Clean up on Aisle 112! That's 112 years of the historic, beloved and hopeful West Side Market. This iconic structure, and the human ecosystem within its walls, have survived plenty of turmoil—from the Great Depression to wartime, a global pandemic and a beleaguered city bureaucracy.

Rosemary Mudry became the Executive Director of the Cleveland Public Market Corporation about six months ago. Tasked with taking the West Side Market into the future with a newly created nonprofit management structure, she and her small team are calmly and carefully making changes that improve the shopping experience, fortifying the 100+ year-old infrastructure, and addressing the concerns and needs of around 70 independent vendors.

In this episode we get an idea of the short- and long-term priorities for the market, how the new nonprofit structure supports growth and change, and what the upcoming holiday season might look like for regular customers and visiting tourists.

This episode was made possible with support from Ohio City Inc. and the Ohio City Street Festival.

It's hard not to sit across from Flora Grk (pronounced "Gerk") and be uplifted and inspired...not to mention, you might wonder if you've ever worked as hard as she has.

Flora opened Tita Flora's, last year in Independence, Ohio, a place that is definitely NOT a hotbed of mixed cultural cuisines. She's serving up filipino staples in this small, homey spot that will have some similarities to other Asian foods you might have had. Listen to this episode to find out about the ingredients and flavor profiles that are hallmarks of Filipino food, how Tita Flora's came to be (and almost didn't happen), and how Flora's tenacity drove her to fulfill a dream.

Thank you, listeners and supporters for three years and 100 episodes, and building a lovely community of people who cherish local food, and the people who grow, cook and share it., and thanks to Bill Conners, my sound engineer through it all.

The American dream looks a lot like this. A young man from Ghana arrives to the US to attend Hiram College. Misses home. Duplicates a family recipe that goes back six generations. Becomes an entrepreneur with a product in Ohio grocery stores.

Nana Kwamena Takyi-Micah is that guy and Ghana Supreme Sauce is something we can all grab from the international foods aisle at the grocery store. His company is Micah Specialty Foods.

I know you will enjoy this unlikely story and along the way you will be learn a little about the African continent and the food differences therein. If you are an entrepreneur, you'll be inspired by Nana Kwamena's determination. All of us who appreciate the flavors of cultures different than our own will be reminded that the world is big and there is much to learn and discover.

This episode was made possible by All Cleveland Coffee, locally roasted whole bean coffee that gives back to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank with every bag.