and the menu was fleshed in with trendy crowd-pleasers like charcuterie and craft cocktails. 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 artichoke pizza on a Neapolitan crust; gooey mozzarella-filled arancini, or risotto fritters; and the zucchini mozzarella. Wash down your small plates with a glass of crisp and grassy Sannio falanghina or an ice-cold Peroni lager. They’re definitely going to need a bigger parking lot.

7022 Miami Ave., Madeira, (513) 272-0192,

atavolapizza.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. V, DC, MS, AMEX. $

ADRIATICO’S

Everything about this place says it’s about the pizza: the herbed sauce, the assault of the cheese, the toppings. It’s all evenly distributed, so you get a taste in every bite. Adriatico’s still delivers the tastiest pizza in Clifton. On any given night the aroma wafts through every dorm on campus. It’s that popular because it’s that good. Being inexpensive doesn’t hurt either.

113 W. McMillan St., Clifton Heights, (513) 281-4344, adriaticosuc.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

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 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. $$

Top10 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

Billed as “Italian comfort food,” this sister restaurant to 20 Brix offers the classics (like lasagna and chicken carbonara) plus hoagies and meatball sliders, an impressive wine list, seasonal martinis, and a decadent signature appetizer—garlic rolls, doughy buns smothered in olive oil and garlic. Best of all, Barraco’s pizza sauce, which is comprised of roasted tomatoes and basil, is so garden-fresh that one can’t help but wonder: If this is real pizza, what have we been eating all these years?

111 Main St., Milford, (513) 965-0100, padrinoitalian. com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

PEPP & DOLORES

As with all of Thunderdome’s restaurants, you get a sense that they want to deliver a meal that satisfies many different kinds of people. The prices are reasonable, with pasta entrées about $15. The dishes are familiar in their flavors, but everything feels balanced and modulated and gradually perfected. There is lovely variety: the limone pasta is zippy with lemon and chili flakes, and just the right mixture of tart and creamy; the deep meaty flavors on the mushroom toast are balanced with a nice acidity; and the heat in dishes like the eggplant involtini is just enough to wake up the sauce without overwhelming the flavor. The menu has a wealth of excellent vegetarian and pasta-alternative options.

1501 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 419-1820, peppanddolores.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Mon–Thurs. MCC. $$

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

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

Top 10 SOTTO

There are certain books and movies that you can read or watch over and over. Eating at Sotto is a similar experience: familiar, but so profound and satisfying that there is no reason to ever stop. Unlike other restaurants, where the techniques are often elaborate and unfamiliar, the magic at Sotto happens right in front of you, using ordinary elements and methods. When you taste the results, though, you realize that some mysterious transmutation has taken place. Penne with rapini and sausage comes in a buttery, lightly starchy broth with a kick of spice that you could go on eating forever. From the texture of the chicken liver mousse to the tart cherry sauce on the panna cotta, most of the food has some added element of soulfulness.

118 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 977-6886, sottocincinnati.com. Dinner seven days. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

SUBITO

Focusing on Northern Italian cuisine, Subito carves out its own worthwhile place in the landscape. Most of the items on the menu—from pizza to various pastas—will be familiar, but there are delightful surprises, like the vegan torta di ceci. At the base of the dish is a light, flaky farinata—a griddled pancake made out of chickpea flour. Topped with pickled red onion, and covered with nectarine and toasted almonds, the whole dish is rounded out with a touch of tangy sweetness from a blackberry balsamic vinaigrette. Everything at Subito is done with intelligence and a light touch.

311 Pike St., downtown, (513) 621-4500, thelytleparkhotel.com/dining/subito. Breakfast and lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

VIA VITE

Via Vite serves up crowd-pleasing entrées, including the Pietoso family Bolognese, over penne, right on Fountain Square. (Add in a golf-ball-sized veal meatball heavy with lemon zest, and it’s an over-the-top comforting main dish.) The same applies to the risotto, where a few small touches add sophistication. Carnaroli rice results in a glossier, starchier dish. A puree of asparagus turns the risotto an eye-popping green, and the poached lobster garnish creates a nice back-and-forth between vegetal and briny flavors. Braised lamb shank over polenta is comforting workhorse, and the flavorful Faroe Island salmon with roasted carrot puree, caramelized Brussel sprouts and truffled brown butter balsamic vinaigrette.

520 Vine St., downtown, (513) 721-8483, viaviterestaurant.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

JAPANESE ANDO

You don’t go just anywhere to dine on uni sashimi (sea urchin) or tanshio (thinly sliced charcoal-grilled 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 grilled koji or marinated amberjack smoked salmon crudo, delicacies 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) 954-0041, andojapaneserestaurant.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC.

$$$

Top 10 KIKI

Kiki started as a pop-up at Northside Yacht Club, then leapt into brick-and-mortar life in College Hill. Your best bet here is to share plates, or simply order too much, starting with the shishito buono, a piled-high plate of roasted shishito peppers tossed in shaved parmesan and bagna cauda, a warm, rich blend of garlic and anchovies. Add the karaage fried chicken, with the Jordy mayo and the pepe meshi, confit chicken on spaghetti and rice that somehow works. And, yes, the ramen, too. The shio features pork belly and tea-marinated soft-boiled egg, but the kimchi subs in tofu and its namesake cabbage for the meat.

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 541-0381, kikicincinnati.com. Lunch Sun and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $

KYOTO

Owner Jason Shi seems to know everybody’s name as he chats up diners, guiding them through the extensive sushi and sashimi menu. Five young sushi chefs, all part of Shi’s family, work at light speed behind the bar, a choreography backlit by rows of gleaming liquor bottles. Dinner proceeds with glorious chaos as a feisty Carla Tortelli–like server delivers one dish after another—slivers of giant clam on ice in a super-sized martini glass, a volcanic tower of chopped fatty tuna hidden inside overlapping layers of thin avocado slices, smoky grilled New Zealand mussels drizzled with spicy mayo, and delicate slices of a samurai roll—all between shots of chilled sake.

12082 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Twp., (513) 583-8897, kyotosushibar.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

MEI

Mei’s menu is meant to represent traditional Japanese cuisine, appealing to the novice as well as the sushi maven. It is divided into sections that encourage a progressive meal of small dishes: One each for hot and cold appetizers, noodles, sushi and sashimi, special rolls, soups and salads, sushi dinners (with miso soup), and combinations (such as tempura paired with sashimi). Deep-fried soft shell crab comes with ponzu sauce—a dipping sauce made of rice vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and citrus juice—and the kind of yakitori that you can find on the streets of New York. Bento boxes—lacquered wooden boxes divided into compartments—offer the neophyte a sampling of several small dishes. Mei’s are lovely: deep red and stocked with tempura, cooked salmon, sashimi, stewed vegetables, and a fabulous egg custard with shrimp and gingko nut. Mei’s sushi—nigiri, maki, and handrolls—is exceptionally good with quality cuts of fresh seafood. The staff is knowledgeable, extremely efficient, respectful, and attentive, even when it’s at peak capacity.

8608 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 891-6880, meijapaneserestaurant.com. Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

ZUNDO

RAMEN & DONBURI

A stark contrast to Styrofoam cup soup, chef Han Lin’s ramens are a deep and exciting branch of cuisine, capable of

subtlety, variation, and depth. The simplicity of the dish’s name hides a world of complexity. Zundo uses the traditional Japanese building blocks of flavor—soy sauce, miso, sake, mirin—to create something freewheeling and timetested. Bowls of ramen come with a marinated soft-boiled egg half, roast pork, green onion, and a healthy serving of noodles. Each has a distinct identity, like the milky richness of the tonkotsu, the rich and buttery miso, or the light and faintly sweet shoyu ramen. A transformative add-in is the mayu, or black garlic oil. Dripped on top of one of the subtler broths, it adds a deep, mushroom-y richness, with the hint of burned flavor that makes barbecue so good.

220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 975-0706, zundootr.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

KOREAN

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 Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

MEDITERRANEAN

ANDY’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILLE

In this lively joint with a burnished summer lodge interior of wood and stone, even the food is unrestrained: rough-cut chunks of charbroiled beef tenderloin, big slices of onion and green pepper turned sweet and wet in the heat, skewers of marinated and charbroiled chicken perched on rice too generous for its plate. Co-owner Andy Hajjar mans his station at the end of the bar, smoking a hookah pipe that fills the air with the sweet smell of flavored tobacco, while the friendly but hurried staff hustles through.

906 Nassau St., Walnut Hills, (513) 281-9791, andyskabob.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

CAFÉ MEDITERRANEAN

Chef-driven Middle Eastern cuisine leans heavily on Turkish tradition here. The baba ghanoush uses seared eggplant, which adds a pleasant smokiness to the final product. Börek is described as a “Turkish Egg Roll,” wrapping feta and fresh and dried herbs into phyllo dough, and frying it lightly to brittle flakiness. The pastry arrives atop a vivid cherry tomato marmalade, which adds a welcome dimension of barely sweet fruitiness. While there is a smooth, simple hummus on the menu, you should go for the classic sucuklu hummus, which is spiked with sujuk, a common beef sausage popular all over the Middle East.

3520 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 871-8714, mediterranean-cafe.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

Top 10 PHOENICIAN TAVERNA

No matter how much restraint you go in with, meals at Phoenician Taverna quickly become feasts. There is just too much that’s good, and everything is meant to be shared. With fresh pita bread continuously arriving from

the ovens, and a table of quickly multiplying meze (hummus, falafel, muhammara), there is a warmth and depth to the cooking that envelops you. With such traditional cuisine, you may think there isn’t much left to discover beyond simply executed classics prepared according to time-tested methods. But there are always new discoveries as the flavors mingle from plate to plate: the tabbouleh with the hummus, mixed with a touch of harissa, or the smoky baba ghanoush spooned onto falafel. Phoenician Taverna keeps taking these classics a little further.

7944 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 770-0027, phoeniciantaverna.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

SANTORINI

Steak, eggs, and home fries. Jumbo haddock sandwich with Greek fries. Chocolate chip hot cakes with bacon. Notice something wrong with this menu? Chicken Philly cheese steak sandwich with Olympic onion rings. Yep, it’s obvious: What’s wrong with this menu is that there’s nothing wrong with this menu. Greek feta cheese omelette with a side of ham. It’s been owned by the same family for more than 30 years. Santorini has diner standards, like cheeseburgers, chili five ways, and breakfast anytime, but they also make some Greek pastries in house, like spanakopita and baklava.

3414 Harrison Ave., Cheviot, (513) 6628080. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Mon–Sat, breakfast and lunch Sun. Cash. $

SEBASTIAN’S

When the wind is just right, you can smell the meat roasting from a mile away. Watch owner Alex Vassiliou tend to the rotating wheels of beef and lamb, and you understand how Greek food has escaped the American tendency to appropriate foreign cuisines. Sebastian’s specializes in gyros, shaved off the stick, wrapped in thick griddle pita with onions and tomatoes, and served with cool tzatziki sauce. Alex’s wife and daughter run the counter with efficient speed, and whether you’re having a crisp Greek salad with house-made dressing, triangles of spanikopita, or simply the best walnut and honey baklava this side of the Atlantic (often made by the Mrs.), they never miss a beat, turning more covers in their tiny restaurant on one Saturday afternoon than some restaurants do in an entire weekend.

5209 Glenway Ave., Price Hill, (513) 471-2100, sebastiansgyros.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. Cash. $

SULTAN’S

MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE

The meze, a parade of small plates and appetizers—the refreshing yogurt dish with cucumber, mint, and garlic known as cacik, and its thicker cousin haydari, with chopped walnuts, dill, and garlic—is rounded out with flaky cheese or spinach boureks, falafels, soups, salads, and more, while baked casseroles or stuffed cabbage and eggplant dishes (dubbed “Ottoman specials”) augment the heavy focus on kebabs: chunks of lamb and beef on a vertical spit for the popular Doner kebab (a.k.a. Turkish gyro), peppery ground lamb for the Adana kebab, or cubed and marinated for the Shish kebab.

7305 Tyler’s Corner Dr., West Chester, (513) 847-1535, sultanscincinnati.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

MEXICAN

EL VALLE VERDE

Guests with dietary issues, high anxiety, and no Spanish may take a pass, but for hardy souls, this taqueria delivers a memorable evening. Seafood dishes are the star here—ceviche tostadas, crisp corn tortillas piled high with pico de gallo, avocado, and lime-tastic bits of white fish, squid, and crab; the oversized goblet of cocktel campechano, with ample poached shrimp crammed into a Clamato-heavy gazpacho; and simmering sopa de marisco came with langoustines, mussels, crab legs, and an entire fish—enough to feed three.

6717 Vine St., Carthage, (513) 821-5400, valle-verde3.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. $

HABAÑERO

It’s easy to find a cheap burrito place around a college campus, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one as consistently good as Habañero, with its flavors of Latin America and the Caribbean wrapped up in enormous packages. Fried tilapia, apricotglazed chicken breast, hand-rubbed spiced flank steak, shredded pork tenderloin, or cinnamonroasted squash are just some of the ingredients for Habañero’s signature burritos. All salsas are house-made, from the smoky tomato chipotle to the sweet-sounding mango jalapeño, which is hot enough to spark spontaneous combustion.

358 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, (513) 961-6800, habanerolatin.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $

MAZUNTE

Mazunte runs a culinary full court press, switching

UP ON THE ROOF

Rooftop restaurant and bar Opal opens this fall as part of the multimillion dollar redevelopment of Covington’s Republic Bank building. The restaurant, which will feature menu items such as burgers, steaks, duck, and charcuterie boards, will have indoor and outdoor seating as well as glass walls with 360-degree views.

up specials to keep both regulars and staff engaged. Pork tamales arrive swaddled in a banana leaf, the shredded pork filling steeped in a sauce fiery with guajillo and ancho chilies yet foiled by the calming sweetness of raisins. The fried fish tacos are finished with a citrusy red and white cabbage slaw that complements the accompanying mango-habañero salsa. With this level of authentic yet fast-paced execution, a slightly greasy pozole can be easily forgiven. Don’t miss the Mexican Coke, the margaritas, or the non-alcoholic horchata.

5207 Madison Rd., Madisonville, (513) 785-0000, mazuntetacos.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $

MESA LOCA

Sitting on a corner of Hyde Park Square, it’s easy to see that Mesa Loca has an absolute dream of a location. The pandemic forced a few changes to the seafood-centric menu, but those dishes still on the menu indicate what Mesa Loca could be. The tuna ceviche is nicely balanced: tart, with a little spicy creaminess, and a good crispy tostada. The Baja snapper goes well with a bright pile of grated radish and the mango habañero salsa, one of the highlights of the meal. With minced chunks of mango and a hint of fruity habañero heat, it is a prime example of how you can elevate Mexican food and make it worthy of a higher-than-ordinary price. One of Mesa Loca’s appealing qualities is its dramatic flair: The yucca fries come stacked on the plate like a late-stages game of Jenga, and their sourand-spicy rub is quite delicious and striking against the bright starchy white of the fries.

2645 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 321-6372, mesalocahydepark.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

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–Sat. MC, V, DS. $

NADA

The brains behind Boca deliver authentic, contemporary, high-quality Mexican fare downtown. You’ll find a concise menu, including tacos, salads and sides, large plates, and desserts. The Pork Al Pastor tacos, zesty with salsa verde and sweet with grilled pineapple, are definite crowdpleasers. If you’re biased against brussels sprouts, Nada just might convert you. Their crispy brussels, served with chipotle honey and candied ancho pepitas, are a deliciously intriguing starter.

600 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 721-6232, eatdrinknada.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC, DS. $$

TAQUERIA CRUZ

The menu at this four-table mom-and-pop welcomes you to “a little piece of Mexico.” The huaraches (spelled guarachis here), are flat troughs of thick, handmade fried masa dough the approximate shape and size of a shoeprint, mounded with beans and slivers of grilled beef or chili-red nubs of sausage, shredded lettuce, a crumble of queso fresco, and drizzle of cultured cream. Should you have an adventurous side, you can have your huarache topped with slippery tongue, goat meat, shredded chicken, or pork. There are stews, carne asada plates, and sopes—saucers of fried masa much like huaraches, only smaller.

518 Pike St., Covington, (859) 431-3859. Lunch and dinner seven days. Cash. $

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 cool-hot 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. $

SEAFOOD

MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S

The daily rotation here reads like a fisherman’s wish list: fresh lobsters from the coast of Maine, ahi tuna from Hawaii, clams from New England. But high-quality ingredients are only half the equation; preparation is the other. Herb-broth sea bass, served with roasted fingerling potatoes, makes the taste buds dance. The spacious digs and attentive waitstaff bring a touch of class to Fountain Square, and make it a sophisticated destination. It’s likely to remain a favorite. After all, it’s right in the middle of things.

21 E. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 721-9339, mccormickandschmicks.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $$

ROSEWOOD SUSHI, THAI & SEAFOOD

Chanaka De Lanerolle sold Mt. Adams Fish House back in 2011, and Rosewood Sushi, Thai & Seafood is its reincar-

On The Rocks

NEWPORT’S MEGACORP PAVILION HOSTED CINCINNATI MAGAZINE ’S ON THE ROCKS, AN AFTERNOON OF SPIRITS AND COCKTAILS

Guests from across the region sampled a wide variety of libations and food at the second annual On the Rocks event. Attendees also enjoyed classes on the main stage, games, and music.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Presenting Sponsor & Sustainability Partner, MadTree Brewing. Additional sponsors: FIJI Water, Stubb’s, Frank’s Red Hot, Chinet, The B-Line, Clamato, Boone County Distilling Co., Lux Rowe Distillers, Canvas, Thomas J. Dyer, Ferguson, Maison Mirabeau, Arbikie, Poli 1898, On The Rocks, and Garnish Catering

BENEFITING CHARITY: Cincinnati Works

nation—and reinvention. Most of the menu tends toward fairly conservative takes on classics, like well-seasoned crab cakes and thick, creamy chowder full of seafood. The handful of ethnic experiments on the menu are among its most vibrant offerings, including a Mediterranean fish stew that takes inspiration from the North African coast. Tender, fluffy couscous soaks up a fier y but sweet tomato sauce that showcases chiles and peppercorns, golden raisins, and lovely firm cashews, and the stew itself is packed with mussels, shrimp, and chunks of fish.

3036 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 631-3474, oakleyfishhouse.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$$

STEAKS

CARLO & JOHNNY

The stars of the menu are 12 delectable steaks that could sway the vegi-curious to recommit. Not sure which to choose? If you prefer brawny flavor over buttery texture, go for one of the three bone-in rib cuts. Or if it’s that meltin-your-mouth experience that raises your serotonin levels, C&J features several tenderloin cuts, including the premium six-ounce Wagyu filet. There are the usual suspects of raw bar, seafood, pork chops, et al, if you’re interested in non-beef alternatives.

9769 Montgomery Rd., Montgomery, (513) 936-8600, jeffruby.com/carlo-johnny. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD

Chef Michelle Brown’s food is deeply flavored, if occasionally a bit busy, her steaks of the buttery-mild variety, with not too much salty char crust. All five cuts are served with veal demi-glace and fried onion straws. According to my steak-centric dining partner, his cowboy ribeye is “too tender and uniform” (as if that’s a crime). “I like to wrestle with the bone,” he adds, though that’s a scenario that, thankfully, doesn’t get played out in this subdued dining room.

5980 West Chester Rd., West Chester, (513) 860-5353, jags.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DC. $$$

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 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 Cowboy, 22 ounces of 70-day dry-aged bone-in rib eye. This is steak tailor-made for movers and shakers.

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

Top 10 LOSANTI

A bit more upscale than its sister restaurant, 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 steakhouse 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.

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

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE

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 ounces.

441 Vine St., downtown, (513) 621-3111, mortons.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$

THE PRECINCT

TEAK THAI

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

Top 10

Part of the appeal of the Ruby restaurants is their ability to deliver deep, comfort-food satisfaction. And the steaks. The meat is tender with a rich mineral flavor, and the signature seasoning provided a nice crunch, not to mention blazing heat. The supporting cast is strong— the basket of warm Tribeca Oven bread with a mushroom truffle butter, the addictive baked macaroni and cheese, the creamy garlic mashed potatoes, the crisp-tender asparagus with roasted garlic and lemon vinaigrette—and dinner ends on a sweet note with a piece of Ruby family recipe cheesecake. Neither cloyingly sweet nor overwhelmingly creamy, it’s a lovely slice of restraint.

311 Delta Ave., Columbia-Tusculum, (513) 321-5454, jeffruby.com/precinct. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$

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. $$$$

THAI

GREEN PAPAYA

Inside this simple dining room, replete with soothing browns and greens and handsome, dark wood furniture, it takes time to sort through the many curries and chef’s specialties, not to mention the wide variety of sushi on the something-for-everyone menu. Have the staff—friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable—help you. When the food arrives, you’ll need only a deep inhale to know you made the right choice. The Green Papaya sushi rolls are as delicious as they look, with a manic swirl of spicy mayo and bits of crabstick and crispy tempura batter scattered atop the spicy tuna, mango, cream cheese, and shrimp tempura sushi—all rolled in a vivid green soybean wrap.

2942 Wasson Rd., Oakley, (513) 731-0107, greenpapayacincinnati.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

SUKHOTHAI

Nestled in the nearly hidden Market Place Lane, this tiny restaurant isn’t exactly slick. A chalkboard lists the day’s specials, usually spicy dishes worthy of an adventurous diner. But if it’s noodle dishes and curries you’re after, Sukhothai’s pad kee mao—wide rice noodles stir-fried with basil—is the best around. Served slightly charred, the fresh and dried chilies provide enough heat to momentarily suspend your breath. Pad Thai has the right amount of crunch from peanuts, slivers of green onion, and mung sprouts to contrast with the slippery glass noodles, and a few squeezes of fresh lime juice give it a splendid tartness. The crispy tamarind duck is one of the best house specials, the meat almost spreadably soft under the papery skin and perfectly complemented by the sweet-tart bite of tamarind.

8102 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 794-0057, sukhothaicincin.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sat. DS, MC, V. $

Owner Chanaka De Lanerolle has said that he decided to bring back Teak’s take on Thai food because of the renewed vibrancy in Over-the-Rhine, which he compared to the energy he felt in Mt. Adams during his time there. But for all of the hype around the restaurant’s re-emergence on the scene, it’s probably best to consider it a reimagining rather than a reopening. While long-time favorites show up on the menu, prepared by many of the same kitchen staff members from Mt. Adams, some adaptations have been made to better meet expectations of modern diners. Letting go of preconceived notions about Teak will serve you well. With a two-sided, standalone sushi menu and a wide variety of main plates ranging from small bites to signature dishes, you have plenty of room to craft your own dining experience. 1200 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-8325, teakotr. com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

THAI NAMTIP

Classic Thai comfort food on the west side from chef/owner Tussanee Leach, who grew up with galangal on her tongue and sriracha sauce in her veins. Her curries reign: pale yellow sweetened with coconut milk and poured over tender chicken breast and chunks of boiled pineapple; red curry the color of new brick, tasting of earth at first bite, then the sharply verdant Thai basil leaves, followed by a distant heat. Tom Kha Gai soup defines the complex interplay of flavors in Thai food: astringent lemongrass gives way to pepper, then Makrut lime, shot through with the gingery, herbaceous galangal, all yielding to the taunting sweetness of coconut. Even the simple skewers of chicken satay with Thai peanut sauce are rough and honest, dulcified by honey and dirtied up by a smoky grill.

5461 North Bend Rd., Monfort Heights, (513) 481-3360, thainamtip.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MC, V. $

WILD GINGER

Wild Ginger Asian Bistro’s ability to satisfy a deep desire for Vietnamese and Thai fusion cuisine is evidenced by their signature Hee Ma roll—a fortress of seaweed-wrapped rolls filled with shrimp tempura, asparagus, avocado, and topped with red tuna, pulled crab stick, tempura flakes, a bit of masago, scallions, and of course, spicy mayo. It’s tasty, even though the sweet fried floodwall of tempura and spicy mayo overpowered the tuna completely. The spicy pad char entrée was a solid seven out of 10: broccoli, carrots, cabbage, succulent red bell peppers, green beans, and beef, accented with basil and lime leaves in a peppercorn-and-chili brown sauce.

3655 Edwards Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 533-9500, wildgingercincy.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

VIETNAMESE

PHO LANG THANG

Owners Duy and Bao Nguyen and David Le have created a greatest hits playlist of Vietnamese cuisine: elegant, brothy pho made from poultry, beef, or vegan stocks poured over rice noodles and adrift with slices of onions, meats, or vegetables (the vegan pho chay is by far the most 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.

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

CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, (ISSN 0746-8 210), October 2023, Volume 57, Number 1. Published monthly ($19.95 for 12 issues annually) at 1818 Race St., Ste. 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513) 421-4300. Copyright © 2023 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. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send forms 3579 to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

Gone Fishing

IN HIS LIFETIME, CHARLIE TAFT WAS MANY THINGS: SON OF A PRESIDENT, HAMILTON County prosecutor, gubernatorial candidate, and (perhaps most memorably) mayor of Cincinnati—so memorably, in fact, that he earned the nickname Mr. Cincinnati. Taft died in 1983, but his likeness lives on in all its animatronic glory at the visitor center of the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Mt. Auburn. An avid fisherman, Charlie is memorialized doing what he loved the most. His animatronic double, dressed in full outdoorsman’s regalia, sits on a stump beside a replica of his 1970s Ford Maverick, which carries his treasured canoe. With the press of a button, you can hear stories straight from the (robot) mayor himself. But don’t stop by the visitor’s center just to see Charlie. The historic site is packed with presidential artifacts and a knowledgeable staff eager to spread his message. “You don’t have to be a historian to get something out of this,” says Fearghal Reid, vice president of Friends of the William Howard Taft Society. “We’re such a divided country in terms of politics at the moment. President Taft is one of those presidents who, [regardless] of what side of the fence you’re on, you can find something to relate to.”

—LAUREN FISHER

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Together, we will

ADDRESS THE K-12 MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Cricket Meehan is Executive Director of the Ohio School-Based Center of Excellence for Prevention and Early Intervention at Miami University, where she leads state-wide initiatives to bring comprehensive mental health support to Ohio’s K-12 students and staff.

“Whether you’re a parent, an educator, a bus driver, or a community member, you can help address mental health.”