Wellington students are dreamers, game changers, writers, leaders, athletes, mathematicians, explorers, artists, and thinkers.
And they are ready for tomorrow's world.
Join us for Experience Wellington NOVEMBER 17, 1-3 P.M.
The best way to get to know us is to visit campus! Join us for a special afternoon of tours and classroom experiences designed for students entering grades 5-12 and their families.
Helping students in preschool through grade 12 find their purpose and realize their potential for tomorrow’s world. wellington.org
COMPETITION 2024 COCKTAIL
Nov. 20, 2024 | 6-8 PM
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Columbus Monthly's Cocktail
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Guests will enjoy an evening which will include premier cocktails, music and entertainment.
Bartenders from some of Central Ohio’s favorite bars will share sips, competing for most creative cocktail in the city. Attendees will vote on the winner.
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28 THE BEST PIZZA IN COLUMBUS
Ranking pizzas is a time-honored tradition at Columbus Monthly, which has proclaimed the best pizza in town several times since our 1975 founding. Find out who won in 2024.
36 THE COLUMBUS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S MUSIC HALL
Will the city’s largest musical group see its plans for a new home come to fruition?
ON THE COVER: A large half pepperoni, half cheese from Tommy’s Pizza.
Photo by Tim Johnson
The choice for your orthopedic care is clear
Highly subspecialized surgeons, physicians and physical therapists. Unmatched surgical skill. Innovative rehabilitation and recovery programs. All working together to give every orthopedic patient at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center the chance for a successful recovery and a full return to an active lifestyle.
Scan the QR code or visit go.osu.edu/orthopedics to learn more.
12 LEARNING HOW TO THINK, NOT WHAT
The new head of school at Wellington is invested in developing critical thinking skills in students.
14 MASSAGE GARAGE
Kate Borges’ journey to becoming a healer was supercharged by her personal struggles. Now she’s helping others.
16 WHAT IS BUS RAPID TRANSIT?
Explaining BRT and LinkUS ahead of the vote on the transit development sales tax levy.
18 THE CREATIVE VOTE
A statewide organization is energizing artists to engage in the political process.
20 PICKLEBALL POWER PLAYER
Pam Lippy, once one of Central Ohio’s tennis stars, is dominating the pickleball courts.
22 THE LINCOLN SCHOOL MARCHERS
This Ohio civil rights story now immortalized in a book was the work of a group of moms in Hillsboro in 1954.
24 PEOPLE
Hat Day at Franklin Park Conservatory
26 DATEBOOK
Cyndi Lauper, Steve Martin and Martin Short, and Hakeem Jeffries Home & Style
74 HOME
Modern art meets German Village history in the abode of a jewelry industry couple.
80 TOP 25 HOME SALES
& Drink
82 CHILISPOT
Find lively Sichuan cuisine that will leave your tongue tingling and belly full.
84 CATCHING UP WITH ALANA SHOCK
The chef who created Alana’s Food & Wine is now doing popups and private dining.
86 BIRRIA HEAVEN
Martha’s Fusion Kitchen in North Linden is the place for Mexican family cooking.
The Columbus Monthly taste test brings you the apple that does it all. 88
Our monthly directory of where to dine
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Meet the chefs and learn about the top dishes at three of the region’s hottest new restaurants.
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Virginia Brown Brown is a freelance writer focused on travel, arts and culture. She spoke with Wellington’s new head of school— Page 12.
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CONTRIBUTORS
Nicholas Dekker
He’s Dr. Breakfast to us. Dekker, aka “Breakfast with Nick,” helped staff make it through 29 pizzas this month, looking for the best—Page 28.
Peter Tonguette
The longtime local arts scene writer chronicles the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s journey to plans for a new hall—Page 36.
Here’s to Standing in Your Dream
Iam a blessed person. It’s a deep privilege and such an honor that I get to spend my days out and about in our community, helping people tell their stories. Every time someone shares their experiences, I’m wowed by the trust people place in me to get it right, to treat their life histories with reverence and compassion.
Katy Smith katy@columbusmonthly.com
In September, I dropped by to congratulate founder LC Johnson on the opening of the newly built Zora’s House in Weinland Park, a space where women of color are invited to imagine, create, build, convene, lead, become. The ribbon-cutting for this colorful, stimulating, intensely creative building had been held the week before, and LC still had the look of someone in awe that she had done it. The thing had been done She made sure to share all the credit, of course. “The very first event we ever did [at the first Zora’s House] was a doula training for birth workers of color,” Johnson says. “When those first women walked through the door, I told them, ‘You are standing in my dream. This was a dream, and you are standing in it.’ With the opening of the new
COMMENTS
The Bell Ringer
Sarah Irvin Clark’s story about her good friend Gregg Dodd (“Joy Olympian,” September) inspired heartfelt messages of goodwill on Facebook. Dodd, marketing director at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, recently rang the bell to signify the end of months of cancer treatment for stage IV melanoma. “Such a great story from a great friend and PR pro! Such a great outcome from the warrior you are,” commented Shawn Ireland. “Beautiful story, friendship
Zora’s House, we are now standing in our dream. It has become such a collective dream of the community.”
Like LC, I get to stand in my dream every day. During the past month, that dream has taken me to visit iconic Columbus pizza shops now run by the founders’ children and longtime employees, bringing news that their pizza was named the best in the city according to our very scientific taste test. That dream has found me standing in the beautiful backyard garden dreamed up by a gifted healer, where I climbed into chest freezers full of ice water to find what awaits those who plunge. Most rewarding of all, my dream has led me into heartfelt conversations where deep sharing takes place and lasting connections are made.
All of that, to make the magazine you hold in your hands now. You are standing in my dream. Please enjoy it.
Editor, Columbus Monthly
and outcome,” said Cathe Price Moog.
Neighbor Love
Steve Wartenberg’s final edition of the back-page My Neighborhood column in the September issue focused on the writer’s own stomping grounds, Clintonville, and the descriptions rang true to WOSU reporter George Shillcock. “South Clintonville is easily one of my favorite neighborhoods I’ve ever lived in,” he posted on X. “The two ravines I walk to make it a
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.
wonderful place to get outdoors. And the nearby businesses are some of the best in the city.”
Front & Center | People
Truly a Top Doc
Joy Olympian
After reading our August Top Doctors cover story on Dr. Raphael Pollock, readers heaped praise on the cancer doctor and director of Ohio State University’s cancer center, who also lives with chronic leukemia. “Dr. Pollock is a visionary leader, an amazing scientist and a brilliant clinician. Glad to be working with him,” Ohio State professor Shaurya Prakash posted on X.
Gregg Dodd is well known in Columbus circles for the zest he brings to life—his and theirs. Battling stage IV melanoma during the past year didn’t dull his spark. My good friend Gregg Dodd rang the bell to signify the end of months of stage IV melanoma treatment on June 6. His weapon of choice while battling cancer? Joy. The marketing director for the Colum- bus Metropolitan Library radiates joy. In fact, he has created what can only be referred to as the “Joy Olympics” every other year. First it was the “Hug Log” in 2012, where he sought out someone to hug every day of the year. Then it was “Gregg’s List” in 2014, when he identi- fied 52 things he had always wanted to do. (Unfortunately for me, I joined him on the “take an aerialist class” item. I couldn’t
By
my arms Fast forward to 2023, an “off year” for Gregg. Gregg had seen something on his skin that he was worried about, so he sched- uled an appointment with his dermatol- ogist. The mole he was concerned about was fine, but on a whim, he asked her to check something
Sarah Irvin Clark Gregg Dodd in his Victorian Village home
Why mammograms are essential components of breast cancer care
Mammograms have evolved a lot over the years and continue to remain vital tools in the prevention and early detection of breast cancer.
Breast screening began more than a century ago and has undergone many improvements over the years, creating safer and more accurate imaging, leading to more lives saved. In the U.S., the FDA enacted breast screening standards in the 1990s, with current recommendations calling for women to undergo the procedure annually starting at age 40, or earlier if they’re considered high risk because of family history or other factors.
Despite these improvements in cancer detection, though, many women do not undergo mammograms each year.
“There are still 20 to 30 percent of women who don’t come for yearly screenings,” says Amy Kerger, DO, a diagnostic radiologist and mammography expert at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center –James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). “If a patient waits until there’s a palpable finding, or for other symptoms, to get a mammogram, the cancer can be larger, causing patients to undergo more extensive treatments than if it had been caught at an earlier stage.
How mammography fits into comprehensive breast cancer care
Kerger and her colleagues at Ohio State’s Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center provide women with the latest mammography technology — including 3D tech known as breast tomosynthesis — tailored to meet each patient’s unique needs.
About half of women who present for screening mammography will be told that they have dense breast tissue. These women have a small increased risk for breast cancer and the dense tissue can hide small masses on mammograms. “However, automated, wholebreast screening ultrasound is often used as a secondary screening tool for women with dense breast tissue,” Kerger explains. Ohio
and federal law requires that women whose mammograms indicate dense breast tissue are clearly informed of their breast density status in their screening summaries.
Overall, one in eight women will get breast cancer during their lives, according to Kerger. To determine if women are at increased risk, Ohio State experts run risk calculations at the time of screening, which are noted on mammogram reports, and discuss family history and other known risk factors for breast cancer, such as gene mutations, childbirth at later ages or early-onset periods.
Women who are found to have increased chances of developing breast cancer have access to the OSUCCC – James’ High Risk Breast Cancer Program, where they’ll work with providers to create personalized plans focused on screening and risk reduction.
For those who are diagnosed with breast cancer, Kerger and her colleagues develop specialized, comprehensive care plans utilizing a multidisciplinary approach with a wide array of expertise, including surgery, radiology, plastic surgery and more.
“At the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, we are all specialists in breast cancer diagnosis and care,” Kerger says. “I specialize in reading breast imaging, and all of our specialty groups participate in breast cancer research and patient care. I feel that we understand what patients are going through, and we’re committed to helping them get through that.”
Scan the QR code to learn more about mammography at the OSUCCC – James, including information about scheduling your next screening mammogram.
Bringing clarity to mammography patients at Ohio State
As part of their efforts to increase access to world-class mammograms, OSUCCC –James experts offer screening at numerous locations in central Ohio as well as a mobile mammography unit. Each of these locations is equipped with the latest in screening technology, including 3D mammograms with Clarity HD® technology.
“Clarity HD® is the newest generation of highresolution 3D mammography technology,” says Natasha Monga, MD, a breast imaging radiologist. Tomosynthesis provides multiple low-dose X-rays along an arc over the breast, which is reconstructed into a high-resolution 3-D image. Tomosynthesis optimizes image quality by allowing radiologists to scroll through layers of the breast, helping to identify invasive breast cancers earlier. This can be helpful for women with dense breasts by providing more detailed images.
OSUCCC – James experts also use a curved mammography paddle, which conforms to the natural curvature of the breast and can make mammograms more comfortable for some patients.
The screening mammography tools at the OSUCC-James provide the latest and greatest technology, with all imaging read by radiology experts specializing in breast imagery.
“It’s important to stay up to date on your screening mammograms so that we can detect subtle changes from year to year,” Monga says. “We want to catch breast cancer when it’s early and more easily treatable.”
Scan the QR code to learn more about breast cancer, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at The Ohio State University.
front & center
Meet Kate, Page 14.
Photo by Tim Johnson
The Oracle Kate Borges is helping people heal through massage, ice plunge-sauna contrast therapy, and a gift for interpreting the cards life deals us with positivity.
The Art of Listening
Wellington’s first woman head of school wants students to learn how to think, not what to think.
By Virginia Brown
Walk through the halls of the Wellington School in Upper Arlington, and you’ll see the usual things: students huddled around lockers and laptops, classrooms equipped with white boards and wall clocks.
But it’s what you hear that matters most to Eliza McLaren.
“Joy is the magic ingredient in schools, and it’s one of the hardest things to fix if it’s not there,” says McLaren, who recently became the first woman head of school at Wellington since it opened in 1982.
“Part of what I was looking for in a school was that you could sense joy when you walked in,” she says. “When you hear laughter and bustle and excitement, those are big signs of joy in a school.”
Joy is cultivated through culture. “It’s a culture where everyone matters, where there’s a real seriousness to our work, a belief that our work is vital … but it has to be joyful.”
A former history teacher, field hockey and softball coach, and marketing and admissions leader, McLaren moved to Columbus with her husband and two children from Annapolis, Maryland, where she worked at Indian Creek School.
She was drawn to Wellington’s entrepreneurial spirit, its high level of student engagement and its mission statement: We help students find their purpose and realize their potential for tomorrow’s world.
The final two words—tomorrow’s world—stood out in particular. “It carries with it a sense of responsibility, that we need to focus on tomorrow’s world and not necessarily on today’s,” McLaren says. “There’s a real implied optimism to it that we’re preparing students for a better world.”
Part of that preparation is teaching students how to think, not what to think.
Civil discourse permeates Wellington’s curriculum, but it’s especially salient in this election year. “We don’t have to be talking about the issues and policies of today’s political climate,” she says. “We
need to be learning how to research, how to form an opinion, what rhetorical strategies are there to convey something and convince people.”
First graders at Wellington learn what it means to be a member of a community—a family, school or local community.
“They take field trips to meet the mayor and tour the post office, to gain understanding of how municipal services work and how to advocate in your community,” she says.
DebateAble is a third grade social studies program that helps foster critical thinking, tolerance for different viewpoints, public speaking skills and teamwork.
In middle school, the curriculum centers on discourse skills. “They learn how to listen, how to form an opinion and how to engage others in a way that brings them into the conversation,” she says.
Students also learn how to debate a topic that is identified as important to that age group. “It could be something having to do with our uniform or whether we should censor a certain phrase that is too popular in the lingo,” she says. “Through a moderated debate, they learn the skills that they’re going to need down the road to be informed, contributing citizens.”
In the Upper School, courses like Reframing Conflict, part of the English curriculum, teach how to use nonfiction to research topics from many angles. And the Debatriot Club is an extracurricular group that debates topics with structured rules that invite participants into conversation and help form consensus.
Wellington is also considering technology and the impact it can have on a school day.
“In schools, we have an obligation to think really carefully about how we use our students’ time and how we direct their attention,” she says.
One hopeful trend McLaren sees is a commitment to rethinking screen time and device use.
Wellington does not allow personal digital devices through eighth grade, and in the Upper School, cellphones aren’t allowed in academic spaces. “We have our parent groups talking about social media norms … how old they are when they get to start using it, and the limits we’re going to place on it. I think we’re really leading the way there.”
“The time they have in childhood is a scarce resource,” she says. “We have to treasure it.” ◆
PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON
Eliza McLaren
We Can Do Hard Things
Kate Borges’ backyard ice-plunge spa, Massage Garage, was born of personal struggle. Now it’s bringing wellness and joy to others.
In 2019, Kate Borges says she was a “country club tennis player, and I wasn’t even very good at it.” She’d supported her husband, Matt, through a successful political strategy career, and he’d risen to become chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. But in 2020, her life changed drastically. That July, her husband was among a group of politicos including the former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives arrested for participating in a $61 million bribery scandal funded
By Katy Smith
by Akron-based FirstEnergy. Matt has blamed former President Donald Trump for his arrest, saying it was payback for his creation of a PAC aimed at unseating Trump. He was found guilty at trial and sentenced in June 2023 to five years in federal prison.
For Kate, the year-plus since then has been one of transformation. She’s supercharged her wellness practice, building a loyal clientele who visit her Bexley backyard almost religiously to plunge into deep freezers full of ice water and
then regain their senses in a eucalyptusscented sauna.
Kate, who has been a licensed massage therapist since 2001, has made her outdoor space into an oasis of bright flowering plants, murals, bubbling fountains and nooks inviting one to sit and relax. She has become a professional healer, with the ice-plunge setup, sauna, hot tub and massage studio she built in her garage.
The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Kate Borges in her backyard oasis
PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON
How did Massage Garage come into being? I’ve always been an athletic person, skiing, hiking, being outside. And then I went to college and became very sedentary and gained a lot of weight. When my older two sons were young, I couldn’t keep up with them. So I made the decision to get healthy. I’ve been a spinning instructor and personal trainer. When our life got turned upside down [by Matt’s arrest] in the summer of 2020, I had a popup tent for doing massages outside under my pergola [to be more Covid-safe]. Then in 2021, I refinished the garage.
Why do you ice plunge? I’m from a ski resort town in Western New York. Lots of people had hot tubs outside. You’d go in the hot tub, and then jump in the snow, and then go back into the hot tub. In the summer of 2020, I was in the
it every day for 30 days, and I was off all Xanax. I was off my Wellbutrin within six months and never looked back. Our life has not gotten any less stressful, but now, ice is my tool to cope. Ice is what keeps me going.
How does the therapy work? I don’t care if it’s your first time or your 100th time, it’s a big decision to put yourself in the ice. You know it’s going to be uncomfortable. If you are in that ice trying to control it, the ice will always win. But if you surrender and you’re there with it, that’s where the big mental change happens. And that’s the strength—ice plunging as a practice can change how you function in the world. Your body learns it has options other than panic.
What is your morning routine? I ice plunge every day, live on Instagram @massage_garage_bexley around 5:30 a.m. I pull cards from my oracle decks, get in the ice and process their message for the day out loud, trying to glean some inspiration, some guidance for the day. Then I sauna and go on about my day.
You say people who come here experience profound effects, sometimes even crying in the ice. The most remarkable thing about this space, and you even did it when you walked in—you come up the driveway, and as you start smelling it and seeing the flowers, people’s shoulders drop, their eyes soften. People come who are dealing with sick parents, dealing with the trials and tribulations of raising children, training for athletic events, going through breakups, sending their kids off to college, going through death, through divorce, through all kinds of things. People come here and process it and leave feeling better.
How are you doing now, with your husband still in prison? It’s been really hard, and it’s also been very wonderful in ways we never would have expected. Neither of us would say we’re glad that this happened. But we’re better people for the world because it’s happened. We’ve seen some ugliness in people, but we’ve seen the very best of people in so many ways, and it’s given us tools to help people. ◆
Bite Into Creativity in the Short North
PARK EASY, DINE HAPPY
From cozy cafes to award-winning restaurants, the Short North Arts District is the place to savor creative cuisine
From cozy cafes to award-winning restaurants, the Short North Arts District is the to savor creative cuisine.
With over 8,900 parking spaces including free first-hour parking in 4 con our favorite meal
With over 8,900 parking spaces, including free first-hour parking in 4 convenient garages, enjoying your favorite meal has never been easier.
BRASSICA
WINANS
MARCELLA’S
Front & Center | Politics
BRT, Explained
Voters will decide a sales tax levy request this election. Here’s what LinkUS is about.
Columbus has shed the “cow town” nickname it was saddled with for decades, but will it forever be a car town?
Backers of LinkUS, a transit and growth plan rolled out in 2020, believe Central Ohio commuters must curb their enthusiasm for automobiles if we hope to avoid the congestion plaguing other fast-growing American cities. The plan calls for significantly expanding public transportation and improving sidewalks, bike paths and trails to make it easier to live and work in the region without a car.
Columbus routinely appears on lists of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest, and that trend is likely to continue, so regional planners are trying to guide growth without too much stress on public resources.
Combined with the zoning code overhaul the city of Columbus approved
By Randy Edwards
this summer, LinkUS aims to encourage housing and business development along transportation corridors linking Downtown with major population centers that can be served by modern, efficient public transit.
Voters in Central Ohio will get the first chance to help fulfill this dream on Nov. 5, when they decide whether to approve a half-cent sales tax hike to benefit the Central Ohio Transit Authority. Voters in the COTA service area, which includes all of Franklin County and parts of Licking, Delaware, Union and Fairfield counties, will consider the tax increase, which is expected to generate more than $6 billion over the next 25 years.
In return, Central Ohioans are promised “transformative change” in the region’s transportation network, with a 45 percent increase in COTA’s traditional
bus service, 500 miles of new sidewalks, trails and bike paths, and five high-capacity bus lines known as bus rapid transit, or BRT.
“We have built a system here in Central Ohio that is largely built for individuals with a car,” says Monica Téllez-Fowler, COTA’s president and CEO. “We really need to be focusing on building a system for everyone.”
Three of the BRTs would be built within five years, Téllez-Fowler says, along West Broad Street, East Main Street, and a line serving northwest Franklin County. BRT lines feature many of the advantages of a light rail transit but are cheaper and quicker to build. Ideally, each line would have traffic lanes dedicated exclusively to the bus, fare kiosks at bus stops to eliminate delays caused by passengers paying when boarding, traffic lights
A rendering of the proposed bus rapid transit line on West Broad Street
prioritized for buses, and platform-level boarding that makes it easier to load wheelchairs, strollers and bikes.
“High quality, high-capacity public transit such as gold standard BRT—as being proposed by the LinkUS initiative—can lead to what is known in my field as ‘modal shift’ – people choosing a different travel mode than driving, at least for some trips,” says Harvey Miller, a transportation expert at Ohio State University.
In other words, they may leave their cars at home.
But some national transit experts are skeptical of BRTs, partly because they often are proposed as gold standard systems until budget or other constraints force communities to cut corners. Andy Kunz, an urban planner who leads both the Transit Oriented Development Institute and the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, says transit systems shortchange their passengers by choosing BRTs over rail-based transit.
“They start out with a system with all the bells and whistles, but then they whittle away and get rid of things like dedicated lanes and signal optimization,
and by the time it’s built you end up with something that isn’t much different from regular bus service,” Kunz says.
In fact, as currently planned, only part of the proposed East Main and West Broad street lines would be traveling in dedicated lanes. On East Main, for example, city officials in Bexley and Reynoldsburg have not agreed to dedicated lanes through their downtown business districts.
In Bexley, development along East Main Street does not provide enough space for the traffic patterns required for a dedicated lane, says Megan Meyer, the city’s director of administration and development.
The center median prevents left turns onto side streets except at traffic lights. Traffic planners usually compensate by allowing U-turns at signals, but buildings are too close to the road to provide the turning radius necessary, Meyer says.
“We’re very excited about the BRT, but due to the available right-of-way and the way the community built out, we determined it really would not be feasible,” Meyer says.
The line through Bexley will have prioritized lights, platform-level boarding and the other elements that make the BRT more efficient, she says.
Part of what’s driving this train—er, bus—is the hope for additional federal funding. The Federal Transit Administration’s capital investment grant program is prioritizing BRT systems over light rail in communities with the population density of Columbus. So switching to rail would mean leaving significant federal support on the table.
The federal grant program is competitive and won’t last forever, Téllez-Fowler said. Approving the sales tax levy “demonstrates our investment in ourselves and will help us be competitive for additional federal dollars.”
And while the BRT lines are the highlight of LinkUS, increased bus service and improved sidewalks and bike paths will also make a difference in the region’s transportation system, Miller says.
These improvements will link bus service to the commuter’s doorstep, he said. “We can’t afford to build high quality BRT everywhere, so we need to make it easier to access the system.”
Art and Democracy
ArtsVote Ohio, a nonpartisan group, is energizing creatives to show up at the polls.
By Andrew King
For an artist, having a voice is everything.
From sharing lived experiences to shining a light on injustice, art always has been a way to convey a message to a wider audience.
But as the 2024 election approaches, one group of Ohio creatives is targeting their own, using their art to reach an audience of other artists and aiming to motivate them to participate in democracy.
ArtsVote Ohio is a nonpartisan, statewide effort to encourage Ohio artists and creatives to vote this November and beyond. The initiative is led by CreativeOhio, a statewide advocacy organization for creatives. ArtsVote wants to educate artists across the Buckeye State about how and when to vote and the way their
voices can shape the future of Ohio and the country.
“We know that artists and creatives tend to be activists by nature and are very skilled at using their voices and their art to share a message. But we want to be sure that they’re also aware of their collective power,” says CreativeOhio Executive Director and CEO Sarah Sisser. “They need to understand the power of their vote and how that vote can affect arts funding and the creative landscape of our state.”
ArtsVote began as a national movement in 2020, led by Americans for the Arts Action Fund. That effort inspired the launch of statewide versions of ArtsVote, and Ohio’s began under the Greater Columbus Arts Council umbrella.
But that initiative remained largely a webpage, mostly resharing nationwide resources.
Last year, however, GCAC approached CreativeOhio to partner on a statewide campaign that would localize efforts in a focused effort to reach Ohio artists.
“We’ve learned from other organizations that have been in this voter engagement space for a lot longer than we have that the most effective way to compel people to get to the polls is through peer-to-peer messaging,” Sisser says. “We’ve really leaned into that idea, and we’re using the original work and voices of Ohio artists and creatives to compel other Ohio creatives to get to the polls.”
The audience for ArtsVote is a large one—Sisser says there are about 157,000
ArtsVote Ohio yard signs at the Ohio Statehouse
people in Ohio’s creative sector. And to reach them, the organization is using a variety of methods.
In collaboration with dozens of Ohio artists, ArtsVote gathered more than 50 pieces of nonpartisan art themed around voting and engaging in democracy, all of which is free to download and share. It’s collecting personal artwork and essays that explore the topics, has created a toolkit with messaging and information, and is encouraging artists to host events driving voter registration.
The group partnered with renowned street artist Shepard Fairey—known for designing Barack Obama’s memorable “Hope” posters—for a project in Columbus and Cincinnati that created 20 temporary murals and one permanent, large-scale mural aimed at inspir ing action.
mission, have attracted the likes of Ma ria Carluccio, a Columbus College of Art & Design professor who creates political art. When she first encountered Arts Vote, she was drawn to the way its mis sion could amplify her own desire to mix art and politics.
“I think inspiring people to make change in a positive way is something you can definitely do,” she says. “It’s just that people don’t really realize that they can use their abilities…in a way that’s not shoving your agenda down someone’s throats.”
The organization is entirely nonpartisan; from merchandise to messaging, you won’t hear the group imply what candidates and issues artists should vote for or why. But Sisser and CreativeOhio do want to convey one key message: Ohio artists have more power than they think.
“We all go to the polls with our own individual value set, and you certainly can’t make assumptions about the entirety of the creative sector,”
‘‘ I think inspiring people to make change in a positive way is something you can definitely do ... It’s just that people don’t really realize that they can use their abilities…in a way that’s not shoving your agenda down
Pickleball Stardom
New Albany’s Pam Lippy has gained national exposure for her skill in the ‘addicting’ sport.
By Laura Newpoff
Pam Lippy had been a competitive tennis player for decades when the pandemic hit in 2020. As the world shut down and people stopped gathering for the sport, she and a friend, Dr. Jerry Stern, isolated together in the basement of his New Albany home where they set up a temporary net so they could learn the game of pickleball. It was like “a secret pickleball speakeasy.”
The court wasn’t regulation size, but it was good enough to cover the basics. “We hit our heads (on the basement ceiling) many times, but it allowed us to learn the game,” she says. “We would move the net so one of us could learn how to serve and the other could learn how to return.”
She started to play socially, and joined a movement that has become the fastest-growing sport in America, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Lippy, 62, entered her first tournament in South Florida in December, 2021, in ladies doubles and won. The following day she was asked to sub for an injured woman in mixed doubles and won that tournament, too.
The Beachwood, Ohio, native splits her time between New Albany and Boynton Beach. Her performance at the Boca Raton Pickler Survivor Challenge in January, where she won 10 of 13 matches, made her a top pick when the National Pickleball League 50+ Senior Pros expanded from six to 12 teams this year. She now plays for the Boca Raton Picklers and travels around the country playing in tournaments, including at Paddle Taps in Worthington this past June.
Her team is a No. 1 seed for the league’s championship that will be held in October in Cincinnati.
Lippy also is the racquet sports director at the New Albany Links Golf and Country Club, a member of the Flagler College Hall of Fame and member of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus Hall of Fame.
She calls her new sports passion “the most exhilarating thing I’ve done” as an adult. “Pickleball is addicting. It’s physical, extremely social and was the perfect antidote to the Covid situation,” she says. “It’s easy to learn, the courts are small and easy to cover, which helps in life’s transitions—whether that’s empty nester, divorce or getting older. It gives you a sense of belonging and a sense of community. I’ve made so many new friends, and it’s fun to do with my old friends, too.”
Bill Taylor, head teaching pro at Paddle Taps, says the sport attracts people from all backgrounds. The day Israel suffered a terrorist attack in October 2023, he saw two middle-aged Muslim men playing the sport with an 80-year-old Jewish woman and a 12-year-old Asian girl who aspires to be a pro. “They were all playing together and that’s what happens here every day—diversity and inclusion,” he says. “It’s the most unifying sport I’ve ever seen.” ◆
‘‘ It’s easy to learn, the courts are small and easy to cover, which helps in life’s transitions—whether that’s empty nester, divorce or getting older. It gives you a sense of belonging and a sense of community.
Pam Lippy on the pickleball court
EverydayKindness Heroes Celebrate our 2024
The annual Everyday Heroes program has a new name and look, and the goal remains the same: celebrating everyday kindness.
The December issue of Columbus Monthly will honor those who perform acts of kindness to strengthen, heal and unite our community.
Chosen by a panel of judges, finalists and semifinalists also will be honored at a December event, where an overall Everyday Kindness Hero is announced.
Front & Center | History
An Ohio Civil Rights Story, Resurrected
In children’s book ‘Step by Step,’ author Carlotta Penn honors the Lincoln School Marchers’ demands for desegregation in Hillsboro.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education made segregation illegal in public schools. But desegregation didn’t happen overnight. Despite the ruling, many communities still resisted integration—and not just in the South. Racism, including in schools, also persisted in the Midwest.
In Hillsboro, Ohio, a Highland County city a little over an hour southwest of Columbus, a group of Black families whose children attended the dilapidated, fire-damaged Lincoln Elementary School attempted to enroll their children at the all-white Webster School in 1954. They were hoping their kids could attend a school that offered much better conditions, but the local school board denied them that chance. The next morning, 19 Black mothers and their 37 children marched to Webster in protest.
By Joel Oliphint
They didn’t stop. Every weekday morning for nearly two years, these moms and kids marched to demand equal rights and a better education. And it worked. In April 1956, after five of the mothers won a lawsuit, the children attended their first day of classes at Webster.
The march in Hillsboro happened long before most other sustained Civil Rights protests, providing a blueprint for future efforts. Over the decades, though, other well-known Civil Rights events in the South tended to overshadow the story of the Lincoln School Marchers. But in 2015, some of the women who marched as children began to speak up, and Ohio Humanities highlighted their story in a documentary that aired on public TV stations.
Ohio Humanities also reached out to Columbus author Carlotta Penn, who
had previously published children’s books through her own Daydreamers Press, launched in 2017. Penn loved the story, and she couldn’t believe no one had ever told her about the Lincoln School Marchers. “Everyone who I talked to said, ‘This is the most fascinating story I’ve never heard of,’ ” she says.
Through a partnership with Ohio Humanities and Daydreamers Press, Penn teamed up with lead author Debbie Rigaud and illustrator Nysha Lilly to publish “Step by Step,” a children’s book about the Lincoln School Marchers. The story unfolds via a child narrator, Joyce Clemons, who was the plaintiff in the Hillsboro mothers’ lawsuit. Clemons leads readers through her memory book of everything that happened over those two years, interspersing colorful illustrations with historical photos and
Several of the Lincoln School Marchers carry signs while walking to Webster Elementary in Hillsboro, Ohio, in the mid-1950s, including organizers Imogene Curtis (back row, second from right), Gertrude Clemons (back row, far right), Myra Cumberland Phillips (second row from back, far left) and other marchers.
newspaper clippings.
“We wanted to honor the women’s desire for memory keeping, and that’s why we chose this scrapbook framework,”
Penn says. “This is about memory keeping and honoring what we’ve been through—cherishing our memories and holding them close, and then sharing
[those memories] with others.”
Over Zoom and in person, Penn spoke to the women who marched and added personal details, like the favorite dresses they wore, to help the story come to life for children. She and Rigaud also strategically chose to use a child’s voice to keep the tone relatable and light. “Even though the topic is heavy and serious, the [marchers] were just kids,” Penn says. “We wanted to make sure that we told the story the way a kid would tell it.”
Penn, who has three kids ages 8, 6 and 3, sees herself most in the mothers who marched. “I’ve been interested for a long time in the work of Black women, and the contributions of Black women, and how much is often overlooked. ... My doctoral work was on Black women teachers of English to speakers of other languages,” says Penn, who also works at Ohio State University’s College of Education as senior director of partnerships and engagement. “It really has been an affirming experience for me, because I am who those women are. I’m a Black mom who cares about education generally for Black kids, for my kids specifically, and for all children.”
Plus, Penn’s own mother is a retired teacher who mentored many other teachers, so Penn can also relate to the surviving Lincoln School Marchers’ desire to honor the important work of mothers and educators who often go unnoticed.
November marks the one-year publication anniversary of “Step by Step,” and as Penn reflects today on the book and the marchers’ story, she’s struck by the grassroots nature of the mothers’ prolonged protest. “This isn’t a story of people who got together and strategized for months on end about how to make change in their community. These are just moms who said, ‘All right, this is what we’re gonna do.’ And they did it,” Penn says.
“These are everyday people who made big change in our world. I don’t want to discount the contributions of fearless, charismatic leaders out there sacrificing every day. But there are all these other people who maybe don’t have charisma or don’t have a movement behind them ... and they’re walking among us. That’s the other lesson of this story: Truly, anyone can make change if they decide to take a stand.” ◆
“Step By Step: How the Lincoln School Marchers Blazed a Trail to Justice,” by Debbie Rigaud and Carlotta Penn, illustrated by Nysha Lilly
Columbus writer Carlotta Penn, author of “Step By Step”
Hat Day 2024
The 23rd anniversary of Les Chapeaux dans le Jardin—known as “Hat Day”—took place at Franklin Park Conservatory on May 3. The event raised $458,000 to benefit the conservatory’s youth education and outreach programs. Ten local floral designers contributed to a runway show that interpreted artworks by Dale Chihuly into hats and headpieces modeled by community leaders. Hat Day was supported by the Davis Foundation and others.
1 Bruce Harkey, Bill Gerhardt 2 Wendy Bradshaw, Cathy Lyttle, Laurie Stein Marsh, Katheryn Dobbs, Jill Brandt, Gail Hogan, Tori Lyttle, Liane Egle, Kate Laird 3 Marie Kuess, Angela Hammond, Michelle Wilson, Shannon Jones, Leah Berger 4 Patti Ziegler, Kristie Lagos, Rebekah Smith, Darci Congrove 5 Michael and Kimberly Coleman 6 Gina Fiorino, Ian Estep 7 Nana Watson, Betty Dye 8 Peter Hoffman; Katrina, Debra, Anderson and Fred Hadley 9 Laura Rosene, Peggy Davis, Nancy Russo, Pam Austin
Today’s world is rapidly changing. So
is he.
It’s our job to make sure he’s ready. We empower him to ignite his curiosity and develop an appetite for learning as well as the confidence to live with intention. It’s the difference between simply achieving and thriving.
#CAnotherWorld
Ready to thrive.
Avery Class of 2028
datebook
OCT. 31-NOV. 17 | ‘WIFE OF A SALESMAN’
The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio (formerly CATCO), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, presents playwright Eleanor Burgess’ riff on a classic American drama. Leda Hoffmann directs the third-ever staging of “Wife of a Salesman,” which imagines what would have happened if the housewife in “Death of a Salesman” confronted the woman who was sleeping with her husband. thecontemporaryohio.org
NOV. 1 | STEVE MARTIN AND MARTIN SHORT
Whether you’ve been following them since “The Three Amigos” or became a fan watching Only Murders in the Building, Steve Martin and Martin Short have been riffing off one another for decades. You’ll have a chance to see these two comedic legends together at Mershon Auditorium on their Dukes of Funnytown tour. schottensteincenter.com
NOV. 3 | CYNDI LAUPER
Break out the jelly bracelets as the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter brings her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour to the Schottenstein Center. Fun fact: Lauper, who has sold more than 50 million records, also won a Tony Award for the “Kinky Boots” score. If Lauper opts for a traditional swan song, expect greatest hits and then some. schottenstein center.com
NOV. 22-JAN. 5 |
WILDLIGHTS
In this beloved holiday tradition, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium extends its evening hours and bedecks the zoo grounds with millions of LED lights, along with animated musical light shows, yuletide festivities and, of course, Santa’s reindeer. Of all the holiday light displays, this is a must-see. columbuszoo.org
NOV. 24 | HAKEEM
JEFFRIES
The minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives will visit Ohio State University’s Ohio Union to promote “The ABCs of Democracy,” a picture book based on one of the congressman’s speeches. In a fun wrinkle, this Gramercy Books event will feature Rep. Jeffries in conversation with Hasan Jeffries—an OSU historian and author who also happens to be the politician’s brother. gramercybooksbexley.com
NOV. 1
Celebration of Learning
The annual Columbus Metropolitan Library fundraiser features cocktails, dinner and a program with Colson Whitehead, bestselling author of “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys.” This event at the Main branch supports the CML Foundation. columbuslibrary. org/foundation
NOV. 2
24 Hour Board Game Marathon
For the 10th year, the Beers & Board Games Club of Columbus will host a 24hour gaming marathon to benefit Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The event kicks off at 11 a.m. at Olentangy River Brewing Company. beersand boardgames.com
NOV. 28
Columbus Turkey Trot Burn some Thanksgiving calories while supporting a good cause at this 5-mile run or 2.5-mile stroll, complete with an Homage race T-shirt. The trot benefits Easterseals of Central & Southeast Ohio’s Early Intervention program. columbusturkeytrot.com
Cyndi Lauper
BEST PIZZA THE IN COLUMBUS
By Linda Lee Baird, Nicholas Dekker, Joel Oliphint and Katy Smith
PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON
How we approached our quest for the best pizza in Columbus
Columbus is serious about pizza. In October, food industry magazine Chef’s Pencil ranked the city as the fourth most pizza-obsessed city in the world based on Google searches. This interest is likely due in part to the Pizza Connoisseurs of Columbus Facebook group, with over 67,000 members dedicated to the subject.
Pizza is also not a dish for the faint of heart. Its popularity and ubiquity make it easy to forget the variations and level of complexity that can come from just crust, sauce and cheese. What other food can seamlessly serve as the main dish for a child’s birthday party, breakfast or a nice night out?
In our quest to find the best pizza in Columbus, we painstakingly rated crusts, sauces, cheeses and pepperoni. In total, we tried 29 pies from as many shops, which had to be inside Interstate 270 (as we had to narrow down the contenders somehow). We roped in family, friends and former Columbus Monthly staffers to help us out. We counted, quantified and evaluated
everything we could (except calories because, frankly, that takes the fun out of it).
As we ate our way through the city’s offerings, we realized preferences are so personal, any conclusions we draw are just as likely to start a debate as they are to settle one. At the end of the day, a favorite pizza is as much emotion as it is science. For example: Despite the rigorous rules behind our blind taste test of Columbus-style pizza, a staffer immediately recognized one as the pie she grew up eating with her family, and she declared it her favorite, accordingly. Sometimes, a familiar, comforting and delicious memory transcends what you can track in a spreadsheet.
With that, we present the 2024 version of a time-honored Columbus Monthly tradition: Our guide to the best pizza in Columbus with our picks of several different styles. Whether we named your favorite or not, we hope to introduce you to something new to try. We are fortunate to live in a city with so many options.
Clockwise from top left: Kaci, left, and Kelli Ferrelli with their father Jeff Ferrelli at Minelli’s; Sarefino’s pizza; hand-painted mural at Minelli’s
The Best ColumbusStyle Pizza
So how did we choose the best pizza in Columbus? With an epic pizza party, where we conducted a blind taste test.
By Katy Smith
When we decided to repeat a time-honored Columbus Monthly tradition and name the best pizza in Columbus, the conversations were intense. How would we choose? How could we make this the most credible pizza tasting possible?
The answer was an epic pizza party— the kind of event that reminds people as serious about pizza as I am that life is better if you just calm down, put on a great playlist and plow through 11 Columbus-style pizzas with your family, friends and colleagues.
What is Columbus-style pizza? It’s generally accepted to possess the following characteristics: Thin crust, which can sometimes be cracker-thin; provolone cheese or a blend of mozzarella and provolone; toppings piled high and all the way to the edge with the pie cut into rectangles, known as “party” or “tavern” style. Yes, one can find similar thin-crust pizza in many other places in the United States, especially the Midwest, where it’s also known as “Chicago thin-crust” in the Windy City. (There is a story that the founder of Massey’s took inspiration from Chicago thin.)
But with the proud heritage of our Italian immigrants, many of whom settled in northwest-central Franklin County in a village known as San Margherita, Columbus is undeniably a pizza-blessed community. One result of that legacy is that we’re home to a company making what is widely considered some of the best pepperoni available, even in New York—Ezzo Sausage Co. You’ll find Ezzo pepperoni on delicious pies across the Columbus region and beyond.
How We Did It
Unlike many other Columbus pizza rankings, this contest is not the highly subjective, personal musings of one
pizza-lover. And it is not a bracket-style ranking by people on the internet, who may or may not actually have eaten that pizza anytime recently. This contest was carried out via a blind tasting by a panel of pizza-loving judges.
We started with the most difficult task: narrowing down the list of contenders to 11. (We failed at trying to keep it to 10.) We decided to limit the contenders to shops serving primarily Columbus-style pizza and located inside the Interstate 270 loop. We included mostly iconic pizzerias that have been around for decades, such as TAT, which says it was the first place in Columbus to put pizza on the menu.
We considered an initial list of more than 20 pizzerias, taking into account Yelp and Google review ratings, evidence of a strong local following and geographic distribution.
A tasting panel of 15 Columbus Monthly and Dispatch staffers and special guests converged on my South Clintonville
home at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. Guests brought fresh pizzas from 10 different shops across Columbus. (We had Donatos delivered.)
An independent third party (my husband) took all the pizzas into our kitchen, and panelists were banned from that room until judging concluded. The pies— each half cheese, half pepperoni—were cut into enough pieces for every judge to sample each pie. The pies were served on numbered paper plates, and comments and scores were recorded on score sheets. Thus, it was a blind taste test.
We added up our individual scores for crust, sauce, cheese, pepperoni and overall, for each pizza, combining those scores for a total score. We found one pizzeria scored higher than all others across the judges’ totals: Tommy’s. When looking at judges’ results another way, we found one pizza was chosen as the personal favorite by more judges (four) than any other: Minelli’s, which received an honorable mention.
Columbusstyle pizza taste test
THE CONTENDERS
THE BEST COLUMBUS-STYLE PIZZA
Tommy’s Pizza
Founded in 1952 by Thomas Iacono, aka “Tommy”, who brought the recipe from Sicily, this pizza is everything you look for in a Columbus-style pie. The crust is crackery-thin, and it’s crispy with bubbles that bring added dimension to every bite. The iconic shop uses a full-flavored sauce that’s not too sweet, topped by a mild smoked provolone cheese from Wisconsin. Its pepperoni, of course, comes from Ezzo.
Tommy’s has been a beloved community mainstay in the more than 70 years it has been open, with generations of families growing up eating the pizza and working in the pizzeria. It maintains two locations, on West Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington and on West Dublin-Granville Road in Dublin. To give a sense of the high level at which Tommy’s is operating at its shop 2 miles from Ohio Stadium, this pizza won our contest on a Saturday just hours before an Ohio State University football home game.
JT’s Pizza & Pub, 2390 W. DublinGranville Road, Linworth
Massey’s Pizza, 152 Graceland Blvd., Clintonville
Minelli’s Pizza, 1189 N. Wilson Road, West Side
Comments: “Oregano-forward!” “Great balance. Nice seasonings on top.” “Solid, delicious, thin-crust pizza. My favorite.”
Pizza House, 747 E. Lincoln Ave., Northeast Columbus
Rubino’s Pizza, 2643 E. Main St., Bexley
TAT Ristorante di Famiglia, 1210 S. James Road, Eastmoor
Terita’s Pizza, 3905 Cleveland Ave., North Linden
Tommy’s Pizza, 1350 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington
Comments: “My winner.” “Love the bubbles in the crust.” “Nice, flaky crust.” “Really good crust experience.” “Thick, prominent sauce.”
HONORABLE MENTION
Minelli’s Pizza
Minelli’s was founded in 1967 by Guy Ferrelli and Bob Minshall, who combined their names to get “Minelli’s.” Minshall left the business after a few years, and today it’s still very much a Ferrelli family tradition. The cracker-thin crust has a prominent crunch, and the herbaceous sauce is not sweet but carries a pleasing tang. The half mozzarella-half provolone blend extends over some edges, forming a delicious, caramelized cheese crust, thanks to the expert pizzaiolos who make the pies at Minelli’s: Guy’s granddaughters, twins Kaci and Kelli, who run the shop today and know every quirk of their deck ovens, like all great chefs. Speaking of chefs, their father, Jeff, still makes the dough and the sauce every week.
Minelli’s maintains a strong roster of regulars who visit the Wilson Road restaurant for its meatballs and handmade pasta in addition to its pizza. First responders are a mainstay of its clientele, and among the contributions Minelli’s makes to the community is a tradition of conducting live emergency response trainings in the restaurant during operating hours.
Large pepperoni pizza at Minelli’s
Tommy’s pizza
Frency Lumandog checks on a pizza at Tommy’s
Best New York-Style
Having spent nearly two decades living on the East Coast, may I gently suggest that Columbus is perhaps a bit biased toward its beloved tavern-cut pies? Online, with regularity, East Coast ex-pats post looking for the best New York-style slice: that foldable fusion of crust, sauce and cheese that can be enjoyed at a table, on a park bench or standing at a counter. In New York, the slice is the true equalizer, eaten harmoniously by folks in business suits, cab drivers, tourists, students and creatives.
Have we achieved the same level of perfection here? Fuggetaboutit. But meticulous research has led me to what I believe is the best New York slice in town. I started by scouring the internet’s pizza threads for any and all reviews and recommendations I could find. Maintaining the boundaries we set for this project, which limited contenders to shops within Interstate 270, I narrowed my tasting to five restaurants: East Coast Pizzeria, Borgata Pizza Café, Aracri Pizzeria, Sarefino’s Pizzeria & Italian Deli and Mikey’s Late Night Slice.
I ranked each on a scale of 1-5, evaluating the individual components of cheese,
Where to go when you just need a slice.
crust and sauce, assigning a separate overall score for the way they all came together. I was looking for a crust that was browned on the bottom but held up when folded, flavorful cheese that was deliciously ooey-gooey without being overly greasy, and sauce that added a balanced and tart kiss of tomato.
Some of what I tried was uneven. East Coast had my favorite sauce, but a crust that was too light. Borgata used a cup and curl pepperoni that added a lovely pop of flavor, but the plain cheese slice without it was lacking. Mikey’s had a heavy sprinkle of basil that I might not have minded at 2 a.m. but was too much at lunchtime.
That leaves what I believe are the
two best slices in town: Aracri Pizzeria Downtown and Sarefino’s in the North Market. Aracri provides an authentic East Coast experience, right down to the parking difficulties outside. The crust was the thinnest I tried, with a crispy brown bottom that offered a pleasing chew. I liked the cheese too, although the slice they served me was browned all the way through for about an inch at the bottom. The half-point I deducted for this proved critical: it was the reason Aracri and Sarefino’s did not receive a tie score.
Sarefino’s slice was large enough to be a meal on its own. The cheese was flavorful and filling, sitting atop a thin and crispy crust that wasn’t too doughy at the top. If there were just a smidge more sauce, it would have slammed the pizza oven door shut on its competitors once and for all. Plus, like a slice straight from Bleecker Street, it held up when folded— helpful, as it’s sold at a market stall and can be consumed quickly on-the-go. But I recommend finding a seat and savoring the best New York-style slice you can get in Columbus.
–LINDA LEE BAIRD
Carolyn Ziliak, co-owner at Sarefino’s Pizzeria & Italian Deli PHOTOS: TIM JOHNSON
Sarefino’s cheese pizza
Best Deep Dish
Aficionados like to argue about the differences between Sicilian and Detroit-style pizza. But both are made in a rectangular (or sometimes square) pan and feature thick, focaccia-like dough enhanced with some type of brick cheese that caramelizes to form a wonderfully crisp, browned crust. So, with apologies to the purists, we’re lumping Sicilian and Detroit styles into one category: deep dish pizza. (Chicago deep dish is separate; see Page 35).
This is also a style that pizza lovers can make in their home kitchens, which is how Spencer Saylor launched Wizard of Za during the early days of the pandemic. After slinging homemade pies through Instagram like a pizza speakeasy, Saylor opened a brick-and-mortar location in Clintonville (sharing space with Fusian) in late 2020.
We sampled cheese and pepperoni
It’s the antithesis of Columbus-style, but the city has no shortage of spots serving delicious Sicilian and Detroit-style pizzas.
pizzas from the Wizard and four others: Adriatico’s, a Campus stalwart; Pie of the Tiger, which operates out of the Short North Tavern; Paulie Gee’s in the Short North; and Papa Giorgio’s in the Bethel Center Mall in Northwest Columbus.
Pie of the Tiger puts dollops of its tasty sauce on top of the cheese (a Detroit thing), though its dough was overly dense rather than fluffy. Adriatico’s Sicilian option is like the fast-food version of deep dish pizza, with one huge pepperoni per slice and edges not quite as crispy and craveable as other versions we tried. (For parties, though, you can’t go wrong with a couple of Adriatico’s crowd-pleasing 18-by-24-inch Buckeye pizzas.) Papa Giorgio’s offers a Sicilian Pan Pizza as a specialty pie, and the shop mostly hits the mark, though the cheese didn’t top the pizza uniform-
ly and the edges featured an odd separation of crust and caramelized cheese.
Paulie Gee’s claimed the runner-up spot, with nicely charred and cupped pepperoni, strips of basil, hot honey drizzle and a good crust with crispy, cheddar-enhanced edges. It’s worth noting that the Pepperoni Square is a pricey $26, whereas the other, similarly sized pizzas we tried ranged from $14 to $20.
Wizard of Za won the category, getting high marks for all the hallmarks of a tasty Sicilian pizza: perfectly browned edges, exceptionally fluffy dough, mouthwatering sauce, well-proportioned cheese and, for the carnivores, Ezzo cup-and-char pepperoni. We also recommend a few of the Wizard’s finishing touches: hot honey drizzle, pecorino Romano and fresh basil.
- JOEL OLIPHINT
Wizard of Za’s Pepperoni Pie
Best Elevated Pizza
Judging by the popularity of the restaurants we tried, there are plenty of people who are ready to get dressed up and go all-in on pizza night.
For the elevated pizza tasting, I tried Figlio Wood Fired Pizza, Natalie’s Grandview, GoreMade Pizza and Harvest Pizzeria in Dublin. When I considered higher-end pizza places, I took into account not only the quality of the pie but also the experience the restaurant provided. After all, ambience matters when you’re trying to set a mood. These spots generally serve individual, 12-inch pizzas that are perfect for swapping a slice or two with your dining companions, although they’re so good, you might not want to share.
Figlio deserves credit for being among the city’s early adopters of the wood-fired technique. Founded in 1991, when pizza in Columbus was decidedly more casual, it helped bring about the elevated approach. While the pizza was generally good, the restaurant today feels like it
When you’re looking for a nice night out, but still want pizza, you’ve got plenty of options.
could use a refresh of the menu and décor. Harvest and GoreMade were open at lunchtime, so I took advantage of the smaller crowds and smaller options available. (Harvest’s lunch menu includes
9-inch pizzas; GoreMade offers a 6-inch “pizza boat” all day.) Both offered a comfortable atmosphere, between the farmhouse feel of Harvest and the tree-shaded patio at GoreMade. And the pizzas at both places could certainly serve as the centerpiece of a meal on a night out.
But the best elevated pizza I tried came from Natalie’s Grandview. Its wood-fired crust had a crisp char that added depth to each bite, while the tomato sauce was light and flavorful without overpowering the rest of the pie. The Margherita Pizza included a sprinkling of parmesan in addition to the traditional mozzarella, complemented by the sweet basil leaves on top. With two music stages and the adjacent I Like It Like That bar serving excellent cocktails, you can pack a whole night of entertainment into a trip to Natalie’s. And if you’d prefer stellar pizza and a quieter vibe, the covered patio is the perfect spot.
— LINDA LEE BAIRD
Natalie’s Casanova pizza PHOTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: ROB HARDIN, TIM JOHNSON
Natalie’s Margherita pizza
Non-Traditional Pies
The best thing about pizza is its flexibility. That circle of pizza dough could be considered a blank canvas inviting pizza-makers to test the boundaries of traditional pies. So, if you’re curious to try something beyond the standard pepperoni and cheese, order one of these unexpected finds.
Villa Nova Ristorante | Taco Pizza
You could be forgiven for mistaking Villa Nova’s Taco Pizza for a plate of nachos. Its cracker-thin crust is positively buried under a mound of ground beef, refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce and cheddar cheese. Technically it’s been cut into squares, but you’re hard-pressed to find the actual dividing lines. Just drizzle on the house sauce and dig in. You won’t mind that you’re essentially enjoying taco night from an old-school Italian restaurant!
Meister’s Bar | Chicago-Style Deep Dish
I’ll say it as someone who grew up just around Lake Michigan from the Windy City: We need more Chicago-style deep dish in Columbus. You can lay aside arguments of whether it’s actually pizza or a type of lasagna: it’s delicious. Sure, we have a Giordano’s and sure, Yellow
Brick keeps the bygone Tristano’s recipe alive, but for my money, Meister’s Bar in Fifth by Northwest makes some of the best. The crust is a little too sturdy, but Meister’s crafts delectably thick layers of
pepperoni, gooey mozzarella and a zesty red sauce.
DiCarlo’s Pizza | Ohio Valley-Style
Steubenville expats rejoiced back in 2016 when their hometown pizzeria DiCarlo’s opened its first Central Ohio location. Since 1945, the family-run DiCarlo’s has pioneered what’s known as Ohio Valley-style pies: rectangular pizzas that have their cheese and toppings applied after the sauced-up crust comes out of the oven. The result is a love-it-or-hate-it construction of competing temperatures and textures. However you feel about the style, it’s a new way to taste familiar flavors, and at least you won’t burn your mouth eating it!
Fibonacci’s Pizzeria | Flock Yeah
When it comes to their in-house food, Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse could have phoned in their pizza game. What goes better with a beer or a cocktail and the latest feature film than easy bar food? Instead, they have Fibonacci’s Pizzeria, an upstairs pie shop that churns out high quality pizzas with all sorts of creative toppings. The Flock Yeah is a zingy concoction with a garlic olive oil base layered with fire-braised chicken, bacon, bleu cheese and a heavy drizzle of buffalo sauce.
–NICHOLAS DEKKER
Meister’s Chicago-style pizza
Villa Nova’s Taco Pizza
Concerted Effort
By Peter Tonguette
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra dreams of a concert hall with glorious acoustics, but skepticism clouds its campaign. Will the project serve arts groups beyond the orchestra?
A rendering of the proposed new concert hall for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
In 2013, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra was probably no one’s idea of an organization on the rise.
Three years earlier, the orchestra was in such bleak financial straits that it turned to CAPA to run its operations. Just two years before that, amid the financial crisis of 2008, the orchestra’s financial condition had become so grave that it tapped its endowment, instituted a work stoppage and saw the exodus of a highly regarded music director and a number of prominent players. There were pay cuts for those who decided to keep playing.
By 2013, the orchestra’s glory days—its artistic flowering in the 1980s or its performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in 2001—must have seemed ages old.
Yet, in May 2013, the orchestra gave an unexpected guest performance that set into motion a series of events that would lead to the most ambitious project in its history. That month, Columbus businessman Joe Chlapaty, then the CEO of Advanced Drainage Systems, invited the orchestra to perform at a new music center he had largely funded on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Dubuque in Iowa.
“The idea came across my head: Well, why don’t I see if I can bring the Columbus Symphony up to Dubuque to play in this opening-night gala?” Chlapaty says. “It wasn’t cheap to do it, but I did.”
By all accounts, it was a memorable evening. Not
only was the orchestra on tour, they performed with the great violinist Gil Shaham. But it was the newly constructed music center that left the biggest impression on the musicians who had journeyed from Columbus, where, for the last 54 years, they have performed in the Ohio Theatre, a former movie palace built in 1928.
“We’re used to hearing ourselves every day, and we know what we sound like on our typical stages,” says Betsy Sturdevant, the orchestra’s longtime principal bassoonist. “But what we sounded like there was the norm times 10. It was so greatly enhanced. We sounded like rock stars.” Why did they sound so much better? According to everyone involved, it came down to acoustics, acoustics, acoustics: The sound environment of the new music center was far superior to that of the Ohio Theatre.
“You could hear a different warmth and a different balance,” says Peter Stafford Wilson, the orchestra’s then-associate conductor who led the concert in Dubuque. He believes the performance—and several subsequent ones in Dubuque arranged by Chlapaty—planted seeds for the symphony’s future.
Today, that future is centered on plans to build a $275 million, 205,000-squarefoot concert hall on the Scioto Peninsula.
Chlapaty, who became a major donor to the orchestra’s project, saw no reason why the orchestra in his city shouldn’t have a venue at least on par with that of his alma mater. “The plan was to eventually have a performance hall, and I said, ‘Gosh, you’ve been talking about this forever,’ ” he says. “I said, ‘I’ll give a significant gift if we can get this thing off the ground and moving.’ ”
Since their announcement in February 2024, the concert hall plans have been met with both enthusiasm and skepticism about whether they include space for enough other arts groups to make financial sense. But, over the course of its 73-year history, the orchestra has been no stranger to ups and downs.
Columbus long has sought to shake its reputation as a cow town, but in 1951, when the earliest incarnation of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra was established, those descriptions were not entirely undeserved. Back then, the
‘‘ We started really working hard at the symphony to right our ship, get our ducks in a row financially, with the idea that we would do something big—that the symphony was going to re-emerge.”
FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DENISE REHG
performing arts scene was threadbare. An organization called the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1941 and lasted a mere eight years.
“A number of the nation’s orchestras have admitted their finances are rickety, but the majority have managed to stay on their feet,” reported the New York Times in August 1949. “From Ohio comes the news that the Columbus Philharmonic will not give a season in 1949-50.” And it never did again.
The Columbus Little Symphony—as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra was first dubbed—had far greater staying power, but with performances given at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and a roster largely consisting of part-time musicians, it was far from a major operation. It was no patch on its famous in-state cousin, the Cleveland Orchestra, which, under noted music directors such as George Szell and Lorin Maazel, acquired a reputation the world over.
“I remember my very first year, in 1966, if you played a rehearsal, you got $10; if you played a concert, you got $15,” says Tom Battenberg, a trumpet player who was with the symphony until 2020. “We rehearsed in the evenings for the most part, because more than half of the people in the orchestra were schoolteachers or students.”
Nonetheless, the orchestra’s music-making could be impressive—Battenberg recalls such guest conductors as
Igor Stravinsky—and its concerts in the Vets Memorial were well-attended. “Actually, we had better audiences back in those days than the orchestra does now, I think,” Battenberg says.
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra grew in fits and starts. In 1970, it relocated to the Ohio Theatre, and in 1983 brought aboard arguably its most consequential music director, a young Romanian conductor named Christian Badea.
“Christian frankly deserves a lot of credit for building the fundamental technical foundation of the orchestra,” says bassoonist Doug Fisher, who was hired by Badea in 1984. “He was very much a taskmaster. He was very strict and insisted on a very high degree of discipline.”
In 1991, Badea was replaced by another energetic maestro, Italian conductor Alessandro Siciliani. Although Siciliani cultivated an expressive, emphatic conducting style that was met with mixed reviews by some orchestra members, the public thrilled to his theatrical demeanor. “He was very popular,” Sturdevant says. “I remember that COTA buses used to have his picture plastered all over them.” (Siciliani was later at the center of abuse allegations at Opera Project Columbus.)
During a time when the Columbus performing arts scene did not have to compete with smartphones or the Blue Jackets, the orchestra enjoyed a peak period of relevance. In 1999, the orchestra hosted tenor Luciano Pavarotti during a sellout performance at the Schottenstein Center. Then there was the concert at Carnegie Hall.
Yet, even during these years, the orchestra struggled. In 1992, just a year after Siciliani was hired, the orchestra experienced a near-bankruptcy.
Then, in 2008, the orchestra faced its harshest reckoning. “The orchestra was going to shut down, was going to go bankrupt,” Fisher says. For a stretch that year, it suspended concerts before reassembling.
A 48-week season was reduced by about half, Fisher says. “The effect of cutting out those weeks meant that our annual income dropped by about 40 percent in 2010 from what it had been before 2008,” he says.
The full-time roster, which had peaked at about 60 musicians, dwindled to the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra music director Rossen Milanov and board member Joe Chlapaty at the proposed site of the new CSO concert hall
low 40s—partly due to musicians who opted to leave.
In 2010, the orchestra agreed to an arrangement whereby CAPA—owner of the Ohio Theatre and longtime landlord of the orchestra—would operate the orchestra. “Cash flow was very tight at the time, and projections for continuing to operate under the current model just weren’t sustainable,” says CAPA president and CEO Chad Whittington, then the organization’s controller.
The ersatz merger succeeded in reducing costs, and the orchestra and CAPA remained substantially commingled through the mid-2010s. Bit by bit, the orchestra reclaimed its independence. The current music director, Bulgarian conductor Rossen Milanov, was hired in 2014. “Rossen has brought a great deal of stability to the orchestra,” Fisher says.
Necessary financial conservatism has not been without controversy. For example, the roster of full-time players remains about 47; substitute and associate musicians fill in the gaps the same way as in the past.
“Most professional orchestras in cities the size of Columbus and larger have close to 100 full-time musicians, and that’s necessary because there’s a lot of standard orchestral repertoire that calls for orchestras of that size,” says Fisher, adding that musician pay has only mar-
ginally improved since the cuts of 2008.
Milanov endorses the idea of hiring more full-time players or adding performance weeks to the orchestra he is signed to lead through at least 2028; his most recent contract extension, signed this past spring, contains an option through 2030. He has placed an emphasis on refreshing the orchestra’s talent, hiring, by his estimate, about 30 to 40 percent of the present roster.
“You could increase the number of permanent core musicians in the orchestra,” Milanov says. “The other option is to keep the core the same and just add more weeks, because we are still not what we used to be.” Chief Operating Officer Daniel Walshaw recognizes the “strong case” for adding more full-time musicians but advocates a cautious approach. “This organization is going to keep its books in the black and make sure that the growth it’s experiencing is sustainable,” he says.
But the organization has money. According to its IRS 990 tax returns, total assets have jumped dramatically in recent years, from $17.4 million in 2017 to $48.9 million in 2023. Those years have been marked by outsized gifts, including $21.3 million in contributions in 2022 reflecting concert hall fundraising. Attendance is increasing, too: The orchestra says Masterworks concerts’ atten-
dance in 2023-24 is up 22 percent from 2019; Picnic With the Pops, held outside the Ohio Theatre in the Columbus Commons each summer, has seen even greater growth.
“We started really working hard at the symphony to right our ship, get our ducks in a row financially, with the idea that we would do something big— that the symphony was going to reemerge,” says former executive director Denise Rehg.
And that “something big” would involve the orchestra leaving its longtime home.
“Here’s the problem: The Columbus Symphony has been playing in the Ohio Theatre for many decades,” Sturdevant says. “Just like the orchestra is used to hearing ourselves in the Ohio Theatre, our audiences and our board and our supporters and our donors—everyone is accustomed to hearing us in the Ohio Theatre.”
And, as far as Sturdevant is concerned, what’s being heard is less than the orchestra at its best. The theatre was designed to exhibit movies, she argues, not amplify an orchestra. “The few times that I’ve actually had the occasion to sit in the audience, I have been absolutely struck by the lack of presence that PHOTO:
Continued to page 94
The proposed site of the new Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert hall on the Scioto Peninsula
ROB HARDIN
Westerville
A Columbus Monthly Suburban Section
A Bold Day in Westerville
It’s always an honor to collaborate with Columbus Monthly to talk about Westerville. It is my hope that in the pages of this magazine, you see for yourself that Westerville is having a moment.
With a reliable combination of exceptional services, incredible amenities and job creation, Westerville is poised for more. Read on to find out how ready this community is for change and growth, especially as Central Ohio continues to be among the most attractive regions in the nation.
It is, quite simply, a bold day in Westerville. All ideas and opportunities are welcome here.
Westerville is very aware of the changes coming now and in the future, as much of that immediate growth takes place to our direct eastern borders. In order to thoughtfully accommodate that impact, we are planning and dreaming.
of land for economic development. The site sits next to Westar, a major center of commerce and workforce in Westerville, Delaware County and north Columbus, and stands to be another major destination for work and play along Polaris Parkway.
In historic Uptown, Westerville is reimagining a traditional City Hall, creating space for centralized customer service and aligning staff teams under one roof for the first time in more than 50 years. The consolidation of buildings has resulted in new Uptown investments, including COhatch, North High Brewing and High Bank Distillery.
The 88-acre “East of Africa Road” development (page 20) brings new amenities to one of the few remaining large parcels
INSIDE
Westerville will always explore opportunities to strengthen this community. And we will never stop being BOLD. I invite you to read more and become part of our story. Learn more about how at westerville.org.
Monica Dupee, City Manager City of Westerville, Ohio
481115
VIBRANT CITY TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY
Westerville has it all—a bustling Uptown district, top-notch city services and greenspace galore.
FULL-SERVICE CITY
Westerville’s cityowned electric and fiber optic utilities are major differentiators.
UPTOWN UPDATE
The city’s strategy to free Uptown space for residents while adding services is working.
181920
HIGH BANK WESTERVILLE
How local investors turned the historic Post Office into a popular dinner destination..
CONNECTED COLLEGE TOWN
Otterbein University and Westerville are two parts that make a whole community.
HOMETOWN ENTREPRENEUR
John Brooks of BTTS Holdings is the quintessential local business leader and committed to Westerville.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
The city has made the most of available land for development, and more opportunities await.
ON THE COVER: Fourth Fridays in Westerville draw crowds for fun Uptown.
Photo courtesy City of Westerville
PHOTO: COURTESY CITY OF WESTERVILLE
Monica Dupee
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VIBRANT CITY TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY
Westerville offers a comprehensive ecosystem for businesses, a historic Uptown with many locally owned restaurants and shops and plenty of recreational advantages.
By Andrew King
Janet Tressler-Davis remembers when the first wave of fast-food chains started coming to Westerville.
A lifetime resident of the city, few have had a better view of Westerville’s growth. Her father, James Tressler, served as the mayor of Westerville for 13 of his 22 years on city council, and Tressler-Davis has been President and CEO of the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce since 1992. She even stayed in the city for her undergraduate degree, graduating from Otterbein University in 1982.
As a kid, she had access to a Burger King and to a long-defunct chain called Burger Boy Food-O-Rama.
“There just wasn’t any food,” she says. “And then all of a sudden, all this fast food came in the 80s.”
In her lifetime, Tressler-Davis has seen the most dramatic growth in Westerville’s 166-year history. From 1970 to its peak in 2019, the city more than tripled in size, growing from about 12,000 residents to more than 41,000.
With that growth has come an influx of businesses, amenities for residents, infrastructure projects and major developments. But along the way, the city has stuck to a set of principles and a core belief in putting residents first.
The result is a city with a nearly unparalleled mix of strengths, from business and recreation to residential space and city services.
Westerville now sits within 20 minutes of 300,000 jobs and commands a humming economic engine. It’s adopted the moniker, “City Within
a Park” because of its commitment to maintaining 6,000 acres of parkland.
Restaurants, events and entertainment centers flock to the city to be part of that mix.
Progress According to Plan
As it approached the 2000s, Westerville knew it had something other communities didn’t: room to expand.
The city’s modern era of expansion began in earnest just before the turn of the 21st Century, when it annexed 941 acres of land from neighboring townships in Delaware County. The area would become known as Westar, and a $30 million infrastructure project would connect the development with the up-and-coming Polaris Fashion Place retail mecca, which opened in 2001.
Recreation in Westerville
PHOTO: COURTESY CITY OF WESTERVILLE
The success of that development and the economic opportunities that came with it helped launch a new era for the city, one that has come with a variety of major development projects, strategic initiatives and long-term planning.
But much of the city’s ability to execute those projects comes from the trust built on projects like Westar, where Westerville leadership laid out a clear plan, told residents what to expect, asked them to trust the investment and then produced results. City Manager Monica Dupee knows the city can’t take that trust for granted, and she knows it isn’t earned overnight.
“Sometimes it even takes a century,” she says. “I’m lucky I’m here after that century point so that I can ride the coattails of all the professionals who came before me. But there’s a part of our brand that we call ‘The Promise,’ and we take it very seriously. If we say
we’re going to do something, we do it. And if we say we’re going to do it in a certain way, we do it in a certain way. And the reason for that is trust.
“If we don’t keep that trust at a high level, we’re not going to be the creative, innovative, thoughtful community we are. Because, at some level, there has to be that trust that we, as professionals, know the big picture and can move it forward.”
In the years since Westar’s development, residents have trusted the city with a variety of major projects.
The Medical Mile, situated along Cleveland Avenue, was built around the catalyst of Mount Carmel St. Ann’s, and now includes three hospital systems operating a variety of buildings that account for more than 4,500 jobs and nearly 800,000 square feet.
To the south, the Eastwind and Brooksedge business parks make up
more than 2 million square feet of office and industrial space.
An extension of the Westar project, the city developed a 62-acre property acquired in 2014 called Westar Place, which now houses the headquarters of DHL Supply Chain along with the Renaissance Columbus WestervillePolaris Hotel and offices of Central Ohio Primary Care, JPMorgan Chase, OhioHealth, Bank of America and T Marzetti.
The hotel, in particular, marked a specific need and served as a major win for the city. It now offers a place for corporate events and a central location for traveling workers to visit a headquarters or major office.
“Without a full-service hotel in the area, it is extremely difficult to plan the kind of trainings that we host,” said Rita Bassiet, director of sales and marketing of Renaissance Columbus
PHOTO: COURTESY CITY OF WESTERVILLE
City of Westerville
Westerville-Polaris Hotel. “People come and stay here while they’re training, including VIPs and people interviewing. You don’t want to have to send people across town to do those things. You want to have a great place to bring clients. The City of Westerville is here all the time, bringing clients in to talk about new projects.”
Each development project has different goals, attributes and return on investment. But what ties them together is referred to colloquially as “The Westerville Way,” a commitment to intentional, well-reasoned progress that benefits the city and its residents.
“We look at the data around us and we know it’s our responsibility to grow really reasonably and responsibly and stay focused on our strategies while trying not to get into the temptation of being trendy or reacting to things that are happening,” says Westerville Chief of Staff Christa Dickey. “We want to be proactive and pretty steadfast in our approach.”
A Commitment to Variety
That steadfast approach has resulted in not just development, but a diverse business climate.
From medical operations and company headquarters to recreation facilities and restaurants, demand for space in Westerville is high, and it’s not hard to see why.
“Our proximity to Downtown Columbus and to the airport is great, and then you also have the amenities in our community,” Tressler-Davis says. “We have that vibrant Uptown area, and you can’t make that up—that’s natural. So you’ve got the tradition with the innovation, right here in our community. We have Otterbein University, a variety of restaurants to bring people in, an outstanding library and school district. And then on top of all that, we have our own utilities.”
But attracting a variety of businesses isn’t just the result of proximity to Columbus and naturally occurring amenities. It’s the result of intentional planning and economic development efforts to make Westerville attractive to
all types of organizations, from smaller local concepts to large corporations.
“There’s a place for everyone in Westerville,” Dickey says. “What’s special about Westerville is that if you have an idea and you want to be a part of this community, there’s always a way.”
While big names like OhioHealth or DHL grab the headlines and move the economic needle, Dickey points to the recently opened High Bank Distillery in Uptown as the type of addition that adds flavor and community buy-in.
The distillery opened this summer in an 89-year-old Uptown building that was renovated into a 3,600-square-foot restaurant and bar with two patios, a store and an outdoor window that delivers drinks to those enjoying the city’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area.
It’s the type of project that connects the dots between the organizations that draw people in during the day and those that provide amenities to residents who stick around outside of the nine to five.
“We have a vibrant business community,” Tressler-Davis says. “I think our businesses work together and are community-minded. These are people wanting to get engaged in the community.”
Fostering those connections and that community feel is crucial for the city’s economic development efforts.
Those efforts start with offering business infrastructure that few can match. The city operates its own water and electric departments, and it runs a data center and fiber-optic network through their WeConnect program. Those interested in bringing business to the city have a direct line to assistance, and Westerville prides itself on working with them.
“Everybody from a business in Uptown all the way up to our biggest employer has a point of contact with the city,” Dupee says.
“We do a quarterly business leader breakfast and split them up into different areas of town or different focuses and bring the CEOs of those companies around the table to have breakfast and fill them in on everything going on
in the city. We do a survey of how we can do better, get feedback on what we’re working on, what they’re working on and how we can work together. It’s constant relationship-building and checking in that we have with our business community.”
Recreation is Non-Negotiable
But efforts to attract investment aren’t just about expanding a tax base or supporting businesses—the city makes a concerted effort to draw companies who represent amenities for its residents while maintaining the recreation space that makes Westerville unique.
It starts with being a “City Within a Park,” which isn’t just a moniker or a tagline. It’s an actual commitment to maintaining and expanding Westerville’s 6,000 acres of parkland, something city leaders know is a core appeal for residents.
That duty to parks and recreation is so important that it’s even been codified in Westerville’s funding. The city collects a 2 percent income tax, and a quarter percent is dedicated to parks and recreation capital items. Known as PROS, the Parks Recreation and Open Space tax, was first approved by voters in 1998, and has continued to receive support from residents.
Community events in Westerville
That funding has resulted in the Westerville Community Center and a variety of other large projects, and it has funded the city’s attempts to keep a park within a quarter mile of every one of its neighborhoods. It underlines parks’ priority status among both residents and leaders.
“It’s always been a differentiator,” Dickey says of that commitment to parks. “For the rest of time, Westerville will make that investment in its parks and recreation system because it’s part of our model. If you take away one piece of the puzzle, the puzzle is incomplete. Our model is about a full-service lifestyle with quality of services, access to parks and wonderful amenities.”
But in Westerville, outdoor amenities and recreation don’t just mean traditional parks and playgrounds.
The city has attracted two major recreational developments that will open in the near future and aim to provide the kind of play that connects with what its community wants.
Edge Adventure Park is an upcoming 10.5-acre project situated in a wooded ravine between Vesper Way and Cleveland Avenue that aims to open in 2025. The park will feature “adventure-style” activities as well as
space to host retreats, workshops and other corporate events. It will connect to nearby trails and include recreation spaces like canopy walks and treehouses that separate it from more traditional open spaces.
“We have a wide variety of ages in Westerville, from people who are just starting families or just got out of college lal the way to people who want to age in place,” Dupee says. “You have to take that into perspective, so every park is different to try to help meet the needs of the entire community. But there also have to be fun places where our business community can come together.”
The city hopes that one of those uniting locations is the upcoming Smash Park. A 50,000-square-foot outdoor space at Westar Place, the complex will house amenities ranging from pickleball and shuffleboard to a rooftop bar and arcade games. Kerri Lockyear, executive vice president of hospitality for the Smash Park Entertainment Group, said the company was drawn to Westerville because of its exciting market and potential to be a “social hub” for the nearby growth.
“Residents should be excited about Smash Park coming into their community because it enriches the local lifestyle, encourages healthy living, and strengthens community bonds,” she says. “It’s more than just a recreational venue—it’s a catalyst for building connections and creating memorable experiences.”
Growing With Central Ohio
Westerville’s progress and growth show no signs of stopping any time soon.
Like most Central Ohio communities, the city is bracing for changes that come as a result of the massive Intel chip factories near New Albany. That $30 billion investment will shape the future of Central Ohio in ways that are still uncertain, but Westerville leaders know they’ll be in the impact zone.
“One of the core things we’re going to constantly be spending time on is the Intel impact and what that is doing to the entire region and in Westerville,”
Dupee says. “We’re always looking for opportunities to keep our community moving in the right direction and taking advantage, in a positive way, of that investment.”
Meanwhile, the city has its own list of projects. They’re in the midst of a major redevelopment of the city’s Uptown city hall that will take two years and combine and centralize a variety of departments.
Westerville is also planning for infrastructure work and the development of an 88-acre parcel of land east of Africa Road, which they purchased in 2023 and represents their next major economic development location.
“The idea is creating opportunity again,” Dickey says of that project. “We’re really hoping to replicate what has happened at Westar. This is a big opportunity. That land sat for years and years with nobody willing to develop it, so it was an opportunity for us to step in and really look at job opportunities and amenities.”
That project, like so many others, will be an opportunity for the city to repay the trust of its residents, a responsibility that Dupee doesn’t take lightly.
Westerville is already hosting open houses to explain their plans and gather resident feedback, and plans will only move forward if they’re supported by the community.
“If we don’t keep that trust at a high level, we’re not going to be the creative, innovative, thoughtful community we are,” she says. “Because, at some level, there has to be trust that we, as professionals, know the big picture and can move it forward.”
As Westerville continues to grow, Tressler-Davis is excited to see what comes next. And while the city probably won’t stay the same forever, she sees that growth as one of its strengths.
“Our community is always changing, which is a good thing,” Tressler-Davis says. “I can’t imagine doing this job in any other city. We are so fortunate here to have the accessibility and diversity that we have.”
PHOTO: COURTESY CITY OF WESTERVILLE
FULLSERVICE CITY
Westerville’s attractive business climate is thanks to a high level of coordination among city agencies.
By Andrew King
In 2024, just about every city has realized that economic development is a critical part of a community generating growth, job opportunities and amenities for its residents.
From tax incentives to infrastructure, every community has a variety of ways to attract prospective businesses and increase investment within its borders.
In Westerville, the amenities are so robust, they’ve led to a reputation as a “full-service city.”
That reputation starts with city services that are operated by the city itself, rather than contracted from nearby municipalities and providers. From police and fire services to waste management and utilities, keeping these services in-house allows the city to maintain high-level offerings while controlling prices for residents.
A Charged History
Perhaps the most differentiating characteristic of Westerville’s city services is its electric department.
The Westerville Electric Division is the only Central Ohio electric utility that operates the full footprint of its city, which gives Westerville and its residents a unique advantage.
“Basically, our residents own our system,” says Electric Utility Manager Chris Monacelli. “They are the owners of it, and we are responsible for it. And our main priorities are reliability and affordability.”
Westerville’s electric setup may be a major differentiator in 2024, but its story begins more than 125 years ago.
In 1898, Westerville residents had grown dissatisfied with the whale oil-burning lamps that lit the city’s streets. It was a lengthy process to light the lamps each night, and residents weren’t fans of the smell and mess.
They decided to go electric—still a relatively new technology at the time— and turned to a manufacturer that had excess power just down the street.
While other cities decided to consolidate over the years, Westerville stuck with it. And now, controlling its own energy means it can offer residents and businesses a high level of service and reliability.
“If you are a resident or a business and you have an electrical problem or outage, we will be there very quickly,” Monacelli says. “If we’re informed of an outage, we have a truck rolling. In under 10 minutes, we typically have a truck on-site. We are really only focused on the 12.6 square miles of Westerville, and that allows us to focus on reliability and affordability. What that translates to you as a business or resident is very low outage times.”
Monacelli says Westerville is at the low end of outage times in the entire nation. The city wants residents and businesses alike to “expect to have
your power on,” and provides the ability to fix it quickly.
The relatively small scope of the city’s electric grid—when compared to Columbus or the massive AEP Ohio service territory—means Westerville can be more proactive in updating technology like putting infrastructure in place for electric vehicles.
By working proactively with companies thinking of moving into the city, Westerville has been able to help them embrace sustainability goals.
“We’re getting a lot more involved earlier in the process to think about being able to construct carbon neutral buildings or solar panels and storage on site,” Monacelli says. “By being involved earlier, we can help meet the needs and environmental sustainability goals that a corporation might have.”
Speed and Safety
Reliable electricity is only useful if it comes along with reliable connectivity. So rather than rely on internet providers to connect the city and its businesses, Westerville took data and connectivity into its own hands, just like its other utilities.
In 2012, the city opened a 16,000-square-foot Community Data Center and linked it to Westerville’s fiber optic infrastructure, WeConnect, the first municipally operated data center of
Westar
its kind in the nation.
The data center serves as a hub for local and regional businesses, offering world-class support for its fiber network, a secure data center space, cloud services like storage and backup, engineering services and more. It all operates with a “cloud-first approach” with very few physical servers, allowing for better connectivity and more nimble infrastructure.
Why invest the time, manpower and funding required to operate its own data center and network? For Chief Information Officer Michael Farrar, Westerville’s connectivity is a difference-maker.
“Having your systems in modern technology like cloud solutions and offerings allows you to keep up with a lot of the security that’s out there,” he says. “Security is continuously changing and evolving, especially with the advancements of AI. We’re seeing a lot more cyberattacks happening more
frequently, and it comes down to some of those technologies being utilized by bad actors. Having modern infrastructure helps us ensure that we’re staying up to date with the latest patches and our infrastructure is being updated on the fly.”
A Reputation for Growth
Westerville’s cutting-edge utilities have become such an attractive amenity that they’re even contributing to talent acquisition.
City Manager Monica Dupee was hired in 2020 after managing Ohio cities Napoleon and Painesville. In both of those jobs, she interacted with the Westerville Electric Division, and she says she “met the idea of Westerville through their electric department.”
“Through that process, what I took away was that Westerville was a high level of service, thoughtful, strategic, innovative and very fiscally conservative, which helps with stability and
strategy and long-term planning,” she says. “That is my dream job—that’s the kind of city manager I like to be. Take care of today, but always think about the future.”
Now, Dupee and her economic development team are using the city’s unique utility landscape to attract the companies and investment that will move Westerville forward. For that purpose, she says the centralized and forward-thinking nature of the city’s utilities and services makes a huge difference.
“All of our utilities, but electric in particular, allow us to be flexible and work more closely with our business community as we’re attracting and retaining businesses,” she says. “We’re able to be more responsive and on the spot and we can find creative solutions to their electric needs or sustainability needs.”
An attractive electricity environment has been a key part of major
Peter Kourlas, M.D.
Jarred Burkart, M.D. Shabana Dewani, M.D. Andrew Grainger, M.D. Joseph Hofmeister, M.D. Augustine Hong, M.D. Elizabeth Kander, M.D.
Erin M.Bertino, M.D.
Nse Ntukidem, M.D
Thomas Sweeney, M.D.
Emily Saul, D.O.
Anish Parikh, M.D.
Joy Tang, M. D.
Kavya Krishna, M.D. Shylaja Mani, M.D.
Erin Macrae, M.D.
Michael Ozga, M.D.
City of Westerville
developments in Westerville’s recent history, and it will continue to impact major projects in the future. That infrastructure was key in completing developments at Westar Place and the city’s Medical Mile along Cleveland Avenue, and it will serve as an important piece of developing 88 acres the city purchased east of Africa Road last year.
“Power is becoming the biggest driver for economic development in a lot of places; you can attribute that to the Intel (project),” Monacelli says. “They’re coming in as a major user of infrastructure, electricity and transformers, and all the things that come with it. That’s one of our advantages: We can be proactive. We can procure equipment ahead of time, and we are involved very early with our economic development and planning teams to make sure we have the infrastructure needed.”
The city’s robust fiber optic network, WeConnect acts as a similarly powerful economic development tool. Farrar
says Westerville’s combined powers of responsiveness, self-contained security and raw speed can often make the difference for a business interested in moving.
“We are really positioned, from an economic development perspective, to provide unique services that not a lot of communities can provide,” he says. “We have hosting services; we have multiple carriers that we can provide
HELPING OUR NEIGHBORS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
connections to; we lease our conduit fiber so a large company can own their strands of fiber. It gives them that solid, robust connectivity that they need to do business.”
Westerville has one more secret economic development driver: the businesses that are already there. What better way to gauge the city’s economic reputation?
“We’re going after a couple of big headquarters right now, and we actually have companies in Westerville writing letters of support to the CEO of these incoming companies,” Dupee says. “Even when we sit down and have conversations about coming to Westerville, the reaction is usually, ‘We actually feel like you want us here. We actually feel like you’re going to invest in us.’ And that’s the point: We do. We invest in them and they’re investing in us, and we want them to be as successful as they can be because that only makes us successful.”
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UPTOWN UPDATE
Westerville City Hall project a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’
By Laura Newpoff
In 2019, Westerville voters approved a 20-year bond issue that gave the city the financial means to turn a commercial structure at 229 Huber Village Blvd. into a new Justice Center. It was a monumental development for the city because it created a “once-in-a-generation opportunity,” the city says, to reimagine how city services are delivered to residents while, at the same time, opening up opportunities for new businesses to add vibrancy to the community.
That’s because moving the police and courts operations from 29. S. State St. made it possible for the city to combine that building with its neighbor—21 S. State St.—as part of a City Hall expansion and modernization project.
The new Justice Center also paved the way for the city to sell the building at 28 S. State St. that housed its Police Detective Bureau. High Bank Distillery opened its third location at that Uptown Westerville address this summer. Meanwhile, there are plans to move city
employees who work in the Westerville utility billing building at 64 E. Walnut St. into the expanded city hall, opening up another chance to sell a building to the private sector.
In 2021, Westerville City Council also approved the sale of the historic Armory building at 240 S. State St. for $700,000. Co-working space COhatch and North High Brewing partnered on a restoration project and now operate their businesses at the location.
“As part of moving forward with the
CoHatch at 240 S. State St.
City of Westerville
Justice Center, we made a decision to consolidate city services and open up more space for businesses,” says Westerville City Manager Monica Dupee. It is an idea that drew 80 percent support from residents in a 2023 survey, she says.
The last major investment in the municipal facility was in 1987. Construction of the new city hall is expected to start before the end of 2024. When the project is complete in a couple of years, residents will be able to come to one location to pay their taxes, get permits, buy a pool pass and pay their utility bills.
MA Design is the architecture firm working on the project it describes as “a transformative journey to modernize the City Hall complex, ensuring it
meets both current and future needs,” says ????. “This project is guided by a shared vision: to create a unified campus that centralizes administrative functions, reflects Westerville’s unique identity, and strengthens the Uptown community experience. The design promotes transparency, collaboration and innovation, with key features including a bridge connector and new entryways that link previously separate buildings, fostering a more integrated and open environment for both employees and visitors.”
That open environment, Dupee says, includes removing many of the interior walls in the current structure to increase flexibility in the way people work. The project includes strategic furniture layouts, audio-visual system
The new Westerville Justice Center at 229 Huber Village Blvd.
North High Brewing at 250 S. State St.
City of Westerville
is $16.2 million, according to MA Design.upgrades and a major renovation of the City Council chambers. More gathering spaces will be part of the renovation, including outdoor greenspaces.
The renovated structure will have 46,000 square feet and the project cost is $16.2 million, according to MA Design.
In addition to being the home of city services, Uptown is a historic district known as the cultural heart of Westerville where people go for shopping, dining and entertainment.
City Hall will continue to be a key component of Uptown Westerville Inc.’s programming throughout the year to bring people to the district to support local businesses, says Lynn Aventino, executive director of the nonprofit. The public-private partnership works to create a unified, coherent image for Uptown, to rally community support and establish deeper collaboration, to produce positive impacts on the district and the city of Westerville.
Thousands of people are drawn to the district through events like the holiday tree lighting celebration at City Hall; the Fourth Friday street festivals that feature roving entertainment, food trucks, pop-up vendors and a City Hall concert series; and a Saturday farmers market held behind the building from May through the end of September. There’s also the annual Art Hop where people come out to support local artists and enjoy live music and free activities for children at the “Kiddie Hop” at the facility.
New greenspaces will offer more opportunities to host events and concerts there, Aventino says.
“We try to keep Uptown programmed throughout the year and there are many events that attract people to the district to get foot traffic in to keep our small businesses alive and doing well,” she says. “You keep residents here by having nice places to gather. Uptown is a place people like to visit and it’s a place for residents to stay and enjoy their community. City Hall really is the cornerstone for this.”
HOMETOWN ENTREPRENEUR
Why BTTS’ John Brooks keeps giving back.
“You look like you’re running for something!” someone calls to John Brooks as he poses for photos on the corner of College Avenue and State Street in Uptown Westerville. Brooks laughs it off, but the point is taken: He’s clearly a recognized and respected community figure, and rightfully so.
Brooks is the quintessential Westerville story, having grown up, raised a family, owned real estate and planted a thriving business there.
“I grew up and still consider myself a kid from Cleveland Avenue,” he says. “I grew up off Cleveland Avenue, went
By Nicholas Dekker
to Hawthorne Elementary, went to Whittier, went to Hanby just down the street here. And then my family moved to Uptown in 1992. My parents still live in the same house. So, I’ve always felt that connection to the community.”
Brooks is the managing partner of BTTS Holdings (the acronym stands for “bigger than the sky”), a family business that operates eight major event venues around Central Ohio, in addition to catering and floral design businesses. If you’ve attended an event in the region anytime over the past decade, there’s a chance you’ve experienced its
services. “This year, we’ll host around 900 events all over Central Ohio, serving around 100,000 guests,” Brooks shares. “We’re grateful to be in this community and to be able to create these memories and experiences for people.”
His formal background is in commercial real estate, and he partnered with his parents John S. and Joy Brooks to found their first event venue in 2006, the Berkshire in Lewis Center. In 2014, the younger Brooks began transitioning out of the real estate business to take on a managing role in the family
TIM JOHNSON
John Brooks, in uptown Westerville, is managing partner of BTTS Holdings, the largest exclusive event operator in Central Ohio with five venues, catering and floral design.
City of Westerville
company, although he’s kept up the property business. In addition to helping move the BTTS offices to East College Avenue, he’s shifted his real estate focus to Uptown Westerville.
“I made a purposeful decision to consolidate my real estate holdings into Uptown, specifically where I felt like we could make an impact in the community,” he says. “And I really saw the city’s support of Westerville and Uptown specifically, and their plan to have an authentic and alive Uptown. I saw them put effort and focus behind that and felt like I could come alongside that.”
If you walk with him along State Street, he’ll point out buildings he owns—not to brag, but to highlight the businesses he’s helped support in the community. “I took a risk for one of my buildings off East Main Street,” he says. “We put in Cardinal Pizza, a local operator. That pizza place has become a community staple. Westerville Florist is a tenant and a friend. They’re expanding. Of course, Graeter’s is iconic and
John Brooks in front of a mural in Uptown Westerville, and at his company’s headquarters, below.
TIM JOHNSON
TIM JOHNSON
an Ohio-based company. We’re really proud of the fact that what we have here in Uptown is authentic, it’s genuine.”
One of the latest examples of Brooks’ impact is the new High Bank Distillery in the historic post office building. More than two years ago, he responded to a request for proposals from the city, through which he was able to purchase the building and bring the distillery restaurant to life. He worked with High Bank’s master distiller Adam Hines, himself a Westerville resident, to create a modern pub and cocktail bar that further connects to the community. As part of the buildout, they added a small north patio adjoining that of Java Central Coffee Roasters, and a south-facing patio that includes a walk-up window for carryout drinks in the city’s DORA district.
For Brooks and his family, all of this goes beyond just running a business. “It’s not my quote, but I say we’re here to make a profit and a difference,” he says. “Generosity is one of our key pillars and key values. We do that financially through the Give Back program; last year we were able to donate over $220,000 to area charities. We’re partnered with Food Rescue US, so leftover food from any of our events goes to those in need.”
Whether they’re relaxing on the brick patio outside Java Central or posing in front of Columbus artist Nick Stull’s mural, residents and visitors will see Brooks’ impact on Uptown Westerville firsthand. “I’ve heard my daughter describe it kind of akin to the town in Gilmore Girls,” he jokes. “I don’t watch the show, so I can’t say, but I would say there truly is a Midwest nice here.”
As he discusses his role in the city’s development, Brooks comes back to the word “steward” frequently. “I feel like my investment in Uptown is to be a steward and a community partner,” he says. “These buildings that I’m a part of were here long before I was born, and they’ll be here long after I’m gone. So if I can play a part as a community steward for this season, I’m really grateful for that.”
HIGH BANK WESTERVILLE
Historic Post Office takes new life as distillery restaurant.
By Nicholas Dekker
One of the most prominent redevelopment projects in Uptown Westerville is a new location for High Bank Distillery, which transformed the former post office on State Street into a modern eatery and cocktail bar.
The significance of a distillery and cocktail bar opening in Prohibition’s birthplace is not lost on everyone involved.
“Honestly, the whole story behind our company is centered in Westerville,” said Rob Gelley, general manager of High Bank’s Westerville location. “With Henry Corbin and his saloon getting dynamited a few times. With the Whiskey War starting out of that—hence the name of our whiskey brand, Whiskey War—it’s home for us. I mean, we’ve got the Anti-Saloon League Museum right across the street. And especially with this post office being a big part of the Anti-Saloon League movement, sending so many leaflets out of here, it’s just a complete circle right back to the start of it all.”
After operating as the post office for many years, High Bank’s building served as offices for the parks and recreation
department, then Westerville police detectives. Now the space certainly feels more comfortable than government offices; High Bank preserved many of the building’s details, from the original wood floors to handsome metal grates from the teller windows. They’ve augmented the designs with a full kitchen and plenty of white subway tile, while also saving a skylight to illuminate the space.
The $2.7 million renovation and conversion project was developed by John Brooks of BTTS Holdings, an event and hospitality operator, and Steve Wathen of commercial real estate firm Equity. High Bank also has restaurants in Grandview and Gahanna.
High Bank serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, with an eclectic pub menu that caters to the whole family. The menu spans a variety of snacks, handhelds like burgers and Korean Philly sandwiches, pizzas, and full dinners like fish and chips or chicken shawarma bowls. Gelley recommends the Brussels sprouts and the wings to any first timer.
As expected of a distillery restaurant,
the cocktail menu takes center stage. It draws on High Bank’s award-winning portfolio of vodkas, gins and whiskeys. “Not to toot our own horn, but we put a lot of time and energy into the production of the cocktails,” Gelley says. Cocktails are grouped by spirit, from the vodka-centered Lavender Lady to the Blood Orange G&T to the smoked Old Fashioned.
As another nail in the coffin to Prohibition, High Bank is opening a speakeasy in the basement of the building this fall. Named P.O. Box 21 for the Twenty-First Amendment, the cocktail bar will seat about 40 while featuring 21 distinct cocktails. The space features original details from the building like a post office seal in the floor; the outer lobby is decorated in 90s-era USPS blue and red stripes and gray slatted walls.
Gelley says Westerville has welcomed High Bank with open arms. “One thing that I have enjoyed a lot about this location is the community aspect,” he says. “Seeing people walk up and down the street 24/7, it’s just rejuvenating, it gets me excited. You know, it feels like a community.”
High Bank at 28 S. State St.
CONNECTED COLLEGE TOWN
Staff and students at Otterbein University and the residents of Westerville are woven together as one community.
By Peter Tonguette
Far too often, colleges and universities can seem cut off from the cities or towns they inhabit, but Otterbein University has long forged connections with its home base.
“Sometimes universities are described as bubbles, and that’s not the goal—in fact, it’s not good educationally,” says Otterbein University president John Comerford, whose school just welcomed 583 first-year students from 25 states and 2 countries outside the United States who are pursuing over 60 majors.
As Comerford sees it, the university and the city are inextricably linked—and both are the better for it.
“To steal a term from real estate, attracting and retaining students, faculty and staff is location, location, location,” Comerford says. “We have great programs and all sorts of cool activities and sports, but the reality is we got lucky in that we were put in the right cow town 177 years ago.”
Otterbein students feel comfortable in Westerville, Comerford says, because both the school and city take pride in their diversity. “If you look at
Westerville, . . . it’s really diverse,” he says. “It matches our student body. Our student body comes from all over the place and is really diverse, socioeconomically and racially and religiously.”
To help cement the bond between students and the place where they’ll reside over four years, Otterbein sponsors a number of programs that aim to give back. For example, the annual Fall Plunge immerses students in community service endeavors during their first weekend on campus. “We have 30-plus agencies we work through and send hundreds of students across the community to good work,” Comerford says.
From the city’s perspective, the Fall Plunge provides undergraduates with a kind of initiation. “That gives them a chance to find out what Westerville is all about, to put some shoe leather and elbow grease into helping their community that they’re going to call home for the next few years,” says Mayor Kenneth Wright.
Faculty and staff get in on the act, too: Once each quarter, Otterbein employees give their time to volunteer at the food pantry run by WARM
(Westerville Area Resource Ministry). “We all go to spend a few hours sorting canned goods and things like that,” Comerford says. “It’s great bonding time.”
Students attending Westerville City Schools also have the opportunity to benefit from their proximity to a university by participating in Otterbein’s College Credit Plus program, which makes collegiate coursework available to high-schoolers. Wright’s own daughter participated in the program.
“She tells me that the instructors there were very engaged with their students,” Wright says. “It helped her to prepare herself for the rigors of college.”
As much as Otterbein offers Westerville, however, the city gives back to the school through its unique amenities and incomparable quality of life.
“We have more than 650 acres of parks and green spaces,” Wright says. “We’ve got 51 miles of trails. Our uptown is just a stone’s throw from Otterbein’s campus. Anything that they’d want to do as far as food, entertainment and activities, it’s all within walking distance.”
PHOTO:
Otterbein University
City of Westerville
BUILDING THE FUTURE
Corporate development opporunities abound in Westerville east of Africa Road and elsewhere.
By Peter Tonguette
Once upon a time, Westerville was thought of as an offshoot of Columbus.
Its famous historic Uptown area, says Westerville Economic Development Director Rachel Ray, was named such “because it was ‘uptown’ from Downtown Columbus. They were connected by trolley many, many years ago.”
By the 1970s, Westerville was considered a bedroom community, and by the 1980s, it had acquired a reputation
as a thriving suburb that was quickly becoming a residential destination.
These days, the city is an economic engine unto itself. Leaders date the turning point to the 1990s, when the city made the consequential and impactful decision to annex 941 acres in what was then Genoa Township and Orange Township.
“It was later branded the Westar area,” Ray says. “The city leadership made the decision that this area was going to be planned and developed
for economic development uses, so revenue-generating uses.”
Linked to Westerville through the main arteries of Cleveland Avenue and Polaris Parkway, numerous companies sprang up on the site, including the corporate headquarters of Lancaster Colony and Vertiv. With those companies came 10,000 jobs, and with those jobs came income-tax revenue that helped support the city’s superb services.
“The way municipalities are
Westar
funded is based on income taxes,” says Westerville assistant city manager Jason Bechtold. “Making sure that you have a strong employment base in your community is important to fund a lot of our city services, like police and parks and roads and infrastructure.”
In 2014, 62 additional acres were folded into the site. Westar Place, as the area was dubbed, is anchored by the Renaissance Columbus WestervillePolaris Hotel, an amenity that attracted further corporate growth in the area.
“If companies have international clients and partners, they can benefit from the world-class Renaissance hotel,” says Ray, who also points to the talent pool within Westerville and surrounding suburbs as being appealing to companies. “Their employees can
Experience the Renaissance Columbus Westerville Hotel. Whether you are traveling for work or for fun, the Renaissance Columbus WestervillePolaris Hotel is ready to help you create lasting memories. Embrace total comfort in spacious rooms and suites, well-appointed with contemporary amenities and deluxe bedding. Recharge and reconnect with a specialty cocktail at our lounge and restaurant with sweeping views of our natural surroundings.
Experience the Renaissance Columbus Westerville Hotel. Whether you are traveling for work or for fun, the Renaissance Columbus WestervillePolaris Hotel is ready to help you create lasting memories. Embrace total comfort in spacious rooms and suites, well-appointed with contemporary amenities and deluxe bedding. Recharge and reconnect with a specialty cocktail at our lounge and restaurant with sweeping views of our natural surroundings.
Experience the Renaissance Columbus Westerville Hotel. Whether you are traveling for work or for fun, the Renaissance Columbus WestervillePolaris Hotel is ready to help you create lasting memories. Embrace total comfort in spacious rooms and suites, well-appointed with contemporary amenities and deluxe bedding. Recharge and reconnect with a specialty cocktail at our lounge and restaurant with sweeping views of our natural surroundings.
PHOTO: COURTESY CITY OF WESTERVILLE
City of Westerville
benefit from all the amenities of the Westar area as well as being relatively close to where they live in many cases.”
Other companies that migrated to Westar include Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians and DHL, whose North American supply chain operations are headquartered there.
Now Westerville is building on Westar and Westar Place—literally. In 2023, a pair of tracts totaling 88 acres were purchased for commercial use by the Westerville Industry and Commerce Corporation. Situated to the east of Africa Road, the acquisition cost $8.4 million.
“As we were reaching this point of build-out, we made the case to the City of Westerville,” Ray says. “We’re running out of land and we need more inventory, and we have an opportunity to again play that master developer role in acquiring the land, investing in
infrastructure and creating more shovel-ready sites.” She envisions the area as appealing to companies seeking their own buildings.
“A lot of companies now want to control their real estate,” Ray says, adding that, by making investments in infrastructure, Westerville will be ready to go when companies come calling. “We can respond very quickly when economic development opportunities are presented,” she says. Corporate headquarters, companies in the life sciences as well those engaged in advanced manufacturing research may find the area especially appealing, she says.
Westerville itself remains a major attraction for current and future companies.
“They want to be closer to amenities and closer to the talent, and we’re very well located in southern Delaware
County and northern Franklin County, where there is a lot of talent within a short drive,” Ray says.
East of Africa
BOLD
Our thoughtful yet bold approach to growth and development has resulted in
The city’s finest dining pros dish on themselves and the items that set their menus apart.
JON HAUMAN
EXECUTIVE CHEF AND CULINARY DIRECTOR, LIBERTY TAVERN AND O.U.R GROUP
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE AS A CHEF? Midwest strong. I love taking all my favorites from the Midwest and putting a modern twist on them with influences from places around the world, such as India, where I spent time.
WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR START IN THE INDUSTRY? Washing dishes at a Big Boy.
WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE RESTAURANT AND WHY? Mi Li, a small Columbus place making truly magical traditional Vietnamese food.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ALTERNATE CAREER CHOICE? Basketball coach and history teacher
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CHEF? Chef Thomas Keller overall based on his impact, contributions and books in the industry. Shout out big pot blanching.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE COLUMBUS DINING SCENE? The growth of food that isn’t corporate and commercial. Shout out to Avishar and the guys of Cobra.
The Liberty Smash burger, left, features wagyu beef and tavern special sauce. It’s surrounded by wings, salad and pizza.
TRAVIS HYDE
EXECUTIVE CHEF, SHAWNEE STATION TAPROOM & KITCHEN
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE AS A CHEF? I love to cook with the seasons. I want items at the seasonal peak of their freshness.
WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR START IN THE INDUSTRY? As a 13-year-old bus boy at a small family-owned Italian restaurant in Columbus.
WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE RESTAURANT AND WHY? After dining at numerous Michelin-starred establishments, I can always count on the food at Thai Grille in Westerville.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CHEF? Thomas Keller—I named my son Keller.
WHAT DINING/BAR TRENDS DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE GROWING POPULAR IN THE FUTURE? Trends come and go. What we need to see in the culinary industry is full support from our community for the independently owned and operated establishments.
CHIMICHURRI
HANGAR STEAK
Served over heirloom tomatoes and roasted potatoes, topped with red pepper jelly.
ALIX SERFATY • DREW HILLIS
EXECUTIVE CHEFS, THREE CREEKS KITCHEN + COCKTAILS
WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR START IN THE INDUSTRY?
Hillis: The Worthington Inn
Serfaty: From cocktail serving and doing an internship at the Hyatt on Capitol Square.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COOKBOOK?
Serfaty: The Modern Cafe by Francisco Migoya
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CHEF?
Hillis: I know that it might be kitschy to say, but I love Anthony Bourdain. His approach to not only food but life was inspiring, and he stayed true to the classics with his broad knowledge and travel throughout the world.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE COLUMBUS DINING SCENE?
Serfaty: It has changed so dramatically from when I was growing up. There weren’t a lot of options when it came to great food. I love that people are getting more creative and sharing their roots and cultures with us.
THREE CREEKS KITCHEN + COCKTAILS
258 Granville St. Gahanna, OH 43230
(614) 468-8997
threecreeksgahanna.com
BRAISED SHORT RIB CAPPELLETTI WITH BROWN BUTTER
A delightful fusion of tender short rib, creamy cambazola cheese and caramelized onions, nestled in a delicate wonton wrap and finished with rich brown butter.
Holiday Gift Guide
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Oakland Nursery
Enjoy our two unique shopping experiences this holiday season: Oakland HOME and Oakland INSIDE & OUT. For more information, visit oaklandnursery.com and click the “Specialty Shops” tab.
Oakland HOME
4271 W. Dublin-Granville Rd. Dublin, OH 43017
614-874-2400
Oakland INSIDE & OUT 5211-B Johnstown Rd. New Albany, OH 43054 614-573-8648
home & style
Photo by Tim Johnson
Past Meets Present
The German Village home of a well-known jewelry industry couple is bright and airy, with pieces from their travels punctuating the modern spaces. See the home, Page 74.
Home & Style | Home
The Luxury of SPACE
A famous jewelry industry couple’s German Village renovation blends history and modern art.
Story by LAURA NEWPOFF | Photos by TIM JOHNSON
Backyard pool at the Lagos home in German Village
Two years ago, Steven and Kristie Lagos were having a meal at one of their favorite restaurants in Paris, La Closerie Des Lilas. They found themselves captivated by a poster on the wall depicting an elegant woman with striking cheekbones who wore earrings that dangled delicately, deep red lipstick and a sleeveless red dress. They knew they had to have it, not only because they are art connoisseurs, but because, as Kristie puts it, “we had the perfect wall for it.”
On the spot, Steven purchased a pristine replica online. They had it framed in a beaded style that reflects the signature design element, caviar, that can be found in the jewelry Steven crafts as founder and creative director of fine jewelry brand Lagos. The piece now hangs in the den of the couple’s German Village home on Jaeger Street.
The home, as well as the Lagos’ offices, are set up as galleries for the couple’s growing art collection, which includes Superflat Japanese paintings, sculptures and street art from their travels. They have major pieces from Yoshitomo Nara, Mr., Tom Otterness and Roy Lichtenstein. The artwork is part of the personal touches the Lagoses have added to the home since they purchased it in November 2020.
Steven splits his time between Miami and Columbus with Kristie, who is a longtime Central Ohio resident and president and CEO of the Kingswood Co., a private-label jewelry care line business. In addition to personal travel, Steven travels frequently for work, including visits to his offices in New York,
Steven and Kristie Lagos
One of many pieces of Japanese art in the Lagos home
Home &
Philadelphia and Bangkok. Purchases from his frequent trips to Thailand, where his design and production hub is based, are reflected in the home. That includes a 350-pound wooden dining table that had to be shipped from the country in a special container and delivered in a truck with a special lift gate. “I go there for business six or seven times a year and just got immersed (in the Eastern arts culture),” Steven says. “I’m a creative. I’m always studying and I got fascinated by it.”
The large table reflects “the luxury of space” the couple feels in the home as opposed to smaller urban residences. The 4,040-square-foot home was built in 1900 and has been renovated several times over the years by multiple owners. Two additions were added to the original square structure in the early 1990s by Bill Hugus of William Hugus Architects Ltd. to bring in natural light through an abundance of windows. This included a two-story angular addition on the southern side of the house and a two-story addition to the back of the structure.
The light was the feature that most struck the couple when they first stepped inside the home. At the time, they lived in another German Village property that felt overly dark inside.
“When we walked in, it was the architecture and the light. It just felt like us,” Kristie says. “It had a really fantastic feel to it.” That included elegant outdoor landscaping that mimicked the caviar spherical motif. “It was as though it was designed with us in mind,” she says.
5 6 7 4
1 Front entrance with staircase and exposed brick 2 Sunroom with view of backyard pool 3 Classic Thurderbird owned by the Lagoses 4 View from kitchen to dining room 5 Steven and Kristie Lagos 6 Door handles in the shape of climbing people
7 Mirror in the living room gives the feel of a much larger room
Home & Style | Home
The “spectacular” outdoor work was done in 2010 and included the installation of a heated, salt-water pool, heated sidewalks, a garage pad and cisterns for capturing rainwater for irrigation. Jacobs Grant Design was the landscape architect, and Bello Giardino was part of the landscaping team.
8 A variety of modern art can be found in the Lagos home. 9 Living room with mirror and openings to the front hallway 10 Statues from the homeowners’ travels 11 Artwork from a Paris restaurant
The couple had looked at more than 20 other properties before they toured the Jaeger home. Within hours they made a formal offer. After closing, they had carpet removed from the living room and refinished the hardwood floors, had the home repainted and put in a modern gas fireplace in the den. They worked with interior designer Chris King of Manifesto on the home’s modern furnishings. Today, there’s a combined carriage house and garage where Steven keeps a 1957 Ford Thunderbird and works at a second-floor office and studio space. “We joke, he doesn’t just have a man cave, he has a whole other structure,” Kristie says, noting they can see each other across the property as they work in
‘‘One of the beautiful things about (living here) is everyone is participating in their own way in the historic preservation of the neighborhood.
their home offices; hers is on the home’s second floor.
Putting their own touches on the property and maintaining a residece in a historic district allows the couple to participate in historic preservation that can benefit future generations, Kristie says.
“One of the beautiful things about (living here) is everyone is participating in their own way in the historic preservation of the neighborhood,” she says. “So, whether you would move here and you’re just in your home for a couple of years or
you renovate four houses, everybody’s participating. Everybody is part of the historic preservation and caretaking for the next generation. That really makes it feel like a community. That’s what brings people together in a lot of ways. Everybody has this affinity for it.”
Says Steve: “It’s reflected in the homes that this is a creative community and people really embrace and respect it. We have high respect for people who live in and care for this neighborhood in a different way than exists in a lot of other places.” ◆
KRISTIE LAGOS
Top 25 Real Estate Transactions
Aug. 1-31, 2024
PRICE ADDRESS
$6,463,000 7000 Duncan’s Glen Drive, Westerville
$6,400,000 10204 Concord Road, Dublin
$2,420,000 3117 Asbury Drive, Upper Arlington
$2,253,000 6972 Hanbys Loop, New Albany
BUYER/SELLER
WF Estate Holdings LLC from Tobias I. and Tacy Sommer
Epcon Concord LLC from Kenneth N. Southworth, trustee
Brian and Bethany Stetson from Vincent Smith II and Kathleen Schrader
Sean and Brittany Monahan from Daniel M. and Chelsea N. Martin
$2,150,000 1760 Woodland Hall Drive, Delaware Rachael C. and James G. Holm from Jason and Robin Berkey, co-trustees
$2,100,000 1951 Woodland Hall Drive, Delaware Aidin Kashigar from Thomas and Meghan Bonos
$1,850,000 4567 Ackerly Farm Road, New Albany
$1,778,000 7300 Waterston, New Albany
Matthew W. Gibson, trustee, from Laura Cypher
7300 Waterston New Albany LLC from Chelsea E. Kauffman
$1,751,450 1122 Lancaster Ave., Reynoldsburg 1122 Lancaster Ave LLC from The Oliver Reynoldsburg LLC
$1,665,000 2121 Cambridge Blvd., Upper Arlington Andrew and Katherine Widing from Joe Y. and Lisa M. Wang
$1,600,000 7643 S. Goodrich Square, New Albany
$1,575,000 1430 Bean-Oller Road, Delaware
$1,500,000 192 Tucker Drive, Worthington
$1,480,000 2170 E. Broad St., Bexley
$1,440,000 2298 Brixton Road, Upper Arlington
$1,427,000 4058 Columbus Road, Granville Township
$1,420,000 403 Sycamore St., Columbus
$1,411,000 1395 Sherborne Lane, Powell
$1,400,000 9982 Allen Drive, Dublin
$1,399,000 462 E. Beck St., Columbus
$1,350,000 701 Ross Road, Sunbury
$1,329,683 4412 Speranza Loop, Galena
$1,325,000 2409 Plymouth Ave., Bexley
$1,300,000 10736 Preston Way, Powell
$1,150,000 5731 Olentangy Blvd., Sharon Township
Mohamed Ahmed and Rasha Elhag from Kelli S. and Andrew R. Post
Cheryl and John Lebens from Eric S. and Tracy E. Henderson
Joseph Jared Guth and Elizabeth Anna Bishop Guth from Jeffrey R. and Catherine M. Lyttle
Benton Brooks Bodamer from Kenneth Lee Oostman Jr., trustee
Paul Michael and Ceselee Hendricks from Staci L. Palmer
Joseph Clarke Jr. and Mary Ann Clarke from Donald Jones and Andrew Kohn
Julie C. and Monica Nemecek from Matthew James
Tameem Kaka and Sejal Patel from Benjamin R. and Gina Hansen
Aileen Ruffino and Peter Dominick Bonasso from Kevin and Leandra Jestice
Susanne Huffman-Tracz and Francis Tracz III from Jared Korman and Kelly Schwieterman
Stephanie M. and James D. Hawk from Luke and Jamie Schnars
Harshit Varia and Bhavini Desai from Romanelli and Hughes Building Co.
Seth B. and Blair Herndon Hayes from Michael and Morgan Flinner
Anna and Nathaniel Preston from Tom D. Walker
Aaron L. Boster from Brian S. Taylor and Holly A. Holtzen
food & drink
Photo by Tim Johnson
A Thai Melon Parfait made by chef Alana Shock. Find out what she’s been up to since she closed her restaurant, Page 84.
Spot-on Sichuan Cuisine
ChiliSpot’s menu features an array of flavors, spices and sensations.
By Amy Bodiker Baskes
As befitting a restaurant with a word for pepper in its name, the food at the Sichuan restaurant, ChiliSpot, is spicy. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
But to simply limit my description of ChiliSpot’s food as spicy doesn’t begin to convey the depth and complexity of the restaurant’s offerings. ChiliSpot rightfully earned a spot on Columbus Monthly’s list of Best New Restaurants in 2022 and has since opened locations in St. Louis and Orlando. Tucked in the Kenny Centre Mall, ChiliSpot’s dishes artfully layer flavors including floral, the citrusy notes of green peppercorns, pungent and
earthy fermented bean pastes, and rich caramels that are both sweet and savory. And “spicy” isn’t exactly the accurate description of the Sichuan cuisine’s unique zing, or málà, which largely comes from the use of Sichuan peppercorns, the berries of a prickly ash tree in the citrus family. There are two main kinds of Sichuan peppercorns: red peppercorns, which give an earthy, woodsy kick; and the rarer, more aromatic green ones. Instead of attacking the tongue with their heat, both varieties of Sichuan peppercorns produce a mild tingling, buzzing, or numbing sensation.
Dishes featuring both kinds of peppercorns abound on ChiliSpot’s menu, and on one visit our server encouraged us to order dishes featuring each. As I’m not particularly familiar with Sichuan cuisine, I was grateful for her guidance through the large and somewhat enigmatic menu.
At her suggestion, we started one meal with the Boiled Fish with Chinese Green Pepper Soup ($20.95) which arrived in a generous serving bowl. This soup came with substantial pieces of a light white fish and vegetables in a fragrant and colorful broth with, by my count, at least
Boiled Fish with Chinese Green Pepper Soup, center, with Spicy Wontons, Pan Fried Rice Cake with Brown Sugar and Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork
PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON
four kinds of peppers. The famous green peppercorns brought their signature floral and aromatic tingle to the broth, while small whole red peppers and two different green chiles brought a slight kick of heat.
Because it looked good walking by on the way to our table, we also eagerly ordered the special Dry Pot Pork Feet ($21.95), despite our servers’ skepticism that we wouldn’t like its bones. Unlike a boiling hot pot, a dry pot is essentially a stir-fry. Ours arrived dramatically in a small black wok suspended over a box holding a live flame. The wok contained tender pieces of braised pork knuckle dry-fried with a healthy coating of cumin and pepper alongside pieces of cauliflower.
On other visits, we also enjoyed more familiar and common Sichuan dishes. For appetizers we tried Chengdu Dandan Noodles ($9.95)—boiled wheat noodles lightly coated with a dark sesame chili oil and dotted with bits of ground pork, chopped nuts and scallions. ChiliSpot’s are pleasingly lighter than versions I’ve tried elsewhere. And ChiliSpot’s Sichuan Wontons ($7.95) are also surprisingly tender, with a gingery pork filling wrapped in a chewy steamed dumpling that’s draped in a deep umami sauce rich with soy flavors. I could have made a meal out of these terrific starters alone.
On another visit, I felt compelled to try the popular Sichuan classic Mapo Tofu ($13.95). The entrée is a dish of
If you go: While takeout is available, the menu at the restaurant is easier to navigate than the online or paper versions. Plus, dining in provides access to helpful servers and the ability to spot the most popular dishes.
small tender cubes of silken tofu in a piquant, mahogany meat sauce, whose central essence comes from a dark red fermented broad bean and chile paste called doubanjiang. While its complex flavors were compelling, I didn’t particularly care for the dish’s viscous texture.
ChiliSpot’s Chonquing Spicy Popcorn Chicken ($17.95) was slightly addictive. In this dish, small bites of chicken are deep fried in a batter heavily seasoned with red Sichuan peppercorn served with whole red chiles and skin-on peanuts. I preferred the bigger pieces of meat that were juicier and more balanced in their meat-to-spice ratio.
We also enjoyed an order of Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork ($16.95), a straightforward stir fry with thin ribbons of fatty pork, which were boiled then cooked in a wok with white onion and green bell pepper. This slightly sweet dish provided a nice break from the menu’s spicier offerings.
For dessert, we tried the Pan-Fried Rice Cake with Brown Sugar ($7.95), taffy-like boiled and seared pieces of thick rice noodles that were garnished with toasted sesame seeds and crushed salty peanuts, then topped with a thin dark caramel sauce. As deserts go, it was pretty benign. I liked its salty sweet flavors, but its stale marshmallow texture didn’t do it for me. There are a few other desserts on ChiliSpot’s menu, but you might
be better off stopping for ice cream on the way home if you crave a sweet palate cleanser after all that fire and flavor.
ChiliSpot’s interior is spare and bright, and the restaurant doesn’t have a liquor license.
On future visits, I’m excited to keep exploring ChiliSpot’s Sichuan’s specialties. With all the unique and flavorful courses I’ve enjoyed there so far, I’m confident our next adventures will be terrific. ◆
Pan Fried Rice Cake with Brown Sugar
Spicy Wontons and Pan Fried Rice Cake with Brown Sugar
Catching Up with Chef Alana Shock
We chatted with the chef who helped define the city’s food and drink scene with her eponymous restaurant about what she’s been up to since it closed in 2017.
By Jill Moorhead
For nearly two decades, chef Alana Shock brought an inventive, worldly touch to the Columbus food scene through her restaurant, Alana’s Food & Wine, in Old North Columbus. A pioneer in farmto-table dining, she and her husband, Kevin, poured everything into the venture—liquidating their 401(k) to open the restaurant without investors, which gave Alana full control over her vision. Since closing the restaurant in 2017 (something she’d been ready for long before it actually happened), Alana has taught in Belize, bartended at a TGI Fridays at Cedar Point and managed the governor’s mansion kitchen. Now, she’s hosting private pop-ups with Alana’s alumni and teaching culinary classes in her Clintonville kitchen, while commuting back and forth to Sandusky, where her husband Kevin runs the Sandusky Wine Merchant. We caught up with her to talk about her adventures and what’s next.
What was it like cooking for Governor Mike DeWine? When COVID happened, they didn’t need me. They weren’t entertaining. They needed someone to make Fran’s brownies. I got to meet lots of Pulitzer Prize winners. One day, I cooked breakfast for the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus and dinner for JD Vance, whose wife is vegan. It was the only vegan dinner I did there. It was just Mike DeWine, Fran and those two. Everyone ate vegan that evening.
You did a popup dinner at Harvest earlier this year. [Harvest Pizzeria owner] Chris [Crader] and I used to work together
Food & Drink | Chefs
when I had Alana’s. He would bail me out all the time and be a server. I gifted him his house salad recipe. We were chatting and he said, “Let’s do a popup.” At first, we did it at Granville. Now, we do something quarterly and seasonally. I’ve also partnered with Nick Gore from GoreMade Pizza. He was my day prep dishwasher.
It seems like many people you’ve worked with have gone on to do their own thing. Yes. There’s Chris and Nick. Angela [Theado] had The Coop. Jesse Warner-Levine owns Convive wine shop in Manhattan. Marcus Jacobs opened up Marjie’s Grill and Seafood Sally’s in New Orleans and now owns Porgy’s Seafood
Market there. Jon Mason opened up his own meal replacement thing [Hopewell & Grace]. We’ve had 13 sommeliers graduate from Alana’s.
And you’re advertising the popups by writing on a napkin and posting on Facebook. I don’t own a single thing that needs to be dusted. If it doesn’t serve a purpose, I don’t have it. I own a computer, and I don’t know how to use it. I never renewed my driver’s license since high school. But I renewed it during COVID. I’m a new driver at the tender age of 57.
We hear you’re doing private dinners. It’s word of mouth. They were mostly regulars from my restaurant. I show up with
Chef Alana Shock
ingredients and use all their plates. The majority of my customers have nice kitchens. One paid more for their stove than I paid for my house in Sandusky. No one gets a menu, because I base it on what’s fresh. If it’s not a good tomato, it’s not a good tomato.
Some people do my dinners three times a month. Their friends pony up. They don’t pick up the tab. It’s cheaper than going out. Everyone is assigned a bottle of wine. It’s like it’s at Alana’s, but it’s in your house.
Tell us about your cooking classes. I do them in my Clintonville kitchen. We had a gas leak and a house fire and I lost everything I own. So now the kitchen is wrapped in stainless steel. It’s like two 4-foot prep tables, and everyone gets their own burner. The last one I did, a former regular wanted his son to learn how to do a multi-course meal. I can’t tell you how hard it is to cook with a kid.
What’s next? I’m not going to open up another restaurant, but I’m looking to purchase a property in Sandusky. Something that focuses on a to-go food business, small dinners on site, yearround farmers market atmosphere, small bakery and cooking classes. A space for me to do whatever I want, whenever I feel like doing it. If it’s lamb shank Thursday, you order online and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
Why Sandusky? Sandusky needs feta and it needs olives and it needs a bakery. There’s a huge surge in that city. There’s a lot going on there. Joseph Swain is now in Fremont, growing berries and asparagus, and Adam Welly [formerly of Wayward Seed Farm] is up there, too. Canadian customs is across the street from the wine shop, and Amtrak is two blocks from my house. I can do a round trip to Chicago from Sandusky in a day. My ultimate goal is to be in Sandusky. I like living with Kevin.
What do you think about the current restaurant scene in Columbus? To make it in Columbus now, you have to be on your own. Because being tethered by your investors means putting french fries on that menu somewhere. You must fry something, or you will not succeed. I don’t think that newer chefs want to work as hard as I work. They don’t have the same work ethic. They just want to be famous.
Will you ever stop working? I don’t have a retirement plan. I swim every day. I don’t really feel old. I have all my original parts and they still work just fine. If I win the lottery, I’ll get a beautiful home with an in-ground pool and not let anyone use it but me.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Alana Shock in her home kitchen
Alana Shock’s garlic chive tofu salad with fermented black beans
The Birria to Beat
Martha’s Fusion Kitchen offers a simple setting for solid Mexican food in North Linden.
By Bailey Trask
Tucked into the shopping center where Oakland Park Avenue and Maize Road connect, Martha’s Fusion Kitchen is a neighborhood favorite. Housed in what had been a pizza joint since the 1990s, the restaurant reopened this year after a two-year remodel. Inside, the space is unpretentious and wholly about the food. Red walls, booth and barstool seating, plants in the windows and Mexican sodas behind the bar. Grab the right seat and you’ll catch a glimpse of Martha running the kitchen in the back, as her son expertly manages the front of house.
The menu, which looks like it’s been designed in Microsoft Word, has an allcaps, bolded, underlined directive to eat birria. And when a menu yells the way that boomers text, it’s best to listen.
So I did. My first order was a trio of Birria Tacos ($14.99). The hefty portions of slow-cooked beef birria piled with melted cheese served atop deep fried taco shells under a mountain of cilantro and onions were mouthwatering. The accompanying consomé, the broth the meat is marinated in, was served on the side, but wholly unnecessary, as the meat was both flavorful and juicy. The
lime wedge, however, brightened the entire dish.
The next birria option came at the recommendation of Martha’s son: the Birria Quesadilla ($12.99 for 10 inches). Fried in the consomé on the griddle, it comes with a dab of guacamole and the same accoutrements as its taco friends. Greasy, messy, and delicious, my dining partner correctly pinned it as having the ultimate crave factor.
But Martha’s offerings go far beyond birria. The Enchiladas ($13.99)—available with chicken or ground beef in green or red sauce—feature whole pinto beans, Mexican rice and corn-wrapped enchila-
Martha’s Fusion Kitchen
3331 Maize Road
(614) 914-8833
marthasfusionkitchen.com
Hours:
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday – Saturday
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
das topped with the piquant green salsa and queso fresco. I chose chicken, which was tender and flavorful.
The Chilaquiles ($16.99)—a Mexican breakfast staple that’s available all day— is worthy of a visit on its own. Like all the dishes on Martha’s menu, it’s large enough to share. The rice and whole pinto beans show up again, but it’s the strips of carne asada in a bath of green sauce that steal the show. The two fried eggs were slightly oversalted, but I’d definitely order the dish again.
The least remarkable menu items were the Mexican street tacos (three for $12). Martha’s has the typical offerings— chicken, carnitas, chorizo, asada and pastor—served with cilantro and onions, but with twice the protein you might find elsewhere. Of the bunch, the carnitas stood out.
If you listen to the menu—and the insiders serving you—you’ll quickly realize that in Martha’s kitchen, the birria reigns supreme, leaving the other dishes in its flavorful wake. Soon after my visits, Martha’s acquired a liquor license. I can’t wait to see how the birria pairs with a cerveza next time I stop by. ◆
PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON
Birria tacos
Our Favorite Ohio Apple
Apple season is upon us, and Columbus Monthly decided to explore the best of what’s out there this fall. A September visit to the market at Lynd Fruit Farm yielded 11 different varieties to try, their hues ranging from green to gold to deep red.
The names were delightful: among the offerings were the sturdy Jonathan, the lovely Rosalee, the scrappy Scruffy and the spunky Pixie Crunch, although we were most intrigued by the one called Test Apple No. 47. Renee Barger, who was working at the market when we stopped by, explained that test varieties often receive a name the following season. This one was apparently quite popular—Lynd’s Facebook page shared that the variety had sold out just two days after our visit.
Although we were determined to try everything, Barger noted that differ-
By Linda Lee Baird
ent varieties have different strengths that customers might want to consider when they stock up. She recommends the smaller Pixie Crunch apples for kids, which fit nicely into a lunchbox (and which we learned later during our tasting live up to their name with a pleasing crispness). For baking, Barger says the bright red Jonathan is a favorite of farm owner Penny Lynd. While a bit tart on its own, it does seem like it would hold up well with sugar added in a pie or turnover.
In addition to the varieties mentioned above, we tried the following apples:
• Melrose
• Cortland
• Golden Delicious
• Honeycrisp
• Suncrisp
• Crimson Crisp
The Melrose—Ohio’s state apple—received high marks for its crisp yet sweet flavor and attractive red and green hue. Our second favorite apple was the Crimson Crisp, which was a mix of tart and sweet and which Lynd’s Facebook page recommends as an apple that’s good for snacking.
But our favorite of the bunch was the Honeycrisp. Its colorful exterior housed a delicious fruit that one of our tasters called, “the gold standard,” noting “every bite bursts with juice and flavor.” Applerankings.com supports this, saying, “this sweet, snappy savior can be credited with bringing apples back into the discussion as a relevant fruit” and denoting it “the worldwide favorite.”
After our rigorous sampling, we have to agree. ◆
An apple sampled during our taste test
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
$$ Moderate, $11–$15
$ Affordable, under $10
NEW Restaurant has opened within the last few months.
Outdoor Seating
B Breakfast BR Brunch
L Lunch
D Dinner
2024 Best New Restaurants
Let’s Eat comprises Columbus Monthly editors’ picks and is updated monthly based on available space. Send updates to letters@columbusmonthly.com.
AFRICAN
Drelyse African Restaurant
Lisa Bannerman’s Tamarack Circle restaurant offers dishes from around the African continent, with a focus on Ghanaian fare. Think: waakye, jollof rice, banku and fried fish, spinach stew and much more. 1911 Tamarack Cir. N. North Side, 614-430-3350. LD $$
Riziki Swahili Grill
There’s a lot to love about Riziki Yussuf’s charming spot, serving authentic Tanzanian fare. Don’t miss the excellent chapati platter with chicken curry, the tender mishkaki (beef kebabs) or the turmeric-scented urojo soup (served only on Sundays). 212 Kelton Ave., Franklin Park; 1872 Tamarack Cir. S., North Side, 614-547-7440. 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
Abner’s Casual Dining
Home-cooked comfort food served in a
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relaxed setting. Menu includes a variety of burgers, sandwiches, country-fried steak and breakfast items like omelets and pancakes. 4051 Main St., Hilliard, 614-876-2649. BLD $$
Asterisk Supper Club
Owner Megan Ada offers teatime and suppertime in a bibliophile’s dream atmosphere. Craft cocktails are served at a handsome bar, while the eclectic menu ranges from fancy grilled cheese to lamb chops. 14 N. State St., Westerville, 614-7764633. LD $$
Bowzers
Housed in a concrete igloo, Shawn Mulligan’s delightful hot dog stand is unmistakable. Standout dogs include the Junkyard Dog, Hangover Dog and a variety of limited/ seasonal hot dogs. Soft-serve ice cream is also available. 2936 Brice Rd., East Side, 614398-0364. LD $
Cap City Fine Diner & Bar
Cameron Mitchell’s popular, stylish diner serves retro fare with an upscale twist. Think American cuisine, like meatloaf, chili dogs, pork chops and homemade pies and desserts. 6644 Riverside Dr., Dublin, 614889-7865; 1299 Olentangy River Rd., Fifth by Northwest, 614-291-3663; 1301 Stoneridge Dr., Gahanna, 614-478-9999. BRLD $$$
The Keep Kitchen & Liquor Bar
This hotel restaurant is a convenient option for pre-theater dinner and drinks, offering
LeVeque Tower luxury without being overly fussy. Menu items range from fresh oysters and pierogies to burgers and Arctic char. The adjacent bar is darkly lit with an emphasis on craft cocktails. 50 W. Broad St., Mezzanine Level, LeVeque Tower, Downtown, 614-7450322. BBRD $$$
Old Mohawk Restaurant
This German Village favorite housed in a historic building is rumored to have ties to Prohibition. On the menu is standard American bar fare, including the famed turtle soup. 819 Mohawk St., German Village, 614444-7204. LD $
Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails
This Downtown bar serves up homegrown comfort food and drinks in a pub steeped in Columbus history. Expect American cuisine like the Pot Roast Sandwich, burgers, chicken salad and sweet potato fries. 73 E. Gay St., Downtown, 614-221-8300. LD $
ASIAN
Bonsai
Started by the creators of Japanese Oriental Restaurant, Bonsai puts a creative spin on authentic Japanese and Korean cuisine, with sushi, ramen, kimchi stew, bulgogi and more. 3108 Kingsdale Ctr., Upper Arlington, 614670-4138. LD $$$
Cobra
Though first-and-foremost a neighborhood
Cobra
bar, Cobra offers a creative menu of sandwiches, skewers and handmade pastas with Pan-Asian flavor profiles. Think: a chicken patty katsu sandwich, dan dan spaghetti and Cacio de Szechuan with mafaldine. The cocktails are on point, and the kitchen stays open late. 684 S. High St., Brewery District, 614-502-8863. D $$
Helen’s Asian Kitchen
A mix of Chinese-American, authentic Chinese and Pan-Asian dishes are served in a casual atmosphere. Don’t miss the pork buns, spicy stir-fried cauliflower and handmade dumplings. 1070 E. Dublin-Granville Rd., North Side, 614-987-5121. LD $$
Tiger + Lily Bistro
This inviting Downtown eatery features modern takes on Pan-Asian cuisine, such as lemongrass chicken or teriyaki tofu in a rice or salad bowl, chicken broth-based ramen, bubble milk teas and seasonal crêpe cakes.
19 E. Gay St., Downtown, 614-928-9989. BRLD $
ZenCha Café & Tea
This teahouse offers an excellent selection of international teas and an eclectic menu that includes breakfast favorites like pancakes and Japanese-inspired items like yakisoba. Brunch on weekends only. 2396 E. Main St., Bexley, 614-237-9690. BRLD $$
BARBECUE
B&K Smokehouse
Owner James Howell serves excellent Memphis-style ribs and soul food at this no-frills carryout spot. 1114 E. Main St., Olde Towne East, 614-252-7017. LD $$
Ray Ray’s Hog Pit
Since launching Ray Ray’s food truck at Ace of Cups, owner James Anderson has built a thriving barbecue business and snagged a James Beard nomination. Expect excellent barbecue fare, with ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches, plus sides. 237 King Ave., Dennison Place, 614-441-1065; 424 W. Town St., Franklinton, 614-404-9742; 1256 Columbus Rd., Granville, 740-920-9103; 2355 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., Linworth, 614698-6311; 2619 High St., Old North, 614-7531191; 5755 Maxtown Rd., Westerville, 614329-6654 LD $$
Smoked on High Barbeque Co.
Max McGarity runs this quick-service barbecue spot in a Victorian-style house in the Brewery District. Head there for craft beer and four standard meat options—chicken drumsticks, pulled pork, brisket and pork spareribs, plus sauces and sides. 755 S. High St., Brewery District, 614-754-9711. LD $$
BURGERS
Pat and Gracie’s
This friendly tavern serves up solid smashcooked burgers, hand-cut fries and craft beer.
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MORE CARE FOR ALL OF
Also keep an eye out for specials like Yankee Pot Roast. 138 Graceland Blvd., Clintonville, 614-987-5147; 121 S High St., Downtown, 614-347-3952. BRLD $$
Preston’s: A Burger Joint
Chef Matthew Heaggans of Muse Hospitality is serving some of the best burgers (and pudding) in the city at this dine-in Clintonville spot. Don’t overlook the mala chicken sandwiches, biscuits and banana pudding. 2973 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-400-1675. LD $$
Thurman Café
A Columbus landmark restaurant with the wait times to prove it. Diners flock here for overthe-top pub grub and the biggest burgers (like the towering, double 12-ounce patty burger, The Thurmanator) in town. 183 Thurman Ave., German Village, 614-443-1570. LD $$
CAFÉ
Alchemy Café
This café is no protein shake shack. It’s simple, healthy food that’s familiar and whole, with recipes created by a registered dietitian. The menu is vegetarian-friendly and includes smoothies, toast, açai bowls, sandwiches, juice, and grab-and-go salads and snacks. 625 Parsons Ave., Schumacher Place, 614-305-7551. BLD $
Brekkie Shack
Staying true to its name, this cheerful Grandview Yard spot focuses on breakfast, with scratchbaked goods, savory breakfast sandwiches, pancakes and espresso drinks. Lunch includes wagyu burgers and veggie bowls. 1060 Yard St., Grandview, 614-208-7766. BBRL $$
Katalina’s
Expect an eclectic menu of Latin-leaning
items at this café known for its pancake balls, breakfast tacos, egg sandwiches and killer patio in the warmer months. 3481 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-689-8896; 1105 Pennsylvania Ave., Harrison West, 614-2942233. BLD $$
Littleton’s Market Café
UA’s new neighborhood market boasts an in-house café that’s open daily. Shakshuka, avo toast and bagel towers star in the mornings; lunch and dinner offerings include salads, shrimp cocktail, chilled seafood towers and burgers. 2140 Tremont Center, Upper Arlington, 614-826-1432. BBRLD $$$
Schokko Art Café
Chef Laura Richmond runs the kitchen at the Columbus Museum of Art’s house café. Expect a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts to accompany a fantastic setting overlooking the museum’s sculpture garden. 480 E. Broad St., Downtown, 614-221-8300. BLD $$
CARIBBEAN
Ena’s Caribbean Kitchen
Founded more than 20 years ago by matriarch Vinell “Ena” Hayles, a native of Jamaica, this Linden area restaurant offers authentic Caribbean fare like jerk chicken, callaloo and curry goat. 2444 Cleveland Ave., North Linden, 614-262-0988. BRLD $$
Island Vibes Restaurant
A small, counter-serve eatery offering a selection of traditional Jamaican dishes like oxtail, jerk chicken, plantains and curry goat. 1558 Cleveland Ave, South Linden, 614-4054821. LD $$
CONTEMPORARY
Chapman’s Eat Market
Chef BJ Lieberman, a 2023 James Beard semifinalist, runs this eclectic, globe-trotting restaurant in the former home of Max & Erma’s in German Village. Dishes explore the food traditions of Thailand, Italy, the American South and beyond. A bold interior design, fine cocktails served at a great old bar and homemade ice cream complete the package. 739 S. Third St., German Village, 614-444-0917. D $$$
Fyr
Argentinian chef Sebastian La Rocca oversees this live-fire restaurant at the new Hilton Columbus Downtown tower. Dinnertime starters range from empanadas to grilled bone marrow, while the mains include ember-cooked shrimp, grilled filet, woodfired pizzas and roasted salmon. Breakfast is served daily. 404 N. High St., Short North, 614-384-8600. BD $$$
The Guild House
Cameron Mitchell goes contemporary at the Guild House with a smart collection of small plates, house-made pasta and many dishes crafted with locally sourced ingredients. Sleek with a rustic edge, the 140seat restaurant and bar is connected to Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph. 624 N. High St., Short North, 614-280-9780. BBRLD $$$
Joya’s Café
This casual Bengali-American café from chef Avishar Barua (Top Chef season 18) was one of the most exciting openings of 2022. Highlights include the excellent chai, Thai iced tea, fried rice and Cheesy Double Crunch (Barua’s take on Taco Bell’s Cheesy Gordita Crunch). 657 High St., Worthington, 614468-1232 BL $$$
Watershed Kitchen & Bar
Watershed complements its distillery with a handsome, proudly Midwestern restaurant and bar known for its chef-driven menu and locally sourced fare. The bar is a destination on its own, with classically inspired cocktails served by an industry-recognized bar staff. 1145 Chesapeake Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614-357-1936. D $$$
DINER
Delaney’s Diner
Jeff and Lisa Miller’s cheerful diner offers American breakfast and lunch classics done right. Popular items include the signature Breakfast Conewich or house-made corned beef hash. Lunchtime means burgers, sandwiches and PastaSalvi. 1105 W. First Ave., Grandview, 614-696-4672; 674 Main St., Groveport, 614-567-7055; 6150 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg, 614-626-2006; 5916 Westerville Rd., Westerville, 614-776-5788. BL $
George’s Beechwold Diner
A diner offering home cooking and all-day
Chapman’s Eat Market
breakfast, with specialty burgers, omelets and homemade sausage gravy and biscuits. 4408 Indianola Ave., Clintonville, 614-4470944. BL $
Hang Over Easy
What started as a Campus-area diner serving breakfast all day has expanded into OTE. Menu options include omelets, seasonal pancakes, breakfast skillets and burgers. 1646 Neil Ave., Campus, 614-586-0070; 51 Parsons Ave., Olde Towne East, 614-9283778. BL $$
The Mercury Diner
A&R Creative runs this cosmic breakfastand-lunch joint. Don’t miss the signature egg ’n’ cheese sandwich on housemade English muffin and Drippy Turkey Sandwich. Mercury’s universe also includes shakes, floats and brunch cocktails. 621 Parsons Ave., Schumacher Place, 614-852-3036. BL $$
Starliner Diner
Housed in a former post office in Old Hilliard, this funky diner serves giant helpings of zesty, Latin-leaning comfort food at breakfast, lunch and dinner. 4121 Main St., Hilliard, 614529-1198. BLD $$
Tommy’s Diner
A longstanding, classic 1950s-style diner serving breakfast (a popular choice among the Downtown business crowd), lunch and some Greek dishes. 914 W. Broad St., West Side, 614-224-2422. BL $
DOUGHNUTS
Buckeye Donuts
A Campus legend since 1969, Buckeye Donuts is open 24 hours to satisfy cravings for classic doughnuts and diner-style cuisine at all hours of the day. 1998 N. High St., Campus, 614-291-3923. BLD $
Destination Donuts
Some of the city’s best (and biggest) doughnuts are served at Heather Morris’ doughnut shop, featuring rotating flavors like red raspberry hibiscus, butterscotch sea salt mojito and buckeye. 3519 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-525-0878. BL $
Donna’s Delicious Dozen
At Traci Lukemire’s doughnut shop, customers can adorn warm doughnuts with a variety of toppings, drizzles and icings. 5322 N. Hamilton Rd., Gahanna/New Albany, 614-245-4859. BL $
Dragon Donuts
A charming, locally owned shop serving fresh, made-to-order doughnuts. Customize yours with any glaze or toppings you see fit. 4100 Worth Ave., Easton, 614-532-5177. BLD $
FILIPINO
Bonifacio
Krizzia Yanga’s eatery offers a modern take on Filipino home cooking, with frequent kamayan-style dinners served on banana leaves. Try dishes like lumpia, lechon and chicken inasal. 1577 King Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614-914-8115. BRLD $$
Kuya Ian’s Bistro
The Firmalan family runs this no-frills restaurant serving straight-up Pinoy fare. The menu features popular favorites like chicken adobo and pancit, as well as variations of silog (fried egg with garlic fried rice) such as tapsilog (beef) and bangsilog (milkfish). 6863 Flags Center Dr., North Side, 614-948-3333. BRLD $$
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 $$$
Valter’s at the Maennerchor
The Columbus Maennerchor singing society (founded in 1848) enlisted the help of Valter Veliu to run this kitchen out of the German Heritage House. Expect well-made German fare, such as stout bratwurst, schweinshaxe and an excellent German potato salad. 976 S. High St., Brewery District, 614-444-3531. BRLD $$
INDIAN/PAKISTANI
Amul India Restaurant
One of Central Ohio’s most elegantly decorated Indian restaurants serves a full menu of Northern Indian dishes from tikka masala to chicken sabaji, a favorite among Indian patrons. 5871 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, 614-734-1600. LD $$
Apna Bazaar
This Pakistani carryout offers excellent haleem chicken, lamb seekh kebabs and more. Apna Bazaar also sells typical Indian and Southeast Asian groceries, including halal meat. 810 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-326-2762. LD $$
Clove Indian Bistro
The fledgling Indian restaurant is especially notable for its Indo-Chinese dishes, such as chili paneer, Manchurian chicken and Hakka noodles. The restaurant offers a popular lunch buffet Friday through Sunday. 6642 Sawmill Road, Northwest Side, 614-3620132. LD $$
Dosa Corner
This affordable, family-owned South Indian spot specializes in expertly thin, pancakelike dosas, uthappam and vegetarian curries. 1077 Old Henderson Rd., Northwest Side, 614-459-5515. LD $$
Haveli Bistro
Serving traditional Indian cuisine in the urban ambiance of Downtown, this bistro features classic dishes like saag paneer, goat biryani and tandoori chicken. Vegan options are also available. 185 N. High St., Downtown, 614-867-5008. LD $$$
Rollz Rice Indian Kitchen
A casual Indian restaurant with a home-style feel, Rollz Rice offers an assortment of quick, healthy meals with authentic Indian flavors. Try its chicken kathi wraps or build your own basmati rice bowl. E. 16th Ave., Campus, 614670-5000; 724 Polaris Pkwy., Lewis Center, 614-505-3317. LD $$
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 $$$
IRISH & BRITISH PUBS
Dublin Village Tavern
A traditional Irish tavern nestled in a 120-yearold building offering Irish favorites like fish and chips, Irish egg rolls and shepherd’s pie. 27 S. High St., Dublin, 614-766-6250. LD $$
Fadó Irish Pub
This Dublin-inspired pub caters to soccer fans and thirsty shoppers alike. The menu offers standards like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and Irish breakfast to go along with dozens of international and local beers. 4022 Townsfair Way, Easton, 614418-0066. BRLD $$$
ITALIAN
Claudiana Italian Restaurant
Tucked away in a shopping center is this
Dosa Corner
white-tablecloth destination for classic Italian-American fare, with pizzas, baked gnocchi, lasagna, spaghetti alla vongole, filet mignon and more. 8475 Sancus Blvd., Polaris, 614-846-2236. D $$$
Due Amici
Exposed brick walls and modern black and white furniture give this Downtown Italian eatery an upscale feel. 67 E. Gay St., Downtown, 614-224-9373. BRLD $$
La Tavola
Chef Rick Lopez owns this popular Old World Italian restaurant in Grandview. Dotted with green and yellow accents, the setting is open and welcoming. The food is seasonal, rustic Italian, with pizzas, housemade breads and pastas. 1664 W. First Ave., Grandview, 614914-5455. D $$$
Martini Modern Italian
Cameron Mitchell’s classy Short North staple offers classic Italian cooking in a modern, vibrant setting. 445 N. High St., Short North, 614-224-8259. D $$$
Moretti’s of Arlington
This welcoming, casual eatery is the place for zesty Italian-American food with homemade pasta, chicken Parmesan, Veal Moretti and the made-for-two Italian Plate. 2124 Tremont Ctr., Upper Arlington, 614-486-2333. D $$
Pasqualone’s Ristorante
This hidden gem in Columbus Square Shopping Center serves Italian classics in a dining room where kitsch and fine dining collide. The veal dishes are the big star here. 5766 Emporium Square, North Side, 614890-2070. D $$$$
Speck Italian Eatery
Chef Josh Dalton tackles rustic Italian fare at this buzzy Downtown spot in the Nicholas building. The menu ranges from mortadella on house focaccia to rigatoni Amatriciana to scallop risotto. 89 N. High St., Downtown, 614-754-8544. LD $$$
JAPANESE
The 1126 Restaurant
This cozy and chic sushi restaurant offers an assortment of appetizers, sushi, udon, hibachi and tempura entrées alongside plenty of Japanese whisky and sake options. 1126 N. High St., Short North, 614-725-3435. LD $$$
Jony’s Sushi
The owners of South Village Grille opened this takeout sushi shop right next door. The colorful shop offers appetizers, nigiri, sashimi, classic sushi rolls and a variety of interesting specialty rolls. 195 Thurman Ave., German Village, 614-706-4979. LD $$$
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar
At this interactive sushi restaurant, diners grab maki rolls, nigiri, sashimi and other
items directly from a conveyor belt snaking around the restaurant. Other menu items include tempura, ramen, udon and desserts. Helpful robots deliver the drinks. 8833 Lyra Dr., Polaris, 614-835-7474. LD $$
MEDITERRANEAN
Aladdin’s Aladdin’s strives to provide its customers with authentic Lebanese dishes. The menu is loaded with fresh and healthy dishes at this colorful eatery, with lots of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. 2931 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-262-2414; 1425 Grandview Ave., Fifth by Northwest, 614-488-5565; 9711 Sawmill Pkwy., Powell, 614-389-5438; 6284 E. Dublin-Granville Rd., Westerville, 614656-7060; 7227 N. High St., Worthington, 614-430-1730. LD $$
Brassica
Founded by the owners of Northstar Café, this build-it-yourself eatery focuses on fresh vegetables and proteins spiked with bold Middle Eastern and Mediterranean spices. 2212 E. Main St., Bexley, 614-929-9990; 4012 Townsfair Way, Easton, 614-532-6865; 680 N. High St., Short North, 614-867-5885; 1442 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington, 614929-9997. LD $$
Lávash Café
This quick-service Middle Eastern eatery serves a mix of Mediterranean food, coffee and desserts. 2985 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-263-7777. LD $$
Mazah Mediterranean Eatery
At chef Maggie Ailabouni’s eatery you’ll find a full bar to complement the authentic Middle Eastern-style fare, including fatayer, chicken shawarma and mujadara. 1453 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-488-3633. LD $$
Opa Grill & Tavern
A traditional Mediterranean restaurant with a casual atmosphere and outstanding whiskey selection. The menu includes gyros, pastas, burgers and spicy chicken kopanisti. 18 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, 740-3637283. LD $$
MEXICAN
3 Brothers Diner
This family-friendly spot combines American, Mexican and Cuban diner fare on one menu. You’ll find a variety of omelets, egg scrambles, breakfast burritos, French toast and pancakes, plus entrées like Cuban roasted chicken, jambalaya and more. 3090 Southwest Blvd., Grove City, 614-317-7798. BLD $
Charritos Mexican Grill
Authentic Mexican food is the focus at this small café, where the corn tortillas are made in-house and the menu includes al pastor tacos, chile relleno and seafood soup. 4740 Reed Rd., Upper Arlington, 614-929-5866. BLD $$
Dos Hermanos
Dos Hermanos started out as a taco truck and now offers authentic street tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more at both North Markets and its new standalone restaurant at Easton. 6750 Longshore St., Dublin, 614683-8786; 3946 Morse Crossing, Easton, 614-383-7930; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-226-5286; Food Truck, Citywide, 614373-0379. LD $$
Los Agavez Taqueria
Authentic street tacos, tortas and more are served from this orange food truck at the corner of High and Pacemont. Don’t miss the popular birria tacos with consomé. Food Truck, 3166 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-206-7634. LD $
Taco Nice
A newcomer to the West Side, this Mexican restaurant and bar from the owners of La Plaza Tapatia serves street tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, stuffed baked potatoes and more. 4832 W. Broad St., West Side, 614996-8096. LD $
POLYNESIAN
Hai Poké
The North Market Bridge Park eatery offers Hawaiian island-inspired poke bowls— deconstructed sushi with raw fish (or tofu), rice, vegetables and delicious sauces. 6750 Longshore St., Dublin, 614-683-8785. LD $$
Huli Huli Tiki Lounge & Grill
This bar in historic downtown Powell celebrates tiki culture with carefully crafted rum drinks like mai tais and zombies. A food menu includes kalua pork sandwiches and combo plates with rice, mac and your choice of protein. 26 W. Olentangy St., Powell, 614396-8437. D $$
Ohana Island Grill
Traditional Hawaiian eats are the focus of this casual restaurant, with offerings like spam musubi, saimin and loco moco. Don’t miss the mixed combo plate with teriyaki beef, barbecued chicken, short ribs, rice and macaroni salad. 3512 W. Granville Rd., Northwest Side, 614-698-0044. LD $$
SEAFOOD
COLO Market & Oyster Bar
In addition to fresh seafood for cooking at home, this North Market fishmonger offers lobster rolls, chowder, shrimp po’ boys and oysters on the half shell. 6750 Longshore St., Dublin, 614-683-8782; 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-929-5701. LD $$$
Kai’s Crab Boil
Kai’s brings a coastal tradition to Columbus that’s interactive, fun and messy. Choose from one of Kai’s Combos or pick your own seafood combination—from shrimp to snow crab legs to lobster—boiled in special spices. 839 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side, 614-8690652. LD $$$
Concerted Effort
Continued from page 40
is felt from the audience,” she says. “It’s like you’re in your house listening to a stereo system, and you turn the volume down really low so you can almost not hear the music.”
Wilson, the former associate conductor, praises the Ohio Theatre as a “stunning room,” but admits its limitations for orchestra. “Acoustically, it was not the greatest,” he says. “The low-end spectrum really disappeared. It was not a terribly focused sound. I think the biggest problem was 3,000 seats.”
Indeed, many consider the 2,791-seat theatre too large given the orchestra’s average ticket sales; its core Masterworks concerts, held at the Ohio Theatre, brought in an average of 1,330 patrons during the 2023-24 season, the orchestra says. The orchestra also considers itself hamstrung by sharing a schedule with other Ohio Theatre programming, including the Broadway in Columbus series. “There’s a limit of how much you can move around,” Milanov says.
The orchestra long has contemplated making a move to its own venue, but it was only in the last decade, with its financial position strengthened, that leaders began to seriously consider embarking on a campaign to build a hall. “We were going to make our mark, and the way we were going to make our mark was to put up a building dedicated to the art form of music,” Rehg says.
In 2019, the orchestra began the effort to make the hall a reality. COVID slowed things down, but a few years ago, momentum picked up again. “We did a really Downtown-wide search, across the entire community, to try to locate a spot that we felt would work for the hall,” says board co-vice chair Nelson Yoder of Crawford Hoying. Having identified prime real estate on the Scioto Peninsula, the organization signed a memorandum of understanding with the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. (now Downtown Columbus Inc.) in June 2023. The hall will cost $275 million to be raised through public funds and financial giving; according to the terms, fund-
ing commitments must be furnished to the city and the development group by next June.
The orchestra’s board of trustees has authorized preliminary work, including conceptual design and community engagement, as well as the fundraising effort, but a final vote to approve the project has not been taken, says board chair Stephen Markovich. Many aspects of how the venue will be run—including identifying the source of reserves to run it and maintain it—are still being studied, he says.
“When we believe that we have a solid business case and a solid community case, we will then vote to move ahead,” says Markovich, also the president and CEO of OhioHealth.
Renderings depict a sleek, bright and modern venue to be anchored by an acoustically refined, 1,600-seat performance area for the orchestra and ancillary spaces for use by other musical groups or educational institutions. These spaces will include a smaller performance space and rooms for rehearsals, lessons and other events, says Betty Hill,
director of the capital campaign.
The hall does not accommodate everyone in the arts community, especially BalletMet, however. As it is currently designed, the project does not include space appropriate for ballet, which needs design elements including wings and a fly system.
PHOTOS: ROB HARDIN
Columbus Symphony Orchestra board chair Stephen Markovich and music director Rossen Milanov at the Ohio Theatre
A model of the proposed Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert hall
Chlapaty, the local businessman who took the orchestra to the music center in Dubuque, was among the first to put his money where his mouth was. “I offered them a big gift, but I said, ‘Hey, there’s a time limit here. I don’t want to hear about 2030. Let’s get on with it,’ ” says Chlapaty, who eventually committed $15 million
to the concert hall campaign. If the orchestra can follow its original schedule, the new venue would open in 2028.
State funding has materialized to the tune of $20.5 million, Hill says—but Chlapaty is frustrated by what he perceives as the slow pace of private giving.
“We haven’t received the type of major donor philanthropic support that I had hoped,” he says. “There has been skepticism. I’ve called on some of these people, and they say, ‘Well, I’m not sure you can pull this off.’ ” He advocates broadening the base of donors beyond expecting a small group to give significant amounts. (All money received thus far is designated as restricted use and would be returned if the hall project collapses, Hill says.)
Markovich concedes the campaign will take longer than anticipated, likely meaning the orchestra will seek an extension from the city on its June 2025 deadline for funding commitments. “The identification of the sources of funds, it does take a while, and hopefully they’ll be gracious about that,” Markovich says. “It’s going to take longer because it is probably the largest arts project that’s been done.”
The orchestra also has had to contend with skepticism in the broader performing arts community. Some leaders of peer arts groups feel they were left out of the loop as the concert hall was being developed. “There might have been a little bit of a missed opportunity for a broader conversation amongst all of the performing arts colleagues,” says Janet Chen, CEO of ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, adding that her group was not part of early conversations.
Christy Farnbauch, the executive director of The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio, says the city needs more performing arts space, but from what she knows of the orchestra’s proposal, it wouldn’t serve her organization’s requirements. “What I wish for us as a community is that we have a bigger conversation about what a building of that magnitude should look like and the way that it should support the residents of the city,” Farnbauch says. “Could it be more of a multi-disciplinary, multi-use performing arts center like exists in other cities?”
The orchestra insists that its new hall, while being designed with its own needs in mind, will serve other organizations
and institutions, including schools. Indeed, such non-orchestra use is essential for the venue’s financial viability after opening. “If the symphony is going to put on so many weeks a year of performances, which are really a Friday, Saturday [and a] Sunday matinee, the business case is not viable,” Markovich says. “You have to look at how you use the facility for other events, other artists. … Clearly, the business model is predicated upon it being a shared facility.”
Even so, the hall is being conceived and presented explicitly as a music venue. “The focus is the musical arts,” Hill says. From the orchestra’s perspective, that singular focus is the point behind the whole endeavor.
“There is no way to take a music hall and make it multi-purpose without destroying the reason you’re putting it up, which is to make it acoustically perfect,” says Rehg, who left the orchestra in August after delaying a long-planned departure. Her successor has yet to be named, and Markovich says whoever that person is could change the plans for the project. “Regardless of who we get, the building that ultimately shows up, assuming we proceed, will probably look somewhat different than what you see in some of the renderings,” Markovich says. “Clearly, once we get our CEO/executive director in place, they will want to put their fingerprints on it.”
Walshaw says the hall could be the rising tide that lifts all boats. “Is this symphony hall the catalyst that changes the arts landscape in Columbus?” he says. “It benefits everyone in the process.”
Above all, orchestra leaders argue the organization needs the venue to take its next big step. Even musicians sound a realistic note when asked about whether the money being raised would better be spent on adding more musicians and raising pay. “Raising money for a building is a lot different than raising money for musician labor,” Fisher says. “I know that donors in general like giving money to bricks and mortar more than they like giving money to people.”
As Chlapaty sees it, there’s no turning back now.
“In my opinion, this would be such a negative black eye for the city, in general, not to see this through and have it completed,” he says. “They wouldn’t recover from it, not in my lifetime.” ◆
Creative Space
Chris Mohler
The abstract sculptor’s love of steel spans decades.
By Joel Oliphint
I nside a nondescript industrial building at Schrock Road Distribution Center on the eastern edge of Worthington, Chris Mohler leans over a table strewn with metal. Wearing thick, fireproof gloves and a welding hood with a Stars-andStripes design, the artist grips an arc welder like a gun and brings the end of it point-blank to the metal pieces.
Bright blue and white light flashes from the contact. Orange sparks scatter, dancing briefly across the worktable and onto the concrete floor. Wisps of smoke rise and then dissipate, leaving behind the smell of burnt metal, like sparklers on the Fourth of July.
Mohler holsters his tool and looks for the next piece in this spontaneous cre-
ation. He doesn’t always create on the fly. Over his 40-year career as a professional sculptor of steel, he sometimes draws his designs in chalk beforehand. Often, the piece begins to take shape in his mind, like a hologram that he can rotate, viewing it from different angles. “Your brain is only this big,” Mohler says, pointing to his head, “but it’s the entire universe, as well.”
Some of Mohler’s large pieces are figurative—a recent one earned the name “Hank”—but most are abstract. The artist fell in love with abstract art at 8 years old when, on visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art, a wall relief made of canvas and metal imprinted on him. “You don’t start making abstract art without seeing
it first,” he says. Mohler made his first sculpture at age 12, and by 17, he had declared himself a sculptor.
At the Maryland Institute College of Art, Mohler began working in clay, but his life changed when he took a metal class in his third year. “I looked at the acetylene torch, and I cut that piece of metal, and it goes, ‘ping!’ You get that ring when it hits the ground,” Mohler says. “I was hooked.”
Mohler occasionally opens his studio to the public, as he will on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 1-6 p.m. “Some [sculptures], I can’t wait to find a home for them and get them out there so other people can enjoy it,” he says. “And then other ones, it really hurts to get rid of.” ◆
PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON
Artist Chris Mohler in his workshop, where he creates metal sculptures.
