Regionalism : Development News

This fall, Jon Zipperstein and Hideki Harada toss their hats into Over-the-Rhine’s restaurant ring with Kaze, a gastro pub and sushi bar, to the Gateway Quarter at the corner of 14th and Vine streets.

Zipperstein owns Embers, a Montgomery restaurant that serves steak, seafood and sushi; Harada was a sushi chef there when it first opened. Although he left after two years to sharpen his culinary skills, the pair remained in contact and eventually decided to open a restaurant together in OTR.

 “We were just looking for a really dynamic part of town, and Over-The-Rhine certainly fit the bill,” Zipperstein says.
They opted for the Color building because it offers more than 3,500 square feet of restaurant space, plus an outdoor area where they will put a beer garden that will be partially enclosed with a fire pit.

Building owner 3CDC reports the $4.1 million renovation of the mammoth space will also feature 6,000 square feet of office space.

“If you’ve been to the building a year ago, when it was first shown to me, it was an absolute wreck,” Zipperstein says. “You had to have a great imagination to think about what it could be. And you could say the same about just about any building they work on down there. They take buildings that are in complete disrepair, that are 100 years old or more, and turn them into little gems.”

The atmosphere at Kaze will be comfortable yet urban, Zipperstein says. He and Harada like the idea of reclaiming the historic building, so they will be leaving a lot of exposed brick. Other restaurant plans include an open kitchen, so diners can take advantage of insiders’ views of meal prep.

The menu will be about 50 percent sushi/50 percent izakaya, which is Japanese style pub food—lots of small plates, grilled meats and noodle soups. Kaze will use local produce.

Their beverage selection will include traditional favorites, plus they will import Japanese beer, liquor and non-alcoholic drinks that have never before graced Cincinnati shelves.

The plan is to open the bar first around the beginning of November. Shortly after, they will serve food in the bar and open the beer garden. In December, the dining room will be open for private parties exclusively. After these soft openings, Kaze plans a grand opening in January 2013.

By Stephanie Kitchens

Just one year ago, the Emery Theatre, one of the nation's top acoustic concert halls, sat empty in Over the Rhine. For decades, its once-sumptuous spaces were neglected. They eroded. They crumbled. They gathered more than their share of dust.

Since last November, more than 6,000 guests have seen art shows, watched dancers perform, heard beautiful music and witnessed a dream unfold in the spaces Mary Emery had built to serve the people of Cincinnati.

That dream, known as the Requiem Project, continues to build this fall with a five-event series called "Art Moves Here," which debuts Sept. 30 with a FotoFocus-affiliated exhibit called "Handsome" by Chris Hoeting.

Hoeting built "Handsome" specific to the Emery's nooks and crannies, knowing that his show would run in tandem with Midpoint Music Festival performances at the site as well as a showing of Mike Disfarmer's beautiful and sometimes unsettling portraits, set to be on display starting .

Like so many other endeavors over the past year, "Handsome" reflects the power and the potential of the Emery to occupy an emerging space in the local arts scene—to bring together art forms, artists and neighbors and together, to build a stronger, vibrant and diverse community.

"All of these things live together," says Requiem Project co-founder Tara Lindsey Gordon. She and partner Tina Manchise lead the all-volunteer effort to restore the Emery, which publicly kicked off on 11.11.11.

Since then, the two have built a non-profit business dedicated to the idea that Cincinnati needs the Emery. The idea that the space gives something powerful to the community, from guests at performances and fundraisers to the four neighborhood kids who "work" at the Emery after school.

Their fall season is filled with partnerships that bring something new to the city, from multimedia shows in conjunction with FotoFocus and independent artists, to a show with the Contemporary Arts Center that features Andy Warhol screen tests that will be projected on stage during a music performance.

"This is a huge endeavor," says Manchise. She could be talking about the complex programming line-up that involves Requiem's five major events this fall or the massive renovation work the Emery needs. The building sat empty for years, she notes, because keeping its doors open requires near-constant work.

She and Lindsey Gordon, who average between 40 and 80 hours a week doing Requiem Project work, take no salaries. They admit the task before them can feel daunting. But unlike last year, when some looked at the Emery as "the Tina and Tara show," now they know there are far more people involved, and invested in the theater's success.

First, there's the core of more than a dozen dedicated volunteers who help with everything from volunteer coordination to site logistics. Then, there are the neighbors, from fellow business owners to the fire marshall (who checks in weekly) to neighbors who find support and respite at the Emery.

Manchise and Lindsey Gordon take the "open door" policy seriously, partnering with groups large and small to offer spaces, time and support to independent artists, groups like the YPCC, Exhale Dance Tribe and even the Starfire Council, who look to the Emery as a safe place for practice and experimentation.

"We're not only a venue," says Manchise, who notes that one of the "Art Moves Here" events takes place outside of the historic theater.

"Contained," a collection of 11 shipping containers filled with different artists' works, will be set in the Grammer's parking lot on Walnut Street. The Oct. 20 event illustrates the Requiem Project's goal to connect with the community both inside and outside of the Emery.

Manchise and Lindsey Gordon know the stakes are high. It will take $25 million to revive the Emery. For now, the partners are in a sense performing perpetual CPR on the site, keeping it alive, making improvements as they can and building a community of supporters who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, literally.

They work with partners who accept the extra challenges inherent in a space with a temporary certificate of occupancy. (Manchise and Lindsey Gordon will apply for another next year.) They work with weekend volunteers who clean under every seat in the auditorium because maintenance doesn't come cheap. They head home with green hands and way too much information about Port-o-lets and water supplies.

They stress over taking on too many projects. They squabble over printer jams and QuickBooks. They joke that they spend so much time together that it's like they are sharing tight quarters on a ship.

And still, they couldn't be more proud of the space where they have invested their money, their time and their lives.

"The theater is doing exactly what it is meant to do," Manchise says. "A buiding like this can do so much good."

Find out more about the Requiem Project's fall season as well as the fall line-up of events at the Emery on the newly re-launced website, built by Mower + Associates.

By Elissa Yancey
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Brew River Gastropub. The name alone prompts stirrings in the hearts and bellies of Cincinnati foodies.

Joby Bowman, Christian Babani and chef Michael Shields, along with a silent partner, have been developing their casual-meets-gourmet concept for more than two years, while their combined experience spans decades, numerous cuisine styles and geographical locations, from NYC to NOLA.

Brew River soft-opened in July and plans a series of grand opening events later this month. So far, the response from the community has been enthusiastic, a testament to the collaborators’ passion.

“We’re all extremely particular and detail-oriented,” says Bowman. “It shows in everything from the décor, which we’ve done entirely ourselves, to the atmosphere and recipes. People have told us it’s clear there’s a lot of love in every detail.”

When it come to the menus, it’s like Brew River’s answering machine claims: “Local is our focus; libations are our passion.”

Chief among the local ingredients used in their cooking are their house brews—the products of an exclusive partnership with Great Crescent Brewery in Aurora, IN.

“We had all been [home brewing] for quite a while,” says Bowman.

That’s why early in their quest for the perfect location, the group toured—or, as she puts it, “spelunked”—many of the storied former breweries on McMicken Ave.

Soon after, they learned that Maribelle’s would not be renewing their East End lease, and, says Bowman, “Everything just sort of came together from there.”

Well, almost everything.

The Riverside Drive location allows the partners—who Bowman describes as “sort of obsessed with water”—to weave in Cincinnati’s rivertown history. One upside to the building’s non-conforming use zoning? You won’t see copycat bars and restaurants cropping up nearby.  

The lease, however, does not allow for on-site brewing—a minor setback that Bowman and crew hope to eventually remedy by housing that part of the operation in a vacant church just across the street.

In the meantime, the pub’s entrepreneurs are more than happy with their Great Crescent partnership. Patrons seem content, too, imbibing specialty blends like Island Queen Blonde Ale and Ubiquitous Coconut Porter by the pint.

By Hannah Purnell
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Tucked amid concrete streets within the Westside neighborhood of Covington, KY just east of Interstate 71-75 lies an oasis of tranquility, and arguably the only viable green space in the city’s urban core.

The historic Linden Grove Cemetery and Arboretum was consecrated in 1843 and is the final resting place for more than 22,000 burials across a span of 22 acres.

Linden Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is at once environmentally and civically significant. The cemetery provides important green space, and comes with a built-in history lesson as the burial site of many important civic and community leaders, congressmen and important historical figures.

Soldiers from as far back as the war of 1812 and the Civil War are buried there, along with soldiers from every other American war since. Dr. Louise Southgate, early female physician and women’s rights activist in Covington, Thomas Kennedy, one of Covington’s original founders and land owners, William Wright Southgate and Brigadier General John W. Finnell, Kentucky’s Adjutant General during the Civil War are among the important historical figures interred at Linden Grove.

Over the cemetery’s 169-year history, the site has fallen into various stages of disrepair and neglect only to be brought back to life with the help of caring citizens and the local courts.

Although the site is now more like a 22-acre park, Pete Nerone, Chairman of the Board for Linden Grove, says that the grounds lost its pond in the early 1960s when it was filled in during the construction of Interstate 71-75.

The pond once supplied a local brewery and provided a self-sustaining water source to the grounds. Thanks to the work of people like Nerone and former board member John Dietz, the pond is about to make a comeback.

As a former Peace Corps volunteer serving in West Africa, Nerone was instrumental in securing a $30,000 environmental stewardship grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation for the reconstruction and development of the pond.

Why does the pond matter so much? Nerone says that according to studies, the City of Covington is actually 20 percent deficient in green space, permeable surfaces and adequate tree canopy.

A healthy tree canopy provides a filter for noise and air pollution resulting from the neighboring interstate highway. It also provides homes for various birds, wildlife and aquatic species. Water from the pond can be used to improve the tree canopy as well as provide much needed hydration for landscaping and ornamental gardens.

“Linden Grove is very important real estate from an ecological point of view,” says Nerone. “It sits in an old neighborhood in the urban core of Covington. The existence of a pond on the grounds is key to the site’s longevity.”

The new pond will be controlled with a safety shelf and controlled overflow. With the grant award and the restoration of Linden Grove’s pond, Nerone says, “We can enhance and protect our beautiful green space, making it more available as a place of recreation for the community.”

By Deidra Wiley Necco

Entrepreneur Laura Chenault talked with Soapbox about her new and innovative venture, Pallet23, scheduled to open this fall in Northside.

How did you start your business?
I am in the process of launching. The space is being “white boxed” and should be ready for me to start the kitchen build-out by September.

How did you come up the idea for your business?
I have been the organizer and chair of the Celebrity Chef & Wine pairing event during Second Sunday on Main for the past five seasons; I’ve been talking with my chef friends for years about opening a dedicated space for food demonstrations, dinner parties and food events for years. It wasn’t until I found the perfect space in Northside that that vision expanded into what it is now.

What resources here did you take advantage of and how did they help?
A good friend, Barbara Hauser, who works for Procter & Gamble, turned me on to the Springboard program last summer and I signed up right away. Springboard and Sarah Corlett have been instrumental in clarifying my idea by showing me the path and steps I need to tackle to launch.

Several Springboard graduates are Pallet23 collaborators in making the space come to life, including Once Blind Studios, Lucius Limited, Such + Such, E13 and Dulcet Designs, to name a few.

Also, I am so grateful for the generosity of knowledge and advice from successful businesspeople, such as Todd Meyerrose, Bill Cunningham and Tom Hodges, for example. It has been inspiring.

Finally, Carriage House Farm will be creating an edible walkway and landscape, and is donating beautiful wood from their farm for the kitchen build-out and tables. Building Value has generously partnered to fill any supplemental cabinet and countertop needs.

What will a typical day in your business look like?
In the first phase of the launch, I anticipate the space being rented Friday and Saturday evenings for private parties, art openings, reunions, etc. Sunday days will feature cooking events, while Sunday nights will be set aside for private “supper club” chef dinners. I will still need to keep my day job as a freelance producer!

Hopefully, I will start filling the weekdays with meetings, luncheons, video/still shoots, classes etc. and grow the cooking, food component on the weekends.

Interview by Robin Donovan