This story originally appeared in our August 19 – September 1, 2026 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

Al Coleman leads the beverage program at Wildweed, one of Cincinnati’s most celebrated and respected restaurants.

James Beard Award-nominated chef David Jackman and his wife Lydia opened the upscale pasta-centric restaurant with a focus on hand-forged ingredients in 2024, at 1301 Walnut St. in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. It’s been in the national spotlight ever since, getting prominent features in the New York Times, Bon Appétit, the Wall Street Journal and more. 

“I wanted to work here since I heard it was opening,” Coleman said. 

Coleman, who’s been at the restaurant since November 2025, was drawn to Jackman’s idea of excellence. 

“David pushes his staff to take it further,” they said.

Coleman left their job crafting the cocktail menu at another upscale restaurant for a chance to just be inside the building. 

“When I started everyone knew that I was a skilled bartender. But I was like, ‘just put me where you need me,’” They said. “I just wanted to be here.”

Naturally, Coleman ended up behind the bar. They humbly attribute much of their recent success to luck, but in reality, their talent and drive is what led them into such a coveted role. 

“I fell into it at the right time,” they said. “Then all of a sudden, the house cocktails were all made by me.”

There’s a natural alignment to Wildweed’s ethos and Coleman’s upbringing. 

“This place is about the land we’re on,” they said. “This is about the Midwest. And so it kind of hit me one day. My family has been in this region for basically as far back as records go. “They’ve always been farmers. They’ve always tended to this land.”

Coleman takes a holistic approach to craft cocktailing. It’s about respecting the land and paying homage to where they came from and working within their community sustainably.

At Wildweed, consistent ingredients are fleeting. And that’s not a bad thing. 

At the beginning of a shift, Coleman will walk down into the basement prep kitchen and take a look at what’s in the walk-in fridge because it is a steady parade of fresh and unique produce.

“David will be like, ‘I’ve got something cool for you,’ and it’ll be like the nicest smelling melon I’ve ever seen in my life and he’s like, ‘Just think about what you could do with this,’” they said. 

The creative possibilities within Wildweed’s walls are virtually endless.

“There’s so many odd and amazing tools here,” they said. “There’s a centrifuge so you can completely clarify things within minutes.” 

Coleman believes mixology has a supernatural element. 

“I’m a haunted individual. I think most of us are,” they said. “I’ve lived a lot of places. I’ve known a lot of people. I’ve failed a lot of love … all of that I carry with me in my work.”

Sometimes inspiration strikes at really strange times that aren’t always convenient. Other times it’s more reasonable. 

“I will typically be working a bar shift here and an idea will hit me or I’ll notice spirits that we aren’t going through,” they said. “So sometimes I’ll have strange flavor combinations outside of here, you know … write it down … we need to do something with this.”

How do they know when a drink is done, especially when the ingredients can become so complicated? Much like any artist, Coleman said they can feel it. 

They also pull on their years of experience in various roles within the industry when creating new menus and collaborating with the team of bartenders. From working at a sushi restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, to stints as a barista in Los Angeles, to managing a coffee shop in Manchester, England, they’ve done it all. 

“It’s the only thing that I am able to stick to in my life,” they said. “I cannot do a nine-to-five. I’ve tried it.”

Working at Wildweed hasn’t just been helpful from a career perspective; it’s been therapeutic on an extremely personal level.

“This is the first place I’ve been where they’ve only known me as a trans person,” they said. “It’s the first place that I’ve actually ever been myself and that people have met me as myself.”

It’s been really weird to go from being a woman for 30 years and figuring out what rules come with that, Coleman added. They felt like they were wearing a costume every day. 

“I was extremely unhappy,” they said. “Now I can’t really hide anything. People look at me and immediately know. And I just can’t separate my work in that.” 

They’ve struggled to align themselves with the status quo, and while transitioning has unlocked a goldmine for Coleman, it comes with a new set of gaps to close.

“I don’t know what the rules are,” they said. “The rules that do exist weren’t created for anyone like me.”

Their healing journey has allowed them to show up to work with a new sense of freedom. 

“These are the most authentic kind of interactions I’ve had today,” Coleman said. “Which is the most authentic way of producing art.”

Laura Palmer

• 1.5 oz earl grey gin (made by simply adding any earl grey tea to any bottle of gin)
• 0.75 oz Italicus
• 0.5 oz earl grey-infused simple syrup
• 0.5 oz of lemon juice
• 2 dashes of lemon bitters
• Shake, strain and serve up! 

The post At Wildweed, Al Coleman turns cocktails into deeply personal works of art appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story originally appeared in our August 19 – September 1, 2026 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

Luis Ildefonso Saucedo Lomeli has been behind the bar for more than a decade. 

He’s currently the manager at the Overlook Lodge, a rustic neighborhood bar themed after the iconic horror movie “The Shining,” located in Cincinnati’s Pleasant Ridge neighborhood at 603 Montgomery Road. 

It’s a career Lomeli never thought he’d have, but he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

“The creativity, the freedom and the openness” are gifts, he said. 

Lomeli grew up in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, which is about 300 miles north of Mexico City. 

When he was young, his grandfather Ildefonso Jesus Lomeli Fernandez — one of his biggest inspirations — made sure he developed a palate for the good things in life.

“He would say the best pleasure in life is to eat good,” Lomeli said, “(and) to drink good.” 

His grandfather’s advice has been a throughline in his life. 

When Lomeli was just 17, he chose to travel and work in Canada instead of going to medical school in Mexico. After spending some time in the Great White North, he found himself back in his home country, this time studying the culinary arts at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. When he graduated, he bounced around different kitchens and resorts. 

He fell in love with cocktailing while working at a big vacation destination near Playa del Carmen. Resort bartending was more about speed than quality, but “I enjoyed it more,” he said. 

He eventually worked his way up to managing a gin and tequila bar in Mexico, but he felt stuck. The ownership made the big bucks, but Lomeli would never get the chance. 

In Mexico, Lomeli said it is very common for people to travel abroad and send money back to their families. So that’s what he did.

Lomeli landed in Cincinnati with a plan to stay for a few months, leave and go work in Spain, but that quickly changed when he met his now-wife, Emily. 

“She’s a Cincinnati girl,” he said. 

They’ve been married for five years, just about as long as he’s been working for the bar’s owner, Jacob Trevino. 

Many industry veterans often hop around between bars. But, Lomeli found success working his way up within the organization. The culture, in large part, is what’s kept him coming back.

“It felt like it was a good place where I could fit in …  like I wouldn’t feel weird,” he said. 

As an immigrant, Lomeli said it can be difficult to find a place where he can feel normal and not like an outsider of sorts. 

“It’s 100% more welcoming than a lot of other places where I’ve been,” Lomeli said. 

Bartending gives him the opportunity to keep the flavors of his home close at hand.  

“I miss it a lot of the time,” he said. “You can bring all ingredients, say, from your hometown into the cocktails and make a story from there. Cacti and prickly pear are grown in my town. You can bring them into a cocktail, it’s super simple.”

His proud Mexican heritage isn’t the only inspiration for his work. An idea can take shape from a song, the weather, a type of glass or even just one ingredient, Lomeli said. For example, Room 217, which is currently on the cocktail menu at the Overlook Lodge, was born through Lomeli’s love of the animated American sitcom “King of the Hill.” 

Character Dale Gribble famously said “Boil up some Mountain Dew, it’s gonna be a long night.”

“I ended up making a Mai Tai with the Mountain Dew syrup,” Lomeli said. 

Creating weird drinks is fun and all, but when he’s not working, Lomeli is “studying the classics.” You need to know the rules to be able to break them, he said. 

The spirit world is a humbling space, Lomeli said. There is never a dull moment and the opportunities to learn something new are endless. Right now, rum is his obsession. 

“It’s so different everywhere you try it,” he said.

Tiki cocktails are his new passion, after attending a recent convention. 

Lomeli’s long-term goal is to open his own bar. Right now, he loves the idea of opening a Tiki bar somewhere where the weather is really cold.

“In the middle of the winter you can go into this Tiki bar and it’s like you’re on an island,” he said. “It’s like an escape for people.”

In the meantime, he’s curating a momentary escape from reality for Cincinnatians at the Overlook Lodge. And even if he doesn’t serve you, he’s had a hand in anything you’ll order off the menu.

Monkey Business

• 1.5 oz Malort
• 0.5 oz Doctor Bird Jamaican rum 
• 0.75 oz lime juice 
• 0.5 oz pineapple
• 0.5 oz orange juice 
• 0.5 oz falernum 
• 0.25 oz orgeat 
• 1 bar spoon of allspice
• Shake everything with ice, serve over fresh crushed ice in a big rocks glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.

This story is part of CityBeat’s latest cover package celebrating the people behind Cincinnati’s cocktail scene. Meet more of the city’s standout bartenders and read the full story here.

The post How Luis Lomeli brings a taste of home to Cincinnati’s cocktail scene appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story originally appeared in our August 19 – September 1, 2026 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

Kiki Hunter Avalos-Gould (she/they) is at the top of her game.

Her creativity and talent have earned Avalos-Gould recognition on national and international stages, both for the drinks she creates and the expertise she brings to the craft.

She’s currently the lead bartender at Fifty Fifty Gin Club, located at 35 13th St. E in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. She’s also the catering manager in charge of HomeMakers Bar and Eat Well Catering’s partnership. They’ve worked under owner Julia Petiprin for the past five years. 

Her work has gotten them national and global recognition. In 2024, she won the U.S. Tastemaker of the Year title during the United States Bartenders’ Guild World Class Top 30 competition. That same year, they advanced to the national finals as one of the Top 30 bartenders in the United States in the Diageo World Class competition, one of the most prestigious global bartending competitions. In 2025, Avalos-Gould landed a judging spot for the Bartender Spirits Awards.

Their first bartending job was at Catskeller, the student bar on the University of Cincinnati’s campus. After graduating from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning with a BFA in fine arts in 2013, she spent some time bartending in Northside before transitioning into fine dining.

Naturally, she takes a gourmet approach in her creative process. 

“I really like learning weird culinary practices,” they said. “I learned how to do a lot of molecular gastronomy. It’s like messing with the structure of the items.”

Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge drive their passion.

“I love just learning,” they said. 

Recently, they’ve become known for developing culinary and beverage menus while curating intimate, limited-seat omakase pairing experiences. These usually come to life after Avalos-Gould asks her managers if they’ll let her pursue their “weird idea.”

“She should have a James Beard Award,” Petiprin said. 

As Avalos-Gould continues to push the cocktail scene forward, she’s also thinking about their own future and surprisingly, it isn’t behind a bar. 

“I romanticize the idea of making this pivot to being a morning person as opposed to a nighttime person,” she said. “I’m definitely interested in becoming a pastry chef.”

In a perfect world, Avalos-Gould’s work will evolve into a role that isn’t locked down to one or two spaces.

“It’s being kind of like a pop-up person who gets to do high concept stuff and then be done with it and move on to a new idea.”

In the meantime, stop by Fifty Fifty or HomeMakers, and Avalos-Gould and her team will take good care of you. 

Curry Wallbanger

• 2 oz of acid adjusted orange juice (or alternatively, 1.5 oz fresh orange juice, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice)
• 0.5 oz simple syrup 
• 0.5 oz madras curry infused Galliano liqueur 
• 2 oz bison grass vodka 
• Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass that has been half-rimmed with everything bagel seasoning 
• Top with Hazy IPA

This story is part of CityBeat’s latest cover package celebrating the people behind Cincinnati’s cocktail scene. Meet more of the city’s standout bartenders and read the full story here.

The post Meet Kiki Hunter Avalos-Gould, the Cincinnati bartender turning cocktails into culinary art appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Martibel Payano has played just about every role on the card. 

When she’s not acting, doing improv, training in the gym or on tour as a professional wrestler, you can catch her making cocktails at Cincinnati karaoke bar and night club Tokyo Kitty, located at 575 Race St. in the Central Business District.

“I have a lot of hands in a lot of different things,” Payano said. 

She’s been wrestling since 2009 and has toured the world working for various organizations under ring name Marti Belle, including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment and more. With more than 141,000 Instagram followers and around 26,000 followers on her professional Facebook page, it’s safe to say she’s a big deal. 

About three years ago, a friend encouraged her to step behind the bar for the very first time. 

“My entire adult life, everyone’s always been like, ‘You’d be such a great bartender,’” she said. 

The New York City native has worked a lot of service industry jobs throughout her life, but never bartending. She went into her first interview with zero experience but was able to land a job at Covington Yard, an open-air food court, beer garden and social entertainment space in Northern Kentucky.  

St. Patrick’s Day and Cincinnati Reds Opening Day were among her first shifts. 

“It was literally sink or swim,” she said. 

About a year later, she landed a job at Tokyo Kitty. 

“I genuinely enjoy coming to work,” Payano said. 

She loves the people. And when you’re a bartender, you get a glimpse into the lives of strangers every single shift. 

“You get to see people sometimes at their worst … but you also get to see people celebrating,” she said.

From birthday parties to weddings to even divorce parties, she’s seen it all. 

Bartending allows Payano to be creative in a different way. To her, cocktailing is a lot like baking. 

“You can take someone’s recipe and make it your own,” she said. “Very rarely are you ever gonna invent something for the first time ever.” 

Tokyo Kitty’s cocktail menu is created by the staff, and Payano’s Yokai cocktail recently landed a spot.

On the surface, it’s a tequila cocktail with a little blue curaçao for a bit of fun. But to Payano, the drink’s meaning cuts deep.

It’s a tribute to her late friend Adam Ramey, the lead singer of the American nu metal band Dropout Kings. He passed away in May 2025 shortly before his 32nd birthday. 

The cocktail’s colors, style and name are all inspired by the band’s 2025 album with the same name. 

“I get to honor my friend in a really cool way,” she said. “When the menu was approved, I took a picture of it and I sent it to the other singer in the band and he was just so stoked because it’s like our friend’s memory is going to always live on.”

Although she’s only been in the industry for a few years, the social drinking culture has become a significant part of her lifestyle. 

“I’m Dominican, I grew up in New York and I grew up surrounded by family and nobody loves to party more than Dominicans,” she said. “Any occasion to get together with family, to get together with friends is welcome. And there will always be food and there will always be a lot of drinks.”

Bartending and mixology in general help her feel connected to her family, even when she’s away. Making a Caribbean rum cocktail can bring back childhood memories of family traditions. It can be a way to honor her cultural heritage, Payano said. 

Although she’s got a lot of responsibilities and is a bit of a career chameleon, Payano is confident that bartending is going to be a mainstay in her life for many years to come. 

“Down the line, something that would be really cool for me is I would love to either own a small bar that does like a small club type thing,” Payano said.

Yokai 

• 1.5 oz Lunazul Reposado tequila
• 1 oz Hana Lychee sake
• 0.5 oz melon schnapps
• 0.5 oz lime juice 
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• Shake and strain into a rocks glass 
• Float with blue curaçao 
• Garnish with lychee fruit

This story is part of CityBeat’s latest cover package celebrating the people behind Cincinnati’s cocktail scene. Meet more of the city’s standout bartenders and read the full story here.

The post Pro wrestler Marti Belle finds a second stage behind the bar at Tokyo Kitty appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Wayfarer Tavern is bringing back its pizza collaboration series, inviting a different local restaurant into the kitchen each week to turn its signature flavors into a one-of-a-kind pizza. 

This year’s lineup includes Mid City Restaurant, Etxe, Rekas Butcher & Delicatessen, Colette, Sudova and Yô Đi!, plus a secret returning collaborator for Oktoberfest Zinzinnati week. The pizza collaboration series runs Aug. 24 through Oct. 9. 

Wayfarer Tavern is located at 635 6Th Ave. in Dayton. 

A new collaboration pizza debuts each week. Here is the lineup: 

• Aug. 24–30 | Mid City  
• Aug. 31–September 6 | Etxe  
• Sept. 7–13 | Rekas Butcher & Delicatessen 
• Sept. 14–20 | Surprise guest  
• Sept. 21–27 | Colette  
• Sept. 28–October 4 | Sudova  
• Oct. 5–9 | Yô Đi 

The post Wayfarer Tavern brings back weekly pizza collaboration series appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

This story originally appeared in our August 19 – September 1, 2026 print edition. Check out the edition online here and find where you can get a print edition near you here.

Therapist, bodyguard, friend, quiet spy, matchmaker, lifecoach: These are just some of the roles bartenders play when they step behind the stick. 

“They’re a big part of the community,” Cincinnati’s cocktail queen, Molly Wellmann, told CityBeat.

A great bartender or mixologist doesn’t just produce a killer drink, they play a key character in the story of your night. They give you a micro-moment that makes you feel special, welcome and important, she said. 

“The ones that give me a great experience … I want to come back and hang out,” Wellmann said. 

Barkeeps also act as ambassadors for the city and each of its 52 unique neighborhoods. 

“Think about when you go travel,” Wellmann said. “The first thing you do after you check in to your hotel or Airbnb is usually go to the bar … the first person you meet is the bartender.”

Wellmann knew this when she opened Japp’s – Since 1879. The bar debuted on Main Street in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood back in 2011. The business is widely credited as Cincinnati’s first modern cocktail bar, which kickstarted a nightlife cultural renaissance in the city. 

“When I started, I was really into introducing these classic cocktails with the story behind them so people could really … go back in time,” Wellmann said. “That was my whole philosophy” 

It was through this philosophy that Wellmann became arguably the most famous mixologist in the region. In addition to Japp’s, she’s owned several bars including the Famous Neons Unplugged, Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar, Myrtle’s Punch House and more. 

Wellmann published her book “Handcrafted Cocktails: The Mixologist’s Guide to Classic Drinks for Morning, Noon & Night” in 2013, and in 2023, she released her Cincinnati Gin brand, a collaboration between Northern Row Brewery & Distillery, Five Stories Spirits and the Krohn Conservatory. It can now be found behind most bars across the region. 

Julia Petiprin has also earned her spot among Cincinnati’s cocktail royalty. She helped open apothecary-themed OTR cocktail bar Sundry and Vice in 2015. She now owns nationally recognized HomeMakers Bar and Cincinnati’s Fifty Fifty Gin Club along with design company House of Departure. 

“When I opened Sundry and Vice, that was at the height of craft cocktail culture,” Petiprin said.

It was a time when cocktails in Cincinnati became a culinary art form. Dimly lit bars became the galleries. Bartenders were the artists, each glass their canvas and every guest the critic.

It’s a bit of a different world now. 

“After the pandemic, it was a slow trickle,” Petiprin said, “where guests started to just want familiarity. So now instead of creating the weirdest cocktail that you’ve never heard of with all these crazy ingredients that nobody recognizes, we’re finding ways to create twists on the familiar.” 

Although national data shows younger generations are drinking less alcohol, bar culture overall is still very much alive in Cincinnati.

“The cocktail culture now, I’m really impressed with, especially here,” Wellmann said. 

There’s an endless amount of creativity behind the city’s bars as cocktailers continue to adapt to give their customers what they’re looking for, while still blowing them away with an experience they’ll never forget. And it’s not limited to the city’s urban core.

Martibel Payano (She/Her)

Tokyo Kitty 

575 Race St. in the Central Business District

Martibel Payano has played just about every role on the card. 

When she’s not acting, doing improv, training in the gym or on tour as a professional wrestler, you can catch her making cocktails at Cincinnati karaoke bar and night club Tokyo Kitty. 

“I have a lot of hands in a lot of different things,” Payano said. 

She’s been wrestling since 2009 and has toured the world working for various organizations under ring name Marti Belle, including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment and more. With more than 141,000 Instagram followers and around 26,000 followers on her professional Facebook page, it’s safe to say she’s a big deal. 

About three years ago, a friend encouraged her to step behind the bar for the very first time. 

“My entire adult life, everyone’s always been like, ‘You’d be such a great bartender,’” she said. 

The New York City native has worked a lot of service industry jobs throughout her life, but never bartending. She went into her first interview with zero experience but was able to land a job at Covington Yard, an open-air food court, beer garden and social entertainment space in Northern Kentucky.  

St. Patrick’s Day and Cincinnati Reds Opening Day were among her first shifts. 

“It was literally sink or swim,” she said. 

About a year later, she landed a job at Tokyo Kitty. 

“I genuinely enjoy coming to work,” Payano said. 

She loves the people. And when you’re a bartender, you get a glimpse into the lives of strangers every single shift. 

“You get to see people sometimes at their worst … but you also get to see people celebrating,” she said.

From birthday parties to weddings to even divorce parties, she’s seen it all. 

Bartending allows Payano to be creative in a different way. To her, cocktailing is a lot like baking. 

“You can take someone’s recipe and make it your own,” she said. “Very rarely are you ever gonna invent something for the first time ever.” 

Tokyo Kitty’s cocktail menu is created by the staff, and Payano’s Yokai cocktail recently landed a spot.

On the surface, it’s a tequila cocktail with a little blue curaçao for a bit of fun. But to Payano, the drink’s meaning cuts deep.

It’s a tribute to her late friend Adam Ramey, the lead singer of the American nu metal band Dropout Kings. He passed away in May 2025 shortly before his 32nd birthday. 

The cocktail’s colors, style and name are all inspired by the band’s 2025 album with the same name. 

“I get to honor my friend in a really cool way,” she said. “When the menu was approved, I took a picture of it and I sent it to the other singer in the band and he was just so stoked because it’s like our friend’s memory is going to always live on.”

Although she’s only been in the industry for a few years, the social drinking culture has become a significant part of her lifestyle. 

“I’m Dominican, I grew up in New York and I grew up surrounded by family and nobody loves to party more than Dominicans,” she said. “Any occasion to get together with family, to get together with friends is welcome. And there will always be food and there will always be a lot of drinks.”

Bartending and mixology in general help her feel connected to her family, even when she’s away. Making a Caribbean rum cocktail can bring back childhood memories of family traditions. It can be a way to honor her cultural heritage, Payano said. 

Although she’s got a lot of responsibilities and is a bit of a career chameleon, Payano is confident that bartending is going to be a mainstay in her life for many years to come. 

“Down the line, something that would be really cool for me is I would love to either own a small bar that does like a small club type thing,” Payano said.

Yokai 

• 1.5 oz Lunazul Reposado tequila
• 1 oz Hana Lychee sake
• 0.5 oz melon schnapps
• 0.5 oz lime juice 
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• Shake and strain into a rocks glass 
• Float with blue curaçao 
• Garnish with lychee fruit

Kiki Hunter Avalos-Gould (She/They)

Fifty Fifty Gin Club

35 E. 13th St. in Over the Rhine

Kiki Hunter Avalos-Gould is at the top of her game. Her creativity and talent have earned Avalos-Gould recognition on national and international stages, both for the drinks she creates and the expertise she brings to the craft.

She’s currently the lead bartender at Fifty Fifty Gin Club. She’s also the catering manager in charge of HomeMakers Bar and Eat Well Catering’s partnership. They’ve worked under Julia Petiprin for the past five years. 

Her work has gotten them national and global recognition. In 2024, she won the U.S. Tastemaker of the Year title during the United States Bartenders’ Guild World Class Top 30 competition. That same year, they advanced to the national finals as one of the Top 30 bartenders in the United States in the Diageo World Class competition, one of the most prestigious global bartending competitions. In 2025, Avalos-Gould landed a judging spot for the Bartender Spirits Awards.

Their first bartending job was at Catskeller, the student bar on the University of Cincinnati’s campus. After graduating from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning with a BFA in fine arts in 2013, she spent some time bartending in Northside before transitioning into fine dining.

Naturally, she takes a gourmet approach in her creative process. 

“I really like learning weird culinary practices,” they said. “I learned how to do a lot of molecular gastronomy. It’s like messing with the structure of the items.”

Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge drive their passion.

“I love just learning,” they said. 

Recently, they’ve become known for developing culinary and beverage menus while curating intimate, limited-seat omakase pairing experiences. These usually come to life after Avalos-Gould asks her managers if they’ll let her pursue their “weird idea.”

“She should have a James Beard Award,” Petiprin said. 

As Avalos-Gould continues to push the cocktail scene forward, she’s also thinking about their own future and surprisingly, it isn’t behind a bar. 

“I romanticize the idea of making this pivot to being a morning person as opposed to a nighttime person,” she said. “I’m definitely interested in becoming a pastry chef.”

In a perfect world, Avalos-Gould’s work will evolve into a role that isn’t locked down to one or two spaces.

“It’s being kind of like a pop-up person who gets to do high concept stuff and then be done with it and move on to a new idea.”

In the meantime, stop by Fifty Fifty or HomeMakers, and Avalos-Gould and her team will take good care of you. 

Curry Wallbanger

• 2 oz of acid adjusted orange juice (or alternatively, 1.5 oz fresh orange juice, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice)
• 0.5 oz simple syrup 
• 0.5 oz madras curry infused Galliano liqueur 
• 2 oz bison grass vodka 
• Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass that has been half-rimmed with everything bagel seasoning 
• Top with Hazy IPA

Luis Ildefonso Saucedo Lomeli (He/Him)

The Overlook Lodge

6083 Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge

Luis Ildefonso Saucedo Lomeli has been behind the bar for more than a decade. 

He’s currently the manager at the Overlook Lodge, a rustic neighborhood bar themed after the iconic horror movie “The Shining,” located in Cincinnati’s Pleasant Ridge neighborhood at 603 Montgomery Road. 

It’s a career Lomeli never thought he’d have, but he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

“The creativity, the freedom and the openness” are gifts, he said. 

Lomeli grew up in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, which is about 300 hundred miles north of Mexico City. 

When he was young, his grandfather Ildefonso Jesus Lomeli Fernandez — one of his biggest inspirations — made sure he developed a palate for the good things in life.

“He would say the best pleasure in life is to eat good,” Lomeli said, “(and) to drink good.” 

His grandfather’s advice has been a throughline in his life. 

When Lomeli was just 17, he chose to travel and work in Canada instead of going to medical school in Mexico. After spending some time in the Great White North, he found himself back in his home country, this time studying the culinary arts at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. When he graduated, he bounced around different kitchens and resorts. 

He fell in love with cocktailing while working at a big vacation destination near Playa del Carmen. Resort bartending was more about speed than quality, but “I enjoyed it more,” he said. 

He eventually worked his way up to managing a gin and tequila bar in Mexico, but he felt stuck. The ownership made the big bucks, but Lomeli would never get the chance. 

In Mexico, Lomeli said it is very common for people to travel abroad and send money back to their families. So that’s what he did.

Lomeli landed in Cincinnati with a plan to stay for a few months, leave and go work in Spain, but that quickly changed when he met his now-wife, Emily. 

“She’s a Cincinnati girl,” he said. 

They’ve been married for five years, just about as long as he’s been working for the bar’s owner, Jacob Trevino. 

Many industry veterans often hop around between bars. But, Lomeli found success working his way up within the organization. The culture, in large part, is what’s kept him coming back.

“It felt like it was a good place where I could fit in …  like I wouldn’t feel weird,” he said. 

As an immigrant, Lomeli said it can be difficult to find a place where he can feel normal and not like an outsider of sorts. 

“It’s 100% more welcoming than a lot of other places where I’ve been,” Lomeli said. 

Bartending gives him the opportunity to keep the flavors of his home close at hand.  

“I miss it a lot of the time,” he said. “You can bring all ingredients, say, from your hometown into the cocktails and make a story from there. Cacti and prickly pear are grown in my town. You can bring them into a cocktail, it’s super simple.”

His proud Mexican heritage isn’t the only inspiration for his work. An idea can take shape from a song, the weather, a type of glass or even just one ingredient, Lomeli said. For example, Room 217, which is currently on the cocktail menu at the Overlook Lodge, was born through Lomeli’s love of the animated American sitcom “King of the Hill.” 

Character Dale Gribble famously said “Boil up some Mountain Dew, it’s gonna be a long night.”

“I ended up making a Mai Tai with the Mountain Dew syrup,” Lomeli said. 

Creating weird drinks is fun and all, but when he’s not working, Lomeli is “studying the classics.” You need to know the rules to be able to break them, he said. 

The spirit world is a humbling space, Lomeli said. There is never a dull moment and the opportunities to learn something new are endless. Right now, rum is his obsession. 

“It’s so different everywhere you try it,” he said.

Tiki cocktails are his new passion, after attending a recent convention. 

Lomeli’s long-term goal is to open his own bar. Right now, he loves the idea of opening a Tiki bar somewhere where the weather is really cold.

“In the middle of the winter you can go into this Tiki bar and it’s like you’re on an island,” he said. “It’s like an escape for people.”

In the meantime, he’s curating a momentary escape from reality for Cincinnatians at the Overlook Lodge. And even if he doesn’t serve you, he’s had a hand in anything you’ll order off the menu.

Monkey Business

• 1.5 oz Malort
• 0.5 oz Doctor Bird Jamaican rum 
• 0.75 oz lime juice 
• 0.5 oz pineapple
• 0.5 oz orange juice 
• 0.5 oz falernum 
• 0.25 oz orgeat 
• 1 bar spoon of allspice
• Shake everything with ice, serve over fresh crushed ice in a big rocks glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Al Coleman (They/Them)

Wildweed

1301 Walnut St. in Over-the Rhine

Al Coleman leads the beverage program at Wildweed, one of Cincinnati’s most celebrated and respected restaurants.

James Beard Award-nominated chef David Jackman and his wife Lydia opened the upscale pasta-centric restaurant with a focus on hand-forged ingredients in 2024. It’s been in the national spotlight ever since, getting prominent features in the New York Times, Bon Appétit, the Wall Street Journal and more. 

“I wanted to work here since I heard it was opening,” Coleman said. 

Coleman, who’s been at the restaurant since November 2025, was drawn to Jackman’s idea of excellence. 

“David pushes his staff to take it further,” they said.

Coleman left their job crafting the cocktail menu at another upscale restaurant for a chance to just be inside the building. 

“When I started everyone knew that I was a skilled bartender. But I was like, ‘just put me where you need me,’” They said. “I just wanted to be here.”

Naturally, Coleman ended up behind the bar. They humbly attribute much of their recent success to luck, but in reality, their talent and drive is what led them into such a coveted role. 

“I fell into it at the right time,” they said. “Then all of a sudden, the house cocktails were all made by me.”

There’s a natural alignment to Wildweed’s ethos and Coleman’s upbringing. 

“This place is about the land we’re on,” they said. “This is about the Midwest. And so it kind of hit me one day. My family has been in this region for basically as far back as records go. “They’ve always been farmers. They’ve always tended to this land.”

Coleman takes a holistic approach to craft cocktailing. It’s about respecting the land and paying homage to where they came from and working within their community sustainably.

At Wildweed, consistent ingredients are fleeting. And that’s not a bad thing. 

At the beginning of a shift, Coleman will walk down into the basement prep kitchen and take a look at what’s in the walk-in fridge because it is a steady parade of fresh and unique produce.

“David will be like, ‘I’ve got something cool for you,’ and it’ll be like the nicest smelling melon I’ve ever seen in my life and he’s like, ‘Just think about what you could do with this,’” they said. 

The creative possibilities within Wildweed’s walls are virtually endless.

“There’s so many odd and amazing tools here,” they said. “There’s a centrifuge so you can completely clarify things within minutes.” 

Coleman believes mixology has a supernatural element. 

“I’m a haunted individual. I think most of us are,” they said. “I’ve lived a lot of places. I’ve known a lot of people. I’ve failed a lot of love … all of that I carry with me in my work.”

Sometimes inspiration strikes at really strange times that aren’t always convenient. Other times it’s more reasonable. 

“I will typically be working a bar shift here and an idea will hit me or I’ll notice spirits that we aren’t going through,” they said. “So sometimes I’ll have strange flavor combinations outside of here, you know … write it down … we need to do something with this.”

How do they know when a drink is done, especially when the ingredients can become so complicated? Much like any artist, Coleman said they can feel it. 

They also pull on their years of experience in various roles within the industry when creating new menus and collaborating with the team of bartenders. From working at a sushi restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, to stints as a barista in Los Angeles, to managing a coffee shop in Manchester, England, they’ve done it all. 

“It’s the only thing that I am able to stick to in my life,” they said. “I cannot do a nine-to-five. I’ve tried it.”

Working at Wildweed hasn’t just been helpful from a career perspective; it’s been therapeutic on an extremely personal level.

“This is the first place I’ve been where they’ve only known me as a trans person,” they said. “It’s the first place that I’ve actually ever been myself and that people have met me as myself.”

It’s been really weird to go from being a woman for 30 years and figuring out what rules come with that, Coleman added. They felt like they were wearing a costume every day. 

“I was extremely unhappy,” they said. “Now I can’t really hide anything. People look at me and immediately know. And I just can’t separate my work in that.” 

They’ve struggled to align themselves with the status quo, and while transitioning has unlocked a goldmine for Coleman, it comes with a new set of gaps to close.

“I don’t know what the rules are,” they said. “The rules that do exist weren’t created for anyone like me.”

Their healing journey has allowed them to show up to work with a new sense of freedom. 

“These are the most authentic kind of interactions I’ve had today,” Coleman said. “Which is the most authentic way of producing art.”

Laura Palmer

• 1.5 oz earl grey gin (made by simply adding any earl grey tea to any bottle of gin)
• 0.75 oz Italicus
• 0.5 oz earl grey-infused simple syrup
• 0.5 oz of lemon juice
• 2 dashes of lemon bitters
• Shake, strain and serve up! 

The post Raise the bar: Meet the future of Cincinnati’s cocktail scene appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

I don’t consider Kings Island a particularly “glamorous” place. Any of my daily concerns about generally avoiding a disheveled appearance go out the door once I pass through its entrance gates. For me, it’s always been a place of screams, blue ice cream-stained shirts, and rollercoaster-ruffled hair that just. Won’t. De-tangle.

So when I learned of their Food & Wine Festival, I felt a twinge of cognitive dissonance. It just seemed a little too fancy for the summertime chaos I’ve always associated with the park. I even asked myself whether the lines for wine might be on par with those of The Beast on a balmy summer Saturday.

I ultimately ended up being pleasantly surprised.

Looking for something to do? CityBeat has you covered

My boyfriend, probably one of the bigger KI enthusiasts in the Tri-State, accompanied me to Kings Island on the last weekend of the festival. Having years of industry experience, he also happens to know enough about wine to be dangerous. 

The weather that day was warm, but still surprisingly humidity-free for June, and the lines throughout the park were in turn long. We made the best of it, weaving through throngs of people wielding oversized plushies and braving hour-plus wait times for our favorite coasters.

As the day progressed, it got hot. It got crowded. Mystic Timbers began experiencing technical difficulties right as we got in line. I wondered – would the Food and Wine Festival offer some sort of respite? Or would it be a fancier carbon copy of a packed day at the park?

Toward evening, as we approached the Eiffel Tower, I spotted a mime – a literal mime – pretending to pull a rope near a wooded area right by the park’s historic Grand Carousel. The sound of an accordion somehow managed to overpower the chatter of the crowds and screams from nearby rides. A cluster of maroon tents organized by region offered wine flights and bites to a significantly smaller, but clearly locked in, crowd – I noticed many with wine brochures and pens in hands. A few stages hosted musical performances – including an impressive rendition of Sade’s “Smooth Operator” – and the glow of the carousel lights was visible through the greenery.

It almost felt like a mirage. But it ended up being a lovely – albeit unexpected – oasis. Despite the day’s frenzy, my boyfriend and I decided to take our time, going from tent to tent to try a wine each, and a few snacks while we were at it. 

To clarify, I enjoy wine. I just haven’t developed a sophisticated vocabulary to describe it, and I personally reel at phrases like “dances on the tongue.” But what I lack in sommelier spirit can be made up for in Kings Island enthusiasm. So here’s the rundown on what we sampled from each of the tents, in the spirit of our beloved regional theme park. 

Mediterranean 

I tried the Kir Yianni Akakies, a sparkling rosé from Greece. It was bright, bubbly, and especially refreshing after a long day of standing in lines. Its description noted a taste of “wild strawberries,” and I can confirm its accuracy. I’d compare this delightful wine to a stroll through Planet Snoopy, and maybe a really, really slow – but wholesome – ride on the Woodstock Whirlybirds.

He tried the CVNE Cune, an organic Rioja from its namesake region in Spain. He noted that it probably could’ve used a little more time chilling before being served. This one had “notes of blackberries, currants, and light spice.” I gave it a sip, and described it as “watery.” He offered me an alternate description – “not much body” (I told you he knows things). On this latter note, I’ll compare it to the new Phantom Theater ride – get it?

Here, we also nibbled on the Cucumber Tomato Bruschetta, featuring ovoline cheese and a balsamic reduction. This was probably our favorite festival snack – piled high on mini naan breads, it was a surprisingly refreshing bite.

FRANCE

My boyfriend tried the Chateau Lamothe bordeaux blanc, with “notes of grapefruit, peach, and lemon.” Again, he noted “not much body,” although I observed that the wine was especially smooth. Because I’m already short on ghost puns, I’ll compare it to The Banshee.

I sampled the Château De Chénas Coeur De Granite, a gamay noir with notes of berries and florals, and with a “mineral-driven finish from granitic soils.” I once again delighted in a fruity, chilled wine. Because of its summer character, I’ll draw a parallel to my favorite, breezy coaster – Mystic Timbers .

We also tried the Charcuterie for Two, a standard, but welcome, assortment of meat, cheeses, nuts, and dried fruits, which paired well with a few of our subsequent tastings. 

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

I opted for the Yolumba Bush Vine grenache. This red had many nuanced hills of flavor – “raspberry, cherry, and spice,” according to its description. I’d compare it to the up’s and down’s of The Beast.

My boyfriend selected the Pewsey Vale dry riesling. While described as having flavors of “fresh lime zest” and “grapefruit,” it’s all white grapes to me. Sipping the light wine reminded me of a ride up the Eiffel Tower  (at this point, he tells me to cut it out with the Kings Island comparisons, but I persist). 

CALIFORNIA

For our last round, my boyfriend picked the Bonny Doon Le Cigare Orange, a grenache blanc. Despite what’s literally in the name, I’m still delighted by its orange color. Again, there wasn’t much body (I’m starting to notice a trend in my boyfriend’s wine taste here), but it was delightfully citrusy. Because it’s not like other wines, and therefore maybe a little underrated, I’ll draw a parallel to The Bat. 

For my final selection, I go for the Brassfield Estate pinot gris. With tastes of pear and green apple, I loved the delightfully vibrant, refreshing flavor. It’s just like a ride on Windseeker – after the sun goes down.

Now, was riding Adventure Express, the Zephyr, Orion, and Shake, Rattle & Roll following the equivalent of a wine flight and plenty of cheese the wisest? Probably not (I’m fine).

But when you get so caught up in hitting every ride you can before day’s end, I can especially appreciate what the Food & Wine Festival offers – a chance to sit down, and actually take it all in. For all of the thrills and record-defying coasters, it’s easy to forget that Kings Island really is a beautiful, historic park. And I discovered my own dolce vita moment on a late summer afternoon there – in Kings Island of all places. Who knew it was possible?

The post Kings Island Food and Wine Festival offers unexpected oasis in theme park setting appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Killer Queen has long been a favorite of visitors at The Banks, thanks to its extensive food menu and its status as one of the only craft cocktail bars in the area. On Thursday night, CityBeat joined various other media members and influencers at the business at 180 E. Freedom Way, to try out their latest menu. Here’s what we tried, including what we liked the most.

Drinks:

Blooming Heir

Hibiscus-infused Bombay dry gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, lime juice, club soda

Gin and elderflower is a well-known combo, but the hibiscus-infused Bombay adds an elegant touch to what would otherwise be a pretty simple cocktail. As somebody that doesn’t care much for overly sugary drinks, this was basically everything I’d want in a decent cocktail and I’ll likely be ordering one or three of these next time I find myself at The Banks. Personally, this was my favorite drink of the night.

Imperial Sip

Rey Supremo reposado, sage simple syrup, blood orange juice, egg white, lime juice

As a former bartender, I always detested cocktails with blood orange. In my opinion, the tangy flavor tends to be overpowering and — to be honest — is often used to cover up cheap ingredients. So it’s a testament to Killer Queen’s bar staff that they managed to pull off a blood orange-based cocktail I didn’t hate. The egg white and sage flavor goes a long way in balancing out the tart flavor of the blood orange, and opting for reposado tequila over blanco here feels like a smart choice given the mild flavor profile.

Girl in the Bubble

Bubblegum-infused Tito’s, lemon juice, grenadine, egg whites

As I mentioned above, I’m not one for extremely sugary drinks or cocktails with overpowering flavors. So it’s no surprise I didn’t care for this drink, which tasted like shoving 80 pieces of Dubble Bubble into my mouth all at once. Having worked at a bar where basically every cocktail we made was some sort of sweet, pink concoction, I know there’s a market for this and I know plenty of customers are going to love this. If you like overly sweet drinks, this is probably great — personally, I would like to see more egg whites in cocktails around the city, so I appreciate how much they’re all over Killer Queen’s menu — but this was very much not for me.

Lavender Luxury

Empress gin, lemon juice, lavender simple syrup, triple sec, club soda, egg white, crushed ice

This riff on a Tom Collins was my biggest surprise of the night. I enjoyed how —pardon the pun — crushable this was, as I’m not often a big fan of lavender. Plus, combining four different florals and dumping it over tiny pieces of crushed ice could be easy to mess up or dilute if one ingredient was under — or over-used. Not so here. On a hot summer day, there aren’t too many cocktails you’ll find at The Banks that cool you down effectively with a flavor as good as this one.

Food:

Various dips

New at Killer Queen were various combinations of chips and dips. Nobody came over to tell us specifically what was in each, but the two I tried — one that was cheesy, another more akin to a corn salsa — were both above average for your usual bar fare.

Mini corndogs

Killer Queen fancies itself a high-end cocktail bar, and a large portion of the food I eat for my job here at CityBeat is rather high-brow. So it’s funny that the dish I’ve most enjoyed eating all month was the mini corndogs at Killer Queen. The batter surrounding the corndog was a well-balanced mix of sweet and salty, and the dogs inside were cooked exactly how you’d want them without burning your mouth off. I felt like a madman for enjoying these the most out of anything on the menu, until I looked up and noticed that everyone around me had also finished their portion in about 5 seconds flat. Upon witnessing this, someone came over and said “Should we bring you guys some more corndogs?” The response was swift and universal: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Sometimes executing the simple stuff correctly can go a long way.

“Bombs” and pizzas

While not new, Killer Queen’s menu has long had “bombs” (essentially baked dough balls with various fillings) and pizzas. I’d never tried any of them, but they were presented in front of me at the event, so I gave it all a go. The bombs were good, especially the buffalo chicken variant. The pizzas, less so. There was nothing wrong with any of them, to be clear, but they were just regular, okay pizzas — which made them the least interesting items I tried all night. I’d eat 10 of everything else on the menu before getting one of these pizzas. Speaking of…

Flatbreads

The final new menu item of the night, these flatbreads knocked Killer Queen’s pizzas out of the water despite their general similarities. If you’re looking at a cheese or pepperoni pizza at this bar, and you’re not with a large group, opt for one of these instead. Trust me: you’ll be glad you did.

The post We tried everything on Killer Queen’s new menu: here’s what to order appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Ever turned to your best friend and shared a crazy idea? That’s exactly what Caroline Leach & Alex Driscoll did to create their buzzy new pop-up dinner series Calé.

The two self-taught chefs have wowed attendees all over the city for their unique stylings—notably, that each tasting event is centered around one seasonal ingredient that won’t be revealed until guests sit down for dinner—and culinary professionals all over the city are taking notice. But it all started over a couple champagne glasses.

“On our trip to Spain, we were at a Michelin-star restaurant and it felt like a spiritual experience for the both of us. We just got kind of emotional over our love of food and spending time together and, like, bringing happiness and community to people through food and eating,” Driscoll said.

And on the plane ride back, the two had a thought: why don’t we create an experience like this back home for everyone we love?

“It was an eight-hour flight back, and I don’t think we even slept more than an hour. We spent the whole flight drinking champagne and coming up with our plan for Calé,” Leach said. “We wanted it to be one giant table experience where everyone could meet each other and build new connections and then have a wonderful delicious meal while they’re doing it.”

Over time, the pop-up has grown to a monthly event, with 24 hotly-contested seats at each. As mentioned, each night features a secret ingredient that’s used in each dish. To determine the evening’s focus, the two contact local farms and gardeners to see what they have available—sometimes, the two even use ingredients from Leach’s father’s garden—and then determine which ingredient excites them the most.

Take, for example, a pop-up last year where the focus of the night was farm-fresh corn: the two chefs served guests a gazpacho, a scallop dish, a cantaloupe dish, croquettes, sacchetti, and a sweet custard all infused with corn in some form or fashion. Other ingredients taking center stage at recent events include mint, peas, beets, pumpkins and rhubarb.

“I watched way too much ‘Iron Chef’ in high school, so that’s where the idea for the secret ingredient came from. But instead of the chefs not knowing what the ingredient is, it’s our guests,” Leach said. “The dessert, I think, is our favorite to work through. Especially if we’ve chosen a savory ingredient, it’s fun trying to figure out how to make it sweet.”

It’s a lot of time and energy dedicated from two people who aren’t trained chefs at all. Driscoll works in pharmaceutical sales, while Leach is an IT professional. Cooking is their main hobby, not their profession. Yet one look at their Instagram comments reveals some of the city’s most prominent culinary names have taken notice of their work.

“The support we’ve received is humbling, unreal, amazing. All the people we’ve gotten to meet because of our shared love of food is incredible,” Driscoll said. “It means so much to us that people who have already found success in this realm have even taken an interest in us and are genuinely supportive, compassionate people, let alone that they’ve gone above and beyond to try to help promote us… I don’t know, I don’t think I even have words. I have to stop talking or I’ll start getting emotional.”

In the future, the two plan to expand to bigger venues. Several people and businesses have already requested Calé to cook at their private events. They’ve also made plans to do smaller pop-ups titled “Casual Calé” at restaurants and bars across the city that showcase their cooking chops without having to put together a multi-course meal. But their main focus will continue to be building community and serving great food.

“For a long time, Cincinnati’s food scene didn’t get the respect it deserved. Like, I used to make thorough spreadsheets for people of all the places to go. People just hadn’t experienced all the opportunities we had to offer,” Driscoll said. “I love our city so much, and I think it has so much to offer people… And it’s a little bit selfish, but I just want to provide something new, fun and unique for the city. Whether it’s someone who’s lived in the city for 40 years or someone who’s passing through for the weekend, I want them to have a memorable experience in Cincinnati.”

For more information on Calé, including how to score a reservation for their next event in July, head to their Instagram page.

The post This hidden gem of a pop-up was created by two self-taught chefs appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Milkman founder Nick Pesola and current owner Paul Folker say they’re cooking up delicious burgers and shakes to fill a community need.

“In Over-the-Rhine, there’s plenty of gourmet burger spots or expensive, full-service restaurants,” Pesola said. “Personally, I like casual food. And more than anything, I like affordable food. I was like, ‘Why is everyone not doing the obvious in this area?'”

Since opening in September 2022, Milkman has become a staple of the neighborhood and the city at large. The restaurant is constantly overflowing with customers, it’s been the No. 1 restaurant in the area on Uber Eats for years and it took home six trophies in CityBeat’s 2026 Best of Cincinnati awards — including outright wins for Best Burger and Best Fries.

Milkman fits into a lot of categories: a retro diner with modern stylings; a fast-casual joint with fine-dining sensibilities; a simple, cheap menu with a deceptively large amount of work going into each and every item. Really, its entire menu could fit in one short paragraph. There’s a few burgers, a chicken sandwich, a salad, a couple sides, some hot dogs, a kid’s menu and a short list of milkshakes with the option to add booze to each.

Burgers at Milkman start at just $7 — a rarity in a neighborhood full of lunch meals that can run upwards of $30 or $40. Keeping the price point low while maintaining a level of quality that’s a lot higher than you’d find at your average fast food spot is why the restaurant is a perennial community favorite.

“When I designed the concept, I thought, if we could have only one of each type of item, what would we have? And how could we make it as good as humanly possible while remaining simple and inexpensive?” Pesola said. “There’s this vein of simplicity that runs through everything we do. It’s not like we’re gonna start doing wagyu burgers or something. People will say they want wagyu, but then you hand them the bill and they’re like ‘never mind.'”

The building that houses Milkman was originally home to Pesola’s first restaurant. After working under Folker at Dewey’s Pizza for several years, he struck out on his own to begin the chicken-focused spot Revolution Rotisserie as a tent at Findlay Market in 2014. It was a huge hit, and eventually he expanded to a brick-and-mortar in Milkman’s current building before spinning off a second location in Pleasant Ridge. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic decimated business.

“I got burned by COVID, and I was like, ‘This one can’t fail.’ So if I was going to build a concept that couldn’t fail, it needed to be one that really resonates with people,” Pesola said. “The irony of this is that it’s actually incredibly complex to create a simple restaurant that only does a few things.”

While Pesola was sitting at a local coffee shop prior to Milkman’s opening, he was furiously scribbling ideas in his notebook for what the restaurant should be called and how it should look. Then he looked on the wall and saw a painting of a “psychedelic cow,” and the name came to him.

“And then the weirdest thing happened,” he said. “The lady next to me asked what I was working on, and I told her I was sketching out my next restaurant concept that I was probably going to call Milkman. She gasped and said her father was a milkman. And I immediately got chills. What are the chances? Like, that’s so unlikely.”

He sat and talked with the woman for a while, then incorporated some of the stories he heard about her father into the restaurant’s branding and atmosphere. With their mascot, a burly, “badass” milkman, he indicates that the diners of old have been brought into the 21st century.

“There’s a lot of innuendos in our branding. Like our slogan, ‘a damn good time.’ It’s a double entendre referencing the milkman hooking up with the housewife or whatever. I just leaned into that,” Pesola said. “Our milkman, he’s a real person, you know? He’s got a little dirt on his scrubs, and he’s got some stubble, and he puts bourbon in his milkshake. He runs marathons, but then he’ll get a double cheeseburger and fries to reward himself.”

As Pesola transitioned careers to become a commercial real estate agent and business broker, he couldn’t imagine anyone better to take ownership of Milkman than Folker, his former mentor. While Pesola is still involved with the restaurant, Folker now handles day-to-day operations.

“I actually had moved to Asheville, North Carolina, but was still working with Nick in a consulting capacity,” Folker said. “But then he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse with Milkman … and I got to move back and fall in love with Cincinnati all over again. It’s been my dream to have a restaurant my entire life. I kinda feel like I’m in bizarro world every day, ’cause I’m living the dream now. I have to pinch myself all the time to make sure it’s real.”

In the near future, Folker has some fun surprises coming up for the city’s annual Burger Week that he’s tight-lipped about. He also plans to produce several “interactive moments” at the restaurant for BLINK, the biannual light and art festival that just happens to take place right outside Milkman’s front door.

Folker credits his team for the restaurant’s continued prosperity, and takes special care to shout out his executive chef, Myke Brake. He credits Milkman’s success to the restaurant’s two most important aspects.

“Simplicity is good,” Folker said. “And simplicity is our secret sauce, so to speak. Our success comes from our simplicity. And then we focus all of our effort on doing the little things right, focusing on the basics, and that builds consistency. It’s all about having a good time and eating some really good food. To be honest with you, what we do is not flashy or groundbreaking, but it works. It’s blue collar work, and we’re not afraid of it, and we embrace the fundamentals.”

Milkman is located at 1106 Race St. in Over-the-Rhine. Find them online at milkmanbar.com.

The post Milkman brings the diner to the modern era appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.