9 Local Chefs We're Proud to Say Belong to Cleveland

Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 7:56 am

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9 Local Chefs We're Proud to Say Belong to Cleveland

Andy Dombrowski: L'Albatros, Chinato, and Cowell & HubbardUnless you've been living under a rock for the past decade, you've likely heard of Zack Bruell and his successful restaurant empire, which now includes L'Albatros, Parallax, Chinato, Table 45 and Cowell & Hubbard. But Bruell understands that he is hardly a one-man show. Enter Andy Dombrowski, corporate chef of Bruell's ever-expanding restaurant group. A native Clevelander, Dombrowski is Bruell's secret weapon in the kitchen. At 12, Dombrowski would cook spaghetti and stir-fry for his family, inspired by cooking shows on TV. In high school, Dombrowski got his first taste of the hospitality biz by working at a local McDonald's. He later entered a vocational cooking program at Normandy High School, where a teacher noticed his passion and work ethic and recommended him for a summer job at Watermark Restaurant in the Flats. Working under executive chef Michele Gaw, Dombrowski started as a prep cook making more than 300 pierogies a day. "Andy was energetic, enthusiastic and a great addition to the team," recalls Gaw. "I knew he would be a great cook." MORE>>
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Ricardo Sandoval: Fat Cats, Lava Lounge, and Felice Urban CaféSome of the most admirable culinary trailblazers happen to be those you don't read about every day in the press. While some "celebrity chefs" are busy promoting themselves to anybody who will listen, others simply put their heads down and do the hard work of running a business. Success for these people isn't a reality food show, product endorsement or spread in a glossy magazine: It's satisfied customers. Ricardo Sandoval is one such trailblazer. The serial restaurateur is behind three popular and unique restaurant concepts on opposite ends of town: Fat Cats, Lava Lounge, and Felice Urban Café. And lest you believe that he's simply a figurehead, Sandoval reminds us, "I am the owner, chef and entrepreneur all in one." MORE>> Becca Ritterspach: Luxe and Great Lakes Brewing CompanyThis Sugar Queen's story begins in Medina, where the young Ritterspach grew up the middle child between two brothers, making her the quintessential tomboy. With most of her grandparents, aunts and uncles all living just a few houses away, Ritterspach learned family values and hard work at an early age. "Literally and figuratively, we're a very close family." Her youth is also when she developed many of the food memories that stay with her to this day. "I know that I will never ever make a pie as good as my mom. I've accepted that. And my Grandma Ritterspach has the most amazing recipe for soft chocolate cookies. It's a recipe I still use to this day." Ritterspach graduated from Ohio State University with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in disability studies. Despite the degree and an aptitude for the work, Ritterspach knew that she was destined to pursue another path. "I have always been so drawn to the aesthetics of the pastry world," she says. MORE>> Lindsey Auten: Crop BistroYou might not have heard of her, but Lindsey Auten is a rising star pastry chef. Even if you haven’t heard of her, you likely have consumed one of her decadent desserts at Crop Bistro (2537 Lorain Ave., 216-696-2767, cropbistro.com) in Ohio City, where she's been for two years. But the road to Crop wasn’t as well defined as a cake recipe. The 25-year-old Middleburg Heights native was unsure of her future after graduating from Olmsted Falls High School. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I didn’t want to spend the next four to six years — and thousands of dollars — trying to figure it out,” she says. Upon graduation she jumped into the massage world, attaining her massage therapy license. But that wasn’t the answer. After some soul searching, Auten decided to focus on her passion for cooking, which led her to Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. After graduating with honors in 2010, Auten turned her externship at the popular A Cookie and a Cupcake in Tremont into a full-time pastry assistant position. MORE>> Bridget McGinty- Tastebuds"I didn't see my dream job, so I had to invent it," smiles Bridget McGinty, the owner and chef behind the popular Tastebuds restaurant (1400 East 30th St., 216-344-1770, tastebudsrestaurant.com) in Cleveland's St. Clair-Superior neighborhood. Born to a large working-class Irish Catholic family in Lakewood, McGinty was raised on a diet of meat, potatoes and Wonder Bread. After graduating from Erieview Catholic, McGinty knew that college was not in the cards. "It was not an option for me, so I decided to join the Army." Unfortunately, the Army's strict height and weight requirements became a hurdle and McGinty was rejected three times. That final rejection hit McGinty hard. Walking out of the Federal Building downtown one day, the 18-year-old stumbled into the newly built Galleria Mall to find work. "I found the courage and walked into the Ninth Street Grill," explains McGinty. "They hired me as a busser on the spot and changed my life forever." MORE>> Andy Dombrowski: L'Albatros, Chinato, and Cowell & HubbardUnless you've been living under a rock for the past decade, you've likely heard of Zack Bruell and his successful restaurant empire, which now includes L'Albatros, Parallax, Chinato, Table 45 and Cowell & Hubbard. But Bruell understands that he is hardly a one-man show. Enter Andy Dombrowski, corporate chef of Bruell's ever-expanding restaurant group. A native Clevelander, Dombrowski is Bruell's secret weapon in the kitchen. At 12, Dombrowski would cook spaghetti and stir-fry for his family, inspired by cooking shows on TV. In high school, Dombrowski got his first taste of the hospitality biz by working at a local McDonald's. He later entered a vocational cooking program at Normandy High School, where a teacher noticed his passion and work ethic and recommended him for a summer job at Watermark Restaurant in the Flats. Working under executive chef Michele Gaw, Dombrowski started as a prep cook making more than 300 pierogies a day. "Andy was energetic, enthusiastic and a great addition to the team," recalls Gaw. "I knew he would be a great cook." MORE>> Marc-Aurele Buholzer: Vero Pizza NapoletanaChefs often put their own culinary stamp on pizza, but Marc-Aurele Buholzer of Vero Pizza Napoletana (12421 Cedar Rd., 216-229-8383, veroclevland.com) in Cleveland Heights chooses to go back in time and focus solely on making the most authentic Neapolitan-style pizza he can possibly make. Born in a village outside Geneva, Switzerland, Buholzer and his family immigrated to America when he was just a child. While growing up in Chardon, Buholzer struggled to find his path in life. But after enrolling in CSU and majoring in philosophy and religious studies, life began to come into focus. "Things were starting to make sense," he explains. "I realized I have to be fully connected to what I am doing." Buholzer has unknowingly been on his present career path for years. "I got my restaurant start as a busser at 16 for Valerio Iorio, owner of Valerio's in Little Italy," says Buholzer. When Iorio opened La Gelateria in 2002, Buholzer was right there with him. "This was the first gelateria in Cleveland. At that time, I didn't even know what gelato was, but people were flocking from all over Cleveland." MORE>>
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