by Hannah McCartney
02.28.2013
83 days ago
Cinfolk: Sara Bornick
In
“Cinfolk,” I ask interesting Cincinnati people doing interesting
Cincinnati things questions I’d never get to ask for a traditional news
story; the more interviews I do as a writer, the more I find myself
daydreaming about what makes these people tick, aside from what I'd usually get to share in a traditional news story. For the inaugural Cinfolk blog featuring German Lopez, click here.
If you don't have cabin fever by this time of the year, you probably moved here from Siberia, the Arctic Tundra or Wisconsin, in which case you're used to mind- and body-numbing misery and cold weather year-round. We're glad you escaped. For the rest of us, it's getting really old coming into work with frozen strands of hair, never having a good reason to drink a margarita, wear a sundress, roll down the windows or eat a popsicle. That's about all I'm thinking about these days, in fact, which is why I got in touch with Sara Bornick, founder and owner of streetpops, freelance graphic designer and proud owner of her very own EasyBake oven.
Anyone who's ever been lucky enough to have their teeth stained or a shirt dribbled on by one of Sara Bornick's gourmet, quirky and preservative-free ice pops understands that the transition from winter to spring just can't be complete until every Cincinnatian has the chance to buy the daintily packaged treats from her modest, funky little retro streetpops storefront in Over-the-Rhine.
According to Bornick, who’s been busy preparing for a new streetpops season, she and her cart-toting team will be selling pops again on Final Friday, March 29. Look out for new pop flavors (like cookies and cream, butter pecan and maybe a chocolate olive oil pop crafted from imported Italian olive oil).
Hannah McCartney: What was your favorite toy when you were a little kid?
Sara Bornick: For years I asked for an Easy-Bake oven, but never actually got one ... until I was about 25, as a joke. I was really into LEGOs as a kid, and anything outdoors.
HM: Dog person or cat person? Why?
SB: Dog! Especially my Boston Terrier, Parker (aka Parker Pantalones).
HM: Did you have a nickname when you were a kid/in college/now? What was its significance?
SB: When I was a kid I was nicknamed "Bugs" because I had to have a lot of teeth pulled before I had braces on, so for a good year or so I only had my two front teeth.
HM: Have you ever met a celebrity? If not, who would you want to meet?
SB: I met chef-celebrity Richard Blais when he was in town on the Top Chef tour. It was right before we launched streetpops in 2011. We talked about a pop place in Atlanta that he loves and using liquid nitrogen to make pops.
HM: Tell me one guilty pleasure artist on your music player.
SB: Eighties hair bands/rock ballads — Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses.
If you don't have cabin fever by this time of the year, you probably moved here from Siberia, the Arctic Tundra or Wisconsin, in which case you're used to mind- and body-numbing misery and cold weather year-round. We're glad you escaped. For the rest of us, it's getting really old coming into work with frozen strands of hair, never having a good reason to drink a margarita, wear a sundress, roll down the windows or eat a popsicle. That's about all I'm thinking about these days, in fact, which is why I got in touch with Sara Bornick, founder and owner of streetpops, freelance graphic designer and proud owner of her very own EasyBake oven.
Anyone who's ever been lucky enough to have their teeth stained or a shirt dribbled on by one of Sara Bornick's gourmet, quirky and preservative-free ice pops understands that the transition from winter to spring just can't be complete until every Cincinnatian has the chance to buy the daintily packaged treats from her modest, funky little retro streetpops storefront in Over-the-Rhine.
According to Bornick, who’s been busy preparing for a new streetpops season, she and her cart-toting team will be selling pops again on Final Friday, March 29. Look out for new pop flavors (like cookies and cream, butter pecan and maybe a chocolate olive oil pop crafted from imported Italian olive oil).
Hannah McCartney: What was your favorite toy when you were a little kid?
Sara Bornick: For years I asked for an Easy-Bake oven, but never actually got one ... until I was about 25, as a joke. I was really into LEGOs as a kid, and anything outdoors.
HM: Dog person or cat person? Why?
SB: Dog! Especially my Boston Terrier, Parker (aka Parker Pantalones).
HM: Did you have a nickname when you were a kid/in college/now? What was its significance?
SB: When I was a kid I was nicknamed "Bugs" because I had to have a lot of teeth pulled before I had braces on, so for a good year or so I only had my two front teeth.
HM: Have you ever met a celebrity? If not, who would you want to meet?
SB: I met chef-celebrity Richard Blais when he was in town on the Top Chef tour. It was right before we launched streetpops in 2011. We talked about a pop place in Atlanta that he loves and using liquid nitrogen to make pops.
HM: Tell me one guilty pleasure artist on your music player.
SB: Eighties hair bands/rock ballads — Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses.
by Hannah McCartney
02.21.2013
90 days ago
GL: Before
I start writing an article, I complete most of my research, interviews
and an outline. Once that's all together, I sit down and write the
entire article, whether it's 500 or 4,000 words, all at once. The first
draft is usually a disaster, but I do extensive copy editing to fix up
the structure and wording after that. The editing probably takes me
longer than the writing process because I have to fact check every line
and make sure it's all written in an easily digestible manner.
HM: What was the last meal you cooked for yourself?
GL:
Chicken cutlets with mashed potatoes and corn. It was freaking
delicious. But I rarely cook for myself. One of the upsides to having a
stay-at-home husband is I usually get home to a delicious cooked meal.
The only downside is I have to make all the money.
HM: Where's your favorite place to sit down and read a book in Cincinnati?
GL: On
the couch at home while surrounded by my ferrets, cat and husband. But I
usually read political blogs, newspapers and e-books on my iPad instead
of actual print.
HM: What website can you not go a day without checking? Why?
GL: There are a bunch of answers to this, but the top choice is probably Wonkblog, the domestic policy blog at The Washington Post. It has all the studies and graphs I need to form an educated opinion on major political issues. And CityBeat.com, of course.
Cinfolk: German Lopez
When journalists interview people, it's more often than not about something very specific. When we interview the governor, his press person would definitely give us a dirty look if we threw in questions like, "What's your favorite '90s boy band?" or, "Did OJ do it?" We're there to discuss something specific, and straying too far outside that topic is viewed as either a waste of the interviewee's time or an invasion of privacy.
The reality is that there are more facets to the people we interview than we'll ever know. What was Senate Chef Daniel Wright's favorite toy when he was a kid? What does CityBeat editor-in-chief Danny Cross order at Taco Bell?
The answers to questions like these don't define a person, but neither do their jobs, possessions, political leanings, philanthropic efforts or social status. It's a little bit of everything. In this blog series, I'll be picking random Cincinnatians who are doing something interesting, call them on the phone/harass them on the street and ask five or six weird questions and hope I don't get yelled at. Feel free to comment if there's someone you'd like to suggest.
As a practice go, I'm first interviewing my cubicle mate and reporter extraordinaire, German Lopez. If you don’t recognize the name German Lopez, it’s because you probably never read CityBeat, so shame on you. Around the office, he's known for his dry sense of humor, really liking donuts, ditching all of our happy hours and one time writing almost an entire issue by himself. He's the one we all go to when we need him to explain in plebeian language the meaning of complicated political and economic data.
Hannah McCartney: What's your favorite most recent viral video?
German Lopez: The
video of Eddie, the geriatric sea otter with arthritis who can dunk a
basketball, definitely tops my list right now. I think CityBeat should run a cover story just profiling Eddie. It's probably more important than the governor's budget proposals.
HM: When you sit down to write an article, what's the process like? Describe your work style.
