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BTS with Esoteric- Cincy’s First Black & Asian Owned Brewery

Are you looking for something different in the city? Or perhaps looking for a place to listen to live music (yes, safely during covid)? Or maybe looking for a location for weeknight trivia? We have just the spot for you! And it’s minority owned too! Introducing ESOTERIC! For anyone who hasn’t heard the name, it is the first Black owned and Asian owned brewery in Cincinnati. But it isn’t your typical brewery that feels like you’re in a well made over warehouse. You get much more of a lounge experience here.

Let’s talk about their name and space first:

The name means “it’s understood by a select few”. And in this case, that means craft beer. Less than 15% of the industry craft their beer. The thought is still growing (and somewhat fast right now!) But once you know craft beer, you love it. In the space, you’ll notice many locust flowers throughout. This is their metaphor for fighting through adversity. It represents a rising out of the Phoenix (ashes) and helping make Walnut Hills a thriving neighborhood again. What’s super cool is they employ a lot of people from the neighborhood and people of color to broaden equality.

You will also see lots of art all around you. The decor is an ode to Art Deco and the design of the precious city. All of the characters are all from  period pieces from the 40s and 50s. The brand is to bring back the golden age. And guess who made all of the art? One of the owner’s (Brian) uncles!

Speaking of the owners…

When we did our behind the scenes, we met  with one of the owners, Marvin Abrinica, CFO and CMO. Marvin co-owns the brewery with Brian Jackson, CEO Head brewer and developer  and Patrick klesmith, COO.

It seems like their partnership was truly meant to be. Brian was working at Chipotle, but had a passion for beer. While working at Mad Tree, he started exploring the brewing process at home. This eventually led to him being in the first class of Mortar, which is a well known entrepreneurship hub in Cincinnati that focuses on diverse dreamers. Marvin happened to be a mentor with Mortar, which is how they met. After many chats, with Patrick included, they decided to pursue the business and raise the capital. 4 years later, in August of 2020, Esoteric was opened to the public!

Now 2020= Covid. But these business owners still managed to launch and sustain successfully. They are operating at 50% capacity which has of course been a challenge and forced them to pivot. To help with their sustainability, they also focus on digital sales, purchasing online, and pulled forward their canning distribution line which launches next month.

What I really love about them is they have a social mission as a company. Out of the 8k breweries across the nation, only 250 are owned from people of color. And out of over 8k. And less than 50 are black owned. I love that this statistic did not stop them from going after their dreams and also talking about this important fact! 

Now what about food and entertainment?


For all of you Taste of Belgium lovers out there, there’s a food truck right in the back! And if that’s not your thing, you can pick up or have food delivered from any of the surrounding restaurants- like Gomez Salsa. Yum!

For entertainment, they have live music on Fridays and Saturdays. A few ladies and I came back for this and it was awesome!! It was also very safely done with lots of space between us and the performer.  They also do an 80s/90s open mic night on Wednesdays with various artists and trivia on Thursday.

Kudos to Esoteric for bringing such an experience to Cincinnati. I will be supporting and spreading the word about them as much as possible. I really could go on and on about how great this place is, but I think YOU should check it out. We’d love to hear if you enjoyed your experience as much as we did. Leave us a note when you do!

Bye for now!

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Cincinnati Foodie Favs with Ohio.findithere!

Happy October friends!!! We hope you’ve had a great month so far filled with fun and food! Speaking of
food, we have another partnership with Ohio. Find It Here. for you where it’s all about Cincinnati food!
For the locals and the road trippers, we have the Cincinnati staples right here for you! Starting off with…

Findlay Market

Did you know Findlay Market is Ohio’s oldest continuously operated public market?? Yep! Sure is! The
market is open year-round Tuesday-Sunday and attracts over a MILLION visitors a year! And it just so
happens to be one of my favorite places to visit in Cincinnati. There is such a community feel every time
I visit. You get the hustle and bustle inside of the market, but you also get a very cool, chill vibe in the
outer parts. There is typically live music being played, people drinking and eating, and lots of shopping!
From fresh produce, to restaurants, to customizable cuts of meat, to spices, to plants, to
jewelry…Findlay is ready to meet your needs. When I have friends in town, this is a 100% go to.
Everyone always falls in love with it and raves about wishing they had one in their hometown. Whether
you live in the city of Cincinnati, the suburbs, or in a completely different area, it is well worth the trip.

The Arepa Place

Colombian and Venezuelan food in one!! Yes please! If you have been a Cincinnatian for a while and
have visited Findlay Market, you likely saw The Arepa Place when it was a mobile stand. The owners
spent years building their clientele and reputation before opening a storefront location last year.
Woohoo! The arepas that we know, and love are here to stay!
An arepa , whose term comes from the indigenous populations in Colombia and Venezuela, is a form of
cornbread and most comparable to a pita. These arepas are typically stuffed with either cheese, beef,
plantains, chicken or all the above! They have a bit of a crunchiness to the shell as well, which makes for
the perfect bite. Typically, they are stuffed arepas are often stuffed with many ingredients such as
chicken, beef, cheese and plantains. Although they are called the Arepa place, they have more on the
menu, such as empanadas, chips and guac, and more! They also use the front of their space as a store
where they sell plenty of traditional Colombian and Venezuelan goods that you can have at home. Now,
it might not be as good as theirs, but you can still try!

Cream and Sugar Coffeehouse

Cream & Sugar Coffeehouse has only been open for about a half a year, but with how good they are, you
would think it was much longer.  They’re a Black-owned coffee shop that gives off all of the cool vibes.
The owners are some of the first Black entrepreneurs to have more than one Black-owned business in
the area. Before you enter, you’ll see amazinggggg Black art on the outer walls. I could just stand out
there looking at it for the longest! I personally don’t drink much coffee, but I’ve heard theirs is really
good. I also love that they have milk alternatives. That is a must these days! Although I haven’t had the
coffee, I have had their teas and their food. I highly recommend their herbal teas, their salads, their
toasts, and their yogurt. All are super tasty! Just try it all! And if you need to get a little work done,
this is a great spot that’s not too loud for you.

Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey

Boomtown Biscuits and Whiskey is comfort food taken up a notch. You get the well-known items you’ve
learned to love (like biscuits, gravy, and fried chicken) but with a twist. The twist is bold, yet subtle
enough to keep the restaurant’s neighborhood feel. I went to college in the south and this brings me
right back to some of that home cooking!
Tragedy struck the business in late 2019, when the owner of the restaurant unexpectedly passed.
Though it could have left the business in limbo the executive chef, who has a long culinary history and
has been on Food Network numerous times, stepped in and took over ownership (it is now officially a
Black-owned business!) In fact, he is working on opening his 2 nd location which will be in Union, KY. He is also working on a Boomtown Biscuit wagon which will be a mobile offering.
I love how they adapt to the times and don’t let anything stop them. Kudos to them!

Rhinegheist Brewing

Cincinnati is heavily a beer city. Blame it on our German heritage! New, microbreweries pop up all the
time in the area and in Northern Kentucky. But, no matter how many open, none of them are as large as
Rhinegheist. Rhinegheist is definitely one of the originals to the area and is not going anywhere anytime
soon. Not only do they have a huge location, they also distribute to many restaurants and bars
throughout the area. They have a very large selection of beers and ciders that will likely fit your palette.
They’re both tasty and refreshing!
Let’s talk about their rooftop though! I honestly vote them for best rooftop in Cincinnati. The view alone
is enough to give them the top rating. You can see so far into the city and it is especially gorgeous at
night. It’s also very spacious and has super cozy seats/couches on different parts of the roof. The first
time I came up here, I was blown away. I am obsessed with rooftops and don’t know why it took me so
long to go to theirs. You will have to walk up quite a bit of stairs, but it’s so worth it!
Lastly, if you get hungry, you’re in luck. OTR chili is serving up the Cincinnati chili staples from the
kitchen next door and will bring your food right to your seat. Now that makes for a perfect night!

Holtman’s Donuts

If you have been to Cincinnati and don’t know about Holtman’s Donuts, you may or may not have been
living in a cave somewhere. �� Just kidding. Maybe. Although many mistakenly think Holtman’s is a
restaurant founded in Cincinnati, it actually dates to May 1960, and is based out of Newton, Ohio.

Who knew?!
My first experience with them was years ago when I was walking down Vine street in OTR. They have a
wide range of fun toppings such as our favorite cereals as a child, bacon, coconut, red velvet, etc., but
they also offered traditional options such as plain glaze, jelly filled, fritters and many more! Holtman’s
now has 5 locations total and I’m sure they’re not done. If you are near one, I encourage you to try
them. There may be a line, but your belly will thank you later for waiting in it.

Graeter’s Ice Cream

Now there’s noooo way I could close out the Cincinnati foodie favs without mentioning the O.G of ice
cream…..

Graeter’s!
Graeter’s was originated in Cincinnati and has been going strong for over 147 years!!! No matter what
area you reside in or visit, you are not far from a Graeter’s, as they quickly expanding throughout
Cincinnati and surrounding cities. Choose from their multiple hand-crafted and small-batch flavors or try
their delicious cakes, cookies and pies! My favorites are the chocolate chip cookie dough, buckeye, and
peanut butter chip. To. Die. For! I grew up going to Graeter’s and still enjoy plenty of other ice cream
locations, but I will never get enough of them!

That’s all for now road trippers!
For more foodie road trip ideas, check out the Ohio.findithere link below. We’ll be featuring more out
of Columbus on our Instagram in November. Stay tuned! And don’t forget to let us know about your
Cincinnati foodie favs!
https://roadtrips.ohio.org/wps/portal/gov/roadtrips/home

Supporting Black Owned Businesses

Everyone is aware of the protests currently happening around the world, organized to continue the fight
for Black Lives. For far too long, Blacks have been fighting this fight primarily alone, in more ways than
one. The world now appears to really be opening their eyes to the injustice and are joining in the fight
(THANK YOU!) If you follow our Instagram, you may have seen a post where we also talked about the
importance of supporting black businesses.

If you missed it, here is an excerpt from it:

“When this account/blog was created, it was to have fun and to point people in the direction of new and
hip restaurants. Many of these restaurants have grown tremendously, based off the love and support of
the community. But do you know which owners/entrepreneurs often get left in the dust? Black owned
businesses. It is often much harder for them to receive the support to even open a brick and mortar
location as well as let their voices be heard. Some of it is political and some is due to systematic oppression.”

No matter the reason why, the issues are certainly not new. We too have been inadvertently guilty of
this, as we typically keep up with the trends of who’s opening and want to ensure our audience is aware
of it. It can be tough for black owners to get the same size funding to provide them with the opportunity
to open and get attention- especially in the up and coming areas where most are spending a lot of their
time and dollars. That means, at times, we don’t hear about the openings because promotions led by
large media outlets are often not as prevalent. Another blogger mentioned they often feature black
owned restaurants but have not specifically stated they were black owned in the description. We have
also done the same, but we missed highlighting them as black owned. Why is it important to state this
fact? Because they often have to work extra hard, and sometimes on their own, to open and need the
support more than ever. We are dedicated to this change and will ensure they get the attention they
deserve (not to mention, the food is ALWAYS on point!)

Also mentioned in our post:

“We support everyone, but as PROUD BLACK WOMEN running this account (and blog), let us just say,
black owners, we will shine a light on you. As a priority. No matter how small you are.”

Our commitment is to not just be another blog that keeps up with the trends. But a blog that also
provides support and awareness for those who really need it- our kind. Going forward, expect much of
the same content, but also a shift in who all we feature. A few people have previously documented black
owned businesses to support which has been both amazing and eye opening! Since we all have different
audiences, we want as many people as possible to see these lists. At the bottom of the post, you will
find restaurants (because this is a food and travel blog- keeping with the theme) categorized by type. I bet you didn’t realize there were this many did you? Yeah, us either! If we missed any, let us know in the comments!

Just a few of the black owned restaurants that we’ve featured in the past:

If you’re wondering about other ways to support, here are a few suggestions:

  1. Stay Educated
    a. There are tons of books (including cookbooks for the home cooks out there), movies,
    and documentaries out there that detail our history and why we fight so hard.
  2. Have the Uncomfortable Conversations
    a. Know what you are supporting and why
  3. Donate!
    a. There are multiple organizations to donate to that will filter dollars to black businesses.
    A quick google search will pull up multiple by city, state, or country
  4. Spend at Black Owned Businesses
    a. As mentioned, there are restaurants listed below. However, there are multiple other
    businesses out there that also need support. Google them in your specific area
  5. Promote what you know!
    a. Hear about a great black owned business (restaurants, bookstores, designers,
    nonprofits, startups, wineries, etc.)? Share them with your audience!

Although different from most of our blog posts, we hope this has been educational. Enjoy the list! We hope to run into you at many of them :)

Also, shoutout to the following bloggers/influencers for putting in so much work in locating a lot of the
businesses below: @linsinnati @kaitskravings @drinkingdiningdione @heymichelle1 and
@cincy.cocoabloggers . Follow them all!

Soul Food
Rasheedah’s café
Burnett’s soul food
Soul Secrets LLC
Ike’s BBQ
Jewell’s soul food
Millie’s Place
Gigi’s Kitchen
Ollie’s Trolley
Aunt Flora’s

Pluto’s Café

Tacos
Patora Tacos

Winery
Revel OTR

Personal Chefs/Caterers/Independent
Chef Banbini
Kwality Eats
Soul Secrets LLC
Purposely Plated
Crown’s Kitchen
Soleil Kitchen
Emma’s all in one occasions

Coffee
Cream and sugar coffeehouse (Brand New!)
Sunny Blu Coffee House
Black Coffee
Sunny Blu Coffeehouse
Muse Café (also wine bar)

BBQ
Just Qin
Sweets and Meats BBQ
Triple J’s BBQ
Eddie’s Southern Style BBQ

Dada Smokes BBQ
Ike’s BBQ
Alabama Que
C&M BBQ Grill
Talis Southern Bar and Grill
Smokin Inferno BBQ
J&W BBQ

Sweets
Davis Cookie Collection
Sweet Petit
Sweets by Ladawn
Green Man Twist
Sugar
Honeychild Pops
Jazzy Sweeties Bakery
Keys Cheesecakes and Pies
Keys cheesecake
Lala’s Blissful Bites
Goodies

Healthy
Bol Acai Bowl Bar
Conscious Kitchen
Kombuchinnati
Pause Cincy

Africa/Caribbean/Latin
Teranga Restaurant

Darou Salam
Divine appetite café
Gee’s Caribbean style
Island Frydays
Maize

Pizza/Burgers/Wings/Cafe and the Like
Endzone pizza
Express Wings
AJ’s cheesesteaks
Burger world
Pluto’s Café
Agape Café
Boomtown biscuits and whiskey
Copa lounge

Asian
Boombox buns

Seafood
Mango’s Tropical Oasis (also drinks)
K&J Seafood