Columbus Monthly - April 2024 by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

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Best Restaurants New

March 26, 2024 Vitria on the Square 6-9 p.m.

You're invited to enjoy impressive offerings served by Columbus Monthly's Best New Restaurants, along with drinks and live entertainment.

Experience the city's most exciting arrivals, from emerging cuisines to innovative takes on familiar classics—all in one venue.

Thank you to our participants:

Adelaide's Gin Joint • Agni • Cento • Cilantro Latin Fusion • Cobra • Habibi Grill • Hiraeth • Little West Tavern • Noble Cut Distillery • Service! Relief for Hospitality Workers • Vitria on the Square

Tickets:

$75 each

Tickets include featured bites from each participating Best New Restaurant, specialty cocktails from Noble Cut Distillery and a oneyear Columbus Monthly subscription.

Event is 21 and older. Menus will not be published in advance and chefs will be unable to make modifications to their dishes.

Tickets available: A portion of the proceeds will benefit:

34 THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

How Columbus fell in love with an independent alternative radio station—and why it had to end

42 HELPING HANDS

Homeport CEO Leah Evans wants to bring more people to the table to solve the region’s ongoing affordable housing crisis.

48 SAM BODARY’S FAMILY ALBUM

Nearly seven years after a harrowing incident involving his father, the Hello Emerson frontman faces his fears on the indie-folk band’s remarkable new record, ‘To Keep Him Here.’

Photo by Tim Johnson

Bone creator Jeff Smith talks about his latest book and his recovery from a terrifying heart attack.

16 ADVANCING BRAIN SCIENCE

A partnership between Ohio State and Battelle aims to monetize neurological research to benefit patients.

18 FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Pals of CBJ broadcaster Jeff Rimer share their favorite memories of the gracious, well-connected play-by-play man.

20 CREATURE COMFORT

A nonprofit vet clinic fills a gap with low-cost services for pet owners.

Home & Style

56 Q&A

Gallerist Sharon Weiss celebrates 30 years in the Short North.

57 HOME

A historic Scioto River log cabin turns into a gathering spot for friends and family.

65 REAL ESTATE NOTES

Food & Drink

68 REVIEW

Johnstown’s Ghostwriter offers sophisticated yet approachable cuisine.

70 TRIBUTE

Katalina’s owner

Kathleen Day honors her friend and master baker Sarah Black.

See who was at New Albany Community Foundation’s

25 DATEBOOK

The Columbus Zoo’s Unextinct, Nicki Minaj at the Schott, Greater Columbus Cherry Blossom Festival, Napoleon Dynamite Live and more

An Intel delay may give Central Ohio home builders a chance to catch up.

66 TOP 25 REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

72 COPY & TASTE

Nancy’s Home Cooking and Starliner Diner are merging in Hilliard.

73 AFTER HOURS

Chopped champion Alexia Orsburn on her move to Columbus

74 INDUSTRY

Columbus foodies love artisanal bread. So why do we have so few bakeries?

76 LET’S EAT

Special Ad Section

HEALTH HAPPENS EVERYWHERE

A look at how Nationwide Children’s Hospital is helping Central Ohio at home, at school and in neighborhoods (inserted after Page 32)

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

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Dan Williamson wrote the cover story about radio station WWCD (Page 34). He’s a senior vice president at Paul Werth Associates and a former Columbus Monthly staff writer.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Kathleen Day is a copywriter, nonfiction writer and the owner of Katalina’s Cafés. Her tribute to her late friend and master baker Sarah Black appears on Page 70.

Raquib Ahmed created an illustration of Sarah Black and Kathleen Day to accompany Day’s story (Page 70). He’s an artist, designer and photographer who works with various Columbus brands.

Independent Spirit Prelude

Shortly after moving to Columbus in 2001, I stumbled upon CD101. It was a memorable experience. Driving to the grocery store, I heard punk rock legend Henry Rollins, serving as a guest DJ, play The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” followed by Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak.” I was bewildered and delighted. I didn’t expect to hear this combination—on commercial radio, no less—on my way to Big Bear.

Dave Ghose dghose@columbusmonthly.com

flame out or change formats trying to keep up with them. And yet WWCD endured for more than 33 years. The first Columbus radio station to play Nirvana lived six years longer than Kurt Cobain.”

For more than three decades, WWCD has been a broadcasting misfit in town. It was independently owned, playing modern altrock and influential deep cuts (The Clash always seemed to be on regular rotation), while throwing a few local bands in the mix. It wasn’t exactly a radio rebel; blander fare often made it on the airwaves, too, annoying indie music purists. But the station was unquestionably more adventurous than its competitors, and that bred loyalty among its listeners.

“Musical tastes can be fleeting,” writes Columbus Monthly contributor Dan Williamson in this month’s cover story (“The Day the Music Died,” Page 34). “Radio stations often

COMMENTS FROM THE EDITOR

Falling for Coach Nancy

This winter, WWCD finally went off the air, a painful development for its loyal listeners, many of whom were Columbus Monthly readers. (For decades, WWCD has been at or near the top of our annual Best of Columbus reader survey.) “Ultimately, what killed WWCD is what made its existence so unlikely back in 1990: Independent radio is more of a labor of love than a business strategy,” writes Dan, a former staffer at Columbus Monthly and the defunct alt weekly The Other Paper, who listened to the station through its entire, improbable run. While the terrestrial radio station is no more, WWCD has shifted into broadcasting online. It’s an uncertain future, with an unclear path to economic sustainability, but I wish WWCD president Randy Malloy and his team of indie radio diehards the best. Columbus is a less interesting place without them.

I just finished reading the story about Wilfried Nancy by Chris DeVille (“Impossible is an Opinion,” March). What an outstanding article, and what an amazing man and coach. DeVille brings to life the story of Nancy, his upbringing and background and how he became the dedicated, forward-thinking and caring coach that he is today. I’ve always been a Crew fan, and after reading this story, I’ve become an even bigger fan of coach Nancy. He epitomizes what a coach should be. His philosophy and soccer strategies are amazing. He has a plan, and he works tirelessly to implement that plan and get his players to buy into his brilliant concept. Thank you to Chris DeVille for his great story and may the Crew and coach

Send letters to: Editor, Columbus Monthly, 605 S. Front St. , Ste. 300, Columbus, OH 43215 Or email: letters@columbus monthly.com. A letter must include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number. Letters will be edited for length and clarity. All letters sent to Columbus Monthly are considered for publication, either in print or online.

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Email: letters@ columbusmonthly.com

Nancy continue to bring many more spectacular games and victories to all the Columbus fans.

Mary Callaghan, Westerville

Best New Restaurants

Readers loved the February feature package on the city’s best new restaurants. On Facebook, Yusef Riazi called Cento in German Village “one of the most beautiful dining rooms I’ve ever had the pleasure of being seated in! ... I can’t live without the vodka sauce pasta with Calabrian chilis.” Daniel Mercer echoed our recommendation of Adelaide’s Gin Joint in the Old North, commenting that “the gin flights are great to try some new flavors you never thought of and to prove not all gin tastes like sucking on a pine tree!”

COMPETITION SPRING 2024 COCKTAIL

May 22, 2024

The Fives, 6-8 p.m.

front & center

BY TIM JOHNSON

Pet Project

Two dachshund puppies receive wellness checks at CO-PAW, a Fifth by Northwest vet clinic that provides low-cost services to rescue groups and underserved communities. Read more on Page 20.

PHOTO

The Art of Gratitude

Bone creator Jeff Smith talks about his latest book and his recovery from a terrifying heart attack.

By Peter Tonguette

In October, after a long stay in the hospital for a sudden health crisis, Columbus cartoonist Jeff Smith approached the drawing desk in his German Village home. On Aug. 13, Smith had a heart attack that triggered cardiac arrest. Doctors told him that the oxygen supply had been momentarily cut off from his brain and, technically speaking, he had died for a brief time. In the hospital, he felt he was getting better and stronger, but he was still unsure what it would be like facing a blank sheet of paper again.

“I was prepared for: ‘Am I going to be able to do it?’” says Smith, the creator of the beloved graphic novel series Bone. “Everything feels weird, a little bit. First of all, I’d been trapped in a hospital bed for a long time, and they don’t let you get up and walk around. They’re very rude about that.”

Even so, Smith had some big projects on his plate. Foremost among them was a book-length collection of Thorn, a comic strip Smith created while an Ohio State University student. The strip functioned as an antecedent to the mythological, fanciful world depicted in Bone. The book, “Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips from 1982 to 1986 and Other Early Drawings,” is set for publication on July 30.

early Thorn strip

“We had everything pretty much done and ready for the book,” Smith says. “And I hadn’t drawn the covers. So, day one, when I got back, I went right to my desk, got out my pencils and inks, and I drew the two covers.”

For the 64-year-old comics legend, the health crisis was the most surprising detour of his life. Smith—a Pennsylvania native who was raised in Worthington and now splits his time between German Village and Key West, Florida—has no memory about that day, but his wife, Vijaya Iyer, has filled him in on the specifics. On that Sunday, Smith had been in the basement exercising when he trekked upstairs to the kitchen. He was getting a glass of water when the world stopped.

“She heard me drop the glass, and then, she didn’t hear anything—she didn’t hear me cuss,” Smith says. “She heard no swear words, so she got worried.”

Iyer found Smith on the floor. She called 911 and was instructed to press her husband’s chest, “like you see on TV.” The paramedics arrived quickly. “I don’t remember anything except [saying], ‘Why am I in a hospital?’ ” says Smith, who had dealt with high cholesterol.

‘‘ I was prepared for: ‘Am I going to be able to do it?’ Everything feels weird, a little bit. First of all, I’d been trapped in a hospital bed for a long time, and they don’t let you get up and walk around. They’re very rude about that.

Even so, he thought he had maintained a healthy lifestyle. He bikes to get from one place to another in both German Village and Key West.

“I was in pretty good shape—apparently, I just ate too many hamburgers,” says Smith, who now maintains a diet that alternates between vegan and pescatarian.

Such an ordeal often prompts people

to become philosophical, but, in reckoning with his early strips at The Lantern, Smith was already looking back at his life. Featuring early iterations of the same cast of characters later to appear in Bone, Thorn ran weekdays in The Lantern. “Every artist I know cringes when they talk about their early work,” says Smith, who, in preparing the Kickstarter-financed book, had to familiarize himself with the entire run of Thorn. “I had a very firm belief that they weren’t good.” But he was surprised: “It’s not as good as Bone, but it’s not as bad as I thought.”

Readers familiar with the vast universe created in the Bone graphic novels may be surprised to encounter the simpler universe shown in Thorn, which relied on gags or topical and political humor. “[The] Bone that most of us know was a novel, and it followed the rules of a novel,” Smith says. “Thorn didn’t know what it was, and it was more like watching a variety show, like the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.”

Smith drew the strip with the hope of winning the attention of a newspaper syndicate, but when he faced pushback on his ideas, he ultimately decided to

Jeff Smith, with Smiley Bone, in his German Village studio in 2018

self-publish what became the Bone graphic novels. The first appeared in 1991.

“The newspaper syndicates had pretty much convinced me that my comics weren’t good, and I didn’t want to be convinced of that again,” he says. “I was better at telling jokes and stories when I had 25 pages to go with, so it all worked out.”

Smith describes central character Fone Bone as an avatar for himself. “With him, I go into this fun little world of dragons and princesses and roughnecks,” Smith says. But the appeal of the comic has proved contagious. In fact, multiple studios have expressed interest in an animated version of Bone, including most recently Netflix—which was to create an ambitious Bone series before plans were scrapped. “There was just some huge executive-level chaos [at Netflix],” he says. “They canceled everything that wasn’t in production, and Bone just fell into that.”

In the meantime, Smith is busy shepherding the Thorn book to publication, preparing to finish his long-running web comic Tuki and eagerly anticipating the latest edition of the annual comics festival he co-founded, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus; he missed last year’s installment because of his hospitalization.

He’s also spending time being grateful. “[The doctors] were taking pictures and scans of me all the time,” Smith says. “They said, ‘There’s no damage to your brain or to your heart.’ So, thank God. And apparently, I can still draw and write.” ◆

Kickoff Party & Author Visit

a good old-fashioned centennial birthday party, and join us for an enlightening visit with Roosevelt Montás, our introductory Centennial Author Series Author.

Check out the many centennial celebrations happening all year long at BexleyLibrary.org/100Years

A panel from a Thorn strip published

Advancing Brain Science

A partnership between Ohio State and Battelle aims to monetize neurological research to benefit patients.

By Kathy Lynn Gray

Neurosurgeon Tim Lucas was frustrated. He was sure technology could improve his patients’ quality of life, especially those whose paralysis prevented them from performing the simplest of hygienic tasks. But advances were painfully slow, stalled by a lack of funding and money-making potential, as well as a culture of scientific competitiveness that often kept collaborators at arm’s length. “Our patients were being left behind,” says Lucas, whose passion for his work comes in part from a younger sister whose massive brain tumor left her with multiple mobility and sensory challenges two decades ago.

Now, Lucas is leading the charge to speed up technological advances for patients as founder and CEO of the NeuroTech Institute, a partnership between Ohio State University and Battelle that launched in October 2022. The nonprofit, housed on the OSU campus, is a biotechnology accelerator where scientists, clinicians and engineers develop inven-

tions to improve patients’ lives and then spin off for-profit businesses to manufacture the inventions. “Here, we have patients as our core,” Lucas says.

That core includes a team of patient ambassadors across the country who live with neurological disorders. They help the institute’s staff understand patients’ physical limitations so researchers can try to fashion solutions. Research is focused in three areas: “cyber physical,” which includes spinal cord disorders and neuropathy; “cell modulation,” which includes Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases; and what Lucas calls “the network of the mind,” which includes autism, epilepsy and depression.

Lucas, who came to Columbus from the University of Pennsylvania, hopes to have 60 full-time institute employees within five years; so far, four have been hired and six more may be added by the end of 2024. In addition, faculty from OSU and staff at Battelle also collaborate at NeuroTech.

Lin Du is a researcher with the NeuroTech Institute, a partnership between Ohio State and Battelle.

NeuroTech Institute founder and CEO Tim Lucas

One full-time hire is Lin Du, a principal investigator and electrical systems engineer working on an implantable tactile system to restore mobility for those with paralysis. As part of the system, sensors would be implanted in a patient’s fingertips or the palm of a hand to allow a patient to grasp an object through signals wirelessly transmitted to a watch and then the brain. “The institute gives me a unique opportunity to collaborate with physicians and patients, which is critical for this technology,” Du says. “We have a very ambitious goal, and we need experts in a lot of different backgrounds to accomplish it.”

Du joined the institute in October and has a joint appointment with Ohio State as an assistant professor in the colleges of medicine and engineering. The next step for the implantable tactile system is Food and Drug Administration approval for clinical trials in humans.

Another project under the institute’s wing is enhancements to the NeuroLife Sleeve, developed at Battelle. The sleeve, worn on the forearm of a person with paralysis, may restore some hand movement but requires complex surgery. Researchers are reconfiguring the sleeve

‘‘

One, I hope we can develop a sense of urgency, and two, we want to inspire people, to get people behind us.

—TIM LUCAS

with a goal of stimulating a paralyzed limb without surgery.

David Friedenberg, Battelle data scientist and principal investigator, says trials for the reconfigured sleeve are ongoing through NeuroTech and Battelle. “NeuroTech provides an avenue to take the intellectual property we’ve developed and have it accelerated,” Friedenberg says. “We are expecting to commercialize it, and this collaboration brings together all the pieces we need.”

The institute is funded by OSU and Battelle, as well as investors, grants and donations. Lucas hopes that eventually the institute will receive support from the companies it spins off.

“Five to 10 spinoffs a year is our goal,” Lucas says. “Most of them will fail, but

Trusted Partners in Cancer Care

even if two or three survive, that supports our whole mission. And they’ll hopefully get gobbled up by bigger companies.”

The model for the institute is the 20-year-old Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a nonprofit research organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that focuses on genomic science. Multidisciplinary staff from the Broad Institute collaborate on technology that improves people’s health, and those discoveries are spun off into private entities. “I wanted to do that in the neuro space,” Lucas says, “to have an open, flat organization where we work team-science together.”

Lucas says the collaborative spirit is the “secret sauce” of the Broad Institute that he wanted to copy. “The Broad says everyone is equal,” he says. “So, I put together a business plan for NeuroTech to do that, to put us in an open fish bowl where we all sink or swim together.”

The institute also is nimble, allowing deals to be made quickly to advance science and ultimately help patients. “One, I hope we can develop a sense of urgency, and two, we want to inspire people, to get people behind us,” Lucas says. “The point is these patients need technologies now.”

Erin M.Bertino, M.D. Jarred Burkart, M.D.

Shabana Dewani, M.D. Andrew Grainger, M.D. Joseph Hofmeister, M.D.

Elizabeth Kander, M.D. Peter Kourlas, M.D. Kavya Krishna, M.D.

Augustine Hong, M.D.

Emily Saul, D.O. Thomas Sweeney, M.D. Joy Tang, M. D.

Shylaja Mani, M.D. Nse Ntukidem, M.D. Anish Parikh, M.D.

Erin Macrae, M.D.

Friends in High Places

As a legendary broadcasting career comes to an end, pals of Jeff Rimer share their favorite memories of the gracious and well-connected Columbus Blue Jackets play-by-play man.

By Andrew King

In today’s convoluted media landscape, the classic “voice-of-the-team” archetype is dying. But for 20 years—nearly 80 percent of the franchise’s history—fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets have had a voice of their own.

Since 2004, Jeff Rimer has been the team’s play-by-play announcer, becoming a beloved and instantly recognizable figure in the Columbus sports scene thanks to a larger-than-life personality and a legendary career that will end in April. Ahead of his retirement at the end of this season, Columbus Monthly talked to some of Rimer’s friends and colleagues about what it’s like to be around the man nicknamed “The Name-Dropper.”

TODD SHARROCK, CBJ VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS: It’s like a running gag; there are countless stories. I remember we were somewhere at a restaurant, and he says, “I know Michael Bublé.” We’re all like, “Bulls---, Rimer. You don’t know Michael Bublé.” … He called Michael Bublé, and there he was.

JODY SHELLEY, FORMER PLAYER AND TV COLOR ANALYST: This is not fake. He knows everybody—Hall of Famers, living legends, actors, singers.

JOHN DAVIDSON, CHILDHOOD FRIEND AND CBJ PRESIDENT OF HOCKEY OPERATIONS: Larry King was really close with Jeff … from their days in Washington. That’s another one I’ve heard a couple times. When the team would go to California, they’d go meet up for lunch or dinner.

‘‘

This is not fake. He knows everybody— Hall of Famers, living legends, actors, singers.

—JODY SHELLEY, TV COLOR ANALYST AND FORMER PLAYER

MIKE RICORDATI, 97.1 THE FAN HOST WHO ADDED RIMER TO A REGULAR SEGMENT: We named the segment “Name Dropping with Jeff Rimer” be-

cause that’s just what he does. In every conversation, he talks about, “So-and-so called me” or you’ll be at a meal with him, or he’ll be sitting in the studio with you, and he’ll hold up his phone to show you who is calling him. And I swear sometimes he even plans it, just to impress.

RICK NASH, FORMER PLAYER AND CBJ DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT: He’s genuine. There aren’t many guys that ask you about your wife, your kids, how your summer was and those little things. When you’re a professional athlete, the media is the media, and you have to keep your guard up and make sure you’re saying the right things. But Jeff was never

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

Columbus Blue Jackets announcer Jeff Rimer will retire at the end of this season.

searching; he was never digging; he was never prodding at getting the story. It was just him being a friend.

SHARROCK: One of my favorite baseball players as a kid was Gary Carter, Hall of Fame catcher. Jeff was a very good friend of Gary’s. It was 2005 or 2006, and we’re on the bus heading back from morning skate. There weren’t too many people on the bus, and I hear Jeff sitting behind me … and then I hear my name, and he taps me on the shoulder and says, “Hey, there’s somebody on the phone here who wants to talk to you.”

He hands me the phone, and it’s Gary Carter. I spent three or four minutes talking to one of my boyhood sports heroes, and it was like I’d known him forever. … A week or two later, Jeff brings me a baseball signed with a message from Gary Carter. He didn’t need to do that. It’s one of my most prized sports possessions and a terrific memory that I’ll always have. I owe that to Rims.

SHELLEY: When I got into this business, someone pointed out to me that it’s comforting to have consistency on local broadcasts because you know it’s a trusted voice. It gives you that feeling when you sit down that you’re watching your team and your sport. I hadn’t really thought about that. But then, when I thought of my childhood, I can tell you the broadcasters that made my Saturday nights in Canada just through their voice, who made me feel like I was exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing.

DAVIDSON: [Players and coaches] all come and go, but the broadcasters are still there. … A young person starts listening when he’s 7, 8, 9 years old, and the next thing you know, they’re 19, and they’re 29, and they’re still listening to the same voice. It’s fabulous.

TAKE A SELF-GUIDED PUBLIC ART TOUR

SHELLEY: Times change and new people come in, but we’re lucky to have had a guy that brings his professionalism, his voice, his attitude, his knowledge, his name-dropping to our broadcast. ◆

Creature Comfort

A nonprofit vet clinic fills a gap with low-cost services for pet owners.

By Joy Frank-Collins

Within a nondescript storefront on King Avenue, Breona Baines and her team are saving lives. The clean, no-frills space is the headquarters of CO-PAW, a nonprofit veterinary clinic that caters to underserved communities and rescue groups (though any pet owner can use its services).

Baines founded CO-PAW—Central Ohio’s Programs for Animal Welfare—in September 2021 out of sheer frustration with the prices charged by for-profit vet clinics and emergency rooms in the area. “There’s no such thing as low-cost veterinary ER, so for people from all financial backgrounds, that’s where you have to go,” says Baines, who previously worked for traditional animal hospitals.

This is the case with Pepper, a longhaired white kitten with black spots who is at CO-PAW in mid-February. About a month earlier, Noella Velazquez’s husband saw the kitten lying in the middle of the road near a gas station. He brought her home, but she was in rough shape. Her right ear was dangling off, and her entire side was covered in burns. “The ER is like, $250 just to see her, and I could not do that,” says Velazquez, who owns three other cats and a dog. She spent the night watching and hoping Pepper would make it until she could get her into COPAW in Columbus’ Fifth by Northwest neighborhood.

Today, Pepper is on her way to recovery after surgery at CO-PAW. At a for-profit veterinary clinic, her initial care would have cost between $3,000 and $4,000, says Dr. Robert Outzs, who was performing a checkup of Pepper on this day. Velazquez paid just $190 at CO-PAW.

So how does the clinic—which employs four veterinarians, two registered veterinary technicians and four veterinary assistants—provide these services at such a discounted rate? Baines, possibly the only Black woman operator of a nonprofit veterinary clinic in Central Ohio, went without a salary for the first 2-plus

Front & Center | Animals

years of operation. Initially, she worked at home for another company, balancing running CO-PAW for the two or three days it was open a week. “But the first day we did spay/neuter, it was insane. We had like 70 animals show up, and that’s when I realized I was going to have to dedicate more time to [CO-PAW],” says Baines, who runs the front desk in addition to managing clinic operations. Since that time, she’s lived off savings. More recently, when CO-PAW increased operations to Monday through Friday, she began taking a small salary “as needed.”

Beyond payments for services, COPAW receives funding mostly through donations and crowdfunding for specific cases via social media. Grants for veterinary and rescue services are “cut-throat,” Baines says, adding that she’d love to have assistance from a volunteer grant-writer and skilled fundraiser.

Until then, she’s prepared to shoulder all she can for the sake of providing affordable veterinary care. “They’re long days, but I think it’s rewarding. It’s definitely tiring, but it’s definitely something the community needs.” ◆

Breona Baines with a cat up for adoption at CO-PAW

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

Colorectal Cancer Center setting new standard for timely, innovative care

New proton therapy center expands high tech cancer care at Ohio State

treatment. With the opening of this facility, it is thrilling to get a glimpse into what is now possible in the realm of cancer treatment for children, and we look forward to continuing our work to improve the quality of life for all our patients.”

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) and Nationwide Children’s Hospital recently celebrated the opening of a $100 million, 55,000 square foot proton therapy center, the first treatment facility in central Ohio offering this highly targeted form of radiation therapy for treatment of complex tumors that cannot be removed through surgery.

Ohio State’s colorectal cancer experts are raising the bar for treatment and support at the area’s first center dedicated to tailored, comprehensive care for every patient.

Colorectal cancer (colon and rectal cancers) is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. and one of the leading causes of cancerrelated deaths.

“Proton therapy is the perfect example of personalized care in cancer. You can target the proton beam in a highly specific way that results in virtually no damage to the surrounding healthy tissues,” says Arnab Chakravarti, MD, director of the proton therapy center and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the OSUCCC – James. “This technology has the potential to literally improve the health and well-being of millions of people across Ohio and beyond.”

Located on Ohio State’s west campus at 2121 Kenny Road, the proton therapy center offers comprehensive radiation oncology treatment options for both adult and pediatric patients at a single location.

“Colorectal cancer is a collection of abnormal cells that arise within the colon and rectum in the large intestine,” says Matthew Kalady, MD, the director of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). “Those abnormal cells can turn into small things called polyps or abnormal growths, and then those growths can change even more, to the point where they become cancer.”

Over the years, researchers like Kalady and his OSUCCC – James colleagues have made great strides in colorectal cancer treatment, leading to increased survival rates and improved quality of life for patients.

“This is a significant day, especially for our patients and their families,” says Timothy Cripe, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Nationwide Children’s. “Having this resource right here in Columbus makes vital treatment more accessible for those who need it and allows families to stay here in Columbus throughout their entire

“Colorectal cancer can be very curable,” says Samuel Akinyeye, MD, an OSUCCC – James gastroenterologist. “The five-year survival rate for colorectal cancer has increased from 50 percent in the 1970s to 65 percent today.”

To raise the bar even higher, Ohio State oncology leaders have launched the OSUCCC –James’ Colorectal Cancer Center to consolidate the world-class care and support available to patients in the Buckeye State.

Proton therapy is an advanced type of radiation treatment that uses protons (positively charged particles) instead of X-rays to destroy cancer cells. It minimizes the damage to surrounding healthy cells, a common side effect of traditional radiation like X-rays. The therapy can be used alone or in combination with other therapies to treat brain cancer, lymphoma, retinoblastomas and sarcomas in children, and several localized cancers, including prostate, brain, head and neck, lung, spine and gastrointestinal in adults.

“Building a center starts with a vision, and our vision here at The James is to provide quality care for the people of Ohio,” Kalady says. “That means they get timely care, including safe, effective, top-quality treatments.”

Scientists will be able to conduct important research on a high-dose proton therapy known as FLASH that can target treatment to a pinpoint and deliver it in a tenth of a second. Ohio State is one of just a handful of institutions in the world poised to conduct translational research in this form of proton therapy.

The center exemplifies the OSUCCC – James’ commitment to multidisciplinary cancer care, bringing together a team of experts to address the unique, wide-ranging needs of patients and their families.

Preclinical data suggests this proton therapy could reduce what would normally be 30 days

“Everything revolves around the patient. Treatment involves colorectal surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, genetic counselors and surgical oncologists for metastatic disease,” Kalady says. “We meet closely with what we call a tumor board to discuss all types of cases to make sure that we’re doing the right things, and some of the unique things, that might be in each tumor. Everyone’s brought together.”

of treatment to a single dose, delivered in less than a second. It is estimated that this form of proton therapy is still five to 10 years from approved use in patients, making the research investigating FLASH protons so important.

“If we can shorten that treatment course from what would have been six to eight weeks to a single day, care becomes far more accessible, especially for underserved populations,” Chakravarti says. “Bringing this important technology to central Ohio demonstrates our institution’s commitment to creating a cancerfree world.”

Timely, high-quality treatment can be a vital component of successful care for colorectal cancer. As is the case with most cancers, though, the best plan is to incorporate prevention practices into your daily routine to lower the chances of developing the condition at all.

Proton therapy is considered a game-changer in pediatric cancer care, adds Cripe, who treats children with cancer at Nationwide Children’s. The size and physiology of pediatric patients can make traditional radiation more difficult to administer without damaging surrounding tissues, which can lead to long-term side effects.

“Proton therapy is a promising cancer treatment for kids and critical for many of our patients,” he says. “Imagine a child’s cancer is eliminated with proton therapy, and they can go on to live 70 more healthy, normal years without most of the radiation-related long-term side effects of cancer treatment in childhood.”

“You want to make sure that you’re eating a diet high in fiber, including lots of fruits and vegetables, and maybe some lean proteins such as chicken and fish,” Akinyeye says. “You also want to exercise regularly and talk with your relatives because if you have a family history of colon polyps or colon cancer, you might need to get screened for colorectal cancer before the recommended age of 45.”

For those who are diagnosed, the OSUCCC –James Colorectal Cancer Center team is ready to take immediate action, working with patients and colleagues to craft personalized plans that include the latest techniques and technologies to provide the best chances of successful outcomes.

The proton therapy center is staffed by a team of physicians, medical physicists, engineers, IT specialists, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning experts, radiation biologists and cancer biologists who are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for patients.

It is equipped with the Varian ProBeam 360 treatment system. This is the first treatment center in the United States specifically built with a dual-capability system that can deliver both conventional proton therapy and research-level FLASH to both adults and children.

“The story of proton therapy is still being written, and we are writing it here in central Ohio,” said Chakravarti.

“There’s a seamless transition between each aspect of patient care — through the multidisciplinary center where everyone’s in the same physical space, and the tumor boards where we all sit together in a room and go through all the cases,” Kalady says. “Based on that, we develop treatment plans for each patient, which might include new clinical trials. Having all those minds and perspectives together working for the same goal is really, really important.”

The center’s first proton therapy treatment was delivered to an adult woman with a skull-based chondrosarcoma in mid-December 2023.

Asjia O’Neal spikes the ball during the Columbus Fury’s home opener in February at Nationwide Arena.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER

Remarkable Evening

More than 700 guests attended the Nov. 30 New Albany Community Foundation benefit at the New Albany International Business Park. Highlights included an interview with former president George W. Bush and the announcement of Rick and Sara Mershad as the 2023 Jeanne & John G. McCoy Community Service Award recipients.

1 Mike and Fran DeWine 2 Douglas Fowler, Amy and Chip Barylak, Lydia McLaughlin, Jason Brown 3 Janelle Coleman, Sandy Doyle-Ahern, Francie Henry 4 Tina and Jon Husted 5 Jimmy Merkel, Suraj Hinduja, Karen Morrison 6 Nanette Triplett, Lynne Redgrave, Barbara and Al Siemer, Tanny Crane 7 Todd Bailey, Elon Simms, Ted Geer, Matt Ference 8 Valda Clark Christian, Michael Krouse, Cynthia Latney, Johnni Beckel 9 Bobby Schottenstein, Dan Senor 10 Rick and Sara Mershad

PHOTOS: JAMES DECAMP

datebook

THROUGH APRIL 27 | Unextinct

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium adds a new experience to its specialevents lineup with this all-ages evening production focused on conservation. Unextinct, created by former Disney Imagineers from Mangolin Creative, uses digital theatrical effects to educate visitors about more than 70 endangered and extinct species. columbuszoo.org/unextinct

APRIL 12 | Nicki Minaj

In 2010, Minaj released blockbuster debut Pink Friday, but just before that, the singer and rapper’s jaw-dropping feature on Kanye West’s “Monster” revealed what she could do on the mic, making verses by Jay-Z and West sound like nursery rhymes. Minaj went on to sell 100 million records. She’ll visit the Schottenstein Center with opener Monica. schottensteincenter.com

APRIL 13 | Greater Columbus Cherry Blossom Festival

Who doesn’t love the look (and smell) of a cherry blossom tree? This gathering—inspired by the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., and presented by the International Voluntary Organizations—celebrates the spectacular blossoms of more than 100 trees at the Franklin Park grounds from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. ivocolumbusoh.org

APRIL 19 | Napoleon Dynamite Live

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of this beloved (and highly quotable) indie film—an underdog movie about an underdog character that continues to win over audiences with its quirky charm. Following a screening at KEMBA Live, cast members Jon Heder (Napoleon) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro) will participate in a moderated panel discussion. promowestlive.com

APRIL 26 | NRBQ

Ever since pianist Terry Adams and guitarist Steve Ferguson founded the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet in the ’60s, the beloved bar band has proved you can make a career performing songs with one common ingredient: fun. At Natalie’s, Adams will take the stage with musicians Scott Ligon and Casey McDonough, also of the Flat Five. nataliesgrandview.com

April 6

Hunger Run

This annual race supports the NSI Food Pantry, which serves the University District neighborhood and surrounding areas. Antiques on High will host an after-party following the 5K at Scioto Audubon Metro Park. nsifoodpantry.org

April 20

Furniture Bank Day

Furniture Bank of Central Ohio is seeking volunteers to help accept donated furniture and household items during the nonprofit’s annual Furniture Bank Day program. furniturebankcoh.org

April 26

Opera Columbus Gala

The opera company will host its annual fundraiser at Vitria on the Square in the University District, with a program that includes cocktails, dinner, entertainment and an after-party. PNC Central Ohio president Mary Auch will be honored at the event. operacolumbus.org

Nicki Minaj

GET AWAY TO SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY

Explore Bullitt County for Tasting Tours and Outdoor Fun!

Start planning your Shepherdsville adventure. Journey along Bullitt County’s Wine, Whiskey & Ale Trail for the ultimate sipping experience. The trail includes stops at the worldfamous James B. Beam American Outpost, as well as four award-winning wineries, Four Roses Warehouse & Bottling and Gallant Fox Brewing Co. Explore more than 16,000 acres at Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest — and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the resident Forest Giants. Heritage Hill is a must for golfers, and if you’re bringing the kids, race the nation’s longest go-kart track at Kart Kountry. travelbullitt.org

ESCAPE THE EVERYDAY Choose Your Kentucky Adventure

With so much to see, do and taste, the Bluegrass State is the perfect place for your next road trip, weekend getaway or family vacation.

Sip centuries of tradition in the birthplace of bourbon and tour distilleries to learn how Kentucky’s signature spirit is made. Mix your own craft concoction with the help of a spirit specialist in a cocktail class. Stroll through rolling horse farms, catch a race at the track and take a trail ride through the forest. Explore woods, waters, caves and trails offering endless outdoor adventure. Or just ﬁnd your own quiet spot, hidden waterfall or stunning overlook to sit down and soak up the soothing sights and sounds of nature.

MOTHER NATURE IS CALLING

Come Play with Us

You’ll get a front-row seat to adventure in Corbin, KY. See the world’s only “moonbow” — the rare phenomenon of a lunar rainbow that appears at night over magniﬁcent Cumberland Falls. Explore the shores of Laurel River Lake amid the pristine beauty of Daniel Boone National Forest, both offering premiere outdoor adventures. Then, once you’ve worked up an appetite, visit Harland Sanders Café and Museum, the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. corbinkytourism.com

DISCOVER PIKE COUNTY

Home of the Historic Hatﬁeld-McCoy Feud

Surrounded by towering mountains adorned with lush foliage, Pike County offers breathtaking views yearround. Whether you seek adventure or would like to relax in one of the nation’s most beautiful locations, this region provides a perfect escape. Embark on an intriguing outdoor excursion into the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern Kentucky, where the infamous Hatfields & McCoys once called home. Explore authentic sites of “the world’s most famous feud.” Country music stars Dwight Yoakam, Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle call this region home. Visit Pikeville and Van Lear to discover the region’s music history. tourpikecounty.com

LAWRENCEBURG, KENTUCKY

“Distilling Capital of the World”

Classic car shows where bourbon ﬂows. Local food and shops galore, plus rivers, creeks and lakes to explore. Festivals, fairs, farm tours and more. Slow drives, carnival rides, walks and trails, where adventure never fails. Fun stays off the beaten track, just 30 minutes from Lexington and 45 from Louisville; that’s a fact.

visitlawrenceburgky.com

WELCOME TO CAVE COUNTRY

Make Memories in Park City

Visit Park City! The Mammoth Cave Bike & Hike Trail begins at Bell’s Tavern Park. Hike the walking trails, see the tavern ruins and enjoy seasonal live concerts, festivals and more. Eat where locals eat — Miss Betty’s Diner offers Southern cooking and made-from-scratch desserts. Stay at Grand Victorian Inn, Yellow Door or Grateful Hearts Haven. Explore Diamond Caverns for an unforgettable underground adventure just inside Mammoth Cave National Park. Experience thousands of formations decorating the cathedral-like chambers. Go mining for gems and minerals and shop the Gift & Rock Shoppe. Take I-65 exit 48. Say yes to adventure! visitparkcityky.com

EXPLORE THE HEART OF KY

Plan Your Escape to Danville

In the heart of Kentucky, Danville boasts picturesque landscapes and charming small-town ambiance. Whether strolling through downtown streets or enjoying a leisurely drive through the countryside, Danville’s scenic charm provides a tranquil backdrop for a relaxing getaway. Tour the GLASS National Art Museum to immerse yourself in a world of glass craftsmanship. Celebrating the artistry of blown glass, this cultural gem is a must-see attraction for art lovers. Danville also offers a captivating culinary experience, showcasing a blend of local flavors and international inﬂuences.

danvillekentucky.com

LAURENTIA VINEYARD & WINERY

Laurentia Vineyard and Winery is located within the Grand River Valley. Laurentia’s award-winning wines may be perfectly paired from our expansive menu which includes a variety of boards, shared and large plates and artisan flatbreads. Guests can also enjoy live entertainment, picturesque vineyards, grounds and two indoor levels and two outdoor patios.

4599 S. Madison Rd. Madison, OH 44057 440-296-9175 www.laurentiawinery.com

THE LUMBERYARD WINERY & SUPPLY

The Lumberyard Winery & Supply is situated along the scenic Maumee River in a historic lumberyard in Napoleon, Ohio. Relax in our tasting room or on our covered patio converted from a native timber lumber storage building. Open Thursday through Sunday; check our website for specific times.

118 W. Front St., Ste. G Napoleon, OH 43545 419-599-9463 thelumberyardwinery.com

RAVENHURST CHAMPAGNE CELLARS

You’ve tasted the rest, now taste the best:

• Only Ohio winery reviewed in Opus Vino (4,000 Greatest Wineries in the World)

• Three-time Wine of the Year Award

• Wine Spectator award winner

• Second-best Champagne in the World, 1999 Our award-winning winemakers are dedicated to Methode Champenoise Champagne and dry vinifera wines. Open Saturdays, noon–5 p.m. 34477 Shertzer Road Mount Victory, OH 43340 937-354-5151 raven ink@hotmail.com

LINCOLN WAY VINEYARDS

Come Find Your Wine Time® with us!

Boasting an array of 100% Ohio-grown wine types, ranging from dry to sweet and everything in between. See our Facebook page, website or call us at 330-804WINE for information on our year-round weekend food truck/live music or other special events.

9050 W. Old Lincoln Way Wooster, OH 44691 330-804-WINE lincolnwayvineyards.com

OLD FIREHOUSE WINERY

Enjoy your wine in an igloo! Old Firehouse Winery features seven igloos on the shore of Lake Erie. Available from November to April, guests can reserve their own personal igloos that hold up to eight people. Old Firehouse features wines made on-site and is open seven days a week year-round. Guests can expect live music weekends during all seasons.

5499 Lake Road E Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH 44041 440-466-9300 oldfirehousewinery.com

RHETORIC BREWING COMPANY

Rhetoric Brewing Company is located on a multi-generational family farm in rural Union County, specializing in small batch wine, cider, mead and craft beer. Our apples and honey for the ciders and meads are locally sourced, while our wines are made from Chilean and California grapes. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

25420 Claibourne Rd. Richwood, OH 43344 614-400-7588

rhetoricbrewingco.com

SILVER CREST CELLARS

Silver Crest Cellars, located in the Grand River Valley, is a collaboration of winegrowers with local family vineyards dating back as far as the 1930s. We grow and specialize in dry red wines including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dornfelder and Meritage blends. We also grow Riesling, Chardonnay and other historical varieties and blends.

4511 Bates Rd. Madison, OH 44057 440-428-0677 silvercrestcellars.com

WEST END DISTILLERY

Athens’ West End Distillery creates craft distilled spirits using locally sourced fruits, grains, roots and herbs to produce spirits that embody flavors and styles that are uniquely Appalachian. The facility also produces hard cider for Athens’ West End Cider house using 100 percent Ohiogrown apples. The tasting room is open most Fridays and Saturdays.

3 N. Shafer St. Athens, OH 45701 athenswestend.com/distillery

WOLFTREE WINERY

Wolftree Winery produces ciders, meads, fruit wines, fruit meads, spiced wines and other unusual wines. We have 20 different wines to taste from, which can be purchased by the glass or the bottle. Surrounded by the hills of Southeastern Ohio, Wolftree Winery is a solar-powered business.

13526 Swett Hollow Rd. Millfield, OH 45761

740-448-3009 wolftreewinery.com

WEST END CIDERHOUSE

West End Cider House: A lovingly restored historic space off the beaten path. Housemade ciders from 100 percent Ohio-grown apples and a full-service bar with high-end spirits from around the world, bourbon country and our sister company, West End Distillery. Offerings include craft cocktails, wine, draft and packaged craft beers, locally sourced meats, cheeses and snacks.

234 W. Washington St. Athens, OH 45701 athenswestend.com/ciderhouse

WINERY AT VERSAILLES

The Winery at Versailles, founded by Mike and Carol Williams and managed by son Jamie, embodies the motto, “Do well, do good, and have fun.” Since 1994, their small winery has grown into three locations, producing over 200,000 gallons annually. This family winery’s commitment to quality and enjoyment has made the trio a valuable part of the wine industry.

6572 State Route 47 Versailles, OH 45380 937-526-3232 wineryatversailles.com

VACATIONS AND GETAWAYS

Champaign County Visitors Bureau

Come experience all that is uniquely Champaign County this summer! Our 2024 event calendar is packed with festivals and events. Join us on June 15 for the 3rd Annual Black Heritage Festival in Urbana; on June 22 and 23 for the 30th Annual CCPA Historic Home and Garden Tour; and on July 13 for Art Affair on the Square in Urbana. Visit our website for further information.

Champaign County Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau

127 W. Court St. Urbana, OH 43078

937-653-5764

visitchampaignohio.com

This eclectic trail features eight locations serving carefully crafted wines and beer. Let Cork and Tap Excursions do the driving with the Sip & Stay Thursday Package! Included is a double occupancy room at Coshocton Village Inn and Suites, transportation, visits and vouchers to four locations. Available on Thursdays from March through October, 2024. Call 740-622-9455 for reservations. ThreeRiversWineTrailOhio.com

Coshocton Visitors Bureau

432 N. Whitewoman St. Coshocton, OH 43812

740-622-4877

visitcoshocton.com

French Lick Resort

One of America’s hottest golf destinations is right around the corner in southern Indiana. This is the only place you can play Pete Dye and Donald Ross courses together at the same resort. For 13 consecutive years, Golfweek Magazine has ranked the Dye and Ross as the number one and two public courses in Indiana. Add in the 9-hole Valley Links Course, and you’ve got 45 holes to take play time to the max.

French Lick Resort

8670 West State Road 56 French Lick, IN 47432

888-936-9360 frenchlick.com

The

Minutes from Downtown, miles from reality, The Timbrook Guesthouse is truly Columbus’ best-kept secret. Situated on four glorious acres, it is a getaway that has it all. With our heated outdoor swimming pool/ hot tub, lush gardens galore, an aviary, greenhouse and gourmet breakfasts, The Timbrook has something for everyone. Whether celebrating a special occasion or visiting family/friends, it is a must-stay in the Columbus area.

5811 Olentangy River Road Columbus, OH 43235

614-634-2166

timbrookguesthouse.com

Timbrook Guesthouse

Fill Your Glass on the Three Rivers Wine Trail

Health happens everywhere.

Kids’ health is about more than what happens inside a hospital’s walls.

Kids’ health happens at Home.

Kids’ health happens at School. Kids’ health happens in Neighborhoods.

Learn how we’re working beyond our walls to improve the health of kids across Ohio.

NationwideChildrens.org/HealthyKids

Randy Malloy unfurls an old CD101 banner found in a closet at the radio station.

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

How Columbus fell in love with an independent alternative radio station—and why it had to end

By Dan Williamson

I‘‘ It was love. These people just loved this music so passionately, and that’s why they worked predominantly for peanuts.

—SHAWN IRELAND, WHO CO-HOSTED THE CD101 MORNING SHOW FROM 1996 TO 1998

f you’re of a certain age, and a certain taste in music, you remember CD101. WWCD went live in the summer of 1990 at 101.1 FM. There was no streaming, no SiriusXM; back then, you probably didn’t even have a CD player in your car. If you wanted to listen to music while driving or working, radio was the most common choice. In 1990, the popular music radio landscape was on the verge of an upheaval, but that hadn’t happened yet. This was before the Lollapalooza traveling music festival and Nirvana’s Nevermind album brought alternative rock music to the masses. In 1990, “alternative rock” wasn’t a commonly used term. It was college, indie, punk or postpunk, and it sure as hell wasn’t on commercial radio.

There have always been those edgier, offbeat songs that most people don’t like, but are absolutely thrilling to an enthusiastic subset of music fans. In the 1960s, The Mothers of Invention and The Velvet Underground built small, passionate fan bases without selling many records. Over

the years, a handful of oddballs, such as David Bowie, Blondie and Prince, found their way to superstardom; but most were consigned to eclectic record collections and college radio.

In the 1980s, college radio stations were the best place to go for something new and different. If you lived close enough to Granville, you could pick up Denison’s WDUB—known as “the Doobie”—which used to broadcast at 91.1 FM. But Columbus’ big college station, WOSU-FM, played classical music, as it does today. Another public station, WCBE, owned by Columbus City Schools, began programming an eclectic midday music mix in 1990, though it was sandwiched between the morning and afternoon news broadcasts. Columbus commercial FM music radio was similar to other U.S. metro areas: Top 40, soul and R&B, album-oriented rock, country, oldies.

Then, out of nowhere, on Aug. 21, 1990, CD101 was born. Maggie Smith, the local poet and author, remembers her delight in discovering the station as a 13-year-old growing up in Westerville.

Former DJ Michael Palermo, left, with DJ Brian Phillips during the last CD92.9 morning show on Jan. 31.

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

“What was big in Columbus at the time was 97.9, QFM96, Sunny 95—it was all pop-rock-slash-hair-metal,” recalls Smith, whose writing is often inspired by music. “And yet you could tune in to this radio station where they were playing The Cure and T. Rex and Adrian Belew and Marshall Crenshaw and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and all this other stuff that you couldn’t hear unless you owned the records.” She remembers calling in requested songs, sometimes waiting hours to hear them. “I would sit by the boombox and wait for my song to be played so I could hit the record button. And then the beginning of the song was always missing.”

To its new fans, CD101 seemed a little too good to be true. There was a reason that the successful pop music stations were playing MC Hammer, Guns N’ Roses and New Kids on the Block. They were popular, and listeners would sit through radio commercials to hear them. The idea that a radio station could play The Replacements every day and

attract enough listeners to sell advertising spots seemed aspirational at best. It was fun, but it couldn’t last.

And, ultimately, it didn’t. On Feb. 1 of this year, WWCD, possibly Ohio’s last independent radio station, went off the air. Listeners could be forgiven for believing it would somehow come back from the dead, since it had done so before, twice fleeing to new destinations on the dial—first to 102.5 and then to 92.9. But this winter, there was no surprise happy ending. Delmar Media Group, which owns a handful of Ohio radio stations, now broadcasts on 92.9 as WXGT, 93X. The station has started out playing a similar format— alternative music, including local bands—so that a casual listener might mistake it for its predecessor. But there’s no Mornings with Brian Phillips, no Cover of the Day at 5:30 p.m., no No Repeat Thursday.

Delmar vice president and general manager Mark Litton says he’d hoped to work out a deal to continue as CD92.9.

A WWCD TIMELINE

CD101 goes live. 1990

1991 Roger Vaughan purchases 101.1 FM from New Jersey-based Video Services.

1992 Format adjustment sparks a fan backlash.

2010

Program director Andy Davis, 42, dies from a heart attack while swimming.

Roger Vaughan sells 101.1 FM to WOSU.

Station goes live on CD102.5.

Randy Malloy purchases intellectual property from Vaughan.

2015 Crowdfunding campaign to purchase license is unsuccessful.

2020 Program director Mason Brazelle, 53, dies after suffering an ulcer.

CD102.5 briefly goes off the air and then goes live on CD92.5.

CD92.9 goes off the air but continues to broadcast on the internet. 2024

Clockwise from top left: Former WWCD owner Roger Vaughan; a shrine to the late WWCD program director Andy “Andyman” Davis at the CD102.5 station in 2011; Davis poses with children of station employees in 1997 ahead of his annual Andyman-A-Thon, an on-air charity fundraiser.

He knows the music genre may not be for everybody, but believed it was worth trying to harness the goodwill the station had built in the community. “You’d have to be an idiot not to try to carry on that torch when you’re looking at what our competition is,” Litton says. “Everybody says radio is dying as a medium, and here’s a poster child that shows that it’s not.” Without a deal to use the WWCD trademark, 93X runs the risk of being just another corporate alternative station. Delmar says it will try out the current format but may not stick with it. “What we do long term is still up in the air.”

WWCD had three more years on its lease at 92.9 FM, but Delmar had notified the station the rent would be going up. So, rather than continue to lease, WWCD president Randy Malloy wanted to buy it. Delmar and Malloy agreed in principle to a $1.4 million price and a 10-year payment plan but couldn’t reach agreement on the terms. Emails between Malloy and Delmar show the biggest sticking point was over steep fees for late payments that would result in default after 10 days. Malloy told Delmar the penalties were unreasonable; Delmar believed they were necessary because of Malloy’s history of tardiness.

When the sale fell through, Delmar expressed interest in continuing CD92.9 under the same call letters and perhaps even the same staff. Malloy, who has owned the station’s intellectual property since 2010, informed Delmar it could not simply assume WWCD’s identity; it would need to buy it. When Delmar put out a press release announcing its intent to continue operations as WWCD, Malloy immediately countered that it did not have the legal right to do so. Delmar backed down and rebranded the station as 93X.

The failure in negotiations—which even prompted a Jan. 31 letter from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown urging both sides to “exhaust all options toward a compromise that would keep the station on the air and the workers in their jobs”— created hard feelings between Delmar and the WWCD fanbase. Both Malloy and Litton say they feel like they’ve been publicly misrepresented, even though their respective accounts aren’t all that different from each other. Ultimately, what killed WWCD is what made its existence so unlikely back in 1990: Inde-

pendent radio is more of a labor of love than a business strategy.

“It’s sad,” Maggie Smith says. “The voice of Brian Phillips in the morning is such a Columbus thing. It feels really strange to not have it around.” But stranger still is that the station lasted as long as it did. Musical tastes can be fleeting; radio stations often flame out or change formats trying to keep up with them. And yet WWCD endured for more than 33 years. The first Columbus radio station to play Nirvana lived six years longer than Kurt Cobain.

“Everyone who was there was there because they truly just loved it and believed in it,” says Shawn Ireland, who co-hosted the CD101 morning show from 1996 to 1998. Ireland has worked at a number of Columbus media outlets over the years, including WNCI, Sunny 95, WCOL, 93.3 the Bus and Fox 28’s Good Day Columbus. She says WWCD was different from all of them. “It was love. These people just loved this music so passionately, and that’s why they worked predominantly for peanuts.”

Randy Malloy looked exhausted but cheerful Jan. 28 as he served drinks at the CD92.9 Big Room Bar. A live music venue and watering hole upstairs from the radio studio, the Big Room was hosting a celebration to mark the station’s last weekend. Malloy—who started at the station as an intern in the early 1990s—struck a defiant tone, suggesting there could be a way to get WWCD back on the air. He pointed out that he’d rescued the station before and was pulling out all the stops to do so again. Malloy still had hope, though he didn’t seem to have a plan.

Nearby, Jenelle Blankenship was soaking up the scene in between bands. A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Blankenship first heard CD101 when she was a sophomore in high school in 1999 while it was playing “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” by Modest Mouse. “I’d never heard anything like it,” she said. Ever since, she had been a devotee to the station and its staff. “I’ve never turned back,” she said. “They’re incredible human beings, and wherever they go and whatever they do, I’m going to find them and support them.”

WWCD had roughly two kinds of listeners. There were the folks who may have had the station first or second on

From top: WWCD morning co-hosts Brian Phillips and Daryl Summers in 1994; WWCD’s morning team in 1996: from left, Brian Phillips, Shawn Ireland and Michael Palermo; a small sampling of the numerous passes Randy Malloy has collected from events during his 30 years in radio.

PHOTOS FROM TOP: DORAL CHENOWETH III, JEFF HINCKLEY, TIM JOHNSON

‘‘

Ultimately, what killed WWCD is what made its existence so unlikely back in 1990: Independent radio is more of a labor of love than a business strategy.

their car radio dial—Gen Xers who grew up with R.E.M. and New Order; millennials who grew up with Radiohead and The White Stripes. Then there were those like Blankenship, who didn’t just love the music but also the people who played it. They spoke in their own coded language: Lounge Points, Andyman-A-Thon, the 5 Spot, Frontstage, Independent Playground. These phrases were meaningless to most people, but very much part of the WWCD vocabulary. “It’s become a lifestyle,” says longtime morning host Brian Phillips. Considering how much WWCD embraced and was embraced by the Columbus community, it is surprising that the station originated as a Jersey import. It was launched by New Jersey-based Video Services, which soon sold the frequency to a local businessman named Roger Vaughan. Sometime around 1992, Vaughan decided to broaden the format in order to attract new listeners. So you might have heard The Doors in between Garbage and Joy Division. The reaction from many of CD101’s core listeners was swift and furious. For a time in the early-to-mid ’90s, you could show off your personal punk rock purity by slapping a CD101 SUCKS bumper sticker on your car.

As the Nirvana-fueled radio revolution pushed alternative rock into the mainstream, corporate radio stations began testing out the market. The competition seemed to inspire a degree of soul-searching, pushing CD101 to figure out what it wanted to be. By the turn of the century, WWCD had settled on an alternative music format that was just mainstream enough to maintain a sustainable radio audience. Along with rock bands like Blur and The Strokes, it showcased hip-hop, like OutKast, and

Five Columbus Songs You Might Recognize from WWCD

• “Long Live Doug (Standing),” Howlin’ Maggie (1996)

• “Can’t Be Myself,” Watershed (2002)

• “Used Kids,” Earwig (2006)

• “Electric Flame,” Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons (2016)

• “Momentary Coastal Fatigue,” The Secret Life of Houseplants (2022)

Randy Malloy, sitting next to a mannequin named Adele Rootstein, covers with his left hand a swear word on his T-shirt.

A CD101 1990 PLAYLIST

• “Happy,” Ned’s Atomic Dustbin

• “Kool Thing,” Sonic Youth

• “Stop!” Jane’s Addiction

• “Ball and Chain,” Social Distortion

• “You’re Not Very Well,” The Charlatans

• “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” Sinead O’Connor

• “Velouria,” Pixies

• “There She Goes,” The La’s

• “Candy,” Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson

• “Personal Jesus,” Depeche Mode

even a bit of alt-country, like local artist Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons. The station’s team members created partnerships with arts organizations and prioritized local music. They built relationships in the community. WWCD could not afford a subscription to Nielsen Audio Ratings, so it’s anybody’s guess how they ranked in local listenership. But even if they weren’t the most popular station, they may have been the most beloved, repeatedly honored in reader surveys by Columbus Monthly and other local outlets. They were alternative—and yet very much part of the Columbus establishment.

Back onstage at the Big Room Bar on Jan. 28, Angela Perley began her set. “It’s such an honor to be here,” she said between songs. She smiled. “I don’t usually do drugs or drink before shows, but today I’m breaking that rule. It’s that kind of day.” Perley had more reason than most to mourn the loss of WWCD. She is among a handful of Columbus-based artists who were elevated to a degree of local stardom thanks in part to regular airplay on the station. Tracks from Home-

made Vision, the 2016 album by Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons, received so much airplay that they regularly landed at No. 1 on the station’s daily roundup of the most requested songs. Over the past three decades, other local bands found their songs in heavy rotation—not out of charity to the local music scene, but because listeners wanted to hear them.

“Tons of bands benefited, but nobody benefited more than Watershed,” says Colin Gawel, singer and guitarist for Watershed, a Cheap Trick-inspired band that has been playing shows and releasing music since the 1990s. Gawel says it was Andy Davis—CD101’s longtime program director, known on the air as Andyman—who first played Watershed’s song “Star Vehicle” in 1998. “I ran into him, and I said, ‘Thanks for playing our song. That’s really nice,’ ” Gawel recalls. “Andy said, ‘Colin, I’m not doing it to be nice. I have a theory we can do local music between other bands, and it just needs to sound like it belongs between Green Day and the Foo Fighters. And if I can do that, I can play other local bands and put them in the rotation. But if it doesn’t

Local band Watershed, a longtime WWCD favorite, performs at the station’s Farewell Fest in late January.

work, I’m probably going to get fired.’ ” Davis didn’t get fired. Instead, he became the public face of CD101—until he died in a tragic drowning in 2010, the same year Roger Vaughan sold the 101.1 frequency to WOSU. At the time, the deal was announced as a win-win: WOSU now had a station to broadcast classical music all day, and WWCD could now be heard on a stronger radio signal, 102.5. But it was an ominous sign of the station’s finances. As CD102.5, WWCD no longer owned its frequency; it was now renting from the Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting System. And renters can be evicted.

Recognizing this, Malloy—who had purchased WWCD’s intellectual property when Vaughan sold the frequency—launched a crowdfunding campaign, supported by the Columbus arts community, to raise between $1 million and $5 million toward the purchase of the 102.5 signal. Malloy has never announced how much was raised, but five years later, WWCD was booted off the air, going silent for a few days before finding its final home at 92.9.

The morning of Jan. 31 was an emotional rollercoaster for Brian Phillips. Broadcasting one last time from the studio on South Front Street, Phillips cried on the air while talking about his kids, now adults, who had grown up around the station. He waxed nostalgic, recalling morning show stunts from decades past, and he cheered up when Michael Palermo, who had been Phillips’ morning show co-host in the 1990s, made a guest appearance in the studio. “I don’t mean to sound like I’m whining or anything, but it’s been really emotionally draining,” Phillips said between songs. “It’s been like going to an Irish wake every day for three weeks.”

Phillips joined the station in 1994 and served as its morning host for most of WWCD’s tenure, sometimes with a cohost or two, but in later years, by himself. Over the years, he came up with entertaining segments—Trending Topics, Rock Band or Not, Dead or Canadian, What Would Morrissey Do?—but mostly, he played songs. Shawn Ireland, who had been part of WNCI’s Morning Zoo, noticed the difference in CD101’s morning show format when she was hired to join Phillips and Palermo in the mid-

‘90s. “The Morning Zoo has always been around the personalities, with the music secondary,” she says. “It’s the other way around at CD101.”

Even on his last day, Phillips seemed to be playing music as much for himself as for his Central Ohio audience. He turned up the sound in the studio on Echo & the Bunnymen’s “The Puppet,” closing his eyes, nodding his head to the beat and mouthing the lyrics, like any other middle-aged rock ’n’ roll fan. “It sucks,” he said, before putting on the song. “People ask me what I’m going to do next, and I haven’t even thought about it.”

WWCD continues to exist, streaming music through its website, CD929fm. com, for those fans—and if anyone has

them, it’s WWCD—devoted enough to listen to an online station. Malloy hopes to continue paying the remaining staff, which includes Phillips and the other onair hosts, with revenue from streaming ads and listener club memberships. The website continues to list upcoming concerts and sells an assortment of T-shirts with the CD101, CD102.5 and CD92.9 logos, depending on which era of the station is your personal favorite. The brand endures. It just isn’t a radio station anymore.

“It’s always a big deal to hear yourself on the radio,” Watershed’s Gawel says. “I’m going to miss this, driving around and hearing myself. This isn’t going to happen anymore. This is gone.” ◆

Backstage at WWCD’s Farewell Fest in late January

Fans dance along to the band Cold War Kids at CD102.5 Summerfest in 2013.

Homeport president and CEO Leah Evans at Easton Place Homes, one of the nonprofit’s affordable housing developments in the Easton area

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

Helping Hands

Homeport CEO Leah Evans wants to bring more people to the table to solve the region’s ongoing affordable housing crisis.

Leah Evans grew up in the 1970s and 1980s in Cleveland Heights, an inner-ring suburb that sits just up the hill from University Circle. She lived near museums, colleges, world-renowned medical facilities, a bevy of amenities and a diverse variety of homes. As a child, she marveled at the freedom she had to walk to different places—school, church, the mall, the grocery store and even Girl Scouts meetings. When she visited her grandmother in nearby Shaker Heights, her mode of transportation was her bicycle.

Evans had friends in different areas of the city, including the Hough neighborhood. When she visited there, she noticed a stark contrast. The predominantly African American community had experienced historic disinvestment following the Hough Riots of 1966. As documented by Case Western Reserve University, observers believed the neighborhood was vulnerable to such an outbreak because of substandard and overcrowded housing, stores that charged inflated prices and instances of police harassment.

“That neighborhood was so different from mine,” Evans says. “What did that mean and why was that so? That early exposure to different geographies led me to have an interest in the built environment. Why can I walk to so many different places but my friends don’t walk anywhere in [their neighborhood]? Seeing the differences made me think, ‘Why are some places better than others? Why are some more valued?’ ”

Those questions led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in urban geography and a master’s in city and regional plan-

By Laura Newpoff

ning from Ohio State University. That education would serve as the foundation for a long career in planning and economic development. In 2021, Evans was named president and CEO of Homeport, the largest affordable housing provider in Central Ohio and a resource for homebuyer education, financial fitness and down-payment assistance. She leads the nonprofit as it and others in the affordable housing space grapple with the fact that 54,000 low- and moderate-income households in Franklin County pay more

‘‘

“There’s an opportunity to bring more people into affordable housing. We can show why it matters and the positive impact it has on other community issues.”

LEAH EVANS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, HOMEPORT

than half of their income for housing, according to the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.

On top of that, a February report from Bank of America revealed that Columbus leads the nation’s big cities in population growth with a 1.1 percent year-overyear gain in the third and fourth quarters of 2023. In other words, the affordable housing crisis time bomb is ticking.

Moving Into Urban Development

Evans, 47, began her career in 2002 as a business development representative at the Ohio Department of Development. She spent nearly six years there, including as a credit analyst, before joining the city of Gahanna in 2009 as its first economic development manager. There, she worked with Sadicka White, a Black woman who then was the director of planning and development. White had spoken to one of Evans’ graduate classes and made a lasting impression.

“I wanted to emulate her and be a public servant out here working to have a positive impact on the community,” Evans says. “That exposure really helped boost my confidence walking into these types of jobs that didn’t always have diverse candidates.”

Evans was involved in several significant projects during her tenure with Gahanna, which included serving as deputy director of planning and development. These included the Hamilton Road corridor improvement plan, building a high school annex and office and retail space on a former Kroger site, and attracting tenants to the Creekside District. She felt connected to the “real-life impact” the projects had on residents and what it was like to deliver services they wanted.

In September 2013, she left Gahanna to join Homeport as its director of home ownership. “I wanted to get into more central city, urban development and see how housing can change and impact a neighborhood on a block-by-block level,” she says. “How can we advance an individual through housing?”

Evans spent five years in that role and

was promoted to senior vice president of real estate development in 2018 before she was named to the top post. As Homeport’s CEO, she oversees 37 employees and an annual operating budget of $5.96 million.

Emmett Kelly, Homeport’s board chair and a board member since 2014, helped select Evans following a national search. Her real estate development experience, knowledge, passion and leadership skills made her the right person for the position. “She’s a tremendously positive human being and has tremendous energy and passion for what she does,” says Kelly, a partner at the Frost Brown Todd law firm. “Her knowledge is beyond compare. She understands the financing, development and programs. She has the full package with respect to that. I’ve always been impressed with her absolute grasp of what we do, the operations of the industry and the solutions needed. I really like Leah Evans. I’m a huge champion of hers. … When she steps into a room, she impresses people.”

The History of Homeport

Evans plans to use her experience in business development, project management, community building and data gathering “to set a larger table to get more people engaged in the housing conversation.”

“We need to make affordable housing urgent,” she says. “Let’s help more people know what’s happening with the market dynamics and get more people involved to course correct. There’s an opportunity to bring more people into affordable housing. We can show why it matters and the positive impact it has on other community issues. We often hear about how we want people to have more access to transportation so they can access jobs. We want better schools, and we want better health outcomes. Housing is foundational to all of that.”

As Evans goes about her work, she has an organization behind her with a storied history in local real estate development circles. The seeds for Homeport were sown in the mid-1980s when a study conducted by Columbus City Council, the Franklin County commissioners and the mayor’s office recommended the creation of a special nonprofit to develop housing for low-income families.

The idea drew immediate interest from Central Ohio’s most prominent real estate players, notably Irving and Mel Schottenstein of M/I Homes, developers

Michael Roebuck in the kitchen of his Hamilton Crossing apartment in Whitehall

Maggie Parks and her son, Bryan, outside their Milo-Grogan home in 2023

7,209 total residents served

275 new residents housed

650 residential capacity of in-progress developments

BY THE NUMBERS

Homeport highlights from 2023

481 children participating in out-of-school programs

255 clients who became homeowners

223 evictions prevented (impacting 651 residents)

$615,463 emergency assistance awarded

7.1 years average resident’s stay

103,061 meal equivalents delivered to six communities

Housing Advisory Services Demographics

Source: Homeport 2023 Impact Report

Donald W. Kelley and Bob Weiler, and commercial broker-developer Max Holzer. How would this new nonprofit be structured? Kelley took a trip to Reston, Virginia, to find out. There, he met with James Rouse, an accomplished mortgage banking firm owner, developer and early proponent of urban renewal who created what’s now called Enterprise Community Partners Inc. with his wife, Patricia. Their goal: to make sure every American has a decent, affordable home.

Kelley noticed that Rouse tapped the expertise of his top retired mortgage professionals, product buyers, architects, lawyers and land planners so the foundation could bring projects to life in an affordable way. Rouse visited Columbus and, according to Homeport, was “attracted by the strong sense of community” and believed an affordable housing initiative could be supported.

Soon, a campaign was launched by developers, prominent philanthropic families and government officials to raise several million dollars to get the venture off the ground. With seed money raised by the city, the Columbus Foundation, the faith community and business leaders, an organized shelter system (Community Shelter Board) and Columbus

Neighborhood Partnership (later the Columbus Housing Partnership, then Homeport) were incorporated in 1986 and 1987, respectively.

At Homeport, Don Kelley says an initial board of 12 people got the work started. It included himself, Weiler and Holzer and other well-known real estate professionals including HER founder Harley Rouda Sr. and Dan Galbreath, then chairman and CEO of the Galbreath Co. They began by improving neighborhoods on a house-by-house basis on the city’s South Side, one of the poorer areas of town. That’s where Kelley grew up during the Great Depression in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home that cost $6,500 to build.

“We realized, with the knowledge of the people we brought together, that if you have a house that’s a sore in the middle of a neighborhood, it makes all the other good properties near it sores, too. The bad tends to bring down the good,” says Kelley, who is now 94. “We bought some of those houses for $25,000 and fixed them up, and that improved the neighborhood and created an affordable home for someone to move into. That was the initial thrust. Homeport has done a terrific job of providing affordable

housing ever since then.”

Maggie Parks and Michael Roebuck can attest to that.

In fall 2023, Parks celebrated five years of owning her home in Milo-Grogan. She purchased it after completing Homeport’s Home Readiness course and receiving down-payment assistance. The 45-year-old had rented her whole life and wanted better living conditions for herself and her son, Bryan, who now attends Columbus State Community College. The $460 monthly mortgage payment for her 1,500-square-foot home is less expensive than the $495 she paid to rent a 700-square-foot house. “As a parent, you want to be able to leave something and do something for your child,” she says. “To me, it means everything. Being a single parent, sometimes it’s hard to do all the things you want to do for your child, but this is something I can pass on to him and tell him, ‘This is your stake in the world, son.’ ”

Roebuck, meanwhile, had a long career in Columbus radio starting in the 1980s but fell on hard times when the smooth jazz radio station where he did voice work went defunct in 2010. He lived in several mold-infested environments and lost his voice as a result. In October 2020, Roebuck moved into Homeport’s Hamilton Crossing apartment community in Whitehall, which has 64 affordable units for seniors 55 and older.

Living in a mold-free, smoke-free environment allowed his deep baritone to come back, and he has started emceeing events. “Within seven months of living here, my voice started coming back stronger and stronger. When I was away from the mold, my lungs healed,” Roebuck says. “For years it was a thin, raspy whisper. People would call to ask me to emcee or do commercials and when they heard me answer the phone they would say, ‘Oh, wow.’ That took a lot of money streams out of my pocket.”

Housing and Economic Development

Housing is considered affordable when the occupant pays no more than 30 percent of their gross income for housing costs, including utilities. Those who spend more are considered to be cost-burdened. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Regional Housing Strategy report cites five core housing issues:

• Increased market competition, driven by population growth, insufficient

housing construction and continuing impacts from the Great Recession

• Barriers such as disparities in lending practices, creditworthiness, housing instability and discrimination

• A limited supply of homes priced for low-income households

• Demand for homes that serve a range of ages, abilities and household sizes

• Housing instability, shown in local rates for factors such as cost burden, evictions, homelessness and homes needing repair

The top barriers to affordable housing, according to MORPC, are: not-in-mybackyard attitudes and negative impressions of density and affordability; lack of centralized information and varied local land use policies and standards; higher development costs; insufficient capacity to meet demand for help with rental assistance and repairs; and overreliance on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits due to a lack of gap financing.

The housing crisis is having a direct impact on Central Ohio’s economy and workforce availability, says Bill LaFayette, owner of economic consulting firm Regionomics, who shared insights from his 2024 economic outlook report at the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s annual Blue Chip Economic Forecast, held Jan. 3. LaFayette predicts Central Ohio, for the third consecutive year, will fall well short of the national average for employment growth.

The Columbus metropolitan statistical area saw robust population growth between 2010 and 2020, but between 2020 and 2022, the region lost about 1,400 more people than it gained. “We can hope that the slowdown in population growth is a temporary impact of the pandemic,” LaFayette told the audience. “But our region’s shift from a big net importer of population from domestic origins to a net exporter to domestic destinations is really troubling. We don’t know anything about these folks and where they are moving to. But one very likely cause was the impact of the housing market.”

According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s quarterly House Price Index for the Columbus metro area, he said, prices nationwide are up 79 percent since 2016 compared with 93 percent locally. And since 2012, rents in Franklin County have increased 20 percent after inflation—5 percent higher than the national average.

In December, the median home listing in Columbus was $275,000, up 8.6 percent year-over-year, according to Realtor.com. Apartments.com shows average rent in the city at $1,068 per month. “It is quite possible that people have been leaving the area and others haven’t moved in because they can’t afford to live here,” LaFayette told the audience. “The problem is one that has been discussed on this stage before: a lack of housing development.”

Like LaFayette, Amy Klaben sees a connection between housing and economic development. Klaben was the president and CEO of Homeport from 2000 to 2015, helped establish the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio and now is the president and CEO of Families Flourish (formerly known as Move to Prosper). The nonprofit aims to help families through programming and support related to housing, education and wellness.

“As jobs are created, housing is needed at all price points to serve the needs of the labor pool. Our region must connect these two activities, and I believe that whenever incentives are provided to attract companies to our region, incentives need to be provided to build housing. This is part of our communities’ infrastructure,” Klaben says.

There are several recent developments that could help:

• In November, the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County and 11 government and corporate investors unveiled a $60 million AHT Regional Impact Fund to create more housing units.

• In December, Columbus City Council voted to create a citywide Community Reinvestment Area in an effort to generate more affordable housing. Qualifying new residential developments get a 100 percent, 15year tax break.

• A new $100 million, state-specific tax credit is dedicated to the construction or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing.

• The CONVERGENCE Columbus initiative aims to increase Black and minority homeownership through a vast network of coalition members from government, banking, nonprofits and corporations.

Gauging Homeport’s Impact

Homeport’s mission is to “create strong

communities by developing quality, affordable homes on a cornerstone of dignity, security and opportunity.” The nonprofit’s latest Impact Report shows it provided housing for 275 new residents in 2023 and had projects in the works to accommodate 650 more. Throughout the year, 7,209 residents were served through food assistance, financial assistance, and homebuyer education and counseling programs.

“We’re going to stay laser-focused on residents, that’s not going to change, and meeting our mission of closing the housing gap is not going to change,” board chair Emmett Kelly says. “Developing more properties is something we want to expand upon, and part of that is taking advantage of the state and federal [LIHTC] programs and looking at other alternatives in the marketplace, including partnering with market-rate folks and pursuing all avenues so we can develop more space to meet that mission of closing the gap.”

For example, Homeport recently partnered with developer CASTO to build the Killarney Woods apartment community in Blacklick.

Homeport isn’t tackling the crisis alone. The United Methodist Church’s

Community Development for All People ministry works with an array of partners on affordable housing and other community issues. This includes a venture with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to rehabilitate and repair homes near the hospital’s main campus.

“The South Side has a history of valuing diversity across backgrounds, race and class; this is a multiclass, multiracial neighborhood,” says Katelin Hansen, CD4AP’s chief financial officer. “People here value that legacy. A lot of what we have been trying to cultivate is the continuation of a diverse, mixed-income, opportunity-rich neighborhood where all people can belong and thrive. We see a collective value in radical hospitality for all people.”

Challenges persist. This includes making sure existing affordable housing stays that way, in part by ensuring landlords continue to accept Section 8 renters. Additionally, as homes are repaired, it reduces the number of blighted properties where homeless people seek refuge, so establishing more warming centers and smaller, place-based shelters is critical, Hansen says.

The Columbus Urban League has acted as a HUD-approved homebuy-

er-education and down-payment assistance provider for 13 years—efforts that have created 321 new homeowners and $38 million in mortgages, according to Stephanie Hightower, the organization’s president and CEO. She received Homeport’s highest honor last year—the Voice & Vision award—in recognition of her fierce advocacy for the housing and economic needs of Central Ohioans, including championing fair housing and taking an active role to prevent housing discrimination. “We know housing is foundational and essential for our families,” Hightower says. “It’s a factor for everyone who walks through our doors, whether they seek us out for financial literacy or career mobility. We can never underestimate the irreversible link between housing and security, stability and economic success.”

Hightower also points to numerous ongoing challenges, such as a surging number of people who are homeless and the eviction crisis that disproportionately affects communities of color, especially Black women.

Meanwhile, the Kelley and Weiler families have created the Columbus Housing Enterprise to preserve affordable housing through the philanthropic commitment

of private sector leaders. The nonprofit organization is led by the Rev. John Edgar, who formerly led CD4AP, and Evans is a board member. CHE partners with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority to buy apartment complexes to keep them affordable. “The apartment business has been good to us, and we want to give something back to the community,” Kelley says. “It’s that simple.”

Evans and others who work in the affordable housing space stress the importance of a regional approach to solving the crisis. That’s why Homeport, with funding from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, is redeveloping the Delaware County Engineer’s property. The 44 LIHTC units will include a mix of apartments for households earning between 30 percent and 70 percent of the area’s median income.

“I love the energy of our team, our board members and partners, and we’ll continue to seek out ways to stay relevant,” Evans says. “We’ll continue to ask, ‘What do we need to do to continue to serve the market in a robust fashion?’ That will include looking for more opportunities to serve housing needs as we continue to support the growth of the entire region.”

Clockwise from top left: Maple Meadows on Maple Canyon Avenue in Northland; Kenlawn Place on Cleveland Avenue in Linden; Mulby Place on Cleveland Avenue in Linden; Easton Place Homes, off Morse Crossing near Easton

Sam Bodary’s

Family Album

Nearly seven years after a harrowing incident involving his father, the Hello Emerson frontman faces his fears on the indie-folk band’s remarkable new record, ‘To Keep Him Here.’

By Joel Oliphint

On Wednesday, July 12, 2017, in the middle of his workday at Battelle, Sam Bodary got the type of phone call no one wants to receive. His mom, Susan Bodary, told him his dad, David Bodary, had been in a serious accident while driving home from Michigan. She wasn’t sure what happened, and she didn’t know if her husband would be OK. She’d call back later. In the stillness of the moment, Sam stared out the window, aware that his family had just begun a new chapter.

After work, Sam, a singer-songwriter and guitarist, tried to continue his evening as planned, heading to a friend’s house to practice for a wedding gig. But as he harmonized lines from Justin Timberlake’s cover of “True Colors” from the “Trolls” soundtrack, he knew at any moment his mom might call to tell him he’d never see his dad alive again.

A song from an animated kids’ film isn’t Sam’s usual fare. Since his band Hello Emerson released its first album in 2017, the musician

has turned heads with literary, chamber-folk songs that are full of heart, recalling acts like the Mountain Goats and Bright Eyes. Bodary’s masterful songwriting uses small details to reveal big ideas and deep emotions, often in the span of a three-minute folk-pop song.

“It’s like looking through a keyhole, and then you see the whole picture,” says Bela Koe-Krompecher, founder of storied Columbus label Anyway Records, which released Hello Emerson’s brilliant 2020 album, How to Cook Everything. Koe-Krompecher compares Sam to Randy Newman and puts him in the upper echelon of Columbus songwriters like Joe Peppercorn of the Whiles, Zac Little of Saintseneca and Lydia Loveless.

Back when I worked at now-shuttered alternative weekly paper Columbus Alive, we named How to Cook Everything the best local album of 2020, writing, “Sam Bodary has a knack for isolating tiny droplets from life’s gushing firehose, zooming in on them

until they clarify and reflect something larger.” On that record, Sam explored what it means to be from the American heartland (“Am I the Midwest?”) and interrogated the idea of “legitimate force” locally and abroad (“Another War”).

On the evening of July 12, Susan’s second call finally arrived. She needed her son to drive up to Michigan first thing in the morning. David might need surgery, and he might not make it.

When Sam arrived, he sat in the corner of the neurosurgical ICU with his guitar, looking at his dad in the hospital bed— eyes closed, ice packs around his head, a spot of blood on the pillow. He wondered if his father would ever wake up. And if he did wake, would he be the dad Sam knew and loved? The warm, chatty guy with big, soft eyes who made dinner for the family? The dad who was always there when Sam got home from school?

Sam noticed the pitch and cadence of the beeps coming from the hospital machinery, and he started to quietly pick out an accompanying melody on his guitar, which he eventually turned into a song, “In the Corner.” He wrote a couple of other songs about the experience, too. And then another, and another. Now, nearly seven years after a tree branch changed the Bodary family forever, Hello Emerson is releasing those songs in the form of a gorgeous, remarkably vulnerable new album, To Keep Him Here, out March 29 on Anyway Records and German label K&F Records. Anchored by snippets of a 2019 StoryCorps conversation, the band’s third record is part documentary, part meditation on memory, mortality and family. It’s also Hello Emerson’s best album yet.

“Can I play something to keep you here?” Sam sings at the end of “In the Corner,” repeating the line with more and more urgency, louder and louder, until the band pulls back and the question hangs in the air, desperate for an answer.

Sfamily moved to the Dayton area, where Susan grew up, so that David could begin a teaching job at Sinclair Community College. From the get-go, Sam had an old soul—quiet, observant, thoughtful, cautious. The Bodary family loves to tell the story of 7-year-old Sam in the backseat of the car, asking his mom, “You have insurance, right?”

“He wasn’t one of those wild and crazy boys,” says Annelise McNally, Sam’s older sister.

Young Sam had an eye for detail. He noticed everything, no matter how small. In sixth grade, when asked to write about what makes a house a home for an essay contest, he zeroed in on one thing—juice stains—and won the competition.

As the middle child, Sam aimed to please while his supportive, encouraging parents provided him with a safe, loving home in which to reflect and unpack emotions. That introversion, though, also led to frequent self-imposed isolation and quiet sadness. He could get trapped inside his head as he tried to manage loneliness and persistent depression.

At Kettering Fairmont High School, Sam joined the choir and became a vocal percussionist in the school’s a cappella groups. When his cousin mailed him a USB drive full of indie-folk bands like Bon Iver, the Decemberists, Sharon Van Etten and Andrew Bird, he fell in love with the music and started getting serious about the guitar. “I was annoyed at myself for not contributing something to this thing that I was getting so much out of,” he says.

After graduating from high school in 2013, Sam headed to Nashville to pursue a music-related career at Belmont University, but he quickly realized the school wasn’t a good fit. The next year, he transferred to Ohio State University, where he studied English and became enthralled with David Foster Wallace’s writing on loneliness and depression.

He also began volunteering at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. “When I was doing this heavy, fiction thesis and this after-school programming stuff, I realized, one of these is a lot better for the world,” Sam says, so he continued volunteering at the Linden branch long after his 2016 graduation.

In college, Sam spent a lot of time at Kafe

Kerouac, an eclectic hangout and local-band incubator on High Street just north of campus. In 2015, local musician Jack Doran noticed Sam’s talents during Tuesday openmic nights, and soon the two were playing together in Hello Emerson. Dan Seibert, a classical percussion major, lived near Sam in Baker Hall West and connected with him at a Newport Music Hall concert, eventually taking over drumming duties in Hello Emerson, which allowed Doran to focus solely on piano. Other collaborators would come and go, but Bodary, Doran and Seibert remain Hello Emerson’s core trio.

The Kafe Kerouac scene also introduced Bodary to Lars Hiller, a German who played in a band that shared a bill with Hello Emerson. Hiller and Bodary became fast friends, and after Hello Emerson issued its first proper album, Above the Floorboards, Hiller re-released it in Germany on his own label, K&F Records, and invited the band to play some shows overseas. Hello Emerson has toured Germany three times, with a fourth set of shows coming in May.

amuel Emerson Bodary is a Michigan native, but just barely. In August 1994, 10 days after his birth in Pontiac, the Bodary

Hello Emerson, from left: Jack Doran, Sam Bodary and Dan Seibert

Above the Floorboards showcased what anyone who had seen Hello Emerson already knew: Sam had a way with words. But it would take more time before he discovered how to pair his literary lyrics with similarly memorable melodies. That first record arrived in August 2017, about a month after David Bodary got out of his car to investigate a downed tree limb.

David Bodary was heading back home to Ohio from the family’s cottage in Pinckney, Michigan, on July 12, 2017. Susan had left earlier that morning for a work obligation, but David stuck around a little longer, packing his Volkswagen Beetle and then hitting the road around noon. The wind picked up, and it started to rain as he drove south on Baker Road toward I-94. About half a mile from the highway, branches from a huge oak tree blocked the road.

He could have turned around; there are other ways to get to I-94. But finding a different route wouldn’t solve the tree problem for all the other drivers on Baker Road that day. So he pulled over and got out of the car.

And that’s where things get fuzzy. Bystanders told medics and law enforcement that part of a branch snapped, knocking David to the ground. They say he hit his head on the asphalt and lost consciousness for several minutes. When he came to, people asked him where he’d come from and where he was headed. He didn’t know, but he had his car keys in hand and was ready to get back on the road. One bystander, reportedly a nurse, convinced him instead to get in an ambulance, which took him to University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. His brain began to swell.

Back in Ohio, Susan had barely been home an hour when she noticed an incoming call from David’s phone. She picked up, but instead of her husband’s genial voice, an EMT told her to come to the hospital. She hung up and began talking to herself aloud: “Put your shoes on. Grab the stuff you left by the back door. Put it back in the car. Turn around. Start driving.”

On the drive north, she spoke with a sheriff’s deputy and, eventually, a neuro-

surgeon, who told her David had a serious head injury. She could hear her husband moaning in the background. Susan knew she had to call her three kids: Annelise, the oldest, and a mother herself; Sam, 2 ½ years younger; and Lily Bodary, a teenager at the time. Of the three, Sam tended to be the calmest, so Susan called him first. “I needed him to shore me up,” she says.

When the accident happened, Sam shared an Old North house on Glenmawr Avenue with Doran, who would stand in his friend’s doorway and talk most nights. He remembers how emotionally overwhelmed Sam seemed the night before he drove to the hospital in Michigan. “You obviously want [your dad] to live, but you’re also trying to get yourself ready for death,” Doran says.

At the hospital, David would periodically wake and ask the same question: What happened? Doctors debated whether they needed to operate to relieve pressure in his head. They opted instead to treat the swelling with medication. It worked. After a few days, everyone began to get more hopeful. David could get up to use the bathroom, but he needed help. “His hands on my shoulder felt smaller and more fragile than ever,” Sam says.

David and Sam Bodary

David spent nine days in the ICU before recovering in Pinckney, which at first required 24-7 care. He needed daily speech, physical and occupational therapy. His short-term memory took time to return, too. One day, Susan left David listening to a Detroit Tigers game and told him to stay put while she took a shower. Instead, he ventured down the wooden basement stairs (a big no-no) and moved a 50-pound carpet (another big no-no).

“I was as angry as I’ve ever been. I yelled more than I’ve ever yelled in my life. I literally closed myself in the room and just sobbed. I didn’t know what to do,” Susan says. “He didn’t understand that if he fell again, that could be it.”

After that, Susan posted a sign near the steps: “No stairs without a wingman.” The sign is still there. These days, she also avoids the Baker Road exit off I-94; driving by the scarred oak tree reminds her too much of the accident.

Over time, David made a nearly full recovery. He permanently lost his sense of smell, and he has less of a filter now in social situations—a trait he has come to value. “Certain filters are unnecessary,” he says.

Sam began to think of the ordeal as a dress rehearsal for the day when he will likely have to say goodbye to his parents. He wrote the song “Tough Luck” about that experience, and he got to play an early version of it for his dad in the summer of 2019, when the two met for a recorded conversation in StoryCorps’ converted Airstream trailer, which was parked in the Short North. But he needed more time and distance from the event to write additional songs.

Sam doesn’t rush anything. He’s intentional about every part of his life, which he organizes using a customized, daily habit tracker (for sleep, running, reading, sitting quietly and writing), along with a “Weeksheet” that includes ranked priorities, meal prep, groceries and other categories.

It’s an impressive organizational feat, especially for someone who doesn’t turn 30 until August. “I demand a lot of structure from my life in order to then deal with uncertainty. If I have those structures in place, it allows me to operate really well in ambiguity,” he says. “I was raised Catholic. I went to church every Sunday. I don’t really align with that at all, but I think the practice of spending so much time in church, where the patterns are predictable, leads me to be really intentional with my patterns at home.”

Last year, Sam began sharing parts of his journaling routine on Hello Emerson’s Instagram account, which found its way to the online journaling community. Some of the videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views, and followers often ask Sam for more details about the Weeksheet and the journal. At press time, the band was approaching

in February.

20,000 Instagram followers. (You can download the customizable Weeksheet and habit tracker for free at helloemerson.com/store.)

Every day, Sam handwrites the “thesis statement of my life” in his journal: “I aim to ease loneliness in myself, my community and people I haven’t met.” That’s a more accomplishable mission now than it used to be. After college, he worked at Battelle for five years, then taught at the Metro Schools for a year. He decided to switch gears again, pursuing his longtime passion by working at CML’s Linden branch, a job he describes as “a vector through which to ease loneliness for people.” (He recently moved to the Karl Road branch.)

“At the library, I get a green light to be a supportive uncle figure in the neighborhood,” says Sam, who lives in North Linden. “It feels really good to be a known entity and a trusted adult.”

Making records is another vector for fulfilling that mission. How to Cook Everything showed a huge leap in Bodary’s mastery of songcraft. “He approaches it almost like an engineer, but it’s very poetic,” Koe-Krompecher says. A few weeks after Hello Emerson’s album release show in 2020, the world shut down amid COVID protocols. And while that may have ruined any career-related momentum for the band, that’s not why Sam makes music. The art’s reason for existing is inherent in its creation, not its commercial viability or other outcomes, which gives Hello Emerson the freedom to create exactly what the band wants to create.

Bodary performs with Hello Emerson at Rambling House

Initially, “Tough Luck” was slated for that sophomore album, but Sam held it back, thinking maybe it belonged alongside other material exploring the same theme. The pandemic gave him the time and space to work on those songs, which became To Keep Him Here. Much of the album spells out what happened on July 12, 2017, nearly verbatim. Take the first few lines of “Tupperware for Glass,” sung from Susan’s perspective: “I know I never call you on a workday/And I’m gonna call your sisters after this/We’re not quite sure what happened/We’re calling it an accident for now/There isn’t more that we can do/I’ll call you back/ When I got a bit more news.”

The first time Seibert, the percussionist, heard “Tupperware,” Hello Emerson was playing a show, and the rest of the band left the stage while Sam performed the song solo. The gravity of it hit him right away. “Approaching that as a full band, I knew every note needed to be very intentional, because every word that Sam is saying and every note that he’s playing is very intentional,” Seibert says. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

In January 2022, Sam, Seibert, Doran, bassist Ben Ahlteen and recording engineer Tony Rice decamped to Pinckney over a long weekend to record the basic tracks at a former retreat center that Sam’s uncle rehabbed for big family gatherings. Sam was organized and ready, of course. “He had a nicely laid out spreadsheet for us with comments, mixing schedule, tracking schedule. There’s a column for each name of each song and revisions,” Rice says. “I use that in my work now with my clients. It’s brilliant.”

The songs hit Rice in the heart. “Even after repeated listens, it never really lost the weight,” he says.

Seibert wrote arrangements for the songs, enlisting Knisely, a local chamber quartet of clarinet, violin, piano and vibraphone. Knisely’s beautifully minimalist, experimental sounds became the connective tissue of the album, linking spoken-word sections with more traditional songs. Seibert envisioned the arrangements as a film score or musical theater, where Knisely is the Greek chorus.

“Dan probably doesn’t get enough cred-

it,” says Hiller of K&F Records. “He has this massive talent he secretly carries around.”

The band pressed the vinyl version of To Keep Him Here at Musicol in North Linden, leaving no space between the tracks; it’s meant to be played front to back. The packaging is infused with meaning, with vintage photos of David on the cover and insert and family initials etched near the record’s center.

Last year, the Bodary family listened to the whole record together for the first time. Gathered around couches in the rec room at David and Susan’s place in Kettering, tears flowed early and often. Some family members had to walk away briefly. “We hadn’t really sat around and talked about what we’ve been through,” says Sam’s older sister, Annelise. “We probably should have had a family therapist there. It was pretty intense.”

It also brought them closer, as Sam sings on “Tough Luck”: “We’re more like a family than we’ve been in years.”

On the last Friday night in February, Hello Emerson played a soldout show at Old North venue Rambling House to celebrate the release of “Church,” the second single from To Keep Him Here. Sam comes alive onstage, contorting his face, making direct eye contact with the audience and playing with loud-quiet-loud dynamics. “He must live in those words, because he performs them so naturally,” Rice says. “It’s like he’s talking to you off the cuff.”

Sam’s parents came to the show, and during certain songs, David—dressed in professorial khakis, button-down and sweater vest—stood behind his wife with one hand resting gently on her shoulder as if to steady himself for the emotional weight of the songs. Other times he dropped his hand to grab hers. Certain lines elicited knowing glances, laughter, cheers and applause. David always looks as if he’s smiling, at least a little bit, but on this night he radiated contagious joy mixed with pride as he watched his son do what he was made to do.

It all could have been different, of course. Nothing is guaranteed, including—especially—life itself. Family members responded in different ways. Annelise got a tattoo of a bluebird, which reminds her of her dad. Susan plans to retire this year from a demanding job in education policy. Sam wrote songs. And

David, after being spared, couldn’t help but wonder: Why am I still here? What’s my purpose?

For one, he’s pretty sure he was only trying to be helpful on July 12, 2017, and that same impulse remains. “I couldn’t see how I could keep living and not keep doing the things that I would do,” he tells Sam in the StoryCorps interview. “And one of those things would be to stop and help people move a limb off the road.”

In fact, after conversations with his wife, David realized he didn’t want to change much at all. He wanted to keep doing the same thing he’d been doing for nearly 30 years: teaching. “I always belonged in the classroom. ... I love helping people become the best versions of themselves,” says David, the chair of Sinclair’s Department of Communication. “It’s somewhat reassuring to think that I was in the right place, and I can continue to be in the right place.”

David claims it’s anticlimactic, but it’s a remarkable realization. Imagine enduring a near-death experience and emerging on the other side with a rare chance at a do-over. After taking stock, instead of hatching grand plans to travel the world or making bumper-sticker promises about living life to the fullest, you decide to keep doing the things you were already doing, because you were right where you belonged all along.

When Sam looks at his dad now, he sees the “quiet, humble peace of living a really good life, and doing things that are super meaningful and helpful for the world that don’t require a whole bunch of recognition,” he says. “I think I’m seeking what he found. And I think I’m closer to that than I’ve ever been.” ◆

The album cover of Hello Emerson’s To Keep Him Here

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EDUCATION: Undergraduate: UC- San Diego; Medical degree: Case Western Reserve University; Internship/ Residency: The Ohio State University

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In-house Lab Technician

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From left to right: Ray Yon, Dr. Abelhamed, Dr. Purcell, Dr. Mizumoto

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

home & style

Joyful Art

Gallerist Sharon Weiss celebrates 30 years in the Short North.

By Ashley Alt

Sharon Weiss Gallery, owned and operated by the passionate and charismatic Sharon Weiss, is not your ordinary art gallery. Comprising three little houses in the Short North (each embracing their own flair and style), it’s a mainstay of the neighborhood that has evolved alongside the dynamic arts district.

January marked Weiss’ 30th year in business as a gallery owner and art collector in the Short North, a testament to not only her love of her work but to the Short North in general. “We had a party when I hit 25 years,” Weiss says. “At 30, we can just be proud of our work.”

The three locations of Sharon Weiss Gallery are joyfully filled with antiques, gifts, books, abstract paintings, watercolor paintings, stills and more.

You have run a successful art gallery in the ever-changing Short North neighborhood. What is your secret to success? I think because I love art. I love the Short North, and I love people. It’s the energy here—it’s so vibrant, and it’s such an exciting area to be in. Things are changing all the time, and the change is keeping me young. If you’re curious about the changes instead of fearful of them, I believe you will be successful.

What draws you to art? Why are you so passionate about it? I am passionate about being surrounded by things I love—things that bring me happiness, peace and fond memories. My dear mother taught me the importance of living with what brings you joy—art in all its glorious forms brings me joy!

You have recently dedicated “The Little Blue House” to four different female artists, all coming together in one venue. How did you choose the female artists, and why was it important for you to dedicate the space to women artists? I chose four women artists for 24 Lincoln Street Art Studios, now affectionately called “The Little Blue House,” because I knew they were serious painters [who]

Locations include 12, 20 and 24 E. Lincoln Street. More information can be found at sharonweissgallery.com.

would appreciate their own studio space in the arts district of the Short North. We have dedicated “The Little Blue House” to women artists because [they] have worked hard over the years to take their rightful place in the art world. When you look at the history of women in the art world, we’ve taken a back seat to men. Columbus [however] has been so welcoming to women.

What are your thoughts on the Columbus art scene as a whole? What direction do you see galleries like yours taking? We happen to live in a city with excellent art programs. Whether you’re looking for vintage or contemporary pieces, you can find it here. I am so very proud to be a part of the Columbus art scene in the fabulous Short North. The art scene will continue to change, and with those changes I hope to see collaboration in all areas of the arts in Columbus. With collaboration, the arts will prosper and continue to grow. ◆

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

Longtime Columbus art dealer Sharon Weiss at her Short North gallery

A Cabin in the Woods

A well-connected couple turns their historic home along the Scioto River into a gathering spot for friends and family.

A historic photo of the original log cabin hangs in the Calhoon home.

By Jill Moorhead

Photos by Tim Johnson

Home & Style | Home

In August 2022, Tom and Donnette Calhoon hosted a 100th birthday party for their Norwich Township home in the Woods off Dublin Road. The Calhoons are veteran hosts. Both are fixtures in nearby Hilliard; Tom is a prominent real estate agent in the West Side suburb and a former Hilliard school board member, while Donnette spent 36 years teaching English in Hilliard City Schools. Their home has been a central gathering point for events over the years, hosting bridal luncheons and showers, two wedding receptions (one a surprise and one their own), birthdays, swim parties, baby showers, prom photo shoots, company parties for Tom’s real estate firms, faculty parties, Delta Tau Delta reunions and more.

What makes their home such a hot ticket (in addition to the couple’s connections) is the unique setting: a symmetrical log cabin built in 1923 on 1.3 acres of land along the Scioto River. The Calhoons first viewed the home on a snowy day in 1983. Shortly after purchasing it, they hosted the first of their many gatherings—their wedding on May 27, 1984. (And although the home has many memories, they both independently assert that bringing their daughter Brittany home from the hospital is their favorite.)

Additions have been built in the past century, with the external walls of the cabin transitioning to internal structures, visible to anyone who walks through the front door. Logs chinked with rope indicate the original interior structure, Tom says, while the ones lined with cement were the exterior. Inspired by the Wigwam, the famous local retreat once owned by the Wolfe family, Tom added the cement chinking shortly after moving in.

The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom house contains no flat ceilings, no window coverings and has its original wooden floor throughout. An original, two-sided fireplace serves as a divider between the entryway and the home’s dining room, and four furnaces add to the heating of the home. The couple added a built-in credenza to hide the duct work in the dining room, which has original beams from the cabin on the ceiling.

The kitchen, originally the bulk of the house, is lit with ambient light (from original windows), and skylights and a built-in pantry were added shortly after they moved in. Throughout the home, spaces left by the removal of windows and doors have been converted into hobbitlike nooks with shelving and storage spaces. What they lack in storage space, they make up for in creativity. Hidden spaces in the vaulted ceilings have become closets.

The Calhoons made their most substantial change in spring 2004, redesigning their family room in preparation for Brittany’s high school graduation party. Nicknamed the River Room for its seamless view of the Scioto River, the expansive space was a previous addition

Clockwise from top left opposite page: Donnette and Tom Calhoon in the River Room, a space they renovated in 2004; the spacious kitchen features skylights and a built-in pantry; an open dining room leads to the River Room overlooking the Scioto; decorations are displayed in a nook in the kitchen.

that did not match the historic nature of the home. “The rest of the house was authentic and refined,” Donnette remembers. “I said, ‘Please, can’t we remodel this room?’ ”

The Calhoons worked with architect Jim Dietz, co-founder of Grandview’s Behal Sampson Dietz and father of one of Brittany’s best friends, to transform the space. “One of our charges was to reflect the character of the existing home,” he says. Working in partnership with the Calhoons, Dietz found solutions to create a more consistent feel by sourcing split wood and logs and creating ceiling beams to match. “Finding the size and nature of the beams was key,” he remembers. “We went through many samples of size and type and texture before we found what we wanted.”

The project added cherry, built-in shelving, a fireplace with a custom mantel and an update to the adjoining wet bar, which serves as a second kitchen. The renovation was completed one hour before the party, with the final touch being the unplanned addition of the letters ABC (Brittany’s initials) on a side door.

Tom recalls that they spent as much on the room as they originally did on the house, but it’s also the room that gets the most use, both during the couple’s many gatherings and when it’s just the two of them. “This [room] is where we live when we’re in Columbus,” Donnette says. “I think it’s my favorite because it made everything come together from the front door on. Plus, it’s where all the people come. There have been a lot of good memories in this room.”

Home & Style | Home

life is better BY THE LAKE

The River Room’s large, affixed, green tartan plaid rug and black baby grand piano are core to the home’s design style, which is a preppy and refined palate akin to Ralph Lauren. Antique sporting goods from the 1920s serve as the home’s central décor theme, and much of their furniture was custom made in England. Countless Fiji mums from Market Blooms adorn Waterford Crystal vases in nearly every room.

When asked to describe their style, Tom replies, “[Donnette’s] big thing is to say, ‘Simplicity is the essence of good taste.’ ” Donnette quickly agrees, before adding, “But it’s not my line.” (The quote is first attributed to Cary Grant.)

They both agree that Christmas is the best time of year to be in the house. Perhaps it’s because the décor already features deep hunter greens and pops of regal red. Or perhaps it’s because they first saw the home on a snowy day.

“I like the snow because it covers the imperfections,” says Donnette, who is likely the only one who can see said imperfections. “This is the hardest place I’ve ever lived in as a human being, but it’s so wonderful to entertain. I believe that you need to honor and celebrate people.”◆

Left, hobbitlike nooks with shelving and storage spaces have been added throughout the home; opposite page bottom, the River Room renovation added built-in shelving, a fireplace with a custom mantel and an update to an adjoining wet bar.

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Cut flowers are displayed by a log cabin door.

More Time to Build

A delay in the massive Intel project may give Central Ohio home builders a chance to catch up.

By TC Brown

Time is a treasured commodity in the real estate world. So, Intel’s February announcement that the opening of its $20 billion chip manufacturing plant in New Albany could be delayed by at least a year was seen by some in the housing-starved Central Ohio community as a gift.

Construction has been continuing on the plant since the 2022 groundbreaking, but the computer chip giant cited the current business climate as one reason for the delay, possibly to the end of 2026 or beyond. The new plant, along with its subordinate businesses and other national companies opening facilities here, is expected to spur growth over the next 25 years, adding more than 725,000 residents that equals about 272,000 new households.

“This potentially gives people a little more time to put infrastructure in place and build some of the structures we need as this project takes hold,” says Jon Melchi, the executive director of the Building Industry Association of Central

Ohio. “If some of the commercial activity slows for a period of time, we can ramp up the residential activity and maybe catch up.”

The need for housing now and in the future is pronounced, while continued scarcity could lead to rising costs. Builders constructed just over 12,000 new homes in 2022 and about 13,000 in 2023, but an additional annual build of 6,000 to 7,000 is needed. About 3,200 homes at all price points were available on the market at the start of 2023, about 2½ times fewer than what real estate agents would like to see, says Scott Hrabcak, president of Columbus Realtors.

“Intel is just one of many developments going on around Central Ohio so this delay may help bridge a little bit of the gap, but there is so much pent-up demand I’m not sure it moves the needle a ton,” Hrabcak says. “The supply and demand curve is still the challenge, and we are upside down until we can reach a tip-

ping point to move the inventory needle in multiple price points.”

Utility providers like the Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District, responsible for water and sewer connections in the Intel region, are the foundation for business and residential development. Intel’s announced delay was not unwelcome in his quarter, says Jim Roberts, the organization’s executive director.

The district is capable of providing 3.5 million gallons of water and treating 2.65 million gallons of sewage per day. In the next five years, the district hopes to increase that volume to 10 million gallons a day for each system.

“Because our growth needs hit so suddenly, this gives us a little more time to catch up with what we think the needs are going to be,” Roberts says. “With the delay of Intel, we haven’t put anything on hold or delayed any of the things we think we need to do. We’re still trying to be ready and available when people want us.” ◆

A new home is listed in Hebron’s Lake Forest development in Licking County. With Intel’s massive project delayed, home builders may be able to catch up to meet demand.

Top 25 Real Estate Transactions

Jan. 1-31, 2024

PRICE ADDRESS

$2,932,500 9 Edge of Woods St., New Albany

BUYER/SELLER

Austin and Lauren Germain from Timothy G. and Shannon Baxter

$1,730,000 8850 Trimmer Road, Centerburg 8850 Trimmer LLC from Mark J. Hatheway

$1,650,000 1608 Liberty Bluff Dr., Delaware Lisa K. Collier from Susan Cider

$1,635,000 2480 Coventry Road, Upper Arlington Andrew F. and Brooke M. Farber, trustees, from Christopher T. Cramer

$1,633,701 Bevelhymer Road (no number listed), Plain Township

$1,600,000 939 Riverbend Ave., Powell

Mitchell S. Challacombe and Alexandra Petrillo from Tuckerman Home Group Inc.

Donna and Timothy Grittani from David B. and Michelle E. Renton

$1,500,000 5670 Elmgee Dr., Delaware Li Zihai from Jonathan R. Tabor, trustee

$1,497,000 1795 Riverstone Dr., Delaware

Krishna and Lavanya Rayapudi from Stephen D. and Jana C. Thomas

$1,395,000 5776 Evans Farm Dr., Lewis Center Brandon Childers from Todd Eric and Christina Marie Cameron

$1,322,500 1999 Collingswood Road, Upper Arlington

Anna F. Baerman and Alexander J. Powers from SK Homes Collingswood LLC

$1,300,000 6431 Olentangy River Road, Delaware Lewis E. and Janice A. Miller from Daniel J. Dillon

$1,295,000 8189 Creek Hollow Road, Jefferson Township

Candace Rich and Benjamin A. Carrle from Dein and Magdalene Boyle

$1,250,000 2225 Haviland Road, Upper Arlington Louisa M. Sethi and James H. Martinez from Bryan P. Monesi

$1,200,000 3909 Criswell Dr., Upper Arlington

$1,200,000 7758 Tillinghast Dr., Dublin

Stay up-to-date with Columbus CEO’s mobile-friendly enewsletter. Delivered to your inbox each week, Columbus CEO Insider has the latest Central Ohio executive news and happenings, as well as local events and more.

Alan and Kaori Becker, trustees, from Mark S. and Mary B. Fisher

Amanda L. Sexton and Andrew J. Graf from Richard K. and Kathryn E. Florek

$1,199,500 2428 Swansea Road, Upper Arlington Spencer G. Wilk, trustee, from Compass Homes Inc.

$1,175,254 6104 Deer Bluff Place, Perry Township

$1,170,000 4712 Millburn Place, Columbus

$1,125,000 7721 Sutton Place, New Albany

$1,121,911 8128 Grant Dr., Dublin

$1,100,000 5584 Brand Road, Dublin

$1,042,000 500 Columbia Place, Bexley

$1,029,900 6412 Via Florenza Dr., Galena

$1,055,000 751 Civitas Ave., Columbus

Dennis R. Noice and Paula A. Edwards; no seller listed

Terri L. Greenbaum, trustee, from John J. and Cheryl A. Byrne

Jacqueline H. and Timothy Sokol from Kevin E. and Erica T. Klingerman

Richard and Kathryn Florek from Dublin Manor LLC

Stephen K. Gill and Rachel K. Teitt Gill from Ronald L. and Anne F. Geese

Cynthia S. Zimm from Joel and Erin Marcovitch

Janice D. Weaver from Romanelli and Hughes Building Co.

Tyler Shroyer and Megan McCrohan from Riser Strength and Conditioning LLC

$1,000,000 2270 Arlington Ave., Upper Arlington Kelcey Lynn and Gregory Michael Diment from Christopher D. and Rebecca M. McClung

food & drink

BY TIM JOHNSON

Where’s the bread?

Kate Djupe’s Granville Bread Co. is one of only a few wholesale bakeries in Central Ohio. Local bakers offer theories on the lack, Page 74.

PHOTO

Ghostwriter

Take a trip to Johnstown for a sophisticated yet approachable meal at this striking pub.

By Amy Bodiker Baskes

Driving northeast out Route 62 from Columbus, it’s evident change is coming to this part of the region. Construction crews are widening the road. “For sale” signs dot the rural landscape.

None of this change is surprising, with Intel’s plans to create a new chip manufacturing mega-site in Licking County next year. But it’s difficult to imagine such rapid transformation was anticipated when Ghostwriter Public House opened in Johnstown, 30 minutes from Downtown Columbus, in 2019.

Johnstown is one of those sleepy Ohio towns with a charming green at its center, in this case at the intersection of routes 62 and 37, where historic storefronts line its Main Street. Where today there are mega-fueling stations with 24-hour convenience stores on two of the corners, you can imagine horse-drawn vehicles from a previous century in this setting. Ghostwriter celebrates this contrast, blending appreciation for Johnstown’s historic elements while also bringing new life to its downtown.

Ghostwriter is a striking restaurant— for Johnstown or anywhere. Its owners, Denise and Dennis Blankemeyer, are the founders of Crow Works, an interior design firm and furniture manufacturer that supplies national chains including Wendy’s and Panera. Ghostwriter, which sits about an hour south of Crow Works’ Holmes County production facility, is custom-built to showcase the firm’s full capabilities.

Occupying two storefronts along Main Street, Ghostwriter is both classic and modern, approachable and sophisticated. Antique lettering on the windows, brass knuckle pulls on the beer taps, and vintage light fixtures recall an earlier era, while backlit rows of custom-made wooden tables and rich leather banquettes bring clean, modern lines to the space.

Both the restaurant’s dining rooms are anchored by prominent hardwood bars, reminding guests they are in a “public

Food & Drink | Review

house” (the origin of the word “pub”). Each bar is modernized with an oversized, ornately framed screen featuring rotating images of natural landscapes. Happy hour at Ghostwriter runs 4 to 5 p.m., but the bars are a great place to start any visit. I arrived early on one visit to enjoy an In the Kingdom ($14), Ghostwriter’s version of an Old Fashioned. It combines bourbon with vanilla bean syrup and orange and chocolate bitters, with a surprise splash of reposado tequi-

la that adds a welcome brightness to a drink that otherwise could be too sweet. I look forward to future visits this spring to sample a new wine and drink menu offered by Elizabeth Dietrich, Ghostwriter’s new general manager and sommelier. Similar to its interior, Ghostwriter’s food is both comforting and refined. Chef Bradley Balch delivers a tavern menu with a select if somewhat obvious collection of dishes rooted in “Middle America cooking,” according to its website. Ghostwriter

Bartender Laura Carter with a smashburger and Mary of Silence cocktail at Ghostwriter Public House in Johnstown

PHOTOS: TIM JOHNSON

elevates the classics with modern flourishes. The Caesar salad includes kale; there is black garlic in the mayonnaise.

For a restaurant built by people in the business of hospitality design, it’s not surprising that the window into the kitchen showcases the live-fire cooking being done on a wood-fired grill and hearth (also found on the patio outside). The lingering smoke in the dining room complements the smoky flavors on the menu. I enjoyed the wood-grilled cauliflower ($12), a simple and delicious starter that serves the charred vegetable with a side of citrus vinaigrette and rich aioli.

All of Ghostwriter’s small plates are exceptional, and a delicious full meal could easily be made of these offerings. Standouts include the Copia Farm deviled eggs ($10 for four pieces), with bits of crumbled bacon and pickles topping the rich yellow yolks, and the fried cheese curds from Black Radish Creamery ($14), which comes with two sauces—a creamy ranch dip and a sweet hot pepper relish. Both producers are Licking County businesses with farmstands a short drive from the restaurant.

Ghostwriter’s sandwiches offer great value and large portions. I enjoyed both the hot honey chicken sandwich

SHORTHAND

Ghostwriter Public House

49½ S. Main St., Johnstown ghostwriterph.com

740-809-1104

Hours: 4-9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Sunday

If you go: Take a country drive to enjoy a leisurely weekend brunch on Ghostwriter’s stunning back patio in mild weather. Will you choose sweet (challah French toast, $15) or savory (chilaquiles, $15)?

($18) and the RL Valley smashburger ($19), each served with a generous portion of fries.

More sophisticated menu items were less solidly executed than the pub fare. The braised short rib ($35) was colorful, gorgeous and fork-tender, but the disappointing lack of flavor left me won-

dering whether any salt was used in the dish. The wood-grilled airline chicken ($28), also colorfully garnished with bright pink roasted beets and lime green sprouts, was too heavily smoked for my palate.

Despite these few misses on the menu, Ghostwriter provides a terrific local tavern experience in an elevated setting. The delicious pub menu and admirable collection of craft beers, wines and cocktails combine for a unique experience in Johnstown. With the recent addition of a new private event space and a few overnight rooms available on Airbnb, Ghostwriter’s expansion seems prescient given the growth coming to the region. ◆

Smashburger with fries at Ghostwriter Public House in Johnstown.

From top: Wood-grilled airline chicken and brass knuckle beer taps

Sarah’s Bread

The owner of Katalina’s pays tribute to friend and master baker Sarah Black.

By Kathleen Day

Renowned baker Sarah Black died on Feb. 15 after battling cancer the last few years. A Marion native, Black moved back to Ohio in 2015 after becoming well-known in the upper echelons of baking and cooking circles in New York City. Over nearly three decades there, she worked in a variety of restaurants and later established Tom Cat Bakery and Companio Breads to supply them with bread, earning acclaim from The New York Times for “bringing ciabatta to the U.S.”

Back in Ohio, Black helped open Flowers & Bread, a bakery and floral studio in Clintonville that has since closed. After she moved on from that project, she created Sarah’s Breads, selling bread-making kits, working with local farmers to source

heirloom grains and teaching classes at Columbus State Community College. She also published her cookbook, “One Dough, Ten Breads: Making Great Bread By Hand.”

The consummate baker, Sarah truly revered bread, imploring new bakers to respect the “living” dough, as she often referred to it. Her friend Kathleen Day, owner of Katalina’s Cafés, pays tribute to the life Sarah lived.

I first became aware of Sarah Black when we were featured together in an article on women food founders in Columbus. I was impressed with her baking chops and wanted to reach out, but as a harried, newish business owner, I didn’t do anything about it. Flash forward a few years when she asked me to put my spin on one of her bread kits. I didn’t do it justice—again, my busy life!—

but she was gracious and thankful, and we struck up an Instagram correspondence. She invited me to her baking presentations, and we soon bonded over our shared love of local, organic food, and especially heritage grains. Though I only made it to a few events, they taught me more than the Michael Pollan books I often quoted. Soon, her messages began getting more personal. She asked about a post I made about a long-term illness I had called sarcoidosis. I was curious because not many people know what to ask—or say— when they know you’ve had—or have—a debilitating illness. But soon, I gleaned that she had an illness of her own, one

Master baker Sarah Black, left, and friend Kathleen Day, owner of Katalina’s Cafés

much more dire. Sarah had cancer. Oh, the irony of two women obsessed with organic and whole food each coming down with a life-threatening illness. Lucky for me, mine was finally in remission. As for Sarah, she was soon periodically texting me from the James, a place revered for its cancer treatment. Of course, she mentioned how remarkably good the food was, and we both decided that in our next lives we would tack-

le the problem of horrific hospital food. As was our nature, I think we truly believed this would happen.

Though optimistic when it comes to “making the world better one little bite at a time” (a Katalina’s mission), we both had experienced too many health issues to be really optimistic about much but food, and Sarah was soon calmly telling me that she would be starting hospice. Not realizing

‘‘

Her laserlike focus, both in life and in baking, is the power behind her legacy. I’ll think of her every time I smell freshly baked bread as it wafts soulfully and subtly over a room.

how serious her illness had become until then, I finally took time out of my busy days to really, truly engage with her. For the new irony was that, as someone with so little time left, Sarah had all the time in the world when it came to connecting with people. I saw that she had been patiently pursuing a true connection with me for almost a decade. And so I vowed to make more time with my friend.

Some of our last communication surrounded my plans to interview and write this article about her. She brushed me off, but I pressed on, even giving her a proposed angle of writing about her legacy contributing to the Columbus food community. She mostly demurred but agreed that she at least liked the word “legacy.”

The next day, she reached out and remarked how much fun we would have and said how happy she was that I was her friend. She wrote in a different tone, confessing she was on really strong painkillers. I still choose to keep her specific words that day between the two of us, but they didn’t feel drug-induced. They felt “otherworldly.” I now see that she knew something I did not, and, for once, she seemed to be the one with too little time.

When I first heard the news of her passing, I looked back through our messages. In retrospect, she had known for a while that the end was near, and resolutely spared me that knowledge.

There’s a saying among cooks and bakers that you’re either one or the other. Cooks are creative, chaotic and inspired; bakers are precise, purposeful, deliberate. I am a cook. Sarah was the ultimate baker. Her laserlike focus, both in life and in baking, is the power behind her legacy. I’ll think of her every time I smell freshly baked bread as it wafts soulfully and subtly over a room—like Sarah did in my life. I think she’d like that. May we all be so lucky to have a legacy baker in our lives. ◆

Sarah Black shared her love for making bread by hand with many students at the Seasoned Farmhouse in Clintonville in 2016. She was known for her inventive flavor combinations, such as this citrus and rosemary focaccia.

Nancy’s and Starliner to Merge in Hilliard

Plus more in local food and drink news

By Nicholas Dekker

Openings & Announcements

In early February, Hilliard’s Starliner Diner announced that the bygone Nancy’s Home Cooking would be merged or reinvigorated there. It wasn’t clear exactly how the two businesses will coincide. Nancy’s was open on North High Street in Clintonville from 1968 to 2020, when it moved briefly into the shuttered Jack’s Diner space Downtown, before closing completely later that year. Starliner Diner originally opened in 1995 on Cemetery Road before moving to Old Hilliard in 2016.

Marlow’s Cheesesteaks became the newest permanent chef partner at Budd Dairy Food Hall, taking over Alphabetical Comfort Kitchen’s recently vacated space in early March. Shanika and Jomar Sheppard first opened Marlow’s in Creekside Gahanna in 2022; their Philly cheesesteak-centric eatery was named one of Columbus Monthly’s Best New Restaurants of 2023. Marlow’s had previously popped up in Budd Dairy’s Hatch incubator space.

Jennifer Williams and Scott Bowman, owners of Weiland’s Market, announced in late February their plans to sell the Clintonville grocery store to employees Daniel Phillips and Andy Russell. Williams’ father, John, co-founded the market with George Weiland in 1961; Williams and Bowman took over operations in 2011. The duo shared on Facebook that they wanted to retire after working in the market for many years and trusted Phillips and Russell to carry on the store’s legacy. Phillips is currently the market’s meat and seafood manager, while Russell

manages grocery, produce and beverages; they’ll assume ownership on April 1.

Coast Wine House in Dublin announced the addition of a full-service dining concept called Gene’s, opening steps from the wine bar at 91 S. High St. Heading up the kitchen is Coast’s chef and kitchen manager Bobby Moore, a Montreal native who has been with the company since 2020.

Columbus Food Rescue and Local Matters revealed that the two organizations have merged under the Local Matters name. Columbus Food Rescue fights food waste by rescuing excess food from grocery stores, caterers and restaurants, then directly distributing it to agencies serving food insecure people, including food pantries, shelters, supportive housing sites and drop-in centers.

Closings and Cancellations

Guy Fieri’s inaugural Flavortown Fest has been canceled. The event, which was set to take place June 1-2 on the Lawn at CAS, had been widely publicized since it was announced in November. Festival organizers did not specify a reason for the move in a prepared statement: “Thank you to all our Flavortown Fest fans for understanding and your support along this journey.” Refunds will be issued,

but anyone with questions can email info@flavortownfest.com.

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants closed El Segundo Mexican Kitchen in the Short North in early March. A reason wasn’t cited for the closing. El Segundo opened in the summer of 2021.

Matt the Miller’s Tavern quietly shut down its Polaris location at 1436 Gemini Place. The Polaris store has been removed from the company’s website. This leaves the Dublin restaurant on Avery-Muirfield Drive as the last Central Ohio outpost for the tavern; a Grandview location closed in 2020.

In early February, Rise Brands, the owners of Pins Mechanical Co. and 16Bit Bar + Arcade, announced the immediate closure of its two locations of Weenie Wonder. The hot dog-centric concepts were located at Easton and in Bridge Park, both attached to Pins locations. The owners teased a “fantastic new partnership” that would take over both spaces.

To keep up with the latest restaurant/bar openings and closings, visit columbusmonthly. com and subscribe to our food newsletter, Copy & Taste.

The longtime home of Nancy’s Home Cooking in Clintonville closed in March 2020.

Food & Drink | People

AFTER HOURS WITH

Alexia Orsburn of Littleton’s Market

The ‘Chopped’ champion chef came to Columbus from New York to launch a specialty market. She may have found a new home.

By Katy Smith

Lately, chef Alexia Orsburn’s typical day is long. She walks six blocks to Littleton’s Market in Upper Arlington to deliver the 7 a.m. breakfast service and stays until about 6 p.m. After that, the workday doesn’t end: “That’s my admin time. So when I get home, I just work on my computer.”

Orsburn brings 20 years of experience with some of the top names in New York to Littleton’s, a specialty grocery and café that opened in December in the expanded Huffman’s Market space in the Tremont Center. The market, owned by the Scantland and Littleton families of Columbus, offers breakfast and lunch, with plans to add dinner this spring. It’s also launching a bread bakery.

Since moving to Columbus in late 2023, Orsburn says her favorite thing about living here is the people. “I find them super nice. I had people randomly come in and congratulate me after the Chopped competition,” she says.

Orsburn coolly dominated her competitors during an episode of the Food Network show that aired in January, clinching her win by stir-frying bison, which kept the notoriously tough meat tender. The show was shot in November 2022, before Orsburn ever imagined moving to Ohio. She was invited to help lead the startup market by Littleton’s general manager Sam Harris, with whom she worked to launch chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Tin Building project in Lower Manhattan, a massive culinary market and food hall that opened in 2022.

Orsburn is a runner, and as busy as she is right now, she manages to get in about 2 miles a day, 3 or so on weekends. She’s

still traveling back and forth to New York to be with her family, including her husband, who is a film director, and 5-yearold son. She also has a 20-year-old son attending the Rochester Institute of Technology. Her family is contemplating moving here, she says.

The chef has been cooking since an early age—her grandmother was a chef. Born in Mongolia, Orsburn moved to Texas at the age of 16 as an exchange student. After studying restaurant management, she went to the French Culinary

Coffee habit: Orsburn doesn’t drink coffee for the first 90 minutes of her day. “I just wake up, have a nice warm cup of water and get my day going.” After that, she has one cup—black—and no more. She finds this method helps avoid afternoon crashes.

Institute (now called the Institute of Culinary Education) and lived in New York for 16 years.

One of the highlights of Orsburn’s week is on Tuesdays, when a Yoder Farms truck arrives from Amish Country. “I can get right on the truck and pick up all the good vegetables directly from him (Andy Yoder),” she says. It’s also nice that the prices for Ohio produce and meats are much lower than what Orsburn was used to in New York, she says, and the quality is high.

Power breakfast: Yogurt, granola and a little honey on top

Special night out: Dinner at Veritas and cocktails at Citizens Trust. “It feels like an old-school New York hotel with a big lobby, and the cocktails are delicious.”

Something Columbus needs: A high-end, Japanese-style omakase restaurant

Great takeout: Sichuan cuisine from ChiliSpot

Comfort food: Spicy Korean. “I’m very impressed with the Korean cuisine in Columbus,” Orsburn says

Alexia Orsburn at the recently opened Littleton’s Market in Upper Arlington

Food & Drink | Industry

Rising Challenges

Columbus foodies love artisanal bread. So why do we have so few bakeries?

By Jill Moorhead

On Friday mornings, Marco Auddino takes the ciabatta and focaccia dough started the previous day and turns it into loaves of artisanal bread. The process is a relay race, and it’s difficult to keep up with him as he power walks from room to room in the 10,000-square-foot facility owned by his family’s 57-year-old bakery. “You have to be in two places at once,” he says as an oven timer goes off and he disappears around a corner.

One of Columbus’ best bread bakeries, Omega, closed just before Thanksgiving after 20 years in the North Market Downtown. The North Market Bridge Park bakery, BREaD, didn’t last. Buckeye Bread Co., which supplied loaves to some groceries, closed last year after a short run. Laughlin’s and Lucky Cat are

still greatly missed.

But the closures aren’t due to lack of business or talent. Auddino’s Italian Bakery is expanding its artisanal bread program, adding sourdough, German rye and pumpernickel in the coming months. Matija Breads—a decade-old bakery providing wholesale products for Wario’s, Ray Ray’s, Alchemy Cafe and Kitchen and a few small retailers—is at capacity with both space and staffing. “All of the bakers I know are saying ‘no’ [to potential clients] because there’s so much demand for it,” says Kate Djupe, head baker of Granville Bread Co., which brings in more than $1 million in revenue a year, primarily through sales to restaurants.

Cleveland has at least nine bakeries

in a metro area of 2.18 million. Central Ohio has the demand for artisanal bread, but why doesn’t Columbus—with a metro population of 2.14 million—have the supply?

Perhaps it helps to define bread. There’s a gap between the Food and Drug Administration’s definition—a bakery product containing yeast-leavened dough, wheat flour, yeast and hydrating ingredients—and the not-so-shelf-stable loaves handmade by the aforementioned bakeries, suggests Matt Swint, owner of Matija Breads. “If you look at the ingredients of any of our products, you’ll see three to four, or maybe 10 ingredients. You’re not seeing dough conditioners, preservatives or fillers. There should be a difference between what is considered a bread and

Marco Auddino pulls freshly baked buns from one of the ovens at Auddino’s Italian Bakery.

PHOTOS: TIM JOHNSON

what is considered a bread product.”

Inexpensive bread options from big box retailers create a disconnect in what people see as value, says Dan Riesenberger, whose bespoke, handmade breads are sold under the Dan the Baker brand. “People don’t bat an eye about spending $15 on a cocktail,” he says. “But $14 for a loaf of bread, they say that it’s insane.”

Good bread comes at a cost, and that cost is rising with inflation. Auddino’s goes through 50,000 pounds of flour once or twice a week, and when prices of commodity goods increase, customers expect pricing to stay the same, Auddino says.

Equipment prices play a role, too. Although high-tech ovens can double hourly capacity, these investments are often prohibitive. “You don’t need a lot of equipment, but you need a bread oven, which can cost $40,000 to $120,000,” says Swint.

On a monthly basis, the bulk of expenses are labor and rent, says Auddino’s founder Michele Auddino. Auddino’s purchased its space near the Ohio Expo Center in 1998, which keeps it financially viable. “Today it would be $20,000 in rent,” Michele says. “I wouldn’t survive.” With coolers, product storage, industrial dishwashers and ovens, a bakery requires a large footprint.

Machines can help only so much, which is where labor comes in. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of labor has increased dramatically. Auddino’s pays its employees 20 to 25 percent more than it did pre-pandemic, and one of the ways it can keep costs low is that Michele, who retired, doesn’t pay himself, but continues to work 60 hours a week.

Finding funding for a new baking

operation is also a challenge. “Central Ohio doesn’t have any investment groups that focus on food,” Djupe says. Traditional banks find the food industry a risky investment, says Ana Assis, director of lending and sales for the Economic and Community Development Institute. Assis spent 26 years at the five biggest banks in Columbus before moving to ECDI, which does nontraditional (but high interest) lending for small food businesses. “To banks, the food industry is risky unless it’s a franchise. There’s high overhead and turnover. And it’s hard to survive through different economic crises,” she says.

A Labor of Love

Low margins. Hard physical labor. Prohibitive expenses. Yet still, Central Ohio’s few and mighty bakeries slog through. For the Auddino family, it’s about tradition. Michele goes to sleep at night thinking about making the next day’s bread, and Marco is following in his footsteps. “My dad started this way, and I’ll finish this way,” he says.

For Riesenberger, it’s community. “It’s a funny product to sell in this world and economy,” he says. “Bread is the black sheep of the world and doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. But I’m so thankful for our customers and the support we get through them. The human interactions make it worthwhile.”

And for Djupe, it’s therapy. “There’s something meaningful, soothing, calming, even on hard days. I’ve done harder jobs mentally and physically, and this is the one I don’t seem to get tired of; I just get tired,” she says. “At the end of it, I have something I can share. Giving people bread and sharing it—it’s a deeper connection.” ◆

Top to bottom: Artisan breads are in part created by hand at Auddino’s Italian Bakery; Marco Auddino adds flour to bread dough; a variety of breads baked by Kate Djupe with the Granville Bread Co., photographed at The Station in Granville, which is one of many local restaurants that use her bread.

Marco Auddino enjoys creating new styles of artisan bread such as this one, where hot sauce is baked into the bread

let’s eat

WHERE TO DINE THIS MONTH

Editor’s Note: Please call restaurants to check hours and menu availability.

$$$$ Very expensive, $26 and higher

$$$ Spendy, $16–$25

$$ Moderate, $11–$15

$ Affordable, under $10

NEW Restaurant has opened within the last few months.

Outdoor Seating

B Breakfast BR Brunch L Lunch D Dinner

2024 Best New Restaurants

Let’s Eat comprises Columbus Monthly editors’ picks and is updated monthly based on available space. Send updates to dghose@columbusmonthly.com

AFRICAN

Drelyse African Restaurant

Lisa Bannerman’s Tamarack Circle restaurant offers dishes from around the African continent, with a focus on Ghanaian fare. Think: waakye, jollof rice, banku and fried fish, spinach stew and much more. 1911 Tamarack Cir. N, North Side, 614-430-3350. LD $$

Wycliff’s Kitchen

The gregarious and charming Wycliff Nduati is usually on hand to guide diners through the menu at his Kenyan eatery. Dishes such as the karanga mbuzi (goat stew) make Wycliff’s a worthy destination. Be sure to pair dinner with notable sides like pilau (seasoned rice with meat) and kabeji (cabbage). 2492 Home Acre Dr., North Side, 614-772-3461. LD $$

AMERICAN

Asterisk Supper Club

Owner Megan Ada offers teatime and suppertime in a bibliophile’s dream atmosphere. Craft cocktails are served at a handsome bar, while the eclectic menu ranges from fancy grilled cheese to lamb chops. 14 N. State St., Westerville, 614-7764633. LD $$

Harvest Bar + Kitchen

From the owners of Harvest Pizzeria, these locations offer the same wood-kissed pies plus salads, sandwiches, burgers and more.

Visit columbus monthly.com to read about the latest restaurant openings.

940 S. Front St., Brewery District, 614-9477950; 2885 N. High St., Clintonville, 614947-7133. LD $$

ASIAN

Cobra

Though first-and-foremost a neighborhood bar, Cobra offers a creative menu of sandwiches, skewers and handmade pastas with Pan-Asian flavor profiles. Think: a chicken patty katsu sandwich, dan dan spaghetti and Cacio de Szechuan with mafaldine. The cocktails are on point, and the kitchen stays open late. 684 S. High St., Brewery District, 614-502-8863. D $$

Tiger + Lily Bistro

This inviting Downtown eatery features modern takes on Pan-Asian cuisine, such as lemongrass chicken or teriyaki tofu in a rice or salad bowl, chicken broth-based ramen, bubble milk teas and seasonal crêpe cakes. 19 E. Gay St., Downtown, 614-928-9989. BRLD $

BAKERY

Belle’s Bread

Tucked away in the same complex as Akai Hana, this French-inspired Japanese bakery is known for its outstanding pastries, cakes and treats. 1168 Kenny Centre Mall, Upper Arlington, 614-451-7110. BL $

Pistacia Vera

The crème de la crème of Columbus pastry shops, with macarons, croissants, éclairs, tarts, quiches and a small selection of sandwiches. 541 S. Third St., German Village, 614-220-9070. BL $$

BAR FARE

Olde Towne Tavern

Olde Towne East’s convivial bar brings libations to a once-thirsty neighborhood, as well as gourmet grilled cheese and pizza in the style of Youngstown’s beloved Brier Hill. 889 E. Oak St., Olde Towne East, 614-2522955. BRLD $$

Yogi’s Bar & Grill

A neighborhood sports bar and grill with music, large flat-screen TVs, a jukebox and gaming. The menu includes salads, sandwiches, wings, pizzas and wraps. 3880 Hard Rd., Dublin, 614-799-2660; 5857 Karric Square Dr., Dublin, 614-798-1772; 1126 W. Henderson Rd., Northwest Side, 614-9148117. LD XX

CAJUN & CREOLE

Creole Kitchen

This family-owned restaurant founded by chef Henry Butcher serves Louisiana classics like gumbo, po’boys and crawfish étouffée. 1052B Mt. Vernon Ave., East Side, 614-3723333. BLD $$

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

Way Down Yonder New Orleans Finest

Restaurant

Chef Yonder Gordon offers home cooking straight from the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. You’ll find po’boys, gumbo and other Southern favorites at her homey restaurant. Down by the Bayou, composed of fried fish smothered in Louisiana crawfish étouffée, is not to miss. 3847 S. High St., South Side, 614-662-8623. LD $$$

COFFEE SHOP

Parable Coffee

No tipping is customary at this progressive coffee shop across from Columbus Commons. The greenery filled space is ideal for sipping a sesame miso caramel latte (or a high-quality pour over). 149 S. High St., Downtown, 614636-0341 BL $

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co.

Qamaria is Columbus’ lone spot for Yemenistyle coffees and teas. Try the chai-like Adeni tea or go for a Yemeni pastry such as sabayah or honeycomb sweet bread. 3221 HilliardRome Rd., Hilliard, 614-742-7110. BLD $

GERMAN

Gemüt Biergarten

Housed in a renovated 1890s firehouse building, this locally owned brewery, beer garden and restaurant is a great neighborhood

spot to enjoy German-style beers and food. 734 Oak St., Olde Towne East, 614-725-1725. LD $$$

Schmidt’s Restaurant & Sausage Haus

Hoist a stein of beer and treat your stomach to some hearty German food and culture at this longstanding restaurant popular with out-of-towners and locals alike. Bring a friend to help you enjoy huge portions of sausage, Wiener schnitzel, Bavarian cabbage rolls and cream puffs. 240 E. Kossuth St., German Village, 614-444-6808. LD $$

INDIAN/PAKISTANI

Dosa Corner

This affordable, family-owned South Indian spot specializes in expertly thin, pancakelike dosas, uthappam and vegetarian curries. 1077 Old Henderson Rd., Northwest Side,

614-459-5515. LD $$

Rooh

This San Francisco import serves highend, “progressive Indian” fare. Go for the inventive cocktails, buzzy atmosphere and conversation-stoking dishes, such as sweet potato chaat, paneer pinwheels and lamb shank niharri. 685 N. High St., Short North, 614-972-8678. D $$$

LATIN AMERICAN

Brazilian Grill & Bakery

A Brazilian market and restaurant specializing in prato feito (often abbreviated to PF), which are blue-plate specials with beans, rice, fries and salad, topped with traditional Brazilian meats. 5818 Columbus Sq., North Side, 614394-9254. LD $$

Cilantro Latin Fusion

The owners of Cilantro food truck have a new dine-in restaurant serving a mix of Colombian, Venezuelan and Ecuadorian fare such as arepas, pabellon, patacones and more. 4852 Sawmill Road, Northwest Side, 614-966-1222. LD $$$

MEXICAN

Cuco’s Taqueria

Once a Mexican grocery store with a tiny taco counter, Cuco’s has grown into a full-fledged,

Baked

successful restaurant that still sells a few Mexican goods alongside ceviche, burritos, tamales, tortas and tacos al pastor. 2162 Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington, 614-5388701. BLD $$

La Casita

This small Mexican eatery makes up for its size with big character and taste. The menu offers burritos, carnitas, tortas and a large seafood selection. 1355 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-457-0823. LD XX

Los Guachos Taqueria

The brick-and-mortar version of the popular taco truck (461 Commerce Sq., West Side) offers all the truck favorites—authentic tacos, tortas and gringas—and, of course, the city’s best al pastor. 7370 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, 614-726-9185; 1376 Cherry Bottom Rd., Gahanna, 614-471-4717; 5221 Godown Rd., Northwest Side, 614-538-0211; 1121 S. Hamilton Rd., Whitehall, 614-852-3000. LD $

MIDDLE EASTERN

Habibi Grill

Chef Tarek Albast (former owner of Mr. Hummus) presents this hip Italian Village eatery specializing in Lebanese fare such as baba ghanoush, fattoush, kafta kebab and chicken shawarma. Tacos, burgers and pizza round out the extensive menu. 1131 N. Fourth St., Italian Village, 614-999-9909. LD $$$

Salam Market & Bakery

Freshly baked Middle Eastern breads are the highlight at this hidden gem. Try the khubz, an Arabic flatbread similar to pita, or the outstanding meat pies. 5676 Emporium Sq., North Side, 614-899-0952. BLD $

NEPALESE

Momo Ghar

Since 2016, Momo Ghar has gained a loyal following thanks to the handmade dumplings that co-owner Phuntso Lama and her crew make by the hundreds, weekly. No trip is complete without the bestseller, jhol momo. 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-495-6666. LD $

Sargam Restaurant & Bar

Specializing in Nepalese cuisine, Sargam’s menu includes momos and thukpa soup, plus a variety of biryanis and thalis. For dessert, be sure to try the gulab jamun or sevai kheer. 1371 Hentz Dr., Reynoldsburg, 614-892-7474. LD $$

SANDWICHES

NEW Buck City Sammies

The East Market vendor specializes in hefty deli sandwiches, like the Yo Adrian! with two types of salami, capicola, house pesto, mozzarella, mayo and arugula on sourdough. Buck City also sells deli meats by the pound. 212 Kelton Ave., Franklin Park. LD $$

Goood Friends

Jackie O’s on Fourth is home to this takeout window featuring seriously goood Midwestern sandwiches. Highlights include the Ol Faithful (fried chicken with Le Délice de Bourgogne) and After School Snack (fried bologna on telera roll). 171 N. Fourth St., Downtown. D $$

The Lox Bagel Shop

Kevin Crowley’s cute Short North shop offers handmade bagels that are boiled and then baked over a live fire. The shop’s namesake sandwich and the egg with pastrami sandwich are standouts. 772 N. High St., Short North, 614-824-4005. BL $$

SOUL FOOD

CJ’s Soul Food

Live music pairs with soulful cooking at this

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Momo Ghar

PHOTO: ROB HARDIN

Black-owned business. Try the fried okra, deviled eggs and smoked collards dip (a take on artichoke dip) to start, followed by barbecued rib tips, fried chicken and blackened catfish. Don’t skip Gia’s Banana Pudding. 1262 E. Powell Rd., Lewis Center, 614-396-8047. BRLD $$$

La Glory’s Soulfood Café

At La Glory’s, the staff works to make food that reminds you of Southern home hospitality, including various fish and chicken entrées, as well as classic sides like collard greens and cornbread. 3350 Allegheny Ave., East Side, 614-237-5844. LD $$

SOUTHERN

The Eagle

This Southern-style restaurant from the Cincinnati-based owners of Bakersfield features Amish fried chicken, spoonbread, craft beers and a large patio along High Street. 790 N. High St., Short North, 614-7453397. LD $$

Hot Chicken Takeover

Founder Joe DeLoss jumped on the Nashville hot chicken trend and hasn’t looked back. HCT does an excellent impression of Prince’s, the Nashville original—the fried chicken is juicy, super spicy (unless you ask them to hold the heat) and sits on a bed of white bread. 4203 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-754-1151; 4198 Worth Ave., Easton, 614-532-7435; 1417 W. Fifth Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614914-5086; 109 N. Hamilton Rd., Gahanna, 614-532-0249; 8715 Owenfield Dr., Powell, 614-695-6930; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-800-4538; 435 Polaris Parkway, Westerville, 614-954-0008. LD $$

STEAKHOUSE

The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek

While bourbon, barbecue and beef are king at Cameron Mitchell’s cozy steakhouse rehab of the old Hoggy’s barn, don’t miss the baked oysters, fresh salads and blackened red fish. Predictably, some prices are on steroids. 1370 E. Johnstown Rd., Gahanna, 614-855-9840.

BRD $$$$

The Top Steak House

For nearly 70 years, this Bexley palace of beef has offered award-winning, high-end cuisine (filet mignon, pork and lamb chops, and seafood) in a dimly lit, vintage, 1960s-looking haunt. 2891 E. Main St., Bexley, 614-231-8238.

D $$$$

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Hilliard has a thriving downtown filled with indoor and outdoor attractions. “I love the approach to planning, how they’re creating spaces for people to gather and enjoy the outdoors,” says Erin West, executive director of Hilliard Food Pantry Plus and a resident of the West Side suburb.

—STEVE WARTENBERG

Cycle City

“My family, we love to go on bike rides,” says West, adding their favorite route is the 7-mile Heritage Trail that starts in downtown Hilliard and extends north.

My Neighborhood Local Color HILLIARD

The Mighty Quinn

For West and her family— children Quinn, 26, Alea, 24, Kye, 21, and boyfriend Wil Baker—another favorite outdoor activity is disc golf at the 130-acre Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park.

“Quinn is the best, hands down,” West says.

Food Options Galore

Hilliard’s Station Park is filled with splash fountains, indoor and outdoor dining options, and an amphitheater. “It’s right in the middle of downtown, and we love being outside in the summer, and in the winter there are fires you can sit around,” West says. Some of her favorites are the tea at Coffee Con-

nections and the ciders at Crooked Can Brewing Co. “Especially the apple pie cider,” she says.

Farm Living

West is a regular at Kuhlwein’s Farm Market & Deli. “It’s in the middle of farmland and is a real farmer’s market,” she says. “They have a deli; I’m a ham girl, and I love the provolone … and you can pick pumpkins in the fall.”

Plenty of Purses

The food pantry’s facility was destroyed by a fire in July and is temporarily housed in a space provided by Hilliard United Methodist Church. “The generosity and compas-

sion of the community after the fire has been amazing,” West says, adding a new facility is under construction. The pantry’s annual Designer Purse Bingo fundraiser draws hundreds of people and raised $30,000 in 2023.

Tie-Dyeing to Help Dyenomite Apparel is one of the largest manufacturers of wholesale tie-dye clothing, and the Hilliard company provides free storage space for the pantry. “They have a great retail store that not too many people know about, and you can get really cool things for great prices,” West says.

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

Erin West of the Hilliard Food Pantry Plus at Dyenomite Apparel

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