ZZ’s Pizza Closing

ZZ’s Pizza in Walnut Hills is closing. Below is a very heartfelt email sent out to their mailing list. Ben, I hope posting it here was okay.

July 29, 2012

Friends of ZZ's,

It's with a heavy heart that I write to inform you all that this fall, ZZ's will be closing. I felt that I would let you all know in advance so it does not come as a surprise.  Most restaurants seemingly just lock their doors and not even the employees know it is happening.  I felt I owed it to you all, to inform you, because without your continued support we would have never made it this far.  After struggling with the idea for the better part of 6 months, I decided it was in the best decision to move forward both personally and professionally.  I am very proud of what my co-workers and I accomplished during our time operating the restaurant.  We collectively took a Cincinnati icon and tried our best to resurrect in a way that Tom and Bill could be proud.  We took a huge chance and put blind faith into a project few believed in.  We faced countless roadblocks, unforeseeable setbacks and struggles- but fought through them and opened over a year later than anticipated.  Many of you do not know, but the restaurant almost never happened.  The restaurant was within a month or so of opening and pipes burst. The entire building was left in ruin.  11 long months later, we opened on October 28th, 2010.  For all of us it was dream fulfilled and something that was extremely special to us and magnified by all of the adversity.    

We opened our doors with everything we had emotionally and financially vested within this little flatiron building.  We didn't have any marketing or viable advertising and less than $200 to our names, and not even enough product to get through the week.  We opened the doors for lunch in nervous anticipation, not knowing who or if anyone would come in, and after a half hour that seemed like days, our first guests arrived.  Word spread and within days we progressively got busier and it was absolutely the most fun I had ever had.  We were overwhelmed to say the least, sleep deprived, and continuously learning- but we were on cloud nine.  Seeing and recognizing customers that repeatedly dined with us, and building such a phenomenal group of loyal guests, was and still is the biggest validation of our hard work.  I have been so blessed to meet so many of you personally, and you have become friends.  There are too many of you to name individually, but I want to thank you in particular for your loyalty, patronage, and endless support- I cannot tell you how many days I just wanted to quit and give up, then one of you come would stop in rave about the pizza, your experience, and how much you loved what we were doing- which gave me and everyone the belief and strength to keep going.    

The glue that held ZZ's together was the amazing group of people that I was surrounded with everyday.  From the beginning the outpouring of support of my friends, who shared in the vision and desire to see this place open.  Friends volunteering their time to help paint, put up drywall, clean, work shifts so we wouldn't be short staffed, and providing the mental support that was all crucial to opening.  Your time, your encouragement, and your undivided friendship was the catalyst that finally got this place open. I cannot thank Justin and Kyle enough for their hard work, endless hours and dedication. They challenged me, gave everything they had, and from day one believed in what we were doing. They were underpaid and overworked, but I couldn't have asked for a better supporting team.  Renny, Jaime, Mark, Tara, Dave, Chip, Naveen, Greg, Scotty, Katie, Seth and all those that were here from day one in so many capacities, I owe more than just a thank you, but I want you to know how much you mean to me.  I would like to thank my family.  Thank all of you that helped in so many ways, including the 2000 pies my aunts and grandmother made for the taste of Cincinnati, and just being here for me. To my brothers: Jake the snake for your help whenever needed; to Grant for helping with every Taste, Party in the Park, and the remodel processes; to Adam for pretending to know how to serve tables and coming home on your limited military leave to help your brother; and to Brandon for all your unpaid accounting work, and pushing me to be more assertive and focused- I am truly blessed.  Lastly, my parents, who thought this was crazy from the beginning, and most likely still do- for never losing faith in me, and helped facilitate this dream.  If it wasn't for mom and her unsurpassed love and always open ear, ZZ's woud still be a pipe dream.    

I'm a firm believer in enjoying what you do and that work can be fun, and for a long time it was.  At the beginning of the year, it became apparent to me that the strains and stresses of the restaurant had diminished my passion and I was no longer happy.  Several employees moved on to fantastic new career opportunities, and things were changing.  For the last 6 months, without them and subsequently running a restaurant they help build by myself, I got worn out. Working 7 days a week, staffing issues, sales declines, broken A/C units/Equipment, isolating myself from my loved ones- I had to ask myself if this is what I really wanted.  And finally I came to peace with the decision that it wasn't, I could walk away knowing that I accomplished many things, made many mistakes, and learned invaluable lessons- the most important being that life is precious, and happiness is paramount. So although this has been the most difficult decision and has been very hard to grapple, ultimately it will be best, and it time to reclaim my excitement in life. I want to be able to travel again, have a family, and generally have more normalcy in my life.   

The plan is to stay open until October 28th, which will mark our 3rd anniversary. If that timeframe changes I will certainly inform you all. Until then it will be business as usual, and I hope to see many of you before then, I promise to continue to make what we all know is the best gourmet pizza in the city.  Our hours are changing one last time, beginning next week. We will be Closed Mondays & Tuesdays. Wednesdays and Thursdays open 5-9 ( Wednesday will now be half-priced wine night), Fridays 5-10, Saturdays 5-10, and Sundays 4-10.   

Thank you for your understanding and all of your support, although this will mark and end to something I loved so much, the memories and pride I have from the last few years will never diminish.  Although the next chapter isn't completely written, whatever I elect to do and what the future entails, I will never regret the chances I took and be forever grateful for the opportunity.  I firmly believe the future of The Summit Restaurant Group still has many great things in store and I am extremely optimistic and excited of what will come next.

Thank you all,
Ben Chassagne,
ZZ's Pizza Company

À la prochaine.

A frequent transit guide for Cincinnati

Background info: Transit guide explains Cincinnati bus riding basics

In 2004, Make Cincinnati Weird Launched. In 2011, It Relaunches!

Make Cincinnati Weird, inspired by the Keep Austin Weird campaign and others, launched in 2004.  It was entitled "Make" Cincinnati Weird in response to the popular opinion that Cincinnati is conservative, traditional, etc.  and needed to get weird before keeping it weird.

Alas, the project and blog eventually fell derelict.

But now, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a new fellowship has gathered to resurrect MCW and carry forth the mission that has been and always will be.

To document the quirky, offbeat, and… well… weird goodness of Cincinnati. The single guiding principle, is that diversity breeds strength.

Join us on Saturday, Feb. 19th, at Milton’s Tavern on Prospect Hill to celebrate and wish our fair stewards onward!

* Not actual people

State-Of-The-Art Simulation Center... On Short Vine

Soapbox writes about the University of Cincinnati's Simulation Center (UCSC) in collaboration with Procter & Gamble.  The UCSC is a high-performance computing center for simulating products, systems, and processes that are related to P&G product lines.

For some reason, I think it's interesting that it's in the middle of Short Vine, an area I never took for advanced anything, despite its proximity to UC.  Ever since I've been able to drive, Short Vine has conjured up images of tattoo parlors, punk clothing and beauty product stores, Bogart's, and Top Cats.  Now, the only reason I walk the street is when I go to Martino's.

But I guess with all the new Uptown Consortium development on MLK, the area is changing.  I always thought that the Short Vine area would be one of the best neighborhoods to live in a parallel universe.  There is a library, post office, drug store, and grocery store - all the ingredients of a walkable neighborhood.  But of course, it's not one of the best neighborhoods to live in, yet.

In any case, here is the building.  I remember seeing the UCSC building being renovated a few years ago.  I remember thinking to myself, "that's interesting. Somebody's rehabbing that building. I wonder what for?"

 

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Walnut Hills Kroger Staying (For Now)

A little late on this news, but it is worth mentioning.  The Kroger in Walnut Hills will be staying for at least two more years.  After that, who knows.  But it's a good sign. 

Now, imagine if one of the proposed streetcar routes that goes from Downtown/OTR across Broadway Commons and up Gilbert into Walnut Hills was actually built.  I guarantee you Kroger would find a way to keep that store open.

Previous posts on the Walnut Hills Kroger here and here.

Beneath The Kemper St. Bridge

Mad Max Beyond Walnut Hills

In Mad Max, Mel Gibson wanders a war-ravaged future where fuel has become the only thing of value. Seeing all the long lines at gas stations on the news today sort of reminded me of that. Sort of.

Anyway, since everyone else has been posting their storm photos, I may as well too. We were fortunate enough to not have been affected at all really by the storm. Our cable and internet went out in the early afternoon, and was restored in the late evening. But power never went out. Incredible, considering both streets on either side of us lost their power. And a giant motherf'in tree fell down right in front of our building:

Park Ave. and Victory Pkwy.

Wm. Howard Taft and Park Ave.

It's A Start

Most Mondays, I buy lunch and sundries for the week at Krogers. It usually comes to about two plastic grocery bags' worth, which means I actually get four plastic grocery bags. Yesterday I took the plunge and bought my first reusable grocery bag. Canvas grocery bags always seemed like an easy, "low-hanging fruit" kind of way to help out with the home planet. In this case, it made perfect sense due to the low volume.

I heard you can get a nickel for every reusable bag you use at the checkout line. Gee, thanks Krogers. If I could possibly fill up 10 bags, I could get a whopping $0.50 back. Definitely don't do this to save money.

Anyway, of course, when I checked out, she actually put the canvas bag inside a plastic bag, along with my other stuff before I noticed. I guess it will take some getting used to for both parties.

UPDATE: I knew I read that part about getting a nickel back somewhere. Apparently, they've done this for 15 years. I'm taking bets on whether any cashiers in any stores know this.

On Community Learning

There used to be a charter school, and it still may be there - I'm not sure - in Over-the-Rhine called W.E.B. DuBois Middle School. In a very short time, it became one of the few charter schools in the state to attain a rating of Excellent. Parents and community raved about the school. Kids scored the highest possible scores on state tests for reading and math.

I used to see the kids walking along Central Pkwy on my way to work in the mornings. I didn't know where they were going. But it was quite a sight. They walked single file on the sidewalk, with an adult at the front of the line and one in back. They were always smiling and bouncing, and the I want to say they all wore dark blue jackets. The boys did at least.

Then the founder and principal of the school was ousted and convicted of fraud or something. Not sure.

But back to their success. W.E.B. Dubois kept the kids there until 6 pm. The school was also open on Saturdays and Sundays. And instruction was year-round.

Is that what it takes to succeed in a low-income neighborhood? To practically raise the kids becaue no one else will?

Schools can no longer just be schools for some of these kids to succeed. The services must not be just educational, but holistic and comprehensive.

Which is why this quick story about progress on the new Rothenberg School and Community Learning Center reminded me about all the new CLC's being built by CPS right now, one of the many things they're doing right.

From the CPS web page:

Communities and schools are strongly linked — one seldom succeeds if the other fails. Schools need families and communities that are involved in the education of students; communities need schools that serve as centers of neighborhood life.

...The district launched its 10-year, $1-billion Facilities Master Plan in 2002, with the goal of creating Community Learning Centers within all of its fully renovated and newly constructed buildings. There is no "cookie-cutter" design for a Community Learning Center; each represents the energy and needs of its neighborhood.

...For example, Winton Hills Academy identified health concerns as a barrier to students' learning. As a result, they now partner with a pharmacy, a primary and oral-health care provider, and a full-time behavioral health clinic to provide services to their students and families.

...Community Learning Centers are proven success stories. Benefits for students include: improved academic performance, higher attendance rates and greater parent involvement. One example is Winton Hills Academy — enrollment is up, discipline incidents are down dramatically, and the building hums daily with after-school and summer programming run by the YMCA.

Rehabilitation Not Demolition

Over at Building Cincinnati is an incredible tale of a housing resurrection, in the true sense of the word. There are lots of stories about people who buy "fixer-uppers," renovate, then sell, but this story is framed a little differently.

Kent Evans bought a house for $700 in a bad neighborhood, fixed it up, and it now provides a nice home for committed residents. The decision to rehab as opposed to demolish was better for the new residents, better for the city, and better for the area. But Kent talks about the plain economical sense in rehabbing discarded homes like this one, as opposed to demolition.

"In these times of national housing crisis, local leaders need to fashion policy with the most bang to the buck in the program cost and a more prudent choice in cost for the area's homeowners - individuals' wishes notwithstanding," he says. "Go with a program which targets existing structures. It's the best, most economical way."

Beyond all this, the work itself was amazing. Sometimes I like to think I could do something like this. I'm not averse to the work (I don't think), but I just wouldn't know where to begin. This is coming from a guy who was proud of installing a light fixture without setting anything on fire.

Below are a pair of inside before-and-after pictures, and a pair of outside, taken by Kent Evans. See the full post, and a ton more pictures, on Building Cincinnati.

Soapbox Derby

I walked through the Cincinnati Soapbox Derby on Saturday, and took some random photos. It was a nice day and it looked like a lot of people had come and gone already.

Here is the start of a heat.

I particularly liked this shark racer. The WCPO car is in the background.

The Soapbox Cincinnati car.

A couple more heats.

Western Bowl Is Bestern Bowl

So Western Bowl may be torn down. I have not been to Western Bowl for quite some time. In fact, all my visits to the Western Bowl are contained in the year-and-a-half that I dated a West Side girl in college. Without her, there was really no reason to go to that bowling alley, and my friends and I usually made our way to Madison Bowl in Madisonville, or the Super Bowl in Erlanger.

But I can appreciate an institution like that. So can Christy Feldhaus of White Oak, according to her letter to the editor:

How to describe the West Side of town? If you ask anyone they will tell you how they grew up on the West Side and their parents are here. So are their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, best friends, best friends' family, etc.

The point is that we have very strong roots on this side of town, and at one time or another Western Bowl has played a part in those lives.

Have you even looked into the bogged-down nightmare right over in Bridgetown/Dent? Ask that developer what happens when you want to tear things down.

I'm not saying give up the idea of developing around there, but do so with respect for our values. Keep Western Bowl in the plans and it will serve you very well. Tear it down and all those aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, best friends will have very long memories and will resent your business and not go there.

Though the very thing she champions is the very reason some people deride the West Side, I appreciate the sentiment here. I'm not really sure if what she says would come true, but it's a great threat.

Update On Walnut Hills Kroger

Over on Building Cincinnati, read the latest in a series of posts about the status of the Walnut Hills Kroger.

All I'll say is that it would be a real tragedy of this Kroger's closes. It would be a huge inconvenience for me, but at least I have a car and copious amounts of free time :) . As commenters regularly point out, there is a huge walking population in the area that walk to that Kroger's, and I'm not sure where'd they go if it was gone. Take the bus to the University Kroger's, I suppose.

This store is the only Kroger's I can think of between UC and the Hyde Park store. As one commenter put it, it has a chance to become the store for Walnut Hills and Mt. Adams, as the area changes in general. Each time I shop there, I feel that I see more and more - for lack of a better word - yuppies in the store than ever. Same goes for the UDF at Victory and McMillan.

I understand business is business is business, but, c'mon Kroger, you can afford to lose money on a store for a little while. Ride this out, and see what happens to the neighborhood.

ZZ's Pizza Re-Opening!

As mentioned in CityBeat a while back, ZZ's Pizza in Walnut Hills is re-opening after a 3-year hiatus! I can't wait. Now I have a place to find good pizzas, hoagies, and grinders within walking distance.

This is good news for the neighborhood, and for all the workers in the Baldwin Building, LAGA, and up and down Gilbert Ave. I was walking by yesterday and caught the new owner, Ben, sweeping up outside. He said the grand opening is slated for late June. As you can see, a lot of work has already been done on the inside, including new paint and a new bar.

Walking Home From Work #2

Walking home from work, I took some of these pictures near the water tower in Eden Park.

Walnut Hills Kroger Leaving?

There is an interesting piece on the "grocery gap" here in Cincinnati over at the Daily Bellwether. And as far as possible solutions, I'd have to say that the very first comment is spot on. But I won't get into that right now. What caught my eye was the following small sentence

"...a Walnut Hills Kroger store informed City Hall it may leave due to lease problems."

WHAT?! I go to that Kroger's at least once a week. If it closes, it's down to the Kroger's on Short Vine, or the one in Hyde Park, neither of which I'm too keen on. The Short Vine Kroger is just too slow and annoying, and the Hyde Park Kroger's is just too big and ridiculous. Seriously, it's the only Kroger's that I know of that has three brands for every lunch meat at the deli. Is that necessary?

East Side vs. West Side

The East Side-West Side debate only encourages Cincinnati's parochialism. That said, this reason from this week's CiNWeekly feature story on why the East Side is better is freakin' hilarious!

8. "You drive with the sun behind you at all times. The West Side drives into the sun both ways." - Erik C., Anderson Twp.

Walking Home From Work

Price Hill Girls

I may be a little late on this one, but I need to post it for posterity. The original was taken down, and then this one reposted.

Favorite line: "Yeah, where they at? On Glenway, baby fo' sho', that's where they roll."

"Veteran" Exchange Nightclub Closes

Well, I guess I spoke too soon...