Catch the latest local news that’s buzzing around Edible Ohio Valley

Mad Props

Several bits of happy news have crossed our inboxes over the past few weeks:

1) Ryan Santos of Please in OTR has been nominated by the James Beard Foundation for Best Chef: Great Lakes. This is a really big deal, and we’re thrilled for Ryan.

2) Sydney Fisher of Goose & Elder has been named to an exclusive mentorship group of five chefs from Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati. She is part of the 2020 class of the Women Chefs Program, created in 2018 by noted Louisville chef Edward Lee (who is opening Khora in Cincinnati this year) and Lindsey Ofcacek, general manager of 610 Magnolia. The six-month program aims to elevate female chefs by placing them in externship positions with other women in top restaurant kitchens across the country.

3) Dorothy Lane Market associate Katie West secured second place in the National Grocers Association Best Bagger Championship in San Diego.

4) The Ohio Restaurant Association recognized Camp Washington Chili with its 2020 Outstanding Restaurateur for Southern Ohio.

Food & Wine Mag Nods to Local Spots

Food & Wine magazine recently catalogued a list of “Best Classic Restaurants in Every State,” and the Ohio Valley represents with two spots: The Golden Lamb in Lebanon and Price Hill Chili. The magazine’s writeup touts the Golden Lamb’s fried chicken, and Price HIll’s chili (natch) and friendly atmosphere.

Local Food, National Awards

My Artisano Cheeses picked up a Good Food Award this month for its Ervie, a creamy, yeasty cows milk cheese with a washed rind. Two Indiana creameries, Jacobs and Brichford Farmstead in Connersville and Capriole in Greenville, and Canal Junction in Defiance, OH, also received awards, as did Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea in Columbus. See all the Good Food Award winners.

In related good news, The Baker’s Table in Newport, KY, was named to the number 4 spot on USA Today’s list of Best New Restaurants.

Mom ‘n ‘Em Among Top 10 U.S. Coffee Shops

Food & Wine contributor David Landsel spent nearly 2 years prowling the U.S. looking for better-than-great coffee shops. Among the top 10 on his list of 100 best coffee places is Mom ‘n ‘Em in Camp Washington. Landsel hails Tony and Austin Ferrari’s spot: “More than just a place for the most expertly-prepared coffees in the city, Mom ’n ‘Em is placemaking at its finest, an all-day affair, a place for the neighborhood as much as for coffee perfectionists, a place that transitions rather seamlessly, as the day wears on, into a civilized place for a drink—that expertly-curated wall of wine bottles isn’t there for decoration.”

Connecting Young Farmers with Farm Property

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has introduced Heartland FarmLink, a service that connects farmers looking for properties with farm owners looking to sell. The free online profile listing service allows farmers and land owners to review potential matches, contact each other, and find resources to help with the financial, legal, and communication challenges inherent in farm transfer. According to OEFFA, Ohio ranks sixth in the nation with a total of 33,885 beginning farmers (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service). Finding affordable land is a challenge for these farmers. At the same time, the average age of Ohio farmers remains high, at 55.8 years. Retiring farmers, particularly those without a family member interested in taking over the farm, want to keep the land in use for agriculture but struggle to find a way to achieve that. Heartland FarmLink proposes to close the gap.