Ohio chefs

42 years of farm-to-table expertise has made The Winds Café, located in Yellow Springs, a culinary staple in Southwestern Ohio. Executive Chef Mary Kay Smith will tell you, “Farm to Table has become such a battle cry and also commercial catch phrase to lure diners.” She explains, “Yes, it’s a business and we all have to make a living, but guests respond to authenticity. We try to use as much local food as possible, but realize the constraints of the Ohio growing season. It’s sometimes problematic for some customers not to have an out of season tomato on their burger or sandwich, but we try to impart the positive part of supporting locally sourced products rather than mega agribusiness.”

Peter Rueter fell in love with making fresh pasta in 2014, while working at a Tuscan-style grille in Charlotte, North Carolina. Experience working as a butcher had taught him to appreciate working with his hands, but Peter soon realized it was fresh pasta that brought him joy. “Being the fresh pasta guy just stuck with me everywhere I went, and I truly enjoyed teaching people about it,” Peter recalls. Having realized his passion, the Cleveland Heights native return to his home state and began racking up culinary experience at Marottas and Doug Katz’s acclaimed Fire. A few years later, he was ready to go out on his own.

With a degree in Chemistry and Environmental Studies from Michigan State University, followed by a career as a chef on the west coast, the path that led Michael Koenig to become Executive Chef at Tucci’s in Dublin, OH was anything but traditional. When asked about his early days in the culinary industry, Michael reminisces “I ended up in San Francisco in the late nineties. What a great city to be a chef in.” Referring to his time working under the acclaimed chefs Gary Danko and Michael Mina, Michael explains that California taught him so much, so quickly, especially the importance of quality ingredients - a core value prominent today in his work at Tucci’s. However, that’s not the only place his inspiration comes from. Growing up in a half-Lebanese, half-German household in the Midwest, Michael also draws his cooking style from Mediterranean cuisine. “It’s a style of cooking that allows the ingredients to really shine,” Michael explains. Last but not least, seasonal ingredients also play an important role in his cooking. “I love incorporating seasonal ingredients into my daily specials,” Michael proclaims. “I try to get seasonal produce as soon as it appears on the market.” He especially enjoys foraging.

Chef Anthony Sitek first came to visit Cincinnati in his college years, with his now-wife Haley Nutter-Sitek, a Cincinnati native. Sitek remembers that back then OTR, meaning the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood of downtown Cincinnati, “was still a place you could not venture into.” Over the years, the couple watched the remarkable growth of the area, and decided it was something they wanted to be a part of. Having met at Johnson & Wales University, a culinary school in Providence, Rhode Island, the husband and wife duo bring culinary experience from many different cities in the eastern United States, such as New Jersey, Chicago, and Miami. They now own and run Crown Republic Gastropub together in downtown Cincinnati, with Anthony as the Executive Chef and Haley, the General Manager. “We knew that we could help the food scene thrive, and we were excited to plant our roots and raise our family here,” Sitek reflects. Haley and Anthony have two boys, Aiden (7) and Pierson (3). Crown Republic Gastropub has been open for breakfast, lunch and dinner since June 2018, and has been flourishing ever since.

Anthony Zappola, owner and executive chef of Lox, Stock, and Brisket, wasn’t looking to start a brisket shop when he moved to Cleveland a year ago. Having grown up in Ohio, the accredited chef had just sold his first solo venture, The Rice Shop in Las Vegas, and wanted to be closer to family. Previously, his whirlwind career had led him to work for Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio for over a decade in six roles and four different cities - from New York to Dallas, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, where he was awarded Las Vegas Weekly Best New Chef 2014 while working at the acclaimed Mirage’s Heritage. Seeing the potential for opportunities back in his home state, Zappola recalls “I was looking to open more restaurants and Cleveland checked more boxes than I initially thought.”