> DSCDO Community Award Winners:A collage of community................p 6

> DanceWorks 2015:Coming to Cleveland Public Theater......p 2

> Refl ections on a High School Career:Insights republished from a Lincoln West

High School reporter................p 4

> Management from A to Z:Trace Althoff describes what life is like

managing A to Z Taverns......below the fold

> Master Gardeners:Offering a fi rst-time grant program seeks

applications for your green-thumb project

............................below

IN THIS ISSUE

Susie Frazier stands at the future 78th Street Studios entrance way to oWOW Radio Cleveland, which is already broadcasting online from a make-shift studio on the arts

campus until their permanent studio in the same building is built out.

Catch Frazier’s Show ‘Naked Brunch’ on oWOWnow.com Sundays from 10 am - noon or 6 - 8 pm

Photo by The Gordon Square PRINT

Continued on page 3

Trace Althoff on Managing Taverns from A to Z

by Rich Weiss

Trace Althoff has one of the coolest jobs in Cleveland.

He manages fi ve of the hippest new wave of bar/res-

taurants popping up in neighborhoods all over the city,

including the well-known ABC Tavern and XYZ the

Tavern, for A to Z Taverns. Althoff is a textbook case

of brain drain to Chicago boomeranging back after over

10 years to turn into a textbook case of brain gain for

Cleveland.

“I went to high school at St. Ignatius, so I’m a local

Cleveland guy. I

lived in Chicago for

just over a decade

and then I came

back. My mother’s

from Ohio City, we

ended up settling in

Parma, and I went

to St. Charles grade

school on Ridge

Road and Snow

Road,” said Althoff.

“My sister is now

the Principal of Holy

Name High School

in Parma Heights;

my younger sister

Continued on page 6

A special report by The Gordon Square PRINT

The newest, coolest radio station, oWOW Radio

Cleveland, has hit the internet airwaves from De-

troit Shoreway. It’s broadcasting from our own

78th Street Studios, and features our own Detroit

Shoreway artist, Susie Frazier, as an on-air person-

ality. The new station brings a team of national

radio giants and Cleveland personalities together

in Frazier, John Gorman, Ravenna Miceli, Jim

Marchyshyn, Steve Pappas, Charlotte Difranco,

Janet Parker, and Jennifer Young.

The Master Gardeners of Cuyahoga County

(MGCC) are seeking applications from non-profi t,

educational or public organizations interested in

grant funding for garden or horticulture related

projects. MGCC will award six (6) grants up to

one thousand dollars ($1000.00) each to qualifi ed

applicants.

“We are both pleased and excited to offer this op-

portunity through our organization,” said Jacque-

line Kowalski, Extension Educator. “Since our

focus is education, this grant concept fi ts perfectly

within our mission to assist residents of Cuyahoga

County to obtain skills and training that will ben-

efi t them in their daily lives.”

This one-time grant program is made possible by

the fundraising efforts of the Master Gardeners of

Cuyahoga County.

Interested individuals/organizations can learn

more about the grant program including all criteria

for consideration, and obtain an application on or

after March 16, 2015 by going to our website:

cuyahogamg.org. Deadline for applications is

April 30, 2015.

The Gordon Square PRINT sat down with Frazier

to discuss the new radio station and her show.

“The folks that are behind oWOW have been

in this region and in the industry for so many

decades – all of us, in our own right – but com-

bined, we’re really strong authorities on the music

scene,” Frazier said. “For them, they wanted to

raise the musical IQ of this market, but also feed

[Northeast Ohio] what they’ve been missing. For

the last (how many?) decades, we’re hearing ra-

dio pump out the same 200 songs and everybody’s

suffering. That’s why we’re all migrating to Pan-

dora; there’s nobody else giving us good music.”

Frazier added, “This is what oWOW wants to be

doing – becoming that source for a wide range of

musical tastes in the Rock & Roll genre. It’s not an

algorithm choosing the playlists. We all love Pan-

dora because it does invite you to learn some new

music, but over time if you listen to it often it does

did a lot of tutoring, after-school care, that kind of stuff

– they even had me coaching tennis. I’ve never played

a lick of tennis in my life, but it’s not a very hard game

to fi gure out…we never won a game. Not even a single

point. But we had a good time; the kids were good – they

worked hard. It gave us something to do after school,

and it was very positive for them.” Althoff added, “…I

think even for me, as a young professional, I was used

to winning in everything; everything I did. I was a very

successful student, and it took this to see there was more

to life than wins and losses…so that even taught me a

lesson. In 2004 I went to Ignatius [Saint Ignatius High

School], and I was the Dean of Admissions and Finan-

cial Aid there until 2011.”

City centers play a large role in Althoff’s resume as

well: “I spearheaded a MAGIS program (“MAGIS” is

the Latin term for “more”) in 2003 to work specifi cally

with students from the City of Cleveland – when I came

back to St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius was 7% students from

the City of Cleveland. When I left we had over a quarter

of our students coming from the City of Cleveland. The

Jesuits were always into urban education, and when they

hired me they said we want to get back to what paid our

bills for a hundred some-odd years before this, which

was urban education.” Althoff continued, “Ignatius still

does draw students from seven counties – but you were

seeing primarily the student population coming from

Avon and Bay Village, Euclid and Mayfi eld; the far sub-

Master Gardeners Offer First-Time Grant Program

Detroit Shoreway Artist Susie Frazier

Now On the Air with oWOW Radio

Photo by Rich WeissTrace Althoff, with one of many tempting bourbons available at XYZ the Tavern

used to teach at St. Charles, now a stay-at-home mom

with two kids; and my brother is a Chicago police of-

fi cer…so we kind of run the gamut with everything that

we do.”

Althoff has a strong theme of education that runs

throughout his work history. He said, “I started work-

ing at Loyola University, where I went to school, after

I graduated – I was in their admissions offi ce for a few

years. Then I worked in the Chicago public system –

briefl y – with a lot of focus on history and sociology. I

Page 2 • Volume 1 Issue 2 • e Gordon Square PRINT • April 2015

Cleveland Public Theatre presents

DanceWorks 2015:

A showcase for contemporary dance by local artists

April 2 – April 25 With special guest performance May 1-3

e Gordon Square PRINT is published on the last Friday of each month, and

distributes 7,500 copies in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland,

Ohio, and its outlying communities. Please submit materials for consider-

ation by our deadline of 5:00 p.m. on the 18th of each month. ! e Gordon Square PRINT publishes articles, images, poetry, prose, notes, advertising, news

and other things created by community members, for community members.

Please consider submitting articles, photos, artwork or announcements if you live,

work, play, learn, practice faith, or feel a special connection to our shared

Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.

Submit your questions or materials for consideration to:

PO Box 6161, Cleveland, OH 44101or

info@NeighborhoodMedia.org

Co-Publisher

Curtis ToneyCo-Publisher

Rich Weiss

Our thanks to those below for their labor, thoughts, advertising, contributions,

and time:

Amanda Lloyd, Julie Maslov Goodman, Cathleen OMalley, Raymond Bobgan,

Tina Arundel, Roseann Canfora, Berni Repko, Margaret Lynn Schroeder, Tom Ott,

Michael Scott, Maria Nicolau-Miranda, Kevin Alin, Patti Choby, Andrea Gale, Paul

Krupa, Mary McDonnell-Krupa, Bill Weiss, Hilary Gent, Chad Jones, Cindy Fink,

Katelyn McCarthy, Judi Feniger, Theresa Schneider, Ron Rasmus, Jennifer A.

Raynor, Karen Hudock, and Rick Neiditz.

SPORTS VIEWS

By Bill Weiss

indecision is over!

The loud claims of dysfunction will slowly – but

steadily – be put to rest. Despite the cries of de-

rision from the sports talk show hosts and sports

writers, closing the hole at the quarterback posi-

tion- in the short run- ends the quandary regard-

ing the route for the Browns to proceed in order to

strengthen the team in the long run.

Brain Hoyer did a serviceable job in 2014, and

wishes to be a starter somewhere with a long-term

contract, and commensurate quarterback starter’s

compensation. Not only was Cleveland not will-

ing to commit to Hoyer long-term, but the Browns

felt the need to obtain a veteran presence, with

a willingness to mentor the young quarterbacks

already on the team, and as a future backup for

Johnny Manziel or whomever becomes the future

starting quarterback.

To the many fans who admired the performance

and dedication of Brian Hoyer in 2014, it must be

noted that there is a defi nite ceiling to his ability at

quarterback and any improvement in the future at

his age is limited.

Josh McCown is 35 years old with 12 years of

NFL experience, covering 49 games. He stands

6’4” and weighs 212 lbs. McCown was drafted in

the third round in 2002 from Sam Houston State

University. He is a big strong player with excel-

lent mobility – a feature that Hoyer lacked, and

Welcome to Cleveland, Josh McCown

that was disturbing to the Browns coaching staff.

Mike Pettine stated in the news release, “Josh is a

high-character, savvy, veteran quarterback that has

a lot to offer to our team. When you hear from

people that have been around Josh, they speak of

the leadership qualities and the positive impact

that he has in a locker room.” It is important to the

success of the Browns, that there be no divisive-

ness in the locker room, as there may have been

with players preferring either Hoyer or Manziel.

Years ago, when Bernie Kosar was drafted from

the University of Miami, Gary Danielson was

brought in to Cleveland to be the Browns quar-

terback and to mentor Bernie, until such time as

Kosar would be prepared to become the starter.

Danielson was a fi ne quarterback for a number of

years in the league, and although he was injured

after only a few games with Cleveland, he always

maintained a great relationship with Bernie, and

was instrumental in his successful career. They are

friends to this day.

Brian Hoyer has aspirations to remain a starting

quarterback in the NFL for a number of years, and

would not be as agreeable to mentoring young

quarterbacks that would ultimately succeed him.

We do not need a quarterback controversy in

Cleveland.

Contentious competition leaves bad feelings all

around, and leads to an unhappy locker room.

This positioning of Josh McCown as the short term

quarterback, leading to a successor whether it be

Josh McCownPhoto courtesy of the Cleveland Browns

by Cathleen O’Malley, CPT Director of Audi-

ence Engagement and Media Relations

Cleveland Public Theater’s Executive Artistic

Director Raymond Bobgan is proud to present

DanceWorks 2015, an annual showcase of con-

temporary dance. DanceWorks 2015 features six

dance companies from the Northeast Ohio region,

including Inlet Dance Theatre, MorrisonDance,

The Movement Project, Ohio Dance Theatre and

Verb Ballets. Six companies premiere new work

and revive popular performances, presented as

single or double bills over 4 weekends.

The DanceWorks 2015 festival will conclude with

a special guest production of The Neighbor’s Grief

is Greener by The Visual Theatre of Emanuella

Amichai, on tour from Israel and presented in part-

nership with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland,

May 1-3. The complete lineup is below:

Week 1: April 2-4 (DOUBLE BILL)

MorrisonDance

Compulsion to Move: ZUGZWANG

An eclectic group of movers shares a variety of

dances that use metaphor and humor to explore the

dynamic contrast between “moving” and “allow-

ing.” Described as “zany” and “endearing” by The

Plain Dealer, MorrisonDance will “move” you

through the dilemma of ZUGZWANG: The com-

pulsion to move!

The Movement Project

All together now…

In their new work, All together now, The Move-

ment Project investigates an oversized world of

“Cat’s Cradle” that challenges the physical limits

of the human body and explores the concepts of

weight and risk, while suspended in space. This

highly collaborative work features multiple Cleve-

land artists and designers through set, lighting,

sound, video and multimedia design.

Week 2: April 9 – 11 (DOUBLE BILL)

Ohio Dance Theatre

Blood Stripe

Ohio Dance Theatre will present the premiere

of Blood Stripe, inspired by the story of an OIF/

OEF Marine and his family, in honor of veterans

suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury

(TBI). A second work, Construct, is a densely lay-

ered solo work partly inspired by Susan Sontag’s

monograph “Illness as Metaphor.”

Cleveland Dance Exchange (CDX)

Top 10

Ten Cleveland choreographers. Ten original dance

works. Ten Billboard Hot 100 hits. Which hits?

You choose. Audience members will vote to de-

termine which songs will be played each night.

1960s? 1980s? 2000s? You decide.

Week 3: April 16–18

Verb Ballets

Verb Ballets’ Spring Series

Verb Ballets’ Spring Series will feature two tales

of love and agony. Carmen: The Story of Passion

reinterprets the timeless tale with choreography

by Associate Director, Richard Dickinson, and a

second work, Laura's Women, is inspired by the

music and life of blues singer, L a u r a N y r o .

Critically-acclaimed Verb Ballets “dashes precon-

ceptions...with keen dramatic power.”

– The Plain Dealer

Week 4: April 23– 25

Inlet Dance Theatre

Four Elements

Inlet Dance Theatre premieres Four Elements, a

work the company has been building for the last

three years, inspired by business author Laurie

Beth Jones’ book, The Four Elements of Success,

which looks at the four elements as personal-

ity profi les. Inlet will also premiere work collab-

oratively created with international artist Mihaela

Kavdanska, in partnership with the Cleveland

Foundation’s Creative Fusion International Artist

Exchange.

SPECIAL EVENT – International Dance-Theatre

troupe on tour from Israel

The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener

The Visual Theatre of Emanuella Amichai (on tour

from Israel)

May 1 – 3 :: Shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm

:: Sunday matinee at 3:00pm

In partnership with the Jewish Federation of

Cleveland, CPT presents The Visual Theatre of

Emanuella Amichai, on tour from Israel. Critical-

ly-acclaimed The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener is a

macabre visual performance that takes place in the

sterile and static setting of an archetypal suburban

kitchen, merging physical theatre and contempo-

rary dance with striking theatrical design that has

wowed audiences and critics around the world.

Tickets: $28

Ticket & Show Information

DanceWorks 2015 performances are Thursday,

Friday and Saturday, 7:30pm in CPT’s Gordon

Square Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland,

OH 44102.

The Visual Theatre of Emanuella Amichai’s

The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener performances

are Friday-Sunday. Friday and Saturday shows

are at 7:30pm, with a Sunday matinee at 3:00pm.

Tickets are $28.

Tickets are $12 – $28. Take advantage of $12

tickets for Thursday shows. Student and Senior

discounts ($3 off) are available for Friday and Sat-

urday performances.

Every Friday is FREE BEER FRIDAY at CPT.

Audience members are invited to mingle with the

artists after the show and enjoy a drink or two on

CPT.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.cptonline.org

or by phone at (216) 631-2727 x 501.

up on any future

for Manziel, and

were willing to

take a chance on

reaching what-

ever greatness

to which Hoyer

could lift them

over the next

few seasons – a

long shot at best!

Now, Ray Farmer

and Mike Pettine

can concentrate

on continually

strengthening the

team at all posi-

tions – through

the draft and free

agency, until they

fi nally settle on a

“Franchise Quar-

terback” for the

long term.

Good luck Browns!

Johnny Manziel or some-

one else, makes the most

sense structurally, for the

long term stability of the

Browns.

The signing of Josh Mc-

Cown is an indication

that Ray Farmer and

Mike Pettine still have

hope that the possibility

of the fi rst round pick

of Johnny Manziel last

year can still succeed. It

is worth a try! A com-

mitment to Brian Hoyer

would have meant that

the Browns had given

April 2015 • e Gordon Square PRINT • Volume 1 Issue 2 • Page 3

become a little repetitive.” Frazier said, “What

John Gorman and the others at the station pride

themselves on is this vast, vast musical knowledge

and an archive they have that is enormous. Not

only is it bands that we all have known and loved,

and great tunes, but he has carefully chosen rare

versions of songs that you can’t buy, or cool in-

terpretations of a cover by somebody else…you

know?”

Frazier hosts her own two-hour Internet radio

show, Naked Brunch, featuring her favorite non-

album tracks and rare interpretations of rock

songs. Log in, tune in, and turn on Naked Brunch

every Sunday from 10 am to noon or 6 to 8 pm

at owownow.com – Northeast Ohio’s fi rst profes-

sionally operated, locally owned and programmed

Internet radio station.

Detroit Shoreway Artist Susie Frazier is on oWOW RadioContinued from page 1

MONDAY, APRIL 6TH

DJ Kishka hosts the fi fth annual

CLEVELAND DYNGUS DAYin the Detroit Shoreway, Tremont,

Hingetown, and Ohio City Neighborhoods

The fi fth annual and highly anticipated Cleve-

land Dyngus Day will be held Monday, April 6th,

2015 from 10am – 2am in the Detroit Shoreway,

Tremont, Hingetown, Slavic Village and Ohio City

Neighborhoods. DJ Kishka, Scene Magazine’s

Best Club DJ 2010 and Cleveland Magazine’s

Best DJ 2011, has partnered with some of Cleve-

land’s best neighborhoods, merchants, bars, and

restaurants to host the events, music, and accordi-

on parade. DJ Kishka is also celebrating the 100th

anniversary of Frankie Yankovic’s birth with an all

star polka jam featuring Fred Zwich!

History

Dyngus Day, also known as Wet Monday, has been

celebrated for thousands of years on Easter Mon-

day in Poland and other Easter European cultures.

It marks the conclusion of Easter, and the often

restrictive time of Lent, with Polish music, beer,

and cuisine. The world’s largest organized Dyngus

Day celebration (for now until Cleveland takes

that title) is in Buffalo, NY, where DJ Kishka per-

formed in 2010 and was inspired to bring the event

back to his hometown of Cleveland.

“I wanted to celebrate the rich heritage of the Pol-

ish and Eastern European Cultures here in Cleve-

land,” Kishka says, “We are also exited about

the Frankie Yankovic tribute this year. Without

Frankie, we would not be polka dancing in the

streets!”

Cleveland

The celebration drew 10,000 people in 2013, near-

ly 20,000 people in 2014 and expects upwards of

35,000 participants this year amongst all the cel-

ebrating neighborhoods. This year Dyngus Day

will again feature Kishka’s Beer Heaven Tent pre-

sented by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall

of Fame and it’s stage sponsored by First Federal

of Lakewood in the Detroit Shoreway neighbor-

hood along with numerous venues there as well in

Tremont, and Ohio City Neighborhoods.

Dyngus Day events will begin around 10:00am

at several of the offi cial locations. At 4:00pm the

Beer Tent and Stage will host the Frankie Yankovic

Tribute and at 5:00pm, the Miss Dyngus pageant.

After the crowning of Miss Dyngus 2015, the Ac-

cordion Parade will commence at 6:00pm. Kish-

ka’s Beer Heaven Tent will offer cultural music,

dancing, and food sponsored by Sterle’s Slovenian

Country House and Rudy’s Strudel and Bakery as

well as vegan pierogies from Cleveland Vegan.

Featured Venues

Throughout Cleveland, attendees will fi nd a fi ne

selection of Polish beer and cuisine at restaurants

at numerous venues. The featured 2015 venues

are Kishka’s Beer Heaven and entertainment tent,

Spice Kitchen + Bar, XYZ the Tavern, The Happy

Dog, Luxe Kitchen and Bar, Toast Wine Bar, The

Harp, Great Lakes Brewing Company, The South-

side, and Hingetown’s Jukebox CLE. Lolly the

Trolley will shuttle participants this year through-

out all neighborhoods running from 12:00pm-

8:00pm.

"Everybody loves to Polka!,” Norm Plonski of

The Parkview Nite Club stated and "Dyngus Day

is free and open to the public – all cultural affi lia-

tions are welcome.”

All accordion players are invited and welcome to

join the Accordion Parade at 5:00pm. For more

information please contact dyngusdaycleveland@

gmail.com. A full schedule and listing of events is

available at ClevelandDyngus.com, the offi cial

Cleveland Dyngus Day website.

Page 4 • Volume 1 Issue 2 • e Gordon Square PRINT • April 2015

Musings by Max Field

Future, present, past.

Years go by so fast.

A well wound clock that still ticks,

sounding out a chime,

old hands always showing new time.

Future, present, past.

Years fl y by so fast.

The past and future are eclipsing,

here and now.

The stars, the earth, and me,

all seem to know that somehow.

Years fl y fast.

Future, present, past.

An Internet lament

How can all this content,

leave you so,

leave you so,

contentless.

~

Too much information, they shorten to TMI,

to make room for broken English.

So we can tell ourselves, LOL.

Instead of laughing out loud with

each other.

How can all this content,

leave you so,

leave you so,

contentless.

April 2015 • e Gordon Square PRINT • Volume 1 Issue 2 • Page 5

Photo by Rich WeissAlthoff is proud of the menus offered by the whole portfolio of A to Z Taverns he oversees. No matter the size of the kitchen, each

right-sized menu makes the most of every square inch of space to deliver a sustainable bar/restaurant model with friendly, familiar

service and food at price that doesn’t break the bank.

urbs, and lost focus on the city. The MAGIS program is still up and running

today, and it’s very, very good. Now it’s started working with fi fth grade

students in the city: reading, English, math, and study skills.”

How did the St. Ignatius Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid become the

manager of fi ve bar/restaurants? According to Althoff, “Now, Randy Kelly

and Linda Syrek (who are two of our three owners, Alan Glazen being the

third), their son Zach was a student at St. Ignatius who came up through the

MAGIS program with us, so I’d known Zach for a number of years. His

parents used to operate the West Side Market Café, and every Saturday I’d

go in there for breakfast. We developed a friendship, you know, at 6:30 in

the morning Randy’s unlocking the doors and there I am waiting at the door.

I want some bacon and eggs before I go and teach the kids, right? Then, I

would run into them at the Flying Fig…” The rest of Althoff’s path seems

to have been all in the timing. He said, “Zach graduated; we got Zach off

to college…and I was burnt out on education. In my educational career I

dealt with a lot of…for lack of a better term, high risk students. It came

to the point one day that I came home and I called my mom and I said, ‘I

just can’t do it anymore. If I didn’t make ‘em, I don’t want to solve their

problems anymore.’ Now, I know that’s crass and sounds a little selfi sh,”

Althoff admitted, “but at that point my light was fl ickering. I had no plan,

I walked into St. Ignatius on an April day and just took my diploma off the

wall, and said, ‘I’m done. I can’t do it anymore; I’m sorry.’ So I was sit-

ting at XYZ (Althoff laughed) – they’d just opened XYZ, here – and Randy

walked in, he said, ‘What’s new at the salt mine down the street?’ I said, ‘I

just quit.’ He said, ‘Really? You want to bartend for a while until you fi gure

out what’s going on?’ I said, ‘Sure!’ That ended up with me bartending at

the ABC (ABC Tavern, 1872 W 25th Street), their original place. Then, I

managed the ABC for a while, and there were some leadership changes in

this organization.” That was when Althoff was tapped for General Manager

of all A to Z Taverns. According to Althoff, “They said, ‘Do you want to run

the whole thing?’”

Althoff had just made a resolution, but right then he decided to break it:

“I’ve always worked my way up the food chain pretty quickly in any profes-

sion I’ve had. When I started, I told my mom, ‘I just want to take it easy, you

know?’” Althoff continued, “…and then eight months later, I’m running the

whole thing.” That was a half a decade ago. Althoff has never looked back.

“I’ve been here with these guys for about four and a half years; I enjoy it,”

he said. “I think for a lot of the staff, and ‘lifers’ in this business, working

for me is a little bit different because…I’m not going to come in the back and

blow the roof off and scream at people. I use a lot of my education, training

in what we do in the back, and what we do in the front. That shows in our

staff,” Althoff beamed. “We have very limited turnover. We have people

Trace Althoff on Managing Taverns from A to ZContinued from page 1

that this has become very much a full-

time job for them. Harris, who is ac-

tually the day-to-day manager [at the

XYZ Tavern], I’ve known him since

he was 14 years old – he’s now 28

years old, running the show here. So,

there’s a little bit of pride in that I can

see people that may not have the most

education or training, but really work

themselves up the system and are able

to make this a full time job, a career,

they’re going on vacations now, they

have families…that’s something I

take a lot of pride in.”

According to Althoff, when he made

the leap from ABC Tavern Manager

to A to Z Tavern General Manager,

“The biggest thing to change for me

is I live in Bizarro World. I get home

at fi ve in the morning, and will then

walk my dog…so, I lay down from

about eight o’clock in the morning

until about noon every day. I live

in ‘opposite world:’ It’s just me and

my dog, Roxie.” It turns out Roxie

and Althoff were both going through

turbulent times when their paths

crossed. He said, “She’s a pit-bull-

boxer mix; she’s a rescue. My other

dog, Lunchbox – an English bull dog

– she had passed away, and I was go-

ing through a really rough time. Life

was changing for me – very much

so. My dad called me – he had done

some research about three days after

she passed away, and we drove out to

Eastlake, found Roxie – she had been

adopted out fi ve times…they were go-

ing to kill her. I was a single guy; she

was a little rough…I mean they had

trained her to fi ght and everything…

but she’s the best dog. When people

come up to her now her butt starts

wiggling.”

Things for Althoff have been on an

up-swing ever since. Giving an over-

view of company growth, he said,

“Now, we operate fi ve bars/restau-

rants, the newest one being Waterloo

Brew at E 152nd Street and Waterloo

Road – right in the old Slovenian

Workman’s Home. Our liquor li-

cense transfer was delayed, so we’ll

be opened up there in a few weeks.

We have XYZ the Tavern in Detroit

Shoreway, and the Ontario Street

Café, which is downtown right next to

the Tilted Kilt and the Horseshoe Ca-

sino, a block and a half from Quicken

Loans Arena…right in the heart of it.”

Althoff is particularly excited about

the opening of the Ontario Street

Café, considering Public Square developments: “Right before they’re going

to do the reconstruction for Public Square – it’s right there,” he said. “We

have two ABCs now: we have the one on W. 25th Street, which is our origi-

nal and our fl agship – the business we purchased from Mike Roman. Then,

about two and a half or three years ago now, we opened up ABC Tavern in

University Circle on Case Western Reserve’s campus right behind the Mu-

seum of Contemporary Art – right at Euclid and Mayfi eld – in the crosshairs

of everything: campus life, University Hospital, Case Western Reserve, so

we get a pretty diverse crowd there, as well.”

Althoff is also excited about the neighborhoods that are blossoming around

his A to Z taverns. “We’re always Cleveland-centric,” he said. “Look at

what W 25th Street has become in the last four or fi ve years. ABC Tavern’s

been there for a number of years. When Mike Roman operated it, it was a

neighborhood joint…a little bit rougher, I think, than it is now…” but, ac-

cording to Althoff, not much else about the neighborhood bar has changed.

He admitted, “The bowling machine moved around a little bit…”

Althoff pointed out the right-sized ABC Tavern menu: “Our kitchen is small

but we offer a pretty good menu out of that little galley kitchen,” he said.

A neighborhood is about more than blocks, streets, and buildings, according

to Althoff. He spoke to the Ohio City neighborhood’s West Side Market

Strip, as an example: “That district is really taking off. The Old Angle, our

next door neighbor. You see Beir Market and Bar Cento, even the expansion

of Great Lakes, and there’s going to be the new brewery across the street – I

mean, it just keeps going – Bon Bon’s there, the Flying Fig’s always been

there…so, there’s commitment to the neighborhood.”

A to Z Tavern ownership felt just as strongly about the Detroit Shoreway

neighborhood’s Gordon Square Arts District. Althoff said, “When we –

when they – were looking to open a second spot, initially they were looking

across the street (Althoff points to the ongoing renovation of the former City

Grille across Detroit Avenue). That place, as you can see, needed…what

looks like a gazillion dollars’ worth of renovation.” A to Z Taverns couldn’t

shoulder the renovation at the time, but are glad the building is undergoing

renovations now. Althoff stared dreamily across Detroit Avenue and said,

“We can’t wait for that one to open up so we can have another neighbor.”

Althoff returned to the strong theme of neighborhood building on the part of

A to Z Taverns ownership: “They wanted to be here,” he said. “The Capitol

Theatre was just coming online, being right next to Cleveland Public The-

atre – look at what Gordon Square has become. We’ve been here four and

a half or fi ve years, but this place has really evolved.” As the neighborhood

has evolved, so has the menu at XYZ the Tavern. Althoff said, “You see

the barbecue now…Randy Kelly, one of our owners, spent some time in the

South; he lived in the South for a number of years in his younger adult years,

so he learned how to smoke. We built a custom smoke box in the back and

we cherry wood smoke our ribs, our brisket, our chicken – we even smoke

tofu; that’s really taken off.”

The evolution didn’t end there: “We added a pizza shop into this place. Bon

Bon…Courtney [Bonning, owner] used to just have a little bakery that was

attached to this building before she got the spot on Lorain. Bon Bon used

to be where the pizza shop is in the back. When she moved out we had all

this space and we leased out the space and put in a pizza shop, and you get

a quarter of a pizza – it’s like a New York style, thinner crust…I call them,

for lack of a better term, the ‘crumblies’ on the bottom of the pie…it doesn’t

matter what you want; if you want cheese or you want every topping, it’s all

the same price. We do it all.”

Althoff noted the positive customer reaction to the developments at XYZ

the Tavern: “People have taken to it. It’s become a tavern. It’s very much a

local tavern. We see a lot of young professionals moving into the neighbor-

hood – people that I used to serve at ABC fi ve years ago have now graduated

to the XYZ, and you’ll see them populate this place Wednesday, Thursday,

Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights.”

The XYZ has plenty of room to accommodate all their ABC graduates, and

then some. Althoff said, “We’re very quaint, but that’s why we like the

summertime, because we can double up – we have that great wrap-around

patio…it works out well.”

Althoff sees great value in small business acting as early adopters of Cleve-

land neighborhoods. He cites Detroit Shoreway as an example: “We’ve

gotten in on the ground level and we’ve worked with the neighborhood. The

City of Cleveland and Matt Zone work with us here; we see him consistently,

we talk to him consistently. We’re a part of the Gordon Square Business

District meetings, and the merchant meetings, the associations. Dyngus Day

is coming up the day after Easter – it’s gotten bigger and bigger and bigger

each year. It’s not only a celebration of Polish heritage and a day for people

to go out and have a good time…but it’s really a celebration of what this

neighborhood has become.”

Althoff believes development at W. 65th Street and Detroit Avenue impacts

businesses that are blocks away and vice-versa. He specifi ed, “Norm [Plon-

ski, owner of Hoopples and] the Parkview, and the folks down at the Happy

Dog, and Spice, and Luxe…it’s really working together in concert with those

guys, and it’s really taken off. Most of the guys and gals that work here live

within a half a mile of where we’re sitting right now. Same thing with W.

25th Street. The commitment to the neighborhood is very important.”

Althoff sees a serious commitment to neighborhoods in every Cleveland A

to Z Taverns location: “We’re committed to the city; we’re committed to

the neighborhoods we’re in – we always want to be a team player; we want

to work with our constituents in the neighborhood,” he said. Many times,

urban neighborhood residents fi nd themselves at odds with bars located on

residential streets. A to Z Taverns has

a philosophy of bolstering the blocks

in every community they establish

an outpost. Althoff explained, “We

want to have a positive effect – peo-

ple so often think of a bar or tavern

negatively…there’s that bar; they can

cause some problems in the neigh-

borhood…that’s the exact opposite

of what we want to do. We want to

be a really big component; we want

to be a big contributor; we want to

be involved, and I think our track re-

cord proves that, and that’s something

that’s very, very important to us.” He

concluded, “The city is important

but the neighborhood we service and

work with, the people that we know

are very, very important to us.”

This approach is turning out to be as

good a business model as it is a com-

munity reinvigoration model. “Ulti-

mately, why we see so much repeat

business is because of our staff,” said

Althoff. “I mean they’re friendly,

they’re nice. This business is not

rocket science – it’s not. I’d be ly-

ing if I told you it was. Why would

you want to return to a place? Num-

ber one: They have what you like or

at least some semblance of what you

like; the product is good – you don’t

feel like you’re getting ripped off;

and, fi nally, the person’s not an ass-

hole. You know?”

Althoff partially attributes the suc-

cess of A to Z Taverns to a changing

industry. He said, “This business has

become a profession. I think 10, 15…

maybe even fi ve years ago, people

didn’t look at it as a profession. My

fi rst question I got when I was work-

ing just at the ABC was, ‘What’s your

real job?’ Like this is just a hobby or

something. For some people it can be,

but if this is your job, this is your pro-

fession, you want to master it…this is

what we do. If you’re good at it, it can

be a profession for you.”

Althoff fi nds a nexus between the in-

novation within his industry and the

innovation within Cleveland’s econ-

omy. “Look at Cleveland now,” he

said. “It was manufacturing, manu-

facturing, manufacturing. Well, that’s

dwindled. Now what is Cleveland be-

coming known for? You see it on TV:

The food and restaurant business.”

For more information about A to Z

Taverns, search by individual bar/res-

taurant name on Facebook.

Page 6 • Volume 1 Issue 2 • e Gordon Square PRINT • April 2015

Detroit Shoreway Community Developement Organization’s 2015 Award Winners

April 2015 • e Gordon Square PRINT • Volume 1 Issue 2 • Page 7

MetroHealthy Living

Will This Controversy Ever be

“Gluten-Free?” Part I

bodies. Symptoms may include chronic stomach

aches (chronic symptoms have usually been pres-

ent for months) stomach bloating, chronic diar-

rhea, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, etc. Other

symptoms (outside of the gastrointestinal system)

include growth problems, stunted height, anemia,

joint swellings, and itchy, blistering rashes.

Does celiac run in families?

Yes, celiac disease tends to run in families. If you

have a fi rst-degree relative with celiac disease, you

are twice as likely to develop celiac disease at any

point in your lifetime, and thus periodic screening

by your doctor is necessary. Remember sometimes

celiac disease may not have any obvious symp-

toms, at least initially.

How is celiac diagnosed?

Celiac is screened by specifi c blood tests for levels

of antibodies called anti-transglutaminase, anti-en-

domysial, and/or anti-gliadin. If these are elevated,

it is confi rmed by evaluating intestinal tissue biop-

sies obtained from an endoscopic procedure.

What’s the treatment for celiac disease?

The only defi nitive treatment for celiac disease (at

least at this time) is STRICT, LIFELONG GLU-

TEN ELIMINATION from the diet. While it is

easier said than done, with increased awareness

and availability of gluten-free foods (fl our and

more restaurants with gluten-free menus), there

couldn’t have been an easier time. So with a myri-

ad of options, maintaining a gluten-free diet is not

impossible – and then it’s like there’s no disease

at all.

This is perhaps the only human disease for which

the treatment is purely dietary.

Which foods are gluten free?

Wheat, barley, rye and foods containing these have

gluten. Oats which are certifi ed to be gluten-free

are safe for celiacs. All fruits, vegetables, unpro-

cessed meats, dairy, eggs are gluten-free. If you’re

cooking from scratch, you are totally in control of

what is in your food. But if you’re buying pack-

aged food, beware of hidden ingredients that may

have gluten and don’t settle for anything less than

foods which are labeled gluten-free. While the ac-

ceptable concentration of gluten varies in different

countries, in the U.S. foods with gluten < 20 ppm

gluten are safe for celiacs.

“The new kiddo on the block?”- non-celiac glu-

ten sensitivity

Ever-increasing accounts of various types of

symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, chronic

fatigue (tiredness), joint pains, muscle pains,

“mental fogging” behavior, and concentration

problems, etc. in people who do not have celiac

disease may be due to a distinct entity now called

non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

……………More about non-celiac gluten sensi-

tivity in Part II of the series.

by Reema Gulati, MDDivision Director,

Pediatric Gastroenterology

MetroHealth System

“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet par-

taken in anxiety.”

-Aesop

and

“Never has there been as much anxiety and contem-

plation about gluten and gluten-free foods than in the

contemporary human diet regimen.”

-Me

As a Pediatric Gastroenterologist and “nutritionista,”

I’m frequently encountered with questions like,

“Does my child have celiac disease?” or “Doc, can

you check my child (or me) for a gluten allergy?”

or “I’m taking my child off gluten as it helped my

aunt.”

The role of gluten in human disease, and the scope

and intent of gluten-free foods (GFD,) is receiving

unprecedented interest both in the medical com-

munity and popular media. With profusion of all

kinds of information (sometimes confl icting) out

there, a naïve person is left feeling very confused

and vulnerable to the “fact -or -fad” of gluten. In

the next few months, this series will hopefully help

you understand and break the “gluten code.”

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat,

rye and barley. Gluten is associated with health

conditions like celiac disease, non-celiac gluten

sensitivity and wheat allergy, and each of these

health conditions is different from each other. This

means that celiac disease is a well-defi ned disease,

non-celiac gluten sensitivity as we understand it

currently is a sensitivity and NOT a disease, and

wheat allergy is a true allergy.

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is a well-defi ned intestinal disease,

which is estimated to affect ≈ 1% of the world’s

population, which means 1 of every 100 people has

celiac disease – so it is fairly common. In geneti-

cally susceptible people, gluten triggers an autoim-

mune reaction (a reaction in which our own im-

mune system attacks our body system(s)), which

leads to characteristic intestinal infl ammation and

symptoms, which mainly affect our gastrointesti-

nal systems, but can also affect other parts of our

FROM THE LINCOLN-WEST HIGH SCHOOL WOLVERINE SCENE

Reflections on a High School Careerby Micheal Kostura

Lincoln WestSpecial thanks to Andrea

Gale, M.A. Ed., Editor of

Lincoln-West Center for

International Studies’ The

Wolverine Scene

With March finally

here, we’re also

greeted with the cel-

I’ve realized that the things I will look back on and

smile about one day are the values and lessons that

I’ve learned over the years- and I’m not talking about

the ones that came from the classroom.

At the start of my high school career, I was your typical

“A” student. During middle school I always kept my

grades up and never missed more than a few days of

school. However, for some reason, 9th grade changed

my academic performance. My grades dropped lower

than I ever expected, and I didn’t care nearly as much

about missing any school days. I never once expected

my work ethic to go down the drain as my education

continued.

Of course, 10th grade was more or less the same situ-

ation as 9th grade. I thought that I would make an im-

provement on the past year’s performance, bring my

grades up, and get honor roll. Unfortunately, I’d have

to say that my grades ended up being fairly mediocre.

On the brighter side, I opened up a lot in 10th grade,

ebration of women’s history. With graduation fi nally

here, many seniors are looking back on these past

four years. Many of us will be looking back at all of

the fun times that we’ve had, or the new friends that

we’ve made. However, as I look back on my time in

high school, I’m fi nding out that my real memories of

these past four years will not revolve around meeting

new people or laughing at the class clown. Instead,

Women’s Self DefenseSensei E. Samuel Nieves and Yes I CAN! Karate offer women’s self-defense classes on Wednesday nights

by Rich Weiss

On a recent Wednesday night at 7:30 pm, just as

the popular Zumba Fitness class wrapped up, Sen-

sei E. Samuel Nieves, Director and Head Instruc-

tor of Yes I CAN! Karate, took over the fl oor of

the Merrick House gym. While devoted students

from his youth karate classes practiced on the

sidelines, Nieves was joined on the gym fl oor by

students from his newest class, Yes I CAN! Karate

Women’s Self-Defense. Nieves said, “I think it’s

important to empower women so that they can pro-

tect themselves (God willing, the situation doesn’t

happen) when they do have to keep an assailant

from attacking them.”

As his class gathered, he reviewed previous les-

sons about awareness and making good decisions:

“One…the mace in your purse doesn’t work – it’s

got to be in your hand; two…keys out, look behind

the car seat; three…if something doesn’t feel right,

trust your instincts; four…stay with your girls!;

and fi ve…communicate with the people that you

go out with, and make sure that you stay together.”

For Nieves, self-defense is about more than just

fi ghting – it’s also about keeping yourself out of

avoidable situations in which urbanites might fi nd

themselves vulnerable in the fi rst place.

Sharita Hollowman, a student in Nieves’ women’s

self-defense class, attends his classes for just this

reason. Hollowman said, “I believe women’s self-

defense is a good tool to have just in case some-

thing may happen in the future. I don’t know what

might go on, but just to be able to defend myself

just in the event that something happens I think

is very important. I also brought my two teenage

daughters because I want them to have the same

skills that I have, you know, if something was to

happen – it’s a preventative!”

Dasia, another women’s self-defense student said,

“It’s my fi rst time here. I come to Merrick Trem-

ont to defense classes to protect me and anything

else from the crazy world out here. I would love

to come back here – he is a great teacher. It was

fun; he was a good instructor, teaching me every-

thing…all the moves and stuff…everybody was

great and nice, so I had fun!”

One of Yes I CAN! Karate’s devoted youth stu-

dents, Gianette Vega (2013 state runner up, 2014

state champion Professional Karate Commission,

4.0 GPA), had come to the Merrick House class

for the additional opportunity to train, along with

her best friend. Vega said, “I’m in karate because

it’s an escape for me – like every time that I’m

sad or angry or something’s not going the way I

would like it to, I just do karate and it makes me

feel so much better. Also, I’ve got my best friend

in karate; I’ve known her for three years and we’ve

always been in karate together, so she’s kind of

like my motivation to be in here. Plus, the classes

are always fun; I always have a good time in the

classes. I can never get too much karate!”

Vega spoke to why she signed up for Yes I CAN!

Karate classes, originally: “I was kind of like re-

ally stressed during school because they would

give us a lot of work (and I would always try to

keep my grades up – all As, all the time)…so I just

sort of come out here and just do what I have to do

and it just helps me so much, emotionally, and I

love it. I’ve been practicing karate for six or seven

years, I think!”

Galvin Wooand his brother, Spencer Woo, both

youth karate students, fi nd great reward in their

training. Spencer said, “I’m part of Yes I CAN!

Karate, and I come because it motivates me to try

the best I can. I try to do the best I can and I strive

for the best. I have always wanted to join a ka-

rate group – I fi nd that karate is more than self-de-

fense…it’s fun; it’s like fi lling your life with fun.

I’m happy I’m here. I come from Cleveland – I

live near China Town and it’s nice there.”

His brother, Galvin, said, “The karate class I do

is Self-Defense. I do it because I want to defend

myself if ever there is a point in life where some-

one tries to attack me. There’s more to it. There’s

respect. When you come to karate there comes

respect. If you don’t respect the Sensei, you don’t

have a good character. I aim for the best and I

never complain.”

Galvin and Spencer’s mother watched her boys

from the Merrick House bleachers as they prac-

ticed karate on the sidelines. “My name is Bonnie

and I have two sons who are in karate. They at-

tend Calvary Church (Monday/Tuesday/Thursday

6:00 pm) over on 65th Street, and also come here

to Merrick House. We got them involved with ka-

rate because we thought it would help with their

self-esteem, discipline, and (huge) self-defense.

We’ve even had a situation now where one of them

was actually able to use it – slightly – to protect

himself…so it’s already paid off in the short time

that we’ve had them there.”

The self-esteem and self-defense have become ap-

parent in her boys, but she said, “Discipline, not

so much quite yet – that’s taking a little longer. I

think they really stop and think about situations a

little more now, I do think. I think they’re getting

to that age now – because they’re both 10 going

on 11 – when, as much as I try to teach them what

[Nieves] was trying to say earlier – to watch out

for things and how to protect yourself – it doesn’t

click sometimes until you reach a certain age, and

I think they’re starting to get to there.”

She added, “The great thing that I love the most

about this karate is that Sam tries to instill a life

lesson at every karate class, which is really im-

portant because it’s not just going and learning

the skills, but it incorporates real life, you know?

With character and karate – it’s not just karate.”

managing to make an entirely new group of friends. I

learned how to speak up more and deal with people I

didn’t know all too well. In 9th grade I was far too shy

to talk to more than three people. Tenth grade was a

milestone for me, as it helped me open up more and

become more sociable.

My junior and senior years were much smoother. I

never managed to get my work ethic back on top, but I

succeeded in other things outside of my grades. It was

during these years that I developed a sense of who I

am as a person. I managed to fi gure out which career

I wanted to pursue after high school. And the fact that

I had so many failures during high school only helped

me realize the truth that nobody is perfect. And it was

due to those failures that I began to understand my

weaknesses as a person; and I was able to develop my

positive attributes to make up for my fl aws. If any-

thing, this was the most important “lesson” that high

school taught me.

I can say that it’s been a long four years for many of

us seniors, and the feelings on leaving school behind

are defi nitely mixed. High school wasn’t just a place

where I came to learn or to make friends; it was a place

that helped me fi nd myself, and it helped me plan out

my future. While I may not have had the best high

school career, I do appreciate all the time, effort, and

failures that were there since 2011, pushing me for-

ward to be more successful in life. For that reason,

I think that I’ll always cherish the time that I spent

here at Lincoln-West.

This article was produced through a content-sharing

partnership between independent Cleveland news-

papers, The Tremonster and The Wolverine Scene,

produced by Ms. Andrea Gale’s journalism class at

Lincoln-West Center for International Studies.

Page 8 • Volume 1 Issue 2 • e Gordon Square PRINT • April 2015

DYNGUS DAY 2015