Beachwood Caterer Finding His Niche

The Chubby Cook: a busy kitchen runs in the middle of a corporate park

Most experts advise small business owners to draft a plan before launching a business. But Scott Groth began with a blog. When he started writing about food and recipes that he found his passion, and built a platform for a new business. Groth owns The Chubby Cook, a corporate catering business and recreational cooking school located at 3365 Richmond Rd., Suite 225. The company, which was established last April, specializes in homemade-style food with fresh ingredients. While the corporate catering order has a 10-person minimum, individual customers can order homestyle dishes, like chicken paprikash, braised beef short ribs and "real" macaroni and cheese to go. The staff has definite opinion on what makes good food. The salad dressing and …

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Interfaith Choir Featured at Weekend Arts Festival

The Temple-Tifereth Israel will host FestAviv, which is free and open to the public, Friday night through Sunday

Beachwood’s Temple-Tifereth Israel is hosting an arts festival this weekend featuring a cooking class and an interfaith community musical performance. The FestAviv is an annual event that is free and open to the public, featuring workshops on everything from faith to arts to supporting local foods. This year’s theme is The Art of Tikkun Olam and the weekend begins with a spaghetti dinner Friday night at 6 p.m. Also free and open to the public, Antioch Baptist Church, Cleveland School of the Arts and St. Raphael Catholic Church will join the temple’s Congregational Choir Saturday night for Harmonicity: A Community in Song at 7:30 p.m. Some workshops require registration: contact Alice Licker at alicker@ttti.org or 216-831-3233, ext. 101. …

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Beachwood Continues Moves Toward Greener Pastures

Collecting, composting and reusing Beachwood's brush is just one way the city is keeping it green

One Beachwood resident's brush is the city's reusable, organic treasure. Each year the city does its part to be a good steward of the environment by picking up brush and leaves left at the curb by residents doing yard work. On any given day, crews are out picking up brush and taking it to the city's Compost Facility on East Shaker Road, said Public Parks and Grounds Superintendent Chris Arrietta. "The facility is EPA regulated and we collect all of the brush throughout the city for the year and double grind it down," Arrietta said. "What we do is sell and reuse it. Everything we pick up will be reused." The brush is collected through November and then the contractor comes in to grind in January. It'll all be processed by March 1, Arrietta …

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5 Things To Know Today

5 Things You Need to Know Today: This Week

Passover, raw foods and Mommy and Me Tea

Start the week off on the right foot. Here are five things you need to know to play it right.

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Beachwood Patch Whiz Kid of the Week Victor Tse

Self-taught debater has reached incredible heights

Age: 17 School: Beachwood High School Accomplishment: He’s a self-taught debater who consistently ranks in the top echelons at debate circuits across the country. Key to Awesomeness: Victor Tse thinks of himself as a self-taught arguer. He’s received some of the highest honors while a member of the Beachwood High School Speech and Debate team, ranking near the top of multiple events each year. But unlike the students at more prestigious schools, whose debate teams go back decades and whose traditions include debate camps, classes and hours of instruction, Victor did it alone. “This is purely a self-taught activity,” the Beachwood High School senior said. He says being essentially self-taught has given him an advantage. He and his usual …

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Proposed Sewer Rate Changes to Be Discussed in Beachwood Tonight

NEO Regional Sewer District to host open meeting at Community Center about possible bill changes

The Northest Ohio Regional Sewer District will host an open meeting in Beachwood tonight to discuss the changes they have proposed for sewer rates beginning in 2012. The proposal outlines rates that increase annually, from $48 per unit this year to $79.85 per unit in 2016, and eliminates the existing minimum bill, equal to one unit per quarter. Since 2009, rates have increased from $40.90 per unit to $48. The meeting will be held at the Beachwood Community Center at 7 p.m. and is open to the public. More meetings will be held through May in Cleveland, Middleburg Heights and Hudson. Click through the slideshow to the right for the full schedule. For more information, visit the NEORSD website and check out this article from The Plain Dealer. 

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Five Fantastic Beachwood Women

Five Fantastic Beachwood Women: Shari Goldberg

Founder of Cleveland's Austism Speaks got surprise support for dealing with her own child's autism

Shari Goldberg Shari Goldberg used to meet other parents at grocery stores. It was the late 1990s, and doctors were preaching a diet free of gluten and casein for children with autism. Goldberg had seen some improvement in the health of her son, who was diagnosed when he was 18 months old, and was helping other parents by showing them what to buy. “In those days no one knew what gluten was,” she said. “The bread is like $6, so you want to make sure it tastes good. We would talk about which tastes the best, which toasts the best. It had to be manageable.” Those are the humble beginnings of the woman who is now president of Cleveland’s chapter of Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization. Goldberg founded the chapter …

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You Said It!

Video: You Said It! Spring Break

We asked you how you will celebrate the onset of spring

It was raining at Beachwood's library, but that didn't stop Beachwood residents from thinking about warmer, bluer skies. We asked three students what they will do for spring break yesterday, and today we hear from a couple of grown-ups.

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5 Things To Know Today

5 Things You Need to Know About Beachwood Today: This Week

Restaurant Week, special Board of Education meeting and Israeli Author Night

Start the week right with these five things you should know first. The Beachwood City Schools’ Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting tonight at 6 p.m. The Beachwood City Council’s regular meeting is also tonight – at 7 p.m. Restaurant Week started Sunday. Get all the info you need, including participating restaurants, menus and prices. Music: Life, Love and Song: Celebrating American Women will be Wednesday night at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Siegal College’s 4th Annual Israeli Author Night is Thursday, featuring Nava Semel, who’s written everything from children’s books to TV scripts.

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Beachwood to See Minimal Impact From State Budget Plan

Kasich's drastic cuts in the state's local government fund would affect just over 1 percent of city's revenue

Gov. John Kasich’s two-year budget plan for the state includes drastic cuts of its local government fund, but Beachwood would see minimal impact. The city projected it will receive about $440,000 from the state in 2011, about the same as 2010. This makes up 1.27 percent of the city’s $34.5 million in total revenue, which is funded largely by property and income taxes. David Pfaff, finance director for the city of Beachwood, projects that the short-term impact will be “minimal” – cuts to Beachwood’s overall revenue of between $200,000 and $400,000. Gov. John Kasich unveiled Ohio’s two-year budget plan this week, which includes cuts to the state’s local government fund, libraries, schools and selling five state prisons. Watch Beachwood Patch…

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