Business First: Volcanos, waterfalls, tiki torches – Lessner’s latest downtown eatery boasts Polynesian flair

Elizabeth Lessner's restaurant group is ready to launch its sixth venture downtown.

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Elizabeth Lessner hopes her newest restaurant venture is a blast. The co-founder of the five-restaurant Columbus Food League is adding a sixth eatery to the portfolio.

The Grass Skirt seeks to revive the fire-and-tiki kitsch of tiki bars of yore with Polynesian fare and flair at 105 N. Grant Street in spring 2012. “We’re working on a volcano,” Lessner said. “We can’t promise it yet because it may not work.”

Also part of the South Pacific plans — steaming drinks, a waterfall, Spam, pineapples and maraschino cherries. “We all grew up loving the Kahiki,” she said of the once-popular Columbus restaurant that lives on as a frozen food brand. “We try to find niches. Our restaurant group goes for a fun vibe.” The venture includes the rest of the Columbus Food League team — Carmen Owens, Amy Brennick, Tim Lessner and Harold LaRue. One appeal of the old MadLab Theater and Gallery space was that it was a high-ceiling and open space — giving the business brain trust the freedom to be more creative, including not just the Polynesian decor but the ability to build the kitchen from scratch.

Menu details still are in the works, but pricing will be affordable, Lessner said.

The Grant Street location, which will be next door to the new downtown Hills Market, also hopes to be a lunch and dinner draw for students at nearby Columbus State Community College and the Columbus College of Art & Design.

Dan Eaton covers retail, restaurants, manufacturing, automotive and the advertising/PR industry for Business First.

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Find Your New Pad with Your iPad.......or any Web-Enabled Phone

For Immediate Release:

Contact

Terry Penrod

614-273-8548

terry.penrod@realliving.com

Find Your New Pad with Your iPad

Terry Penrod speeds up the house-hunting process in Central Ohio with a real estate search for virtually any web-enabled phone

October 25, 2011, (Columbus, Ohio) - Terry Penrod with Real Living HER is one of central Ohio’s top real estate agents, and he is now providing clients with a mobile real estate search created by Smarter Agent that makes it possible to search all local property listings from their web-enabled mobile device.  His mobile real estate search is the only house-hunting tool that works on 95% of cell phones across all carriers and will search every listing in market, regardless of brokerage.

 Interested home buyers can be in any neighborhood and view detailed property information at the touch of a button. The GPS technology in the mobile device, when available, locates users and pulls up addresses and information on listings in their immediate area. Sales price, square footage, tax information, beds/baths, interior and exterior features, pictures and more become available instantly in the palm of their hand.

Consumers can also search by address, community name, city or zip code when GPS is not available, or if they want to search for real estate in an area other than their current location.

The “Call to See” feature within the mobile application will connect users to Terry Penrod if they have questions or want to schedule a tour of the property.

"It's the next generation of shopping for a home. What the Internet did for real estate, the mobile application will do for the search. It puts data into the buyers' hands where they want it when they want it," said Terry.

Consumers can get Terry Penrod’s mobile real estate search on their cell phone by visiting www.mobile.terrypenrod.com for easy instructions or by texting agent1 to 87778 to receive a text message with a link to download the mobile real estate application.  

This is available as a fully downloadable application on hundreds of devices across Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. A premium mobile web version is also available on 95% of cell phones. The fully downloadable application is free to download on Sprint devices, BlackBerry devices, the iPhone, and Google's Android. The premium mobile web version is free to access.

# # #

About Terry Penrod

Since 1988, Terry has been a real estate investor and in 2004, I became a licensed real estate agent.  Since then I helped my clients purchase and sell over $30 million in real estate.   In 2010 he became a founding partner of Real Living HER LLC.  He grew up in Toledo, Ohio and attended St. John’s Jesuit High School.  He attended The Ohio State University and graduated with a BA in Communications.  Terry has held various sales and management positions in Central Ohio over the 28 years he has lived here. 

About Real Living HER

Real Living HER, based in Columbus, Ohio, is a full-service real estate company with more than 700 agents and 45 offices throughout Central Ohio.  HER Realtors was established in 1956 and has been the dominant full-service brokerage throughout the area since 1964. Real Living HER offers its consumers services that include residential & commercial real estate sales, property management and rental services, mortgage, title, warranty, and other home-related, lifestyle services.  Real Living HER was recently named “Best Real Estate Brokerage” by the readers of Columbus CEO magazine for the third year in a row in the “Best of Business” awards.  HER is a member of the Real Living franchise system, owned by Brookfield Real Estate, a leading provider of real estate services nationally & internationally, including one of the world’s leading global relocation companies.   Real Living was named one of the best new franchises by Entrepreneur magazine, winner of the Inman Innovator Award, and most promising new national brand by the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.   Most recently, Real Living was recognized by Real Trends as the fastest growing real estate franchise in the country.  For more information, visit www.HERRealtors.com.

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Business First: Galaxy Cafe vets open Explorers Club in Merion Village

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The Explorers Club is more than a new restaurant — it’s a reunion for two one-time restaurant partners.

Tracy Studer and Ricky Barnes once teamed up for three restaurants in the 1990s and early 2000s, most notably the Galaxy Cafe in Powell and two offshoots in Grandview Heights and the Short North.

“We split in 2002, went our separate ways,” Studer said. “We lost touch with each other.”

Studer had been at the Golf Club of Dublin when he decided he wanted to get back to running a place of his own. A Merion Village resident, he saw that the long-time Crater’s Restaurant & Bar space at 1586 S. High St. was vacant.

“I wanted to do something in the neighborhood so I began working on a deal,” he said.
Then he got a text message. It was Barnes, catching up. The conversation moved to Studer’s Merion Village plans and the one-time business partners decided to revive that relationship. The Explorers Club opened Friday.

“I refer to it as the Galaxy all grown up,” Studer said.

He described the ingredients as “international peasant food” using fresh ingredients, Ohio-sourced as much as possible, with simple preparations.

“The whole idea behind the name is about exploring cuisine, exploring life,” Studer said.
Dishes span the globe, including chile rellenos, banh mi, beef brisket, linguini with shrimp, to name a few, among other sandwich, salad, pasta and entree choices. Nothing on the menu tops $11.75. Studer declined to share sales projections. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday; brunch and dinner Saturday; and just brunch on Sunday.

Dan Eaton covers retail, restaurants, manufacturing, automotive and the advertising/PR industry for Business First.

Video Interviews with Joshua Alan Snyder-Hill, the Husband of Booed Gay Soldier

 

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During Tomorrow Night's Short North Highball: Fun and "Skeery" LGBT Event

	Our frighteningly frolicsome party will be held in  the  Center on High  parking lot with a live DJ, dance floor, beer sales,  costume contests and“skeery” decorations galore.  We expect this event to become an annual affair  for our LGBT community! Friday, October 28th 6pm to 11pm Stonewall Columbus Parking Lot Free with your $5 Highball Admission   DJ Chris from Trafik Mixing All Night! Dancing Costume Contest Local Food Carts Beer and Beverages   Special Thanks to our generous event Sponsors  and  Host Committee for making this event possible! Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse Faulkner Realty Group Metro CIty Doggie Daycare Reed Arts Jim Arter, Chris Balas & Malcolm Riggle, Trevor & Kate Blachly,  Phil Davison & Brent Adkins, Gregg Dodd, Maggie & Jeff Gates,  Ronald Guisinger & Robert Salmen, Steven Hull, Doug Kauffman,  Allen & Hope Kiger, Jeff Kover, Michael Leonard, Janet Monseur Durr,  Shane Morgan, Terry Penrod, Jay Poroda, Letha Pugh & Wendy Miller,  Bruce Shalter, Brian Shinn, Jeff Smith & Dwayne Sattler, Bill Souder,  Connie Strebe, Jay Trainer, Michael Ward

Franklin County Early Voting Hours This Weekend

Early Vote THIS Weekend at the Franklin County Board of Elections: 
280 E Broad St. Columbus, OH 43215 

Weekend Voting Extended Hours 

Friday, Oct 28th:   8:00am-9:00pm

Saturday, Oct 29th:  8:00am-12:00pm

Sunday, Oct. 30th:   1:00pm-5:00pm 


You must provide ONE of the following items to show proof of your identification:

Your Ohio driver's license number; or

The last four digits of your Social Security number; or

A copy of your current and valid photo identification, military identification, OR a current (within the last 12 months) utility bill (including cell phone bill), bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and current address (including from a public college or university).

To contact the Franklin County Board of Elections call 614.525.3100 or visit their website: http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov

Mitt Romney to Attend OSU-Wisconsin Game This Saturday - Will Root for Whomever is Winning at the Time

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 27, 2011 Mitt Romney to Attend OSU-Wisconsin Game This Saturday - Will Root for Whomever is Winning at the Time Planning on Wearing Red Shirt but Will Refuse to Support a Specific Team; Continues Waffling from Earlier This Week COLUMBUS – The Ohio Democratic Party has learned that professional presidential candidate and serial flip-flopper Mitt Romney will attend this Saturday’s OSU-Wisconsin game during a brief campaign stop in Columbus. However, in a not-so-surprising development, Mr. Romney will refuse to address anything about the game or cheer for one of the teams. The former governor of Massachusetts has told Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine that, despite his plan to wear a red shirt, he is unfamiliar with the game or the teams and will cheer for whomever is leading at the time. Once Romney leaves the state, after conservative bloggers and his Republican primary opponents pan his visit as another example of Romney waffling on every issue, the former Massachusetts Governor will announce which team he was in fact rooting for, saying that he “fully supports” that team “110 percent.” “Mitt Romney cheering for whatever team is winning shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone in Ohio,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Seth Bringman. “But, if Governor Romney doesn’t support the best interests of the people of Ohio, the least he could do is tell us.” Following the game, Romney will hold a photo-op at Bob Evan’s in Grandview Heights. Press will be allowed to attend and see him coming in and out of the building, but he will not take questions. While speaking with restaurant patrons, Romney will thank them for eating their food and attack Bob Evan’s competitors, but he will not offer his views on the Sausage Gravy & Biscuits. “Perhaps Waffle House would have been a more appropriate stop,” added Bringman. The upcoming visit will mirror Romney’s erratic waffling earlier in the week. On Tuesday, Mitt Romney visited Terrace Park to attend a phone bank of supporters of Issues 2 and 3. The media billed the visit as an endorsement of the two Issues. However, Romney did not address Issues 2 and 3 during his remarks and he refused to take questions from the media. Following the event he said that he was not going to weigh in on the two Issues and that he was unfamiliar with them. However, after the event, POLITICO reported that he had strongly endorsed Issue 2 back in June. Democrats, conservative bloggers and his Republican opponents criticized Romney’s hypocrisy and flip-flopping. Then, after leaving Ohio and being criticized by Democrats, Republicans and conservative activists alike, Romney announced that he supports John Kasich’s Issue 2 ballot measure “110%.” -30-

Chillicothe Teen Beaten at School for Being Gay, Watch Video, Take Action Now!

Chillicothe Teen Beaten for Being Gay Take Action Now! This week, a 15-year-old teenager was severely beaten in his high school class room for being gay. The attack occurred at Union-Scioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio, and was caught on camera as fellow class members watched one teen wait for the victim to enter the room, push him to the ground and continually punch him in the face. Two days prior to the attack, the perpetrator harassed the victim via Facebook regarding his sexual orientation. The victim has suffered a possible concussion and dental damage. The attacker was suspended from school for just three days. Union-Scioto has no policy in place that specifically protects students from being bullied or attacked based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Union-Scioto Local School District does have a policy that prohibits harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, among others, but it does not specifically protect against harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Ohio House Bill 208 would add sexual orientation, gender identity, and other enumerated protections to Ohio’s anti-bullying law without changing the general prohibition against any bullying or harassment.  Research demonstrates that students feel safer and actually are safer in schools that have enumerated anti-bullying policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity. Proponents of the bill are seeking testimony in the House Education Committee, but the bill has not been a priority of the committee.   Email and call members of the House Education Committee and tell them we need to protect our students today! AND Sign the Safe Schools Petition here Gerald L. Stebelton, Representative (R - Chair) Phone: (614) 466-8100 district05@ohr.state.oh.us Michael Henne, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 644-8051 district36@ohr.state.oh.us Craig Newbold, Representative (R - Vice-Chair) Phone: (614) 466-8022 craig.newbold@ohr.state.oh.us Clayton R. Luckie, Representative (D - Ranking Minority Member) Phone: (614) 466-1607 district39@ohr.state.oh.us Andy Thompson, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 644-8728 district93@ohr.state.oh.us Marlene Anielski, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 644-6041 district17@ohr.state.oh.us Nan A. Baker, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 466-0961 district16@ohr.state.oh.us Ted Celeste, Representative (D) Phone: (614) 644-6005 district24@ohr.state.oh.us Andrew Brenner, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 644-6711 district02@ohr.state.oh.us Jim Butler, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 644-6008 district37@ohr.state.oh.us Timothy Derickson, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 644-5094 district53@ohr.state.oh.us Ronald V. Gerberry, Representative (D) Phone: (614) 466-6107 district59@ohr.state.oh.us Bill Hayes, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 466-2500 district91@ohr.state.oh.us Bill Patmon, Representative (D) Phone: (614) 466-7954 district10@ohr.state.oh.us Matt Huffman, Majority Floor Leader (R) Phone: (614) 466-9624 district04@ohr.state.oh.us Casey Kozlowski, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 466-1405 district99@ohr.state.oh.us Ron Maag, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 644-6023 district35@ohr.state.oh.us Kristina Roegner, Representative (R) Phone: (614) 466-1177 district42@ohr.state.oh.us

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