Catering business expands, opens cafe at downtown library

Stephen Spyrou, whose brother is also a chef, grew up watching his parents and grandparents cook. The experience led him to pursue a culinary arts degree at the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State and then join the American Culinary Association of Cincinnati as the program director and now president.
 
He was working for Kroger when he realized he had a passion for catering, so Spyrou started Vertigo Catering in 2011. Now that business has expanded into a café at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County downtown.
 
“I realized that adding another avenue would help supplement day-to-day sales,” Spyrou says. “I looked into a variety of opportunities to do that, and the café popped up.”
 
Vertigo Café opened on Feb. 17 and serves a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches. It uses Boar’s Head meats and cheeses to create a sandwich of the week. The menu is a grab-and-go concept, but guests can also sit down and enjoy their meal in the café.
 
“There are lots of chain lunch places in the area, and we’re here to offer something more unique,” Spyrou says.
 
Vertigo is open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Spyrou plans to continue catering as well and is excited about the exposure to new potential catering clients the café will bring him.