Openings & Announcements
Ohio’s signature confection is getting its own local storefront when The Buckeye Lady opens Sunday, June 19, at 4493 N. High St. The sweets shop, which will share the Clintonville space with & Juice Co., offers a wide variety of buckeye flavors including traditional peanut butter, gingerbread, English toffee, red velvet and many more.
Two local distilleries recently snagged top honors for their vodkas at the John Barleycorn Awards’ Best of Spring 2022 competition. The John Barleycorn Awards “recognizes excellence in the spirits industry, from distilling to marketing.” Watershed Distillery won double gold (the highest award) for its entry in the Grain Blend Vodka category, and High Bank Distillery captured double gold in the Wheat Vodka category. Honorees from the spring and fall competitions will compete for the 2022 Best of Year Awards.
The Patty Shop recently opened at 323 N. 20th St. in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood. The new business sells fruit juices and Jamaican patties, which are savory pastries stuffed with beef, spinach and cheese, jerk chicken and other fillings.
The owners of Woodhouse Vegan Café in Italian Village are taking over the former Boxwood Biscuit Co. space at 19 W. Russell St. Sisters Cara and Nicole Woodhouse, two Columbus Monthly Tastemakers, told The Columbus Dispatch that Woodhouse Vegan Café + Space is expected to open in the coming months. The move is a return to the Short North for the vegan eatery, which got its start as a pop-up inside Oddfellows Liquor Bar before opening its first standalone café in 2019 at 851 N. Fourth St.
A.J. Perry, the former owner of Sassafras Bakery, has landed a new gig as director of product development for C. Krueger’s Finest Baked Goods. The Blacklick-based company was founded in 2018 by Cheryl Krueger, the founder of Cheryl’s Cookies, which she sold in 2005. Perry shuttered her popular Worthington bakery last August. The space is set to become Joya’s, a street food-inspired café from chef Avishar Barua.
Derive Brewing’s Second Annual Saison and Sour Fest takes place 1-6 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Clintonville taproom (2808 N. High St.). A $50 ticket gets you an 8-ounce tasting glass and 12 drink tickets for sampling a variety of saisons and sour beers from Derive and guest breweries. Buy tickets here.
Closings
The sandwich shop Moody Trudy’s (a former food truck) is leaving the BrewDog Short North location at 1175 N. High St. where it has operated for several months. Its owner, Trudy King, announced on Instagram that the business is currently on hiatus.
Chef News
Ryan Southern has been named executive chef at Alqueria Farmhouse Kitchen (247 King Ave.). Alqueria’s owners, Jacob Hough and Patrick Marker, recently announced a second venture: Subourbon Southern Kitchen and Spirits, coming soon to Linworth.