I loved it so much that I ultimately made a career out of it working as a writer first and then a graphic designer and illustrator in the art department after graduating from Wright State University.
In early 2005 I took over as the GO! editor — the newspaper’s Friday entertainment section. I supervised an incredibly talented and whip-smart team of arts and entertainment reporters including the beloved, brilliant and legendary food writer Ann Heller. When the newspaper leadership decided in 2006 that we needed to start reviewing bars, pubs, taverns and chains it was my friend and food mentor Ann that suggested I consider writing the content — afterall she said, I had been eating out with her for years learning about the ins and outs of giving a good critique.
It was true. I would voraciously drink up her knowledge and expertise with any moment I could carve out.
And so, in 2006 my dear friend Craig Schrolucke and I started writing the Lounge Lizards column in the newspaper. It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it and Ann encouraged and offered feedback every step of the way, even calling me with her notes for me after she had retired.
In 2012 when I was leaving my full-time job at the Dayton Daily News, a readership survey had been done and based on the results I was offered the fantastic opportunity to write a weekly Sunday food column. In 2013 “Dayton Eats” was born based on a personal blog that I had been writing.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to tell the story of the best fried chicken in town that can still be found at a gas station to covering fine dining establishments like the great l’Auberge helmed by owner Josef Reif who was a one-of-a-kind gentleman and scholar. I’ve been able to interview food stars like Chef Alton Brown and Chef Ming Tsai and helped tell the compelling and powerful stories of chefs at new restaurants and those that have been long established. I’ve covered new trends, innovative concepts, menu changes, technology changes, local farms and so much more year after year.
In the two decades I’ve spent covering local restaurants the constant has always been change, with openings, closings and new trends bubbling to the surface with a reliable consistency. But one thing has remained the same since Ann started her “It’s Simple” food column — there has never been a shortage of great stories and great food.
When Ann passed I shared, “There was great power in the pen she wielded as Ann told the stories of cooking and the hands that prepared the meals in local kitchens. Ann was so expressive and wrote so colorfully about food, it often felt as if you could taste it.”
I tried to channel Ann when I would sit down to write and just as it was for her, it was always a true labor of love.
Since the day I left the paper as a full-time employee I had to pay for every meal I enjoyed and every meal I didn’t enjoy out of pocket. But I never did it for the money. I did it for those wonderful stories.
I did it to make sure people knew when I found a great dish worth seeking out to get it on their radar, I did it because I will always be a journalist first and food and dining is a true passion that I am driven by column or no column.
If I could write this column forever I would. It has been one of my true honors and privileges to be able to tell our community’s stories of hospitality, comfort, vibrancy and culture on these pages.
I’m sad to see it go, but all good things do come to an end at some point.
In the meantime I’ll be looking for the next place where I can share the passionate stories of our local restaurateurs through my Dayton Eats column. I know there is a new vehicle to write for to pass on the places, dishes and food that are getting buzz and attention. I’m not done yet - there are too many other great stories to share. I just had some of the best sushi I’ve had in recent memory. I can’t keep it to myself after all.
So, it’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you somewhere yet to be determined.
In Ann’s last column she wrote before retiring, “The best part of writing about food has always been the people and their passions, from the sausage maker and the confectioner to the farmer, the chef and the dedicated cook.” I couldn’t agree more and am looking forward to figuring out how to continue to tell those stories.
Until then, thanks for reading.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Visit daytondailynews.com and search Alexis' name to find her vast portfolio of “Dayton Eats” columns. Recently she wrote what it was like dining at the new Table 33 in downtown Dayton. She also wrote about the hard work at Grist Provisions and about the owner of Speakeasy Enterprises, which now has three businesses.
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