The Risk-Takers

Cincinnati’s Innovators and Entrepreneurs

By Craig J. Heimbuch
Photos By Felts Photography

They lay it on the line. They cash out their savings in pursuit of a dream. You only live once, right? But it is more than just the seize the day thing. It’s a burn. An ache. A vision for a product or solution, a business model that’s been formulating in the back of their head for as long as they can remember. They live with and for a purpose, not content to tend someone else’s store, they make their own way.

Chris Mack

The New Steward of a Xavier Tradition

By Josh Katzowitz

The office is clean. The work space is organized. The family portraits sit on an end table a few feet away.
It’s the framed photo on the wall hanging over the desk of Xavier basketball coach Chris Mack that is most striking, though. And the picture placement makes perfect sense when you’ve heard over and over again about the school’s mission, about how the athletic administration considers basketball and academics intertwined like a double helix in its DNA.
The photo shows David West – who, after Byron Larkin, might be the greatest player Xavier has produced – in his graduation robe and mortarboard. He’s receiving his diploma at a graduation ceremony six years ago, and he’s smiling widely.
The picture symbolizes best how the Xavier basketball program sees itself and what it wants others to see. A man who was a dominant – and feared – player on whatever basketball court he played. A multimillionaire NBA All-Star who spent all four year of his apprenticeship off Victory Parkway. A man who actually graduated from the school that he loved.

Who the Hell does Bill Cunningham Think He is?

And other questions you’ve always wanted to ask The Great American

By Greg Hoard

Like it or not, Bill Cunningham is the most influential member of the media in the Tri-State area. Each day, Cunningham takes his 50,000-watt pulpit and brandishes a particular brand of conservative politics and humor to 200,000 listeners. He is the self-proclaimed “Voice of the Common Man,” speaking “truth to power” and he loves every minute of it.

He is the top-rated radio talk show host in the area in his time slot (12-to-3:00 p.m.) and the only local broadcaster in the country whose ratings top those of nationally syndicated political commentator Rush Limbaugh.

He is an economical goldmine for WLW and has been recognized as one of the most influential people in the entire community.

He is highly sought after for speaking engagements and fund-raising events, known far and wide, from the blue-collar bars of Cheviot to the country clubs of Indian Hill.

Depending on whom you ask, Bill Cunningham is truly “a great American,” or a complete, self-serving ass.

More Than a Dish

This…

Is the Real Trish

By Greg Paeth

About noon on a Friday not too long ago, Channel 19 news anchor Tricia Macke had pulled on disposable plastic gloves, wrapped herself in a white apron and taken a position on the business side of the cafeteria line at Ruth Moyer Elementary School in Ft. Thomas, where parents are expected to volunteer for lunchroom duty at least once a month.
On this particular day, hundreds of Ruth Moyer pupils disclosed to Macke – on the record — whether they wanted carrots, bananas, apple cobbler or the seedless red grapes that bulged up from a colander that appeared to contain the entire annual production of a small village in Chile.
Based on her careful observations as about 250 pupils in the kindergarten through the fifth grade filed past, Macke felt confident to report that Ft. Thomas kids preferred grapes by a wide margin over the other options that were available on this particular Friday.

White Lightning

By Jeff Topping
Photo By Ventre Photo Illustration

Whether you drink Bourbon, Scotch, or American Rye there are set guidelines as to how long it must be aged in wood before it can gain one of those coveted titles or it is just clear spirit, white lightning, white dog, or just – whisky!.

So, what happens if you have no wood?  First, there will be no bungs to pound and no barrels to fill but you could try it old school and just go naked.  Second, it is a great opportunity to see why good wood is important to making great whisky of any kind. The wood imparts flavors and colors directly into the clear spirit in addition to filtering out certain impurities from the distilling process.  Some of these flavors and aromas come directly from the wood, its charring process and its previous occupant – all providing character to the taste.

Create Your Own Stromboli

Indigo Casual Gourmet

Hyde Park

Sure, you could settle for a delivery pizza, you could probably make your own, but for the perfect blend of crispy crust, red sauce, cheese and toppings to make your heart sing, there’s nothing better than stromboli at Indigo. The menu offers ready-made combinations like the Mediterranean (artichoke hearts, roasted bell peppers, olives, tomatoes and onions) and the Sicilian (sausage, ham, pepperoni, onion and bell peppers), but with more than 50 stuffings and toppings to choose from, you might as well let your imagination run wild.

FB’s

126 W. 6th Street, Downtown

The name can mean anything you want. (Full Barrels? Feisty Burritos? Feline Barristers?) And that’s the point, you choose for yourself. But ambiguity in the meaning of the name contrasts with the clear and direct mission of FB’s: to serve an often overlooked clientele in local nightlife – the over 25 crowd.

The main floor cocktail lounge is upscale, but not intimidating- a casual, elegant atmosphere, clean-cut in a sophisticated sort of way. The second floor lounge has a strict dress-code and caters to clients looking for service and style. With a menu of bottle service options that includes a TSM – tableside mixology – option that allows those willing a private bar and tender for an evening, the second floor is themed as a funky living room and inspires socializing.

Of course, the basement hosts a nightclub on weekends. Anyone get in the nightclub, but only those on the list can get upstairs. FB’s encourages reservations and advanced notice for second-floor access. For more information, call (513)246-5333.

Chimichurri Steak Sandwich

Bootsy’s (produced by Jeff Ruby)

Downtown

When Cincinnati’s steak king and one of the city’s most recognizable talents get together for a project, the results are bound to be far from ordinary. So it should really be no surprise that a restaurant named for and inspired by Bootsy Collins and brought to life by Jeff Ruby has a menu as diverse and eclectic as the two men’s wardrobes. Tapas, sushi and Waygu are par for the course, but for a lunchtime adventure, try the Chimichurri Steak Sandwich- grilled Kobe skirt steak served with onions and peppers and topped with a fried egg. It’s music to a foodie’s ears.

Steak Delmonico

Riverview Three Sixty

Covington

Sure, there are a lot of places in town to get a steak. But eating is about a lot more than ingredient and preparation and when it comes to the Steak Delmonico at Covington’s Riverview 360, ambiance is as key to the dining experience as the cut of the rib-eye. Situated atop the Radisson overlooking the river and downtown, the only rotating restaurant in town is the perfect place with the perfect cut of steak for the diner looking for a bit more out of a meal.