entrepreneurship : Development News

On March 27, the Greater Cincinnati Indpendent Business Alliance is hosting a workshop that will focus on the unseen benefits of nurturing and supporting local independent businesses.
 
“This event provides a unique opportunity to explore the beneficial impact an independent business alliance can provide Cincinnati and the community,” says Owen Raisch, CiNBA’s founder.
 
CiNBA was started in March 2012 Raisch visited the American Independent Business Alliance’s national conference. Since then, Raisch has been working with businesses around Xavier University, including Betta’s Italian Oven, Betta’s Café Cornetti, Center City Collision, Baxter's Fast Wheels, Listermann Brewing, Kleen Print Products, Cincinnati Cash Mob and Beans and Grapes.
 
All of CiNBA’s members except Center City Collision worked with Xavier students to assess business models and develop their businesses. Over 60 students were involved in classes that range from an MBA management project to undergraduate graphic design courses.
 
CiNBA is the recipient of a Fuel Cincinnati grant that funded Raisch’s trip to the AIBA conference, and paid for CiNBA’s first year of membership to the organization.
 
“The grant and membership to AIBA provided startup support and promotional materials that were critical to the current level of CiNBA’s development,” says Raisch. “I’m very appreciative of Fuel’s support. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
 
The workshop will feature a presentation by Jeff Milchen, founder and director of the first International Business Alliance. The free event will be held at Beans and Grapes in Pleasant Ridge at 8:15 a.m. Contact Raisch at 937-402-6596 for more information.

By Caitlin Koenig
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About six years ago, the owners of Over-the-Rhine’s oft-frequented MOTR began looking for a larger space for concerts. And they found one right across the street: the Woodward Theater.
 
“When we brought MOTR to OTR, we wanted to insert the local music community into the arts and culture discussion in Cincinnati,” says MOTR co-owner Dan McCabe. “By expanding across the street, that discussion gets a little louder.”
 
MOTR has been the OTR hotspot for free music for the past few years, and the Woodward will help attract larger bands that are too big to play MOTR. The concerts at the Woodward will be ticketed, with advance tickets available.  
 
“We want to see people from outside Cincinnati to see what OTR is,” says McCabe. “Musicians that play the Woodward will be coming from cities like New York, where the cost of living is high. They might consider relocating to Cincinnati, which has a great support base for musicians and the platform to build a crowd base. It’s also centrally located for touring.”
 
The Woodward’s new owners also want it to be used as more than a music venue. “I’d love to show films and host private events too,” says McCabe. “OTR is an event-driven neighborhood, and we want the Woodward to be a resource to the community.”
 
The Woodward has been used in recent years as an antiques warehouse, and hasn’t been an active storefront for a long time, says McCabe. In the next few weeks, construction will begin on the theater’s façade, including getting the lights on the outside working.
 
McCabe and his business partners are still working on plans for the inside. “We basically have a white box on the inside with a balcony, and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”
 
This year is the Woodward’s 100^th birthday—it opened on June 18, 1913. The guys of MOTR have a big event planned for the building’s birthday, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for more information.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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You may have tried tongue tacos from Taco Azul, one of Cincinnati’s food trucks. And in a few weeks, its owners, Gary and Tracy Sims, will be opening Barrio Tequileria at the corner of Hamilton and Spring Grove Avenue in Northside.
 
The Sims chose Northside because it reminds Gary of urban Los Angeles. He's a Cincinnati native, but lived in L.A. for 20 years before moving back to his hometown. He says he’s always wanted to open a bar, and he thinks he's found the perfect space with a great patio.
 
Barrio will serve authentic Mexican food that has its roots in the barrios of L.A. and the streets of Mexico. The restaurant’s menu will be different from the food truck, says Gary, but they will be serving the tacos that many Cincinnatians have come to love—specifically the tongue, carne asada, chicken, veggie and chorizo tacos.
 
The menu will also feature Baja style beer battered fish tacos, seviche, al pastor on rotisserie, queso fundido cheese dip with chorizo and guacamole. There will also be rotating specials that reflect foods from the different regions of Mexico like moles and enchiladas.
 
But the main draw of Barrio is its drinks, which will be made with handmade fusion tequilas, says Gary. One of the key elements to the restaurant’s drink menu is the Sangrita: tomato juice served with a shot of tequila—it’s a spin on the traditional Bloody Mary.
 
And of course, there will be margaritas. Handmade, not blended, and made with fresh juices. A cucumber margarita is in the works, as well as a jalapeno or habanero one for those that like their drinks a bit spicier.
 
“We want to help make Northside a destination spot in Cincinnati like the Vine Street corridor is downtown,” says Gary. “In the next few months, a bourbon bar will be joining us on the corner, and we want to help revitalize the area.”
 
Barrio Tequileria is slated to open in the beginning of April. The restaurant will host its patio grand opening on May 4 and 5 for Cinco de Mayo.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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As of March 4, West Price Hill’s Caribe Carryout is now near Bogart’s on Short Vine. Several people who wanted to buy into his business had approached Basil Balian, the restaurant’s cofounder, but the traffic at the West Side location didn’t justify expanding.
 
Balian chose to move to Short Vine because of its potential for a higher customer base. “It’s all about location, location, location,” he says. “I’m excited and encouraged by all of the housing and restaurants sprouting up along the street. I believe the street will become a magnet for food lovers, and I trust that we’ll get our fair share of foot traffic.”
 
Caribe’s menu much the same; it features homemade empanadas and rice and stews prepared daily. But Balian and his business partner Russell Laycock have amped up the spice. Laycock is known as “Mr. Spice,” and he’s brought his expertise to Caribe’s spice mixtures and sauces.
 
“Even though Caribbean food isn’t generally spicy, with the exception of Jamaican cuisine, we had a few customers say our empanadas weren’t spicy enough,” Balian says.
 
Balian and Laycock have also recently added a Jerk Chicken Empanada to their lineup. It’s something they introduced to the menu before relocating because they wanted to satisfy their Jamaican customers, Balian says. The pair plans to introduce new recipes to their customers as daily specials, and then add them to Caribe’s menu based on demand.
 
“We want to add to the variety of quality food already on Short Vine,” Balian says. “And we intend to help make Short Vine a hungry person’s instinctive destination.”
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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The soft, flowing material of hundreds of wedding dresses line the walls of Hyde Park Bridal. Light pink furniture and mirrored tables add a distinctly feminine touch to the brightly lit boutique.
 
Amanda Topits, 26, opened Hyde Park Bridal on Sept. 8, and has since outfitted about 500 brides in the dresses of their dreams. Topits says she has always had a passion for fashion and knew she wanted to work in the bridal industry. She graduated from UC’s DAAP program in June with a major in fashion design, and has worked for Glamour and Elle magazines and bridal boutiques in California and Cincinnati.
 
Topits' bridal shop is the only bridal boutique to ever open in Hyde Park. “I knew as soon as I decided to open a bridal boutique that it would be in Hyde Park,” she says. “It’s the perfect place to be, and I wanted to be somewhere different than all other stores.”
 
Topits and her staff aim to offer brides the best possible experience while helping her find her dream dress. During a bride’s appointment, the entire shop is reserved for the bride and her guests. There’s a personalized parking spot for the bride, and champagne and cupcakes are on hand during the appointment.
 
“Boutiques can offer a better experience not only for the bride, but for the guests that she brings with her,” Topits says. “A boutique atmosphere gives you a sense of relief knowing that you and your gown are going to be taken great care of from the beginning to the end of the process.”
 
Hyde Park Bridal carries designers that are exclusive to Cincinnati and the Midwest, including Alvina Valenta, Badgley Mischka, Blue Willow by Anne Barge, Hayley Paige, Jim Hjelm Blush, Justina McCaffrey, Lillen Collection, Somsi Couture, Tara Keely by Lazaro and Winnie Couture Blush. The boutique also sells bridesmaid dresses and bridal accessories to complete brides’ fairytale visions.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Although there won’t be a West Sixth Brewing taproom or beer garden in the Cincinnati area, beer lovers will still be able to buy the new brewery’s beer around town.
 
West Sixth opened in Lexington on April 1, and founders Ben Self, Brady Barlow, Joe Kuosman and Robin Sither have already seen the demand for their beer go through the roof. “We’ve had people drive down from the Cincinnati area just to buy our beer,” Self says.
 
The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area was the last part of Kentucky that West Sixth added to its distribution network—the taproom and beer garden are in Lexington, and West Sixth’s beer is available in Louisville, too.
 
The quartet has heard from lots of retailers, bars and restaurants that they’re excited to be getting West Sixth’s brews, Self says. West Sixth beer became available locally about two weeks ago. The brewery kicked off its expansion at Cincy Winter Beerfest, which featured the West Sixth IPA and Deliberation Amber.
 
West Sixth does things a bit differently than other breweries, Self says. It’s the only brewery in Kentucky to can its beers; and Self and his co-founders are not only committed to brewing great beer, but to giving back to the community. They give six percent of the brewery’s monthly profits to local charities and nonprofits to support environmental packaging efforts and rehabilitation projects in Lexington.
 
You can order West Sixth’s beer at Gordo’s Pub in Norwood and Bakersfield in Over-the-Rhine. You can also purchase it at:

• Party Source
• Liquor City
• Party Town
• DEPs
• I-75 Liquors
• Valley Wine and Spirits
• United Liquor
• Hyde Park Wine and Spirits
• Root Cellar
• Listing Loon
• Gramer’s Meat and Produce
• Country Fresh Farm Market
• One Stop Liquors
• Luckie’s Pony Keg
• Antone’s Wine and Spirits
• Bluegrass Carryout
• Churchill Market
• City Beverage

By Caitlin Koenig
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Good things come in small batches, whether its bourbon, beer or branding, says Keith Neltner, the native Kentuckian who has made a name for himself as a designer and filmmaker and darling of the latest Cincinnati ADDY Awards. (Soapbox profiled him last year.)

On the heels of winning an unprecedented three out of four Judge’s Choice awards at this year’s ADDY Awards, he's launching Neltner Small Batch, a venture that allows him to base all of his operations out of his renovated farmhouse studio next door to his home and two doors down from his family’s farm in Camp Springs, Ky.

It also allows Neltner to become a work-at-home dad for his 7-year-old and 3-year-old.

"I've noticed 'family' being a theme in a lot of my work recently," Neltner says. "They're little for such a short time."

Neltner Farms has been his home for his entire life and plays a large role in his identity. The land has been in his family since before the Civil War. That history inspires Neltner Small Batch’s manifesto: “Farming is hard. Sweat is religion. Art is blood.”

Known for his rustic aesthetic and acclaimed work with a wide range of artists (Hank Williams III, Shooter Jennings) and brands (Procter & Gamble, Wrigley’s), Neltner remains true to his well-established roots. “My dad taught me to work hard and be honest,” he says.

One of Neltner Small Batch’s first projects illustrates the connections Neltner continues to make between art, life, hard work and passion. “Black Mule is a brand we're developing in Camp Springs that will release limited edition products,” Neltner says. “Farm tables, pottery, apparel...all made in Kentucky, sourced by local artisans.”

By Sean Peters

With shows like the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, food on wheels has evolved from trend to craze in big cities all across the country. Cincinnati is home to 28 food trucks and trailers, and 11 of them have recently joined the Cincinnati Food Truck Association, a nonprofit that aims to reinvent food truck vending.  
 
In 2010, Café de Wheels was one of the only food trucks in town; in 2011, Taco Azul popped on the scene. And last year, there was a huge boom in the local food truck business.
 
“Food trucks are the fastest growing sector of the food industry, and it’s growing here,” says Emily Frank, 38, of C’est Cheese. She also serves as CFTA’s president. “People are excited about food trucks.”
 
With so many trucks, there was a need for a unified voice to represent them. In June 2010, the Mobile Food Vendor Pilot Program, which was strongly supported by City Councilmember Laure Quinlivan, was born.
 
The Pilot Program allowed food trucks and trailers to serve street food in certain areas of downtown's Central Business District on a first-come, first-served basis, with proper permits. Food trucks were allowed one to two spaces in Sawyer Point, six spaces at Court Street Market and 12 spaces in a parking lot at Fifth and Race Streets.
 
Building off the Pilot Program, a group of UC urban planning students who were interested in food hubs held a meeting for food truck owners and operators in September. The students got everyone talking, but since they were only working on the project for a semester, it was up to the food truck owners to do something.
 
Frank, Elizabeth Romero of Sugarsnap! Truck and Tracy Sims of Taco Azul formed CFTA last fall. They held a meeting and extended an invitation to join the CFTA to the 25 other food trucks in town.
 
“We didn’t know what to expect from our peers, but it was very positive,” says Romero, 29, CFTA’s secretary. At the first meeting, two other trucks joined CFTA.
 
Currently with 11 members, CFTA hopes to see at least four other trucks join this spring. Right now, food trucks are part of the Night Owl Market downtown and are staples at Sawyer Point—CFTA is even part of Taste of Cincinnati this year. In the future, CFTA hopes to plan one or two food-related events throughout the year.
 
For example, Atlanta’s food trucks are in the suburban parks, says CFTA’s treasurer, Sims, 32. CFTA will soon be meeting with City Parks and discussing the possibility of having food trucks at park events.
 
“All of the money made during the event would be given back to the park to help build a strong relationship with them,” says Sims. “It would be very seasonal, but very profitable.”
 
One of CFTA’s immediate goals is to work with the city to increase the number of available mobile food vending spots that are outlined in the Pilot Program. “We want to represent Cincinnati and be part of the community,” says Romero. “We want the city to be proud of food trucks and show them off like the brick-and-mortar staples in the city.”
 
Members of CFTA are C’est Cheese, Café de Wheels, Catch-A-Fire, Eat! Mobile Dining, Eclectic Comfort Food, Goldstar Chili Mobile, Kaimelsky’s, Mr. Hanton's Handwiches, Queen City Cookies, Sugarsnap! and Taco Azul.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Jean-François Flechet opened Taste of Belgium in Findlay Market in 2007; four years ago, he expanded his restaurant venture to Columbus’s North Market, and a year and a half ago, he opened a full-service Belgian bistro on Vine. In the next few months, there will be two new Taste of Belgiums in the Cincinnati area—a full-service restaurant on Short Vine near UC, and a waffle counter at Friendly Market in Northern Kentucky.
 
The Short Vine location is on the first floor of a brand new building that includes 120 apartments. The waffle counter at Friendly Market is the only food vendor in the first phase of the market. It’s right on the edge of phase 2, which is ideal for future expansion, Flechet says.
 
Taste of Belgium on Short Vine will have a menu very similar to the one on Vine Street, says Flechet. But it will have more affordable options at dinnertime, such as chicken and waffles and bar food.
 
“There will be a bigger focus on the bar, with both Belgian and Belgian-style beer sourced from local breweries,” he says. Flechet wants to attract the college students who live around Short Vine, which is a different demographic than his customers at the bistro and Findlay Market.
 
Taste of Belgium is slated to open in early May at Friendly Market, and on Short Vine during the first week of July.
 
Flechet isn’t going the traditional route for financing his new business ventures. Instead, he’s working with local crowd-sourcing start-up SoMoLend to raise a portion of the funds for the restaurant. He wants to promote crowd-sourced funding as a viable alternative source of financing for small businesses.
 
“When I opened Taste of Belgium on Vine, it was hard to get financing,” says Flechet. He wasn’t able to obtain a loan from the bank, but the building’s landlord got one through 3CDC. In turn, the landlord charges high rent to recover the loan. The North Market location was financed by a loan from a small business lender who Flechet has been working with for four years.
 
SoMoLend connects small business owners who are in need of a loan with investors who are looking to make a return on their investments. The organization allows borrowers to get loans from customers, friends and family members. It allows lenders to make a difference on a more local level.
 
“SoMoLend has been promoted on a national level, but not much on a local level,” Flechet says. He’s trying to get the word out to his customers that he’s using SoMoLend and bring more users to the lending service.
 
The Taste of Belgium crowd-sourcing campaign launches March 11. If you want to contribute to the campaign and are a customer, friend or family member, sign up on SoMoLend’s website.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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The brightly lit restaurant welcomes customers when they walk in. Mismatched coffee mugs, cookbooks and a mural—which was done by chef Renee Schuler's sister, Michelle Heimann—above the lunch counter add a homey feel to Eat Well Café and Takeaway, which is exactly what Schuler was after.
 
“I wanted the restaurant to be like a living thing, which is why there’s so much green,” she says. The café seats about 35 people, and is described as fast casual—instead of table service, customers order at the counter and take a seat or, if they’re in a hurry, take their food with them.
 
Eat Well Café opened Jan. 9 in O’Bryonville in the old What’s for Dinner? space, between The BonBonerie and Enoteca Emilia.

“The neighborhood is full of positive energy,” says Schuler. “There are so many creative people doing what they love in this area, and I wanted to be part of that.”
 
When looking for restaurant space, Schuler searched all over Cincinnati. She decided on O’Bryonville because the community is interested in feeling good and living well, and that’s what food is about, she says.
 
Before opening her catering business, Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts seven and a half years ago, Schuler spent years working in restaurants and catering in New York City. When she came back to Cincinnati, she worked as the executive chef at Murphin Ridge Inn in Adams County for three years.
 
“It was a huge change,” she says. “I went from living in the city to picking out what types of cabbage our gardener would grow for the restaurant.”
 
She loves to help people plan events and create something dramatic (her second major is in theater), but she also wanted to create something accessible to people on a daily basis. Eat Well Café allows her to see some of her regular customers outside of planning events.
 
Eat Well Café’s menu was created with everyone in mind, Schuler says. There are vegetarian and vegan options alongside items like the Dr. Meat, which is a braised beef short rib sandwich. The menu will change seasonally, with spring items set to be added in two or three weeks.
 
“America is a melting pot, and American food is influenced from all over,” says Schuler. “Our menu is a mix of flavors to create something new.” Vietnamese summer rolls and pesto pasta are both menu staples, along with salads and soups.
 
The “takeaway” menu changes daily, and is based on Schuler’s mood, the weather and what she thinks would be good to eat that day. On dreary days, items like soups are takeaway staples.
 
Schuler tries to source most of Eat Well Café’s ingredients from local farmers. She uses a local, family-owned company who gets eggs for the café from an Amish farm in Northern Ohio; the bread is from Blue Oven Bakery; dairy products come from Snowville Creamery; Eckerlin Meats at Findlay Market supplies chicken and other meats. 
 
“I try to keep it as local as that makes sense,” she says. “It’s a constant challenge, especially this time of year.” Schuler’s dream is to have an Eat Well greenhouse down the street to grow all of the restaurant’s salad greens and herbs, but that’s a ways down the road.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Imagine the walls from Professor Dumbledore’s office in the Harry Potter movies—space covered with framed photographs. That’s what the four walls of Over-the-Rhine’s newest business, Frameshop, will look like, but they’ll be covered in framed posters, neon signs, taxidermy and other oddities.
 
“We want customers to get creative, and we’re trying to do that with a more creative space,” says Frameshop co-owner Jake Gerth.
 
Frameshop happens to be across the street from Gerth’s apartment. “I wanted a business that would be part of the community,” he says. “We want to let Cincinnati know that people are moving to OTR, that it’s a good place to be.”
 
The storefront was in pretty good shape when Gerth and his business partner, Jake Baker, rented it—the floors, walls and hand-painted ceiling tiles are all original. The front of the store is the retail floor, where Baker and Gerth will showcase their talents, and their shop is in the back of the building.
 
While Frameshop isn’t quite finished, Gerth and Baker are excited for their Final Friday opening Feb. 22. They’re going to have a grand opening party that night, and start taking framing orders from customers.
 
The two Springdale natives have been friends since first grade. After college (Baker went to Ohio University; Gerth went to AIC College of Design in Springdale), they decided to open a business together. They had lots of ideas, but their experience in framing lead them to Frameshop—Baker worked in retail framing for a brief time; Gerth has a creative background.
 
“You can’t get what we do at Michael’s,” Gerth says. For example, they have an OTR print in a black wood frame made from 100-year-old reclaimed wood from OTR.
 
All Frameshop pieces will be custom, and the owners plan to turn around orders faster than a typical frame shop that takes about two weeks to complete a job—Baker and Gerth will have orders finished in about an hour.
 
“Our goal is to have customers come in, drop off a piece, go have dinner and then come pick it up,” Baker says.
 
Frameshop opens at 6 pm on Final Friday. There will be a DJ, food and tours of the store. Plus, customers can start placing orders that day.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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University of Cincinnati graduates Greg and Ryan Geisting didn’t find jobs after graduation; Greg, 29, has a degree in criminal justice, and Ryan, 24, has a degree in sports administration. So they decided to stick with what they knew: pizza.
 
The brothers started working for Mio’s in Mt. Washington when they were in high school. They have 20 years experience in the restaurant business combined, and when they couldn’t find jobs, they decided they would go into business together and open a Mio’s franchise in Blue Ash.
 
“We love the product Mio’s offers,” Ryan says. “We also really like the neighborhood atmosphere of Mio’s. When we worked in Mt. Washington, we had regular customers who came in on the same night every week.”
 
The Geisting brothers want to become a staple in the Blue Ash community, Ryan says. Although this is the 10^th Mio’s location in the Cincinnati area, they don’t want to be seen as another chain. Greg and Ryan plan to sponsor a few of the Friday night concerts at the Blue Ash Amphitheater, which you can see from the restaurant’s patio.
 
Before they found the location in Blue Ash, Greg and Ryan bid on a location in Northern Kentucky, but they lost it to another bidder. After a week, they heard about the location in Blue Ash opening up (it used to be the Cactus Pear), and by the end of the week, they had it.
 
To make the restaurant their own, Greg and Ryan repainted the dining area, put up new decorations, installed a new whiskey barrel floor, reupholstered the seat cushions, and replaced a wall mural across from the bar with a rock wall that accents the whole restaurant, Ryan says.
 
The restaurant has become a family thing. Their father helped rebuild the inside, and their uncle, Howard Cohen, has done marketing and will be tending the bar once the restaurant opens March 4. Two of their sisters and their brother-in-law are going to help out, and their aunt might be making all of the desserts they serve to help start her own business, Aunt T’s Treats.
 
In the long run, Greg and Ryan can see themselves opening another Mio’s location, and maybe a bar. “There’s a full bar at the Blue Ash location, and it’s definitely a stepping-stone to opening a bar,” Ryan says.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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With a new business name, a liquor license and sole ownership of S&J Bakery Café in Findlay Market, Stefan Skirtz is about to get even more creative with his offerings. Which is saying something for a baker who already serves a blueberry pancake cupcake with maple buttercream icing and topped with a garnish of chocolate-dipped bacon. Mmmm, bacon.

As his storefront nears its third anniversary at the Over-the-Rhine landmark this May, Skirtz remains dedicated to keeping things local and making a stop at his flourishing shop just one part of a varied market experience. 

“The reason why I wanted to come to Findlay Market was to strengthen the Findlay Market experience,” says Skirtz, 44, who grew up in Clifton Heights. “I go out every Saturday and buy our produce for the week.”

Skirtz, who opened the shop with a partner, reports that they spent 96 percent of the capital costs for the business within the 45202 zipcode. After making it through the first year in business, sales doubled in year two. He’s hopeful about the prospects for year three, during which he opened a second location—the S&J Café in the Main Library downtown.

“The sales have been very strong,” Skirtz says. “It’s given us an opportunity to constantly adapt and adjust.”

Adapting and adjusting comes naturally to the entrepreneur who started his working life far from a kitchen. He worked summers at Kings Island, then stayed with the park as its owners shifted from Kings Productions to Paramount and Viacom, where he produced live shows and planned events. 

But the Cincinnati native, who once again lives in Clifton Heights, grew tired of constant travel. He decided to pursue his lifelong love of cooking at the Midwest Culinary Institute, where he could turn his hobby into a career.

Skirtz’s theme park background makes him particularly sensitive to his customers’ feedback, which he has already incorporated into his business plans. For example, the dining room section of the Findlay store was intended for storage, but customers enjoyed having a place to sit and enjoy breakfast and lunch so he made the cheerful space permanent.  

“People instantly started coming down and starting their Findlay Market experience with us,” Skirtz says. Regulars bring their own coffee mugs, cloth napkins and silverware. Some stop in for the same menu items every Saturday at 8 a.m. sharp; others make S&J a midway break during their trip; still others end their shopping with a leisurely lunch. 

“It’s really about listening to your guests,” says Skirtz, who works with a wide range of market and local vendors, from Coffee Emporium (which created a special blend for S&J) to Bender and Eckerlin Meats for sandwich fillings.

Feedback has also led Skirtz to sell his bread in demi-loaves—customers told him that whole loaves were too big for them to finish. He’s also expanding the shop’s weekday hours to 6 p.m. to accommodate a second baguette baking in the afternoon; baguette-lovers pushed for an option to stop by S&J on their way home from work to buy a warm loaf.

Skirtz was also granted a liquor license this month as part of the newly formed Findlay Market Entertainment District, and is deciding how to incorporate it into his plans for rebranding, which will include a new menu, brunch, special programs and live entertainment.

One thing is for certain: Skirtz will continue to see Findlay Market as a “destination attraction,” reminiscent of his theme park days. “My goal is that anybody who comes in my door and eats my food, I want them to go into the Market House and start shopping,” he says. 

By Elissa Yancey
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Tusculum Grille, formerly known as Tusculum Pizza, opened in May 2012. Josh Phillips, an entrepreneur with one other local business, wanted to re-establish the restaurant as a neighborhood staple.
 
“I’ve always believed in local places, and local establishments are at the heart of neighborhoods,” Phillips says.
 
The menu is chock-full of bar favorites, including pizzas, salads and sandwiches. A few of the most popular items are the steak and chicken philly and the chicken wings, Phillips sats. Tusculum Grille’s house pizza, which is topped with pepperoni and banana peppers, is a must-have, as are the specialty pizzas—basil/pesto/chicken and buffalo chicken—which aren’t on the menu, but they’re ordered often.
 
Tusculum Grille makes its own pizza sauce, seasons and rolls out the dough, slices the meat, and uses fresh vegetables. The wing sauces are also house-made, including the garlic ranch, which customers eat on everything, according to Phillips.
 
Not only does Tusculum Grille have great pizza, but it has something else that sets it apart from other restaurants in Cincinnati: a fire truck. The truck is Phillips’ personal UC football tailgating vehicle, but he built a 500-square-foot patio in front of the restaurant to take advantage of the truck’s “unusual features,” rather than have it sit in storage, he says.
 
“I’ve owned the truck for four years now,” Phillips says. “It’s outfitted with three flat-screen TVs, full bar, pull-out grill, stereo system and taps for two kegs. In the summer, you can sit outside on the patio and catch a Reds game.”
 
Watch for Tusculum Grille in the Cincinnati St. Patrick’s Day parade. They’ve partnered with the Cincinnati Emerald Society and will be rolling down the street in Phillips’ fire truck.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Downtown Horseshoe Casino doesn’t open until March 4, but it has a power-packed restaurant line-up sure to please casino-goers and foodies alike, including Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Jack Binion's Steak and the latest addition, Bobby Flay’s Bobby’s Burger Palace.

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville will have an outdoor entrance off Broadway, adjacent to that of the casino. The 14,000-square-foot restaurant will have seating for about 400, and feature an outdoor patio and Margaritaville retail store.

Named for the founder of the original Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, Jack Binion's Steak will offer traditional beef cuts, dry-aged prime rib, American Wagyu beef, lamb and veal, plus seafood, poultry and a potato car that will have tableside preparation of sidedishes. The 200-seat dining room will overlook downtown and have a private dining room equipped with audio and visual equipment available for rent for meetings and special events.
 
The new Burger Palace is Flay’s 14^th location, but the first in the Midwest. Located on the casino’s gaming floor, the 3,500-square-foot restaurant will have seating for about 90 people, and 10 signature burgers that are inspired by Flay’s travels across the United States and his love of grilling.
 
The menu’s highlights include the Buffalo Style Burger with Red Hot sauce, topped with blue cheese dressing and watercress; the Dallas Burger, which is spice crusted and topped with coleslaw, Monterrey Jack cheese, BBQ sauce and pickles; and the Palace Classic Burger, which has your typical cheeseburger toppings (American cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion). The menu also features a Burger of the Month; all of the burgers can be prepared with Certified Angus Beef, ground turkey or a grilled chicken breast. 
 
Flay opened his first BBP in 2008 on Long Island. “At any time of year, my favorite thing to eat is a cheeseburger,” he said in a statement. “I’m very excited to open the first BBP in the Midwest and be able to share this with the families and residents of Cincinnati.”

Flay and his business partner, Laurence Kretchmer, look for areas where they can open several restaurants and create synergy. "There is a lot of breadth in the Ohio market, and good potential opportunities," says Kretchmer. "Opening Bobby's Burger Palace in the casino is a great springboard opportunity for future expansion in the region."

Flay and Kretchmer have done business with Caesars before, and they're one of the developers of Horseshoe in Cincinnati. The team has a high-end restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and two of the BBP are in casinos.
 
Flay is an award-winning chef, restaurateur and the author of 11 cookbooks. He is owner and executive chef of Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay Steak and Bar Americain, with locations across the U.S. Flay has also starred in countless Food Network and Cooking Channel shows, served as Resident Chef and Lifestyle Correspondent for “The Early Show on CBS” and “CBS Sunday Morning” for over a decade, and is a regular contributor on NBC’s “The Today Show.”

Horseshoe Casino is a $400 million venture between development partners Caesar and ROC Gaming. It will feature a 100,000-square-foot gaming floor, complete with 2,000 slot machines, 85 game tables and a 31-table World Series of Poker room.  

By Caitlin Koenig
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