The Coach House Tavern & Grille, located in Hamilton, opened as a members-only setting, but now the public can enjoy this unique dining experience as well.

“The Coach House Tavern & Grille was established in 2002, carrying on the membership tradition of the Hamilton City Club while providing a quality dining option on the west side of Hamilton. After more than a decade of serving as a members-only dining destination, in 2016, The Coach House shifted its membership model,” Katie Wright, media relation for The Coach House says. “Today we welcome all diners, but offer a membership that provides valuable perks — including food and drink incentives —for those who dine with us.” 

The Coach House is unique because they boast an Executive Chef with extensive high-end culinary experience. “The Coach House’s Executive Chef Jared Whalen honed his culinary skills in some of the top restaurants in Cincinnati under Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel. After working with Chef Jean-Robert for more than a decade, Chef Whalen decided to return to his hometown to be part of Hamilton’s revitalization,” says Wright. 

The menu at The Coach House changes usually depending on the season. “The frequently changing menu features fresh, locally-sourced ingredients carefully crafted into dishes that bring a downtown dining experience closer to home,” says Wright. 

Dishes that will be presented on the menu for spring and summer are: Asian crawfish with carrot, garlic, yellow pepper, broccoli, and black soba noodles, roasted asparagus and spinach salad; veal ravioli; and lemon-berry Napoleon. Also, for brunch: creamy stuffed French toast and Eggs Benedict. The Coach House predicts these to be quick favorites preferred by customers. 

A signature drink on The Coach House menu is The Centennial which is a cocktail. This cocktail includes Bulliet Rye Whiskey, Disaronno Amaretto, house-made simple syrup and orange bitters. 

“The Coach House creates a downtown dining experience closer to home. Located in Hamilton Ohio, guests can enjoy their meals in a welcoming atmosphere near a roaring fireplace in the winter or on a breezy patio on a warm summer’s night. Its seasonal menu, featuring creatively combined classic dishes with delicious twists, along with its impressive selection of craft beers and wines rival the best restaurants in Cincinnati,” says Wright. 

Wright says they’re celebrating moms in style this year at The Coach House with a Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet. Seatings are at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm and pricing is $32 per person. Children 10 and under are $12 a person. 

The Coach House is open:

• Tuesday, 11 am- 9 pm
• Wednesday, 11 am- 9 pm
• Thursday, 11 am- 9 pm
• Friday, 11 am- 10 pm
• Saturday, 11 am- 10 pm
• Sunday brunch, 10 am- 2 pm

To learn more, visit http://coachhousetavern.com/ or call (513)-856-7899.

The Queen City Brewery of Cincinnati was founded in 2014 and their Blue Ash-based taproom opened its doors in December 2016.

Jason Surniak, The Queen City Brewery’s COO and Head Brewer, shares how the company began: “Everything started when Co-Owner, Mike Wofford, took a trip out to Colorado to visit his brother. While in town, they took their time and visited multiple breweries when it dawned on him: He was tired of working in a field that he wasn’t passionate about. He knew he loved beer and Cincinnati. It seemed like a no brainer!” 

There’s a lot that goes into transforming an idea into a business, but the team at The Queen City Brewery was ready to turn it into a reality. “It took networking — finding the brewer, Jason — who had been home-brewing for seven years. Then of course it took a lot of R&D, drinking, and talking with other brewery owners to understand the industry, equipment, and financials,” shares Surniak.  “During this process, we put a business plan together, created a name, which was then LLC’d, and started scaling recipes from the five gallon home-brew level to the three barrel manufacturing level. It took us about a year to scout locations. We looked all over the city until we ended up at our location in Blue Ash.”

Some of their more popular beers on tap include:

• Cincinnati Famous IPA
• Rings of Satum IPA
• Bengal Bee Honey Orange Wheat
• The Dark Knight 

The Queen City Brewery of Cincinnati Hours:

Monday: closed
Tuesday: closed
Wednesday: 3-9 pm
Thursday: 3-9 pm
Friday: 3-12 am 
Saturday: 12 pm 12 am

The Queen City Brewery of Cincinnati mission statement is “Because Beer,” Surniak says, adding that, “Customers can expect a laid-back atmosphere, with great beer on tap, where everyone is treated like family. We believe and embrace the philosophy that every customer should be treated as an interaction and not a transaction.” 

Surniak gives advice to fellow entrepreneurs. “You will be faced with adversity. People will criticize you without getting to know you; without even trying your product. There will always be people against you, but just remember, it’s all noise. Tune it out. Believe it or not, no one in this industry or any industry’s an expert, unless you are Elon Musk,” he adds. “Focus on your goals. Build your success by overcoming challenges and making mistakes. Be humble.”

Queen City Brewery is located at 11253 Williamson Road, Blue Ash, OH, 45241. To learn more, visit https://www.qcbcincy.com/.

Rosedale, a bar located in OTR, and MORTAR, an entrepreneur-focused business development service in Cincinnati, are partnering for a new concept: MORTAR Mess Hall. 

According to Cameron Woodruff, 4EG Marketing Director, “MORTAR Mess Hall is a partnership between Rosedale, a local OTR bar, and MORTAR, a Cincinnati entrepreneurship hub. Rosedale’s newly launched outdoor kitchen serves as an incubator for budding food operators and graduates of MORTAR’s entrepreneurship program. The kitchen space presents them with an opportunity to hone their craft and business in front of a captive and hungry audience.” 

This builds on MORTAR’s commitment to strengthen the community by supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses. “MORTAR’s mission is ‘to enable under-served entrepreneurs and businesses to succeed; creating opportunities to build communities through entrepreneurship,’” she explains. “As such, when looking for an operator to fill the kitchen space at Rosedale, MORTAR became the obvious and ideal partnership.”

Derrick Braziel, MORTAR Managing Director, talks about the inspiration behind MORTAR Mess Hall: “The inspiration came from Rosedale’s predecessor, Neon’s.  Neon’s had a constant influx of food businesses that would patronize the bar during the week.  Once Rosedale was announced, we hoped that 4EG would give MORTAR graduates the opportunities to grow their businesses versus using another vendor or providing food in-house. Luckily, Bob Deck and 4EG supported our vision and here we are.” 

According to Braziel, the schedule for MORTAR Mess Hall is:

Monday, April 2nd: Opening Day, Grand Opening – Vy’s Mahope,12-8pm

Wednesday, April 4th Canita Alexander, Paityn’s Place, through fall, 4-10pm 

Thursday, April 5th Canita Alexander, Paityn’s Place, through fall, 4-10pm

Friday, April 6th – Sunday, April 8th, through fall opens at 4pm

There are many different menu options at MORTAR Mess Hall: “Paityn’s Place, operated by Canita Alexander, features classic soul food offerings, like mac & cheese, loaded nachos, and sliders,” says Woodruff. “Mahope, operated by Vy Sok, features Cambodian cuisine. Wings, tacos, egg rolls, and an award-winning cheesecake taco will be offered regularly in addition to rotating daily features.”

MORTAR Mess Hall offers more to do than just enjoy the food. “The outdoor patio that MORTAR Mess Hall occupies features restored bocce ball courts, ample seating, an outdoor full-service bar, fire pits, and a variety of patio games. The patio is also dog-friendly,” says Woodruff. 

The partnership between Rosedale and MORTAR Mess Hall is a start of new possibilities in OTR. “This partnership presents an opportunity to show communities like OTR what’s possible,” says Braziel. 

To learn more about MORTAR Mess Hall, follow them on Instagram, follow Rosedale, or go to http://rosedaleotr.com/mortarmesshall/.

 After rekindling their high school friendship through planning their 10 year reunion, Jodie Andrews and Amanda Konrad, realized just how well they worked together and shortly thereafter started an event planning business, Timeless Creations Event Planning.
 
Jodie Andrews, co-owner and event coordinator shares the story of how she and her business partner went their separate ways after high school and later reconnected to conquer their first event together: “Fast forward 10 years, multiple jobs and two kids later we found ourselves reconnected in the planning of our 10 year high school reunion. The only kicker, we got thrown into planning the reunion literally only weeks to complete what would take a course of six months to properly plan. With a limited budget and a lot of DIY projects we turned this reunion into the most elegant and tasteful event that some had ever been to. It was then that we realized how good we worked with one another.” 

Andrews adds that she and Konrad are the perfect balance for each other. “All the things that I lacked in my experience she completed and vise versa so essentially we were the ‘PERFECT’ team,” says Andrews.

The team of two uses networking to their advantage. “We went from inheriting a reunion to planning a 100+ person wedding and reception. Which allowed us from there to build our connections and resume,” Andrews recalls.

Timeless Creations Event Planning has now planned events such as: bridal showers, weddings, birthday parties, company events and reunions.  

Andrews shares one of her favorite events Timeless Creations to date: “Our favorite event would have to be a bubbly brunch for a bridal shower. The bride-to-be provided us with a theme, color and location and we were able to use our creativity to exceed all her expectations. From transforming the given space into a refined brunch and mimosa bar along with activities to welcome guests as they were arriving and getting settled in.”

Andrews wants potential clients to know how much they care about their events that are planned. “As a client recently stated in her review, ‘they both really just want the best for the people they plan for’ and we’re here to make your dreams become reality and memories to become timeless.”
 
Timeless Creations Event Planning provides free consultations to those who are interested. Andrews encourages those who are interested in their services to check them out their Facebook page or email them at timelesscreationsep@yahoo.com.

Dillard’s in Kenwood mall is kicking off Spring in their shoe department with an event through a partnership with Vionic, a footwear company. This event is going on at Dillard’s March 31 from 1 to 4 pm. 

Vionic is a brand of footwear that cares about the comfort and style using innovated technology for their consumers. Their motto being, “Style, it doesn’t have to hurt.” 

On their website, Vionicshoes.com, they explain more of what the innovative technology is and feature the on-trend styles. “Vionic shoes provide essential stability and addictive support. With a contour seamlessly engineered into each shoe, sandal and slipper, Vionic helps support natural alignment from the ground up.”

Dillard’s is a partner with Vionic and through the event at Kenwood, Vionic will bring Dillard’s consumers tips on how to wear Spring trends with their different styles of footwear and also bring a day full of transformation into Spring. 

“We are partnering with Dillard’s to show women how to get their full look for Spring with styles and trends starting with the right choice of shoes that take you in style and comfort into the new season,” says Amy Cunha who does Public Relations for Vionic. “With the Spring/Summer season is upon us, everyone is looking for a fresh look and attendees will pick up tips and be able to ask questions of style experts as we’ll be hosting a fashion presentation and Q&A with our style experts showing how to style Vionic footwear with the key trends for the season.”

There are many different things going on at the event including: a braid bar, makeup bar, 5-look fashion presentation, bites and refreshments, goodie bags and giveaways. Attendees can also try on the shoes and meet Today Show guest style host Jene Luciani. “You can walk out with your feel good shoes, your new head to toe look and fresh spring makeup for a refreshed look ready for Spring,” says Cunha.  

If interested in attending this event go to: https://www.vionicshoes.com/secret. There will be an option for different events: go to Cincinnati, OH and click RSVP, it’ll redirect you to a new page where you can go register. To learn more about Vionic shoes, go to: https://www.vionicshoes.com. 

​

Pipkin’s Market opened in 1983 after Steve Pipkin was inspired from working in a similar market in Louisville, Kentucky. He encouraged his brother, Ben Pipkin, to join him in the business endeavor of starting a market in Cincinnati. The two bothers – Steve and Ben are co-owners of the market. 

The market started out with just fresh produce, and then three years later, they added flowers to their market. 

Ben shares the many things that can be found within Pipkin’s market: “Fresh fruits and vegetables, we get a lot of stuff from local people when available in the spring, summer, and fall.” 

Unlike some other markets, Pipkin’s is open year-round. There’s also an inside of the market where customers can buy groceries. 

Another aspect that Pipkin’s Market has is their garden center. “We also have a garden center which is extremely busy in May. We have bedding plants for flowers and vegetables for gardens and some trees and shrubs and pottery and fall décor,” says Ben. 

Pipkin’s not only sells produce and flowers but, also teaches local customers in the garden center. The class schedules for 2018 are not yet available but when they are there’s many different classes one can go to. 

“There are some classes in the garden center. Those can be found on our website,” says Ben. “Different classes on different aspects of planting, growing, designing garden, landscapes. It changes every week, so there’s always a different class.”

Ben talks about the Spring and what it brings to Pipkin’s Market: “The store is full of good stuff in the spring. Lots and lots and lots of varieties of plants for sale. Then we’re starting to get in local stuff like local asparagus starts to show up and late April/May and that’s the kick off for local produce. But, the exciting thing really are people are excited about seeing the flowers.” 

According to Pipkin’s Facebook page they just got in some pansies for the spring. They also announced they have a selection of ranunculus, primrose and hellebores. 

Ben encourages people to, “come in and see what we got.” Pipkin’s Market is located at 5035 Cooper Road in Cincinnati, or you can check out their website.

Local couple, Lindsey and Seth Redwine, opened their doors for business in the heart of the Reading’s Bridal District as a bar service, Redwine & Co., in October 2017.

The Redwine’s wanted to to be a part of the community and be located in the bridal district. “My husband and I often spoke of our desire to be a part of the revitalization of Reading and, naturally, we were drawn to having a business on Benson St, which is home to Reading’s Bridal District. It really was just a whim- and it has worked thus far,” says Lindsey. 

The couple had a lot of work to put in before opening, though. “At first, we wanted to simply improve the building and rent it out to a business, but after being approached about several business ideas, we decided to open our bar, Redwine & Co,” says Lindsey. 

She and her husband completed the renovation by themselves. “We essentially gutted the entire property and brought to life the building’s initial characteristics, which focus on industrial and rustic trends. We replaced outdated French doors with garage doors, in addition to painting the building,” says Lindsey. 

Lindsey shares that Redwine & Co. “has over 40 craft beers, domestic beer specials, wine and liquor. We plan on adding a 16-tap draft system that will be complete by Summer 2018.”

Lindsey says their target demographic is to reach both locals and brides. “Our goal is to be the hometown choice for locals, and the destination of choice for Bridal District patrons,” she adds.

Redwine & Co. also has special deals of the day. “We feature open bluegrass jams on Thursdays and have ‘Wine Wednesdays’ where all bottles of wine are 1/2 off and we have specials for Sangria and $4 house wine,” Lindsey explains. “We have $4 mimosas and $5 bloody Mary’s on Saturdays and Sundays. Brunch is starting in the spring.”

Coming soon to Redwine & Co. they are hoping to continue the celebration of brides by giving them a complimentary bottle of champagne if they purchased a dress from a local shop. 

To learn more about Redwine & Co. check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/redwineandco. 

“Giving back one glass at a time,” is the idea behind the Cincinnati International Wine Festival, coming up March 8-10, as a blend of supporting the community and appreciating wine. 

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival, which is approaching its 28th annual event, is a charitable, non-profit organization founded in 1991 to promote the wine industry and raise funds for local charities.

According to executive director, Debbie Dent, the Cincinnati International Wine Festival was started to connect the love of wine and local charities. “It was established to raise funds for local charities through the celebration of the wine industry,” she explains, adding that this year, the event benefits 36 Greater Cincinnati arts, education, and health and human services charities. “It distributed $350,000 in grants to the benefiting charities in 2017.”

There are many events to look forward to over the weekend of the Cincinnati International Wine Festival, Dent says. A few of the highlights include:

• March 8 at 6:30 PM- 18 Winery Dinners Open for Wine Tasting and Fine Dining
• March 9 at 6:30-9:30 PM- Grand Tasting at Duke Energy 
• March 10 at 2:30-9:30 PM- Grand Tasting at Duke Energy (Afternoon and Evening section)
• March 10 at 9:30 AM- Wine Reception and Silent Auction at Hilton Cincinnati Netherlands Plaza 
• March 10 at 11 AM- Live Auction and Winery Luncheon at Hilton Cincinnati Netherlands Plaza 

All weekend activities are open for anyone 21 and up, and Dent says, they aim to please a range of patrons.

“There truly is something for everyone here, at nearly every price point. Whether you’re looking to enjoy an exclusive dinner at one of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants, or you want to just taste wines and learn about their origin, you are invited to join us March 8-10,” she says. “Come explore and sample our vast array of wines, all for a great cause. Not only will you have an incredible time, you will be helping us support the charitable needs of our community.”

To learn more, or get tickets, visit https://www.winefestival.com. Watch the video below for our exclusive chat with Dent about how to make the most of the festival this year and tips for tasting!

Rachel Kramer has been working hard to bring a festival for Women’s History Month to Cincinnati through MUSE, a Cincinnati Women’s Choir, who’s celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary this year. 

After being the Associate Director and Accompanist for MUSE for 17 years, Kramer is expanding her work to build this into a month-long event. 

She wanted to make sure women of all ages were getting involved, so the idea started here: “We’ve always wanted to get younger girls involved in things MUSE is doing. So, why don’t we have a high school girls sing in? And, let’s tie it to LUNAFEST by calling it Filiae Mundi (Daughters of the world),” Kramer says. 

Then Kramer worked on how to get musicians involved. “Cincinnati has some very influential and active women singer songwriters and they have pioneered the women’s music world,” she says. 

From vocalist to musicians, her ideas continued to spread to writers.  “Why don’t we do a writing workshop for women and girls because I’m still looking to do things with young womenso it made perfect sense to invite Pauletta Hansel Cincinnati’s Poet Laureate?” Kramer recalls. 

Her idea ending with getting crafters and local vendors involved. “If we have writers and we have music then there must also be many women artisans and crafters and vendors maybe they would like to come,” says Kramer. “So, that’s how the whole festival started to take shape.”

Kramer is hopeful for a large turnout for this month-long celebration due to the high attendance at the Women’s March this past January. 

“It is my hope and dream that the energy and validation of women’s voices generated at these marches, will carry over into this event, which specifically honors and affirms the beautiful artistry women bring to our entire community and world. We need women to support women in their work and to ‘show up’for these wonderful programs planned to celebrate National Women’s History Month – like never before,” says Kramer. 

According to the website the events are scheduled as following: 

• Saturday, March 3rd: Filiae Mundi High School Girls Sing-In 
• Sunday, March 4th: Dr. Brenda Portman Presents an Organ Recital 
• Saturday, March 10th– St. Michael’s Street- Musicians, Art and Two Concerts
• Saturday, March 17th: Dr. Tammy Kemodle lectures on Civil Rights
• Sunday, March 18th: LUNA Film Festival at Hebrew Union College 

Kramer already has a team planning for the next event in 2019 hoping to include dance and theater expanding into all the arts. “What a better way to tell women’s history than through artistry of women’s voices and talents. Whether that is musical, dance, theater, visual, literary or film,” Kramer says. 

Kramer encourages all to get involved. “This is part of every woman’s herstory- young women need to be part of building their herstory, too,” she adds. 

To learn more, visit: http://www.alivenarts.org/national-women-s-history-month-festival-i.html.Tickets for the four events are $40 or $15 for one event.