Columbus Monthly – October 2024

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UNFORGETTABLE BLUEGRASS VACATION

Come See for Yourself!

Known as the Horse Capital of the World and the epicenter of Bourbon, the Bluegrass State is also a land of immense natural beauty and outdoor attractions.

Sip centuries of tradition in the birthplace of bourbon and tour distilleries to learn how Kentucky’s signature spirit is made.

Stroll through rolling horse farms, catch a race at the track and take a trail ride through the forest. Visit epic family attractions, vibrant cities and charming small towns. Explore woods, waters, caves and trails offering endless outdoor adventure.

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KENTUCKY GARDEN TRAIL

Get Your Collectible Passport Journal

Embark on an adventure through 12 of Kentucky’s most breathtaking gardens and arboreta. It’s easy to get your passport, collect garden stamps and make unforgettable memories on this one-of-a-kind state garden trail! Pick up your Kentucky Garden Trail collectible passport at any participating garden or local tourism office to start your journey! Don’t miss out – sign up for our e-news and follow us on social media to learn about garden events and gardening tips!

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ADVENTURE IS BEGINNING

Motorcycles, Off-Road & Mountain Biking

Welcome to London, Kentucky! The Cycling Capital of Kentucky ® boasts some of the most scenic and challenging cycling routes you will find anywhere in the country. Offroading more your speed? Laurel County is home to the Kentucky Adventure Trail, featuring breathtaking landmarks, like the Battle of Camp Wildcat Mountain, the Twin Arches, several creek crossings and Laurel River Lake. If the open road is calling, London–Laurel County is an excellent locale for an outing on your motorcycle. Cruise along exciting turns and curves surrounded by stunning scenery. Stop by Wildcat Harley-Davidson if you need gear.

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NEXT STOP: WINCHESTER

Get Out and About With Us

Summer travel may be slowing down, but there’s plenty to do this fall in Winchester, Kentucky. Discover our historic downtown shops. delicious dining and relaxing charm as we welcome the cooler temps and colorful signs of fall. Take advantage of hiking and biking on our scenic, peaceful trails. The crisp air and colorful landscape create ideal conditions for outdoor recreation.

Catch the continuing Legacy Grove Park Concert Series on October 8 for live music and family fun. Then, on October 26, visit Harkness Edwards Vineyards for a tour and tasting, savoring local wines against a backdrop of autumn. Always Original Winchester!

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30 A WEED BY ANY OTHER NAME

The movement to bring biological diversity to our yards by planting native gardens, rather than simply green grass that does little to benefit insects, birds and wildlife, is growing. And so are the calls to cut the plants down.

38

MOUNT CARMEL’S NEW CEO

Tauana McDonald’s decades of experience as a health care consultant and hospital leader have uniquely prepared her to lead a major Columbus health system.

ON THE COVER: Clintonville garden photo by Tim Johnson; lawn photo courtesy Getty Images

Pedaling for progress: how Pelotonia accelerates Ohio State’s cancer research

An Ohio institution is up and riding again as Pelotonia cyclists hit the roads to raise millions of dollars for innovative cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

Riders and volunteers kicked off the fundraiser’s 16th incarnation in early August with the annual Pelotonia Ride Weekend, a three-day event featuring the Opening Ceremony celebration followed by two days of cycling on multiple routes ranging from 20 to 190 miles.

For the second year, Pelotonia’s season will culminate in September with its Gravel Day ride that allows cyclists to go off road to raise more money for life-saving research at the OSUCCC – James.

While the 2024 annual fundraising total won’t be announced until November, Pelotonia raised more than $283 million through its first 15 years, helping OSUCCC – James leaders reach new heights in cancer research investment, including grants, scholarships, technology and innovative programs and facilities.

Pelotonia’s impact is felt far beyond the lab, bringing Riders, Donors and Volunteers together to create a community of tens of thousands who share support and inspiration and work together toward a singular mission of ending cancer.

Ending cancer

Pelotonia’s motto, “ending cancer,” is simple but daunting, with millions of diagnoses each year even as science enables new treatments that save the lives of countless patients.

As an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the OSUCCC – James is at the forefront of research in dozens of specialties, all of which have benefited in some way from the Pelotonia partnership.

“I don’t know of a physician or a scientist here who hasn’t in some way benefited from Pelotonia funding,” says David Cohn, MD, MBA, the OSUCCC – James’ interim CEO. “We would not be where we are today without Pelotonia.”

Pelotonia dollars are put to use in a variety of ways, including the Pelotonia Scholars and Idea Grant programs that award funding to students and established researchers. Through the Scholars program, students and postdoctoral researchers receive scholarships that allow them to work in OSUCCC – James labs for two years, helping to create the next generation of cancer scientists.

Idea Grants are awarded to established OSUCCC – James researchers, funding studies aimed at creating groundbreaking new cancer treatments. One Idea Grant led directly to the development of ibrutinib, which soon became a standard of care for CLL patients, with 80-90 percent of clinical trial participants going into durable remission. The drug’s second generation, acalabrutinib, was approved in 2017, and researchers are now studying a third version.

“It’s not only saving my life, but it enables me to continue my work here at The James,” says Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, the director of the OSUCCC and a CLL patient. “My family and I are very grateful to Pelotonia for making this possible.”

Pelotonia has made a physical impact at Ohio State, funding an eponymous research center on campus that houses multidisciplinary scientists, including team members from the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology (PIIO), which launched in 2019 to study and develop immunotherapy treatments and related methods for harnessing patients’ bodily defenses to treat cancer.

“Immunotherapy holds the key for curing cancer,” says Zihai Li, MD, PhD, the PIIO’s founding director. “There is such a huge commitment from the university and the Pelotonia community. This gives us hope.”

Scan the QR code to learn more about cancer research at the OSUCCC – James, including projects and programs funded by Pelotonia.

A legacy on two wheels

Sixteen years after 2,265 riders combined to raise $4.5 million during the first Pelotonia event, the ride has grown into an Ohio tradition and cancer research powerhouse. In 2023, the Pelotonia community raised $25 million for OSUCCC – James innovation.

Pelotonia’s impact is evident throughout the community, with an ever-growing group of riders that totals nearly 7,000 for Ride Weekend and Gravel Day 2024. Along with volunteers and donors, the combined effort is helping Ohio State oncology experts continue to break new ground in care and research.

“Over the years, we’ve really improved cancer care, both in terms of treatment and prevention,” says Matthew Ringel, MD, a co-leader of the OSUCCC – James Cancer Biology Program. “Those advances occurred through cancer research.”

The Pelotonia partnership will be a vital part of future breakthroughs at The James — a responsibility that drives the Pelotonia team to continue to build on years of effort, success and inspiration.

“Every Pelotonia participant has a connection to cancer, which brings us together to ride, volunteer and fundraise to accelerate critical cancer research and invest in new, innovative ideas to fuel the next breakthroughs,” cancer survivor and Pelotonia CEO Joe Apgar says. “Pelotonia-funded research at the OSUCCC –James is extending and saving lives of patients in Ohio and around the world.”

Scan the QR code to learn more about Pelotonia, including information about donating and registering for Gravel Day on September 21, 2024.

14 A BANK OWNED BY WOMEN

Columbus-based Fortuna Bank was founded with a mission to help women access capital and realize financial success.

18 PICTURES OF HEALTH

Photographer Tariq Tarey’s latest project shines a light on AndHealth patients, their caregivers and health care leaders.

20 DR. SOCCER

Dr. Anthony Williams, his brother and community volunteers created a Columbus soccer league in the 1980s that changed lives.

22 LOST COLUMBUS

Live 1970s radio stage show “Country Cavalcade” broadcast the Nashville sound around the country from Columbus’ Southern Theatre.

24 TRAINING CAREGIVERS

OhioHealth and Ohio

State University Wexner Medical Center are working with Columbus State Community College to attract more people to the health care field.

26 PEOPLE

The New Albany Community Foundation’s Amp Up the Arts benefit

28 DATEBOOK

Matthew Sweet, America Ferrera, a Halloween Village and more

Home & Style

52 A CARPENTER’S SON

Josh Scheutzow’s family business is built on his mission to help people. Building custom furniture provides the means.

53 HOME

Ivena Dehl’s lively Bexley home combines antiques, vintage, attitude and fun.

68 TOP 25 REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

Food & Drink

70 RESTAURANT REVIEW

We can confirm: Barcelona’s still got it. The German Village institution known for tapas and a lovely patio is worth every visit.

72 PROFILE: RYAN LANG

The founder of Middle West Spirits makes Ohio wheat central to his recipes and his business.

74 CAKES FOR CREEPS

Bite This by Annie is putting something sweet into the goth theme at its Clintonville bakery.

76 LET’S EAT

Our monthly directory of where to dine

43 SENIOR LIVING Options abound for seniors who wish to move to the next stage of life in Central Ohio.

60 FIVE STAR PROFESSIONAL

Announcing the Columbus wealth managers honored with Five Star awards.

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OPERATIONS MANAGER

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EDITORIAL

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Katy Smith

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Amy Bodiker Baskes

The restaurant critic recalls her travels in Spain in her review of Barcelona (Page 70) and explores the farmto-glass ethos at Middle West Spirits (Page 72).

CONTRIBUTORS

Jeff Darbee

The Columbus historian writes about the live stage radio show “Country Cavalcade” in 1970s Columbus (Page 22).

Laura Newpoff

The longtime business journalist sat down with the new CEO of Mount Carmel Health System, Tauana McDonald (Page 38).

Great Collaborations, Great Need

The global architecture and design firm Gensler opened a Columbus office in August, making this its 57th market. The firm is not new to the region—it has been doing work here for 30 years. Most recently, Gensler is designing the new John Glenn Columbus International Airport terminal, a $2 billion project, with Columbus-based Moody Nolan. Another great collaboration the firm engaged in coming to Central Ohio is with Jonathan Barnes, whose firm is known for design excellence and a knack for finding interesting ways to repurpose buildings that were struggling with obsolescence— think turning 100-year-old office buildings into loft condominiums.

Katy Smith katy@columbusmonthly.com

further apart in size,” Barnes says. (Gensler has 6,000 employees.) Their design goals and core values overlapped, and both prize making an impact—helping people and making the world a better place.

With just a handful of employees and a 30-year track record of independence, it might come as a surprise that Barnes decided to fold his firm into Gensler, becoming co-managing director of its Columbus office with Sheryl Schulze, who spent more than a decade with Gensler in Chicago prior to moving to Columbus this past summer. But the similarities between these two very different players are striking.

The two architects had known one another through their involvement with the Urban Land Institute, and Barnes welcomed Schulze to Columbus. They shared a fondness for adaptive reuse— Schulze is known for transforming Chicago’s Old Post Office into spaces fit for modern business, and she helps lead Gensler’s global adaptive reuse practice. In time, over several conversations, it became clear “how well Gensler’s culture and the culture of my office were aligned for two firms that probably couldn’t be

In Barnes, Gensler saw the opportunity to gain a fast foothold in the region through a local designer who is well-known in the community. “Jon is a bit of a matchmaker. He will see a property and say, ‘You know what would be really good here?’ ” Schulze says. “So he takes that idea, and he starts talking to people, and he starts playing matchmaker. Could be that [the property owner doesn’t have a plan and is] just sitting on it for now, and Jon brings them an idea. Jon might also bring another development partner to the table, and then off they go. And that’s the magic.”

As the region charts a projected population boom over the next several years, the challenges we face are coming into much sharper focus. They include a need for more housing, now; effective transportation solutions, especially mass transit; and the electrical and water infrastructure necessary to support more people, more jobs, more factories, more offices, more schools, more of everything. To solve these critical issues, we need many more partnerships and collaborations like the one between Barnes and Gensler.

Fortunately, collaboration seems to be how we do things here in Columbus. This issue of Columbus Monthly is filled with it. You’ll find stories about:

• How a group of women business leaders joined with the local startup banking community to create Fortuna Bank, one

of very few women-owned banks in the country (Page 14)

• A moving art project by photographer Tariq Tarey in collaboration with health care startup AndHealth and health clinic Lower Lights Christian Health Center (Page 18)

• Dr. Anthony Williams, who rallied community volunteers and families in the 1980s to create a youth soccer league for Columbus (Page 20)

• Coordination among Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, OhioHealth and Columbus State Community College to attract more workers to health care (Page 24)

• The growing movement to create pollinator gardens rather than pristine, allgrass lawns and the Clintonville Hellstrip Gardeners neighborhood group that’s transforming urban streetscapes into flowering delights (Page 30)

Enjoy the issue.

Editor, Columbus Monthly

Web: ColumbusMonthly.com

Email: letters@ columbusmonthly.com

Jonathan Barnes and Sheryl Schulze

• PRESENTING SPONSORS •

Thank you to our sponsors, donors and friends for making this year’s Home in Ohio event an amazing success. Proceeds raised will be invested to advance OhioHealth’s vision to provide exceptional care for all.

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• Gilbane Building Company Nationwide Osteopathic Heritage Foundations Surgery Partners

• Blue Moon Capital Partners • Borror Family Foundation • Bricker Graydon

Buckeye Health Plan • CannonDesign • Columbus Oncology & Hematology Associates • EMH&T • Fifth Third Bank

FisherBroyles • Hammes Healthcare • Hidaka USA • Huntington National Bank • IGS Energy • Ingram-White Castle Foundation

Kessler Sign Company • KNS Services • Lardon & Associates • Mary Beth and David Meuse • Mid-Ohio Emergency Services

• Morrison Healthcare / Compass One Healthcare • Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Navitus • NetJets • NiSource • Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine • OVP Health • Park National Bank

Perez Morris • Porter Wright Morris & Arthur • Privia Health • Riverside Radiology & Interventional Associates

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front & center

Pictures of Health

A series of moving portraits by Columbus photographer Tariq Tarey shines light on the strides made by patients, like Phyllis, who are receiving “whole person specialty care.” See the photos starting on Page 18.

Photo by Tariq Tarey

For Women, By Women

When Fortuna Bank opens, it will be one of just three in the U.S. founded to encourage women’s financial empowerment. Still, it is a bank for everyone, its CEO says.

By Katy Smith

Fortuna Bank will be like any other bank, with checking and savings accounts, auto loans, business loans and, eventually, mortgage offerings. Walking into the Grandview Heights offices at 871 Goodale Blvd., on the corner in a new mixed-use building, one won’t be able to easily tell the bank has a greater vision to support women.

That vision propelled some 340 investors to pledge money to the startup financial institution, three-quarters of them women and about 85 percent of them in Columbus, CEO Ilaria Rawlins says. Collectively, they raised $20.7 million against a $20.1 million requirement for regulatory approval. Fortuna expects to soft-open by the end of September, with a grand opening toward the end of October.

A group of seven community and business leaders has been the driving force in bringing the bank into being, led by AmeriTitle Downtown owner Lisa Berger. She’s joined by Jeff Meyer, an attorney and title agency owner who helped found First Bexley Bank in 2006; CPA and entrepreneur Lori Kaiser; BroadView Talent Partners managing partner Christie Angel, who is past CEO of YWCA Columbus; and Carla Donev, chief information officer for NiSource. To the CEO role, Rawlins brings 30 years of banking experience, including time leading retail operations for First Financial and helping to launch First Bexley Bank. She counts among her mentors Fortuna CFO

Front & Center | The Convo

Tony Stollings, whose decades in varied banking leadership roles included 13 years at First Financial.

“When I got the call to be CEO of Fortuna, he was my first call,” Rawlins says. “I said, hey, this is something I’m looking at doing, and I would love to have you by my side.”

Here’s what Rawlins has to say about the promise held by Fortuna Bank, edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Why start a bank to support women?

Knowing some of the challenges women have in obtaining financing for their businesses, knowing there are gaps in education for women around their finances, also knowing that women-owned businesses are growing at two times the national average, we knew we could step in to provide resources.

[While we will be like any community bank in many aspects], we would love

Ilaria Rawlins, CEO of Fortuna Bank

our philanthropic arm to be focused on women—financial literacy, education, whether it’s starting a business or your own personal finances. We would like to create a mentoring and networking group that is intentional in lifting up and providing access to capital for the next generation of female entrepreneurs.

What challenges are there for women in obtaining financing? We know women who start businesses oftentimes will use their own personal funds first. They’ll dive into their 401(k) money, or use credit cards, as opposed to going to a bank. When you start utilizing your own funds, you’re depleting your cash flow. If you have $20,000 or $30,000 outstanding on a credit card that’s newly charged, a bank won’t look as favorably on that. Instead, had you gone in with a plan and said, “I’m looking to borrow $50,000; how should I do that?” a bank could set you up with mechanisms to be able to borrow under the business name, not in your personal name.

Also, the majority of commercial lenders, 75 percent, are men. If you’re a guy, it’s likely you have someone in your network that you can text and say, “I’m thinking of starting a business. What obstacles do I need to consider? Can you help set me up for success?” If you, like many women, don’t have a commercial lender in your network, now you’re walking into a banking center, and you don’t know the person across the desk. You’re being handed a checklist that you may not know what to do with.

Fortuna can be intentional in that space, build that relationship [with entrepreneurs looking for capital], spend the time. We won’t do any automated underwriting, so we get to listen to the story. We get to know the person.

How did you build the community that has invested in Fortuna Bank?

People have made the choice to become investors for their own financial wellness and to be a part of something bigger than them. It’s been inspiring to watch that

piece grow. The minimum investment in the bank was $10,000. We also have several investors who are at the million-dollar level.

How and when can investors expect a return? The general lifespan for startup banks is about seven to 10 years. At the end of that range, banks have usually grown to the point where they can no longer grow without raising additional capital. They will need to go through a second capital raise or look to be acquired, and it’s that event that allows shareholders to cash out or get the return on their investment.

As an organizing group, what we are doing with Fortuna is being intentional in that female entrepreneur and female consumer niche. Down the road, we think we become a very attractive opportunity for a larger bank who wants to be specific in the female niche. And now it becomes Fortuna Bank, powered by the acquiring bank, and then we don’t lose the story. ◆

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.

The Columbus Foundation makes

performing arts affordable housing hunger relief community partnerships scholarships workforce training youth programs animal care community gardens kindness

For 80 years, thanks to the generosity of passionate donors, The Columbus Foundation has helped make more possible. Learn

Front & Center | Arts

Eye of Empathy

Photographer Tariq Tarey’s latest work puts the spotlight on patients receiving treatment from one of the city’s more promising health care startups.

By Katy Smith

Doctors would do well to prescribe a combination of art and human connection as medicine more often, for the power of art and the sharing of our personal stories to heal pain is well-documented. So it makes a lot of sense to house an art gallery in a health care clinic.

At Lower Lights Christian Health Center on West Broad Street in Franklinton, extra space was transformed with help from care partner AndHealth into an art gallery from July 17 to Aug. 8, when Community of Healing: Portraits from the Whole-Person Specialty Care Movement exhibited there.

The striking 24-by-30 portraits in black and white are the work of Tariq Tarey, a Columbus documentarian and photographer who also serves as director of refugee social services at Jewish Family Services. He’s undertaken the project, which also includes videos and a soft-bound book, in partnership with his client AndHealth. The startup has developed a model to treat chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and migraines with virtual health coach support, specialty medication, meal delivery and coordination with primary care physicians and specialists.

The positive effects of the program are plain to see in the portraits, which depict AndHealth patients sharing simple human expressions—a triumphant smile, crinkling eyes, a proud posture. Lois, whose psoriatic arthritis had her in a wheelchair not long ago, is photographed standing, beaming. She danced at the shoot.

“The difference between an excellent photograph and a good photograph is the human connection,” Tarey says. “I feel like I have this ability to put myself

in people’s shoes.”

Tarey emphasizes that the power of the photographs comes not just from his abilities, but from the care team around the patients—in day-to-day life, as well as at the photo shoots. In some cases, the shoot marked the first time patients and caregivers met in person, making for powerful moments.

“They had been desperate to see each other because the bond they formed was so strong,” says Julia Phillips, vice president of marketing for AndHealth. “And we got to capture that on camera.”

There’s not a whiff of Sallie’s rheumatoid arthritis in the portrait Tarey took of her. She’s seen such marked improvement in her mobility, she went from telling her grandchildren she couldn’t do activities with them to walking a 7K with her nurse practitioner in August at the Shawshank Hustle in Mansfield.

“When I listened to this team, the more I heard the stories … I just wanted ti photograph it to make it as beautiful as possible,” Tarey says.

The portraits from Community of Healing, which also include photos of community health care leaders, now live at community health centers including PrimaryOne Health, Third Street Family Health Services, the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers and Lower Lights.

Lower Lights has another new piece of art on display in its Franklinton clinic. “Alpha Hospital,” by Columbus artist Aminah Robinson, depicts a community hospital established by Dr. William Method on East Long Street in 1920. The piece was a gift to the Lower Lights organization by the family of Matt Scantland, founder of AndHealth. ◆

SALLIE

LOIS

MARAIS

CONNIE

DON

HELEN

JAMES

KEITH

LESLEY

MELISSA

NIKI

PAUL

For the Love of the Game

Dr. Anthony Williams brought youth soccer to the city in the 1980s. His daughter wants to preserve that legacy on film.

By Chris DeVille

Dr. Anthony Williams was disappointed. Looking to get his 5-year-old son some physical activity, he’d signed him up for the local soccer league near their Gahanna home, only to watch the season slip past without much instruction or playing time for the boy. “This is not what I signed up for,” he thought.

Williams’ solution was to start his own league. It was 1985. Though much of the infrastructure that now prices many families out of youth soccer did not yet exist, the game was not accessible to many kids living in Columbus, where Williams was working at a medical clinic. So he started gauging his patients’ interest, even going door to door in nearby neighborhoods. Eventually he and his brother, Larry Williams, got together enough players to field four teams to compete against each other on weekends at Franklin Park. The Columbus Metro Soccer Association was a go.

The effects of Williams’ initiative are still being felt nearly 40 years later. Though it all lasted less than a decade, the CMSA and the Zulus, a travel team that spun off the league three years later, made a profound impression on dozens of children and their families. Some would go on to play collegiate soccer and even professionally, while others just appreciated the community that cohered around the game.

That legacy was recognized publicly when Williams was named the Honorary Hero at the MLS All-Star Hometown Heroes Showcase at the Lincoln Theatre in July. In a written announcement, the league declared that Williams’ efforts had “a significant impact on the game of soccer in Ohio” and on each of his players. It took a lot of hustle to make that happen.

“We had no resources,” Williams says. “We solicited local businesses to sponsor us for the uniforms and so forth. We made our own goals. We took our push

Front & Center | Sports

mowers out and cut the fields every time we needed to use them. We lined them ourselves.”

What CMSA lacked in flash, it made up for in community spirit. “It was family-based,” Williams’ daughter Candyce Williams says. “After the games were over, they would have music, and people were grilling out. It just wasn’t your normal soccer game situation. But that’s what made it fun.”

After three years, Anthony and Larry gathered some of the most talented, ambitious and hard-working players to form the Zulus. The team faced off against other top youth clubs locally and even competed at tournaments around the country.

“We put all of our thought, efforts and energy into this team,” Anthony Williams says. “We knew nothing about soccer. We were football guys from Mahoning County near Youngstown. So all

of our knowledge about soccer, we had to go out and get videos, go to games, just learn.”

While emphasizing skills development, the Williams brothers also focused on life lessons: “Teamwork, responsibility, grit, hard work, learning how to win and value winning but learning how to process losing, too.”

The character building is what Dr. Joshua Joseph—a medical professor and researcher at Ohio State University who played in CMSA and for the Zulus—remembers most about the experience. He now coaches his own son’s soccer team.

“Competition and all that stuff is great, and we won a lot,” Joseph says. “But really, to me, when you look back at all the different things we were doing, they were just building all these critical elements for people to be successful long-term.”

Now, Candyce Williams is looking to create a more permanent monument to

Dr. Anthony Williams and his daughter, Candyce Williams. Facing page from top: volunteer coaches, the Zulus soccer team and Williams back when he coached the Zulus.

her father’s contributions: She’s partnering with the production company Coaches Plus Media on a documentary about CMSA and the Zulus. Since getting the idea for a film during pandemic lockdowns in 2020, she has conducted interviews, assembled a sizzle reel and even begun negotiating with This Is Us actor Sterling K. Brown to narrate the film. The next step is securing financing. She has ideas about how Major League Soccer or the Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Columbus Crew, might be able to help with that. But for now, she’s still working the phones, getting the word out however she can, and waiting for funding to materialize. “This is the hardest part,” she says, but the struggle is worth it. “I want my dad and Uncle Larry and the players to get their flowers.” ◆

AT BLUE JACKETS SEASON NEVER ENDS

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Front & Center | Lost Columbus

Country Cavalcade

The live country music stage show at the Great Southern was a hallmark of Columbus radio in the 1970s.

By Jeff Darbee

The Westin Great Southern Columbus hotel and the theater it contains were built in 1894 by German businessmen hoping to shift Downtown development southward. It has had many uses: hostelry, bar and restaurant, meeting/event space. And, country music venue, thanks to Bill Mnich.

Mnich was born in 1926 in Guernsey County; his parents were Czechoslovakian, and his father was a coal miner. After U.S. Navy service during World War II, Mnich went to Ohio University and got into radio at OU’s FM “educational” station.

By the mid-1950s, Mnich was in Columbus, and in 1957 he incorporated the North American Broadcasting Co. By 1958, NABCO was on the air as WMNI (guess where he got the call letters?). This early pop/rock station also hosted dances and sock hops, but by 1965 the local music scene was changing. Country music was big in the South and less so in Columbus, but this changed as people moved here from West Virginia and Kentucky. So WMNI went to a country format and ran the “Shower of Stars” live shows at the former Veterans Memorial on West Broad Street.

By 1974, the Great Southern and its theater were showing their age, and Mnich worried they might be demolished. So, he bought the property. The 960-seat theater was intimate and had great acoustics, and in late 1974 he launched the “North American Country Cavalcade,” or just “Country Cavalcade.” WMNI distributed recordings of the live stage show to the Mutual Radio Network’s 500 to 600 affiliates. Not all broadcast the Cavalcade shows, but the larger ones ran on more than 100 affiliate stations. Featured was local and regional

talent—Tom T. Hall, Johnny Paycheck and Buck Owens were early performers. But, all good things come to an end. The Southern Theatre closed in 1979, and the Cavalcade ended, as well. Fortunately, WMNI remains on the air in a talk and sports format as one of several NABCO stations. And the Southern Theatre reopened in 1998. ◆

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS TO COUNTRY CAVALCADE, ACCORDING TO THE MELLOW’S LOG CABIN BLOG

• Kenny Sidle, fiddler

• Ric Queen, drummer

• Audie Wykle, lead guitarist

• Deacon Morris, steel guitarist

• Dan Scarberry, banjo player

• Troy Herdman, rhythm guitarist

• Al Bonham

• Kenny Pugh

• Lionel Cartwright

• Patti Ramsey

• Rick Minerd, DJ at WMNI and emcee of the show

• “Captain” John Gammell

• Bill Jolliff

• Kevin Mabry and Liberty Street, local country and rock group

• Debbie Fowler

• Mike O’Harra

• Patti Gaines

• Dick Shuey

• Kenny Vernon

• LaWanda Lindsey

• Pat Zill

• Howard Writesel

• Tommy Hawk

• Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys

• Chuck Howard

• Paul & Jeff Howard

• Tex Wheeler

The WMNI Country Cavalcade was a live stage radio show in Columbus in the 1970s. Columbus Monthly wrote about the show on Page 67 of its April 1976 issue.

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Priming the Pipeline

Two local hospital systems are joining forces with Columbus State Community College to funnel more students into the medical field.

By Andrew King

The shortage of health care workers in America has been one of the better-documented challenges facing hospital systems and other providers since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nearly 195,000 annual job openings for registered nurses and more than 23,000 openings for physicians and surgeons each year through 2033. But those patient-facing positions with familiar titles aren’t the only hard-to-fill jobs.

Behind the scenes, every hospital and medical office has an army of assistants, technologists, therapists and other professionals who keep critical processes moving and assist the doctors and nurses who work directly with patients. And just like their clinical counterparts, the health care industry is seeing a massive shortage of those professionals.

To counter that, two major players in Central Ohio health care are teaming up with Columbus State Community College to expand their much-needed talent pipelines.

In June 2023, OhioHealth and Columbus State announced a $120 million partnership to double the number of students in nursing, surgical technology, medical imaging, respiratory therapy and sterile processing in the next 10 years. The initiative includes building an 80,000-square-foot OhioHealth Center for Health Sciences and renovating other campus spaces, among other efforts.

“We are the fastest-growing community in the United States, and so we need talent in all of our organizations in the Columbus metro area to help take care of our citizens, especially as we age and the community grows,” says OhioHealth President and CEO Stephen Markovich. “We are all very strong institutions. We actively recruit. We try to retain our talent as best we can. But unfortunately, the

talent pool is just not deep enough.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a daunting 8,700 openings each year for surgical assistants and technologists across the country. And while a 40,000-student community college like Columbus State can’t solve the problem alone, its leaders are working to carve out a place in the region’s health care ecosystem.

“After the pandemic, it became very evident that one of the areas where we needed to invest that money was to grow our health sciences programs,” says Kirk Dickerson, CSCC’s chief healthcare strategist. “We started working with our [health care] employers, and they let us know that this was a big need now, and there’s going to be a bigger need going forward as Columbus continues to grow and as some of the larger generations in

society continue to age.”

Columbus State will use bond funds approved by voters in April 2020 to pay for the construction and renovation costs, which are expected to run $85 million or more. OhioHealth is contributing a $25 million endowment to the college’s foundation to expand academic programs, faculty and staff related to the joint initiative, and the foundation itself aims to raise $12 million to support the venture.

While the Center for Health Sciences won’t open until at least 2027, another project to expand the local health care talent pool welcomed its first class of students in August.

In February, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and CSCC announced a joint venture aimed at boosting

Surgical Tech Educator Dominga Davis demonstrates prepping for surgery.

Rendering of OhioHealth Center for Health Sciences at Columbus State

enrollment in the college’s surgical technology program, which trains employees who work with surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses. These workers typically earn between $40,000 and $60,000 per year, and many pursue nursing degrees or other continuing education.

Previously, those students got their training largely in CSCC classrooms. But now, students in the five-semester associate of applied science degree program will utilize the Ohio State Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute Surgical Skills Lab, giving them hands-on experience that will be a game-changer for those who want to go straight from the classroom to a career with OSU.

“When we’re developing people through these types of programs, it helps us understand their skill, their character, their attitude and how they fit within the culture,” says Dennis Delisle, executive director of University Hospital and the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital at Ohio State. “It becomes a way for us to recruit and build.”

The first class had more than twice as many applicants as slots for the 32-person cohort. Delisle says the goal is to ex-

pand the program in coming years.

For these programs to make the desired workforce impact, continued cooperation and partnership will be key. But those at the helm of Central Ohio’s health care organizations say that kind of teamwork comes surprisingly naturally.

“We see that there is a broader need

that’s bigger than any one organization,” Delisle says. “The only way to really solve a lot of the needs of the community and the state is through collaboration. And it is unique. I don’t know other areas that have that flavor to it, where it’s more collaborative and forward-thinking.”

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Dennis Delisle, executive director of University Hospital and the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Front & Center | People

Amp Up the Arts

The New Albany Community Foundation held its fourth annual Amp Up the Arts benefit on July 14. Five hundred patrons attended the event, which supported the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater, and featured Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz. Proceeds from Amp Up the Arts benefit arts and education through grants made by the foundation.

1 Erika Hines, Adam Hines, Shanisty Ireland, Jeff Ireland, Natalie Rusch, Joey Nahay, Kirsten Kranyak and John Kranyak 2 Tara Miller, Darren Miller, Matia Mathews, Kate Smiley, Courtenay Stypula and Adam Stypula 3 Mark Wilson, Craig Mohre, Jennie Wilson, Ted Adams, Irene Adams, Kathy Kahn and Joel Kahn 4 Marc Miriello, Jennifer Miriello, Mark Panley, Chandra Panley, Beth Gittins and Mark Gittins 5 Marlene Brisk and Craig Mohre 6 Zibbi Wentz-Cunningham and Andy Cunningham 7 Seanna Walter and Matt Walter 8 David Schuller, Carole Schuller and Alan Hinson 9 Ricky Mershad, Rick Mershad, Sara Mershad and Sophia Mershad 10 David Burch, Brandi Burch, Kevin Blosser, Mary Blosser, Mike Boyd and Gina Stelluti 11 Silvana Hildebrandt, Jim Negron, Lori Morrison and Bob Morrison

COMPETITION 2024 COCKTAIL

Back again this fall!

Columbus Monthly's Cocktail Competition is an experience featuring the city’s most exciting bartenders and bar programs.

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.

Nov. 20, 2024 | 6-8 PM Vitria on the Square Early bird tickets are $35 until Oct. 31.

Purchase Tickets

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OCT. 9 | Matthew Sweet

In the grunge era, the power-pop songwriting of Matthew Sweet was a welcome change of tone—melodies that felt like instant classics in the vein of Television and the Beach Boys. It’s tough to beat songs like the title track from 1991’s Girlfriend and “Sick of Myself” from 1995’s 100% Fun, but Sweet has kept at it ever since. This Southern Theatre show features the songwriter in an acoustic trio. capa.com

OCT. 10 | America Ferrera

The New Albany Lecture Series brings Ferrera, an Emmy Award-winning actress, to the McCoy Center for the Arts to discuss her journey in the entertainment business and the importance of mental health. Ferrera, who’s also a producer, director and recent Oscar nominee for the popular movie “Barbie,” will be interviewed by NPR West’s Mandalit del Barco at the opening event of the community lecture series’ 12th season. newalbany foundation.org

OCT. 17 | Michael Connelly

Gramercy Books presents an evening with the renowned crime writer and author of more than 30 novels, including “The Lincoln Lawyer” and Connelly’s popular series featuring fictional LAPD detectives Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch. CCAD hosts the conversation led by Ann Fisher, formerly of WOSU and the Columbus Dispatch. gramercybooksbexley.com

A CURATED LIST OF THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN COLUMBUS

OCT. 23 | Justin Timberlake

There was a moment when Justin Timberlake feared the Forget Tomorrow World Tour would be ruined after a June DWI arrest in New York. But the shows have rolled on, including an upcoming date at Nationwide Arena. Timberlake has permeated pop culture for years, from his days in ’N Sync to a vibrant solo career, along with acting credits that include hosting Saturday Night Live nationwidearena.com

OCT. 26-31 | Miniature Halloween Village

For the fourth year, East Side arts space Streetlight Guild is decking out its digs with an elaborate, two-floor Halloween village, which visitors can tour for free (hours vary). Candy bags are available for all, plus extra gifts for those who arrive in costume. On Oct. 27 from noon-2 p.m., sensory sensitive visitors can tour the village without noise and flashing lights. streetlightguild.org

GIVE BACK

OCT. 5

CRIS 5K

This race, now in its 11th year, supports Community Refugee & Immigration Services, a nonprofit that helps refugees and immigrants integrate into Central Ohio communities. The run/walk begins Downtown at Genoa Park. crisohio.org

OCT. 10

Seat at the Table

Sanctuary Night’s fifth annual fundraiser will feature dinner, drinks, dancing and Dueling Pianos at the Bluestone Downtown. Tickets support the organization’s mission to serve sexually trafficked and exploited women. sanctuarynight.com

OCT. 18

Night of Chocolate

Hollywood Casino hosts Cancer Support Community Central Ohio’s 20th anniversary gala with treats from local chocolatiers. The nonprofit provides support services to anyone affected by cancer, including current patients, survivors and caregivers. cancersupportohio.org

America Ferrera

Pollinator Patches vs. Perfect Lawns

Story by Joel Oliphint

Photos by Tim Johnson

As the native plant movement grows, more people are creating biodiverse habitats at home. But they’re clashing with neighbors who prefer lawns of manicured grass.

In the summer of 2022, Morgan and Anthony Bennett moved with their five kids to a 2-acre lot in Olde Orchard, a neighborhood just outside I-270 near Reynoldsburg. The family’s previous Eastmoor house had been getting a little cramped, and this new place offered ample room for Anthony to work from home and for Morgan to homeschool their kids.

The wooded property also would give Morgan space to pursue her passion for gardening with flowers, shrubs and trees native to Ohio. When she first toured the home, she could see the tattered remnants of native spring ephemerals like Virginia bluebells and mayapple in the backyard. And in the big, sunny front yard, she didn’t see a green lawn. She saw potential.

So she got to work, ripping out invasive plants like wintercreeper and honeysuckle bushes that had grown to the size of trees. She also replaced large swaths of grass with raised garden beds. Pretty soon, her front yard looked nothing like her neighbors’ manicured lawns and heavily mulched garden beds dotted with annuals and tidy shrubs.

On a sunny, humid morning in August, Bennett, dressed in floral-patterned Duluth overalls and a Columbus Blue Jackets ballcap, showed me dozens of plants she has added to the property: ironweed, cup plant, American germander, coneflower, goldenrod, ashy sunflower, mountain mint, buttonbush, cardinal flower, blue lobelia, fleabane, aster.

A brush-covered fence takes up about half the front yard and contains all sorts of flowers and veggies. Bennett’s 12-yearold son, Sam, likes popcorn, so he’s growing corn in his garden, which is topped by hoops and plastic sheets to make a DIY greenhouse. Beatrice, 8, is trying to grow watermelon in her garden.

Many of the outdoor projects are still in process. Piles of natural mulch indicate where Bennett plans to sow a prairie. Next to the road, bumblebees buzz around milkweed and pasture thistle in a future “monarch nursery” that will mimic the shape of butterfly wings; a sign designates it as a “Native Wildflower Planting.” Nearby, Bennett’s “Little Free Nature Library” offers books on conservation, birds and gardening. A card inside provides further explanation: “Native plants are the foundation of Ohio’s ecosystems. They provide food, shelter and habitat for wildlife and help main-

tain healthy soils and water for people and animals alike,” it reads. “I hope these books help inspire a curiosity about providing habitat for our insects, birds and animals, and how doing that benefits us, as well!”

Many of Bennett’s neighbors, though, aren’t interested in learning about her gardens. “There is a lot of dissension in the neighborhood over her house, and there have been many, many phone calls to the city over her house,” says Lisa Underwood, president of the Olde Orchard Civic Association. “Everybody’s been very disrespectful to her, and the neighborhood feels like she is being disrespectful to them, because the general consensus is that she bought into this existing neighborhood, and what she’s doing does not look like anything in the neighborhood.”

Underwood says some of the neighbors, who express concern over home values, refer to Bennett’s property as “the bird’s nest” because of the brush-covered fence. Bennett likes the way it looks, and she also says it will look better with time. She planted trumpet and passionflower vines that she hopes eventually will cover the fence with greenery and pollinator-attracting blooms.

After numerous complaints, Bennett has gotten to know the Columbus code enforcement officer assigned to her area. She says they have a good relationship. But over the summer, the neighborhood grumbling escalated from complaints to threats. On multiple occasions, someone tossed playing cards into Bennett’s front yard, and each card had a message for her family: “Leave,” “Move,” “Go Away,” “Dirt Bags,” “Pig Pen,” a few involving profanity and, most ominously, “Die.”

“That’s how strongly some of the people here feel about thinking my yard is hideous,” Bennett says. “I don’t have a rusty car sitting around. I don’t play loud music at 2 a.m.—the kinds of things that make you a bad, inconsiderate neighbor. To me, I’ve done all the things that are considerate, but we have really different ideas about what that means. ... They just want it to look like their yards. They want it to be full-on lawn.”

Nationally and locally, a growing number of homeowners are opting for less lawn and more native plants to benefit wildlife, particularly pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths. In 2021, the Grange Insurance Audubon Center and

A black swallowtail butterfly nectars at a zinnia in Gerry Brevoort’s Clintonville garden.

Columbus Audubon teamed up to create the Native Plant Backyard Challenge, an annual program that has reached more than 500 households spanning 47 ZIP codes across Central Ohio. Licking County now has a Pollinator Pathway program, and Franklin and Delaware counties are working to do the same. And since 2016, a group of Clintonville residents has been digging up the narrow strips of grass between sidewalks and curbs—also known as hellstrips—and replacing them with native plants for interested neighbors and businesses.

More native nurseries also have begun popping up. At Leaves for Wildlife in Sunbury, owner Patty Shipley’s sales have doubled each year since opening in 2020. Scioto Gardens in Delaware just moved to a bigger location. Wild Ones Columbus, the local chapter of a national nonprofit, hosts an annual native plant sale in May, and before this year’s event, eager customers hoping to get first dibs on plants waited in a line that snaked all around a church parking lot.

As the movement grows, so does the tension with neighbors who are perfectly content with their traditional yards. Undergirding the debate are bigger questions about the aesthetics and purpose of a residential landscape. What makes the area around a home beautiful? Is it a green, weed-less lawn with welltrimmed, pest-free, ornamental shrubs and a few annuals? Or is it a prairie-inspired garden—something wild, tall, colorful and alive with buzzing insects?

And what purpose should our gardens

serve? Are they solely for us? Or should a garden provide food and habitat for birds and bees?

Native plant enthusiasts insist biodiversity and beauty are not mutually exclusive. Suburbanites can have some grass and an attractive, well-kept pollinator garden. But to get there, the plant people have to convince the lawn lovers to care about bugs.

If you find yourself in conversation with a native plant apologist, chances are you’ll hear the name Doug Tallamy. A mild-mannered entomologist, ecologist and professor at the University of Delaware, Tallamy has become the patron saint of native plants. He kickstarted this unlikely landscape revolution with his 2007 book, “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants,” as well as his 2020 book, “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard.”

For a lot of people, reading Tallamy is transformative.

“You read him and think, ‘OK, I need to get rid of some of these things and replace them with native trees and plants and shrubs,’ ” says Steve Herminghausen, a Franklin County Master Gardener volunteer who has worked with the Clintonville hellstrip group. “Once you’ve heard and absorbed Doug’s message, we all become disciples or proselytizers. ... It’s such a simple message when you get right down to it: Plant more natives.”

“He’s very upbeat. So even though he’s saying we’ve made a mess of our planet, he’s also saying there’s something we can all do,” says Shipley of Leaves for Wildlife. “I read ‘Bringing Nature Home’ in the fall of 2019, and honestly, even before I finished the book, I knew I wanted to start a native plant nursery.”

Tallamy and his acolytes make a compelling case for planting species that originated here rather than

Azure blue sage, a native variety of salvia, at Morgan Bennett’s home

ornamental species we’ve imported from Asia, Europe and elsewhere. The theory goes like this: Plants have adapted to the soil and weather conditions of their specific home regions over thousands of years. The plants that naturally occur in a particular environment and geographic range tend to have deep roots, which helps with erosion, water infiltration and runoff; it also means natives are often more drought-resistant and easier to grow without chemicals and excessive watering. Plus, non-native ornamentals have a long history of escaping gardens and running rampant, choking out natives. In Ohio, invasive honeysuckle and Callery pear trees are two clear examples.

Insects also have adapted alongside a region’s native plants; sometimes, in fact, an insect depends on a specific plant for its survival. Most people are familiar with the plight of the monarch butterfly, many of which embark on a journey for hundreds or even thousands of miles to win-

ter in Mexico. Monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed plants, which are also the only food source for the baby caterpillars. Because of habitat loss, pesticides and the impacts of climate change, the National Wildlife Federation estimates the monarch population has declined by 90 percent since the 1990s.

But it’s not just monarchs. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation estimates that 90 percent of plant-feeding insects are specialists. The female mining bee, for example, is one of more than 4,000 species of bees in North America, and it will only eat the pollen of golden Alexander, a native perennial with bright yellow flowers. (Honeybees aren’t native; they were imported from Europe in the 17th century.) Many moths—important pollinators that get a bad rap compared to their butterfly siblings—also rely on specific host plants.

Insect populations are declining. According to the Xerces Society, 28 percent

Bennett

Eastern blazing star, a native flower, at Bennett’s home

Morgan Bennett installed a “Little Free Nature Library” in her front yard to educate neighbors about native plants and conservation.

is creating pollinator habitats with native plants at her home on the Far East Side.

A transverse banded drone fly on blackeyed Susan (above) and a black swallowtail caterpillar on fennel (next page) in Gerry Brevoort’s Clintonville garden.

Agi Risko, left, and Gerry Brevoort in Brevoort’s front yard pollinator garden. Both women are active members of the Clintonville Hellstrip Gardeners.

of North American bumblebees and 19 percent of U.S. butterfly species are at risk of extinction. That’s also bad news for birds, which rely on insects for food. A 2019 study found that a third of North America’s bird populations have disappeared since 1970—nearly 3 billion birds. It all makes for a disrupted ecosystem: Less habitat with native plants means fewer insects and seeds for all types of wildlife. It’s bad news for us, too, even if you don’t care much about plants or bugs or birds. Xerces says 85 percent of flowering plants, including crops, require pollinators. In fact, about a third of our food supply relies on bees.

Planting more native trees, shrubs and flowers can help those numbers, whereas lawns contribute virtually nothing to the ecosystem. North America imported the idea of residential expanses of green lawns from English landscaping styles in the 18th century, and we imported the grass along with it. Cool-season turf grasses like fescues and bluegrass are not native to this region. (Even Kentucky bluegrass came from Europe.) They require lots of water in the summer, and many people fertilize frequently with chemicals that enter our streams and rivers. Gas mowers, a ubiquitous sight and sound from spring to fall in Central

Ohio, also contribute to pollution.

“There’s a handful of insects that can live in those cool-season grasses, and they’re all the ones that nobody wants: grubs, chinch bugs,” says Craig Toothman, the Xerces Society’s Central Ohio ambassador. “We pour chemicals on these non-native lawns, and nothing else can live there. It honestly might as well be concrete.”

According to a study by the nonprofit Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW), 40 percent of the open space in the Lower Olentangy Watershed is lawn. Tallamy and others argue that the best way to convert some of that lawn back into wildlife habitat is through native plantings at our homes and businesses, which requires a mindset shift: Nature isn’t something you find only at a nearby Metro Park or down in Hocking Hills. It’s there the second you walk outside the door.

“People don’t think there’s an ecosystem around them, but there is. And we’re destroying it, bit by bit, with these sterile patches of grass,” says retired plant ecologist and Clintonville Area Commissioner Hugh Crowell, who’s also part of the Clintonville hellstrip group.

The Pollinator Pathway movement, which originated in Connecticut in 2017, wants to de-fragment wildlife habitats through local volunteers. (Tallamy spearheads a similar movement called Homegrown National Park.) Pollinator Pathways aim to create continuous corridors of pollinator-friendly habitats no farther apart than 750 meters, which is the maximum range for most native bees.

“You could have a Metro Park with hundreds of acres, and you could have another one 5 miles away with hundreds of acres, and you still got a major conservation problem, because they’re not connected,” says Toothman, who has spent most of 2024 trying to get the Franklin County Pollinator Pathway off the ground.

Clintonville resident Agi Risko grew up in Budapest. Her father had a tiny garden on their urban balcony, and that was about it. But when she moved here over 30 years ago, Risko craved the Hungarian peppers she grew up eating. So she started a little vegetable garden. That led to more gardens, and about 10 years ago, she became interested in native plants.

“I got tired of hostas and begonias and impatiens,” she says. A new world opened when a maple tree in the hellstrip outside of Risko’s Clintonville home died. “I had already been getting very annoyed with the grassy strip—just a waste of energy and time and money. Why keep cutting that grass? So that gave me the opening to start planting things there,” she says. “It brought me so much joy and so much pleasure. I had no idea how happy that little strip of garden would make me.”

In 2016, Risko started a Facebook group, Clintonville Hellstrip Gardeners, in hopes of installing more tiny native gardens with big pops of color. The group now has over 1,000 members. “I thought it would be so cool to walk down the street and everybody would have a hellstrip garden,” she says, though she quickly learned that “some people are dead set

against anything other than grass.”

Crowell, Herminghausen, Gerry Brevoort and other likeminded volunteers got on board, and soon enough, more native gardens on hellstrips began popping up. The group took on its first public project outside Beechwold Ace Hardware on North High Street in 2018. Rather than replacing part of the sidewalk outside the store, Herminghausen asked Beechwold owner Malcolm Moore if he’d like a pollinator garden instead. Moore agreed, so Herminghausen and others donated plants and soil amendments. This past summer, the garden was in full glory, with colorful smooth oxeye, bee balm and more. Then, one day in June, it was gone, cut to the ground. Clintonville residents went nuclear on social media.

It turns out some hardware store customers had begun complaining about the height of the flowers and the lack of visibility when heading north out of the hardware store’s parking lot. They threatened to report Moore to the city. Eventually, he told a landscape contractor to cut the garden back, though the plan was to trim it just below waist height, not all the way to the ground; Moore says the full chop was a misunderstanding. (Herminghausen also says he would choose shorter plants if he had to do it over.)

The Beechwold hubbub isn’t an isolated incident. Columbus was designed for cars and grass, not pollinator gardens, which means native plant advocates are trying to chart a path forward using ordinances written decades ago.

Columbus leaders communicate support for pollinators. The city boasts 36 pollinator gardens spanning 57 acres, and Mayor Andrew Ginther signed the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, which includes action items that encourage residents to “plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.” But until July, city code listed milkweed as a “noxious weed.” Columbus City Councilman Christopher Wyche, who sponsored the recent legislation removing milkweed from the noxious weed list, says council removed it from a different part of the code back in 2017, but it was inadvertently left in the housing section. “Our pollinators are struggling for many reasons, including climate change, pesticides and invasive species, but even governmental regulations. And so we want to do everything that we can to help our pollinators,” Wyche says.

While council passed a quick fix for milkweed, Wyche says he and his colleagues plan to take a closer look at other code revisions in the coming months and remove anything that’s not a health risk. Currently, section 709.03 prohibits “brush, vines, shrubs, thistles, burdock, jimson weed, ragweed, mullein, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, pokeberry, grass or other noxious weeds” over 12 inches.

Few people are jonesing to get hooked by a prickly burr from invasive burdock, but other plants on the list are controversial. While invasive Canada thistle can be a menace, certain native thistles, such as prairie and pasture thistle, benefit pollinators and birds. Pokeberry also is native, and Herminghausen, who moved from Clintonville to Westerville in recent years, welcomes it on his property for the variety of birds it attracts.

The code also references “rank growth,” which can muddy the water for residents looking to re-wild an area of their property. A row of iconic, tall sunflowers probably wouldn’t draw the ire of neighbors, but what about lesser-known prairie plants like joe-pye weed that can reach head height? Perhaps another part

of chapter 709 gives native plant supporters an easy out. It says the aforementioned restrictions don’t apply when the area is intended for horticultural use. Plus, the vast majority of code violations that escalate to Franklin County Environmental Court involve high grass and weeds from vacant and abandoned properties, not pollinator gardens.

Meanwhile, at the state level, legislators passed Ohio House Bill 364 in June, which removes milkweed, ironweed and other plants from the state’s list of noxious weeds. It also allows the sharing of seeds to propagate plants like milkweed. At press time, the Senate had yet to vote on the legislation.

Risko and Brevoort aren’t sure how to move forward with the Beechwold Ace Hardware pollinator garden and other hellstrips after the recent controversy. In Columbus, right-of-way falls under the Department of Public Service, which sets a height restriction of 2 feet and a minimum setback of 2 feet from the curb for softscapes. But the city doesn’t consistently police those restrictions. Enforcement is primarily complaint-driven.

“I see these municipal ordinances as

being a big issue,” says Toothman, who is attempting to navigate the red tape of Franklin County’s 16 cities, 10 villages and 17 townships while working toward a Pollinator Pathway.

There’s something sacred about one’s home—our own sliver of the world. We have dreams for what the land should look like and not look like, all of which are shaped by the homes around us, the neighborhoods where we grew up and, of course, HGTV. Our homes are intensely personal expressions on public-facing plats.

Morgan Bennett has dreams for her home, and she refuses to give up on them, regardless of her neighbors’ pleas and threats. In early September, Bennett said police found the person who left the disturbing notes. She plans to take them to court. “They’re really trying to get us to move away, which I’m not doing,” she says. She’s in it for the long haul, which is another hallmark of gardeners who prioritize natives. Change happens over months and years—decades when it comes to trees. It’s a different timetable than the instant gardens people create after picking up mums from Lowe’s.

that chunk of grass? Great. But how about putting a 10-by-10-foot chunk of native plants over by the fence somewhere?”

TIPS FOR NATIVE GARDENS & HAPPY NEIGHBORS

Pollinator patches tend to be wilder than typical gardens, but the untamed quality isn’t usually the biggest issue with neighbors. Problems arise when it looks random or accidental. “You need to show that this is intentional,” says Clintonville gardener Gerry Brevoort. Here are a few ways to convey that your garden is deliberate, not desultory.

Unlike Bennett, Brevoort gets only compliments when she’s out working in the gardens of her Clintonville home, which burst with so much biodiversity that Ohio State University entomology students use her property to study insects. It’s a different kind of garden than Bennett’s, with more traditional curb appeal. But it’s also not surprising that pollinator gardens go over better in Clintonville, which is like the Vermont of Columbus. Proponents of native plants, though, say all it takes is that mindset shift, which can happen anywhere, anytime.

“The change that happened in my head was not just accepting but getting excited about the fact that my garden is not for me,” Brevoort says. “I am hosting pollinators. I am hosting wildlife. And I’m benefiting, of course, because to me it’s beautiful. But I’m not orchestrating it only for my pleasure.”

Brevoort, Crowell, Toothman and others say native plant fanatics also must be careful not to act like elitist snobs. Hell hath no fury like a Facebook user mistakenly posting a photo of an invasive species in a native plant group. Besides, some areas need grass; you can’t play baseball in a garden. “There’s not purity in this,” Toothman says. “If you have zero native species, how about adding a few? There’s no need to get rid of the flowers you like. There’s no need to tear down your kids’ swing set. You like mowing

There’s an equity issue, as well, which Brevoort is careful to note. Plenty of non-homeowners want to help pollinators, too, and the message doesn’t get out enough that anyone, anywhere can play a role. “You can have a pollinator patch on the balcony of your apartment,” she says. “All you need are pots with some native plants in it.”

At home this past summer, Crowell looked outside the window at his Clintonville neighbors’ properties. After days of extreme heat, their lawns were brown and dry. Crowell, on the other hand, had recently hired Ohio Native Concepts to install hundreds of native plant plugs in his yard—25 species total. And they were doing fine. Instead of dormant, yellow grass, his yard was bright and colorful thanks to the deep-rooted plants.

Just up the road from Crowell, the pollinator garden outside Beechwold Ace Hardware that was leveled in June also began to bounce back amid the heat and drought. Green stems and leaves reemerged, and sprinkled throughout the garden were the bright orange blooms of butterfly weed, a type of milkweed.

“The planet is changing,” Toothman says, “and what I do in my backyard is not going to impact that. But it might create a situation where some insects and birds don’t go extinct before we get our act together on climate change. I look at my grandchildren and I just think, you know, I’d really like it if you saw a monarch butterfly.” ◆

INSTALL A SIGN. A small sign indicates that your garden is purposeful. Lots of organizations have pretty placards for cheap or free: Midwest Native Plant Society, Pollinator Pathway, Xerces Society, Homegrown National Park, Prairie Moon and more.

LABEL THE PLANTS. Explanation is education and shows intent.

CREATE A BORDER. Brevoort’s front yard is majority garden with tall flowers, but it’s set off from the grass with a stone border and a mulch strip.

KEEP IT TIDY. Don’t let plants flop over onto the sidewalk or the street, and make sure your flowers aren’t obstructing the sight lines of cars and pedestrians.

MAKE A PLAN. If you think you can stop mowing an area of your lawn and let it go “naturally wild,” think again. You’ll likely end up with a bunch of invasive species (and ugly grass). Remove the grass and plant with purpose. Or hire a business like Ohio Native Concepts to do it for you.

From left: The pollinator garden outside Beechwold Ace Hardware in June, before it was cut lower than the store owner intended, and after the chop. Some customers complained the flowers obstructed views of High Street traffic.

New Leader, New Voice

In Tauana McDonald, Mount Carmel Health System gets a chief executive with decades of experience who prioritizes relationship-building and inclusivity. She’s the first African American woman to run any area health system.

auana McDonald grew up in Cincinnati with two close-knit families. Her biological one was made up of her mom, dad and brother. Her community brood included neighbors who watched out for each other and people she knew from church.

As a student at the esteemed Walnut Hills High School, McDonald explored language arts, music and sports—and found none were her calling. She was curious about math and science, though, and became passionate about community service.

“I remember every Sunday, Mom would make these big dinners she’d give to us kids, and we would deliver them to different people from church who couldn’t get out [of their homes],” McDonald says. “I combined my love of service and wanting to help others, and the love of math and science, and decided I’d like to become a doctor.”

Her curious nature led her to explore the western part of the country by attending Stanford University. She pursued the pre-med course of study, including anatomy classes, and wasn’t fond of the hands-on portion of the profession.

“I called my parents and grandmother and said,

‘I don’t think I want to do this.’ They said, ‘We didn’t think you did, but you had to come to that [decision] yourself.’ I did the most logical thing and got a job at IBM selling computers,” she says with a wry smile. “I knew I had to get a job or figure out what to do next.”

McDonald earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford. Her mother asked her to promise she would go to graduate school. She took a leave of absence from IBM and pursued a master’s degree in health/health care administration/management from the University of Michigan, graduating in 1992. This included a fellowship inside a hospital, where she saw all aspects of its operations.

After graduation, she wanted to return to IBM and

get a position in its new consulting practice, where she would be able to work with different health care organizations, learn about their challenges and help solve them.

“I went to lunch with my boss and was told, ‘They are only hiring experienced consultants from the Big Five firms, but as you get more experience, maybe you’ll get a role there,’ ” McDonald says. “I [later] had lunch with Ginni Rometty [who was leading the new IBM consulting practice], and she hired me that day.”

McDonald worked as an associate consultant from 1992 to 1993 in the health care space, where she focused on the payer/insurance side of the business. She learned a lot about leadership from Rometty, who became CEO of IBM in 2012.

In 1994, McDonald went to Deloitte as a senior manager who consulted with hospital systems across the country on strategy and operations. She got married and had two children while she was with the consulting firm, and she remembers a pivotal day where she was on the road and her young son had four different caregivers. That prompted her to leave her job so she could be a fulltime mom to her children in their Ann Arbor, Michigan, home.

“Having a diverse voice at the table in the community ... will allow somebody who has a different life perspective and experience to add their voice and maybe help shape health care.”

Tauana McDonald

Joining Trinity Health

In 2003, after three years as a stay-athome mom, McDonald joined Livonia, Michigan-based Trinity Health and took a lead role implementing the health care system’s new electronic health records (EHR) initiative. She quickly advanced in roles of increasing responsibility, transforming large clinical operations and initiatives across the system. In 2017, McDonald took on the newly created role of chief administrative officer at the $1.3 billion Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, which is one of the largest health systems under the umbrella of Trinity Health, which operates in 27 states. She led work to streamline operations and develop programs and partnerships that strengthened the system, which

has 45,000 annual patient admissions, 2,300 physicians and 9,000 employees across four hospitals and numerous sites of care around the region.

In 2020, McDonald was promoted into an expanded role and was named president and chief operating officer of Mount Carmel Grove City. Leading a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic had a “profound effect” on her and showed her “what it meant to be a compassionate and healing presence in the community,” she says. “I saw people step up to do whatever they needed to do to care for patients and each other. I’m grateful to have had that opportunity.”

This past May, McDonald became the first African American woman appointed to the CEO role in Mount Carmel’s 138-year history. She’s also the first Black woman to run one of the area’s four major health systems.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve because it brings a diverse voice to health care,” she says. “Having a diverse voice at the table in the community, as well as within Trinity, will allow somebody who has a different life perspective and experience to add their voice and maybe help shape health care and address all the aspects people deal with when seeking care.

Tauana McDonald was recognized by the Columbus chapter of Women for Economic and Leadership Development.

“It lets others know there is a path for them,” she says. “I’m glad for that. But I always emphasize—I’ve prepared my whole life for this role. I had the right experience to be in this role. I just happen to be an African American woman.”

Ben Carter, Trinity’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, says the health system performed a national search for the position and McDonald competed with eight finalists.

McDonald was an internal candidate who already was in the Columbus market, and a couple of other things made her stand out. She successfully implemented the EHR initiative during a multiyear process, as well as a drug pricing program that allows hospitals to stretch limited federal resources to reduce the price of outpatient pharmaceuticals and expand services for patients.

“She demonstrated time and time again at Trinity an amazing ability to take on any and every assignment and do it extremely well,” Carter says. “She is smart,

engaging and focused on building relationships. Tauana knows, in a large organization like ours, a national system with regional teams, that you have to be very good at managing and building relationships [in order] to get things done. She has an impeccable track record of doing that. She’s got all the right stuff.”

Mount Carmel CFO Andy Priday describes McDonald’s leadership style as “collaborative and focused on solutions.”

As an example, he remembers being approached by her in 2017 to apply for the newly created role of vice president of regional operations. “We had five different hospitals, and she saw a need for us to work more like a system,” he says. “She saw an opportunity for us to better collaborate across sites and implement best practices across [those different] areas. She’s always looking forward with focused solutions.”

Staying Rooted in Holistic, Faith-Based Care

About a month into her new role this summer,

About Tauna

Tauana McDonald

President and CEO, Mount Carmel Health System

McDonald, who describes her leadership style as inclusive, was on a listening tour to hear from colleagues, physicians, board members and the community to learn about what was going well and find areas where Mount Carmel should focus its efforts.

“It’s clear we want to grow as Central Ohio grows,” she says. “Mount Carmel has been here 138 years serving the community, and we want to continue to serve by providing access to care where patients need it, when they need it.

“We also want to focus on experience,” she says. “We want this to be a place where physicians want to practice, where our colleagues want to work and where patients want to receive their care.”

In terms of growth, a health care campus is under construction in Dublin at I-270 and Sawmill Parkway. In addition to a 30-bed hospital and emergency department, the 35-acre campus will offer primary care, orthopedics, neurology, cardiology and surgical services as well as community health and well-being programs when it opens in the spring.

This fall, the health system will expand its presence in New Albany by opening an emergency department that will include eight beds, five standard emergency rooms, one trauma room, one sexual assault nurse examiner/person of size room and one behavioral health room. Mount Carmel also operates a surgical hospital in the community.

Experience: President and COO, Mount Carmel Grove City; chief administrative officer, Mount Carmel Health System; senior vice president, clinical business operations, Trinity Health; vice president, integration services, Trinity Health

Education: Bachelor’s degree in human biology, Stanford University; master’s degree in health services management and policy, University of Michigan

Community involvement: Mid-Ohio Food Collective board member; Ohio State University-Mount Carmel Alliance board president; Mount Carmel Behavioral Health board member; The Links, Incorporated (Columbus chapter) member and co-operations chair

Family: Married, two children

Resides: Sunbury

“Those who live in Central Ohio are fortunate to have four incredible health care systems all working to improve the health of the community,” McDonald says. “Mount Carmel is rooted in our founders’ vision of holistic, faithbased care. Taking care of the person throughout the whole continuum of their life. When people talk about health care today and the social determinants of health—the things you need beyond what you get in the hospital—that’s where Mount Carmel started. We called it caring for the whole person, whether it was street medicine or the Center for Healthy Living. It’s a focus on care for the whole person, mind, body and spirit.”

Those founders, the Sisters of the Holy

Cross, arrived in Columbus in 1886 to set up a hospital in Franklinton. With no furnishings, equipment, supplies or food, they reached out to the community for donations, even advocating with the city of Columbus to secure free water and electricity. Within two weeks, they were able to open Hawkes Hospital. As the need for quality care grew over time, so did the sisters’ contribution. They created the Mount Carmel School (later College) of Nursing and turned the farmland they owned east of Interstate 71 into what is now Mount Carmel East.

As Mount Carmel grows, McDonald will look for solutions to workforce challenges in an industry that has a shortage of workers. Mount Carmel has partnerships with 29 colleges, 15 high schools and eight career centers to bring more people into the health care profession. Programs also are exposing students in middle school to careers in health care.

Meanwhile, she says the thinking around the way people work is changing. “Going forward, the traditional way you’ve always done things, you can’t do that anymore. It’s about being more flexible with schedules, meeting people where they are and making sure you have an environment where people want to work,” she says. “We’re working to make sure we have a good culture so people are excited to come to work, especially those who have a calling to care for people.”

She’s encouraged that people are coming back to health care following the pandemic. Mount Carmel College of Nursing’s 2024 fall applications are up 28 percent over the prior year.

Service and Friendship

For fun, McDonald plays Scrabble competitively and does the New York Times Wordle every day. She loves to travel, especially to the beach. Her favorite is Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Community service remains important to her, including her involvement as a member and co-operations chair of the Columbus chapter of The Links, Incorporated. The nonprofit is one of the oldest and largest volunteer service organizations committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the cultural and economic survival of African Americans and other people of African ancestry. She’s been involved in projects focused on the opioid epidemic, infant mortality and “safe sleep” for babies.

“The Links focuses on service and friendship. What I love about it is I get to connect with so many women who are trying to make things better for the community,” she says. “I tell people, in my day job I focus on care within the hospital and beyond. The Links and some other organizations that I am part of focus on some of those social determinants of health that I know are important to keep people healthy. … It’s another way for

me to serve and develop a great group of friends and support.”

One of those friends is Dr. Shari Hicks-Graham, president and CEO of Downtown Dermatology and president of the Columbus chapter of The Links. She describes McDonald as a “gracious contributor and leader and an amazing sister friend.” Her hiring is significant for the local Black business community and the health care industry, which has a history of challenges serving diverse populations, including discrimination in care for people of color that negatively impacts health outcomes. This includes the controversial Tuskegee syphilis study of Black men that ran from 1932 to 1972. Infected men purposely weren’t offered treatment for their disease for decades. Descendants of those men still have a level of mistrust when it comes to health care.

“People [of diverse backgrounds] will feel really empowered to seek care at a Mount Carmel hospital if they know someone like [McDonald] is at the helm,” Hicks-Graham says. “Her presence may also impact the care all members of patient care teams provide to diverse populations—from physicians and nurses to physical therapy to respiratory. It also impacts administrative levels and people making decisions in triage.

“It signals that this is an institution that people can trust for health care that is respectful of people from a multitude of backgrounds.” ◆

Dr. Shari Hicks-Graham (left) and Tauana McDonald at a reception held June 18 at Mount Carmel East

The Place That Feels Like Home

Senior Living Directory 2024

Find a new home that ensures the support you or a loved one needs today and tomorrow.

Options abound for where to live as we age in Central Ohio. Seniors and their families can choose from a range of settings that are best for where they are in life, from independent living to assisted living, to memory care and skilled nursing. And they’ll never have to be far away from loved ones and grandchildren who want to visit them for fun group activities, a meal or a quiet afternoon watching movies. There are senior communities all around Franklin and surrounding counties.

Annually, Columbus Monthly researches senior housing options and compiles this directory. Here’s our 2024 Senior Living Directory. Contact individual communities for more information.

KEY (Number of units listed)

IL – independent living units

AL – assisted living units

MC – memory care units

SN – skilled nursing units

ABBINGTON ASSISTED LIVING abbingtononline.com

Abbington of Arlington Assisted Living

1320 Old Henderson Road, Columbus; 614-451-4575; 44 AL

Abbington of Pickerington Assisted Living

9480 Blacklick-Eastern Road, Pickerington; 614-577-0822; 48 AL

Abbington of Powell Assisted Living 3971 Bradford Court, Powell; 614-789-9868; 48 AL

ALPINE HOUSE

alpinehouse.net

Alpine House of Columbus 1001 Schrock Road, Columbus; 614-505-3531; 55 AL

ARROW SENIOR LIVING

arrowseniorliving.com

Carriage Court Senior Living 3570 Heritage Club Dr., Hilliard; 614-529-7470; 87 AL, 16 MC

OUR HOME SENIOR LIVING ourhomesl.com

Our Home New Albany 5055 Thompson Road, Columbus; 614-855-3700; 97 IL/AL Cotter House Worthington 800 Proprietors Road, Worthington; 614-896-8700; MC

BICKFORD SENIOR LIVING

bickfordseniorliving.com

Bickford of Bexley 2600 E. Main St., Bexley; 614-235-3900; 33 AL, 20 MC

Bickford of Upper Arlington 3500 Riverside Dr., Columbus; 614-457-3500; AL/MC

Bickford of Worthington 6525 N. High St., Worthington; 614-846-6500; 54 AL, 27 MC

Bickford of Lancaster 1834 Countryside Dr., Lancaster; 740-901-0912; AL/MC

BROOKDALE SENIOR LIVING SOLUTIONS brookdale.com

Activities, clubs and fun are available at Westerwood in northeast Columbus.

Brookdale Lakeview Crossing

4000 Lakeview Crossing, Groveport; 614-830-9525; 73 AL, 16 MC

Brookdale Muirfield

7220 Muirfield Dr., Dublin; 380-257-3755; 54 AL, 30 MC

Brookdale Pinnacle

1305 Lamplighter Dr., Grove City; 380-979-5451; 83 AL, 23 MC

Brookdale Trillium Crossing

3500 Trillium Crossing, Columbus; 614-681-0222; 120 AL/IL

Brookdale Westerville

6377 Cooper Road, Columbus; 614-426-0838; 31 AL, 12 MC

CAPITAL HEALTH CARE NETWORK

capitalhealthcarenetwork.com

Gardens of Scioto

433 Obetz Road, Suite 200, Columbus; 614-558-3141; 15 IL

Meadows of Scioto

433 Obetz Road, Suite 100, Columbus; 614-558-3141; 120 SN

Villas of Scioto

433 Obetz Road, Suite 300, Columbus; 614-558-3141; 32 AL

CENTURY PARK

centurypa.com

Mayfair Village Retirement Community 3011 Hayden Road, Columbus; 614-889-6202; 85 IL/AL

CIENA HEALTHCARE

cienahealthcare.com

Laurels of Gahanna 5151 N. Hamilton Road, Columbus; 614-337-1066; 112 SN

Laurels of West Columbus 441 Norton Road, Columbus; 614-812-1200; SN

Laurels of Worthington 1030 High St., Worthington; 614-885-0408; 95 SN, 49 MC

CONTINENTAL SENIOR COMMUNITIES continentalseniorcommunities.com

Cherry Blossom Senior Living 79 Blossom Field Blvd., Columbus; 614-530-7726; 28 IL, 66 AL, 30 MC

Dublin Glenn Memory Care 6355 Emerald Pkwy., Dublin; 614-761-9200; 66 MC

Ganzhorn Suites 10272 Sawmill Pkwy., Powell; 614-356-9810; MC

Middleton Senior Living 1500 Weaver Dr., Granville; 740-587-0059; 28 IL, 85 AL, 35 MC

The Bristol 7780 Olentangy River Road, Columbus; 614-886-2818; 55 IL, 54 AL

The Coventry 3240 Tremont Road, Upper Arlington; 614-967-9697; IL/AL

FERIDEAN COMMONS feridean.com

6885 Freeman Road, Westerville; 614-898-7488; feridean.com; 40 IL, 58 AL

FIVE STAR SENIOR LIVING fivestarseniorliving.com

The Forum at Knightsbridge 4590 Knightsbridge Blvd., Columbus; 614-451-6793; IL, AL, MC

FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE OF DUBLIN fvdublin.org 6000 Riverside Dr., Dublin; 614-764-1600; 300 IL, 29 AL, 27 MC, 50 SN

THE GABLES OF WESTERVILLE gablesofwesterville.com 131 Moss Road, Westerville; 614-918-0050; 19 IL, 59 AL, 24 MC

LIFE CARE SERVICES theavalonoflewiscenter.com

The Avalon of Lewis Center 8875 Green Meadows Dr. N., Lewis Center; 740-513-2270; AL, MC theavalonofnewalbany.com

The Avalon of New Albany 245 E. Main St., New Albany; 740-513-3044; 59 AL, 44 MC

HERITAGE SENIOR LIVING OF MARYSVILLE heritageslm.com 1565 London Ave., Marysville; 937-738-7342; 59 AL, 17 MC

HOMESTEAD SENIOR LIVING homestead-village.com

Homestead Village Grove City 4990 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-653-1567; 130 IL

HOOVER HAUS ASSISTED LIVING hooverhaus.com

3675 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-875-7600; 5 IL, 22 AL, 5 MC

LIFE ENRICHING COMMUNITIES lec.org

Wesley Glen Retirement 5155 N. High St., Columbus;

614-888-7492; 152 IL, 74 AL, 21 MC, 65 SN

Wesley Ridge Retirement 2225 Taylor Park Dr., Reynoldsburg; 614-759-0023; 106 IL, 61 AL, 38 MC, 25 SN

Wesley Woods at New Albany 4588 Wesley Woods Blvd., New Albany; 614-656-4100; 72 IL, 15 AL, 20 MC, 16 SN

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES seniorlivinglss.com

LSS Kensington Place 1001 Parkview Blvd., Columbus; 614-251-7689; IL, AL, MC

NATIONAL CHURCH RESIDENCES nationalchurchresidences.org

Avondale

5215 Avery Road, Dublin; 614-319-3353; 200 IL

Brookwood Point 2685 E. Livingston Ave., Columbus; 866-569-6328

Chimes Terrance 65 S. Williams St., Johnstown; 888-205-8801; IL, AL

First Community Village 1800 Riverside Dr., Columbus; 877-364-2570; 211 IL, 38 AL, 36 MC, 47 SN

Harmony Trace 3550 Fishinger Blvd., Hilliard; 888-211-3477; 25 AL, 57 MC

The Hartford 120 E. Stafford Ave., Worthington; 888-205-8740; 85 IL

Inniswood Village 1195 North St., Westerville; 844-841-5770; 120 IL, 52 AL, 20 MC

Lincoln Village 4959 Medfield Way, Columbus; 614-870-1123; 54 AL

Stygler Commons 165 N. Stygler Dr., Gahanna; 614-342-4588; 32 AL Walnut Trace

389 Olde Ridenour Road, Gahanna; 844-211-1329; 93 IL

OHIO LIVING ohioliving.org

Ohio Living Sarah Moore 26 N. Union St., Delaware; 740-362-9641; 39 AL, 47 SN

Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber 717 Neil Ave., Columbus; 614-228-8888; 198 IL, 30 AL, 20 MC, 128 SN

OPTALIS HEALTHCARE optalishealthcare.com

Arlington Court 1605 NW Professional Plaza, Columbus; 614-451-5677; SN, MC

Canal Winchester Rehabilitation Center

6800 Gender Road, Canal Winchester; 614-834-6800; 35 AL, 87 SN Mill Run Rehabilitation Center

3399 Mill Run Dr., Hilliard; 614-527-3000; 36 AL, 66 SN

Monterey Rehabilitation Center 3929 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-875-7700; 117 beds SN, MC

New Albany Rehabilitation Center 5691 Thompson Road, Columbus; 614-855-8866; 36 AL, 67 SN Riverview at Clintonville 3710 Olentangy River Road, Columbus; 614-457-1100; 60 AL, 145 SN

West Park Rehabilitation Center 1700 Heinzerling Dr., Columbus; 614-274-4222; 28 MC, 71 SN

RITTENHOUSE VILLAGE BY DISCOVERY SENIOR LIVING rittenhousevillages.com

Rittenhouse Village Gahanna

1201 Riva Ridge Court, Gahanna; 614-683-0199; 117 IL

SENIOR STAR

seniorstar.com

Dublin Retirement Village 6470 Post Road, Dublin; 614-764-2800; 134 IL, 60 AL, 39 MC Harrison on 5th 579 W. Fifth Ave., Columbus; 380-215-1412; IL/AL/MC

SINCERI SENIOR LIVING sinceriseniorliving.com

Amber Park Pickerington 401 Hill Road N., Pickerington; 614-834-3113; 86 AL

STORYPOINT GROUP

storypoint.com

Danbury Senior Living of Columbus 2870 Snouffer Road, Columbus; 614-339-0459; 68 IL/AL, 33 MC

Danbury Westerville - Parkside Village 730 N. Spring Road, Westerville; 614-794-9300; 158 IL/AL, 46 MC

StoryPoint Gahanna 5435 Morse Road, Gahanna; 614-924-8144; 83 IL, 60 AL, 39 MC

StoryPoint Grove City 3717 Orders Road, Grove City; 614-875-6200; 116 IL, 35 AL, 44 MC

StoryPoint Pickerington 611 Windmiller Dr., Pickerington; 614-953-5421; 96 IL

StoryPoint Powell 10351 Sawmill Pkwy., Powell; 614-363-6631; 90 IL

SUNRISE SENIOR LIVING sunriseseniorliving.com

Sunrise of Dublin 4175 Stoneridge Lane, Dublin; 614-718-2062; 52 AL, 28 MC

Sunrise of Gahanna 775 E. Johnstown Road, Gahanna; 614-418-9775; 23 AL, 27 MC

THE INNS AT SUMMIT AND WINCHESTER TRAIL

innatsummittrail.com

Inn at Summit Trail 8115 Summit Road, Reynoldsburg; 740-919-4977; AL, MC

winchestertrail.com

Inn at Winchester Trail 6401 Winchester Blvd., Canal Winchester; 614-829-6388; AL, MC

The kind of place you’d love to call home.

We are a premier assisted living & memory care residence. Each private suite has been designed with optimum comfort, security and privacy. We offer personalized service including: 24-hour resident assistants, on site licensed nurse, three full meals daily, cable TV, electric, gas & water, daily social events & activities, weekly housekeeping and laundry services.

SCHEDULE YOUR TOUR TODAY!

8115 Summit Road Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 (740) 919-4977 www.innatsummittrail.com

6401 Winchester Blvd Canal Winchester, OH 43110 (614) 829-6388 www.winchestertrail.com

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TRADITIONS MANAGEMENT traditionsmgmt.net

Grove City Senior Living by Traditions 3615 Glacial Lane, Grove City; 614-957-0029; 94 IL/AL/MC, plus 30 IL villas

TRUE CONNECTION COMMUNITIES trueconnectioncommunities.com

Verena at Hilliard

4522 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard; 800-900-5055; IL

UNITED CHURCH HOMES unitedchurchhomes.org

Columbus Colony for Elderly Care 1150 Colony Dr., Westerville; 614- 891-5055; 110 AL

WALLICK COMMUNITIES wallickcommunities.com

The Ashford on Broad 4801 E. Broad St., Columbus; 614-641-2995; 131 AL

The Ashford of Grove City

3197 Southwest Blvd., Grove City; 614-957-3918; 100 AL, 50 MC

The Ashford at Sturbridge 3700 Sturbridge Court, Hilliard; 614-633-4811; 61 IL, 62 AL

The Grove at Oakleaf Village

5546 Karl Road, Columbus; 614-431-1739; 56 MC

Oakleaf Village of Columbus

5500 Karl Road, Columbus; 614-431-1739; 121 IL/AL

WESTERWOOD liveatwesterwood.org

5800 Forest Hills Blvd., Columbus; 614-890-8282; 193 IL, 66 AL, 14 MC, 75 SN

WEXNER HERITAGE VILLAGE whv.org

Creekside at the Village 2200 Welcome Place, Columbus; 614-384-2271; 83 IL/AL

Geraldine Schottenstein Cottage 1149 College Ave., Columbus; 614-384-2271; 18 AL/MC

Wexner Heritage House 1151 College Ave., Columbus; 614-231-4900; 99 SN

WILLOW BROOK CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES willow-brook.org

Willow Brook at Delaware Run 100 Delaware Crossing W., Delaware; 740-201-5640; 144 IL, 66 AL, 20 MC

Willow Brook Christian Home 55 Lazelle Road, Columbus; 614-885-3300; 26 AL, 50 SN

Willow Brook Christian Village 100 Willow Brook Way S., Delaware; 740-369-0048; 124 IL, 40 AL, 17 MC, 34 SN

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN VILLAGE wcv.org

65 Highbluffs Blvd., Columbus; 614-846-6076; 107 IL, 38 AL, 42 SN

home & style

Eclectic Flair

Ivena Dehl’s Bexley home brings together fun motifs and objects collected from thrift stores, estate sales and markets.

Photo by Tim Johnson

A Carpenter’s Son

Josh Scheutzow’s custom furniture business has become a success thanks to his mission to create community.

By Katy Smith

The name of Josh Scheutzow’s business, A Carpenter’s Son, could not be more authentic. He is indeed a carpenter’s son— in fact, his grandfathers and great-grandfathers on both sides were carpenters, mostly in framing and cabinetry. Scheutzow is the first to build furniture, a skill he learned watching YouTube videos, hoping to sell enough pieces to pay the fees to adopt a child. He did it—he and his wife, Laura, have four boys now, three of them biological sons. They also have a business.

In the company’s northeast Columbus space off Huntley Road, slices of what is said to be one of the largest maple trees in Ohio history, a Holmes County behemoth felled by lightning strikes and disease, wait to begin new lives as dining or conference tables. The shop benefits from its position amid Ohio’s steel fabrication and upholstery economy, which fulfills national demand. It’s also at the doorstep of Appalachia, where wood is grown and harvested.

About 25 percent of the company’s work is residential, while the majority is for commercial customers. Having built 30 CoHatch offices and most of the furniture in the Crew’s new stadium, Lower.com Field, while also collaborating with designers across the country, A Carpenter’s Son surpassed $10 million in sales and grew to eight employees this year.

Scheutzow’s sons are ages 7 to 14, and he’s hoping over the next 10 years, one of them will show an interest in carpentry. He shared thoughts on design during a recent conversation, condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Your company was founded on a social justice mission, right? We started getting thousands and thousands of Instagram followers who loved what we were doing

Home & Style | Q&A

[raising funds for domestic adoption]. It got the attention of local brands like Brioso Coffee, which had a partnership with [now defunct] Starfish Alliance, which helps kids who are aging out of foster care. Hot Chicken Takeover hired us to build the furniture for [about] seven of their locations, and they have a mission of hiring people who face barriers to employment.

You work with interior designers. What’s on trend? I would say American handcrafted furniture in any style, whether it’s mid-century modern, arts and crafts or Shaker style. We’re seeing a lot of durable hardwoods like walnut and white oak. Live edge is on its way out.

Do you work with homebuilders? We’ve been working a lot with the Bellepoint

Co. in Worthington. They’ll often have a vision for a package of furniture that fits in the house. It’s not a fast process—usually it takes about 12 weeks to custom build a dining table in the $3,000 to $6,000 range.

During the pandemic, wood prices really spiked. What are you seeing out there now? That didn’t happen nearly as much with the materials we use to build furniture, which are sourced from Ohio and Pennsylvania. The crazy inflation we saw was for wood that comes from overseas, two-by-fours and deck and framing material, which comes mainly from China and Sweden. ◆

PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON

Josh Scheutzow in his carpentry shop off Huntley Road, top. Rich Holtz works on a credenza, above.

Vintage Vivacity

Ivena Dehl in her backyard

A 1951 Cape Cod in Bexley is the canvas for its owner’s intense creativity.

By Katy Smith | Photos by Tim Johnson

From the first moment inside the front door, Ivena Dehl’s Bexley home is an eye-popping riot of retro maximalism.

The candy-pink living room walls are adorned with collections of gold-framed mirrors, still-life paintings and religious iconography alongside larger pieces Dehl has acquired over the years, including one of her dogs. On tiered glass shelving that nearly reaches the ceiling, statuettes of elephants and tigers sit alongside miniature frames depicting Bible scenes. A Hollywood bar cart bulges with sparkling glassware.

In what could be described as the

formal sitting room facing Maryland Avenue at the front of the 2,100-squarefoot house—a room Dehl calls the “lady den”—black and white Dalmatian print wallpaper accentuates an apple green velveteen sofa. In front of it sits a substantial, 1960s Italian glass-and-brass coffee table from Pace, which Dehl scored at an estate sale. Black lacquered curio shelves are adorned with Asian figurines and pottery in the classic blue and white Chinese style.

In the small dining room, velvety deep purple dining chairs by Milo Baughman reverberate with zigzag patterns against sleek, modernist steel frames. In summer, the table is set with throwback plates

from the mall shop Spencer Gifts made in the late 1970s and early 1980s that celebrate Lady Liberty, the space shuttle Columbia and the American Revolution (the house is, of course, along the route of Bexley’s robust Fourth of July parade). Disco balls and star-shaped LED lights brighten the mid-century fireplace. These touches rotate with the seasons as Dehl continually curates and re-curates: Halloween, the winter holidays, spring. Dehl’s is not a story about buying an older home and knocking out walls to create a space that serves the needs of a modern family. It’s not about wholehouse sound, professional kitchen appliances or terrazzo-tiled ensuites. It’s

The Dehls built a floating deck around their backyard pool, which was made from a stock tank.

Summertime in the ever-changing living room in Ivena Dehl’s Bexley home.

Home &

a story of making an existing home sing with creativity, color and energy, combining ephemera from junk shops, thrift stores and estate sales. Instead of being about the frame of the house, it’s all about the owner’s frame of mind. And what a fun frame of mind it is.

Dehl presents visitors with cultural touchstones around every corner, and the overall effect is light and playful, a celebration of the absurd. But like all art, the most serious themes with which humanity grapples are there: patriotism, religion, the human form and sexuality, our relationship with the natural world, and the mingling of diverse cultures.

Down the back hallway, a closet door has been removed and the interior transformed into a shrine to the Virgin Mary, with dozens of Madonnas and miniature framed portraits of mother and child. “I do love being a mom,” says Dehl, who has two sons. Upstairs, paintings and prints of lions, tigers and cheetahs theme the hallway and a bedroom in the 1951 Cape Cod, while in another, images of the female form set the mood.

A wall above the bathtub holds an arrangement of framed antique portraits, the eyes playfully covered by theater masks and tape, presumably to keep them from watching the lady in the bath. In the kitchen, farmhouse furniture and floral paintings and prints turn what can be a sterile, utilitarian space into a homey gallery of food. In a room where supper happens over and over, a dozen depictions of the Last Supper—paintings, reliefs, a commemorative plate—fill two walls. No disrespect is meant by this display, Dehl says. “I’m not religious, but I’m spiritual.”

Behind the house, Dehl and her husband, John, have created an oasis in the modest backyard with a wisteria-covered pergola, rugs, a leopard painting and more disco balls. They built a floating deck around a heated, above-ground pool made from a stock tank, a large steel tub traditionally used to water farm animals that’s gaining popularity for use in gardens and backyard pools.

“In real life,” as she says, Dehl is a nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit. The fast pace and intense social interactions in that setting leave her craving a quiet escape at the end of the day—something she finds by thrifting. Her favorites? Volunteers of America and Goodwill.

Clockwise: Looking into the “Lady Den”; big cat pillowcase vibes; Fourth of July tablescape; and Halloween decorations

Dehl’s Halloween décor

The fireplace and bar cart dressed for October.

The activity feeds the design junkie in her, too. “At a thrift store, you can tell how design is evolving because it all comes back around,” Dehl says. Big furniture brands will send scouts to thrift stores to track what’s coming into vogue, and then they modernize the look. “But is there anything better than the original? I don’t think so,” she says.

The dense décor in her home is not the totality of Dehl’s collection. She also has a warehouse, where she refurbishes vintage furniture and stores items she sells at local markets and via social media @thefurbishedhome.

Dehl credits her children’s art teacher at Maryland Elementary School, Lisa Viney, with inspiring her to learn about art more formally, developing the ability to recognize the work of famous artists. “I’m from southern Ohio—I did not learn about art [growing up],” Dehl says. Standing amid the designs she has brought to life, in the home she has decorated so inventively, with its joyful juxtaposition of motifs, she stops short of calling herself an artist, instead preferring to be known as a “collector.” But Dehl is, undoubtedly, an artist herself. ◆

Dehl’s Christmas displays

FIVE STAR AWARD WINNERS 2024 COLUMBUS

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

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

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

RESEARCH DISCLOSURES

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

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

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

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

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

• Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm and the content of this article should not be considered financial advice. For more information on the Five Star Wealth Manager or Five Star Investment Professional award

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER DETERMINATION

OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA

Award candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers. Eligibility Criteria – Required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative. 2. Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years. 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review. 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards. 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation Criteria – Considered: 6. One-year client retention rate. 7. Five-year client retention rate. 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered. 9. Number of client households served. 10. Education and professional designations. 1,231 award candidates in the Columbus area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award. 72 (approximately 6% of the award candidates) were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers.

Financial Planning

Teri R. Alexander ∙ Alexander Financial Planning, Inc. Page 3

John M. Bean ∙ The Financial Solutions Network, LLC

James Cain ∙ Baird Private Wealth Management

Jason Eliason ∙ Waller Financial Planning Group, Inc. Page 4

Cory Cook ∙ Cox & Cook Wealth Advisors

Brian J. Edwards ∙ Morgan Stanley Page 2

Nicole Edwards ∙ Morgan Stanley Page 2

Jason Farris ∙ Waller Financial Planning Group, Inc. Page 4

Russell Fish ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC/Sandstone Financial Group Page 5

Katherine Kincaid Waller Financial Planning Group, Inc. Page 4

Christopher Owen Olsgard Waller Financial Planning Group, Inc. Page 4

Richard L. Pierce ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Page 5

Heather Powell ∙ Morgan Stanley Page 2

Scott Rendle ∙ Waller Financial Planning Group, Inc. Page 4

Dena Haller Russell ∙ Haller Wealth Management Group

Nathan Swab ∙ Alexander Financial Planning, Inc. Page 3

J’Neanne M. Theus ∙ Theus Wealth Advisors

Investments

Stephen George Daley ∙ Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Adam T. Hill ∙ Maxwell Financial Management Page 3

Kathleen E. Lach ∙ Morgan Stanley Page 4

Mark Poulin ∙ Morgan Stanley Page 2

This award was issued on 09/01/2024 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2023 through 07/09/2024. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Columbus-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 72 (6% of candidates) were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics 9/1/22, 12/27/21 - 6/24/22; 2021: 1,157, 77, 7%, 9/1/21, 12/14/20 - 7/9/21; 2020: 1,048, 71, 7%, 9/1/20, 12/23/19 - 7/10/20; 2019: 1,061, 79, 7%, 9/1/19, 2015: 1,257, 107, 9%, 10/1/15, 3/10/15 - 8/5/15; 2014: 1,333, 133, 10%, 10/1/14, 3/10/13 - 8/5/13; 2013: 968, 97, 10%, 10/1/13, 3/10/12 - 8/5/12. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

WEALTH MANAGERS

The Edwards Group at Morgan Stanley

• Personalized wealth management services

• Small-business advisory solutions expertise • Executive comp. and lifestyle management

While we started as a brother-sister team, today’s much larger team continues to embrace the meaning of the surname “Edwards,” which traces its origins back to England in 900 A.D. Its root words “ead” and “ward” mean prosperity/fortune and guardian/protector.

Centuries later, at The Edwards Group, we embody this purpose. We remain deeply rooted in our mission to be the guardians of your prosperity through good times and bad times for this generation and future generations. We strive to provide our clients with con dence and clarity in planning for their future. Over the last three decades, we have re ned our process, expanded our

• Long-lasting client relationships

services and built a model that provides a tailored and holistic experience.

Our advisor team o ers experience in personal nance and retirement planning, business planning and corporate services, nonpro t board education and asset management. In each of these areas, we o er wealth management strategies for a myriad of nancial situations. Brian Edwards is a 2014, 2015, 2019 – 2024 Five Star Wealth Manager. Heather Powell is a 2021, 2023 – 2024 Five Star Wealth Manager. Nicole Edwards is a 2014, 2020 and 2024 Five Star Wealth Manager. Mark Poulin is a 2023 and 2024 Five Star Wealth Manager.

• Family business rooted in giving back 4449 Easton Way, Suite 300 • Columbus, OH 43219 Phone: 614-473-2401 • Phone: 614-473-2086

brian.j.edwards@morganstanley.com www.morganstanleyfa.com/theedwardsgroupsb

Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,231 use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2023: 1,291, 81, 6%, 9/1/23, 12/12/23 - 6/30/23; 2022: 1,164, 78, 12/17/18 - 7/19/19; 2018: 1,165, 67, 6%, 9/1/18, 1/8/18 - 7/31/18; 2017: 828, 71, 9%, 9/1/17, 1/11/17 - 7/26/17; 2016: 712, 112, 16%, 8/1/16, 2/10/16 - 8/2/16;

(RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will

Left to right: Karen Mayet-Velasco, Client Service Associate; Trent Baker, CFP®, Director of Investments; Ahmed Barghouty, Client Service Associate;

Our experience and disciplined approach can help you optimize your nancial resources by avoiding mistakes and taking advantage of opportunities when they become available. Acting as your nancial coach, we seek to take the stress out of making important decisions in your nancial life. When decisions need to be made, we will be there to help you. Our services include creating comprehensive investment management to nancial planning. We focus on each client’s goals, aspirations and pride ourselves on the trusted, long-term relationships we’ve built.

6530 W Campus Oval, Suite 320

New Albany, OH 43054

Phone: 614-431-4345

ahill@maxwellfm.com • linkedin.com/in/adamthillcfp www.maxwellfm.com

Alexander Financial Planning, Inc.

Financial Journey Starts Here

Investment Advisor Representative, Director of Operations; (Not pictured: Pavla Grover, Paraplanner)

Over the last 27 years, so many amazing people have walked through our doors that we are proud to call our clients. Your aspirations and your dreams fuel our desire to be incredible at what we do. And for that, we are inspired, humbled and grateful. We are a group of individuals who have had many of the same life experiences as our clients, and we know it is not all about the numbers. Aligning your goals with your core values drives our nancial planning process.

Every life story is di erent, and we want to help enrich your story through thoughtful and e ective nancial life planning.

3600 Olentangy River Road, Suite C2 Columbus, OH 43214

Phone: 614-538-1600 alexanderfinancialplanning.com

This award was issued on 09/01/2024 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2023 through 07/09/2024. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Columbus-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 72 (6% of candidates) were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics 9/1/22, 12/27/21 - 6/24/22; 2021: 1,157, 77, 7%, 9/1/21, 12/14/20 - 7/9/21; 2020: 1,048, 71, 7%, 9/1/20, 12/23/19 - 7/10/20; 2019: 1,061, 79, 7%, 9/1/19, 2015: 1,257, 107, 9%, 10/1/15, 3/10/15 - 8/5/15; 2014: 1,333, 133, 10%, 10/1/14, 3/10/13 - 8/5/13; 2013: 968, 97, 10%, 10/1/13, 3/10/12 - 8/5/12. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Adam T. Hill

Left to right: Back row: 2024 winner Nathan Swab, CFP®, AWMA®, Financial Advisor; Erik Danielson, Communications and Client Services Administrator; Front row: Four-year winner Teri R. Alexander, CFP®, MSFP, CeFT®, AIF®, Founder, Senior Advisor; Tracey Guthrie,

WEALTH MANAGERS

Waller Financial Planning Group

• Wealth management: creating structure that will empower you to make informed financial decisions

• Legacy planning: recognizing the importance of passing along valuables and your values

Waller Financial Planning Group partners with clients to assist them in the pursuit of their desired lifestyle and legacy goals by serving as trustworthy advocates of their nancial futures. They believe e ective nancial planning begins by taking a team-based, comprehensive view of each client’s nancial status and combining it with a long-term vision.

in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s

and ongoing certi cation requirements.

Kathleen E. Lach

an Industry Leader

believe that serving our clients goes beyond the investment makeup of a portfolio and includes

a strong and dedicated relationship. With comprehensive advice

to help meet investors’ particular needs and evolving circumstances, our team is committed to using well-founded investment and risk-management principles to help families navigate volatile markets.

My team and I strive to spotlight hidden opportunities and anticipate important transitions for our clients in order to strike a balance between short-term needs and long-term nancial goals. Our deep, multigenerational relationships facilitate our ability to help advise clients at every stage of investing, including accumulation, growth and preservation phases. We help our clients with conversations around the transfer of wealth, whether to the people they love or through thoughtful philanthropy. I am a 2020 – 2024 Five Star Wealth Manager.

545 Metro Place S • Dublin, OH 43017 Phone: 614-798-3229 kathleen.lach@morganstanley.com advisor.morganstanley.com/kathleen.lach

Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,231 use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2023: 1,291, 81, 6%, 9/1/23, 12/12/23 - 6/30/23; 2022: 1,164, 78, 12/17/18 - 7/19/19; 2018: 1,165, 67, 6%, 9/1/18, 1/8/18 - 7/31/18; 2017: 828, 71, 9%, 9/1/17, 1/11/17 - 7/26/17; 2016: 712, 112, 16%, 8/1/16, 2/10/16 - 8/2/16;

(RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will

Left to right: Seven-year winner Chris Olsgard; Eight-year winner Katherine Kincaid; Six-year winner Scott Rendle; Charlie Kerwood; Eleven-year winner Jason Eliason; Eight-year winner Jason Farris

Five-year winner Kathleen E. Lach, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, CAP®

Kathleen Lach Has Been Recognized as

Richard L. Pierce

CRPC®, APMA®, Private Wealth Advisor

WEALTH MANAGERS

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

David Donn Alspach FPL Financial Strategies of NEST Capital

445 Hutchinson Avenue, Suite 500 Columbus, OH 43235 Office: 614-987-0087

richard.l.pierce@ampf.com ameripriseadvisors.com/richard.l.pierce

2014 – 2024 Five Star Wealth Manager

Estate planning strategies

Small business strategies

Helping you reach your financial goals is my priority. Today’s financial environment is complicated. We will work together to help you gain the confidence to navigate through what happens today so you can reach your dreams tomorrow. • Wealth management strategies • Retirement plan strategies

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

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. does not offer tax or legal advice. Consult with a tax advisor or attorney. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

Amy K. Arthur Wells Fargo Advisors/The Arthur Woodby Financial Group

Mark D. Beaver

Keeler & Nadler Family Wealth

Ryan Carl Thomas Bibler Wells Fargo Advisors

Geoffrey Robert Biehn Trinity Financial Advisors

James Desportes Bishop Morgan Stanley

Cort Robert Bradbury Heritage Wealth Partners, LLC

Kurt M Brown PDS Planning, Inc.

Milton E. Fullen Fullen Financial Group

John Sieker Gardner Park Avenue Securities

Jason Joseph Gilbert Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Jeffrey Richard Gomez G2 Capital Management

Jaime L. Goubeaux Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Greg Robert Grabovac G2 Capital Management

Casey N. Gregory Morgan Stanley

Brandon M. Haney Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC

Joseph Hall Mathias LPL Financial

Kristen Elisabeth Moosmiller NorthAvenue Financial Advocates

Gregory Alan Munster Wells Fargo Advisors

Josh Christian Nalli Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Andrea L. Nameche Lifetime Financial Growth

Joseph Peter Panfil Wells Fargo Advisors

Mark John Randall Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Bradley Charles Roach Park Avenue Securities

Melvin Mark Rochowiak Principal Securities

Fish

Jason Alan Buehner Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Jared Michael Hoffman Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC/Sky Crest Financial Group

Christopher H. Rohan Park Avenue Securities

Kevin Robert Clark Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Craig A. Constantinovich

Sandstone Financial Group A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Columbus, OH 43240 O ce: 614-846-7193 ameripriseadvisors.com/russell.j. sh

John E. Sestina & Company

Karen Sue Cookston Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC/Vision Advisory Group

Gerald Anthony Costa Zosh Williams Asset Management Group

Rachael C. Holm Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Edward Henry Inbusch Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC/Envisage Wealth

Amy Beth Kelly Prudential Advisors

Eric Joseph Koller Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC/Sky Crest Financial Group

James Alan Saling Saling Simms Associates

John W. Schatz LFA

Derek James Scheetz Lifetime Financial Growth

William Brian Shorthill Beacon Hill Investment Advisory

Michael Kenneth Wessel BFP

A WEALTH MANAGER

can help with retirement planning, legal planning, estate planning, banking services, philanthropic planning and risk management.

Vincent Finney Wells Fargo Advisors

Kevin Fix

Bruce Anthony Lancia Cetera Advisors

Joshua C. Woodby Wells Fargo Advisors

Tom David Wyatt Park Avenue Securities

Fullen Financial Group

Sarah J. Lawson Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

Eric Scott Friedman Scioto Wealth Advisors

Scott Alan Lucas Lucas Financial Services, Inc.

Steven James Zid Morgan Stanley

This award was issued on 09/01/2024 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/2023 through 07/09/2024. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,231 Columbus-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 72 (6% of candidates) were named 2024 Five Star Wealth Managers. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future.

CHAMPION FOR CHILDREN?

Why?

Register

Children

VACATIONS AND GETAWAYS

Ernest Warther Museum & Gardens

Ernest “Mooney” Warther, born in 1885, began carving at age 5. His first knife led to a lifetime of carving, earning him the title of World’s Master Carver. Each of the 64 pieces is hand-sculpted. Warther would set down his knife in 1973, and his legacy remains. Ernest Warther Museum and Gardens in Dover is built around the original location of his home, workshop, and the first museum, which opened in 1936. Come and experience the inspirational story and works by Ernest “Mooney” Warther.

331 Karl Ave.

Dover, OH 44622

330-505-6003

warthermuseum.com

Garden of Lights

Garden of Lights invites you to experience the enchanted world of Alice in Wonderland! Walk through a spectacular array of breathtaking lights that will mesmerize and delight children of all ages. Don’t miss the longest light and music tunnel in the United States – over 80 3D-lighted figuring lanterns, more than 78,000 state-of-the-art LED lights, multimedia attractions and drone shows. Immerse yourself in the magic of Wonderland starting Oct. 18!

The Crawford Barn at the Homestead 5563 Raiders Rd. Frazeysburg, OH 43822 740-455-8282 gardenoflights.com/en/ohio

Northeast Ohio’s Best Vacation Value Year Round!

Come experience, explore & enjoy Streetsboro – Your RoadMap To Fabulous Fall Fun! Enjoy the over 60 nearby attractions including an abundance of outdoor activities, a variety of special events, affordable hotels and campgrounds, an assortment of family-friendly restaurants and much more. Streetsboro is just minutes from major cities and directly off the Ohio Turnpike, Exit 187. Request your free vacation value packet and coupons now and come visit us.

Streetsboro Visitors & Convention Bureau

P.O. Box 2365

Streetsboro, OH 44241

888-558-5580

streetsborovcb.com

VACATIONS AND GETAWAYS

Fill Your Glass on the Three Rivers Wine Trail

Visit the Three Rivers Wine Trail and fill your glass. This eclectic trail features eight locations serving carefully crafted wines and beer made on-site, all within a short drive of one another in beautiful Coshocton County. Enjoy the fall colors and visit other area attractions like Historic Roscoe Village and the Apple Butter Stirrin’ Festival Oct. 18-20. Free Passport Program and hotel packages available; visit threeriverswinetrailohio.com.

Coshocton Visitors Bureau

432 N. Whitewoman St. Coshocton, OH 43812

740-622-4877

visitcoshocton.com

The Timbrook Guesthouse

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

5811 Olentangy River Road Columbus, OH 43235

614-634-2166

timbrookguesthouse.com

Travel Partners in Dublin

Join Travel Partners in Dublin as we journey through the iconic Mediterranean aboard the Oceania Marina. Our itinerary will include stops in Athens (Piraeus) and Katakolon in Greece; Rome (Civitavecchia) and Florence/ Pisa/Tuscany in Italy; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Provence (Marseille), France; and Barcelona, Spain. Group amenities include $200 shipboard credit and $400 shore excursion credits per stateroom, prepaid gratuity, and more!

4980 Blazer Parkway Dublin, OH 43017

614-792-0002

travelpartnersindublin.com

Top 25 Home Sales by Price

July 1-31, 2024

PRICE ADDRESS BUYER/SELLER

$3,500,000 2538 Onandaga Drive, Upper Arlington

$2,750,000 30 Wiveliscombe, New Albany

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food & drink

Raw whiskey flows at the Middle West Spirits distillery.

Profile of founder Ryan Lang, Page 72.

Photo by Tim Johnson

Barcelona’s Timeless Tapas are a Treat

Nearly 30 years after opening, the German Village restaurant remains an excellent place to spend an afternoon.

By Amy Bodiker Baskes

One of my favorite things to do when traveling in Spain is to gather with friends at a restaurant’s outdoor table in a secluded plaza to sip and snack the afternoon away. There’s nothing better than spending a few hours laughing and telling stories in a beautiful spot over a chilled glass of vino rosado.

This is exactly the promise that Barcelona Restaurant & Bar in German Village has offered its guests for the better part of the past three decades. Its Spanish-themed menu is perfect for sharing, making Barcelona (and its coveted patio) a beloved celebration spot where friends can gather over tapas, platters of paella and pitchers of sangria.

Smaller than traditional appetizers, tapas are little plates meant to spark your appetite and encourage drinking. At Barcelona, tapas occupy nearly twothirds of the menu, complementing the extensive selection of Spanish wines and creative cocktails.

Tapas can be single ingredients—think of a bowl of olives or slices of cured ham—or a bit more elaborate. Dishes include Patatas Bravas ($10), which at Barcelona are paprika-dusted fried potato chunks drizzled in garlic mayonnaise, and Salchichas Estofadas ($18), a shallow casserole of sausages and beans baked under a crumb crust. Ordering the Torre de Tapas ($36) combines Barcelona’s bestselling starters—Spanish cheeses, olives, housemade pickles and spreads—into one magnificent tower meant for groups to enjoy together.

On a recent late summer visit while I waited on Barcelona’s patio for my friend to arrive, I complemented my crisp, light pink Muga Rose wine ($11) with the Hummus de Berenjena ($14),

Tapas tower along with paella, Empanadas, sangria and Tarta de queso

an eggplant spread served with a few pieces of fresh carrot and celery, and a homemade, herb-flecked flatbread. I was intrigued by the addition of roasted eggplant, but Barcelona’s hummus was rather indistinguishable from traditional chickpea versions. I was surprised by its sweet notes, assuming the eggplant would bring more of an earthy smoke as it does in baba ghanoush. I also enjoyed picking at the Banderillas ($9), a colorful assortment of pickled vegetables, which provided a bright acidic kick to contrast the creamy hummus.

On another visit, our table shared the special of the day, a Melon Gazpacho ($12), Barcelona’s sweet, refreshing take on the classic Spanish puree of tomatoes

and cucumbers—a cold soup that to me signals the heat of summer like a starting gun. We continued grazing with an order of Camarones al Ajillo ($16), sizzling garlicky shrimp served in a terra cotta ramekin fresh from the oven. After we saw (and smelled) an order of the Baked Manchego ($20) heading to another table, we ordered one of our own, because por qué no? Presented with plenty of toast, this fondue-like tapa comes with a sweet tomato jam and a few fried shishito peppers, adding vegetal complements to the buttery, nutmeg-scented cheese.

Following our tapas, we tucked into the shareable and showy Paella Barce-

Barcelona Restaurant & Bar

barcelonacolumbus.com

263 E. Whittier St., German Village 614-443-3699

Hours:

Lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday-Friday; Dinner 4-10 p.m. Sunday, TuesdayThursday and 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Closed Mondays.

If you go: Barcelona’s patio is first-come, first-served and weather-dependent. Making an early reservation inside the restaurant will boost your chances to sit outdoors.

lona ($44). Arguably Spain’s most iconic menu item, paella famously comes to the table in the signature, shallow two-handled pan in which it cooks. Barcelona offers a few versions and sizes of paella; ours came with shrimp, mussels and squid atop rice that was flavored with a sweet tomato broth, which made for a dark red, caramelized crust along the bottom of the pan. Called socarra in Spanish, this crust is tricky to achieve while still maintaining perfectly cooked rice in the body of the dish, which Barcelona’s cooks have obviously mastered. In our paella, I missed the richness and shocking yellow color that comes with a more traditional saffron-infused broth, but I appreciated the addition of chorizo sausage and its familiar kick of paprika.

As with my favorite meals in Spain, the setting is as important as the food—a detail Barcelona does not overlook. Barcelona’s patio is consistently rated as one of the best outdoor dining spots in Columbus—for good reason—and thus I chose to eat outside on all of my visits. Its lush collection of potted plants and climbing vines, gurgling water features and strands of twinkling, tin-punched lanterns provide a welcome oasis. Inside, Barcelona’s vibe is warmer and louder, its cavernous interior decorated in bright colors, plentiful art and sheer curtains draped from high ceilings for a bit of privacy. The space is vaguely reminiscent of the German saloon that occupied the space for 60 years, with the original brick walls, creaky and uneven wood floors and the heavy oak bar crafted for the space in 1907.

Barcelona’s Spanish decor

After nearly 30 years, Barcelona remains a Columbus classic. I appreciate chef Ruben Beabrauth and Barcelona’s kitchen for their commitment to scratch cooking and seasonal menus. While neither Barcelona’s menu nor setting are terribly innovative, their familiarity and reliability are welcoming and comforting. For Spaniards, nothing is more cherished than sitting at a table surrounded by family and friends, whiling away the hours as day turns to night, discussing politics or football, all while sipping wine and munching on tapas. Reserve your table, gather your friends, head to Barcelona and live the good Spanish life for the evening. Buen provecho! ◆

Paella and sangria

Empanadas

Food & Drink | Profile

From the Ground Up

One would guess that most people who walk into a bar to order a shot of whiskey don’t fully consider all that goes into their glass. For Ryan Lang, founding lead distiller and CEO of Middle West Spirits, it starts with a seed of soft red winter wheat grown in the clay-packed soil of northern Ohio.

Whiskey’s general formula has been remarkably consistent for centuries. Its raw ingredients, grains like corn and wheat, are mashed, fermented, distilled and aged before they are bottled and sold. And despite these consistent basics, there are factors at each stage that can wildly impact each bottle produced.

While many distillers focus on that overall process, Lang’s interest in how Ohio’s soil influences the grains he uses distinguishes him within the field. “He really took a different slant to how he went about making his whiskey,” says Jennifer Yunt, Middle West’s director of marketing. “He really started, pun intended, from the ground up.”

By Amy Bodiker Baskes

Unlike other distillers who buy premade mashes and blends, Lang says he took the path of making everything from scratch, “and we have kept that as a true north,” he says. “It’s been a guiding star for us.”

For centuries, winemakers have recognized the importance of terroir— how a region’s particular weather, sunlight and soil create unique characteristics in the grapes they use. As consumers, we consider seasonality and local flavors at field-to-fork restaurants and the farmers market. But it’s a relatively new concept in the spirits industry to “start with a seed” in the way Lang has at Middle West. Most commercial distilleries still rely on grains from the commodity market, which are valued for their uniformity.

Lang has deep roots in agriculture. He hails from generations of central Pennsylvanian farmers, with formative memories of tearing around on tractors with his grandfather and helping other family

members with chores on their dairy and row crop operation. This direct experience feeding calves and planting sweet corn are part of Lang’s personal terroir.

An engineer by training, Lang caught the entrepreneurial bug while working for a startup out of college. His family didn’t expect him to return to their farm, but when he was considering Middle West’s origins, Lang knew he somehow wanted to build on his family’s agricultural heritage. “I tried to look at things that my family had been in, and I really felt that [distilling] was an avenue that I could be passionate about.”

Armed with his grandfather’s pot still and a whole lot of moxie, Lang set about on a two-year “learning journey” to understand all there is to know about making whiskey before opening Middle West in 2008. “It’s a lot easier to make bad products if you don’t know what you’re doing,” he says.

Facing a steep learning curve, Lang sought the expertise of others to build

Ryan Lang at the Middle West Spirits distillery

his foundation. He engaged with grain specialists at Ohio State University Extension to understand the supply available to him locally. Lang also traveled nationally to learn from a handful of master distillers, “guys [who] would let me bend their ear every once in a while,” he says. “I sent them more samples out than I can count. And I still work with some of them to this day.”

Lang’s collaborative and experiential mindset speaks to his character. There’s a certain fearlessness in learning by doing. This type of trial-and-error approach is inherently messy, as it invites mistakes, and asking for help requires vulnerability. “We were able to pick up these shortcomings and make them strengths of the company,” Lang says.

Today, in his second decade of distilling, Lang seemingly knows just about everything about whiskey making—such as the details of char levels in the barrels and how esters and condensers impact flavor. “If you talk to Ryan long enough, he’ll get into the chemical compositions,” Yunt says. The sheer volume of factors and decisions that go into each bottle is staggering.

It’s a curious combination of traits: to hold space for the immediacy of all those details and at the same time have such a long view. Making whiskey is ultimately an exercise in patience, with products hitting the market eight to 10 years after they’re made. “Ryan’s the one with the vision,” says Amy Mesh, Middle West’s director of partnerships. “He’s always 10plus steps ahead of everyone else.”

Middle West Spirts is just hitting its stride, with exciting things on the horizon. Its shiny new 75,000-square-foot facility on Alum Creek Drive opened in January, positioning the business to grow its capacity tenfold. New product launches of bottles that have been aging for years are scheduled for year’s end. Also in the works is an expansion of Middle West’s custom partnerships, providing capacity and training to new distillers as they formulate their own spirits.

Why help your competitor? In his quest to make great whiskey, Lang has been tinkering and adjusting all along. These partnerships expand Lang’s reach while helping others succeed. “It’s important, I think, that you look at the category as a whole and try to make it better,” he says. ◆

The grains used to make whiskey are loaded up and reused for livestock feed.

Specialized grains used in whiskey production

Part of the massive distillery at Middle West Spirits

Cakes for Creeps

From farmers markets to a Clintonville storefront, Annie Dickson’s unique treats and goth aesthetic are spicing up the Columbus food scene.

By Linda Lee Baird

Baking is a social activity for Annie Dickson. She started as a child working with her grandmother in the kitchen, learning to make bread and other comfort foods. After she had her own child, it became something for the two of them to do together. It also was an outlet for her when her husband was deployed overseas in 2020.

During that time, her passion turned into selling cakes and charcuterie boards to friends and family. Before she knew it, she was getting requests. “I was having people I didn’t know reach out to me for cakes and stuff,” Dickson says. “I think [that’s] one of my favorite parts of how the whole thing came to be, because I started doing something that I love to do, that brings me joy, and then it started bringing other people joy.”

Before long, she was selling her treats under the business name Bite This by Annie, partnering with local farmers markets and area food vendors. Her collaborative approach to baking led her to expand both her offerings and relationships with other Central Ohio businesses.

For example, one of her standout menu items are Bagel Bombs—Dickson’s softly breaded bagels stuffed with enough savory filling to serve as a complete meal. A collaboration with Ray Ray’s Hog Pit in 2023 infused them with barbecue, leading to a Brisket Mac and Cheese Bomb and a Cubano Bomb briefly gracing the menu. The partnership has continued, with monthly specials such as Dickson’s Bonfire Brownie sold exclusively at Ray Ray’s locations.

Evan Brown, general manager at Ray Ray’s, says working with Bite This was a natural choice. “We try to limit our collaborations,” he says in an email. “Annie checks all the boxes that we look for in a partner. She’s an awesome human being who treats people with respect and fair-

DETAILS

Bite This by Annie

3009 N. High St. bitethisbyannie.com

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday–Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday–Sunday

ness, has a super cool spooky vibe, and of course creates a bomb product. It was

a no brainer.”

Partnerships with other local businesses continue to support Dickson’s distribution, with her products sold regularly at the Hungarian Butcher, Littleton’s Market, Florin Coffee and others.

While Dickson may have experimented with different recipes on the road to entrepreneurship, one thing she has maintained is her sense of self—she notes she has always been a “black sheep.” This translates into making baked goods that are more likely to be covered in skulls than sprinkles. “My branding, my logo all are done by my really good friends who do my tat-

Annie Dickson at Bite This by Annie

toos, so they look really similar to the art I have on my body,” she says.

Her aesthetic is reflected throughout the storefront she opened in July, complete with a 12-foot-tall skeleton named Gerald who welcomes visitors inside the bakery. He frequently greets a crowd.

Dickson has built something of a cult following on social media, including over 30,000 followers on TikTok. She affectionately calls her devoted followers “creeps”—even memorializing them in a neon storefront sign reading “Hey Creeps”—and says they visit her sites for more than pictures of treats.

“I’m not just bagel bombs or brownies or cookies. It’s deeper than that,” she says. Dickson uses her social media to talk about the other aspects of her life— including difficult topics like sobriety, depression and mental health—that her followers embrace. “I can’t tell you how many people come to stop me at the market and say, ‘I’m so grateful that you talked about sobriety the other day. I’ve struggled with x and x for so long,’ ” she says.

Dickson expects a further boom during the month of October, when she is planning a special Halloween menu and party, as well as trick-or-treating at the store. While she’s not ready to say exactly what the plan is—although it will include pumpkin chocolate chip blondies and cookies as well as Scream Brownies—it’s safe to say Bite This will offer a lot more than your traditional Halloween treats. ◆

in Delaware, Ohio

Spanakopita Bagel Bomb

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.

AMERICAN

1808 American Bistro

Josh Dalton’s American bistro uses both contemporary and classic elements in décor and cooking. The menu features short ribs, filet medallions, and shrimp and grits. 29 E. Winter St., Delaware, 740-417-4373. BRLD $$$

Biscuit Boss

Looking for on-the-go comfort food? Biscuit Boss offers made-from-scratch biscuits with a wide variety of toppings and Ohio-grown meats. Go for French toast bites and the Boss, a biscuit with cayenne fried chicken and jalapeño honey. Food Truck, Citywide, 937-631-7614. BL $

Hudson 29

This Cameron Mitchell restaurant looks to bridge the gap between Napa-inspired, California-fresh cuisine and Texas-style comfort food, with simple approaches to dishes like flatbreads, steaks, sushi and knife-and-fork sandwiches coming out of an open kitchen. 260 Market St., New Albany, 614-859-2900; 1600 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington, 614-487-0622. BRLD $$$

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

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

like the Pot Roast Sandwich, burgers, chicken salad and sweet potato fries. 73 E. Gay St., Downtown, 614-221-8300. LD $

The Whitney House

This Old Worthington mainstay recently got a refresh of its interiors and American grill menu, which features pierogies, burgers, panseared walleye and Sunday Supper rigatoni. 666 High St., Worthington, 614-396-7846. BRLD $$$

BAR FARE

City Tavern

This casual sports pub located inside the Wonder Bread Building features exposed brick walls and large windows. Solid bar grub is served, such as Hungarian stuffed peppers, bacon cheeseburger fries, classic burgers, sandwiches, flatbreads and more. 697 N. Fourth St., Italian Village, 614-8262348. LD $$

Gallo’s Tap Room

A dark, modern sports bar brimming with top-notch beers and an updated pub grub menu featuring burgers, wings and pizza. 5019 Olentangy River Rd., Northwest Side, 614-457-2394; 240 N. Liberty St., Powell, 614-396-7309. LD $

Olde Towne Tavern

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

CAJUN & CREOLE

Creole 2 Geaux

Sharif and Janvier Ward’s eatery serves up Southern hospitality and comforting fare such as bourbon chicken, jambalaya mac ’n’ cheese and po’boys. 401 N. Front St., Arena District, 614-374-0545; 212 Kelton Ave., Franklin Park, 614-432-6226. LD $$

Way Down Yonder New Orleans Finest Restaurant

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

CHINESE

ChiliSpot

This casual restaurant in Kenny Centre is one of the city’s best options for authentic Sichuan cuisine. Think: mapo tofu, Chongqing popcorn chicken, cumin lamb, dry pot dishes and more. 1178 Kenny Rd., Northwest Side, 614-929-5565. LD $$$

Ding Ho Restaurant

This West Side establishment has been serving classic Cantonese dishes since the 1950s, with wor sue gai, pepper steak, lo mein and sesame chicken. 120 Phillipi Rd., West Side, 614-276-4395. LD $$

ChiliSpot

Lotus Grill

Ask for the “secret” Chinese menu at this spartan Crosswoods restaurant, and you’ll find flavorful specialties such as pork meatball soup, mapo tofu, Sichuan boiled fish and much more. 150 Hutchinson Ave., Far North, 614-781-8883. LD $$

Moy’s

Owners Pak and Berlina Moy, who hail from Hong Kong, have served the Campus area for more than 25 years. Moy’s is at its best when focusing on simple Cantonese dishes like chicken braised in soy sauce or barbecued pork. 1994 N. High St., Campus, 614-2977722. LD $$

Sunflower Chinese Restaurant

An authentic Chinese restaurant in a shopping plaza just outside of I-270, Sunflower is best known for its delicious dim sum, served daily but most intensely pursued by diners on weekends. 7370 Sawmill Rd., Northwest Side, 614-764-7888. LD $$

CONTEMPORARY

Agni

At his fine-dining restaurant, chef Avishar Barua (Top Chef Season 18) entertains guests with multicourse tasting menus that showcase Barua’s Bengali roots, penchant for creative hijinks and live-fire cooking chops. Reservations are a must or try snagging a bar seat. 716 S. High St., Brewery District. D $$$$

Comune

Joe Galati’s restaurant and bar fills a void in Columbus with a plant-based approach to upscale dining. The seasonal menu includes shareable dishes like tahdig, house-made pita with dipping sauces, tempura cauliflower and semolina cavatelli. 677 Parsons Ave., Schumacher Place, 614-947-1012 D $$$

Natalie’s Music Hall & Kitchen

This exciting addition to Grandview hosts live music nightly while serving up Neapolitanstyle pizzas. Its excellent cocktail program is led by bar manager PJ Ford. 945 King Ave., Grandview, 614-436-2625. D $$$

Sycamore

Now under new ownership, Sycamore is a welcome neighborhood hang featuring a carryout coffee window, full bar and a tastefully renovated dining room. Dishes range from an egg sandwich in the a.m. to grilled artichokes, whole branzino, lamb sugo and more. 262 E. Sycamore St., German Village, 614-754-1460 BLD $$$

Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

French- and California-cuisine-inspired Wolf’s Ridge is a truly delightful reflection of how we enjoy fine dining today—a happy marriage of high-end small plates, pints of house-crafted beer and craft cocktails. Don’t miss the brunch. 215 N. Fourth St., Downtown, 614-429-3936. BRLD $$$

DESSERTS

The Cheesecake Girl

After earning a culinary degree, Dublin native Samantha Strange returned to Central Ohio to open the Cheesecake Girl, where flavors range from original to bacon-turtle to sangria and everything in between. 4345 W. DublinGranville Rd., Dublin, 614-974-9293; 5354 Center St., Hilliard, 614-787-1753; 1086 N. Fourth St., Italian Village. LD $

Dulce Vida Ice Cream Factory

A Mexican-style ice cream shop serving paletas, mangonadas, banana splits and savory snacks like esquites and walking tacos. 7370 Sawmill Rd., Dublin, 614-3892728; 6146 Cleveland Ave., North Side, 614392-2467; 461 W. Main St., Plain City, 614504-5543; 1127 N. High St., 4201 W. Broad St., West Side, 614-429-3289. LD $

Mardi Gras Homemade Ice Cream

A small ice cream shop offering traditional ice cream flavors such as chocolate and strawberry in addition to international flavors like anjeer, lychee and falooda kulfi, all made in-house. 1947 Hard Rd., Northwest Side, 614-766-2020. LD $

EUROPEAN

Mozart’s

A European eatery, bakery and wedding venue known for its pastries, schnitzels and strudels, as well as live classical music for guests who choose to dine in. 4784 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-268-3687. BBRL $$

Pierogi Mountain

Located in the former Grass Skirt Tiki Room space, Pierogi Mountain offers a 50 percent vegan menu that includes a variety of handmade pierogi, chicken paprikash and house-made pork sausage and kraut. 105 N. Grant Ave., Downtown, 614-7453139. LD $

GREEK

Anna’s Greek Cuisine

After serving her mother’s food in Greece, Anna opened her own restaurant over 22 years ago. Specialties range from pita sandwiches and pastitsio to lamb shank and moussaka. 7370 Sawmill Rd., Northwest Side, 614-799-2207. LD $$

King Gyros Greek Restaurant

Greece-born Yianni Chalkias opened his fastcasual Greek restaurant more than 25 years ago, with gyros, lamb chops, Greek dips, dolmades and baklava. 400 S. Hamilton Rd., Whitehall, 614-866-9008. LD $$$

Loops

From the original Loops Spicy Gyro Roll to a loaded Chicago hot dog, Loops gives you an authentic taste of the Windy City. 1629 Northwest Blvd., Fifth by Northwest, 614670-8808. LD $

INDIAN/PAKISTANI

Aab India

Aab India boasts a large menu of authentic Northern Indian-style curry offerings, plus papadi chaat, chicken tandoori and shrimp bhuna. 1470 Grandview Ave., Grandview, 614-486-2800. LD $$$

Indian Oven

A friendly and chic eatery serving Northern Indian and Bengali meals. The menu includes palak paneer, tandoori chicken, biryani and roasted lamb shank. 427 E. Main St., Downtown, 614-220-9390. LD $$

JAPANESE

Kirin Noodle Bar

A ramen shop offering a variety of appetizers such as karaage, chashu pork buns and hand rolls, with a selection of Japanese whiskys. 4227 N. High St., Clintonville, 614-867-5356. LD $$

Yoshi’s Japanese Restaurant

This fine Japanese spot combines traditional Japanese cooking with modern twists. The large menu ranges from small plates such as sunomono and okonomiyaki to sushi, udon and Japanese curry. 5776 Frantz Rd., Dublin, 614-889-1275. D $$$

MEXICAN

Cuco’s Taqueria

Once a Mexican grocery store with a tiny taco counter, Cuco’s has grown into a full-fledged, successful restaurant that still sells a few Mexican goods alongside ceviche, burritos, tamales, tortas and tacos al pastor. 2162 Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington, 614-5388701. BLD $$

Yoshi’s Japanese Restaurant

La Plaza Tapatia

This large Latin American supermarket features a bakery, café, cold prepared foods and an impressive buffet of hot foods such as soups, tamales, Mexican stews and more. 255 Georgesville Rd., West Side, 614-276-0333. BLD $$

Tula Taqueria

This friendly taco shop is owned by a family from Jalisco, Mexico. Tula also specializes in tortas, carnitas and carne asada. 525 Lazelle Rd., Westerville, 614-601-6313. LD $

NEPALESE

Everest Cuisine

Combining Nepalese, Tibetan and Indian fare, Everest Cuisine boasts authentic dining at affordable prices in Old Worthington. 652 High St., Worthington, 614-601-6004. LD $$$

Momo Ghar

Since 2016, Momo Ghar has gained a loyal following thanks to the handmade dumplings that co-owner Phuntso Lama and her crew make by the hundreds, weekly. No trip is complete without the bestseller, jhol momo. 59 Spruce St., Short North, 614-4956666. LD $

PIZZA

Grandad’s Pizza

A family-owned pizza shop offering buildyour-own pizzas and fresh made dough. 1254 W. Third Ave., Grandview, 614-488-9700; 4093 Trueman Blvd., Hilliard, 614-767-3020; 1418 Morse Rd., North Side, 614-433-9700; 1490 Bethel Rd., Northwest Columbus, 614459-9700 LD $$

Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce Café

At this spot from Los Angeles restaurateur Ivan Kane, you’ll find foldable slices of New York-style pizza, meatballs in marinara, garlic knots and more. A speakeasy supper club, featuring burlesque shows, is attached. 3959 Brighton Rose Square, Easton, 614-6814242. LD $$

Plank’s Bier Garten

At more than 60 years old, this neighborhood watering hole and beer garden is still going strong, with a menu of pizza, burgers, Wiener schnitzel and cold beer. 888 S. High St., German Village, 614-443-4570. LD $$

SOMALI

Darbo Restaurant

A small eatery serving authentic and traditional Somali cuisine, with goat stew, shawarma and pasta dishes. 3764 Cleveland Ave., North Side, 614-475-8004. BLD $$

Kulmiya American & Somali Cuisine

This restaurant specializes in rice dishes, sambusas and more. Check out its great tea selection. 5666 Columbus Sq., Westerville, 614-900-0941. LD $$

SANDWICHES

Brown Bag Deli

The longtime German Village deli keeps it simple yet tasty with crave-worthy sandwiches like the turkey-and-cranberry-mayo-topped Village Addiction, plus daily soups, salads and seasonal sides on display under the counter. 898 Mohawk St., German Village, 614-4434214. LD $$

Dave’s Cosmic Subs

At this Northeast Ohio-based submarine sandwich chain, rock ’n’ roll meets Italian, vegan, gluten-free and whole wheat sub rolls. Try out the Original Dave’s Cosmic Sub or Dave’s Best Meatball Ever Sub and wash them down with a flavored soda. 1766 N. High St., Campus, 614-824-5494. LD $$

Goood Friends

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

The Lox Bagel Shop

Kevin Crowley’s cute Short North shop offers

cornbread, chickenfried chicken and blackened redfish. As its name

Creative Space

Mandi Caskey

The Columbus muralist uses chaos and a mind palace to create giant, fantastical worlds.

By Joel Oliphint

Mandi Caskey has always loved fantasy. Growing up, her favorite movie was Jim Henson’s 1986 film “Labyrinth,” which she revisits often. “When I’m feeling down or unable to think clearly, I put on the [soundtrack] or I watch the film, and I’m like, all right, everything is OK. It’s a little chaotic, but David Bowie is here,” Caskey says.

At Caskey’s colorful studio inside the Fort on the South Side, she displays a life-size cutout of Lt. Worf, the iconic Klingon character from Star Trek, another favorite. When Caskey is assembling the building blocks for one of her huge murals, she likes to put Star Trek on TV, sometimes muted and accompanied by jazz. She takes inspiration from chaos

during the creative process.

Quieter moments can help, too. Caskey makes commissioned murals all over the country (and the globe), and on long, silent drives in her truck, she uses the time to work through ideas. An outdoor wall isn’t the same as a blank canvas. Sometimes there are doors and windows to work around. Mounted lights. Pipes. But those quirks help determine the painting.

Caskey cycles through ideas using images in her brain, beginning with an imagined house. “Within that home are different places for memories and thoughts and things that I can explore. And one of them is a file cabinet of painting ideas,” she says. “I visualize folders, and I can go back to different

ideas and open them up.”

After completing a spectacular dragon mural in Chicago and exhibiting smaller work earlier this year, Caskey began pondering a mural series on evil women and female monsters: witches, sirens, bog women. “I want to illustrate them as big as possible, and in their most vulnerable or frightful scenes, but still having them beautiful and elegant in their fearful state,” she says.

One piece in the series found a home in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Caskey plans to paint two others in Cincinnati. “I’m hoping to get approval on a massive medusa,” she says. “Translating hardship and difficult feelings through the beauty of fantasy, it makes it easier for people to cope.”

Mandi Caskey in her studio at the Fort

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