Culinary cleveland! Experience the Multicultural Flavors of Cleveland SPRING/SUMMER 2021
PREMIER ISSUE!
Meet Tony
Fortner SOUTHERN CAFÉ’s EXECUTIVE CHEF
The Vegan Club’s Executive Chef Porscha Phillips shows one of her culinary delights!
GOING THE DISTANCE
FOR OUR
COMMUNITIES. At Dominion Energy Ohio, going the distance for our customers means more than just delivering safe, affordable natural gas. It means being a positive force in the communities we serve. Our EnergyShare® program has raised $6.8 million and helped more than 70,000 people in Ohio alone. These resources, combined with more than 6,300 volunteer hours from our employees, have benefited organizations as diverse as the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts of America and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition.
Table of Contents 6
| America the Healthy: Cooking the Food You Love, for the Health You Deserve
Dr. Linda Bradley shares some important tips!
9
| Restaurant Review: Café Tandoor
Savor the flavors of India as you read this review of one of Cleveland’s best restaurants!
13
| Restaurant Review:
Cleveland Breakfast Club
Learn about the newest delicious addition to Shaker Square: the Cleveland Breakfast Club and the Vegan Club! ON THE COVER
16
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| Architect of the Soul Fusion Experience
Meet Tony Fortner, Executive Chef of Southern Cafés of Ohio, and his wife and business partner Cynthia Wolf Fortner.
| Entrepreneur Profile: Claude Booker The President of Booker’s Soul Food Starters, Claude Booker, tells his story. SPECIAL SECTION
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| Celebrate Sisterhood® with selected
recipes from Cleveland Clinic Cookbook: Flavor Over Fat: Cooking Made Simple!
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Publisher | Executive Chef | Culinary Instructor Tony Fortner Editor Alexandria Johnson Boone Creative Director Jennifer Coiley Dial Senior Copy Editor Michelle Urquhart Advertising/Sales Manager LaRick Calhoun Social Media Manager Jada Hobson Business Manager Paula T. Newman Assistant to the Publisher Cynthia Wolf Fortner Database & Information Manager Cheretta Moore Contributing Photographer Garret Kisner Subscribe for free at: www.CulinaryCle.com
@culinarycle @culinarycle @culinarycleveland A Quarterly Publication of Cynton Holdings, LLC 11817 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107 888-265-4722 Magazine Production: GAP Communications Group 16781 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 508 Shaker Hts., OH 44120 Copyright © 2020-2021. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be distributed electronically, reproduced or duplicated in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher.
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Dear Friends, Foodies and Fellow Culinarians, It is with great pride and excitement that I share the premiere issue of CULINARY CLEVELAND! Experience the Multicultural Flavors of Cleveland. This has been a long, long journey, fraught with many challenges along the way. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to publish a magazine that would be “all things food” for Northeast Ohio. So, I stayed focused and kept working towards achieving the dream. And with the hard work and the commitment of my family, staff and magazine production team, we made it.
Coming soon...
Our publication will highlight and celebrate local and regional minority and women chefs and other culinary professionals, restaurants, food writers, restaurateurs, food historians, and yes, foodies everywhere! Culinary CLE topics will focus primarily on the amazing multicultural cuisines in the area. Other key topics will include cooking with your family and kids during the Pandemic, choosing the best culinary tools, selecting grills and smokers, planning outdoor events and catering, developing menus, ordering restaurant supplies, the power of group purchasing and much, much more! It is my sincere hope that you will subscribe and/ or advertise with us. We promise you won’t regret. Please visit our website at: www.culinarycle.com or email us at: info@culinarycle.com Please enjoy reading our Premiere Issue!
Visit gcmra.net and submit your contact info to stay in the loop about the Greater Cleveland Minority Restaurant Association coming soon!
Sincerely, 888-265-7776 info@gcmra.net gcmra.net Tony Fortner Executive Chef & Co-owner Southern Cafés of Ohio and Publisher CULINARY CLEVELAND!
America the Healthy: Cooking the Food You Love, for the Health You Deserve BY LINDA D. BRADLEY, MD
America has found unity in diversity. In life, love and eating, we’re enjoying our own and each other’s cultures as never before. Food is at the center of every culture, and America excels in bringing them all together. Our national table is set with a vibrant array of foods reflecting the tastes of people from many regions, many backgrounds, and foods from every possible spice and flavor niche. We enjoy our ethnic cooking straight up, or combined with other types of food in ways that are characteristic of our innovative spirit. Some food critics say that we are in an era of food fusion. We’ve proven over and over again that our national palate is flexible and adventurous. Now it’s time to leverage that appetite for change to make our country healthier and happier – to enjoy our favorite foods in a more nutritious form, and enjoy a more positive attitude toward life. A manifesto for healthier living and smarter eating has been energized by the insights of top physicians, nutritionists and chefs worldwide. Too often, chronic disease such as hypertension, depression, overweight/obesity, cardiac disease, and premature death of all causes often points to poor food choices and not eating well. Good health and good eating is attainable. Now more than ever, we realize that good nutrition and quality food is medicine. Can the “Farmacy” replace our reliance on the “Pharmacy”? We have begun to incorporate engaging America the Healthy: psychology of eating through the mindbody connection and the positive joy of health coupled with increased movement. What feels better than optimal health? To become, America the Healthy in our changing 21st century, requires strong guidance, vigilance, label reading, a basic understanding of caloric intake, and strategies that grocers, restaurants, and advertisers use to increase your consumption of junk food, sugary drinks, and overall nutritionally empty calories. Most importantly, I’d ask you to just cook at home more often. Just reclaim your kitchen. Because for all its vibrancy and excitement, the American diet has deep downsides. The chief culprits are salt, fat and sugar. We know how they get into our bodies: through prepared foods, snacks, fast foods and sweet supersized drinks and even specialty coffees. More ominously, they come dressed as our most cherished ethnic foods – the touchstones of our identity and the dishes we enjoy when we come together as extended cultural families.
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The truth is some of the least healthy foods on the planet are some of the most beloved and most closely identified with particular nationalities and ethnic groups. These foods may be hallowed reminders of harder times, when some of us were oppressed, deprived and restricted to scraps from the larger table. So we take pride in their sometimes rough idiosyncrasy and associate them with good times, togetherness, picnics, weddings and laughter and with sad times such as hospitalizations, funerals and grieving. What can a program of change look like for you? The easiest way to leverage your current food preferences to achieve better health is by spending time at the kitchen in front or your stove, substituting ingredients, learning new kitchen techniques and redirecting old habits. Every culture embraces certain cooking techniques and seasonings that could use an updated, upgraded, and reformulated method to improve health without sacrificing flavor and our iconic cultural favorite recipes. Transforming our favorite food is possible. Give your tongue and taste buds time to undergo transition. For many of us—our taste buds have be hijacked and up-regulated to crave more sugar, salt and fat in our diet. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Get savvy. I suggest a tapered approach to transform your family favorite recipes and rework recipes with healthier substitutions. The Art of Substitution Be private—don’t tell your family that it’s a “healthier version.” Sometimes when we say that a recipe is healthier, friends will automatically draw conclusions that it’s not tasty or authentic. When you creatively learn substitutions, they will ask you “what’s the recipe?” On the next page, find some discreet examples of reformulation of a recipe.
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Try these: o Decrease fat in recipes by choosing a dairy product with less or no
fat and increase other ingredients to enhance the taste. For example, when a recipes calls for whole milk, substitute with a lower or no fat version—1% -2% or no fat version. Or substitute a nonmilk source, such as soy, almond, rice milk, yogurt, apple sauce, or kuzu.
o Shake the Salt Habit—is an acronym based on key areas to decrease salt consumption.
o The bulk of dietary salt comes from processed food or foods eaten in restaurants.
o Salt your water when making pasta or rice and then don’t add any more during cooking.
o Be vigilant and opt for purchases of canned goods that have no salt
added. Or when using canned beans and vegetables rinse the beans generously.
o When fruits and vegetables are out of season, buy frozen vegetables and fruits. They are harvested at the peak of freshness. Make sure the label only lists the food within the bag—no added salt or sugar.
o Keep the salt shaker off the dinner table—and instead make your own seasoning blend or purchase a no-salt added herbal blend.
o Brighten and enliven food with the citrus zest of lemon, limes,
oranges, and other dried or fresh herbs (or a blend). Add citrus just before serving to enhance flavors.
o When possible eat by the season. Fruits and vegetables that are
picked seasonally, sold at farmer’s markets, or grown by your hands will taste the best—and not require additional salt or sugar, because the food is exceptionally flavorful, nutritionally richer and less expensive.
o A tincture of time: give your taste buds a few weeks to
accommodate to the less saltier version of your favorite foods. Making wiser lifestyle choices, improving your culinary and nutritional literacy, and understanding the cultural influences on lifestyle choices will increase your longevity and quality of life. I hope that I can inspire you at every level of commitment to health and good eating to change your life for the better – and recover the qualities of body and spirit that will bring our nation together again, for good health and better times.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW
Café Tandoor BY CHEF TONY FORTNER
Let me begin by saying that Café Tandoor is by far the best Indian restaurant in the city of Cleveland. My first experience with Indian cuisine was through a gift certificate to one of the popular eateries around town. I was not familiar with the cuisine so I asked the server to recommend a couple of items on the menu that I should try. He made some intriguing suggestions, and I decided to accept his recommendations. The food was visually appealing and tasted great! Naturally, as an Executive Chef, I thought that I knew what Indian food was supposed to taste like. Well imagine my surprise when I experienced the amazing Indian spices, like cardamon, clove, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, mace and mustard seed. And the melding of the flavors was phenomenal. Chef Suraj is truly a master when it comes to balancing herbs and spices. continued
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The butter chicken was so tender it melted in my mouth. The flavor profile was mild with a hint of heat and spices. The Meat Samosas were packed with ground lamb, peas cashews and raisins. Served with a duo of yogurt, date sauces and marinated onions, these ingredients are the perfect combination for tantalizing flavor bombs. My personal favorite was the Lamb Sagg Gosht that is cooked with spinach, onions and garlic. The flavor of this dish was so amazing that all I had to add was my fork. The saffron rice was perfumed with clove for a flavor profile that is perfection. Surprisingly, their Nan bread comes in several flavors.
Meat Samosas
I also tasted the Masala Kulcha. Filled with ground vegetables, paneer and spices, they come made to order fresh out of the oven. Finally, the staff was very professional and eagerly shared stories about the various dishes and their Indian culture.
Butter Chicken
When you get a chance, please dine at Café Tandoor. I promise, you will have the same wonderful experience that my wife and I enjoyed. Happy eating! Café Tandoor Locations in Cleveland Heights, Aurora, and Westlake, Ohio cafetandoorcleveland.com [ 10 ] culinarycle.com
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RESTAURANT REVIEW
cleveland breakfast club BY CHEF TONY FORTNER
There is a new dual-concept restaurant on Cleveland’s historic Shaker Square that is a must try! I must admit that when I first heard about it, I was intrigued. I have seen other dual-concept establishments, but nothing like this. The Cleveland Breakfast Club and the Cleveland Vegan Club have changed the game. They have truly taken this concept to the next level. Situated on Shaker Square where the old Yours Truly Restaurant was located, the Breakfast Club is not your usual breakfast restaurant. When it comes to unique offerings and incredibly, creative décor, I guarantee that you’ve never seen anything like it in greater Cleveland. Prior to my visit, I didn’t know what to expect. The decor is industrial chic that reminds you of the old school southern factory space that housed a restaurant. The visionary Executive Chef Hugh Finch has created a wonderful mix of classic breakfast items that are presented in masterful plated presentations; the pancakes are square, not round and have a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. The bacon options include both pork and turkey, and the crab cakes benedict were the best I ever eaten. continued
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Their shrimp and lobster grit cakes are made with Canadian lobster that is tender, with a sweet note. The dish was topped off with a spicy creole sauce served over a crispy sautéed grit cake made in heaven. The Vegan Club boasts a dynamic menu as well. Now, let me be clear, that I am not a Vegan, but Executive Chef Porscha Phillips has made me a new “vegan cuisine” convert. I have to say that the menu items are unique. And she is absolutely one of the best vegan chefs you will have the pleasure of meeting.
Lobster Roll Lobster Shrimp & Grit Cake
Surprisingly, the food is so tasty and flavorful that you can’t tell its vegan, because most people think that vegan dishes lack flavor). Well, I’m here to testify “that isn’t true.” From the vegan alfredo, to the crab cakes, you will be blown away by the taste, presentation and her culinary skills. But the belle of the ball, was her vegan chocolate-covered strawberry cake with a coconut crumble filling. continued
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Executive Chef Hugh Finch
Executive Chef Porscha Phillips with the vegan chocolate-covered strawberry cake I am a diehard dessert lover and I have tasted cakes from some of the best pastry chefs around. However, when I say this is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten, please believe me. I don’t know how it’s possible to create a cake that tasted like that and the recipe did not include any eggs, butter or milk. I am truly excited by her creativity coupled with vision of the general Manager/owner, Shawn Wynn. He has assembled a “dream team” of chefs that have created something special. you can tell he’s no newcomer to the restaurant business. It is obvious that a lot of time and effort went into the development of this dual -concept and, he has them both working to perfection! There is so much to enjoy, that this place has to be on your bucket list. Once you visit either restaurant, you will agree, that this is a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Cleveland Breakfast Club The Vegan Club 13228 Shaker Square, Cleveland clebreakfastclub.com
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Architect of the Soul Fusion Experience BY JENNIFER COILEY DIAL PHOTOS BY GARRET KISNER
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Being the youngest member of his large household, Executive Chef Tony Fortner learned early on that if he helped his mother in the kitchen, he would be able to eat while they worked, and not have to worry about having enough to eat when it was time for dinner. The extended family included six, plus two of his cousins. Tony’s mother, Mattie Adams, was then and still is, an inspiration to him. “My mother cooked everything from scratch,” he says over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Nothing ever came from a can.” As a child as young as seven, he started off preparing food for cooking, such as snapping green beans, to learning how to make macaroni and cheese for the whole family. “I would help her cook, and eat the whole time! By the time dinner was ready, I wasn’t even hungry,” Tony says.
The Cleveland Heights native got his first job in a restaurant, while attending high school, at 14 years old. The restaurant was called Earth by April, located at Cedar and Lee in Cleveland Heights. It was a very popular, high-end seafood and vegetarian restaurant. Cleveland Magazine said, “When it opened in 1973, the Cleveland Heights spot aimed to be the area’s first counterculture seafood and vegetarian restaurant with a vast buffet of marinated vegetables and cold salads.” Tony started working there in 1979, and his life changed direction.
chef was born. Fortner was learning from the best chefs at the time, the “Michael Symon’s of the day,” he says, and has been working in professional kitchens ever since, including cooking during a stint in the Navy.
Chef Fortner holds an Associate in Applied Business, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management from Cuyahoga Community College, and his professional mentor was Chef Richard Fulchiron. Chef Richard, as he liked to be called, was the first person to teach Tony a great deal about himself. Chef Richard wanted Tony to learn how to plan “One Friday night, the cook didn’t show up, a menu, create recipes, size them and price and I was asked to come off of dishes and them. He said that anyone can cook, but not cook. We were making tempura vegetables everyone can create and plan a menu and and tempura shrimp,” Tony says. “I was timid run restaurant operations. in the beginning, but two hours into it, I was cooking as if I always had,” he laughs. The “He always seemed to be on my back,” Tony owner asked Tony if he wanted to move into recalls. “It was because he saw something a cook role, which paid $4.25 per hour, a nice in me that I didn’t see in myself.” Chef increase over the minimum wage of $2.65. Fulchiron sponsored Tony’s membership in He was excited and agreed. At the age of 14, a the American Culinary Federation (ACF), Meat is slow-cooked for six hours at the Cleveland location.
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an organization founded in 1929 in New York City to promote the professional image of American chefs. “Chef Richard took me to John Q’s downtown, and there were 45 white chefs there; I was the only Black one in the room,” Tony says. “They treated me with so much respect, and always addressed me as ‘Chef.’ It blew me away. I was the first Black person in Northeast Ohio to become a certified culinarian by the ACF in 2001.” He thinks about Chef Richard for a moment. “God puts people in your path to help you.” As executive chef of popular Southern cuisine restaurants in Cleveland, Chef Tony developed the dishes that have become the standard for soul food around town. He has owned and/or was the executive chef for Angie’s, Jezebel’s Bayou, Stonetown, Chester’s, among others, and helped to open the exceedingly popular restaurant at Shaker Square, Zanzibar Soul Fusion.
Cynthia Fortner, Co-Owner and General Manager of Southern Cafe. BOTTOM: Patio of Cleveland (eastside) location. OPPOSITE PAGE: One of the dining rooms at Lakewood location.
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“People thought we were a joke when we opened Zanzibar in 2009. One night in November, there was a snow storm, and a lady wandered in off the street. She asked us a bunch of questions about the place, and decided to stay to eat. We weren’t busy; I was reading a newspaper and my partner restaurateur Akin Affrica, was on his laptop. We thought she was a little strange,” he laughs. Chef Fortner prepared her meal, and she enjoyed it thoroughly. Two days later, the pair received a call from Cleveland Magazine. “That lady who came in to eat during the snow storm was one of the editors of Cleveland Magazine,
and wanted to do a story on us for the next issue! After the story was published, Kenny Crumpton came in to do a feature, and the rest was history. We had an advertising budget of $1,500 – we didn’t need to spend a dime of it. Revenues were $1.1 million that first year, and we rode that wave of publicity for five years!” Tony says. “We were the first Black A-list restaurant in Cleveland, with our cutting edge Southern Fusion concept. Our unique fare included Walleye Cakes, a delicious alternative to Crab Cakes using fish unique to Lake Erie/Great Lakes; and Soul Rolls, a southern take on Chinese egg rolls.”
time. In March of this year, the Fortners expanded their Southern Café restaurant by opening an eastside location (Southern Café East), on Kinsman Road in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. “We opened the eastside location on March 1. By March 18, we were shut-down due to COVID-19.” That was unfortunate timing, but Chef Tony believes that the eastside location will eventually surpass the westside location in revenues. “There is a large office building with 300 employees located nearby, and many of them had become regulars before the shutdown.” Both locations are still boasting strong carryout service, and Southern Café’s In 2016, Chef Tony, along with his longtime catering service does very well also. wife and business partner, Cynthia, opened Southern Café West on Detroit Avenue The Fortners see their success as a way to leave in Lakewood. “It was my twist on all of behind a legacy, whether it be professional the restaurants that I wrote menus for as or personal. Tony offers this advice to anyone an executive chef – Zanzibar, Stonetown, considering taking the entrepreneurial Chester’s,” Chef Tony told Cleveland Scene plunge: “I haven’t had a regular paycheck not long after this location opened. Southern since 2006, so, don’t get discouraged when Café serves his signature fare, shrimp and times get hard, because they will. Believe in grits, fried green tomatoes, soul rolls, fried your vision, even if no one else around you perch sandwiches, and so much more. does, and you will succeed.” The busy couple met through a mutual For more information about Southern Café, friend, and are the proud parents of six, visit their website, southerncafeohio.com dedicating Mondays to exclusive family culinarycle.com [ 19 ]
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ENTREPRENEUR PROFILE: Claude Booker President, Booker’s Soul Food Starters HOMETOWN: Lives in Macedonia, OH; from Spartanburg, SC FAMILY: Crystal Booker, wife and business partner EDUCATION:
AOS Culinary Arts, BS Food Service Management, MS Managerial Technology CIVIC ENGAGEMENT:
Created The Booker’s Soul Food Education Fund Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
MANTRA:
95% of success is the ability to get along with people. FAMILY LIFE AND GROWING UP
Claude Booker, M.S., grew up in rural Spartanburg, South Carolina, eating home-cooked meals made with vegetables from his grandmother’s four-acre garden, livestock raised on a neighbor’s farm, or quails and other animals from his hunting expeditions. Proudly country to the core and classically trained, Booker attained his Associate of Science degree in Culinary Arts, Bachelor of Science in Food Service Management, and Master of Science in Managerial Technology. Educational Equity Matters: Throughout high school, Booker found himself in remedial classes without access to the same opportunities as his colleagues. This educational track limited his ability to prove his educational prowess and excel. But all of that changed when Booker found a level playing field in college. “I finally had the same books as everybody else.” At Johnson & Wales College, Booker delighted in discovering that he studied from and had access to the same textbooks as every other student. He excelled in his classes and achieved the highest nationwide GPA amongst his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers. While at Johnson & Wales University, Booker’s remarkable intellect and talent earned him the opportunity to become one of the university’s first Black teaching assistants. Booker explains, “When given access and provided with equal opportunity, we can all excel.” EARLY YEARS
Thinking back to your early years, was there a mentor or successful entrepreneur that had a significant impact on your decision to start your own business? If so, who and why? At the age of 26, I met Reggie Sylvain a fraternity brother who inspired me to take the chance on being my own boss. I have never looked back. Together we culinarycle.com [ 21 ]
opened a company called Cultural Foods. We ran it in Atlanta for several years before we eventually had to close it. CAREER/ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY
What professional or business accomplishment are you most humbled by and why? Omega Psi Phi Business Person of the Year in 2019 because it was totally unexpected and because it always feels good to be recognized by my brothers. What is the toughest decision you’ve made professionally or as a business owner? Walking away from corporate America to start Simply Southern Sides because the recession was just starting in 2008, which made things very challenging. PHILOSOPHY
The essentials to creating a harmonious work environment at your business are… Show respect and be accountable for what you do. What have you come to learn about success as a minority business owner? Realize that there are more pains and stumbles than wins, learn from those but don’t dwell on them and celebrate the wins and successes. What have you come to learn about balancing a business and lifestyle? You never will get any of your time back, so don’t forget to enjoy family, church and friends. You don’t want to have regrets. How has COVID-19 affected your business? (negatively and/or positively) Negatively: 2020 was devastating for our firm and Simply Southern Sides food service business, as retailers closed down hot bars and salad bars due to COVID-19. We had no choice but to reinvent ourselves. My new focus went all in on our Black community. What did you do to address those issues? Pivoted and created a product for home cooks: Booker’s Soul Food Starters. MY CONFESSIONS
What part of your business brings you the most joy? Sales. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned as a business owner? Don’t quit. How do you apply this lesson to the work you do? My work ethic – outworking everyone in the office – first to arrive and the last to leave. I don’t have to say anything; they see how I lead and I believe others value that, and want to do their part to the best of their abilities. HOBBIES
My ideal vacation is… Jamaica. My favorities hobby...Golf. [ 22 ] culinarycle.com
soulfoodstarters.com
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SPECIAL SECTION!
Enjoy this FREE sample of the Celebrate Sisterhood® with Cleveland Clinic Cookbook Flavor Over Fat: Cooking Made Simple! To purchase copies please contact bradlel@ccf.org or call 216-444-3435
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WE ARE STRONG TOGETHER