Just east of Cincinnati, Mariemont was created as one of the first planned communities in the United States. As soon as you cross into the quaint village's borders, you know you're somewhere special. Gorgeous tree-lined streets shelter Tudor-style homes as if an English country village has come to life. The heart of the neighborhood, Mariemount Square, features the historic Mariemont Inn, as well as one of the first Graeter’s ice cream stores and the artsy Mariemont movie theatre. Nestled within the the square sits a treasure trove of unique gift shops, specialty stores and restaurants, including The Quarter Bistro and dilly cafe, which also houses one of the area's finest wine shops. If you have more of a beer bent, Fifty West Brewing company — part of Cincinnati's fast-growing craft brew scene — can help quench your thirst.
What began as a friendly rivalry between Busken and Frisch's pumpkin pies has been whipped up into an escalating tit for tat, playing out in billboards, social media stunts and live-action high jinks. Read the full story here.
Some people work four 10-hour days for perks like saving on gas and three-day weekends. Others, like Sara Cormier, cram in a second job on the side. Until last April, Cormier was juggling a design gig with Cincinnati Magazine and healthy freelance traffic. When her daughter, Carmen, entered preschool, she decided it was time for a change. “I was kind of going crazy,” she says, noting that she doesn’t regret those hyper-scheduled days: “At least for me, I couldn’t quit my job without having built [my business] up. I wasn’t financially in a place to do that.” Cormier, who graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning in 2002, launched Cormier Creative in April, and specializes in helping small businesses with branding, logos and promotions. Her services can help young companies, or those without a budget for an in-house designer, she says. “I’ve always really liked working with a business that’s just getting off the ground and starting from scratch," she says. "Once they invest in that initially, then they’re really excited about how their stuff looks." She encourages businesses not to wait to start branding themselves. “You need a logo right off the bat. It doesn’t take long to get one, and I think the sooner, the better.” Because she’s worked with so many newly launched businesses, Cormier has curated a few tips for proprietors, too. Along with advising that any business that is doing business needs a logo immediately, she advises businesspeople to find a designer they trust and then relinquish control. “You’re not hiring a professional designer to recreate your sketch so much as to help you with the entire identity.” Cormier offers custom design services for all sizes of businesses as well as custom stationary – she calls herself “a paper snob” – that’s popular among local brides. Her design aesthetic favors clean lines and clever graphics. "I love all my brides, they’re really really fun," Cormier says. "We try to come up with something really custom." By Robin Donovan
Some people work four 10-hour days for perks like saving on gas and three-day weekends. Others, like Sara Cormier (pronounced “cor-me-YAY”), cram in a second job on the side. Until last April, Cormier was juggling a design gig with Cincinnati Magazine and healthy freelance traffic. When her daughter, Carmen, entered preschool, however, she decided it was time for a change. “I was kind of going crazy,” she says, noting that she doesn’t regret those hyper-scheduled days: “At least for me, I couldn’t quit my job without having built [my business] up. I wasn’t financially in a place to do that.” Cormier, who graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning in 2002, launched Cormier Creative in April, and specializes in helping small businesses with branding, logos and promotions. Her services can help young companies, or those without a budget for an in-house designer, she says. “I’ve always really liked working with a business that’s just getting off the ground and starting from scratch. Once they invest in that initially, then they’re really excited about how their stuff looks,” Cormier says. She encourages businesses not to wait to start branding themselves. “You need a logo right off the bat. It doesn’t take long to get one, and I think the sooner, the better.” Because she’s worked with so many newly launched businesses, Cormier has curated a few tips for proprietors, too. Along with advising that any business that is doing business needs a logo immediately, she advises businesspeople to find a designer they trust and then relinquish control. “You’re not hiring a professional designer to recreate your sketch so much as to help you with the entire identity.” Cormier offers custom design services for all sizes of businesses as well as custom stationary – she calls herself “a paper snob” – that’s popular among local brides. Her design aesthetic favors clean lines and clever graphics. "I love all my brides, they’re really really fun," Cormier says. "We try to come up with something really custom." By Robin Donovan
Ethan Snider has had a love affair with food for nearly a quarter of a century. Raised on Cincinnati’s west side, he worked up through the ranks at Macaroni Grill, and eventually became an executive chef. In short, it was a dream come true. Until he hated it. “The corporate stuff just did not appeal to me,” Snider says. “I was there for less than six months.” He ended up at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2004. After that, Snider moved around a lot. He worked at a tiny Batesville, Ind., restaurant that was run out of a three-car garage and after that, at a fine-dining restaurant in Boca Grande, Fla. Moving around was great for a while, but Snider eventually grew homesick. “I liked it a lot, but I started to miss being here; I always wanted to make a name for myself in Cincinnati because this is where I’m from,” he says. After moving back to Cinicnnati, Snider got started with his own food venture at local farmers’ markets because they have low overhead and a home-grown touch. With an eye toward the need for more locally sourced vegetarian and vegan options, Snider launched Summuh (pronounced “SOU-mah”), a specialty hummus shop, first at a farmer’s market in Madeira and, then in Northside and Hyde Park. Most recently, he joined Findlay Market, where he plans to weather the winter months. Snider calls his wares “the Ben & Jerry’s of hummus,” and promises that “you’ve never had hummus like this.” Two of his core flavors are a chickpea hummus with lemon and rosemary and one spiced with cumin, coriander and cilantro and topped with red onions. There are also 12-15 seasonal flavors, including “Squashbuckler,” which features a butternut squash and navy bean base with ancho chili powder, garlic and a spicy black bean relish on top. Though his hummus is organic and local, Snider says he’s no food evangelist. “I’m not trying to convert anyone to what I believe in or change the world." he says. "I just feel that if I believe in something, other people will start to believe in what I’m doing, too.” By Robin Donovan
Ethan Snider has been carrying out a love affair with food for nearly a quarter of a century. Raised on Cincinnati’s west side, he worked up through the ranks at Macaroni Grill, eventually becoming an executive chef. It was dream come true. Until he hated it. “The corporate stuff just did not appeal to me,” he says. “I was there for less than six months.” He ended up at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2004. After that, he moved around, working at a tiny Batesville, Ind., restaurant run out of a three-car garage and, later, at a fine-dining restaurant in Boca Grande, Fla. That worked for a while, but Snider grew homesick. “I liked it a lot, but I started to miss being here; I always wanted to have a name for myself in Cincinnati because this is where I’m from,” he says. Local farmers’ markets with low overhead and a home-grown touch seemed like a good way to get started. With an eye toward the need for more locally sourced, vegetarian and vegan options, he launched Summuh (pronounced “SOU-mah”), a specialty hummus shop, first at a farmer’s market in Madeira and, later, in Northside and Hyde Park. Most recently, he joined Findlay Market, where he plans to weather the winter months. Snider calls his wares “The Ben & Jerry’s of hummus,” promising “you’ve never had hummus like this.” Three core flavors include a chickpea hummus with lemon and rosemary and a hummus spiced with cumin, coriander and cilantro, topped with red onions. There are also 12-15 seasonal flavors, including “Squashbuckler,” which features a butternut squash and navy bean base with ancho chili powder, garlic and a spicy black bean relish on top. Though his hummus is organic and local, Snider says he’s no food evangelist. “I’m not trying to convert anyone to what I believe in or change the world." he says. "I just feel that if I believe in something, other people will start to believe in what I’m doing, too.” By Robin Donovan
They are young, high-powered, high-achieving, highly skilled professionals with their sights set on the same thing: success in Cincinnati, start-up style. Read where they are working — and why.
U.S. News & World Report ranks Cincinnati's own Graeter's Ice Cream as the sixth best ice cream in the country. In addtion to praising the sweet stuff's French Pot swirling process, the national publication cites black raspberry chip as favorite flavor. Spoiler alert: Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, of Columbus, Ohio, ranked number one overall. Find Jeni's locally at both Melt and Picnic and Pantry in Northside. See the full list here.
While the rest of us were shopping for chocolates, stuffed animals and red Mylar balloons for Valentine’s Day, Amy Spasoff grabbed a bag of conversation hearts. She wasn’t sure what they’d be good for, exactly, just that they seemed like the right thing to grab at that moment. Spasoff’s newly launched photography studio, Amy Elisabeth Photography, showcases these little moments of inspiration. And if Spasoff’s not always sure why she’s picking up a vintage hat here or a never-to-be-eaten bag of candy there, it all finds a permanent home eventually. In the case of the candy hearts, Spasoff poured them into a wine glass, crafting a close-up for a young model, whose portfolio – and that photo in particular – recently won her a coveted agency booking in New York. “I love when a girl will smile on camera or laugh, so I really think that my specialty is getting a clean, beautiful, happy and fun photo -- the kind of photo that you look and makes you smile,” Spasoff says. She recently signed on as a photographer for a local talent agency, has worked with many young women just breaking into modeling. Spasoff started photography as a hobbyist, but when a friend insisted on paying her to photograph an event, she realized snapping photos could be a full time job. When she was laid off from a writing position, she decided to pursue her passion full-time. That meant some serious time behind the lens and in the classroom. Spasoff is currently a Bad Girls Ventures finalist, so in between bookings, she’s attending classes through BGV, learning to be a businessperson and a creative. The result? A lot of questions. “I just completed my marketing plan and that’s in full effect. I’m also working on my business plan … I literally sit in these classes and I’m like the obnoxious kid sitting in the front of the class asking a million questions. I’m really just trying to take it all in,” she says. By Robin Donovan
Research the history of granola and a couple different accounts surface. Who thought of it first—a health spa owner or John Harvey Kellogg? From healthy snack to diet staple, granola’s popularity gives it staying power beyond its early “hippie food” advocates. For Mariemont’s Christy White, 27, the love of granola reaches beyond yogurt topping and trail mix. She’s taken her passion for local ingredients and entrepreneurial spirit and launched Whirly Bird Granola in April 2011. After seeing granola for sale at local flea markets, she spend six months testing and perfecting her recipes for three signature varieties: original, chocolate and vanilla berry. One of White’s main focuses while testing recipes was finding a local, high-quality maple syrup. The name of her company evolved directly from the sugar maple tree’s seed, which many people refer to as “whirlybirds” or “helicopters.” She settled on Ohio’s Snake Hill Farm. “They produce organic maple syrup and it was delicious,” White says. “It is family-run and the people were amazing. We wanted to support such a great family with a great product.” http://www.whirlybirdgranola.com/WhirlyBird is all-natural, and 40 percent of its ingredients are organic. White uses dried cranberries, dried blueberries, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and more. “I’m trying to get as many organic and local ingredients into my recipes,” White says. “Sometimes it can be hard because of cost.” Currently, White, has only sold her granola at the City Flea. She’s in the process of finding a certified kitchen so she can expand beyond her Mariemont home and make larger quantities. White also takes orders by email and even delivers them to customers around the city. “I’m trying to meet what every customer needs,” she says. For now, that includes a special gingerbread-flavored granola for the holiday season. By Evan Wallis
Cincinnati's brewing renaissance is expanding with the quick and early success of Lockland-based Rivertown Brewing Company. Founded by home brewing enthusiast Jason Roeper and his business partner Randy Schiltz, the craft brewery has gone from a two-person startup to an emerging local brand in less than two years. Their traditional German-style lagers and ales can be found in 65 Ohio and Kentucky Kroger stores, and in local Meijer and Biggs Rempke stores. It can also be found on tap in more than 100 local restaurants and bars, including Parkers Blue Ash Tavern and Dilly Café in Mariemont. Roeper and Schiltz met through mutual friends in the local home brewing community. Coincidentally, they're both former car manufacturing professionals who left their jobs after steady job cutbacks in the industry. Roeper had been home brewing for more than a decade, and says he became "obsessed" with the brewing process. He joined the American Homebrewers Association to improve his finished products. "I started entering competitions across the country to get feedback about what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong," he says. "Then I started winning awards and gold medals." A major victory came shortly after being laid off. In 2008, he was named a finalist out of 13,000 entries in the Sam Adams' homebrew contest for amateur beer makers. Soon afterward, he decided to start his own brewing company. During that time, he met Schiltz, who was looking to start a brewpub in Northern Kentucky. The timing was right; they teamed up and started Rivertown Brewing. "He was looking for the same thing," Roeper says of his partner. "We knew we could make it happen. In a matter of months, we had our SBA loans approved and we found a location." They also pulled together financing from private investors. Rivertown now has five full-time employees and the brewery runs seven days a week. Thirst for its beers have far outweighed products. In their first year, they expected to produce 500 barrels; instead they rolled out 1,400. This year they are on pace to produce 3,000. Roeper attributes their success with quickly partnering with local distributors in Ohio and Kentucky, as well as their own extraordinary drive. Home brewers are known for the plans to start companies; but often don't follow that with action, he says. "We have drive and motivation and learned from others' mistakes," he says. "And local distributors have helped us get into these outlets." Rivertown plans to expand, including opening a tasting room at their Lockland location. By Feoshia Henderson You can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites
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