Dayton Most Metro

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Duante Beddingfield

‘Get Out’ Star Thrown Out of Popeyes, Threatened With Police Call After Staff Error

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Los Angeles – Get Out star Lil Rel Howery, star of Fox’s upcoming Rel, slated to premiere this fall, shared a live Instagram account of being booted from a Popeyes Chicken location in Hollywood around 3 a.m. Saturday morning over a dispute following an order mistake made by Popeyes staff.

Footage can be viewed at Howery’s Instagram page.

Howery placed, according to footage, a $12 order, for which he displayed the receipt on camera. When the live feed began, the comedian was in a dispute with staff, saying his order was placed into another customer’s bag after a staff member assumed they were together. Howery asked for the food he paid for, and was refused. After he insisted, the staff told him to “come back tomorrow” to receive his order. He demanded his money back instead, and was told he was “trespassing” and ordered to leave.

Howery remained in the restaurant and demanded a refund, while management threatened to call the police.

“Call them!” he replied.

“Call the f**kin’ police – please! If you f**k me up, it’s gonna be a news story,” he said. “I didn’t do s**t wrong! You didn’t give me my f**kin’ food!”

When staff attempted to calm him, he shouted, “Y’all not black in America!”

“She told me to leave and come back tomorrow,” he yelled in outrage.

The Instagram story video was viewed around the world as dawn broke on the East Coast.

Howery finally agreed to leave when a young, black, female employee offered to pay him $12 from her pocket, concerned LAPD would be called in and escalate the situation. The comedian and actor declined her offer and left, citing fear of repercussions for the employee.

Howery had words for the fast food chicken chain.

“Popeyes, can I warn y’all right now? I have a f**kin’ TV show.”

He implied that the scenario might be portrayed in an episode of his sitcom this fall.

“This is a f**kin’ episode. You gave my food away. Give me my money back!”

Around 3:30 a.m. Pacific time, Howery returned to Instagram Story with more thoughts on the matter.

Prior to his breakout role in Academy Award winning horror film Get Out, Howery starred as the younger brother of fellow comedian Jerrod Carmichael on NBC’s short lived The Carmichael Show.

Carmichael serves as an executive producer of Rel, a multi-camera sitcom recently ordered to series by Fox.

5 Questions with Phone Booth Lounge owner Jack Wilderman

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The Phone Booth Lounge is back in business! Last Friday, the neighborhood favorite Kettering bar, which closed in its old Stroop Rd. location January 20, reopened for business in its new home at 1912 E. Whipp Rd. The location was formerly home to Dog’s Breath Tavern, which shuttered at the end of January. After a successful opening week, owner Jack Wilderman sat down with us for a chat about the relaunch.

DAYTON MOST METRO: What led you to choose this space? It was surprising that you were able to move the business and reopen less than a month after you closed the old space.

JACK: We were very fortunate. [Wife and co-owner] Betty and I couldn’t come to an agreement with the people who owned the building on Stroop. We’d bought the business itself, and we wanted to buy the property, but it just didn’t work out and we didn’t want to keep paying rent when that money could be spent improving the bar. But we didn’t even have time to look at new locations, really – as soon as word got out that we were looking to buy a bar somewhere nearby, five different bars in the Kettering/Centerville area called us immediately and asked us to buy them out! I won’t give any names, but these were each large bars with long histories. (Laughs) Everybody’s trying to get out of the bar business but us! We came to a deal with Dog’s Breath, and worked out a deal that suited everybody, then got to work.

DMM: For those who’ve not been yet, what changes has the new space brought?

JACK: We’ve got a much bigger stage and dance floor. There’s really good room to dance here, and room for bands to fully set up. On the old stage, a lot of their sound equipment would have to sit on the floor and take up space there, but everyone should be able to get all their equipment onstage with them now, which gives even more dancing room.

The bar here was not convenient; it was very difficult to move and work behind it, so we tore all that out and redid it, and now it’s a space where people can work without crowding and blocking each other. On Stroop, one of the things that drove me crazy was we only had room for three taps. I’m proud to say we’ve more than doubled that and we now have eight beers on tap, and room for more if we need more. So, along with the standard beers, we have Great Lakes, Goose Island, IPAs, and we have Warped Wing on tap now, too. We’re so happy about that.

We’re not even close to being done [with renovations]. We wanted to accomplish so much more before we opened, and we’ll still be working on those things. When I announced our reopening, I didn’t realize how much time it would take for all the permits we needed to clear with the City. One thing is we’re going to gut the bathrooms and renovate those. We’re not happy with them at all. We cosmetically fixed them for the time being, but they’re still not to our standards.

DMM: What about the kitchen? Any new menu plans?

JACK: There are two phases ahead for the kitchen. Starting hopefully this weekend, we’ll have a limited menu available. That’s phase one. Burgers, wings, and appetizers. It won’t be open tonight, but we’re hoping tomorrow.

Once we get the permits, we’ll run gas lines to the kitchen and get a ventilation system in place for our deep fryers and grills. That’s phase two. We’re probably looking at five or six months before we’re fully operational in the kitchen, and then we’ll expand the menu. We were going to do it at the old place, but it

got paused because we were in negotiations. You gotta change up your menu once in a while; people get tired of the same old things.

We’re also building a relationship with Cousin Vinny’s Pizza next door (1916 Whipp Rd.). People can buy pizzas over there and bring them into our bar. There’ll be a small fee, two or three bucks, to be able to do that, but we’re even going to continue allowing it once the kitchen is fully operational – no more of those Tombstone pizzas we used to heat up at the old place! (Laughs)

DMM: And what traditions have you brought with you to the Whipp Rd. Location?

JACK: The Phone Booth Lounge has always had live music and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights, and has never charged a cover. We stand by that, and it remains that way in the new bar. The rest of the schedule remains the same, as well: Sunday euchre tournaments, the Monday night Wii bowling that usually brings in between 12 and 16 people, trivia with Rob D’Agostino on Tuesdays, karaoke on Wednesdays.

Also, for a good while, the Dayton Jazz Orchestra was playing here once a month when it was Dog’s Breath. They’re big band-type jazz, and they had a huge following here when it was Dog’s Breath. I came to their last show here before Dog’s Breath closed, and the place was packed. That’s been very popular, so we’d like to continue giving them a home one Thursday a month like before. We’re seeing if we can work that out. If people want to come out and support music of any sort, and the band can fill our bar, then we’re happy to talk with them, and the Dayton Jazz Orchestra is a class act that performed very well for the previous owners in this space.

The most important thing in this business is finding something that works and staying consistent with it. Even if two or three years go by, people want to know that if they come back to The Phone Booth on a Tuesday night, they can still do trivia. If they grew up here and live somewhere else now and come back to visit on a Friday night, we want them to know that they can still come in and hear a good band and do some dancing. We say we’re open until 2:30 a.m. every night, and we mean it. There are a lot of places that don’t stick by their hours. If we say we’re there, we’re gonna be there for our customers.

DMM: You said earlier that everybody’s trying to sell their bars and get out of the business except you and Betty. Why is that? What keeps you in the game?

JACK: It’s the people we’ve met. Our customers. We have met so many great people in our bar. They give us the drive to continue with this. It’s not the money. It’s not a lot of money; we’re never gonna get rich doing this. And it’s an exhausting job; Betty and I haven’t had a vacation in five years – the whole time we’ve owned the place – and we’re kind of starting over again now. The customers, thankfully, are all coming with us, but as far as moving into a space and making it home and getting it where we want it again, we’re starting all over. It’s the people we see every day.

And we’re too young to retire. What are we gonna do, go get nine-to-fives somewhere? I served 25 years in the Air Force. I met Betty when I was retiring, and we decided we wanted to work for ourselves. Her father was in the bar business for many years. He’d never owned a bar, but he’d worked in them for a long time, and he guided us in what to do. We’d never run a bar before The Phone Booth, but it’s been something really special for us.

And the clientele has even expanded, which we really enjoy. We’ve got young kids who are regulars, we have 40- and 50-year-olds, we have people in their 70s, so we’ve gotten a really broad crowd of interests. Everybody knows everybody here. The Phone Booth Lounge has to be one of the oldest bar establishments in Kettering. It opened in ’64 at that location on Stroop, and it stayed there until last month. It’s like Kettering’s Cheers. When we bought the business of The Phone Booth Lounge, we made very sure we also bought the rights to the name.

We may be in a new location, but we’re still a family, and The Phone Booth most definitely lives on. – DB

The Phone Booth Lounge (1912 E. Whipp Rd.) is open from 2 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, and 1 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. This weekend will feature the Just N Tyme Band tonight,

February 23, and The Elderly Brothers on Saturday, February 24. The bar can be reached at 937-979- 1497.

Dayton’s Best Wine Tasting for Singles

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Dayton-area wine lovers know that the region has no shortage of tasting events throughout the year (or during any given week!), but one of the newest is poised to distinguish itself as the best setting for singles to meet new people who share a common interest.

Planned2Give will host its quarterly Grapes of Gratitude event Thursday, May 25, at the Normandy Banquet Center (507 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd., Washington Twp.), from 6 – 8 pm. The team-based, comepetitive wine tasting focuses on a different varietal each time; the winter installment featured merlot, while this week’s spring outing is timed to coincide with National Chardonnay Day. 

“This has turned out to be a great event for singles,” Lisa Grigsby of Planned2Give said, “because of the relaxed environment and everyone already having one common thing to discuss and really get into the details. And it’s a perfect opportunity: at our last event, the participants were probably 80% singles, and 75% women, and the ages ranged from 21 to about 45-ish. Talk about great odds for a gentleman looking to meet a lady–this would be it.”

The casual, after-work event works by the “rule of three,” which requires teams of one to three participants to each bring three bottles of the same varietal. (For instance, three bottles of 2005 Lindemans Bin 65 chardonnay). For each team, two of the three bottles are bagged to hide the label, tagged, and then poured for tasting and ranking by each contestant during the course of the evening. Each team’s third bottle is set aside, unopened. At the end, the unopened third bottles are divided and taken home by the teams that brought the five highest ranking wines–except for the lowest ranked wine, which is returned to the team that brought it.

Worried about bringing the same wine as another team? Not a problem. Year, batch, temperature, length of time since the bottle was opened, and other factors can all affect the flavor and bring different rankings.

The “three for three” format used here is gaining popularity around the country among wine enthusiasts and novices alike, including Cincinnati’s Bacchanalia Society events. One of the goals of the event is to change perceptions and challenge biases people might have toward certain varietals.

“Last time,” said organizer Lisa Grigsby, “we had a lot of people who weren’t merlot fans, but by the end of the night, everyone had found one they liked, and then it was, ‘Wow, I never would’ve bought or ordered this, but now I know there’s one I really enjoy,’ and that’s because they got to try it without commitment. Everyone was surprised about the differences among the tastes and complexities of the wines.”

Teams can contain no more than three participants, so a group of four will be considered two teams, and must bring six bottles of the featured varietal to gain entry. However, said Grigsby, people needn’t worry if they plan to come alone.

“We had plenty of people who came by themselves as one single-person team. Only the person at the sign-in table knows who’s together and who’s not, so once you’re inside, no one has to know if you’re with a group or not. Everyone was very friendly. It’s very low-key and not snobby in any way. When we revealed the restults, a lot of people were surprised; one of the most expensive wines did not place in the top three, and one of the winners was a very inexpensive wine. The blind tasting takes that name brand association away, so it’s all about taste.”

Each Grapes event benefits a different local charity, and May’s proceeds will go to Wagtown, a new organization working toward the goal of making every city dog-friendly in the interest of creating stronger, more vibrant communities that attract people, spur economic growth, and foster loyalty.

“We try to support grassroots organizations,” said Jeff Jackson, Planned to Give co-owner, “smaller nonprofits where the attention can put new eyes on them and the money raised can really be impactful. Our last charity partner was Bogg Industries, which focuses on feeding the homeless all around the region through their Mobile Meals program. We raised enough money to feed 1,200 people, and that feels good. While we’re open to any charity, we’re really looking for the ones we can help expose. Wagtown’s ‘animal-friendly community’ concept really appealed to us, and they’re a new organization, so we wanted to showcase them in a meaningful way.”

Snacks will be on hand at the event, including pizza from Mack’s Tavern and chardonnay-infused sweets. The first half-hour of the evening encourages socializing and sampling the foods offered while event staff log and bag the various wines and register arriving guests. The early part of the evening will also include information about Wagtown, as well as presentation to Bogg Industries of the funds raised at the winter installment.

“It’s very casual,” Grigsby said. “People can come from work, come in jeans… There’s nothing formal about this event. It’s not an all-night commitment on a weeknight; it ends at 8 pm, though last time, a lot of groups ended up going somewhere for dinner afterward. It’s something different, something fun, a way to try a lot of wines on someone else’s dime, and then maybe get to take a bunch home.”

Tickets for participation in Grapes of Gratitude are $10 in advance and $15 at the door; advance tickets (with online handling fee) are available for purchase at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/may-grapes-of-gratitude-tickets-34094527650  or you can pick them up at the nearby Arrow Wine store on 725, while you’re grabbing your 3 bottles of Chardonnay.

Music of the Mad Men Era with Dayton Philharmonic

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mad-men-logoTonight, February 21, you have one more chance to catch the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music of the Mad Men Era concert–and by ordering online with promo code DMM, you’ll receive 50% off your tickets!

Fans of AMC’s swank, swinging masterpiece set in the boardrooms and bedrooms of 1960s New York will love this weekend’s offering, the fourth concert in the 2015-2016 Kettering Health Network SuperPops Series, featuring 1950s and ’60s pop and jazz hits like “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Feeling Good,” “Moondance,” “Sway,” and of course, the Mad Men theme. From Tom Jones and Nancy Sinatra to Mancini, Bacharach, and Esquivel, prepare to be immersed in the rapturous sounds of a bygone time.

This concert is a triumphant homecoming for guest conductor Stephen Reinke, currently serving as music director and conductor of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Principal Pops Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Reinke, a Tipp City native, is also a graduate of Miami University of Ohio and the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Reineke and the DPO are joined by accomplished guest vocalists Janet Dacal and Ryan Silverman. Both seasoned Broadway performers as well as recording artists, Dacal has starred in In the Heights and recorded with many chart-topping singers, and Silverman is currently starring as Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of Chicago.

Tickets for Music of the Mad Men Era range from $27 to $78 and are available at Ticket Center Stage (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and student discounts are available at the box office. And, don’t forget, with your Dayton Most Metro discount code DMM, you’ll receive 50% off!

Happy Hour Sliders at Jay’s Seafood A Hit!

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jaysslidersOne of Dayton’s best deals is also one of its best kept secrets: happy hour at Jay’s Seafood on Sixth Street in the Oregon District. Introduced over the summer to entice more early evening guests, happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 5 – 6:30pm  and features $4 domestic craft beers, $3 domestics, $4 house wines, $4 well drinks, $6 martinis, and 25% off all appetizers.
But the real gems of this new program are the sliders, small burger sandwiches served two at a time. “Small” is relative, though — together, any two of the sliders equal to more than a normal-sized burger. I went in on an empty stomach and couldn’t finish the second slider on my plate. There are three kinds: kobe beef with white cheddar is the most popular, and tuna and salmon are available as well. An order of sliders is just $5, or for $8 you can get a sampler plate with one of all three varieties.

sliders
“There’s been a really good response to the new sliders,” owner Amy Haverstick said of the tuna and salmon, which were added last month alongside the popular beef offering. “One of our chefs has been with us for 34 years, and another has been here for 31. We sat down together and they came up with the happy hour menu items. We’ve gotten great compliments on them all.”

Jay’s also offers a monthly 3 course meal deal  and here’s what’s on the menu for October for $27:

First Course
Beef Barley Soup -or- Herbed Ghost Pepper Créme dressing on grilled Romaine with roasted beets and walnuts

Second Course
Pumpkin Seed-Crusted Salmon with a spicy pumpkin curry sauce served with roasted redskin potatoes or vegetable du jour  -or-    Pan Seared New York Strip steak with au gratin potatoes and herb butter

Third Course
Almond Pear Tar  -or-  Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Jay’s is also know for their quarterly wine luncheons, and there’s one coming up this Saturday:

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This historic bar dates back to the 1870’s, when it was Ritty’s Pony House.

Italian Wine Luncheon, October 10, 2015 12:30 pm

With Guest Chef Michael Tenore and
Wines with Michael Freeman

Linguine Al Frutti Di Mare
2012 Fiona Di Avellino

Caprese Salad
2012 Greco Di Tufo

Wild Boar Boneless Chop with Roasted Vegetables And Polenta
2012 Tenuta Delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Calderarra Sottana

Butter Poached Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Ragu and Truffle Fries
2010 Ciacci Piccolomini Brunello

Almond Cake
2005 Lucignano Vin Santo

For more information about Jay’s Seafood or to make reservations call 937-222-2892.

Saturday is SMAG’s Spring Fling!

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Contemporary dance lovers should make their way to the Dayton Playhouse (1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton) this Saturday, May 23, for SMAG Dance Collective’s annual Spring Fling performance at 4 and 8 p.m.

Artistic director Michael Groomes founded the nonprofit troupe in 2003 to fill a void in Dayton’s artistic community.

“Back in 2003,” he recalled, “I was teaching dance at Sinclair Community College, and so I met lots of dancers, and it seemed like there were a lot of dancers in the area looking for opportunities to perform in styles outside of classical technique–hip-hop dancers, belly dancers, different types who weren’t getting a chance to be exposed to audiences. The [local] arts organizations, back then, were more performing at audiences as opposed to trying to engage them and get them to understand the capabilities of this abundance of artists we have in Dayton and the messages they want to get out.”

So Groomes made a promise to his children. To that end, SMAG is an acronym culled from the names of Groomes’ sons, Sean-Michael and Gavyn.
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“I promised my kids that by the time they were 12 years old, I would have a company in their name. In September 2003, my son was due to turn 12, and that August, I felt like it was the right time. We incorporated hip-hop dancers onstage with modern and ballet dancers…all of it, together. That was something new in Dayton.”

One of SMAG’s defining aspects has been unexpected artistic partnerships. Fueled by Groomes’ restless drive to constantly turn audiences’ concept of “art” on its head to create new ideas, SMAG has combined in the past with visual artists, fashion designers, live musicians improvising new works, and more.

“That’s something else that wasn’t really happening back when we got started,” Groomes said of the collaborations that have become a hallmark for the ever-evolving troupe. “I thought we could bring a different perspective to the table, and keep reforming that perspective.”

Expect more of these creative fusions as SMAG looks ahead to its 12th season.

“We’re working on a September fundraiser with K12 Gallery, a huge event with DJs and house music, and live performances in multiple styles. We’ll be working with the Dayton Metro Library’s outreach program. We’re trying to get to a Lakota-Sioux reservation in South Dakota to work with the youth there and learn how to fuse Native American dance style with contemporary.”

Internationally acclaimed painter Mike Elsass, a Dayton native who remains based here, has joined forces with SMAG in past years to create live works of visual art–at a previous Spring Fling show, dancers writhed and swayed across a giant canvas spread out on the stage floor as Mike wove among them painting both bodies and canvas. Groomes says Elsass will return to the fold next season for a new venture.

smagAdditionally, fall will see a new edition of SMAGmare, the collective’s yearly Halloween-themed performance typically held outdoors in the Oregon Historic District. SMAGmare began as a pop-up event to engage arts tourists wandering Fifth Street during October First Friday festivities, and was so successful that it’s become an anticipated annual feature. Going further in the spirit of multi-discipline collaboration, this year’s performance will pull in a local theatre group.

Outreach efforts like these have resulted in an incredibly diverse following for the group; SMAG performances routinely draw some of the most diversified audiences in the Dayton arts scene.

“You look at the U.S. census for Dayton, and that’s more or less what you’re gonna see when you look around at our dancers and audiences,” said Groomes. “It’s amazing to see the different types and faces and economic backgrounds that come together when we perform, and we’ve been extremely blessed to have that kind of support from across the board, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of that at the Spring Fling.”

SMAG’s Spring Fling show will serve as a platform for new works from both emerging and accomplished choreographers, including Groomes, whose entry is a civil rights-influenced piece.

“My piece in the show,” he said, “is inspired by the lives and works of three women: Ruby Bridges, the first black female child to be integrated into public school in New Orleans; Viola Liuzzo, the first white woman to die in her efforts to achieve civil rights; and Mahalia Jackson, who spent a lot of time traveling with Martin Luther King and served as kind of a hype man for him with her rousing gospel songs before his speeches. These were three incredible women who left a great legacy, and I wanted to honor that.”

The concert also features diverse and challenging works by SMAG associate ­artistic director Taiesha Green, Renee MeClendon of the McClendon Institute, Shonna Hickman-Matlock of DCDC, and Jordan Daughterty of DCDC2.

“We encourage the audience to be active,” Groomes said. “If you see something you like, speak up. Shout and cheer, because when the dancers get that feedback, they continue to step it up, and the audience gets back what they put into it. We want our audience to feel like they have the freedom to express themselves.”

Tickets for SMAG’s Spring Fling can be purchased at the door, or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/754467; prices are $10 for students and seniors, $15 general admission, and $25 VIP seating. VIP ticket holders will also receive a gift upon entry.

Dancers interested in auditioning for SMAG’s upcoming season, or community artists interested in working with the troupe can call Michael Groomes at 937-329-6948, or email [email protected].

From Elvis Tribute Shows To Touring Elvis

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It sounds like the beginning of a joke, or some impossible showbiz fairy tale: “Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl photoPerkins walk into a recording studio…”

 

And yet, on December 4, 1956, at Sun Records in Memphis, it happened, and they jammed on record together for the first and only time. Perkins, riding the success of “Blue Suede Shoes,” was in with his band to cut some new material. Cash, a fellow Sun artist and a fan of Perkins, dropped by to listen. Sun’s owner, Sam Philips (“The Father of Rock and Roll”), added Lewis to Perkins’ session in search of a more rockabilly sound. Presley, with a girlfriend in tow, stopped by to say hello. And then, magic happened.

 

Before they were famous, it wasn’t unusual for several of these guys to play together at rent parties, in after-hours joints—but this was the only time any such summit was preserved for history.

 

Million Dollar Quartet, the 2010 Broadway musical that dramatizes this meeting, will rock the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center starting tonight and running June 17 – 22 as part of Victoria Theatre Association’s Premier Health Broadway Series. A litany of classic hits including “Hound Dog,” “I Walk the Line,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Fever,” and many more are performed with electric gusto by an unbelievably talented cast of actor/musicians playing their own instruments.

 

The tour cast includes H. Bradley Waters as Carl Perkins, John Countryman as Jerry Lee Lewis (a role that won Levi Kreis a Tony Award), Scott Moreau as Johnny Cash, and Tyler K. Hunter as Elvis Presley.

 

Hunter, a country singer who began doing Elvis tribute shows in his youth, has been part of the M$Q tour for a year and a half.

“I’ve never done any acting before,” he said, “or anything like that. I do country music, but they called and asked if I wanted to audition, so I took a bus to New York.”

 

“It’s a blast,” he said of the show’s process. “When we come into rehearsals, our musical director—Eric Schaeffer, a very talented, smart guy who works the ‘theatre’ side of things—tells us to pick up our instruments and start jamming, like a regular band. Then we throw in the dialogue, and there it is. We’re a band. These guys become like your family, like best friends. It’s a really tight bond.”

 

When the show premiered on Broadway in 2010, New York Magazine called it “a dazzling raucous spectacle that sounds like a million bucks,” but Hunter downplays that, painting a down-home portrait of four scrappy young fellas as regular joes on the cusp of igniting the world.

 

“You get an idea of who these guys are and where they come from, ‘50s Memphis. These are buddies just coming in and hanging—real guys, you know? No different from you or me or anybody else.”

 

He uses that approach to inform his portrayal of Elvis, going for an evocation as opposed to an impersonation. Hunter, who does not resemble Elvis offstage, pulls a transformation onstage and presents a stunning take that evokes The King’s presence.

 

“A wig, some makeup…I dunno,” he said casually. “There are a few guys out there whoreally look like Elvis, but no one’s going to sound exactly like him. I try to do just enough so if you’re sitting back in your seat and catch a glimpse of me, there’s a split second where you think, ‘Wow, that’s Elvis.’ That’s all it takes, that split second. Then they’re on board with you even if you go somewhere they don’t completely expect.”

 

“You know, we think about Elvis, probably one of the most famous people since Jesus Christ, and we forget that he was a real person. These were all real people. They had their feelings hurt, they laughed, they did all the same things as us—they just had really cool jobs. When I’m up there, I try to capture that aspect. At this point, he’s 21 years old. He’s a kid. You remember how you were at 21? That’s what I try to capture.”

 

In Million Dollar Quartet, Hunter-as-Elvis performs songs like “Long Tall Sally” and “Peace in the Valley,” but Hunter dreams of singing his own material someday.

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“I’ll always be an Elvis fan, but I would love to do my own thing. I’ve been writing songs for a little while now, and country music is what I grew up on. It comes naturally when I sing. I’m from Nebraska and kind of a redneck, and it’s just who I am. We’ve got some good people coming together to hopefully make a great album of original country music.”

 

But for now, he knows, The King still reigns.

 

“I definitely am very grateful and fortunate with the job I have, and the fantastic people I work with. We’re playing live music, which is a blast, and we get to pick up our instruments and play every single day. I really enjoy it, especially the finale. That’s when we get to rock out, just let it all hang out for ten or so minutes.”

 

Talented musicians jamming together—that’s what Million Dollar Quartet is all about.

 

“It’s got that raw, bluesy feeling that comes with rockabilly. You get that experience of being a fly on the wall and seeing this really cool moment. It’s not your typical Broadway show. We’re recreating a one-time thing with real people who were just buddies hanging out.”

Performances run from Tuesday, June 17 to Sunday, June 22. Group sales are underway for groups of 20 or more. Groups may call Betty Gould at 937/228-7591 ext. 3074. Tickets start at $25 and are on sale now at Ticket Center Stage, located in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center, by phone 937-228-3630, toll-free at 888-228-3630 or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.  For information on the production, visitwww.MillionDollarQuartetLive.com

 

 

Local Entrepreneur Celebrates 2nd Anniversary In A Fair Trade City

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images-4Within a two-week span this summer, Dayton became a Fair Trade City and a Fair Trade Town.

 

Many are still unaware of this, as well as what it means to individual citizens, the region, and the world. Fair trade promotes methods of commerce that eliminate slave labor and unfair working conditions to provide a fair living for the people behind the products we buy.

 

London Coe, owner of fair trade store Peace on Fifth (508 E. Fifth St., Dayton) has made this her passion.

 

“Chocolate is the easiest example to explain why fair trade exists,” she said. “There are six companies that control 56% of all the chocolate production in the world. Hershey’s is the smallest of those with 6%, Mars is the largest with 14.6%. Chocolate is actually very expensive. It’s a huge international industry, traded on floors in New York and London, and is one of the world’s most demanded commodities along with things like corn, soybeans, orange juice concentrate, and cotton.

 

“It trades for so much money, but we all want to feel we’re part of this special class of people who get to enjoy this luxury item. So the chocolate companies sell it to us – but they have to strike a balance, they need us to feel we’re getting enough of what we want, but they need to make a profit. So you end up with people like Herhsey’s, who include just enough chocolate to flavor what they’re making.”

 

This allows one pound of chocolate to make exponential amounts of candy bars that can then be sold for cheap. Even more money is saved because the chocolate is harvested using slave labor.

 

“Chocolate is harvested,” said Coe, “by children who are kidnapped as early as age seven. They have no access to school or play or safety precautions and spend all day harvesting cacao pods with machetes and being sprayed with pesticides. Remember when you were in seventh grade and your arms and legs got longer, and your hands and feet got bigger, and it made you awkward? And you ran into things and hit yourself with things? That happens to these children, except they’re holding machetes.

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“When I learned this,” she said, “I realized I was eating the result of this inhumanity. I no longer wanted my hands or my money on a company that felt this was the way to treat children. Chocolate was what led me down the path to opening a store. I have this desperate idea that says you don’t sacrifice your community for yourself; contributing to community, be it local or global, is how you pay your rent on this earth. So Peace on Fifth is my thumbs up to Dayton, to a place that supports a value system that says no matter where you come from, you can be a part of something you believe in.”

 

Peace on Fifth, which celebrates its second anniversary on November 25, sells only fair trade items, including chocolate which can be traced all the way back to the farms where the cacao originated.

 

For each dollar spent on a fair trade product, roughly 50 cents goes back to the producer (farmer, artisan, etc.). If the producer has an official fair trade label through a certification board, a percentage goes there. Money goes toward stabilizing the producer’s community, often in a third world country, and promotes education in these remote areas, which people within the communities then use to fight against human trafficking to eradicate slave labor.

 

“By supporting fair trade,” Coe said, “you’re working against slave labor. And you’re also supporting animals and the environment. If you are overharvesting animals in a space that’s too small, that’s harmful to the environment. Fair trade products that come in some way from animals are produced in ways that ensure quality treatment for the animals involved.”

 

An exemplary leader on this principle is popular ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, which earlier this year became the first fair trade company in the U.S., using cocoa, vanilla, sugar, coffee, and bananas (for the Chunky Monkey fans) from certified farms. The dessert purveyor even hosted a fair trade music festival in Boston this August.

 

Just a few weeks before that festival, Dayton threw its hat into the fair trade ring officially. On July 31, the City of Dayton declared itself a Fair Trade City, an informal resolution meaning the city will look closely in future purchasing decisions to ensure support for safe practices and sustainable and eco-friendly means of production.

 

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Mayor Leitzell & London Coe

On August 9, international organization Fair Trade Towns USA certified Dayton a Fair Trade Town, joining Dayton with cities across the globe that stand together to fight for a world with better work environments, better wages, and a cleaner environment.

 

 

“Mayor [Gary] Leitzell was supportive even before I started this,” she said. “He said, ‘I think you should run with this. It’s good for the city.’ The resolution I sent and the resolution that got passed were very different in that the resolution that got passed is actually much more aggressive. The city wants to be supportive of this concept.”

 

Mayor Leitzell commented, “It normally takes two to three years to get an initiative like this passed, but it happened in ten weeks. I gave London a few tips, she connected the dots and got the doors opened, and the next thing I knew, it was happening. Something like this doesn’t have to be political, it’s something that should just be. It says that we not only respect our community, but yours, wherever that happens to be, and it ties in with our whole ‘immigrant friendly’ message and being fair to all people. Hopefully Dayton will become recognized globally as a place where everyone’s got a fair shake.”

 

Linden Avenue Eatery Provides Taste of Puerto Rico

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Update:
This Saturday, November 16, at 7 p.m., Antojitos Criollos will host a “Puerto Rican Christmas” buffet. Pedro “El Jibaro” Rodriguez will step in as musical entertainment. The buffet will include Lechon Asado (roasted pork), Pavo en Fricase (turkey fricasseed in wine sauce), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), yuca al Mojo (yuca in mojo sauce), guinetitos con mollejas (chicken gizzards with green bananas), ensalada de papa (potato salad), ensalada verde (green salad), and pan con ajo (garlic bread)–many staples that can be found in American holiday meals. Yet another reminder that our brothers and sisters across the pond are not so different…

antojitos-criollosCancel your plans for this Saturday night. You’re spending it in Puerto Rico.

If you’re not Hispanic, you probably haven’t yet heard about one of the unsung gems of the Dayton dining scene…but your time, and your passport, have arrived. Tucked away in the corner of a tiny, unassuming strip mall in East Dayton lies a Caribbean culinary oasis: Antojitos Criollos. Spanish for “little country cravings,” this down-home island eatery at 3937 Linden Avenue, directly across from Eastown, slings Puerto Rican food so authentic that even citizens who’ve emigrated from the island say it’s the kind of food you can’t find anywhere else on U.S. soil. And this Saturday, August 24, Antojitos will host its monthly, reservation-only all-you-can-eat buffet, complete with live salsa music.

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Francisco Matias and his family

“We opened here four years ago,” said owner Francisco Matias in his native Spanish. “The week before Thanksgiving, 2009. Before that, we were in Cleveland. When my family was there, we went to festivals all the time to cook and serve food, but we did not have a restaurant. Different people from different towns said, ‘Why don’t you come and set up here? Your food is very authentic and we’d like to have you here.’

“We went to many banks for small business loans, “Matias said. “We were always denied. And then we met a man named Miguel Ten [President/CEO of Springfield’s First Diversity Management Group]. He’s Puerto Rican, and he had tried our food before. He helps civic groups and helps people find jobs. We came to him with a business plan, and he immediately said, “How much money do you need?” He’s the only person who ever offered us money. He did not charge us interest; when we made back the money we’d borrowed, we returned it. But he knew Puerto Rican food and had eaten ours – that’s the catch – so he believed in us.”

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Antojitos Criollos marinated chicken kabob with rice and beans served at this summer’s Cityfolk and Hispanic Heritage Festivals

That was 2009. Matias did studies in each of Ohio’s major cities, starting with Cleveland – but Cleveland bore tremendous competition in the same style of food. Other cities, like Columbus and Cincinnati, proved too costly. But the family’s food had been a hit at Dayton’s Hispanic Heritage Festival, and Dayton boasted a widespread and passionate food culture, but while Italian and Mexican and Asian and Indian restaurants seemed to flourish at every turn, Dayton still had plenty of market room when it came to island cuisine.

And so Matias learned of the small Linden Ave. storefront. It had not housed an operating business for several months; previously serving Vietnamese cuisine, it was to become a Mexican restaurant, but an immigration issue cut through and sent the staff packing, never to be heard from again. The Mexican restaurant never opened, and Matias found an opportunity.

“We met with the owner of the building,” Matias said, “and we got a good rapport going. We said, ‘We’ve only done sales at festivals, so we don’t know how this is going to work out, and also we would have to do a lot of work on the interior, so can you give us a break?’ And he did. We got two months rent free, and by then, we were on our feet.”

In its short time in the Gem City, Antojitos Criollos has won awards from all over the state of Ohio, and it’s easy to see why: Matias and his crew serve up recipes his wife, Iris Gonzalez, brought with her from the island. The restaurant features the kind of savory meals that feel like someone’s grandmother is in the kitchen cooking just for her family, and you somehow got lucky enough to receive an invite.

A quick glance over the menu will calm the unadventurous while thrilling with its casual twists on the unknown: beans and white rice, flank steak and onions, fried pork chops, sautéed chicken in tomato sauce… While eating at Antojitos, a mind-blowing truth emerges in the most unexpected of moments. You’re eating pure comfort food that seems to warm you to your very soul, and it seems in so many ways like things you’ve eaten a million times going all the way back to your childhood. You look down at your plate in wonder and think, ‘Huh. Somewhere in San Juan, a family is sitting down right now to this same dish’ – but you’re also thinking about when you sat down to a decidedly similar dish with your own family, so many years ago. Everything around you slips away, and you realize that while colors and cultures and languages may vary from one region to the next, when you get right down to it, we really aren’t all that different.

The third Saturday of every month (do yourself a favor and be mindful of that – August is the third month in 2013 to span five Saturdays, and it is always the fourth, as opposed to the last), Antojitos hosts a special buffet dinner. For a flat rate of $20 ($10 for children 12 and under), an all-you-can-eat spread is set up with a massive, multi-option spread of the best the establishment has to offer. The offerings change each month — and when one dish empties, it is not refilled, but replaced with something new. Mainstays, however, are the stellar rice and beans and their herb-rubbed, roasted pork, which also carries a hint of citrus and is simply one of the greatest dining delights in the Miami Valley region. This weekend’s buffet will also include, among many other things, Greek rice, made in beef broth with bacon and cabbage. Vegetarians, fear not; there is plenty to be had for those who don’t eat meat.

The meal is not the only thing, however, that makes buffet nights at Antojitos Crillojos special. The regular menu is not available, and eating on these nights is available only by reservation, for dishes are made to feed the amount of people expected. This makes it a private party, which means alcohol cannot be served … but it  can be carried in, so this would be the occasion to bring that special bottle of wine you’ve been saving or that craft beer you waited for all season, or even your favorite bottle of rum.

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Gina and son del caribe at Antjitos

The most important thing to remember on buffet nights is that you are no longer on the mainland. The buffet opens at approximately 7 p.m., and the band starts at approximately 8 p.m. That can wiggle in one direction or the other as far as an hour or more. Relax, buddy: you’re on island time now. It’s Saturday night. You’ve got amazing, endless food in front of you. If you planned right, you’ve got a good drink in your hand. And at some point, you’ve got a night of free entertainment ahead. What’s your hurry? You’ve dropped twenty bucks, plus tip, for one of the best values and cultural experiences in the entire region. No one’s rushing the night – and neither should you.

“It’s so easy to get lost in the music, food and the joy of the multi-generational crowd,” said Laura Scandura Rea, a program manager at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s air force research laboratory. “I’ve been all over the world, and when I travel, I love to stumble onto small restaurants with amazing music and food – I want to experience the local lifestyle. Every time I’ve gone to the Saturday night buffet at Antojitos, at some point I’ve looked up and thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m in a strip mall in my own backyard.’”

Joni Arnold agrees. A native of Puerto Rico, she learned about Antojitos from coworker Rea, who brought her to a buffet night last spring.

“As a native Puerto Rican,” Arnold said, “I’d say their food is deliciously authentic, our version of ‘soul food.’ Puerto Ricans are very friendly, festive people who like good food, good music, and good company. That’s exactly the experience I’ve had going there for Saturday buffet. It feels like I’m back on the island – “en la isla,” as we say – enjoying a Sunday afternoon with a friend whose mom is a fantastic cook. My husband, Fred, is American, and has been traveling to Puerto Rico for over 20 years, and he feels the same. It’s been a real treat!”

Gina Stough, lead singer of Son del Caribe, cherishes the monthly ritual.

“I brought the band there before or after a gig and made introductions,” she said,” and we all fell in love with the 382535_4907096715714_1865351029_nplace. It’s just like a Mom-and-Pop in Puerto Rico. We jam for fun there because we love it. They feel just like home; their food is home for our musicians. And the same can be same for how welcome we feel. It’s home and family for us. They say in Spanish, ‘Donde no hay familia, se hace una.’ ‘Where there is not family, we make one.’ We fill each other’s need for extended family.”

Lovingly patting the counter, Francisco Matias said, “It’s been okay. We are very happy here.”

Antojitos Criollos is located at 3937 Linden Ave. in Dayton. Hours are 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday – Friday, and 1 – 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Buffets with live music from Son del Caribe are held the fourth Saturday of each month at 7 p.m., by reservation only; adults $20, children 12 and under $10. Music begins at approximately 8 p.m. For more information, call (937) 259-2207, or visit http://facebook.com/antojitos.criollosrest, and to view the full regular menu, visit http://antojitoscriollosrestaurant.net.

 

For his translation assistance, Dayton Most Metro thanks Enrigue Romaguera.

Midwest Premiere of ‘Bayou Maharajah’ at Neon Profiles New Orleans Piano Giant

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Director Lily Keber’s acclaimed new documentary film Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker, will be shown on Wednesday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Neon (130 E. Fifth St., Dayton). Keber will be on hand to introduce the film and lead a discussion about the movie following the screening. Admission is $10. Advance tickets are available at the Neon.

James Booker, “The Piano Prince of New Orleans” who died 30 years ago this fall, was a mercurial figure in New Orleans, a prodigy who was leaving his mark on legendary R&B records while still in his teens. A spectacularly gifted pianist and vocalist whose style melded blues, jazz, soul, gospel and classical influences with New Orleans rhythms, his sound defied categorization.

Booker taught players like Harry Connick, Jr., and Dr. John, who described Booker as “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced.” As a sideman during his career, Booker played with the likes of Fats Domino, King Curtis, T-Bone Walker, Ringo Starr, Maria and Geoff Muldaur, Labelle, Joe Tex (including on his big hit “I Gotcha”), The Coasters, and the Doobie Brothers. His outrageous solo career was characterized by virtuoso performance, his bigger-than-life personality, and onstage performances in his underwear, dishing out drug-fueled conspiracy theories.

The movie includes archival footage of Booker in performance plus reflections by fellow musicians, observers and collaborators from the Crescent City and beyond which include Harry Connick Jr., Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Charles Neville, Hugh Laurie, Douglas Brinkley and many others. The film was introduced at the 2013 South By Southwest festival, where its final screening sold out, and has subsequently sold out screenings at the Film Society at Lincoln Center, Outfest and the Melbourne International Film Festival.

“This winning doc features a can’t miss subject and plenty of performance footage,” said The Hollywood Reporter, calling it a “must see for aficionados of New Orleans music [that is] also accessible to viewers who don’t know a Professor Longhair from a Dr. John.”

For more information on the film, visit bayoumaharajah.com, and for more information on the Neon screening, visit neonmovies.com or call (937) 222-SHOW (7469).