Stauf's

Oh, the place of blind dates, homework, cramming for exams, discussing existentialism, free wireless internet... oh, and coffee.

Stauf's in located on Grandview Ave. next to Jeni's. It's in the same family as Cup O' Joe and Mo Joe Lounge. (In college I went to the Lennox and Clintonville Cup O' Joe locations a lot to study and have bagels.)

Right now I'm sipping on a pumpkin latte. A friend of mine swears up and down that they have the worst cup of coffee in town, and I dilute mine with half and half or drink tea anyway, but it's not really about the coffee.

It boils down to internet and lots of tables. They have plenty of outside seating as well. Parking is never an issue. They are open later than a lot of other free wifi places (until 11 or midnight most nights). I have also had the pleasure of running in to people that I don't mind running in to.

I'm actually posting from Stauf's right now because I have more work to get done than I can think of. I don't operate well on tasks at home because things like the Pup or chores distract me. And to be honest, the only reason I've blogged for the first time in months is because, well, I'm here and I'd rather not do work.

Anyway, think local: http://www.staufs.com/content.aspx?page=grandviewstore

Super Sorry!

I'm so sorry! I have been so swamped with summer classes and work, I keep neglecting to update my local findings.

So here is a promise: I will soon update about the restaurant where I've been working, the Betty's family of restaurants and a music spot or two.

Stay tuned!

Holy cow!

One of my favorite products that is produced and found in Ohio is Snowville Creamery Milk. The dairy farm is just 100 miles from Columbus, in Pomeroy, Ohio.

(But I would also like to take this time to mention a heavenly delicious yogurt that I enjoy from Traders Point Creamery.)

I first discovered Snowville Milk at Whole Foods. I am a nonfat milk kind of girl, but Snowville's is creamier and richer, not watery like some nonfats. I currently have SC's 2% in my fridge, and boy, eating cereal is like having dessert with this stuff! (Then again, I am not used to having 2%).

You can purchase Snowville's milks at Whole Foods, North Market's Greener Grocer and select Giant Eagle and Kroger stores (their website has a complete list of locations). At $3.19 a carton, it's actually cheaper than its neighboring organic milks (even store brand!). Although Snowville is not technically organic, it's pretty awesome and better for you (it contains higher levels of ultra-healthy Omega-3s). To quote SC:

We believe milk is perfect when it comes from the cow so we process it as little as necessary. We do not homogenize so the cream naturally rises to the top. In addition, we pasteurize at the lowest legal temperature, resulting in milk that tastes sweet, clean and delicious.

I mentioned before that Snowville is used in the creation of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams! A lot of folks I know already enjoy their amazing products. I think I need to pick up one of their tees, lawd knows I sing their praises enough! I'm such a huge fan of what they do.

Traders Point Creamery

Although this creamery is located near Indianapolis, it's close enough for me to consider it local. As pictured above, you can find Traders Point Creamery yogurts near Snowville Creamery milks at Whole Foods.

Packaged in recyclable glass bottles, Traders Point Eurpoean-style yogurts are so thick, creamy, flavorful and come from grass-fed cows. I enjoy the wild berry flavor.

Yeah, it is a bit pricey, but I highly recommend that you indulge yourself in a bottle of this sweet, sweet ambrosia if you come across it.

oh yeah!

I forgot to mention that I got my SBB card in the mail!!

The Small Business Beanstalk, at TheSBB.com, allows you to register for a free discount card to use at a variety of local businesses in Columbus. They have a great list of participating establishments and the discounts you can receive. Many include getting 10% off of food purchases at restaurants such as Due Amici, Barrio and Haiku. Free cover at Bristol Bar on Fridays and Saturdays? Yes, please!

Bonus: Word on the Tweet is that The SBB has teamed up with North Market! Heckyes.

PS Shout out to Diana for cluing me into SBB!

I'm in love

Yesterday I decided to hoof it the couple of blocks to High Street and explore the Short North on foot while on the hunt for a restaurant job. And that's when I fell even more deeply in love with my neighborhood. I saw familiar faces, folks greet one another, there are countless small businesses (FYI most of them are closed on Mondays!) and I can't wait to explore some more.

I did stop in to Magnolia Thunderpussy and I picked up the self-titled by Broken Bells which is awesome. It's a collab between the frontman of the Shins and Danger Mouse.

Anyway, Magnolia is great and with record stores not doing so hot, I encourage you to patronize this local shop on High St. next to Skully's.

My Daily Bread

Today I discovered an amazing bread:

It's a little pricey, but it's a two pound loaf and one of the things I really love about it is that it's sliced thin, unlike a lot of artisan breads that don't seem sandwich appropriate in thickness.

The Ten Grain variety I purchased is amazing and delicious and I can't stop eating it. I made a sandwich just so I could eat it. Then I toasted a slice (or two) and slathered on some Nutella. (That's it, no more carbs for me today.) It's the right amount of sweet and grainy but without being crunchy. And oh it toasts beautifully.

Daily Bread Bakery is out of Reynoldsburg and sells breads and pastries to both Whole Foods in the area. Also, they bake without egg or dairy (at least according to one review and the label on my loaf), in case food allergies or veganism are concerns.

But I can't wait to scramble up a big ol' pile of cage-free eggs from Holistic Acres (Ashland) atop some Daily toast.

Whole Foods Finds

One of the reasons that I've fallen madly in love with Whole Foods (I go to the one in Dublin, generally) is because they very proudly carry and display products from this region! I'll try and share with you often the products that I've found.

I'm trying to be conscious and choose local when given the choice (and if it's not too much more in price).

La Gras is a really great and moderately priced pasta sauce from Bedford, Ohio. I enjoy the Spicy Marinara but they also carry other varieties such as garlic and mushroom.

Changes

Yesterday I ran around Whole Foods in Dublin and took a bunch of pictures of local products that I'm excited to share here when I have a moment... I'm moving!

GOODBYE, 'BURBS.

Local Favorite: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Trying to think of all of my favorite things that are native to Columbus has been very difficult! The list is extensive. The top thing that comes to mind is a constant obsession of mine: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams .

Jeni's is local to Columbus and can be found in the North Market, Grandview, the Short North, Bexley and Dublin. They create exotic (and often seasonal) flavors that use ingredients from Ohio and responsible ingredients from everywhere else. They incorporate one of my favorite products: milk from Snowville Creamery (I'll get into that in another post!)

My favorite flavor is Gravel Road. (It's Salty Caramel with nuts.) I'm a big fan of sweet and salty, chunky and nutty ice cream flavors. I also enjoy Smoked Chocolate, Honey Vanilla and Bourbon Buttered Pecan.

My near-fanaticism over Jeni's has led to my over-tweeting to and about @Jenisicecreams.

I'm such a sucker for a duo in a cup and have even walked in a blizzard to get to the Grandview location for a fix! You can find a pint in my freezer on occasion, though they don't last too long.

Explore the website for a list of flavors, locations and to read more about Jeni's.

Thinking Locally In Columbus, Ohio

My recent forays into becoming a greener me have led me to explore what it means to think locally and become an educated locavore.

I'll post some of my favorite brands, restaurants, markets and small businesses as well as links to local resources.

I have many inspirations to thank for my heightened interest in becoming a more integrated member of my community. Organizations such as the Small Business Beanstalk and local-matters.org encourage Ohioans to choose local options for food and business. You might have also noticed the slogan "Think Globally, Act Locally" popping up more frequently (I believe even the "Welcome to Gahanna" sign boasts these words).

I am sensing that on the coat tails of the ever-growing green and organic movements is this notion of sustainability and localism. "Locavore" was the Oxford English Dictionary's 2007 word of the year. So yeah, it's been around for a few years, but I think it's expanding more and more.

There is a lot to understand with localism and stick with me while I explore it more and try to implement it in my life!