The Goodyear Blimp Turns Into a Social Media Darling With a Touch of Humor
PROMISE KEPT
LeBron James’s House Three Thirty Shows His Love and Care for His Hometown
CLE WEDDINGS
Our Tips, Tricks and Rules to Break Provide Stress Relief for Your Big Day
JANUARY 2025
Get to know fascinating Clevelanders, including business leader EDDIE TAYLOR JR. , acclaimed chef LIU FANG , lawyer and journalist STEPHANIE HANEY and more.
Where creativity and tradition inspire unforgettable experiences. LET US STAY WITH YOU. ®
Celebrate your love in unparalleled luxury at The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland. From elegant venues to impeccable service and exquisite dining, let us create the perfect backdrop for your unforgettable wedding day. Discover more at ritzcarlton.com/cleveland and start planning your dream experience today.
ON THE COVER
LOCAL INTEREST Greater Cleveland is full of fascinating folks. Get to know some of them in this year's Most Interesting People feature, showcasing leaders in development, sports, media and more.
Edited by Dillon Stewart
Photographed by Kevin Kopanski
Assisted by Megan Fisher
FEATURED
LEBRON'S PROMISE Head inside House
Three Thirty, LeBron James's latest Akron project — an expansive culmination of his philanthropic efforts in his hometown.
LAY OF THE LAND
MALL OF DREAMS Ohio City's new Paradise Galleria hosts an interactive shopping experience and unique vintage goods. 14 VIRAL BLIMP Catch up with the social media manager who revamped the Goodyear Blimp's accounts. 16 MOISTURIZING SEASON Shop local skincare products fit for surviving winter weather.
PICASSO, AT LAST The Cleveland Museum of Art hosts its long-delayed, muchanticipated Picasso exhibition.
FOOD & DRINK
STAR An approachable new concept joins Lakewood's drinking scene.
SPEAKEASY CENTRAL Cuyahoga Falls is a hot spot for secretive bars.
DINE IN MEDINA Explore the suburb's many eateries, fit to fill any kind of occasion.
HOME
&
GARDEN
SLEEP LIKE A KING A Cleveland Airbnb exists inside a historic castle, offering one-of-akind lodging.
FEBRUARY
Denise Polverine publisher Dillon Stewart editor
managing editor Ron Ledgard
senior editor Annie Nickoloff
associate editors Jala Forest, Julia Lombardo
editorial assistants Danny Cunningham, Christina Rufo
contributing writers Robin Goist, Vince Guerrieri, Kristen Hampshire, Allison Jack, Kate Bigam Kaput, Ida Lieszkovszky, Shawn Mishak, Lynne Thompson, Douglas Trattner, Sarah Webb
editorial interns Lainey Novak, Jaden Stambolia
art director Erin Stinard
associate art director Abigail Archer
contributing artists Megan Fisher, Chrissy Hart, Kevin Kopanski, Daniel Lozada, Heather Linn Young, Kaitlin Walsh
graphic design intern Eleni Pamboukis photography intern Maya Holtzman editorial@clevelandmagazine.com advertising vice president Paul Klein
account managers Sarah Desmond, Tiffany Myroniak account managers Julie Bialowas, Shayne Rose, Jessica Thomas
Roberts
Kristen Brickner traffic coordinator Paige Schuller adsales@clevelandmagazine.com
content marketing
Jennifer Bowen Sima senior editor Ann-Marie Vazzano
A chef, a pastor, a musician and a CEO walk into your dining room.
It’s not the beginning of a joke; it’s the start of the perfect dinner party.
Contrary to convention, the best guest list for any gathering isn’t a group of like-minded people. It’s a collection of bold freethinkers with a wide range of expertise, people who give you new perspectives and from whom you can learn. These are people who don’t just talk about work but have fascinating backgrounds, hilarious anecdotes, out-there hobbies and surprising skills. Inspiring and uplifting, they should leave you lingering over dessert and a cup of coffee, not watching the clock before the entrees arrive.
At Cleveland Magazine, we love a good dinner party, and our annual Most Interesting People issue is our dream guest list. While we don’t get to gather over dinner, we do get to have intimate, one-on-one conversations with our subjects. Typically, we talk anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour. The feeling is always the same when you walk out of these interviews. How the heck
am I going to sum this person up in 300 words? We never can. We are never disappointed by what we learn — only what we leave on the cutting room floor. There’s so much in these pages, but there is so much more that is not.
For example, before appearing on HBO’s The Gilded Age and White Lotus, actress Carrie Coon did motion work in video games for Raven Software. Isabella Geraci, wide receiver for the United States Women’s Flag Football National Team, was once confused as Bronny James’s girlfriend on the Internet and met Randy Moss at a Dick’s Sporting Goods — a week before he shouted her out on ESPN. Clergyperson Jess Peacock was teargassed, doxed and sent death threats while fighting as an ally for racial justice. Annie Zaleski has an ever-growing collection of cassingles, or cassette singles — a nearly dead media format.
You won’t read any of this on page 38, but you will learn about Coon’s Copley roots, Geraci’s unexpected gamer past, Peacock’s love of professional wrestling and Zaleski’s Harvard University education.
There’s more to a person than we can contain in these pages — more to a life than 300 words. Still, let this serve as an introduction. A conversation starter. A collection of interesting neighbors, invited to one melting pot of a dinner party.
Dillon Stewart, editor
Celebrate the Thrill of Derby Day and Champion Cleveland’s Youngest and Bravest Patients Reserve Your Spot Today!
Interested in becoming a sponsor or reserving your table? Email
A Slice of Food for Thought
Your feature on pizza was excellent! As a frequent traveler to NYC, I can say firsthand that Clevelandarea pizza is just as good — if not better — than what you’ll find in New York. The same goes for the corned beef; Slyman’s and Jack’s Deli, in my experience, serve some of the best in the country — rivaling or even surpassing anything in NYC.
Bud Genovese VIA EMAIL
Over The Rainbow Bridge
December’s issue featured Kid, Cleveland Clinic Childrens’ first facility dog for cancer patients, who triumphantly beat lymphoma himself. Following our coverage, Kid’s cancer sadly returned, and he passed away on Nov. 22. “He had an infectious personality,” says Jackie Kolenz, one of Kid’s handlers. “It’s a program that is irreplaceable now because of him.”
REMINISCING ON CLEVELAND’S YEAR
Food is always a hot topic in Cleveland news, whether it’s pizza, steak or tinned fish. We recapped it all — and more of Cleveland’s most defining moments in sports, development and music — in our year-end roundup at clevelandmagazine. com/2024clewrapped. Plus, find some of our staff’s most memorable reads:
Bernie Kosar Always Gets Back Up clevelandmagazine.com/berniekosar
Cleveland’s Fight Against Smoking and Vaping Has a New Challenger in Legal Marijuana clevelandmagazine.com/ vapinghasanewchallenger
Surviving Service: Ben’s Friends Is Helping Hospitality Industry Pros Find Sobriety clevelandmagazine.com/bensfriends
Intercity Yacht Club Carries a Rich Legacy for Black Boaters clevelandmagazine.com/ intercityyachtclub
us help you reach your local market in new, exciting ways! For information, call 216-377-3638.
Have a question or comment about what you’re reading? Got a good story to tell? Reach out, and let us know at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com
Oct. 24, 2024
2024 Pearls of Wisdom Annual Benefit and Recognition Dinner |
More than 400 guests enjoyed an elegant evening of fellowship honoring the new Riveon Mental Health and Recovery organization, formerly The LCADA Way and The Nord Center. The event was hosted by emcees Hollie Strano and Joseph Matuscak, and singer, actress and TV host Carnie Wilson was featured as the keynote speaker.
Riveon Mental Health and Recovery's inaugural CEO Don Schiffbauer and COO Dan Haight introduced the new organization, satisfying a celebratory evening of dinner, auctions and awards.
1. Joseph Matuscak, Carnie Wilson, Hollie Strano and Rob Levit
2. Joseph Matuscak, accepting a donation from the Embassy Suites team
3. Don Schiffbauer and Carnie Wilson
4. Joseph Matuscak, Dan Haight and Dr. Rebecca Starck, president of Cleveland Clinic Avon
Opening Doors, a North Coast Community Homes Gala |
North Coast Community Homes hosted the Opening Doors Gala on Oct. 26 to celebrate 40 years of service. The event highlighted the organization's commitment to creating homes, resources and opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges.
Opening Doors was presented by ANCORA with Kristen and John Bartels, Heather and Mike Weingart and the Smith Garofoli Group of Howard Hanna. Anne Kimmins and Renee Lanza led raffles and auctions as guests supported the operational efforts of North Coast Community Homes to more than 600 Northeast Ohio residents.
1. Suresh Bafna, Anuraag Kedia, Dinesh Bafna and Alok Bhaiji
2. Beat The Streets Cleveland and NCCH Board Member Demetrius Williams and Elizabeth Williams
3. Chris West, North Coast Community Homes president and CEO
Oct. 26, 2024
BLDG 17 CLE
Embassy Suites by Hilton Cleveland Rockside
PARADISE, FOUND
Two well-known Cleveland creatives have opened Paradise Galleria: the vintage mall of their dreams. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Having teamed up for immersive parties and market events for years, Haley Himiko Hudson Morris and Cassie Trainer dreamt of one day creating a space that could showcase their flair for the nostalgic, artsy and fantastical sides of Cleveland. This year, their dream came true with Paradise Galleria, a new vintage shop that took over the former All Things For You space at 3910 Lorain Ave. in Ohio City. The 13,000-square-foot space offers a department store-styled layout on the first floor, inspired by the building’s history as a department store in the 1930s and ’40s. A variety of vintage resellers are stationed in the basement, including Ohio brands like Future No Future, Re:collection, Creme de la Cleveland, Single Stitch Slayer, Suzy Q’s Redos and Ready to Stare. But the most striking thing about Paradise Galleria is its unexpected interactive elements — an essential, from the two store owners known for all-out themed New Year’s Eve parties and dance
Cleveland superstar MGK has shopped at Paradise Galleria, where he purchased vintage earrings and a copy of the photography book Faces of Cleveland, by Laura Wimbels.
nights. The space includes a secret hidden door inside of a refrigerator located in the kitchen section, a heart-shaped bathtub filled with plastic balls, a spinning display of Falkor the dragon from 1984 movie The Neverending Story and even a slide that lets shoppers descend into the basement shopping area. Inside the entrance, a pink, 6-foot-tall pegasus statue named Peggy stands guard at the front window.
“We were inspired by those kinds of colors, and then aspects of fantastical architectural elements that you don’t see outside of storybooks,” Morris says. “We were very inspired by a lot of our favorite movies, some of my favorite nightclub interiors, ’80s and ’90s malls.”
Paradise Galleria draws from the duo’s past programming experiences and will host plenty of events, too, they say. However, unlike one-off occasions, they see the store as something more consistently available to Clevelanders seeking a shopping experience that stands out.
“This is kind of giving us an opportunity to rise to the occasion,” Morris says, “and create our own wonderland that isn’t just for one night, and is ongoing.”
“And we’re sharing it, with everybody,” Trainer adds.
The colorful Ohio City shop offers home goods, clothes, decor, stationery and more in a unique, explorable space.
Ice Isn’t the Only Thing Cracking This Winter
Skin feels it, too, as Cleveland’s cold weather brings itching, roughness, peeling and flaking. Luckily, local brands know the struggle and have the products to combat our dreariest time of year.
S TEM HANDMADE SOAP FACE OIL
Meticulous production built on results proven by research and biochemistry: This oil speaks for itself as natural ingredients like avocado, jojoba and grapeseed oils combine to provide a barrier for dull and sensitive skin. Its healing agents freshen up your complexion. $30, 12405 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-505-5531; 3441 Tuttle Road, Suite 104, Shaker Heights, 216-417-0005, stemsoaps.com
PROMISES SOOTHE TONER
This toner saves the best for last, a final touch to the skin care routine that balances pH levels and locks in moisture. A handcrafted, plant-based blend of floral extracts energizes the skin, while hints of hibiscus, rose and green tea provide calming aromatherapy to leave you feeling relaxed. $20, 440-879-8224, promisestocare.com
GINGER AND HONEY BUTTERMILK AND HONEY SOAP BAR
This specialty hydrating soap designed for men brings repose for all kinds of skin conditions; all it takes is three simple ingredients. Lactic acid in buttermilk tightens pores and combats dryness. Calendula extract prevents irritation through collagen production, and raw honey leaves skin shiny and radiant. $13, 1442 W. 28th St., Cleveland, gingerandhoney.co
Refresh your skin with a soothing, fragrant blend of avocado, lavender, pomegranate and pumpkin seed oils, as agedefying antioxidants work their way beneath the face’s pores for benefits you can see and feel. Revered for its toxin-free ingredient list, the versatile cream is the brand’s most popular product. $25-$55, 51 S. Main St., Hudson, oy-l.com
OY-L FACE CREAM
Glow Up
One
manager is behind the Goodyear Blimp’s major social media makeover.
Scrolling through the Akronfamous Goodyear Blimp’s Instagram, you’ll find Gen Z humor, memes and in-jokes about tall captains and tire sales. “Guys will see the Goodyear Blimp and say, ‘Hell yeah,’” one video says, as a cartoon pair of sunglasses descend over the blimp.
“Blimps be bussin’,” a voice says in one video of a Gen X boss writing a Gen Z script. “Wingfoot 1 has drip.”
One fancam-style video is synced with the song “Baddie Friend” by Kevo Jefe. The caption reads: “Make this go viral so my boss doesn’t fire me.”
That last one has nearly 240,000 likes. Leah Eaton, the senior digital communications specialist of the Goodyear Blimp, is behind it. (And as far as we know, she isn’t going to get fired.) She took over the blimp’s social media channels in 2023.
“They’ve had these channels forever, but they were open to some new ideas,” Eaton says, “so I came in with an idea. We’ve been slowly evolving the strategy ever since.”
She aims to capitalize on the novelty around blimps and inject humor and lightheartedness into the brand’s online presence.
“There is something so special about seeing the blimp in the sky. … Our goal was to recreate that feeling, that excitement, in the social media space,” Eaton says. “When the blimp pops into your timeline, in your feed, I want you to be excited.”
Eaton’s team’s efforts to transform the Goodyear Blimp’s feed have paid off; she says they have quintupled its Instagram followers and seen a 3,000% increase in views and engagements. Much of that has come from younger audiences.
But the blimp’s shift extends beyond its social media presence — just look at its new merch. Humorous T-shirts emblazoned with “Blimps are cool. Buy tires.” were inspired from social media captions and have been a top seller, Eaton says. Bold pink and green hoodies, plus tropical blimp T-shirts, have also entered the online store.
And, of course, when the merch was released, Eaton and her team promoted them on social media in their characteristic, new way: fashion show skits and memes.
As the Goodyear blimp approaches its 100th anniversary in 2025, Eaton continues to bring the storied brand’s digital presence into a new age. “Sometimes social can be intimidating for a brand,” she says, “so it’s been really cool that the team has gotten this level of trust and credibility.”
Leah Eaton
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
Start 2025 right with options like body contouring, rejuvenating spa treatments, or a fresh new hairstyle at Spa West.
Choose the perfect way to refresh, renew, and feel your best this year!
The Edge applicators are sleekly designed to allow for a better contour of the curvy areas of the body, such as the lateral abdomen.
IPL & Diode Laser Hair Removal
Treatments - Powerful, safe & efficient hair removal devices featuring cutting-edge technology to provide patients with long-lasting results.
This was an exceptional experience. From the moment I walked in the door I felt welcome. The spa is gorgeous. I was so comfortable asking questions and ended up adding services I have been curious about, but nervous to try. I highly recommend Spa West!
— Heather J.
Venus Legacy’s VariPulse
Technology provides pulsed suction that increases blood circulation, stimulates lymphatic drainage, and helps reduce the appearance of cellulite
Worth the Wait: “Picasso and Paper” Is a Cut Above
The Picasso exhibition was delayed for more than four years due to the pandemic, but now, it is the only display of his work in this format in North America. The Cleveland Museum of Art show goes through March 23.
Cleveland’s “Picasso and Paper” was a victim of COVID-19 circumstances. The pandemic shut down the show a mere 51 days after its Jan. 25, 2020 debut at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, then postponed its Sept. 22, 2020 opening at the Cleveland Museum of Art indefinitely.
But the show was well worth the wait.
A staggering 278 works depicting famed Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s versatile use of paper — a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Arts, Cleveland Museum of Art and Musee National Picasso-Paris — went on display Dec. 8 and runs through March 23. They illustrate how Picasso challenged the idea of art as an accurate representation of the world via a material, generally affordable and easily accessible, in which he could be his most experimental, says Britany Salsbury, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s curator of prints and drawings.
“He explored the idea of vision, of perception and developed Cubism, which was a movement that abstracted a subject rather than represented it,” she says.
Among the 224 works loaned by the Musee National Picasso is “Women at Their Toilette,” a large (9 13/16-by-14 1/2 feet) collage
of cut-and-pasted papers that many consider the star of the show. Stringed instruments, another of Picasso’s favorite subjects, are represented by the collage “Violin” and the paper sculpture “Guitar.” Among his sketchbooks are multiple studies of his famous paintings “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” and “La Vie,” the latter of which is in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection.
The exhibition, which is the only venue in North America to share these works, opens with paper cutouts that Picasso created when he was 9, then proceeds chronologically, covering the extent of his career.
Picasso used traditional materials but also unusual ones, including mass-produced wallpapers and daily newspapers.
“He would never just settle on [a composition] looking a particular way,” Salsbury says. “He would question what it would look like if he changed this seemingly minor aspect of it.”
Salsbury says some substitutions were made when works became available after the shutdown. (She explains that art on paper is light sensitive and generally displayed for three months followed by five years in the protective darkness of storage.)
The “Picasso and Paper” exhibit features more than 278 works, starting when the artist was 9 years old.
They include the Cleveland Museum of Art’s “Nude Women,” a series of nine lithographs that show how Picasso gradually turned an initial realistic image into an abstractly Cubist one. “Boy With Cattle,” a drawing on loan from the Columbus Museum of Art, will be displayed alongside other works from Picasso’s Rose Period (19041906) in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection.
There are also works by Picasso’s romantic partners, women who often served as
collaborators: photographs by the French photographer and painter Dora Maar, and drawings by French painter Francoise Gilot.
“We have two examples where Picasso and Gilot are looking at the same subject and realizing it similarly but very differently,” Salsbury says. They help depict Picasso “not necessarily as this isolated genius, but as someone who made incredible contributions to the history of art thanks in part to the people he worked with and who surrounded him.”
The “Picasso and Paper” exhibition will run through March 23, after being delayed in its arrival at the Cleveland Museum of Art due to the pandemic.
Reconnecting
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is stepping into a new era. With more than 375,000 square feet of new and expanded galleries, the museum turns a new page with its updated facility and its commitment to community engagement. “We hope to reconnect with the Cleveland community,” says Meenakshi Sharma, senior vice president and strategy officer at CMNH. “We want to become a space where people can come to have a good discussion.” After breaking ground on the project in June 2021, the museum celebrated its grand opening weekend Dec. 13-15. The $150 million expansion adds new public spaces, including a massive, free-to-visit Visitor Hall, and fosters new connections between museum exhibits and the natural world. “We know what the community needs from us, and we are addressing those things with this new project,” Sharma says. The transformation is motivated by a vision to promote scientific literacy and empower community members to be a voice for the planet. — LAINEY NOVAK
Do you have a favorite place to dine, drink, shop or play on each side of town? We want to know! Scan the QR codes above to nominate your favorite West Side and East Side destinations, and then check out our April 2025 issue to see if your favorites made the list of finalists!
BY ANNIE NICKOLOFF
WALSH
Before you move on to 2025, make sure you’ve tasted these favorite 2024 bites from CLE dining expert Douglas Trattner.
Best Bites:
The #1 at Affettati in Little Italy, a stack of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, red onion and arugula on freshbaked ciabatta.
All-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and hot pot at One Pot on Coventry, a feast of epic proportions.
THE ARTISTRY OF ARTIS
Omakase at Issho Ni in Willoughby, a 20-course fever dream of exceptional sushi offered each Tuesday.
3
IF A BUZZY, BUSTLING BISTRO sounds tantalizing, make a reservation at Artis, a new Lakewood restaurant from chef-owner Andrew Mansour. The former Side Quest space has been transformed into a model of modernity, sporting clean lines, veins of neon and an open floor plan. Mansour intended to open a “steakhouse that’s not a steakhouse,” and that’s precisely what he’s done. The menu offers a broad mix of shareable snacks, starters and mains that includes Sichuan-style cucumbers, kimchi-studded fried rice, lamb-topped hummus and grilled Korean short ribs. It might sound a bit wild, but the chef has a keen sense when it comes to flavor, composition and presentation. A half-dozen steaks, from filet to porterhouse, are grilled, sliced and served on a platter to pass and share. Do not miss the Shanghai-style soup dumplings filled with lobster bisque and orange-scented panna cotta capped with a tangle of crispy phyllo threads.
STEAK Cleveland
The urban steakhouse, which opened in Tremont over the summer, is still a difficult-to-score reservation thanks to killer design, fun gimmicks and an affordable experience.
Westsiders
Some places feel like they’ve been here all along. This Rocky River newcomer naturally blends sumptuous decor, top-flight service and reasonably priced chefdriven fare.
YYTime in Asiatown
There are a million and one reasons to visit YYTime in Asiatown, but for me, it’s the myriad vegetable, seafood and meat grilled skewers, which come hot, fast and cheap.
Together We Can extendjustice
Legal Aid helps families across Northeast Ohio access the power of the law so they can live safer, healthier, and more financially stable lives.
Legal Aid’s Ripple Effect
With an investment in Legal Aid, you provide our team with the resources we need to reach more people and extend the impact of civil legal counsel across a five-county area.
Your support:
Impacts more families through partnerships
Removes barriers to opportunity
We’re working together to grow and serve more families.
Elevates Legal Aid as a catalyst for community change
To learn more about how you can preserve fairness and ensure justice, visit lasclev.org.
Is This Historic Corner Bar Actually Cursed?
Five friends have taken over a Lakewood space that has sunk a fleet of businesses before it. Inside, they open an approachable new concept, One Star Bar.
The brick building at the corner of Detroit and Elbur avenues has been a revolving door of incoming and outgoing businesses for years — so much so, that some locals go as far as to call it “cursed.” But, as a new group of owners worked to open One Star Bar in the space at the tail end of 2024, they refuted that sentiment. “This is a great space. The moment I walked in here, I fell in love with it and knew it could be something,” co-owner John Calo says. “It hasn’t lived up to its full potential in a long time, and we were confident that we can at least try our best to do that.”
The building, constructed in 1912, existed most recently as Lakewood Social House, briefly, in 2023. Before that, it was Mad Mac’s, a loaded macaroni and cheese restaurant; before that, it was a string of bars and pubs going back decades, including O’Toole’s Tavern and Cooperstown Cocktail Co., Casey’s, Mad Anthony’s, Hook and Ladder and Switchboard. And before all those full-service concepts, co-owner Patrick McGinty says, it was Chuck’s Delicatessen — a corner shop that sold candy and popcorn.
Now, it’s a modern dive bar. At One Star Bar, expect a large bar and restaurant space, including a rentable party room. Expect all the classic dive bar activities: darts, sports games on the TVs, bar food and basic drinks. Expect the restaurant’s stage to remain, only half the size — reduced to give room for a billiards table.
And expect some improvements. A freshly painted interior, new lighting, a food menu by acclaimed Ohio City restaurant Heart of Gold and a solid drink menu with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options.
“We’re definitely trying to do a dive bar but do it well. Like, bring back the oldschool mentality of dad beers and cans, and do old-fashioneds the actual right way, and things like that,” says Calo. “We know this neighborhood around here needs a good center to come to and just have a good, cheap beer, and then have great food.”
All of that begs the question: What’s with the name? Are the new owners prepping for a slew of one-star reviews?
Not so much.
“It’s basically saying, ‘Hey, we’re not trying to be a one-star bar, but we’re also not going to play games to these reviews that everyone lives and dies by,’” says One Star Bar co-owner Jimmy Bacha.
Bacha, Calo, McGinty, Francesco Caringi and Brian Taubman make up the group behind the new concept. Each of the founders brings a different element of expertise to it.
But it all originated as a dream shared between these five Lakewood friends.
“We were all together, and we were like, ‘This is a solid team, so we should just do it,’” says Caringi. “We’ve got management experience, we’ve got ownership experience, we’ve got legal experience, we’ve got real estate experience, we’ve got creative and marketing experience. You’ve got all the pieces, the opportunities there. It’s executable. It’s within reach without going into some crazy amount of debt. It just made sense. It’s a risk worth taking, you know?”
One Star Bar brings new energy and new dining options into a 100-year-old brick building in Lakewood.
Pretty Little Secrets
Fall down the rabbit hole on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls, where cozy speakeasies are having a moment.
Oak & Olive
Full-service eatery Mattioli’s Pizza Shop is more than meets the eye. Select the correct drink button on the Coca-Cola vending machine to enter the new watering hole and restaurant. With 90% of ingredients shipped in from Italy, the menu ranges from fresh pastas, like the mushroom and chicken alfredo ($22), to iconic pizza cupcakes ($16). The over-thetop, fire-breathing Green Dragon cocktail ($22) steals the show in an ornate, multi-piece vessel shaped like a dragon. 1846 Front St., oakandolive.xyz
Vacancy
A beckoning neon red
“Vacancy” sign against a brick building is the signature calling card for this concept bar, unveiled in July by Mitch Pachta, owner of nearby Cashmere Cricket. An extra-large drink menu is marked by its espresso martini lineup, including the s’mores ($16), tiramisu ($15) and Mexican hot chocolate ($15) varieties. Some drinks are adorned with a signature “V” embossed onto the surface and are served in extra heavy crystal glasses from Paris. 225 Front St., cashmerecricket.com
The Watson
A display of antique mail slots in the lobby, velvet banquette alcoves, a leather-bound menu and cylinder Edison bulbs make this the poshest of cocktail bars — and it’s marked as “The Post Office.” Guests here witness the magic of elaborate drink creations served in bespoke vessels, such as a glass bird in a cage. Walk The Plank ($18) is a witty craft of spiced rum, maple syrup, cinnamon, muddled orange, Luxardo syrup and fresh squeezed lemon and lime. 1846 Front St., watsonspeakeasy.com
The Speakeazy at the Workz on the Riverfront
You would never expect a swanky cocktail bar inside a family-friendly arcade, gaming center and bowling venue. But ask for “Mr. Clean” at the host stand and gain entrance to mixologists dressed in flappers and bootleggers recreating the Roaring ’20s. In the secret space, explore both traditional and new takes on cocktails, like Giggle Water ($12.99) — a mix of Weller bourbon, lemon and lime juice, topped with a Luxardo cherry. 2220 Front St., playattheworkz.com/speakeazy
Vacancy
Anna Marie Harouvis Chef and Owner, Anna in the Raw
Northeast Ohio’s top chefs share their local favorites.
Anna Marie Harouvis has been a trailblazer in Cleveland’s vegan and juicing scenes for more than 25 years. Since founding Anna in the Raw in 2001, she’s blended her passion for animal welfare, culinary expertise and dedication to health into a personalized approach to raw vegan living. — CHRISTINA RUFO
VEGAN EATS [The Flats’] 27 Club has a crunchy taco salad with sour cream made from macadamia nuts. To find vegan, gluten-free and some raw components is such a lovely thing. Dahlia [Coffee Co. on West 114th] also makes a vegan horchata,and it’s so good. I love Betts [Downtown]; I’ve met a lot of people for dinner there.
GRAB AND GO Green Goat Cafe [Downtown] has good smoothies, and I like their bowls for when I’m in a hurry. They make a really good acai bowl. If you do one raw meal a day, like a juice or a bowl, or just have your fruit and veggies, I think you’re going to add a lot of years to your life and a lot of vitality to your day.
GET MOVING I’m addicted to White Cloud Studios. They just opened up a new one in Van Aken. I love Pilates. Troy and Raudel are the best. I started it when they had a place in Lakewood in 2000. I love our art museum. I tell everybody that comes to town to check it out. It’s one of the last free museums in the country, and it’s just so beautiful. Their events on every first Friday of the month — that’s my jam, because you can have a cocktail and still feel very fancy and classy.
SWEET TREAT Jeni’s [Ice Creams] has some flavors that are vegan and gluten-free. I usually just go with whatever they have seasonally. Mitchell’s [Ice Cream] is always good, and Mason’s Creamery [Ohio City] is my go-to in the summer. I was super happy, because more brands that are national are pushing the vegan options, and I think it opens up doors to other people to try.
DINING GUIDE
Circles on the Square
WHY WE LOVE IT: This mom-and-pop shop has been serving up freshly made, handcrafted donuts for seven years. It earned its spot as a local favorite with its unique, gourmet varieties that go far beyond usual donut fare, making these personalized sweets an experience. These donuts offer something for every taste with more than 30 custom flavors, whether you’re craving classic options or something more adventurous. Customers can mix and match different flavors, with each donut being hand-frosted and topped right before their eyes. TRY THIS: The maple bacon, Fruity Pebbles and caramel apple pie ($1.89) are all bestsellers. 28 Public Square, Medina, 330-952-2728, circlesonthesquare.net
BY CHRISTINA
Cool Beans Cafe
WHY WE LOVE IT: This cozy cafe feels like home. Known for its quality coffee and freshly made eats, the spot has become a community favorite in Medina's historic district since 2010. Alongside specialty lattes and teas featuring more than 20 syrups, the menu also boasts a variety of breakfast and lunch options, including sandwiches and seasonal soups. The massive bakery case displays larger-than-life cookies, danishes and more, as well as gluten-free options.
TRY THIS: Known for its homemade chicken salad, the cranberry chicken sandwich ($9.49) is the ultimate go-to served with kettle chips and a pickle. 103 W. Liberty St., Medina, 330-723-7174, coolbeansmedina.com
Medina's Best Restaurants
Corkscrew Saloon
WHY WE LOVE IT: The beautifully restored Victorian mansion, dating to the 1850s, offers a dining experience that’s rich with historic charm. Known for its high-quality seafood, steaks and traditional American dishes, this Medina staple creates a memorable atmosphere perfect for special occasions or an elevated night out. Each dining room exudes character, with details that highlight the mansion's vintage architecture. The bar also has more than 600 bottles of bourbon, plus a variety of private barrels specifically chosen by management. Find stand-up comedy on the first Thursday night of every month, or enjoy the saloon's naturally warm and welcoming ambiance any day of the week. TRY THIS: The Corkscrew Trio ($48) features garlic shrimp scampi, balsamic seared scallops and fantail shrimp paired with creamy risotto, salad and steamed vegetables. 811 W. Liberty St., Medina, 330-725-0220, thecorkscrewsaloon.com
Courthouse Pizzeria
WHY WE LOVE IT: Situated in the 1856 Medina Courthouse building, this timeless pizzeria combines rich local history with authentic New York-style perfection. Opened in 2015, the family-owned spot offers an inviting interior with exposed brick walls and large windows overlooking Medina’s charming Public Square. Known for its thin-crust, 18-inch pies served whole or by the slice, they also offer subs, fresh salads and desserts. "We'll have people come in specifically from Brooklyn or the Jersey area to order a slice," says manager Harry Cole. TRY THIS: The Margherita pizza ($20) is the bestseller and comes topped with a classic house-made tomato sauce, slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, Roma tomatoes and basil, plus a special finishing touch with a tangy balsamic glaze and pesto sauce. 2 Public Square, Medina, 330-952-1743, courthousepizzeria.com
Foundry Social
WHY WE LOVE IT: Bringing a fresh twist to entertainment in Medina, this unique venue is packed with activities for everyone, from duckpin bowling and indoor bocce to classic and modern arcade games. Be sure to check out the indoor and outdoor high-voltage go-karting tracks before you leave. The industrial design of the building adds a laidback vibe, perfect for unwinding with friends or celebrating a special occasion. TRY THIS: Served on a baking sheet, the "sheetload of nachos" ($16) comes served with fresh fried tortilla chips, jalapeno queso, pico de gallo, a side of sour cream and your choice of pulled pork, chicken or steak ($2). It's the ideal dish for pairing with one of the dozens of craft brews on tap next door at Mad Brewing Company. 333 Foundry St., Medina, 330-3339000, thefoundrysocial.com
Griddles Cafe
WHY WE LOVE IT: Since opening in 2021, Griddles Cafe has quickly become a breakfast and lunch favorite in Medina, thanks to its cozy atmosphere and comforting, classic American dishes. Known for generous portions and a friendly, family-run vibe, this spot has everything you crave. Pam Czech opened the cafe after being a stay-at-home mom for 16 years. “We have a lot of regulars who we see all the time. We get to know them,” says Czech. This spot is perfect for a leisurely morning or casual midday meal, and each dish is made with care and a welcoming touch. TRY THIS: French toast ($8.50) is a fan favorite — egg-dipped, golden brown and topped with powdered sugar and whipped butter. 986 N. Court St., Medina, 330-722-9886, facebook.com
H2 Huth & Harris Wine Merchants
WHY WE LOVE IT: This cocktail bar offers an intimate and upscale experience with a refined menu focused on expertly crafted tapas, small plates and a vast selection of wines, bourbons and craft beers. The space features exposed brick walls and dark wood accents, with ambient lighting to set the tone of the evening. Comfortable seating arrangements, including plush chairs and couches, are thoughtfully placed to encourage relaxed conversation. TRY THIS: The small plate braised short rib risotto ($24) is served with a baby tomato confit and horseradish pesto 221 S. Court St., Medina, 330-805-3212, h2winemerchants.com
Medina Brewing Company
WHY WE LOVE IT: Housed downstairs in the Medina Farmers Exchange building, this spot offers a mix of local history and fresh craft brews. The spacious taproom offers dive bar features ideal for a casual gathering with friends. With 16 locally brewed beers on tap, this family-owned brewery serves a diverse selection of beers with unique flavors and bold profiles. TRY THIS: Connected to Big Dog Daddy’s barbecue next door, the Brem Burger ($14) comes with a grilled Keller Meats bratwurst patty, topped with sauerkraut, an apple, bacon, onion mixture, whole grain mustard and Gouda cheese. 320 S. Court St., Medina, 330-952-1217, medinabrewingcompany.com
Blue Heron Brewery
Miss Molly’s Tea Room
WHY WE LOVE IT: Live out your tea party dreams at this slice of Victorian elegance nestled in Medina’s historic district. The cozy tea room offers a delightful menu perfect for any special occasion and over 50 teas. The setting, with its vintage decor, pink floral wallpaper and fine china, adds a unique touch to their signature Tea Room, making each visit a memorable experience. After a relaxing tea, browse the gift shop for unique treasures, from tea accessories to vintage trinkets. TRY THIS: The Tea Room sandwich sampler ($17.95) features heart-shaped sandwiches filled with chicken salad, tuna salad, and southern pimento cheese. 140 W. Washington St., Suite 6, Medina, 330-725-6830, missmollys.net
Monarca Cantina
WHY WE LOVE IT: Located on Medina’s picturesque Public Square, Monarca Cantina brings the vibrant flavors and colors of Mexico to the heart of Ohio. Opened in 2022, it's known for authentic Mexican dishes, and the decor inside adds to the experience, with colorful murals, intricate tiling and warm wood accents that transport diners to a festive, bustling space. TRY THIS: If you’re looking for authenticity, the mole poblano ($22) has it. The dish starts with tender chicken breast smothered in a homemade mole sauce made with chiles, spices and chocolate. Its rich flavor is complemented with cilantro lime white rice and tortillas on the side. 108 Public Square, Medina, 330-723-0010, monarcacantina.com
WHY WE LOVE IT: Nestled in the countryside of Medina County, this brewery pairs exceptional craft beers with a memorable dining experience. Established in 2016, the brewpub and event center is known for its seasonal menu and unique offerings. Guests can also enjoy performances at the outdoor amphitheater, as well as hiking and mountain biking trails through the adjacent Austin Badger Park, offering a blend of nature and recreation. TRY THIS: This venue offers specials most nights, such as “All You Can Eat Wings” on Sundays or “Kids Eat Free” on Wednesdays. The chorizo risotto balls ($14) are one of a kind. Ground chorizo is rolled in panko and fried with a salsa risotto, fresh cilantro and shaved Parmesan, served alongside green chile queso and topped with candied jalapenos. 3227 Blue Heron Terrace, Medina, 330- 870-2583, blueheronmedina.com/brewpub
One Eleven Bistro
WHY WE LOVE IT: Opened in 2014, this casual dining spot was designed to serve the community with a welcoming space. The stylish, modern interior creates a comfortable environment for a night out. Their seasonally inspired, ingredient-driven menu features creative takes on contemporary American cuisine. TRY THIS: The pork tenderloin ($22) is a classic you don’t see too often anymore. This one comes with brussel sprouts, radish, apples and a maple cider reduction. 2736 Medina Road, Medina, 330-952-1122, 111bistro.com
P.J. Marley's
WHY WE LOVE IT: Housed in a beautifully preserved 1891 bank building, P.J. Marley's combines local history with a love for sports and gourmet burgers. Inside, the restaurant retains its original architectural charm, including crown molding, intricate bank teller walls and even the original vault, which can be reserved for a unique private dining experience.
TRY THIS: The Longmire burger ($14.99), named after “the toughest literary sheriff of our time,” according to P.J. Marley’s menu, features hand-made beef patties, bacon, smoked cheddar, onion ring and barbecue sauce. 119 Public Square, Medina, 330-7226328, pjmarleys.com
Swine BBQ
WHY WE LOVE IT: Authentic Texas-style barbecue with a rich, smoky flavor keeps locals coming back here for more. Specializing in slow-smoked meats, this spot offers classics like tender pulled pork, melt-in-your-mouth beef brisket and St. Louis-style ribs, all smoked over hickory wood for up to 18 hours. The laid-back atmosphere makes it a perfect place to dive into hearty, flavorful dishes. TRY THIS: The brisket plate ($10.50) includes 6 oz. of meat, pickles, onions, cornbread, jalapenos and your choice of sauce, making it a perfect midday bite. 117 Public Square, Medina, 330-752-3322, swinebbq.net
Sully’s Irish Pub
WHY WE LOVE IT: This pub brings a spirit of warm hospitality, classic Irish cuisine and a lively atmosphere to Medina. The beloved spot, established over 16 years ago, offers an extensive selection of Irish beers and whiskeys, making it an ideal place to enjoy a pint with friends. The interior's antique plaster walls, tin ceiling, hand-finished oak woodwork and period lighting fixtures create a warm and inviting atmosphere reminiscent of Ireland's traditional pubs. Memorabilia imported from across the pond adorns the space, enhancing its appeal and charm. TRY THIS: Reuben egg rolls ($13) are a match made in heaven, filled with savory shredded corned beef, tangy sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese, served with a side of creamy Thousand Island dressing. 117 W. Liberty St., Medina, 330-764-3333, sullysmedina.com
Thirsty Cowboy
WHY WE LOVE IT: Thirsty Cowboy is Medina’s hot spot for country music, dancing and a night out packed with entertainment. This spacious venue has everything a country fan could want, including live performances by local and nationally recognized artists, line dancing and themed country nights. Inside, you’ll find two full-service bars, three pool tables for a bit of friendly competition and one of the largest dance floors in Northeast Ohio, perfect for line dancing or two-stepping the night away. On Wednesday nights, they even offer line dancing lessons, making it easy for beginners to jump into the fun. TRY THIS: The chicken quesadilla ($8.75) is perfect for a quick bite and comes with two grilled tortillas stuffed with chicken and cheese. 2743 Medina Road, Medina, 330-722-5400, thirstycowboys.com
Timber Lodge
WHY WE LOVE IT: Timber Lodge offers more than just a meal — it’s an escape. With its log cabin exterior and whimsical, cabin-inspired decor, this Medina steakhouse makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a ski chalet getaway. Inside, antlers hang playfully across the walls; a roaring stone fireplace lights up the room, and fishing-themed accents add to the fun, outdoorsy vibe. TRY THIS: The “flat iron" Rickenbacker steak ($37) is flame-broiled and finished in a sauteed blend of onions, peppers and mushrooms in a house garlic butter. 2809 Pearl Road, Medina, 330-725-6288, timberlodgemedina.com
Twiisted Burgers & Sushi
WHY WE LOVE IT: If you’re looking for something different for dinner, Twiisted brings an unexpected and delightful fusion of American and Japanese flavors to Medina’s dining scene. Established in 2015, this unique spot combines the best of both worlds with inventive burgers and creative sushi rolls in a stylish, modern space. TRY THIS: The Chazmanian Tiger roll ($16) comes loaded with shrimp tempura, cucumber, cream cheese, asparagus, shredded crab, shrimp, spicy mayo, sweet soy glaze, sweet chili sauce and tempura crisps. Or, try the burger and sushi combo ($18), which features the “Plain as Jane” burger, your choice of one classic sushi roll and Twiisted fries. 985 Boardman Alley, Medina, 330-6610606, twiisted.com
Thyme 2
WHY WE LOVE IT: This unique space offers a split-level dining experience that caters to every kind of night out. The first floor welcomes guests with a relaxed pub setting, complete with a full bar, cozy lounge area and patio seating. Upstairs, the fine dining
area provides a refined atmosphere of candle-lit tables and attentive service for a special evening, with an elevated menu of contemporary American cuisine with global influences. TRY THIS: For something to munch on, the garage fries ($17) are an amazing starter. If you’re in the mood for something more sophisticated, the macadamia nut-crusted grouper ($ market price) comes with black Chinese rice and a vegetable spring roll. 113 W. Smith Road, Medina, 330-764-4114, thyme2restaurant.com
The Farmer’s Table
WHY WE LOVE IT: Inside the Farmer’s Exchange Building, this spot celebrates Ohio’s farm-to-fork tradition with a rustic ambiance and comfort food, plus an all-day Sunday brunch of local favorites. The restaurant offers a warm interior with wood accents and a welcoming mix of tables, bar seating and a spacious patio for outdoor dining. “We like to get to know the community. That’s what it’s all about here,” says shift manager Jeremy Hank. The on-site retail shop is a delightful addition, stocked with Ohio-sourced products, from local beers to gourmet maple syrup. TRY THIS: The shrimp and grits ($21) is simple but deliciously served with cheesy country grits, local bacon, spinach, sauteed shrimp and chive oil. 320 S. Court St., Medina, 330-952-2079, thefarmerstablemedina.com
17 Public Square
WHY WE LOVE IT: This casual spot combines the charm of a century-old landmark building with a modern, locally-inspired menu. This American eatery offers views of the square’s iconic gazebo, as well as bar seating for a quick bite. Inside, the rustic wood finishes and warm lighting make it a versatile spot with high-top and booth seating. “I mean, it's a really special place. Not every town has a square like this,” says chef and general
Serenite Restaurant
manager Ryan Kasson TRY THIS: bacon burger ($14) is a trusted customer favorite, topped with hickory smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, apple slices, house-made bourbon onion jam and a maple aioli, served with house fries for the perfect comfort meal. 17 Public Square, Medina, 330-952-2330, 17publicsquare.com
WHY WE LOVE IT: Serenite offers more than just a meal — it’s a fine dining experience with purpose. Located in an elegant space, this French-inspired restaurant is a standout for both its menu and mission. By providing culinary training and support to individuals in addiction recovery, the concept blends exceptional cuisine with a meaningful cause. The ambiance is sophisticated yet welcoming, with tasteful French decor and an inviting atmosphere. Guests can enjoy classics like beef tartare, lamb chops and creme brulee, all crafted with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. TRY THIS: Wine and cheese specials on Wednesdays allow guests to enjoy a plate of assorted cheeses with two glasses of either red or white wine, paired with seasonal fruit and a homemade coulis ($16-$32). 538 W. Liberty St., Medina, 330-952-2611, sereniterestaurant.com
StrivingKeep
Ready to turn your dream into a reality?
Take the next step at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®).
Gain in-demand job skills or earn an affordable, transfer-friendly degree.
Tri-C can even help you launch your own business.
Knowledgeable instructors and advisors will help you create a customized plan that puts you on the fast track to your dream job, a four-year degree or whatever your next step in life is.
So keep moving forward. Keep striving. Keep your eye on the prize. Keep after that dream.
Tri-C® Where futures beginSM
now.
Nearly a decade ago, LEBRON JAMES made a promise to himself and to his AKRON neighbors to uplift his community. Now, as the HOUSE THREE THIRTY community space joins the LeBron James Family Foundation’s slate of philanthropic efforts, the NBA superstar intends to keep it.
H O USE of
BY DANNY CUNNINGHAM
PR O MISE
L E BR O N J A M E S
wears a rubber band on his wrist. Typically yellow with purple lettering, the colorway of his Los Angeles Lakers, the bracelet carries a bold statement: “I PROMISE.” The message reminds the superstar athlete of his mission — the one that’s bigger than his goals on the court. His promise to uplift the community that made him.
“In our community, that’s the No. 1 thing,” James tells Cleveland Magazine in an exclusive interview. “To be able to reach your full potential, you got to have people in a support system, the people around you, to be able to say, ‘We believe in you.’”
LeBron James grew up in North Hill, one of the more impoverished neighborhoods in Akron, and was raised by a single mom. He graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron before starting his professional career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. As his name and successes grew in stature and fame, he hasn’t forgotten where it all started.
One of the first community endeavors that the LeBron James Family Foundation attempted was the King For Kids Bike-A-Thon, dating to 2006 during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the event, James rode bikes with kids in Akron, pedaling through neighborhood streets like he did in his childhood. Each child left that day with a new bicycle, but that singular day each summer wasn’t doing enough to deliver on James’s promise to help those in Akron, a city that has struggled economically since the decline
of the rubber industry started 50 years ago.
“It was a great event for a day, but when kids went home with those bikes, we didn’t know if they were going home with a roof over their heads,” says Michele Campbell, the executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “It wasn’t really moving the needle for us.”
That changed in 2018, when his LeBron James Family Foundation started the I Promise School for at-risk elementary students in Highland Square, a neighborhood right outside of Downtown Akron. Inspired to help after reading about the dismal high school graduation rates (below 80% in 2018, according to Akron Public Schools) in his hometown, his pledge to pay free tuition to the University of Akron for any I Promise School graduate was a carrot he hoped would lead the next generation to improve their education outcomes. Since 2020, some of those students have walked the four blocks each morning from I Promise Village, a historic apartment complex that James’s foundation turned into temporary assisted living for students and their parents. To date, the LeBron James Family Foundation has been involved with 1,600 I Promise Students and families.
In March 2023, the foundation added House Three Thirty, the most public of its group of community spaces. Tucked between the I Promise School and the I Promise Village on West Market Street, the 60,000-square-foot building presents as an entertainment venue, complete with shopping, dining and events. House Three Thirty exists to give families in the LeBron James Family Foundation the opportunity to grow their employable skills and change their lives for the better. As of December 2024, there are 65 people working there.
Many visitors who walk through the main entrance of House Three Thirty and into the retail shop pass one-of-a-kind merchandise — sweatshirts, art and James’s practice- and game-worn shoes — to get an I Promise wristband in their favorite color combination. It’s not the only reason they come, though. House Three Thirty features a coffee shop, multiple eateries, a theater and the LeBron James Home Court multimedia museum. A full-service restaurant is coming soon. The space hosts competitions, seminars, weddings, family reunions and cooking classes in its corporate kitchen. The foundation goes so far as to refer to its employees at House Three Thirty as family members.
House Three Thirty used to be the home of The Tangier. Ed George inherited the building from his father, who first opened a restaurant at a different Akron location before relocating to its current site in 1958. There, The Tangier hosted concerts in the ‘70s and ‘80s with major headliners such as Tina Turner, The Temptations, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles. The venue’s history intertwined with James’s early out-
reach efforts, hosting a charity billiards tournament as part of the King for Kids Bike-A-Thon.
A drastic remodel keeps the history alive. The Cabaret, which once hosted iconic stars, has been updated while maintaining its elegance and romance. New luxury red seating and timeless red curtains give the feel of the venue, without the decades’ worth of wear and tear.
New restaurants Secret Pizza and The Sweet Shop offer local flair. Northeast Ohio-based Kaulig Companies sponsors the box seats in the Cabaret, and J.M. Smucker Co., headquartered in Orville, Ohio, supports tasty conversations in the Hometown Hall. The rest of House Three Thirty is largely dominated by national corporations, such as Starbucks.
It’s easy to write the spaces off as run-of-the-mill chains, but these behemoth companies have made a promise, too.
Near the entrance is a unique branch of Chase Bank. A clock made up of 12 shoes in LeBron’s signature Nike line hangs on the wall. Beyond typical banking services, this branch taps into financial literacy; any Akronite can step in to use the bank and access its financial education series, with 22 classes that range from teaching how to budget to repairing credit.
Placing the bank in a prominent spot near the entrance isn’t by accident.
“When LeBron decided to take his career out of Ohio to Florida, a lot of people left us at the time, a lot of partners. That partner never left us,” says Campbell of the relationship with Chase. “They never wavered. They always stood beside us.”
Others weren’t so sure. When the building was being renovated after its purchase in 2020, including a Starbucks was a no-brainer. Everyone at the foundation wanted to start their day and grab a mid-morning pick-me-up with coffee’s most well-known name.
Except it wasn’t a no-brainer for Starbucks. Campbell says the coffee giant needed some convincing to allow for a location inside House Three Thirty. This location is staffed by a rotating cast of James Family Foundation family members, as opposed to the traditionally trained baristas you will find at other locations. Starbucks also has certain requirements when franchising. Ideally, new locations can have a drive-thru, which House Three Thirty does not. Despite largely being a company that touts inclusivity, it doesn’t properly serve urban areas in the same way it does wealthy suburban neighborhoods.
“We went into some greater conversations with them about what they were portraying, what they were to the world, that they’re inclusive and they’re for everyone. And when we started to dig into that
ABOVE: LeBron
James’s House Three Thirty is his latest venture to give back to his hometown in Akron. The venue has a coffee shop, bank, cabaret, sweet shop and more.
— very inclusive to suburbs. But how about the urban areas?” Campbell says. “And we’re definitely in an urban area right here, and we wanted to infuse in an urban area.”
For locals, House Three Thirty is a safe place to be in a neighborhood that hasn’t always had access to amenities like these. For families in the LeBron James Family Foundation it’s a chance to feel believed in, to improve skills and to better a life. For James, it’s another chance to keep his promise to Akron.
“I knew if I ever got successful in anything in life, I wanted to give back to my community,” says James. “To be able to give families, to be able to give our kids an opportunity to be able to grow, that’s what’s most important.”
IT’S A GLOOMY AND RAINY Akron afternoon on a Tuesday in October. Walking into House Three Thirty, you’re immediately greeted by an employee wishing you a happy Taco Tuesday. On the ceiling hang more than a dozen bicycle wheels, serving as a reminder of the King for Kids Bike-A-Thon. Moving forward is the common area near Starbucks filled with Akronites enjoying a coffee or working on laptops. Regulars are greeted by name while giving their orders. On any random day, you’ll see an employee wearing a Nike shirt that says “We Are Family” across the chest with the foundation’s logo on it.
Off to the side of Starbucks, a barn-style door is slid open to reveal the worst-kept secret in the building, a speakeasy-style slice shop named Secret Pizza.
The slice shop is simple, keeping its menu limited to pizza, calzones and one sub sandwich, with Pepsi available by the can from a fridge. Those making the pies are family members. They’re not lifelong culinary artists, hospitality professionals or even former
part-timers at their local pizza joints. They’re learning on the job how to make the perfect pepperoni — or sausage, or cheese — pizza.
All House Three Thirty employees have nicknames, as families tend to. Campbell is affectionately called “Boss.” Nick Lopez, who contributes to aspects of the business including creative branding, goes by “Nach.” Vaughn Myers, the director of events, answers to “Peanut.”
Doug Petkovic has a nickname, too: “Dream Crusher.”
That’s because, at first, Petkovic — a wellknown restaurateur and partner in Michael Symon’s restaurants — told Campbell this thing was a bad idea.
“When Michele told me who was going to work here, I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is never going to work,’” Petkovic says. “Like, I’m sorry. Not one person? We’re not interviewing anybody with experience? No? We’re just bringing all of our families together, interviewing them, picking the people that are right for us? And like, they don’t have to have any experience?”
Campbell told him no.
The idea was for House Three Thirty to be staffed by the families that the LeBron James Family Foundation was created to support. It was meant to develop and enrich their lives. The jobs would help them learn skills that could transfer to promotions to outside businesses and ultimately successful careers.
learn how to run a successful business, even if they might start out burning a few crusts.
“We want to be able to be in a position where we can give them the tools to just live a better life,” says James.
It’s working, too. Secret Pizza won’t end up on a Michelin Star list, but the pizza is legitimately good and adding secret sauce — a hot honey type of condiment — only makes it better.
“But all in all, [the pizza] is awesome,” Petkovic says. “They do a phenomenal job. This is coming from someone who’s never tossed a pie, who never made dough in their life, is who is making it now. And they own it.”
IN
A HOUSE OF NICKNAMES, House Three Thirty family member Ciara DeBruce is more commonly known as “CeCe.” Another nickname exists for her, too. She’s known to some as “Miss Perfect” because of the habit she’s made of always trying to be her best. DeBruce found her way here through her daughter, who was part of the first class at I Promise School.
Since then, she’s been part of the family.
“I always like to say that she was drafted, but they took the whole family,” DeBruce says. “She’s the one who actually went to the school, but we’ve all benefited from her being drafted to the school in so many ways.”
“We want to be able to be in a position where we can give them the tools to just live a better life.” – LeBron James
But more than just job training, building competence in hospitality, customer service, event management and even pizza-making would be fulfilling for family members down on their luck.
“A lot of the things you can use in the events industry, facility operation, retail, customer service, are transferable skills,” Myers says. “So, do we love the people that are here? Yeah. Do we want them to stay here for a long time? Yes, but if they move on and get a better job because of the skills that we’ve given them, we’ve accomplished our goals.”
In the corporate world, there are few times when life is allowed to get in the way of employees. Miss a shift? Don’t expect to keep your job. Do you have a child at home sick? Better find a way to make it to work. At House Three Thirty, things work a little differently. Employees’ shifts are balanced with demands outside of work, like childcare and school — and skills develop over time. Chefs
Those benefits have included legal help, using the school’s food pantry and finding employment. She was an associate banker at Chase Bank — not the one at House Three Thirty — thanks to help from the foundation. When the offer to work at House Three Thirty arose, she couldn’t pass it up.
“I stayed [at Chase] until we got the offer for this. And then it was like, ‘OK, here I go,’” she says. “Whatever it is that the foundation is doing, I’m always gonna, if I have the opportunity, want to be a part of it, just because they have given so much to me and my family.”
Now DeBruce is a shift lead at House Three Thirty. She will begin leading tours of the building in 2025. She’s learned how to serve during big events held in the ballroom, creating different dishes using various flavors in the on-site kitchen, thanks in part to a course by Graduate Hotels and Saira Hospitality.
The LeBron James Family Foundation also enriched the life of her daughter, who has transformed her into a fearless young woman in the six years since she first started at I Promise School, DeBruce says.
Many struggle to put into words what it means to them. The idea of being believed in. Experiencing belief from others and in yourself for the first time. The promise that it’s never too late to change the trajectory of your life. It’s not something that’s seen. It’s something that is felt, says DeBruce.
“I didn’t know that I was lacking that until I started receiving it,” DeBruce says. “Then it was like, Oh yeah, it doesn’t have to be all about pouring it into the kids. It’s OK to pour something into me, and then I’ll have more to pour back into them.”
That’s why House Three Thirty exists.
That’s LeBron James’s promise.
“Sometimes you just don’t feel like you mean much to people, or mean much to anything or you don’t feel like you have a purpose,” says James. “And for us to have the people at House Three Thirty, to give our families and our parents and our kids a meaning in life, that is one of the best things that we can ever do.”
be seen + be heard + be well
Be close to home.
We’re committed to providing convenient access to quality well-woman healthcare. That means no matter where you live in Cuyahoga County, there’s a MetroHealth provider close to home.
Now offering: OB-GYN + Midwifery services in Cleveland Heights.
Amy Lowell, CNM, APRN Director of Midwifery MetroHealth
There's always more to the story. For each and every member of this year's class of Most Interesting People, learn something new about the upbringings that made them, the inspiration that changed them and the moments that bring them fulfillment.
STORIES BY: D anny Cunningham, Robin Goist, Vince Guerrieri, Ida Lieszkovszky, Julia Lombardo, Shawn Mishak, Annie Nickoloff, Christina Rufo, Dillon Stewart, Jaden Stambolia, Lynne Thompson and Sarah Webb
PHOTOS BY: Kevin Kopanski ASSISTED BY: Megan Fisher
EDITED BY: Dillon Stewart
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY: Abigail Archer
LIU FANG
CHEF, 40
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING:
Started as a pop-up in 2021, Abundance Culinary, now permanent in a former diner car in Cleveland Heights, is one of Cleveland's most exciting new restaurants.
CONNECTION: Raised by her grandparents in Qufu, Shandong, China, Fang met Northeast Ohioan Carl Setzer at an industry-focused college in Hubei. After, they stayed connected on Facebook, now banned in China. "Back then, you poked people."
UP NORTH: Growing up in Northern China, the corridor to the Silk Road, Fang experienced Muslim cuisine, Shanxi's noodles, Chongqing's numbing peppercorn, Hubei's pickling and more. "It opened up my world."
DEEP DOWN: Her first job made her only the second woman to enter China's dangerous mines, subverting a cultural superstition. She cut her hair to pass as a man. "Coal would fall on my helmet. It was a nightmare." Yet, the job let her travel and try new foods.
FIRST SIP: Fang and Setzer started Great Leap Brewing, the first craft brewery in Beijing and the second in the country. "Nobody even knew what a craft beer was."
BUSY HANDS: During COVID, a pregnant Fang expected a short stint in the U.S. for medical care until Setzer, on business, was detained by the Chinese government. "Making buns and dumplings was very therapeutic."
PUSHING FORWARD: Abundance is a modern Chinese experience unlike any other in town — or beyond. "My grandpa, the chefs I worked with did not make food like I make. In a way, being able to make the food that they wanted to make if they had the resources that we have in Northeast Ohio is an extension of their dream."
ANNIE ZALESKI
WRITER & EDITOR, 45
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING: McCane, who’s been boxing for 12 years, qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris — the first woman boxer from Cleveland to participate in the Games. She came to the sport accidentally and has big plans inside and outside the squared circle.
ORIGIN STORY: McCane, who played basketball and ran track at Glenville High School, started boxing when she accompanied her niece to a class. “She didn’t like it, but I said I’d go with her because I needed to work out. She left the gym, and I stayed. I said, ‘I love it here.’ Eventually, it became therapeutic. Some people like roller coasters. I like boxing.”
NEXT UP: She lost in the preliminaries to Navbakhor Khamidova of Uzbekistan, but she remains focused, competing at the National Boxing Championships in Richmond at the tail end
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING:
There’s barely a topic that author, journalist and editor Annie Zaleski hasn’t written about. Contributions to publications such as Cleveland Magazine, Rolling Stone, NPR Music, The Guardian, Alternative Press and Oberlin Alumni Magazine has broadened her portfolio beyond measure.
“A” FOR EFFORT: Zaleski’s passion for authoring started with an assignment in the second grade. “Everyone in the class did, like, one paragraph. I wrote four.”
FOUNDATIONAL TEXT: More than writing, reading drew her in. “I remember [teachers] giving me the Little House on the Prairie books and saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you go read in the corner and hang out?’ I remember loving those books. I was always the kid who would get the stack of books out of the library, devouring things and ignoring everything else going on around me.”
A CHEEKY OBSESSION:
Zaleski’s true love lies in music publications, one of her earliest inspirations being Alternative
of 2024. She also has her sights set on the World tournament in Liverpool, England, in September. “Like anything else in life, I was willing to learn. I could be bitter, or I could be better, and I wanted to be better.”
BEYOND BOXING: McCane, who says she’s writing a book, will be in class at Louisiana State University this January, and has her sights set on entrepreneurial and philanthropic endeavors. (She has some irons in the fire, she says, but declined going into specifics.) She’s gotten a lot of training for the business world in boxing. “Boxing’s an independent sport, so you have to look for your opportunities yourself or with a team you built from the ground up.”
32: The average age of a woman in professional boxing, compared to 22 for a man. “There’s no rush to go pro,” McCane says.
Press Magazine (where she later worked as managing editor). “It was the January 1995 issue with Bad Religion,” she recalls of the first hard copy she owned. Her favorite artists, though, reside across the pond, as she admits she bought the American rock band’s cover issue for a feature on Brit rockers Suede and Oasis.
WHAT, LIKE IT’S HARD?: The author’s seasoned pen stems from a seasoned education, evident in Zaleski’s English degree. “I went to Harvard [University],” she humbly admits. “I wanted to see if I could get in, which sounds ridiculous. You never think you’re going to Harvard.” Upon admission to the school, she considered a career in computer science, having a background in coding and HTML, but the stint quickly ended by her first semester. “I took a very advanced calculus class. I got a B-minus, which to me, was like the end of the world.”
7: The number of books Zaleski has authored, including wellresearched analyses of Lady Gaga, Duran Duran, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift.
WHY HE’S INTERESTING: Austin Hedges knows he won’t be the American League MVP anytime soon, but he is a leader on a team that is thirsty for more playoff success. “I’m not necessarily the guy that’s going to go out there and get four hits tonight. I can do something to bring something to the table to help my teammates who are going to go out and get those hits.”
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Hedges began his career in his hometown with the San Diego Padres before stints with the thenCleveland Indians in 2020, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022 and then the World Series champion Texas Rangers in 2023. That offseason, he returned to Cleveland as a free agent. In November, he signed another contract with the Guardians.
LOVE OF THE LAND: So what draws a Southern California native to Northeast Ohio?
“It’s all about the people. Everyone is about caring and making each other better. And year after year after year I’ve been in Cleveland, I fell in love with the city more and more — and they show the love back.”
MORE THAN JUST STATS: While Hedges may not be near the top of the league in batting average or home runs, he has provided invaluable leadership, particularly in Cleveland, by oscillating between positive reinforcement, personal accountability and showing up for his guys. “My leadership style is ever-evolving. I will never be a finished product in that department. It is something that I care about too much.”
MR. NICE: Hedges was named the Cleveland Guardians’ Good Guy Award winner for 2024 by Cleveland’s Baseball Writers Association of America chapter.
TINA LATTOUF CHAMOUN
ENTREPRENEUR & BLOGGER, 36
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING: A first-generation Lebanese American, Tina Lattouf Chamoun celebrates her culture through her blog, Your Lebanon, and as the owner and founder of Terranean Herbs — which specializes in za’atar, the versatile Middle Eastern spice and condiment. “It’s an authentic blend. And I don’t throw around the word ‘authenticity’ gently.”
SPICING THINGS UP: After bringing za’atar back to the U.S. from Lebanon, Chamoun started her business in her kitchen in 2020. Restaurants such as Aladdin’s, Taza and Boaz — owned by the parents of her husband, Fares Chamoun — use her product, and she sells it online and in local stores, such as Heinen’s Grocery Stores. “I work with my co-packer and have a five-person team, mainly women, all immigrants, and they’re able to come to Cleveland, somewhere unfamiliar and get to do something familiar.”
YOUR LEBANON: In 2015, Chamoun started her blog as a way to share Lebanese and Middle Eastern recipes in English. “These recipes could only be found in Arabic at that time, and that’s how I got more involved in the food industry.”
FAMILY MATTERS: Chamoun and her husband have three children under 7 and have found ways to keep them entertained. “We do dance parties with the kids. We alternate picking songs.” Chamoun also enjoys creating “ninja warrior” obstacle courses for her children.
RAISING AWARENESS: As part of the American Heart Association’s executive team, she hopes to bring attention to women’s health issues. “I feel like it’s something that people need to know more about, considering stroke and heart conditions are a leading cause of death for women.”
EDDIE TAYLOR JR.
COMPANY PRESIDENT, 49
EDDIE TAYLOR JR. STARTS EARLY — like, 5 a.m. early. Without hesitation, the president of insurance brokerage Taylor Oswald laces up his shoes to walk a few miles. Then, the former Allegheny College running back, with strong shoulders that fill out a navy suit, hits body weight, free weight and core exercises. As he gets further from the days of being a two-sport athlete at Elyria West High School, the workouts are about more than just maintaining physical health.
“Clearing your mind is a part of the physical process,” he says with a soft, deep voice. “It is indispensable in terms of trying to maintain the best version of yourself.”
Being his best is important when his days are as packed as they are. At year’s end, Taylor Oswald is busy forecasting, budgeting and planning for a successful 2025. Partnered with Cleveland-based insurance behemoth Oswald Cos., the company is one of the largest African American-owned insurance brokerages in the region.
The hard work started in 1987, after graduating from Allegheny College with a degree in psychology. He worked in retail before jumping into workers’ compensation and insurance at Columbus-based Davis & Associates, becoming the company’s youngest-ever vice president. In 1997, he founded Integrated Consulting Services, which grew to a dozen employees and more than $1 million in sales in its first two years.
In 2012, then-CEO of Oswald Cos. Mark Byrnes approached him. Byrnes felt his now-130-year-old company and its industry hadn’t done enough to serve women- and minority-owned companies, and he wanted Taylor to help him rectify that. Taylor took
the opportunity, forming Taylor Oswald, an independent company that is partnered with Oswald Cos.
“It's a venerable company in this town,” says Taylor, “but that executive had the good thinking to recognize that women and folks of color hadn't been an important enough part of the organization's growth and their look into the future.”
Despite building a customer base from scratch, Taylor Oswald grew faster than most startups thanks to administrative support, processes and expertise. While Oswald benefits from having a partner that can serve companies looking for a minorityowned brokerage (often to serve their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts), the benefit for Taylor Oswald is the ability to run lean by having the expertise, systems and backing of the insurance behemoth and its parent company Unison Risk Advisors. Today, his few dozen employees bring in between $5 million and $20 million a year.
“The secret sauce is that we don't have to necessarily bring on additional staff resources to fill the needs of our many and varied clients,” he says. “While our numbers are relatively few, our reach is greater because of the hundreds of local Oswald employees and beyond that we tap into.”
In the final stretch of his day, Taylor serves or has served in some capacity on an astonishing roster of philanthropic organizations, including The Presidents’ Council, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Greater Cleveland Partnership, the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the American
Red Cross.
What Oswald is to Taylor, Taylor hopes to be to these organizations: a source of institutional knowledge that allows them to be more agile and powerful — a source of “energy,” he calls it.
“Sometimes shortcuts matter,” he says. “Not shortcuts in terms of the work, but shortcuts in terms of which path will lead to bad outcomes, versus another path where the chances of success are increased significantly.”
Ideally, he likes to set these organizations up for success and then move on to the next one that needs his help.
“There are so many talented people in this community that can serve, and I’m happy when the torch is passed to do that,” he says. “I’m not in any way collecting boards. My goal is to serve because there is a need.”
When his professional and civic duties are done, the father supports and used to coach both of his sons, a sophomore scholar and football player at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a 17-year-old junior at Solon High School who also participates in track and field, Science Olympiad and speech and debate.
“In the end, it's a day that's varied,” he says. “It's a day that has lots of moving parts, but the component parts together make it make sense. And I love the variation.”
Taylor talks about wanting to bring energy to the people around him, but on these busy days, the people around him and their impact keep him energized.
“More than the big win or the big sale,” he says, “watching people excel and grow is the thing that brings me the most joy in life.”
HERMIONE MALONE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 47
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING: After years working as a print journalist and in the nonprofit sector, Malone is the newly appointed executive director for the Cleveland International Film Festival. She aims to deepen community partnerships and use her experience to elevate audience engagement and bolster inclusion and accessibility for all filmgoers.
A NEW ERA: One saying that resonates with her is, “Nothing about us without us is for us,” and she believes that it’s incumbent upon arts communities to challenge people. “I am grounded in an understanding of the dynamic stories and places that make up Northeast Ohio, and I think we have an obligation to be responsible storytellers through our film programming.”
CLEVELAND CONNECTION: The Detroit native enjoyed her first career as a print journalist for The Boston Globe before moving to Cleveland
to attend the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, earning her MBA in entrepreneurship and marketing. She then relocated to New Orleans for a stint. “I continued to visit Cleveland and was always surprised by the continuing growth of the city — its housing. Like Detroit, Cleveland continues to be shaped by the next generation of leaders with a love for this place and its people.”
TO THE PEOPLE: With the pandemic and CIFF no longer being hosted at Tower City Cinemas, CIFF has been revamping how festival goers interact with their programming. “Reimagining our programming and working to establish and deepen community partnerships has been most exciting. How we think about incorporating technology and leveraging film as a catalyst for conversation, understanding and social change are all the significant conversations I’m having right now.”
CHIEF AI OFFICER, 59
WHY HE’S INTERESTING : Ben Shahshahani is the first chief AI officer of the Cleveland Clinic, where he oversees strategies for the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence in the healthcare system.
PING PONG: His love for electrical engineering began when bought a kit for the game Pong , but after days of assembling it, he plugged it in and it didn’t work. “I was blindsided. That summer, I enrolled in an electronic class to learn about how to read the electronic schema and the design.” By the time he figured it out, he wasn't interested in Pong any more.
ADVANCED CARE: Shahshahani has worked in the AI field since the '90s at IBM, Google, Yahoo and Pandora. “A big portion of the use cases that are ready to be applied to healthcare, things like ambient listening, using speech recognizers, summarizing notes for doctors or automating coding.”
SURFER DUDE: “When my wife and I first moved to California, we lived in Santa Cruz. Being close to the beach and having the opportunity of doing longboard surfing, I made the mistake of growing long hair. I think I’ve successfully erased all those pictures.”
SCHNAUZER WALKS: With his two sons away at college, Shahshahani and his wife, Lynne, enjoy walks with their schnauzer, Boba. “I thought my son named the dog Boba after Boba Fett from Star Wars, but it was actually because they were having boba tea.”
CLEVELAND BUCKET LIST: Shahshahani is still based in the Bay Area and works remotely, but he does visit Cleveland. “It’s on my list to go visit one of the orchestras and maybe a Cavaliers game at some point. But I think it’s a great town.”
Ben Shahshahani
MAX STAKOLICH
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING: Born and raised in Strongsville, Pate has been skating for nearly 20 years. She recently competed in Paris and Finland with her partner for the Grand Prix series, where only 10 teams globally are invited to participate.
HARDWARE: The duo took home the gold medal at the Autumn Classic International in 2023 and secured the bronze at both the Lake Placid Ice Dance International and the Trophy Metropole Nice Cote d’Azur in 2024. “It was a really big stepping stone for our skating, because it was our first International Gold Medal, which is a really big deal.”
SLIPPING AND SLIDING: Pate’s journey on the ice began at age five, thanks to a Girl Scouts outing to the rink. Despite struggling to stand on skates, her competitive spirit kicked in, and she quickly improved with learn-to-skate lessons at Brunswick Auto Mart Arena in Strongsville. At age
WHY HE’S INTERESTING:
For the past three years, this 14-year-old riff master has been showcasing his talents to get Cavs, Guardians and Browns fans amped during pregame and halftime shows, performing to up to 65,000 people. “I get so pumped up by the crowd. I’m pretty sure my mom, dad and sister cried the first time they saw me play for so many people.” The youngster has accompanied Ozzy Osborne guitarist Zakk Wylde during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-themed game and landed endorsement deals with EarthQuaker Devices and S.I.T. Strings, both out of Akron.
IN TRAINING: Beginning his guitar journey at age 4, before performing and taking lessons at The School of Rock when he was 7 years old, the Rocky River High School student now spends eight hours a day on the weekends and three hours a day on weekdays rehearsing. He’s also in the jazz band at school and takes part in the Jazz Academy at Tri-C. “My future goals are to continue to get
better at all genres of music. I also want to play at some large venues outside of Ohio, like Coachella, and eventually attend the Berklee College of Music or the Musicians Institute in California.”
THE BLUES LINEAGE: While Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen and the late Cleveland legend Glenn Schwartz (founding member of the James Gang) are influences, local virtuosos — such as E.T. King and Michael Bay and the Bad Boys of Blues — help him hone his chops at the Brothers Lounge Jam nights. “I get to jam with some of the best around.”
STAKHOUSE: The name of Stak’s band, which includes Stakolich on guitar, Brady Lorince (age 14) on vocals, Danny McDonald (age 13) on bass guitar and Eli Berger (age 15) on drums. Look out for an EP of original songs on March 7 and a release party at the House of Blues on March 8.
14, she chose to abandon gymnastics and focus on the various forms of ice dance and has been competing since 2006. “There’s the pair skating, where the guys throw the girls. There’s freestyle, where you skate solo, and you do jumps and spins. And then there’s ice dance, where it’s more about the performance and the togetherness of skating.”
LOVE AT FIRST SKATE: Pate met her now-husband and ice dance partner, Logan Bye, at an ice rink in Michigan where she was training in 2018. “I asked him, ‘Hey do you want to come to one of my lessons?’ — and he did. Ever since then, we’ve been inseparable.” Having won 10 international medals together, the couple got married in May and have sights set on the 2026 or 2030 Olympic American Ice team.
BLUE FROST GATORADE: Her must-have drink before competitions, citing its benefits of sugar and electrolytes. Otherwise, she doesn't let any superstitions enter her mind.
LILY GOODWIN
DJ & AUTHOR, 10
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING: Lily Goodwin, aka DJ Lily Jade, has hosted a radio show, published a book, served as a Cleveland Reads ambassador and been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree — all before middle school. Her four singles feature original production and raps about reading and making the honor roll.
DROP THE NEEDLE: Goodwin’s career began in 2020 when 95.9 FM WOVU caught wind of the DJ battles that she and her father, Juan Goodwin, would perform on Facebook. When the station asked if she’d like her own show, The Lily Jade Show was born in 2021. It broadcasts from 11 a.m. to noon on 95.9 WOVU Cleveland every Saturday.
GIRL POWER: In addition to spinning tracks, The Lily Jade Show hosts interviews, with notable guests such as Dawn Stanley, head coach of women’s basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks; Caroline Wanga, CEO of Essence; and Caitlin Clark, who now plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. “The Lily Jade Show is about supporting girl bosses and supporting good people who are doing good things in the community.”
FAR AND WIDE: Out of 300-plus gigs, her favorite was the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. “My favorite part about DJing is how people bring themselves together. You could be white, Black, old, young or in any corner of the world, but one song can just bring you together.”
STILL A KID: Goodwin still has time to be a 10-year-old kid — albeit, a busy one. The honors student and student council representative enjoys basketball and volleyball, playing the bassoon, sewing, watching TikTok videos and hanging out with her friends and family. “I have a 5-year-old sister named Lena and a dog named Daisy. [Lena and I] play together, dance together and sing together.”
170: The number of radio shows DJ Lily Jade has hosted since The Lily Jade Show’s inception in 2021.
ROSEMARY MUDRY
NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 40
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING:
After a decade working in community development, Rosemary Mudry leads Cleveland Public Market Corp., the new nonprofit tasked with running the West Side Market. The former teacher and coach wants to create vibrant, thriving gathering spaces — in both the market and the East Side brewery she runs with her husband.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
When she was a little girl in University Heights, Mudry dreamt of becoming a farmer. “I wanted a farm that had everything: all the animals, all the crops.” While she’s not a farmer now, her passion for food systems continued through participating in a student-run co-op at Oberlin College, maintaining a plot in the Old Brooklyn community garden, operating a farmers market with West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development and now interacting with produce at the West Side Market.
MARKET
VISION:
Since starting her new role last January, Mudry and
her team have been working toward making the West Side Market the best public market in America. “What does ‘being the best’ mean? I think it’s celebrating the historic and beautiful building we’re in and making it a place where both merchants and customers can realize the full potential of the space.” She takes inspiration from markets across the country, including Pike’s Place in Seattle, Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Findlay Market in Cincinnati and North Market in Columbus.
CHEERS: Mudry’s husband, Joel Warger, has been brewing beer for more than 20 years, 14 at Great Lakes Brewing Co. The couple opened their own brewery, Midnight Owl Brewing Co. in Shaker Heights, in October 2023 — the same week Mudry was offered the job at the West Side Market. Her favorite brew? “Joel had made me a milk stout for our wedding, so when we opened the brewery, he made a very similar milk stout as one of our first beers.”
John
Delzoppo
WHY HE’S INTERESTING: Currently ranked 30th by the International Flipper Pinball Association, Delzoppo won a pinball state championship in 2015 and has competed in some of the world’s toughest competitions, including the World Championships. In 2014, he founded Cleveland Pinball League.
THE PLUNGE: Delzoppo began playing pinball as a kid in bowling alleys. He entered his first tournament — the Ohio Pinball Show — in 2010 after watching a documentary on pinball called Special When Lit and attending the World Championships in Pittsburgh in 2016.
MUSIC MAN: Delzoppo’s deliberate style of never-miss-a-beat pinball jives with his other passion: making music. In addition to running a recording studio for nearly 20 years called Negative Space, he has played the drums for several bands. “Both activities are also very centered on focus and the ability to perform something physical while being ‘lost in the zone,’ and there’s also the tactile nature of rhythmic force, whether that’s a repeated shot in a pinball machine or a steady beat on a snare drum.”
DIY KIND OF GUY: Delzoppo is also working on publishing an archival book about Speak in Tongues, a ‘90s DIY music venue on Lorain Avenue. “It opened me up to how things can be done in a ‘do it yourself’ model. That inspired a lot of my decisions in life, like starting my own bands, my own tours and my own recording studio.”
CULTIVATING COMMUNITY: Despite the accolades and trips to Denmark and Milan, which was extra special trip due to his Italian heritage, he counts growing the Cleveland Pinball League to about 150 players as his biggest accomplishment.
DOROTHY TODD
CLEVELAND POLICE CHIEF, 51
CHIEF DOROTHY TODD didn’t grow up dreaming she would become a police officer. She figured she knew what police looked like, and it wasn’t her. “You thought it was a man,” she says. “You need size, and you need strength, and you need all these things.”
She’s slim, with a disarming smile. But in the late ’90s, the single mother was working several jobs; at a gas station, cleaning houses, things like that. Then, in 1998, she took a job as a traffic controller for the city of Cleveland, part of the traffic unit of Cleveland Police. Looking at the officers, she thought If they could do it, I could do it. She became an officer in 2000. Police work offered fulltime employment with good benefits and a retirement that would pay more than she had made before. That allowed her to buy her first car and house and put her daughter through Catholic school.
“I could support my daughter, and I could live a better life, so that’s why I took the police test,” she says. “Even on the challenging days, it’s a very rewarding job and a very rewarding career.”
She became a police officer out of necessity, but it turns out she loves the work. Over 25 years, she’s worked her way up the ranks: sergeant in 2012, lieutenant in 2017, commander of the Third District in 2019, and chief of police in February. She’s only the city’s second female police chief, and she’s currently the only woman on command staff.
She’s used to being the only woman in rooms filled with men. Many people struggle to accept women as police officers, let alone as the chief. “I find I have to justify myself more, explain myself more,” she says. She’s hoping to change that, though, because
female police officers bring a different perspective to the job than men do.
“We can get out of things by talking rather than fighting,” she says. “We can get someone into compliance a lot easier just by listening, having that compassion.”
Clevelanders have heard plenty about how policing could be improved, but Chief Todd says she’s “not afraid to make changes.”
“We have really great men and women,” she says, “but sometimes those who aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing, it was not always addressed and not always talked about.”
She’s also hoping to change the public’s perception of the police. She says police often deal with people at their worst, and there is little understanding or empathy for the traumatic nature of their work.
“You’re taking somebody who went to academy for seven months, and you’re expecting them to function at this super high level all the time, never make a mistake,” she says. “They’re just normal people, and they’re just going to make mistakes, but they’re so needed in the community.”
Take what she calls “just a basic story” of a typical day. Nearing the end of their shift, Todd and her partner were on patrol when a man told them he saw a dead body. The man said he couldn’t remember where the body was but could show them. So, he got in the back of their cruiser and pointed the way. They arrived at a wooded spot and shined the spotlight until they were able to see a pair of feet sticking out. A young girl had been killed. Throughout the investigation, the man who alerted them to the body ended up being the one who committed the crime.
She called this, twist ending and all, “an average day in police work.” She’s full of stories. So many, in fact, that when I ask about her medals for Distinguished Service and Heroism she can’t quite recall which commendation came for which event. Fortunately all of it is documented. She was given Medals for Distinguished Service for wrestling a knife away from a suicidal woman and for capturing a man who had led police on a chase. She received her Medal of Heroism for disarming a drunk man who was threatening to shoot his girlfriend and her young son.
“If you sat and listened to some stories people have, you would probably wonder why do they continue to do that,” she says. “You continue to do it because (of) the impact that you have, how you can see that you’ve changed somebody’s life.”
It’s important to have hobbies in such a high stress job, though all she does is work and hang out with her family.
“That’s all I have time for,” she admits.
Her hobbies are her three grandchildren and her dogs, miniature dachshunds named Piper and Beast.
“They say pets are very therapeutic,” she says.
She doesn’t drink and insists that she is “just a regular person.” She laments the fact that she is now a recognizable public figure who can no longer leave the house in pajamas, not even to go the emergency room in the middle of the night. She can disarm a violent drunk man but being recognized at Target made her want to “curl up and die.”
“I just kind of mind my own business,” she says. “I love to work, and I love my family.”
ISABELLA GERACI
WHY HE’S INTERESTING: In the NBA, spending several years with the same organization is a rarity. After a stint of pro ball, Gansey started with the Cavs as an intern before working in various roles related to recruiting, logistics and draft preparation. After nearly 15 years with the Cavs, Gansey earned Executive of the Year in 2017 as general manager of the Canton Charge and now serves as GM of the Cavs under Koby Altman, president of basketball operations. “It’s been a dream come true, being from Cleveland, being a Cavs, Guardians, Browns fan my whole life, and now to be able to work for a team and then win a championship with them.”
NORTHEAST OHIO ROOTS: Gansey graduated from Olmsted Falls High School in 2001 and finished second in voting for Ohio’s 2001 Mr. Basketball Award behind LeBron James (you may have heard of him). He played collegiately at St. Bonaventure and West Virginia universities.
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING:
Few people can say that they had the chops to play two NCAA Division I sports and won a gold medal for their country — in a completely different sport. However, North Ridgeville native Isabella Geraci is a pure athlete who has suited up for basketball and track and field at the collegiate level and now plays for the United States Women’s Flag Football National Team. She’s hoping to make a run at the Olympics when the sport debuts in Los Angeles in 2028.
TRICK PLAY: As a kid, Geraci wanted to play any sport possible and wasn’t afraid of being tackled. This led her to be the only girl on the football team, earning her the nickname Izzy because her coach did not want to say Isabella or Bella on the field. “I honestly don’t think the other teams knew I was a girl. I just had short hair. You literally couldn’t tell in a helmet.”
SURE HANDS: Thirty-nine catches, 469 yards and five touchdowns — zero drops. That is the stat line Geraci put up with
Professionally, he had several stints in the thenNBA D League and in Europe before returning to Cleveland to begin his front office career. “It’s Cleveland. It’s home.”
BLOWN COVER: If Gansey wasn't working in basketball, he says he would be working in the CIA’s counterterrorism department or would be a pediatrician. He scratches the counterterrorism itch by watching political action thriller movies and shows. As for being a pediatrician, he has four children with his wife, Amy.
FLOOR TO CEILING: Gansey isn’t the lead decision-maker for the Cavs, but he is the right-hand man to Altman. With a keen eye for evaluating talent, Gansey spends a good chunk of his time on the road traveling to watch potential future members of the Cavs. Trips to Australia, Europe, Hawaii, Las Vegas and more are part of this job when he’s not in Cleveland.
Team USA on the way to gold. What’s her secret weapon? If you asked her teammates and coaches, they would joke about her big hands. “She literally never drops the ball because her hands are so big, [my coaches says]. Which is probably true.”
SCARLET AND GRAY: Geraci finds inspiration on Saturdays, watching the Ohio State Buckeyes. “I’m a little biased. I loved watching Ted Ginn Jr. play. And then Marvin Harrison Jr. has been such fun to watch.”
GET PWNED: An avid gamer, her favorites are Warzone, Rainbow Six and Skyrim. “It’s crazy because you’d think I’d be less of an athlete because I spent so much time on video games, but I was literally outside all the time.”
PIZZA, PIZZA: No, she’s not related to those Geracis, of Slice Shop and Geraci’s Restaurant fame, nor can she get you a discount — she’s tried.
Mike Gansey
MIKE PETRONE
MUSICIAN, 58
WHY HE’S INTERESTING: Cleveland’s piano man, Petrone has been a constant at Johnny’s Bar since the day the Downtown Cleveland restaurant opened in 1993. You can find him performing classic Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel songs on the keys nearly every night — and he’s got plenty of stories to share from his unique, musical vantage point.
MUSICAL UPBRINGING: Petrone remembers learning music early on with his five siblings. “We could read and write music probably before we could read and write, because it was really the family business, and that’s just what we did.” Together, the family performed live and televised Mr. Jingeling shows, which his parents produced; Petrone performed piano in the shows at just 10 years old. A few years later, he started performing three nights a week at the Hanna Pub (now the Hanna Theater) — and never stopped. “By the time I was 14, I was doing what I’m doing now.”
A JOHNNY’S REGULAR: Highlights of Petrone’s career include the many celebrities he’s rubbed shoulders with over the years. He recalls one night in the ‘90s where he hung out with Don King, Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera and George Forbes. The bar also is the first place he met fellow musician Kristine Jackson, who he later married.
THEATRICAL SIDE HUSTLE: The pianist is also a fan of musical theater and has penned six of his own productions. That includes Caesar: The Musical, a play he wrote over 12 years and produced and recorded during the pandemic in his attic, bringing in actors one-by-one. The project won 14 awards at film festivals around the world. “I ended up going to the Burbank Film Festival, hanging out with Priscilla Presley and Beau Bridges.”
7,000: The total number of shows Petrone expects to have performed at Johnny’s by the end of 2025.
Carrie Coon
ACTRESS, 43
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING: A Copley native and University of Mount Union graduate, Coon has played roles in Gone Girl, Fargo , The Post , Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Avengers: Infinity War . She stars as the ambitious, social-climbing Bertha Russell in Emmy-nominated Gilded Age and is cast in season three of HBO’s White Lotus , which premieres in February.
I CAN DO THAT: At 10 years old, Coon saw the play Babes in Toyland. She was inspired by seeing kids her age act. “I came home, I looked in the newspaper, and I found some auditions for the community theater. I asked if I could go to these auditions, and my mom said no,” because of her work schedule. Coon had to wait until her senior year of high school to get her first acting role when she got the lead in the school play Our Town
MIDWEST AMERICANA: Growing up on a five-acre, non-working farm in Copley, Coon’s father ran an auto parts store, and her mom worked as a nurse at Cleveland Clinic. Her father's family goes back to the 1800s. “My great grandfather was the constable of Copley. We are deeply, deeply rooted in the area,”
GOOD BEING BAD: In Avengers, Coon brings Proxima Midnight, daughter of the notorious Thanos, to life. “I love a villain. Villains are fun to play. Villains get a good costume.”
FINDING RANGE: Nora Durst from The Leftovers is Coon’s favorite role due to what was required of her as an actor. “[The role] allowed me to smash things and kiss people, be destructive, laugh and tear people to pieces in a public place.”
35: Coon's number of acting roles and producing credits across television, film, theater and even a podcast.
STEPHANIE HANEY
JOURNALIST & LAWYER, 39
WE HAVE A DISINFORMATION problem in this country. The Harvard Kennedy School of public policy and government as well as the nonpartisan Pew Research Center report that millions of Americans have been confused by or accidentally shared fake news. Meanwhile, the FBI says that millions of elderly citizens are target No. 1 for bad actors who run debt-inducing phone and online scams. This is all before artificial intelligence photos, videos, spamming and who knows what else have scratched the surface on its full potential.
Stephanie Haney wants to do something about it. As a licensed attorney in Ohio and California and WKYC digital anchor and legal analyst, Haney has focused much of her work in 2024 on confirming facts and fighting disinformation.
“Verify,” her segment which runs three or four times a week, focuses on fact checking disinformation, such as offering tips to identify AI-generated content or avoid scams. She examines claims such as whether summers are actually getting hotter (they are) or if a viral Facebook post about a “secret sister” mail-in gift exchange is legit (it’s not). “Legally Speaking” is another segment breaking down legal issues for laymen.
“I just hate the idea of someone thinking they're making an informed decision when they're not,” she says. “The internet has basically pointed a fire hose at everyone and said, ‘Figure it out on your own.’”
In February, leading up to an election marred by purposeful false and misleading claims, Haney launched Ohio Has Issues, an hour-long digital show co-hosted by Mike Polk Jr. With a focus on state politics, the
duo welcomed guests such as state politics reporter Andrew Tobias, former Ohio Supreme Court chief justice Maureen O’Connor and NBC politics reporter Henry J. Gomez to break down the Senate primary race and clarify confusion around election issues like gerrymandering and private school voucher expansions — and to provide updates on other regional issues such as the Cleveland Browns’ move to Brook Park and the FirstEnergy bribery scandal.
“That weekly show gave you the opportunity to let conversations breathe with these journalists in the field, who are just in it every day,” she says. “We really did our best to hold the feet of the people in power to the fire.”
Haney’s journalistic tendencies showed up in elementary school and junior high, in which she wrote a school newsletter and then blog offering gossip on breakups and other school drama. Meanwhile, her first litigation came when her friend Jenny’s father staged fake crimes and played judge. Haney forced her friends to play mock trial. She was also a speech and debate wiz. Later, she found inspiration in lawyer movies like A Few Good Men and Legally Blonde. She earned a bachelor’s in political science and sociology-criminology at Ohio University before graduating from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. Forcing herself out of her comfort zone, she signed up for the bar exam in California.
“I saw a lot of inequity,” she says. “I thought that law really had an opportunity to be a great equalizer because I really liked the idea of being able to provide services to people who couldn't afford them.”
After passing the bar and doing some
freelance contract work as a lawyer, practicing law took a back seat to modeling and acting. She had a unique brush with the law came when she appeared in episodes of legal comedy Franklin & Bash, and she appeared in reality show The Drama Queen, about the TV hosting school and talent management company at which she worked.
In 2015, she earned her master’s in journalism and started a run of jobs in L.A. and New York City, including producing for Good Morning America and being an on-air correspondent with DailyMailTV, which won an Emmy for best entertainment news program. Haney says her favorite story from that show was an interview about the murder of rapper Tupac with Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight from jail, but her most impactful project may have been an LA Weekly cover story on embryo adoption.
She joined WKYC in 2019. Outside of reporting, she serves as a trustee with Rescue Village and a board member at Plexus LGBT & Allied Chamber of Commerce. She celebrated her engagement to co-host Mike Polk Jr. at Cleveland Magazine’s Best of CLE party and is hoping for the Buffalo Bills, her adopted team, to make a run at the Super Bowl. Mostly, however, she’s a “total nerd” whose passion is using the law and journalism to help others burn brighter than ever.
“My favorite thing about being a journalist is that I'm constantly learning,” she says. “I do not take for granted the opportunity to reach out to someone who is an expert on a particular topic and say, ‘Please explain this to me, so that I can help explain this to other people.’”
Ken Carman
RADIO HOST, 38
WHY HE’S INTERESTING:
Ken Carman has been celebrating and commiserating with Cleveland sports fans since 92.3 The Fan’s inception in 2011. While he’s best known for yelling “SUPER BOWL, SUPER BROWNS” or spilling his latest passionate rant through your car speakers, he’s also delivered poignant editorials on your television screen for Fox 8.
FAN FEATURE: In 2011, 92.3 FM flipped from alternative rock to sports talk. Carman was hired to host the weeknight show from 7 p.m. until midnight before earning a drivetime namesake show with co-host Anthony Lima.
PLAY-BY-PLAY DREAMS: Prior to his start at 92.3 The Fan, Carman did play-byplay at Ashland University, calling football and men’s and women’s basketball games. He also spent time as the voice of the then-Akron Aeros (now Rubberducks). When he first interviewed at The Fan, he’d just returned from a road trip with the Aeros in Portland, Maine. “I went home. I tried to take a nap. I fell asleep for, like, five minutes and then [the hiring manager] called me. He’s like, ‘Hey, we want to offer you the job. It’s this much.’ I think he thought I would balk at [the salary], and I didn’t care what it was. I was happy to have health insurance.”
SHOW STAPLES: Fans look forward to segments including "Tall Boy Friday” during his nighttime show, "Ken Carmantary" on Fox 8 and now “Coming In Hot” to close out Friday morning at 9:40 a.m. “I’m most proud of ‘Coming In Hot,’ because I’ve been with Lima the longest, and it was something we thought of together that happened naturally.”
YES, COACH: Carman grew up thinking he would be a teacher and a football coach. Despite his busy fall schedule, he coaches his oldest of two sons on the gridiron.
EMILY O . COYNE
FASHION
CREATOR, 25
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING: The Rocky River resident turned a hobby of posting daily photos of her school outfits on Instagram into a career as a social media influencer, with more than 160,000 followers. Her lifestyle brand, emilyOandbows, boasts curated collections of home decor and fashion accessories as well as collabs with the likes of Amazon Prime, J.Crew, Kate Spade, Nest, Nordstrom, Rent the Runway and Steve Madden.
WHAT’S IN A NAME? The “O” in Coyne’s brand name is her middle initial — her full name is Emily O’Rourke Coyne. “EmilyO was my nickname growing up.”
NO SLAVE TO FASHION: Coyne describes her style as “very classic and timeless.” She names her business partner mother, Ann, and maternal grandmother, Joyce Litzler, as her biggest influences — along with fashion icons Audrey Hepburn and
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. “When I’m wearing something that might be super trendy or a little edgier, it’s as simple as: 'I just don’t feel like myself.' I don’t feel as confident.”
FROM POP-UP TO ONLINE
SHOP: Coyne began curating merchandise for campus and Cleveland-area pop-up shops while she was still studying emerging technology business and design at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. “[They said], ‘If you focus on it and treat it like a fulltime job, [we] think that this could be something that could grow.’”
THE PERKS: California-based luxury ready-to-wear brand L’Agence invited Coyne to its New York City Fashion Week presentations and dressed her. “I walked in, and I turned to my right. Cameras were flashing and whatever. And Brooke Shields was literally standing right next to me. I thought, Well, this is going to be a good night!”
JASON BEUDERT
WHY HE’S INTERESTING: Ideastream producer and host Gabriel Kramer started at the company in 2015 after graduating from Kent State University. He now reports on topics of diversity and inclusion for audiences of all ages. “I got into journalism because I cared about community. I felt like communities are overlooked — stories about people of color are so overlooked — and I wanted to be able to help change those things.”
PINOY PRIDE: Kramer’s father is a Medina native, while his mother moved to Northeast Ohio in the ‘80s from the Philippines. The journalist has embraced his Filipino heritage as a member of many local and national organizations, including the Asian American Journalists Association, the executive committee for the Cleveland Asian Festival and the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. He’s also the Ohio chapter president of the Filipino American National Historical Society and was chosen as a 2024 immersion delegate for the Filipino Young Leaders program.
WHY HE’S INTERESTING: As the president of Hangry Brands, Beudert is more than flashy plates of steak, loaded pizza slices and crafty cocktails across his five restaurants and bars. His work is amplified by a passion for charity, which started in 2013 when he founded Northeast Ohio's chapter of A Special Wish, a nonprofit organization providing opportunities to children with terminal illnesses.
HEART TO HEART: Fourteen years ago, Beudert was diagnosed with bradycardia, a condition in which the heart rate can drop dangerously low. “It sort of saved my life. I felt like I wanted to do something more.” The “more” materialized into A Special Wish Northeast Ohio, through which he found another love of his life. After meeting Eileen Lane — Winking Lizard owner John Lane’s daughter — at a restaurant event, she volunteered to bring pizza to A Special Wish’s first hospital visit. Beudert and Lane now run the charity as a married duo.
PHONE EATS FIRST: A dining experience worth remembering is
NEWS FOR KIDS: When Ideastream’s Rick Jackson retired in 2023, Kramer took over hosting the company’s 55-year-old children’s program, NewsDepth — where he shares current events in an educational format for young viewers. “NewsDepth is not the busiest part of my job, but it’s my favorite part of the job.”
MAJOR DOC: For the past three years, a big chunk of Kramer’s workload has been producing a documentary about the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Cleveland’s annual celebration of authors whose recent publications look at diversity and racism. The documentary has been distributed nationally by American Public Television since the pandemic first disrupted the Awards’ in-person ceremony in 2020.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: You can also catch Kramer every Tuesday night at Larchmere’s Academy Tavern, where he hosts a popular trivia series, featuring questions he writes himself.
Beudert’s main inspiration at Hangry Brands. There’s rhyme but not too much reason to operating polar-opposite, eye-catching establishments like STEAK Cleveland, Geraci’s Slice Shop, The Yard in Downtown Willoughby and Lionheart Coffee. “I get bored. I like to create new things. When you incorporate a cool design, you have to think about the picture. People want to take a picture.”
MAKING MAGIC HAPPEN:
Before Hangry Brands, there was Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, where Beudert worked in a management role for food and beverage. The experience still informs his imaginative concepts like giant Solo cup cocktails, shot glasses made out of cookies and Ferris wheel ice cream sundaes. “There’s a very thin line between cool and cheesy.”
500: The approximate number of families that Beudert’s chapter of A Special Wish has serviced. This has allowed it to become the largest charity of its kind in the area.
LOLA JACAJ
WHY HE’S INTERESTING: Windhorst is among the best-known basketball writers in the country, writing for ESPN.com and appearing on NBA on ESPN and First Take . Graduating a few years ahead of LeBron James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, he later earned his journalism degree from Kent State University in 2000. James, however, played a key role in Windy’s rise from Akron Beacon Journal and The Plain Dealer reporter to national star.
BIG DREAMS: While growing up in West Akron, Windhorst wanted something more than his neighbors' 9-to-5 jobs, afternoons cutting the grass and trips to Disney World. Now he travels around the globe covering basketball. “I knew I did not want a quote-unquote traditional life.”
COVERING GREATNESS: The kid from Akron has chronicled the historic career of LeBron James since the very beginning. “I was sitting in
WHY SHE’S INTERESTING:
Jacaj is the restaurateur behind Casa La Luna (formerly Luca Italian Cuisine), Acqua Di Dea and Oliva Steakhouse. In early 2025, the respected front-of-house pro and wine expert is set to open a French concept, completing her domination of West Sixth Street and St. Clair Avenue.
HOMETOWN HARVEST:
Growing up in rural Albania, Jacaj developed a love for whole foods, especially vegetables from her family garden and the peaches growing on nearby trees. “I’ve always had that natural taste and stayed away from artificial and fried and those things where they kill the real flavor.”
CITY DREAMING: At 17, she moved to Cleveland, working as a waitress at La Dolce Vita in Little Italy. “It felt like home to me. When I grew up in Albania, I felt like I wanted to move. Then Italy, too. When I came here, I’m like, I want to stay here. This is my home.”
WOW FACTOR: A food-focused traveler, her favorite trips are to New York City. She recently ate
the studio in Secaucus, New Jersey, when the Cavs won [the 2003 Draft Lottery], and I knew at that moment my life had changed.”
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: Windhorst’s career has taken him around the globe, covering the NBA while based in Cleveland, New York, Miami and, now, Omaha, Nebraska. But no matter where he is, he’ll always be a Northeast Ohioan. “As soon as the seasons in Miami would end, I would immediately come back to Akron or to Cleveland. I would spend the off-season in Cleveland, just like LeBron.”
2: The number of times Windhorst has earned New York Times bestseller status for his books. They include Return of the King: LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Greatest Comeback in NBA History (published in 2017) and LeBron, Inc.: The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete (published in 2019).
at Le Bernardin, chef Eric Ripert's famed French seafood restaurant. “It was the best six hours of my career. The best meal I’ve ever had. Some restaurants just have something that makes you go Oh, wow.” Copenhagen, Denmark, is her bucket list dining vacation.
ON THE HOMEFRONT: While 14-year-old Jola and 17-yearold Ardea are in their high school era, they still make time for movie nights with hot chocolate by the fire on mom’s days off. “Now, it’s called a wasted Saturday night,” Jacaj jokes.
TEXTBOOK TASTE: About 15 years ago, Jacaj became a certified sommelier, a year-and-ahalf effort that involves more than just tasting wine. “It’s a lot of book learning. A lot of studying about weather, agriculture and different soils. If I know the location’s weather and soil, I should know what the wine tastes like.”
SIMPLY MAD: This surprising Habenero-infused vidal ice wine from Geneva's Laurello Vineyards, a menu staple for 10 years, is Jacaj's favorite Ohio wine.
Brian Windhorst
SENIOR NBA WRITER, 46
JESS PEACOCK
WHY THEY’RE INTERESTING: Jess
Peacock is not your average pastor. The clergyperson of Community Church of Chesterland is covered in tattoos and piercings and paving the way for acceptance and advocacy in religious settings. Their current project, Queer Cleveland, is an interactive publication that helps raise the flags of local artists across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
COMING OUT AND COMING BACK:
Raised in the Evangelical depths of central Ohio, Peacock followed a life of rigid religious routine, to which a child coming to terms with their identity could not conform. Their 20s were spent out of the church, reconstructing their beliefs — and ultimately finding their way back. “I have always seen value in the potential of religion. I mean, for all the horrors that religion has wrought through history, it’s also brought a lot of relief.”
THE MIRACLE AT MTSO: Peacock’s silver lining struck when they decided to pursue an education in theology at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. “On the day that I visited, there was a transgender person doing the chapel [service]. I am transgender. I was like, ‘This is a great sign, right?’”
AN UNBROKEN SPIRIT: A 2023 arson attempt, following a drag brunch with a Chardon restaurant, put Community Church of Chesterland on high alert, despite previous successes like hosting Geauga county’s first-ever Pride festival. “It’s always sort of bouncing around in there. I just refuse to live in fear. I’m not going to base my life on what people who hate think of me or what they think they want to do to me.”
HOLY HORROR: Alongside their current roles, Peacock is also an author, penning the novel Such a Dark Thing: Theology Of The Vampire Narrative In Popular Culture. “It’s looking at how the horror genre can do what, oftentimes, we hope Scripture does, which is remove the mask from our cultural illusions and see the monster underneath.”
1970S: The decade in which Peacock discovered their unique love of professional wrestling. “I was locked in, and it became a bonding point for me and my son.”
POpping the Question
COLOR ME PRETTY
White ‘blues’ out in LED lighting, and velvet red is meant for winter. Here’s what else you should know about choosing colors for your wedding. BY
KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE
IF YOU GRAVITATE toward green, you’re analytical and conceptual, but also inventive and logical. Brides with spring-laden features such as strawberry blonde hair and golden skin undertones lean fresh: blush, blue and lilac. Sure, you can go with crimson if you feel like it, but it’s a bit gauche in August. February is a different story, however. You can also chase trends like rusty autumn or coastal fresh, but color should speak to you.
It’s all so confusing.
A bridal consultant, designer and color specialist hash it out. No color wheel on hand? No problem. Before you dive in, know this: color is among the first wedding decisions you’ll make, following who, where and when.
“Definitely in summer, we see more blues, pinks and sage-greens,” says Lori Schiano, who heads bridal consultations and inhouse, on-site services for Jenniffer & Co. Salon and Spa in Mentor and Mentor-onthe-Lake.
“Most brides choose their colors based on the season,” she says, leveling the forecast with a reality: Many like what they like.
How do you find your color season? It’s personal. House of Colour has consultants across the country and locally in Rocky River. They advise a color consultation to discover whether you are a spring, summer, fall or winter.
Curious?
Here’s a study guide. First, there are three elements: hue (warm, neutral or cool); value and contrast (light, medium or dark); and chroma (muted, medium or bright). These elements all work together, but what do they really mean?
Spring is fresh, warm and clear, according to House of Colour. Summer is soft, cool and calm. Fall is soft, yet rich and warm. Winter is bold, cool and crisp. What does that really mean?
Let’s go back to the old color wheel we learned about in elementary school.
Spring's hues range from peach, ecru, coral and marigold. Soft in the summer is blush, sky blue and lilac. Fall embraces nat-
Find simple and soft pastel shades among springtime weddings, emulating the season's warm and fresh ambiance. ASHLEY
ural tones like pine, caramel and mustard. Winter is equivalent to high-contrast colors like indigo, raspberry and emerald.
Color yourself happy. “Sometimes, brides focus too much on what’s trending, but what’s most important is what makes you happy, because your wedding pictures will last forever,” says Jillian Bujnak, owner of L’Unico Bridal in Richfield, who was a commercial interior designer before opening her boutique.
“Color says a lot about your personality,” she says. “If you prefer more subtle colors, you tend to be more reserved, and your jewel-tones are embraced by those who want the wedding colors to be bold, and maybe a little more wild.”
Bridal white looks bluish in modern LED lighting, so, “Ivory is the new white,” Bujnak says of gowns. “We are also seeing more
champagne and blush colors, along with a darker latte underlay.”
With wedding photography as an event focus, certain colors shine while others bomb. Hue, value, contrast and chroma come back into play. As seasons go, it all depends on the time of the year (and hour of your photo shoot). Talk to your photographer about time-of-day shoots and considerations for gowns in daylight, sunset, candlelight and LED situations.
With color and dresses, align color and
texture. Soft pink velvet — probably not. But crimson velvet? Absolutely in the winter. Lace and overlays correspond with color based on season, as in the latte underlay in fall and floral iterations in spring and summer.
“Color says a lot about your personality,” Schiano says, reminding couples to plan a day that feels like them. “Anything is on the table right now.”
Color is a focal decision for many brides and wedding parties. Always opt to go with what you love, but use factors like season and venue lighting as a guide.
PARTY FAVORS
From ceramics to spices, give the newlyweds in your life a gift unique to Northeast Ohio.
BY LAINEY NOVAK
GINA DESANTIS CERAMICS CUSTOM DOG DISHES
The neutral and soft style of handmade pottery across DeSantis’ growing catalog can match the palette of any couple’s special day. Beyond kitchen goods and vases, her personalized food and water bowls for furry friends — available in three sizes and two colors — will strike a chord for any newly-wed pet parents. $48-$88, 13000 Athens Ave., Lakewood, 440-7855409, ginadesantisceramics.com
ADUN SPICE CO. SUMAC SEASONING
Founder Ramat Wiley pays tribute to her Nigerian heritage with a robust collection of high quality spices. As married couples break in their new kitchens, stock them with scents and flavors they won’t forget. Unique options like sumac are a sweet and sour finishing touch to salads, poultry, dips and even lemonade. $10, 12721 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, 216-2006367, adunspiceco.com
SOMETHING DIFFERENT GALLERY
Once your newlyweds find something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, gift them something different. This Cleveland boutique is devoted to providing a trendy shopping experience and ensuring you find something that catches the eye. Pick from a wide array of art, jewelry, home decor and knickknacks to fit the vibe of the married couple. 1899 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-696-5226, somethingdifferentgallery.com
RECLAMATION THRIFT AND CONSIGNMENT STORE
Find heartfelt gifts without breaking the bank, amid an eclectic collection of vintage home decor. From funky mirrors to retro furniture and clothing accessories, the shop’s online catalog and social media pages are constantly updated with unique and versatile memorabilia. Act fast for a statement piece that will fill a newlywed’s home with unfamiliar charm. $10+, 16704 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights, 216-999-7508, reclamationvintage.com
Located in Westlake, Ohio, LaCentre offers a grand venue ~for up to 800 people~ with elegant crystal chandeliers and 20 foot ceilings for a night to remember.
WED ON, RULE-BREAKER
You never considered tossing a bouquet. But now, you can also forgo the wedding party, skip the cake and let your guests pick a seat, not a side. BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE
TOSSING BRIDAL
BOUQUETS
and frilly garters are a long-gone wedding reception convention. But there are popular ways to break the rules when planning your day — things that might make older generations in the family cringe, or new traditions they’ll secretly appreciate.
Leah Haslage is senior producer at Evergreen Podcasts and hosts the Bridechilla and Weddings Unveiled podcasts. Kim Singerman is in her 20th year running Cleveland-based Noteworthy Events. We asked, “What’s so done?” to discover the traditions couples edit out of their celebrations.
YOU DIDN’T MAKE THE LIST
No, you don’t have to invite the cousin who eats with his hands and hits on your friends or the great-aunt who wears musky per-
fume and side-eyes you at every opportunity. Go ahead and trim down that guest list. COVID-19 made microweddings OK.
“Couples are making their weddings more intimate and inviting the people they spend the most time with, as opposed to feeling forced to have a 200-person wedding with parents inviting coworkers and extended family,” Haslage says.
Singerman says she still plans many weddings in the 220-person guest list category and organizes events for beyond 450, but “many people are questioning the need to have hundreds of people at their weddings,” she relates. Intimate gatherings are an acceptable, appealing alternative.
For example, some of Singerman’s clients invite immediate family to an upscale dinner at a favorite, special restaurant and roll
out the top-shelf menu with wine pairings and multiple courses.
A SUSTAINABLE (AFFORDABLE) ‘I DO’
An engagement ring still symbolizes the union to come, but Haslage says lab-grown diamonds are growing in demand and more affordable, along with buying rings on Etsy or proposing with heirloom rings. “Universally, it’s definitely about cost savings,” she says, though the environmental factor of science or upcycling doesn’t hurt.
SKIP THE PARTY
Let your bestie guests sit back and enjoy the nuptials — without shelling out for all the small things. Avoid all the nail-biting vacillating over who makes the bridal party cut. Your future sister-in-law doesn't have to be
a mandated maid of honor.
“We used to see lots of large wedding parties with everyone in matching dresses, and over the years, we’re seeing small wedding parties or none at all,” Haslage says. Dresses are color coordinated but range in style. “And we’re really open to a gender swap on both sides,” she notes of a guy in the bride’s party and vice-versa.
Younger couples are more likely to expand the party, Singerman says. “But most want their day to be simplified,” she relates. “They don’t want 12 girls in the room while they’re getting ready with music. It’s more about having a relaxing, calm day that is meaningful and genuine.”
CUT A SMALL CAKE
Large-scale curated cakes are more editorial and less palatable at modern weddings.
Now, couples are choosing a small cake to cut to observe tradition. And they’re stocking dessert tables with hand-helds and bitesized yummies like cookies and pies.
“‘We really don’t like cake,’” a couple told Singerman. “So, we did donuts with a huge display and got pictures of them taking bites out of their donuts so they didn’t miss out on that photo op.”
PICK A SEAT, NOT A SIDE
Ceremonies are no longer divided — his side, her side. Sit where you want.
But keep seating arrangements and thoughtfully placed name cards in play at the reception unless your theme is: let’s get awkward, here. “It’s a trend, and it should not be a thing,” Haslage says. “Without seating arrangements, there’s lots of confusion.”
SO PERSONAL
Cookie-cutter days with the quintessential cake topper and a banquet afterparty are pretty much over, Haslage says. “People really want to personalize their weddings and make it as unique and ‘them’ as possible,” she relates.
At a recent wedding for a baseball-loving couple, Haslage says servers passed out popcorn and Cracker Jacks at cocktail hour. Singerman orchestrated a wedding at the Cleveland Museum of Art where every detail tied into the venue in a Monet way. Tiny easels posed as name placards on reception tables.
“It’s a trend with the bride and groom really caring about the guest experience and trying to make it personal, so people leave remembering the intentional, personalized elements,” Singerman says.
Couples are ditching the cake and white roses for their special day, injecting color and character into food and decor options.
THE
ELLIOT
IS CLEVELAND’S MOST UNIQUE SPOT TO
celebrate an engagement plan a wedding shower pose for engagement photos host a rehearsal dinner walk down the aisle elope say, “I do.” toast to your marriage share a first dance toss a bouquet eat cake
celebrate an anniversary renew your vows support women-owned businesses
The Elliot was built with weddings in mind. Our spaces were carefully designed to host ceremonies, cocktail hours & receptions in one venue, offering you and your guests a seamless experience from the first kiss to the last dance.
| 216-200-8506 | hello@theelliotcle.com
THE LOCAL
WE d DING MARCH
Tour through some of Northeast Ohio’s more unique wedding venues. BY
KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE AND JULIA LOMBARDO
CLEVELAND IS MORE than what meets the eye for brides and grooms. Tucked sweetly between corn fields, bustling business districts are manicured museums, wineries, warehouses, churches and gardens doubling as refined event centers. Scenic and photogenic doesn't have to take you far outside the city for a wedding ceremony straight out of a movie.
But these days, the theatrics matter less; convenience and coziness are the priority.
“Definitely the one-stop shop is very popular so couples can knock off as many items on the wedding planning list as possible,
and unique spaces are appealing, too,” says Allie Hippler, former senior sales manager at Metropolitan at The 9. Especially in the years since the pandemic, Hippler reports seeing larger guest lists dwindle under 200.
“Also, we are seeing a move toward heavy hors d’oeuvre receptions and casual talking, than the formal sit-down meals,” Hippler says. Not only does this alleviate the planning, but it gives room for personality to shine and authentic memories to be made.
Celebrate the city's flair in the heart of the place you call home, and walk the aisle of venues available in Northeast Ohio.
THE AVIAToR
Let love soar on the outskirts of Cleveland Hopkins Airport at this unique, upscale event center and pub. Customizable wedding venues and planning packages make you the pilot of your special day. Collaboration with staff and local vendors provides couples streamlined options for food, table settings, decor, florists and photographers. 20920 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, 216-770-5300, aviatorcle.com
Collision Bend Brewery
If you’re more barley-and-hops than wineand-cheese, this favored Flats brewery offers a range of packages and a menu with locally sourced ingredients. Guests can enjoy a more laid-back, casual wedding setting without compromising views. The waterfront patio is a claim to fame, as attendees can watch ships edge their way around the Cuyahoga River’s U-shaped bend, an omen for a memorable wedding day. 1250 Old River Road, Cleveland, 216-296-6601, collisionbendbrewery.com
The Elliot
The iconic Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church in Tremont offers 10,000 square feet of refurbished space underneath barrel-vaulted ceilings and chandeliers. Ballrooms can seat up to 200, for parties and gatherings of all kinds and sizes. Services include bars, planning, rentals and valet. 1415 Kenilworth Ave., Cleveland, 216-2008506, theelliotcle.com
Gish Barn
More than 100 acres of farmland offer a relaxed, natural setting at this 1820s Germanic bank barn with a combination of woods, manicured lawns and gardens. Since it was renovated (with a mind to retain its original character), modern amenities accommodate vendors including catering and audiovisual. A 200-person capacity includes covered outdoor sections and indoor event spaces such as a ceremony area. 530 Gish Road, Rittman, 330-441-9974, gishbarn.com
Glidden House
If a classic touch is your taste, consider an elegant wedding in this French gothic mansion circa 1910. You’ll feel like vintage royalty at this spot on Case Western Reserve University’s campus in University Circle. The venue can accommodate guests overnight in 60 boutique hotel suites. Outstanding gardens, an outdoor gazebo for unique ceremonies and indoor event spaces can host up to 150 for a romantic affair. 1901 Ford Drive, Cleveland, 216-231-8900, gliddenhouse.com
The Lantern Room
The Downtown views from this rooftop venue at the Church + State building offer a vintage-vogue vibe for an intimate celebration of up to 150 sit-down guests. It’s all about the surroundings here, plus it’s available seven days a week and has some high-tech features like a quality sound system. Take advantage of services including catering, bar, rental and staff. 2818 Church Ave., Cleveland, 216-307-1190, lanternroomcle.com
Casa La Luna
A rooftop eatery with authentic Tuscan cuisine, Casa La Luna offers spaces for intimate celebrations, yet can host over 100 guests with indoor and outdoor spaces. Located on Cleveland’s Superior Viaduct, guests can get front row access to skyline views. A patio converts into an enclosed veranda with floor-to-ceiling windows for a scenic yet weatherproof experience. 2100 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland, 216-440-6511, lalunacleveland.com
M Cellars Winery
We still think Ohio’s wine country doesn’t get enough love. Imagine wedding photos among the vines without having to travel far. Wining, dining and celebrating meet top-tier expectations in the Grand River Valley at a family-owned boutique winery. Rolling outdoor views speak for themselves, but add access to the indoor, vaulted-ceiling barn for more flair. It’s enough to fulfill the wildest wedding dreams. 6193 S. River Road W., Geneva, 440-361-4104, mcellars.com
Mapleside Farms
If country close to the city is what you’re after, Mapleside Farms delivers and accommodates parties of more than 300, offering indoor and outdoor spaces, a reception area and a slew of settings: ballroom, barn, farm and ranch, beach, waterfront, historic venue, loft, tented, vineyard. You can also access its catering along with planning and rentals, making this farm venue a turnkey experience. 294 Pearl Road, Brunswick, 440-845-0800, mapleside.com
Metropolitan at The 9
Swanky, luxurious and cosmopolitan: If this suits your theme, Metropolitan at The 9 is a fit. Exchange vows on the rooftop lounge with views of the city skyline, or plan an intimate gathering in the speakeasy. The Mint Ballroom, with its golden walls and crystal chandeliers, accommodates up to 250 guests. Amenities include full-service food, beverage, planning, rentals, equipment and staff. 2017 E. Ninth St., Cleveland, 216-239-1200, metropolitancleveland.com
Lady Caroline
Take to the lake! There may be nothing more Cleveland than cruising, dancing, dining and celebrating with guests on Lake Erie. With three enclosed decks, an open-air space and full entertainment packages, the iconic private charter ship can accommodate up to 250 guests. But those with less in mind can still keep it casual with a close-knit crew. 1153 Main Ave., Cleveland, 216-696-8888, ladycaroline.com
Music Box Supper Club
This snazzy venue on the Flats West Bank offers three customizable wedding packages and a choice of four unique spaces: the supper club, private dining room and mezzanine, rooftop or concert hall. Amenities include premium bar service, cuisine from chef Dennis Devies, along with all the tech and furnishings you need to host a memorable affair. 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland, 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com
Mooreland Mansion
Say “I do” in a neoclassical mansion among picturesque gardens. Centered on Lakeland Community College’s campus, the venue’s amenities include a dressing room, full catering, rentals and staffing. It hosts up to 150 guests. 7800 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland, 440525-7306, lakelandcc.edu
oRCHID HoUSE WINERY
Transport your wedding guests from suburban Ohio to wine country, among grass- and tree-lined gardens or indoor event spaces boasting homey and charming architecture. The main winery accommodates 175 guests for a traditional seating arrangement, or up to 220 for other setups. Couples can also opt for partial rentals for intimate gatherings. Enjoy a full bar and other catering options provided by the venue staff. 155 Treat Road, Aurora, 330-562-9245, orchidhousewinery.com
Red Space
If you’re looking for a modern blank canvas with some artsy flair, Downtown Cleveland’s Red Space includes an 8,000-square-foot Grand Warehouse with 15-foot ceilings that can accommodate up to 450 seated guests. Settings include a ballroom, historic venue, industrial warehouse space, rooftop and loft. Plus, it provides a bar and catering. 2400 Superior Ave., Cleveland, 216-223-7731, redspaceevents.com
SAPPHIRE CREEK WINERY
Orchid House Winery’s sister venue is sure to host weddings to the same caliber. This idyllic hidden gem on the East Side offers both indoor and outdoor options for ceremonies that facilitate anywhere between 10 and 200 guests. Have a fairytale-esque experience among landscaped gardens, or opt for one of multiple pavilions that offer a rustic, modern vibe. Either way, the venue will cater all food and drink needs with topnotch service. 16965 Park Circle Drive, Chagrin Falls, 440-543-7777, sapphire-creek.com
Tenk West Bank
It was a machine and tool factory; now it’s a character-rich warehouse with two event spaces featuring exposed brick, metal beams and expansive windows. North Bay can accommodate 350-450 at ceremonies or receptions, and the more intimate Atrium seats 80. Some extras: a bridal suite and Tenk’s mahogany chairs and tables. A dedicated planner, Marigold Catering & Events, makes this a full-service venue. 2111 Center St., Cleveland, 216-566-5400, marigoldcatering.com
The Rookery
Go rustic at this 562-acre park with a covered bridge and The Great Heron Lodge. While there is no kitchen, you can invite in an approved caterer — and bring your own bar. Amenities include tables, chairs, setup and cleanup. Affordability is a highlight, charging only a $100 fee for a ceremony and reception with 17 hours of rental time if you’re not a county resident. 10110 Cedar Road, Munson Township, 440-286-9516, geaugaparkdistrict.org
Truss Cleveland
Have a rooftop in mind? Truss delivers. From 100 feet above the Ohio City neighborhood, guests are surrounded by elevated city views, featring the historic West Side Market across the street. Truss is inside Intro, the tallest mass timber structure in the country — and aside from accommodating up to 300 guests, it has full catering, planning, equipment and staffing services. 2061 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-294-1900, trusscleveland.com
VIA RoMA
Find “amore” among modern takes on traditional Italian cuisine and exceptional wedding services. Whether your guest list is 16 or 350, the hybrid restaurant and event center offers venues ranging from traditional ballrooms to a private wine cellar. A dedicated staff works with each couple for a customized wedding experience, offering services pertaining to food, wine pairings, florists and more, so all you need to do is show up. 8922 Ridge Road, North Royalton, 440-672-7662, viaromacle.com
HOME DECOR IN THE LAND
As you head into 2025, let these renovation projects and tips inspire you to make big or small upgrades to your favorite place.
STORIES BY KATE BIGAM KAPUT, KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE AND CHRISTINA RUFO
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS
PAINT COLOR
RAIN CLOUD
A TINT IN TIME
Sherwin-Williams unveils its first-ever Color Capsule of the Year for 2025, featuring hues that emulate new trends while honoring the brand’s coveted history in Cleveland. BY
CHRISTINA RUFO
Marking 15 years of a vibrant tradition, Sherwin-Williams expands its Color of the Year into a capsule collection showcasing nine varying shades like Rain Cloud, Grounded and White Snow, designed to inspire stunning and versatile combinations.
“After doing a single Color of the Year for the last 15 years, we realized that we wanted to offer consumers something more than just one color. By offering an entire capsule, we realized we could provide options for everybody — homeowners, designers and professional painters alike — to find something that speaks to them and create their own color story,” explains Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams.
The colors in the capsule feature whites, browns, purples and blues. According to Wadden, the colors chosen are meant to tell a story of both the past and future. The mix of shades represent where the trends are going, while highlighting the most essential colors from SherwinWilliams’ collection, including picks from the Colormix Forecast, Designer Color Collection and other unexpected shades that the team is excited to see out in the world.
“Nostalgia is having a big impact on design, and people are craving those authentic pieces of the past in their homes,” says Wadden. “The capsule feels very eclectic and reminiscent of the 1970s, which is making a comeback in home and design, but we added a few modern shades to keep it feeling fresh and fun.”
The wide range of color choices in the capsule allow for the hues to be used in every room, every home and for every look.
“For bedrooms, I’d recommend picking one of the dark browns in the capsule, Clove SW 9605 or Grounded SW 6089, to create a dramatic, luxurious yet restorative sanctuary — especially in a master bedroom,” says Wadden. “I’m also biased toward recommending Sunbleached SW 9585 for bedrooms, since it’s currently the color on my bedroom walls. The very modern white from our Designer Color Collection is an airy light neutral that is deeper than white, not quite gray, and ventures beyond beige or taupe.”
As for the upcoming trends, Wadden suggests that neutrals will remain essential as they provide a grounding element and a backdrop for personal expression. “But we anticipate a growing appetite for bolder, more saturated hues as homeowners and designers look to infuse spaces with individuality,” she further explains.
With Downtown Cleveland being the home of SherwinWilliams, and the company’s new skyscraper headquarters having recently finished construction in October,
Wadden expressed the impact the city has on the brand’s color marketing.
“Cleveland’s industrial heritage, combined with its vibrant arts scene and natural beauty along Lake Erie, plays a key role in shaping Sherwin-Williams’ approach to color,” Wadden states. “The city embodies a balance of history and innovation, much like our palettes. Its architecture and seasons inspire our deep, grounding neutrals, while its artistic community and revitalized neighborhoods encourage us to explore playful, eclectic shades like Bosc Pear SW 6390.”
Who knew Cleveland could have such a big impact on painting selections? “While our reach is global, Cleveland’s resilience and creativity are at the heart of our color story,” Wadden says.
The alchemy of the color palette may serve as a creative toolkit for designers, representing their own role in combining the colors with textures, materials and furnishings to create distinctive spaces. According to Wadden, homeowners might see it as an invitation to use the capsule to craft environments that feel personal, meaningful and elevated — like creating their own “magic” at home.
OL’ RELIABLES
Cleveland-area designers share the piece of home decor they can’t live without.
BY KATE BIGAM KAPUT
You don’t need a full-scale home makeover to breathe new life into your decor. Sometimes, all it takes to subtly upgrade your space is the addition of a few thoughtful, well-placed pieces. Not sure where to start? We asked local interior designers about the items they love most — the ones they keep coming back to, project after project, to make their clients’ houses feel like home.
LINDSEY
PUTZIER DESIGN COMPANY LOVES…
Decorative Trays from Mark and Graham
HIM&HIS LOVES…
Taper Candles from Floral Society
SHAKER INTERIORS LOVES…
Dip-Dyed Alpaca Throw from Johanna Howard
Satisfy an empty space by filling a decorative tray with items that are both ornamental and useful. Hudson-based designer Lindsey Putzier calls this her go-to move for setting a scene. “Style a tray with glasses and decanters in a dining area or with plants and coasters in a family room,” she suggests. “For a bedroom, add a vase, a faux floral and a small bowl for jewelry; in the bathroom, a small basket for tissues and an assortment of bath products.” Putzier’s favorite option is the customizable trays that come in bamboo, raffia, leather and more. $89-169, markandgraham.com
Candlesticks are a simple, affordable way to elevate any space, whether you’re looking for a moody lighting shift or styling a scene on your mantle. Adam Pastors and Rob Oriti, principal designers of Him&His, love combing through secondhand store Table for 2 for vintage candlestick holders and macabre-chic candelabras, then filling them with Floral Society’s various sizes of colorful, braided candles. “I love the way a candle looks after it’s burned partway through,” Pastors muses. “Light them for just a little bit, then blow them out and keep them for styling purposes.” $11-140, thefloralsociety.com (also available at Madewell at Pinecrest)
Nothing makes a home feel cozy quite like a big, soft blanket — and this ombre-toned option from SwedishAmerican designer Johanna Howard is softer than most. Hand-woven by artisans in Portugal and Peru, each 51-by-71 inch throw blanket is made of 100% baby alpaca fur. “I use these in the majority of my projects,” says Nikki Pulver of Shaker Interiors. “They’re a splurge, but none of my clients have ever regretted having one — or multiples — in their home.” With 18 vibrant colors to choose from, they bring on-demand luxury to the back of any sofa or the foot of any bed. $525, johannahoward.com
Stroll through the Doorway to Spring for front porch design inspiration and explore this year’s Garden Showcase featuring outdoor living spaces.
NEW YEAR, NEW HOME
Gain inspiration from the design world on what’s “in” for indoor decor this year.
BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE
High Point Furniture Market and Fashion Snoops, a trend-forecasting fleet of designers, identified four consumer movements for the new year. Those are “Fresh Coast,” emphasizing minimalist design; “Outlands” for rustic charm; “Sanct,” to celebrate heritage craftsmanship and “Equilibrium,” blending simplicity and luxury.
“Forecasting takes into account what’s happening in the world and across cultures,” says Nancy Kraig, an assistant professor of interior design at Cuyahoga Community College. With marketplace insight and her classroom’s collective inspo-gathering, Kraig touches on what’s moving into our interior environments in 2025.
Gray probably won’t ever go away completely in the Northeast Ohio market — thanks to greige, which introduces warmth into the longtime neutral favorite. But during the last 18 months, we’ve seen color schemes warm up to wood tones. Shades of latte, ivory and beige cover walls, and saturated greens and navies grace cabinet. There’s also a return to retro rust and goldenrod, along with burgundy entering the mix in an overall “grounded” colorway. “We’re seeing the brown tones from that era along with curvatures in furnishings and accessories, such as arched windows, picture frames, mirrors and accessories,” Kraig says.
2. GO GRANDMILLENNIAL
Think grandma’s classic prints, throwback patterns, textiles like chintz and sheers and old-school upholstery detail such as trim and tassels. Grandmillennial is homey yet updated, familiar yet nuanced — much in the way fashion pieces return to the scene with a twist. “We’re seeing more textured ceilings and adding more moldings, going from plain walls to chair rails and additional trim,” Kraig says. Picture rails, panels, crown molding, beadboard and other trim treatments are a cost-effective way to add interest to a boring wall and bring a living space into the Grandmillennial era, Kraig points out.
3. CALM DOWN
Declutter, minimize and introduce fresh vibes in the simplest ways, such as houseplants that add life and promote health. Sustainability transcends to furnishings in a quality way. “We’re seeing less buying of ‘fast furniture’ that you’ll throw away in a few years and investing in pieces that will last,” Kraig says, noting that traditional neutral furnishings in creams, browns and taupes can stand the test of time and stay on trend with throws and pillows in relevant colors.
4. STATEMENT FLOORS
When luxury vinyl plank (LVP) was introduced, some of its shortfalls to good, old hardwood included bubbling and peaking at joints, plus a plastic look that lacked features of true wood. Those days are long gone, as many find the high-traffic-ready, water-resistant surface to be much more practical and just as appealing as the real deal. Now, we’re playing with LVP dimensions and patterns to create statement floors. “We’re seeing a lot of herringbone layouts and wider formats,” Kraig says. Porcelain has also evolved with wood-grained tiles for kitchens and bathrooms that wear well and handle spills. “Sustainability is important to some clients who are looking toward cork and bamboo,” she says. “People are thinking more about natural products and will definitely see this become more important.”
5. TIPPING TILES
You can always depend on the subway tile to be a kitchen backsplash staple, but what changes is its length, width and now the direction in which the tile is placed. It’s going vertical. “We’ve seen vertical subway tiles that are longer in size quite a bit, and it creates a whole different look,” Kraig says. “Plus, color palettes are going deeper to make a statement, including a return to jewel tones that all of the paint companies are definitely showing, and rich colors like navies, greens, cinnamon and gold-yellow tones.”
6. COLOR DRENCHING
A move toward saturating every surface in a room with the same color delivers bold yet calming appeal — the ultimate in monochromatic design. Try it out by incorporating the same color, or a combination of closely related tones, across every aspect of a space: walls, the ceiling, doors, baseboards, trim and so on. Select varying sheens, such as an eggshell finish for a wall and semi-gloss for molding and trim, Kraig suggests.
DEAR CLEVELAND MAGAZINE READERS,
WELCOME TO A SPECIAL SECTION DEDICATED TO THE PROGRESSIVE CLEVELAND BOAT SHOW , where we invite you to experience the world of life on the water. This event is more than just a boat show — it’s an opportunity to create cherished memories with family and friends. Boating offers something truly special: the chance to slow down, disconnect and share unforgettable moments surrounded by the beauty of Ohio’s waterways.
When my husband first mentioned buying a boat, I thought, “No one needs a boat!” Yet, that single decision transformed our lives in ways I never imagined. Over the past eight years, some of my happiest memories have been made on the water with my family. Boating has allowed us to bond, explore and discover a new world together. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of freedom and connection you get when you’re out on the water, sharing laughter and adventure with those you love.
I encourage you to explore the Cleveland Boat Show and see firsthand how boating can bring a lifetime of joy, connection and adventure to your family.
See you at the show, MICHELLE BURKE, Ohio Marine Trades Association
Plan ahead to make the most of your visit to the Progressive Cleveland Boat Show, Jan. 16-19 at the I-X Center. STORIES BY RUTH CORRADI BEACH
It’s a good thing the Progressive Cleveland Boat Show runs for four days, because there’s a lot to do! Buy, browse, learn, try, eat, play, fish — it’s all under one roof. Here’s a roundup of what you’ll encounter.
1 HUNDREDS OF BOATS FOR SALE
If you’ve been thinking about buying a boat, the Progressive Cleveland Boat Show is the place to do it. OMTA President Michelle Burke says, “The Boat Show is the sales event. The dealerships are there with their product to sell, and this is where you will get the best deal. Manufacturers offer special deals or rebates during boat shows that go away after it’s over.”
2 ON THE WATER OHIO BOATER EDUCATION CENTER
Learn about Ohio’s waterways and get inspired to go out and enjoy them. There will be boating safety courses and boating seminars, plus hands-on training in skills such as knot-tying. And if you’ve got any boating questions, Dockside Discussions is the place to bring them. Trained captains will be on hand to provide answers.
3 PROGRESSIVE INTERACTIVE FEATURES
The whole family can enjoy fun, interactive displays like the Progressive Skee the Country Experience (a boating-themed skee ball attraction). Hop aboard an advanced simulator to practice steering with the Sailing Challenge. There are plenty of other hands-on activities and giveaways, too.
4 LIVE MUSIC THROUGHOUT THE SHOW
What’s better during a Cleveland January than thinking about boating season? How about listening to island-style live music at the
same time? The show features continuous live performances from bands you may recognize if you spend your summer on the Lake Erie islands.
5 SHORES AND ISLANDS OHIO MAIN STAGE
This central stage will host more than bands — it will be a showcase for entertainment, talks and demonstrations.
6 PUT-IN-BAY PAVILION
“A number of Put-in-Bay businesses come to the show, along with the tourism bureau,” says Burke. And you can trick your tongue into thinking you’re in PiB, thanks to The Boardwalk’s famous lobster bisque. “There are people who come to the show for the bisque,” which is brought in fresh every day of the show, Burke notes.
7 UNIQUE ITEMS FOR THE BOATING LIFESTYLE
Dozens of vendors will be at the Boat Show, offering a whole range of must-haves for boaters. That means a wide variety of accessory displays featuring everything from fishing gear to fashion wear to nautical-themed home decor. You’ll also find vendors including marinas and dockage, brokerage displays, electronics, boat clubs, service centers, restaurants, travel info, kids’ boatbuilding kits and more.
8 LYMAN BOAT WORKS EXHIBIT
This year is the 150th anniversary of Lyman Boat Works, which built the famed wooden boats in Cleveland and then Sandusky. Peruse this exhibit honoring the rich history of these iconic vessels and take a cruise down memory lane. “Lymans were built and tested
JEFFREY KLAUM
on Lake Erie, so for so many Lake Erie boaters, that’s the boat they learned to boat on, to waterski on,” says Burke. “And if they didn’t have one, they certainly appreciate their beauty.”
9 TOYOTA TUNDRA FISHING STAGE
In partnership with the Lake Erie Walleye Trail (LEWT), this stage will feature hands-on fishing seminars for anglers of all levels, including insights on fishing techniques and answers to audience questions. Tournament-winning anglers and seasoned charter captains will offer expert advice on walleye, smallmouth bass and other species.
10 LAKE ERIE WALLEYE TRAIL KIDS FISHING CLINIC
Specially designed by great instructors, hands-on demos just for kids are hosted by LEWT professionals. This clinic is sure to inspire and educate young anglers.
11 BERKLEY TANK FISHING SEMINARS
Get up close with live fish at the 5,000-gallon Berkley Tank, a glass-sided tank filled with a variety of local fish. Local fishing pros give seminars atop the tank so you can see in real time how the fish react to different fishing techniques and lures.
12 ON THE WATER OHIO KIDS DISCOVERY AREA
This interactive area, designed specifically for young boaters, includes a kid-sized boat where children can learn, explore and spark their interest in boating. And with the Forever Lawn turf area, parents can pull up an Adirondack chair and watch their kids party like it’s summertime.
13 FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES
Don’t miss Twiggy the Waterskiing Squirrel, one of the most memory-making aspects of the Boat Show. Burke says, “People come in and say, ‘oh my parents took me to see Twiggy,’ or ‘my grandparents took me to see Twiggy;’ it’s nostalgia.” There are seminars and crafts for kids, too.
14 DIY WORKSHOPS AND MAINTENANCE TIPS
Attend workshops on boat maintenance, including DIY diagnostics and ceramic coating, taught by marine industry experts. Learn how to keep your boat or watercraft in tip-top shape, using your own skills.
15 CAREER COUNSELING AND INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
There are all sorts of fulfilling careers that relate to the water, from marine technician to boat captain to sales coordinator. The Ohio Marine Training Center offers a great opportunity to connect with marine industry professionals for career advice and explore job opportunities within the sector. There’s even a job board of open positions.
16 KAYAKING AND PADDLEBOARDING DEMOS
There are over a quarter-million registered paddlecrafts (kayaks, canoes and paddleboards) in Ohio, which translates to lots of folks on the water. The On the Water Ohio Paddling Pool activities include kayak re-entry tutorials, whitewater kayaking intro sessions and kayak sailing. You can even learn what to do if your kayak takes on water.
17 BOAT BUYING 101
The Progressive Cleveland Boat Show is a remarkable opportunity to tap into expert advice on all sorts of boating-related topics. This seminar for first-time buyers includes lots of information on choosing the right boat, along with Q&A opportunities.
18 SAFETY DEMONSTRATIONS
Representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will be on hand to talk about essential boating safety protocols. Certified instructors will answer any questions, too.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR VISIT TO THE PROGRESSIVE CLEVELAND BOAT SHOW:
HAVE A GAMEPLAN. If your plan is to wander and look, then go for it. If your plan is to buy a boat, review your budget, ask yourself some key questions (see “What Type of Boat Suits Your Lifestyle?” on page 10) and write down any questions you can think of.
BRING THE WHOLE CREW. There are so many things for kids to do, from learning pint-sized fishing techniques to frolicking in the Forever Lawn “grass.” And, if you’ve got everyone there, you can pile into the boat you’re considering and figure out where everyone will sit.
TAKE NOTES. You can ask captains about driving a boat, anglers about landing a walleye and paddleboarders for tips on balance. Bring a notebook and pen so you don’t forget any of it.
LEAVE WINTER OUTSIDE! It’s warm in the I-X Center, and with live music, boats, summery snacks and overall sunny atmosphere, you can — and should — ride the wave of summertime vibes.
TRANSFORMATIVE TALES
Find out how boating has enhanced the lives of individuals and families throughout Ohio.
FINDING JOY
There’s a certain joy that’s particular to boaters — a deep contentment that can be found only on the water. Angler Brian Zarembski traces that joy back to his childhood in Michigan. “I’m from a family of fishermen,” he says. “My dad took my brother and me out fishing as far back as I have memories, since I was probably three or four years old.”
Zarembski says he loved the whole experience of fishing, “getting up early in the morning, being with my brother and my dad, my mom making us sandwiches, driving out to the lake — the whole experience in addition to catching fish.”
His dad has since passed away, but he and his brother (who still lives in Michigan) fish together about 20 days a year.
Zarembski has been in Ohio for over two decades, and he’s continued the father/son boating tradition with two of his own sons.
“They like the fresh air, the water, being out with friends and family, fighting the fish — the sport of it — and then eating what they catch,” he shares.
As the owner of Erie Marine Sales, Zarembski feels fortunate to be able to help other people find their way to the joy of fishing on Lake Erie. “It’s about helping people get in the right boat to create memories with friends and family. Lots of people work their whole lives and spend money on a boat, and I want to make sure that they’re getting what they’re looking for.”
Scan the QR code to see Lara and three other boaters reflect on their love of the water.
A RELAXING MORNING RITUAL
Lara Wilken has found what she was looking for on the lake, and it came about in an unexpected way. In around 2019, she says, her family’s move from their 5-acre farm created major upheaval in her life. During the move, the family stayed in their boat house for a bit.
“I started taking our dinghy out on the lake in the morning to watch the sunrise,” she says.
It transformed her life. She now goes out just about every day the weather allows. “It’s a place I go to meditate, sketch and clear my head. No two sunrises are the same, and how fortunate I am because of this, to be present the precise moment when the sun first kisses the sky.”
Wilken is especially proud of the fact that she feels the confidence to be a woman alone out on the water. “While I know I am not the first [solo] woman boater, nor will I be the last, I feel like a pioneer of sorts at times having taught myself to boat in the Cove, now being confident enough to navigate larger bodies of water alone,” she says.
Wilken’s 17-year-old daughter Delilah, inspired by her mother, earned her boating license even before she earned her driver’s license. “I’d see my mom out on her little boat in the morning and thought that was something really cool I wanted to do one day. [And now] I like waking up in the morning and going out by myself,” says Delilah. “It’s really peaceful. The lake is such a constant — I could spend the rest of my life on the water.”
She also likes taking her younger brother, Lyman, out on the water with her. Lyman is named for Lyman boats, because their father, Jake, grew up on Lyman boats, thus continuing this family tradition. Chances are, Lyman will be the next Wilken forging his own path on the waters of Lake Erie.
BUYING BOAT 101
Thinking about a boat? Here’s what to consider before you buy.
So, you want to buy a boat? The Progressive Cleveland Boat Show is the perfect place to start. That’s for a couple reasons, says Jim Armington, vice president of Buckeye Sports Center. “A lot of dealers carry one or two brands [in their store] and say, ‘This is the one for you,’ but you want to decide that for yourself. So, go to the Boat Show. Of the specific type of boat you are looking for, there will be eight to 10 brands.”
Armington continues, “The Boat Show is where a lot of manufacturers have incentives they offer dealers to pass along, just during that period. Often there are deals that can be taken advantage of just at the Boat Show. Closeouts, for instance: Our 2024s are at the lowest prices of the year, and those go the first day or so.”
That means you can ask questions about specific aspects of the exact boat you could own by the end of the day. Plus, you can even grab your crew (so to speak) and climb aboard to make sure everyone has a satisfactory place to sit and the amenities you want are all there.
It’s important to note that unlike at a car show, where visitors go to look at cars, at boat shows, “you are going there to buy a boat,” says Michelle Burke of OMTA. “It’s possible to put in a custom order, for sure, but all the boats in the show are for sale.”
It might seem overwhelming to buy a first boat — even tough to know exactly what questions to ask. Definitely do some of your own research beforehand, but rest assured that the boat dealers at the Progressive Cleveland Boat Show have walked customers through the process many times.
In fact, buying a boat is as easy as buying a car, but with even better terms because the payments can be extended for up to 20 years, making the monthly cost fit any budget.
Every boat dealer is trained and well-versed in handling the financing arrangements in a no-hassle way for each customer. “A good salesperson should be very familiar with high-level budgeting,” adds Tom Mack, OMTA past chairman and board member and owner of Tom Mack Yachts.
Consider Trade-Ins
Like with cars, trade-ins are welcome when buying a boat. Bert Ammerman, owner of Erie Marine Boats, Lifts and Docks, explains, “Sometimes people want to come in and make a trade, and even if they didn’t buy it from us, we’ll help them find a larger boat. It’s pretty common [for dealers] to take trades.”
First-time buyers can benefit from those trade-ins, says Armington. “We have a lot of people who, during COVID, bought a boat. And now that they’ve been using it, they know exactly what they want. They’re coming in to trade in for the boat that has exactly the options, features and horsepower they want, and they’re ordering at a good preseason price, so we store it for them and make sure they have a new boat for springtime.”
Those previously owned boats are a good option for first-time boat buyers, especially when purchased through reputable dealers, like those at the Boat Show, who will perform a mechanical inspection before taking in a preowned boat or selling one to a customer.
There are a lot of aspects to consider when buying a boat, just as with any other major purchase. The Boat Show is a well-organized, all-in-one location in which to do your shopping.
The bottom line is, this is a good time to buy a boat, says Mack, in large part because you’re sure to find a good deal. But equally important, Mack notes, is that there’s no time like the present. “Life is short, and days are ticking off,” he says. “We’re only here for so long. Assuming boating is what you want to do and how you want to spend quality time, now is the time to buy it.”
Just as with a house, there are some expenses involved with owning a boat that go beyond the purchase price, including insurance, storage, dockage and maintenance.
There’s also the cost of gas for the boat and, if it’s going to be towed, gas for the tow vehicle. Armington explains how to address each of these financial factors: “We [boat dealers] handle all financing [just as car dealerships do], any of the storage, the extended warranty ... anything buyers need to make boating easier for them.”
When it comes to boating insurance, though, Armington recommends customers go through their insurance agents. “Most often, people will get their best insurance rate by going through their existing home and car insurance,” he says. “Bundling those can result in a better rate than if we were to send them to someone who just insures boats.”
Cedar Point Marina • Castaway Bay Marina • Sawmill Creek Marina
When you dock at a Cedar Point Marina, you will not only be at one of the finest marinas on Lake Erie, but also close to the fun and excitement of Cedar Point — A Place Like No Other®.
• Two Cedar Point Gold Pases including the All Park Passport — unlimited season-long access to Cedar Point, Cedar Point Shores, Kings Island and Legacy Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks
• Exclusive perks including Early Entry to Cedar Point plus discounts on food, merchandise and more
• Complimentary parking and Cedar Point peninsula shuttle service
• Access to essential amenities: including multiple restaurants & bars, convenience store, security, air-conditioned restrooms and showers, pool and spa, cable TV and much more Visit cedarpoint.com/marinas, email marinainfo@cedarpoint.com, or call 419.627.2334 for details.
Amenities vary by location.
Which Boat is Right for Me?
The answer to this question always starts with a whole list of other questions.
Just like with cars, there are many types of boats available, ranging from entry-level to luxury. It’s not just the size of the boat that determines its price, says Tom Mack, OMTA past chairman and board member and owner of Tom Mack Yachts. The more bells and whistles, the higher the price.
FISHING: Entry-level boats can be a perfect fit for fishing in Ohio’s many inland lakes and rivers. And, they can even work on Lake Erie during calmer weather. “But a more rugged, high-end boat that’s bigger, with a bigger engine, could get out more days and go farther out on [Lake Erie] in varied weather on rougher days,” Mack says.
CRUISING: Maybe you want a boat with overnight accommodations so you can spend lots of time on the water, exploring Ohio’s waterways. Consider your needs. Do you need a nice shower, a cooking galley or separate sleeping quarters?
ENTERTAINMENT: If dropping anchor and swimming is your jam, or hanging out with friends and tubing, the sky’s the limit, Mack says. “Luxury pontoons can be as comfortable as anything in a house, with luxury seating, sound systems, generators and grills — like a floating oasis for entertainment.” Entry-level choices for entertainment will be less plush but still fun.
QUIZ: WHAT TYPE OF BOAT SUITS YOUR LIFESTYLE?
Ask yourself these questions (and bring your answers to your boat retailer):
1. Where do I envision going?
a. Within a bay
b. Out on Lake Erie
c. To the Lake Erie islands
d. As far as I can go with my vacation days
2. What’s my ideal day on the water?
a. Cruising
b. Island-hopping
c. Fishing
d. Tubing and swimming
3. How many people will be on the boat?
a. Just me
b. Just the two of us
c. The family
d. The whole team
4. What’s my purchasing budget?
5. What’s my yearly maintenance budget?
Our Great Lake Erie
BUSINESS. FOR PLEASURE. FOREVER.
Foundation is Lake Erie’s advocate for economic sustainability, legal defense, education, outreach and innovative sustainable technology. Our mission is to create and maintain a healthy Lake Erie, now and forever.
Jim Stouffer President
Show! Lake Erie Foundation continues
Play all day at the beach, boat or fish at the lake, hike the trails, and make memories that last a lifetime! Come for the day or stay for the week. Full hook-up campsites await at a MWCD lake near you!
CRAIG BASHEIN SUPER LAWYERS HONOREE
Bashein & Bashein
Craig Bashein has represented thousands of Ohio families who have lost loved ones or suffered catastrophic injuries in tragic incidents and over his career has recovered well in excess of half a billion dollars on behalf of his clients.
Bashein is the president of Bashein & Bashein Co., L.P.A., a highly respected law firm specializing in wrongful death and catastrophic injuries as a result of construction and worksite incidents, auto, truck and motorcycle accidents, defective products, unsafe premises, and workrelated injuries, as well as protecting the rights of state and federal law enforcement officers, fire fighters, service members, and our nation’s veterans.
SELECTION PROCESS
Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process.*
The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. We limit the lawyer ratings to those who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys.
The Super Lawyers selection process involves the steps outlined in the graphic (at right).
LEARN MORE SuperLawyers.com/SelectionProcess QUESTIONS? SL-Research@thomsonreuters.com
visit SuperLawyers.com
Search for an attorney by practice area and location, and read features on attorneys selected to our lists.
by a highly credentialed Blue Ribbon Panel of attorneys
HIGH STAKES LITIGATION + HIGH LEVEL M&A = C&G
Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP
Recognized for their tenacity and skill, Ciano & Goldwasser is a boutique law firm that clients rely on when the stakes are highest. With offices in Cleveland and Beachwood, the firm’s expertise spans Partnership Disputes, Sports Law, Commercial Litigation, Middle Market M&A, Sexual Assaults, Catastrophic Injuries, and Wrongful Death.
Standing L-R: Oliver Herthneck, Anastasia Wade, Brent S. Silverman*
Seated L-R: Denise Houlahan, Phillip A. Ciano*, Andy Goldwasser*, Quenna Bell
to Super Lawyers
Trial Lawyers for the Working Class
For over 25 years, Kelley Ferraro, LLC has been a premier advocate for working-class victims of asbestos-related diseases. As one of the largest asbestos litigation practices in the nation, Cleveland-based Kelley Ferraro has recovered over $1 billion for its clients.
Kelley Ferraro’s expansive mass tort practice includes advocating for those suffering from cancer and other health issues as a result of prescription drugs, defective medical devices, toxic exposures, and environmental contaminations. Additionally, the firm offers
personal injury, medical malpractice, discrimination, probate, and criminal defense services.
From the pandemic to the effects of inflation, America’s working class has faced enough challenges on its own. Let the experienced trial attorneys at Kelley Ferraro handle your legal challenges instead. We are committed to advocating on your behalf by challenging manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and more.
950 Main Ave. Suite 1300
Cleveland, OH 44113
PH: (216) 575-0777
Toll-Free: (888) 839-8479
kelleyferraro.com
Matt McMonagle
Super Lawyers Honoree
Pat Osborne
Rising Stars Honoree
Joyce Chambers Reichard
Rising Stars Honoree
Shawn Acton Super Lawyers Honoree
Alexandra S. Haynes Rising Stars Honoree
John Martin Murphy Super Lawyers Honoree
James L. Ferraro 2024 Florida Super Lawyers Honoree
TOP 100
TOP 10
BASHEIN, W. CRAIG
• Ranked Number Three •
CRANDALL, STEVE
FRIEDMAN, IAN N.
HELFMAN, JILL F.
LEFFLER, AMANDA M.
PATNO, CHRISTIAN R.
• Ranked Number Two •
RAY, FRANK A.
ROACH, ADRIENNE J.
TRENEFF, CRAIG P.
UNGAR, MICHAEL N.
• Ranked Number One •
Abboud, Antony A., Gounaris Abboud, Dayton Adams, Gregory L. Cincinnati Ahern, Ann-Marie
Arnold, James E. Bashein, W. Craig
Besser, Matthew D., Bolek Besser Glesius,
Blasik-Miller, Susan Bossin, Phyllis G. Cincinnati
Bowman, J. Scott
Butler, David J. Chandra, Subodh
Chesney, Michael N. Ciano, Phillip A.
Cosgrove, Paul, UB Greensfelder, Cincinnati Cozza, Andrea L.
Crandall, Steve
DiCello, Nicholas A.
Dimengo, Steven A.
DiSilvio, Marilena Doyle, Terrence F. (Terry)
Elliott, Rex H.
Fried, Adam M. Fried, Beachwood
Friedman, Heidi B.
Friedman, Ian N.
Friedman, Scott N.
Fuhrer, Loriann E.
Galeano, Judith E. Dublin
Gallucci III, Frank L.
Geiser, Michael K. Goldwasser, Andy Beachwood
Grant, David R.
Grossman, Andrew S.
Groza, Jonathon W.
Hannigan, Erinn McKee Koop Co, Cincinnati
Harris, Sean Haynes, S. Scott
Helfman, Jill F.
Hensel, A. J.
Horvath, Dennis E.
Howard, Barbara J. Cincinnati
Hughes, Maura L.
Jonson, George D. Cincinnati
Kadish, Matthew F.
Kadish, Scott P., UB Greensfelder, Cincinnati
Kelley, James M.
Kitrick, Mark Lansdowne, Dennis R.
Leffler, Amanda M. Akron
Leveridge, Julia L.
Lipcius, Jesse R., UB Greensfelder, Cincinnati Lyon, Michael F. Cincinnati
Malemud, Franklin C., McDonald Hopkins, McKinlay, Amy M., McKinlay Law Offices,
Meister, Julia B. , Taft, Cincinnati Menashe, Diane, The Menashe Law Group, Mester, Jonathan D.
Miller, Brian G.
Mirman, Denise
Mitchell, John R.
Moore, Daniel N.
Mordino, Joseph T., Faulkner and Tepe, Cincinnati
Mullin, Jeanne M.
Myers, Kelly Mulloy Cincinnati
Nowlin, Ryan P.
O’Connell, Matthew C., Sutter O’Connell Co.,
O’Shea, John L. Cincinnati
Paris, David M.
Patno, Christian R.
Pelini, Craig G.
Pera, Marc G.
Peschke, Joel L.
Price, William J.
Ray, Frank A.
Reagan, John J.
Reynolds, Christopher R.
Rinehardt, John K., Rinehardt Injury Attorneys, Mansfield
Rittgers, Charles H. Lebanon
Rittgers, Ellen B. Lebanon
Roach, Adrienne J. Cincinnati
Rourke, Michael J.
Rutter, Robert P.
Saia, Jon J.
Schaefer, David A.
Schneiberg, Jerald A.
Scott, Craig P.
Scott, John C., Faulkner and Tepe, Cincinnati
Scott, Stuart E.
Sferra, Anne Marie
Shlonsky, Patricia A.
Shroyer, David I.
Silverman, Brent S. Beachwood
Smith, Zachary D.
Sullivan, K. James
Taggart, Carolyn A. Arthur, Cincinnati
Treneff, Craig P.
Tucker, Michael S.
Ungar, Michael N.
Weis, Amy
Williams, Christopher S.
Young, Andrew R.
Ahern, Ann-Marie
Biacsi, Mary J.
Blasik-Miller, Susan
Bossin, Phyllis G. Cincinnati
Cozza, Andrea L.
DiSilvio, Marilena
Frantz Oldham, Megan J., Plakas Mannos, Akron
Friedman, Heidi B.
Fuhrer, Loriann E.
Galeano, Judith E. Dublin
Goins, Frances Floriano, UB Greensfelder,
Hannigan, Erinn McKee Koop Co, Cincinnati
Helfman, Jill F.
Howard, Barbara J. Cincinnati
Hughes, Maura L.
Jakubs, Michele L.
Jodka, Sara Kemp, Jacqueline L.
Khouzam, Marie-Joëlle C., Bricker Graydon,
Kirila, Jill S. Lampe, Lynn
Leffler, Amanda M. Akron
Leveridge, Julia L.
Love, Julia Ann
MacAdams, Pamela J.
Martinsek, Amanda
McKinlay, Amy M., McKinlay Law Offices,
McLafferty, Sydney S.
Meister, Julia B. , Taft, Cincinnati
Menashe, Diane, The Menashe Law Group, Mirman, Denise
Monihan, M. Elizabeth
Mullin, Jeanne M.
Myers, Kelly Mulloy Cincinnati
Djordjevic & Marmaros, L.L.C. and specialized in representing victims of medical malpractice cases throughout the state and around the country. The members of the Preeminent® ®, the highest possible rating years of experience in medical malpractice and have successfully obtained in excess of $500 million in compensation for their clients.
Michael Djordjevic has been designated an Ohio Super Lawyers honoree for 20 consecutive years. He was named the Best Lawyers® The Best Lawyers in America® of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Ohio by The National Trial Lawyers. of one percent of all lawyers are chosen.
Peter Marmaros has been designated an Ohio Super Lawyers ®, listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and has ® of Ohio.
Law, where he served on the Law Review. He has devoted his life to the representation of families throughout the state of Ohio who have been catastrophically impacted by inappropriate medical care and treatment.
TOP 50 WOMEN
O’Neil, Colleen M.
Oliver, Jami S. Pollock, Stacy V., Pollock Law, Dublin
Rhinehart, Erin E., Faruki, Dayton
Rittgers, Ellen B. Lebanon
Roach, Adrienne J. Cincinnati
Sansalone, Monica A.
Santoni, Christine
Schraff, Patricia J.
Sferra, Anne Marie
Shlonsky, Patricia A., UB Greensfelder,
Silverman, Beth Cincinnati
Taggart, Carolyn A. Arthur, Cincinnati
Turnbull, Tracey L.
Wade, Claire I. Weis, Amy
TOP 50 CLEVELAND
Ahern, Ann-Marie
Bashein, W. Craig
Besser, Matthew D., Bolek Besser Glesius, Chandra, Subodh
Chesney, Michael N. Ciano, Phillip A.
Crandall, Steve Daiker, Paul B., Paul Daiker Law, Independence DiCello, Nicholas A.
Dimengo, Steven A.
DiSilvio, Marilena Doyle, Terrence F. (Terry)
Fried, Adam M. Fried, Beachwood Friedman, Heidi B. Friedman, Ian N.
Gallucci III, Frank L.
Goldwasser, Andy Beachwood
Grant, David R. Groza, Jonathon W.
Helfman, Jill F.
Hughes, Maura L.
Kadish, Matthew F.
Kelley, James M.
Kelly, Brian J. Lansdowne, Dennis R.
Leffler, Amanda M. Akron
Malemud, Franklin C., McDonald Hopkins, Mester, Jonathan D.
Mitchell, John R.
Mullin, Jeanne M. Nowlin, Ryan P.
O’Connell, Matthew C., Sutter O’Connell Co.,
Paris, David M.
Patno, Christian R.
TOP 50 COLUMBUS
Alton, John
Arnold, James E.
Bowman, J. Scott
Butler, David J. Cooper, Jr., Charles H. Cozza, Andrea L.
DeRose, Robert, Barkan Meizlish DeRose Cox,
Elliott, Rex H.
Evans, II, Gordon D.
Farolino, Shane A.
Foliano, Gregory B.
Friedman, Scott N.
Fuhrer, Loriann E.
Galeano, Judith E. Dublin
Garner, Richard M. Dublin
Geiser, Michael K.
Goldstein, David A.
Gosnell II, Gerhardt Gregory, Donald W.
Grossman, Andrew S.
Harris, Sean Haynes, S. Scott
Hensel, A. J. Horvath, Dennis E.
Jodka, Sara Kemp, Jacqueline L.
Khouzam, Marie-Joëlle C., Bricker Graydon, Kitrick, Mark Leveridge, Julia L.
Little, Jr., Marion H.
McKinlay, Amy M., McKinlay Law Offices, McLafferty, Sydney S. Menashe, Diane, The Menashe Law Group,
Pelini, Craig G.
Price, William J. Reynolds, Christopher R.
Rinehardt, John K., Rinehardt Injury Attorneys, Mansfield
Rutter, Robert P. Schaefer, David A.
Schneiberg, Jerald A.
Scott, Stuart E.
Shlonsky, Patricia A. Silverman, Brent S. Beachwood
Sullivan, K. James
Tucker, Michael S. Ungar, Michael N. Williams, Christopher S.
Young, Andrew R.
Zashin, Stephen S.
Meyer, David P. Miller, Brian G. Mirman, Denise
Mordarski, Daniel R. Oliver, Jami S. Pettit, Christopher R.
Ray, Frank A. Rourke, Michael J.
Russell, Christopher C.
Saia, Jon J.
Schneider, Karl H. Scott, Craig P.
Sferra, Anne Marie Shroyer, David I.
Stitt, Scott J. Treneff, Craig P. Weis, Amy
Gardineer, who was selected to the Rising Stars list this year. restructuring, business succession planning, ESOPs and
CORSARO
28039 Clemens Road Westlake, OH 44145 (440) 871-4022
With an unwavering commitment to getting injured clients fair compensation and holding the negligent accountable, Jared T. Brankamp is the managing attorney at Burnside for pursuing justice for underdogs through the court system. As a client-centered, aggressive and logical attorney, Mr. Brankamp spends considerable time listening to his clients’ side of their stories and strategizing with their best interests in mind. His meticulous attention to detail drives him to hold those responsible accountable so that his clients can receive the best possible outcome, every time.
Jacoby, Nicholas , Law Offices of Charles W. Kuzma, Corey Euclid
Marcellino, Samuel , Attorney and Counselor at Osborne, Patrick
Pace, Greg Szucs Deutsch, Ildiko
Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for
Selected to Super Lawyers
Selected to Super Lawyers
PERSONAL INJURY GENERAL: PLAINTIFF
PERSONAL INJURY GENERAL: PLAINTIFF
Selected to Super Lawyers
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Mark is currently a
Selected to Super Lawyers
ELDER LAW
The Super Lawyers selection process takes into account peer
CRIMINAL DEFENSE
Selected to Rising Stars
PERSONAL INJURY GENERAL: DEFENSE
assistant editor at the Akron Law Review
MARK S. GERVELIS
MICHAEL D. GOLDSTEIN
LINDSAY C. JONES
PHILIP J. KOREY
The Vindicator, the Ohio
STEPHANIE M. MEHLE
OHIO
CLEVELAND & COLUMBUS 2025
Selected to Super Lawyers
CHRISTIAN R. PATNO
PERSONAL INJURY GENERAL: PLAINTIFF
death attorney in Ohio, Chris Patno has been at the top of
Selected to Super Lawyers
LORI A. PINJUH
IMMIGRATION
Selected to Super Lawyers
PATRICIA J. SCHRAFF
ELDER LAW
Selected to Super Lawyers
RICK D. SONKIN
REAL ESTATE
aspects of business and real estate law. He represents both
JOHN C. WEISENSELL
a Specialist in Elder Law by The Ohio State Bar Association
Trust and Probate Law Section and Elder and Special Needs
Selected to Super Lawyers
ERIC W. TAYFEL
Selected to Super Lawyers JOHN P. THOMAS
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
efforts, he has consistently attained successful results for his also specializes in personal injury as well as Social Security
Association, Ohio Bar Association, Lake County Bar Association,
Selected to Super Lawyers JEFFREY D. ZIMON
Selected to Super Lawyers
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Inspiring spaces of character and revival
BY JULIA LOMBARDO
A MAJESTIC KEEP
Tour the royal, church-inspired castle that doubles as one of Cleveland’s most lavish Airbnb rentals.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 132
ROYALTY EXISTS here in Cleveland, and you can experience it as an Airbnb vacation rental. Reign over the animal kingdom minutes away at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, or keep yourself busy across the home’s sprawling amenities. Four bedrooms and two full (and one half) bathrooms accommodate up to nine guests, plus dedicated spaces for a game room, bar and outdoor patio that boast charmed, aged architecture. “Once it got to us, it was pretty unlivable,” say the current owners of the 1924 castle. Though furniture and decor were modernized to keep the
Dave Stokley, cofounder of HostPros, manages the castle rental for the owners, maintaining a nearly five-star rating among guests nationwide.
space lively, many of the home’s original bones withstood thoughtful renovations, including dark wood trim, a rounded kitchen entryway, wooden walls, ceiling beams and stained glass windows — crown jewels offering colorful natural light all across the home. Most notably, a large window rendition of Jesus Christ stands in one of the bedrooms, designed as a prayer room: a nod to the interior’s church-like layout. “We did our best to get [the home] back up to the standard it should be presented in,” the owners say. “That’s where we are today.”
COURTNEY FANTELLI, NEW HORIZON MEDIA GROUP
A Grand Entrance
Wendy LaForce Zambo
wendylaforcezambo@howardhanna.com
wendyzambo@oh.rr.com 440-361-0606
SPECTACULAR ESTATE
Elevate Your Lifestyle at 3377 E. Galloway Dr., Richfield
This totally renovated 5-bedroom, 6-bath home is the epitome of luxury and comfort. Nestled in the prestigious Glencarin development in the city of Richfield, this estate is set on a lushly landscaped, picturesque 1.2-acre lot. It offers everything you could ever need and deserve.
Key Features:
Location:
Lot Size:
First Floor
Details:
Bedrooms & Bathrooms: 5 spacious bedrooms and 6 beautifully appointed bathrooms.
Situated in the exclusive Glencarin development, known for its serene and upscale environment.
Expansive 1.2-acre lot with stunning landscaping. Arrive by entering the circular driveway and Portico. You will notice a 4-car garage and studio quarters above the garage.
Expansive Kitchen: A chef’s dream with state-of-the-art appliances, granite countertops, and a large island. The kitchen opens to a beautiful family room, perfect for casual gatherings and everyday living.
Beautiful Dining Room: An elegant space designed for entertaining guests in style.
Master Suite: A luxurious retreat featuring garden view blackout shades, an oversized glamour bath with a soaking tub, custom vanities, and a new shower. The suite also includes a walk-in custom closet with built-ins for abundant storage.
Covered Outdoor Patio: Featuring a gas fireplace, this area allows for seamless indooroutdoor living, perfect for relaxing or entertaining year-round.
BY LYNNE THOMPSON
A Cleveland Heights foyer was revamped to do more than serve as a place to meet and greet guests.
The Cape Cod-style home appeared to be ideal for a single person. The second floor consisted of three bedrooms and two full baths, spaces that could be relegated to owner’s and guest quarters, plus a home office or gym. But the new owner of the Cleveland Heights abode was an empty nester who wanted to age in place. That meant adding a first-floor owner’s suite — and utilizing every square foot of the existing main level, including the foyer.
Entertainment Extravaganza:
REDUCED $2,750,000
Lower Level: The ultimate entertainment space, featuring a Pub Room and Lounge area.
Indoor Basketball Court: Watch or join in the fun with a half-court indoor basketball setup, viewable from both above and below.
Theatre Room: Enjoy the latest Netflix series or a movie marathon in the large, stateof-the-art theatre room. Full Operating Kitchen and Bar: Perfect for hosting parties or family gatherings. Chilled Wine Room: A private, chilled wine room that can store up to 400 bottles, ideal for any wine connoisseur. Multi-Use Spa Room: Currently used as a spa, this room can easily be converted into a cigar lounge, with air filters already in place to ensure a comfortable environment.
Bonus Room/ Studio:
Located above the second garage, this versatile space can be used as a home office, art studio, or guest suite, offering endless possibilities for customization.
But like many foyers, this one was designed to be nothing more than an extension of the front door. Jackie Holzheimer, president of Holzheimer Interiors in Shaker Heights, recalls a plain area, perhaps 200 square feet in size, with a view of an equally plain 3-foot-wide staircase. The coat closet, she adds, was located off one side of the staircase, not conveniently placed near the front door.
“It was very bland, very uninspiring and not very welcoming from the inside and from the outside,” she says.
Holzheimer’s mission: to create an impressive entrance that functioned as a workspace and sitting area as well as a spot to greet guests.
Her plan involved removing the closet to open up a circular traffic flow through the first floor and adding 2-foot-deep closets on either side of the front door, features that facilitate entertaining the homeowner’s large family. The front door was flanked with sidelights and recessed so it was even with new closet doors rather than the exterior wall,
creating a depth to the house and allowing visitors to step directly into an open space.
That first impression is enhanced by a flared staircase created by gradually widening the bottom treads and replacing handrails, balusters and newel posts. Holzheimer replaced the white-oak floor with hickory.
“You can get a browner color cast into it, not as much yellow or orange that tends to come from a normal oak,” she explains. “And [the homeowner] didn’t want as much woodgrain.” The stairs, she adds, were stained a similar color.
Holzheimer chose a cream geometrically patterned rug made of pure wool — a material that’s easy to clean when regularly vacuumed — for the foyer floor and a diamond-patterned green, gray and taupe nylon runner for the stairs. The walls were painted Sherwin-Williams Dried Thyme, a color that complements the caramel-khaki and gray-green shades used respectively in the living-dining room and family room.
Holzheimer furnished the foyer with piec-
es from the homeowner’s prior residence. A Maitland-Smith game table with drawers and a top that flips from backgammon to a chess and checker board — surfaces she uses when entertaining grandchildren — doubles as a desk for paying bills, planning trips and working on her laptop. An antique wooden stool for a gaming opponent slides under the table when not in use.
On the other side of the space, two armchairs reupholstered in an off-white herringbone-patterned performance fabric were stationed on either side of a leather-tooled-top table, offering a place to change shoes or catch up with a friend. Silk kidney pillows add swirls of green and gold. The entire arrangement is illuminated by an antique brass Crystorama-brand fixture that casts intriguing shadows while still providing adequate lighting.
Holzheimer measures the success of her design by how much the homeowner uses it, even when there are no visitors around to entertain. “She’s in there all the time,” Holzheimer says.
Completely
RE/MAX
|
NORTH ROYALTON
Stunning colonial on a quiet low traffic street. Over 2500 sq. ft. PLUS an additional 1600 sq. ft. in its finished walk-out lower level. Quality built. Meticulously maintained. Four bedrooms and two and half baths. Many recent updates. Two-story great room with gas fireplace. Open floor plan. Expansive multi-level deck. Serene private BREATHTAKING one acre retreat.
RE/MAX REG | LOU BARBEE (440) 899-0000
WESTLAKE | $535K
Meticulous maintenance is the hallmark of this home. So warm. So welcoming. The vaulted family room features a gas fireplace and is open to the kitchen. Sliders lead to a large sunroom overlooking the manicured yard. Stamped brick patio. Two car attached garage. Convenient to all amenities. Low Westlake taxes. Great city services.
RE/MAX REG | LOU BARBEE (440) 899-0000
Carl Stokes had experience in the squared circle.
He grew up a street fighter in the Outhwaite Homes, one of Cleveland’s first public housing projects, and became a Golden Gloves boxer, bearing a scar on his forehead from a 1943 match.
Stokes also boxed during his time in Europe in the Army, and after his return stateside, he won a state collegiate boxing championship while a student in West Virginia
When a meeting of Black athletes and political figures was convened in Cleveland in 1967 about heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali’s refusal to report for military service — the famed “Ali Summit” — Stokes was there. Five months later, he would win the election to become the first Black mayor of a major city in America.
Stokes saw the value of boxing as a tool for physical fitness, as well as keeping young boys off the street. He appointed Wilfred “Whiz Bang” Carter, a former boxer who had trained him, to the boxing and wrestling commission with the idea of making Cleveland a prominent destination for prizefights.
And on Jan. 20, 1969, while he was watching Golden Gloves training at Lakeview Terrace — another local public housing project in Ohio City — he had no qualms lacing up some gloves himself. His sparring opponent was Ernesto Negron, a featherweight — a weight class at which Stokes himself had fought. Still in his shirt and tie, Stokes’ footwork kept his opponent off-balance.
Two months later, Stokes watched the Golden Gloves finals.
Negron had lost in the preliminaries, but the big success story from the event was a heavyweight from Youngstown named Earnie Shavers, who would go on to a successful pro career and who showed as a young Golden Glover that he possessed punching power.
WHEN EVERYTHING MATTERS
Meaden & Moore provides you with the expertise to solve today’s challenges while understanding the importance of your strategy, vision, your team, and everything else that matters.
