ACEnet would like to mark a major milestone for entrepreneur Nick Penzone of Florentine Legacy. In March, Nick shared with his loyal customers that the Florentine Legacy pasta sauces and house dressing are now at available in almost 50 Kroger locations in Ohio on the Discover Local shelves of each store! For Athenians, this includes the Athens Kroger store on East State Street. As Nick would say the, “legacy continues.”

Nick's grandfather opened Florentine Restaurant in Columbus in 1945. The restuarant was well known for its classic Italian food, dedicated staff and family-friendly setting. When Florentine Restaurant closed in 2006 after their amazing 71 years in business, Nick Penzone, part of the third generation in his family, couldn’t let the legacy die. He worked with ACEnet’s Food Enterprise Coordinator, Adam Kody, to develop the FDA processing plans for the Florentine pasta sauces and salad dressing. Nick was determined to keep the Italian restaurant’s name alive.

Steadily Nick grew the retail product business, selling at area farmers markets, and securing product placement in many of the independent retail establishments throughout central Ohio. As distribution to grocery stores chains throughout Ohio grew, Nick graduated from ACEnet's Food Ventures Center to a larger co-packer. The latest expansion into Kroger demonstrates that the passion and commitment of our Ohio food entrepreneurs is always a recipe for success!

But wait, there's more to the Florentine Legacy story. At the end of 2020, Nick and family began working out of CloudKitchens in Columbus to bring back the Florentine favorite dishes to his local fan base. Nick shared on facebook, “Thank you for supporting Florentine Legacy the last four years. I’m humbled by what Florentine means to you and can’t begin to put into words how much that means to me. I’m grateful that I have been able to carry on the family business with our pasta sauces and dressing. But I’ve always wanted to do more.” Since December, the signature Florentine menu items are available for delivery and pick-up.

ACenet is excited to welcome Molly Sowash to our staff! Molly began her position as the Food Partners Access Coordinator for the Appalachia Accessible Food Network in March 2021.

The Appalachia Accessible Food Network is a collaborative project between ACEnet, Community Food Initiatives and Rural Action's Sustainable Agriculture program to accelerate the distribution of local foods into Appalachian Ohio communities by strengthening access, production, and consumption components of a local food value chain.

Through funding from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, Molly facilitates this dynamic partnership between ACEnet, CFI, and Rural Action in order to expand access to healthy local food in Appalachian communities. This includes building capacity of several different demand and distribution networks between the three partners such as CFI’s Donation Station, ACEnet’s Athens Food Ventures Center & Nelsonville Food Hub, Rural Action’s Country Fresh Stops, the Chesterhill Produce Auction, and Farm to School programming.

Additionally, Molly conducts and assists with research, planning and fundraising to help the three partners identify and expand shared resources to more efficiently achieve their food access mission.

Check out this video or our website for more info.

The Project Coordinator & Trainer will provide training and technical assistance to targeted entrepreneur populations via workshops, webinars and 1-1 interactions. This position will work in multiple sectors, including Artists, Artisans & Makers, Destination & Tourism Creative Placemaking, and Farmers Markets.

Click here or graphic for full position details.

Join Rural Action, Buckeye Hills Regional Council, and ACEnet for a free, daylong workshop on how the WealthWorks strategic capital framework builds value chains. Learn from experts in the field during this interactive virtual session about how the Wealthworks framework has been applied in our region as we explore projects and opportunities in the recreational tourism sector.

The outdoor economy in Ohio employs more people than the auto industry and adds $11.4 million in value to the state economy, while capturing $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue. This diverse economic sector holds great potential in Appalachian Ohio where natural, cultural and recreational assets are plentiful, along with the entrepreneurs that can grow businesses. A final agenda and further information about Rural Action's WealthWorks Institute will be released soon at www.ruralaction.org/wealthworks.

We encourage our newsletter readers to follow and like the page. ACEnet would also love to see some selfies as you patronize these businesses. Let’s Celebrate Stimson!

ACEnet client, Kelly Kalfs Lawrence has taken the plunge and opened a new store in the city of Athens! You may know Kelly of Green Mantle Studios fame. She has been an active artisan in the region exhibiting and vending at many shows, festivals and pop-up markets. Her new enterprise, Chosen Pathways Spiritual Emporium recently had a soft opening on May 1st and is open regularly from 10am - 6pm Thursday - Saturday and 12 - 5pm on Sunday at 400 East State Street in Suite A.

The retail store is a new age shop with all sorts of spiritual items that cater to many different religions including Pagan, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and Native American. Kelly shares, “my intention is to create a safe space for the people of our community. A place where they can discover their path to the Divine or just enhance their connection to the Earth and others. All are welcome and encouraged to embrace the possibilities of their own journey.”

The shop’s mission is to also carry the art of many local and regional artists. Kelly is well connected to the professional artists and artisans throughout Appalachia Ohio and you can find an extensive array of products in the store from many of your favorite local artists. The shop also offers readings such as tarot, astrology, and other divination techniques. A schedule will be posted on Chosen Pathways Spiritual Emporium Facebook page. There will also be in-house massage therapists who are now taking new clients.

Over the spring and summer, Kelly intends to host many different and diverse events in the space in the months to come as more customers come out to shop. Events are likely to include acoustic concerts; lectures on religion, paranormal topics, and history; local poets offering readings; craft nights and weekends for kids and adults; drum circles; and so much more. A much larger grand opening event is planned for later in the summer.

Although the emporium’s website is still undergoing construction, it can be found at www.chosenpathwaysshop.com. You can follow Chosen Pathways Spiritual Emporium on instagram and Facebook for all the latest happenings and photos tours of the store. Kelly can be contacted by phone at 740-249-4511.

The Athens Farmers Market takes place year round on Saturday and from mid-April up to Thanksgiving on Wednesday at the Market on State Shopping Mall. Vendors are both inside (the old Elder Beerman store) and outside December through March. For more information & information on becoming a vendor, see the Athens Farmers Market website.

Connecting with Ohio’s Winding Road Brand Program—Ohio Hill Country Heritage Area contractors John Winnenberg and Amy Grove will provide an overview of this premier regional brand program: Ohio’s Winding Road. Ohio’s Winding Road is a locally-driven economic development initiative in Appalachian Ohio, specifically in the Hocking and Muskingum River Valleys. This includes Morgan, Athens, Perry, Hocking, Fairfield, Vinton, Meigs, Washington, and Muskingum counties. Through OWR brand and network, partners provide unifying stories about the vibrant future of the region, where pride of place and stewardship are strong values. If you are a local entrepreneur or established small business, the brand program can link you to new marketing opportunities, tourism visitation, and seed grant programs.

Spring is in the air---time to think farmers markets! Are you a farmers market manager or a market vendor looking for some additional tips and tools this season? Please join us for a new series of market “meet-ups” – a time for managers and vendors to share what is working in their markets and learn new ideas from others!

If you have questions, or would like to share you story, please contact Leslie at leslies@acenetworks.org

Promotion and Partnerships: Community partnerships help farmers market thrive. Area market leaders and managers will share stories on how they have partnered with other organizations, businesses and agencies to promote the market. Examples of funding strategies and sponsorships will be highlighted.

The Fundamentals of Marketing for Farmers and Small Rural Businesses. Are you looking for new low to no-cost strategies to market your farm operation or rural business? ACEnet is partnering with Central State University to launch a new workshop series with Paige Alost, Community and Economic Development Educator Southeast Region. The Build Your Brand learning series is designed to address the branding efforts of a small businesses and beginning farmers with a limited budget. This webinar will introduce you to tips and resources you can use to better reach your customers and increase sales.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85229362520

Recruitment Practices and Vendor Satisfaction: The right mix of vendor makes for a successful farmers market. As the number of farmers markets expand throughout Southern and Central Ohio, vendors have new options. Managers and vendor will make recommendations on how to attract new vendors and retain your established vendors. 

Passcode: 311771

Marketing and Promotions: The workshop will share ways markets have designed new strategies to reach their customers through websites, social media and “earned media.” Learn from other market managers how they build capacity for marketing campaigns and enlist market vendors to share social media posts.  

Creating an Ethically and Sustainably Crafted Brand: The workshop will feature the experience of Talcon Quinn who exclusively uses sustainably, ethically, and naturally collected materials, that are processed by hand, caringly, without the use of toxic materials to design her high quality product lines. In an age where it can be difficult to navigate ethical purchasing choices, her pieces carry “no soul tax.” To best reach her target customers, Talcon has adapted to using a website to sell her projects at https://talcon-quinn.com. Please join us for a candid conversation about her experience navigating e-commerce as a creative entrepreneur.

WealthWorks in Appalachia: Recreational Tourism Opportunities in the Buckeye Hills Region. Join Rural Action, Buckeye Hills Regional Council, and ACEnet for a free, daylong workshop on how the WealthWorks strategic capital framework builds value chains. Learn from experts in the field during this interactive virtual session about how the Wealthworks framework has been applied in our region as we explore projects and opportunities in the recreational tourism sector. 

The outdoor economy in Ohio employs more people than the auto industry and adds $11.4 million in value to the state economy, while capturing $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue. This diverse economic sector holds great potential in Appalachian Ohio where natural, cultural and recreational assets are plentiful, along with the entrepreneurs that can grow businesses. A final agenda and further information about Rural Action's WealthWorks Institute will be released soon at www.ruralaction.org/wealthworks

In May, UpBEAT will focus on learning about grief during complicated times, the history of our regional football and how it has shaped professional football, and we will join together to play the invention game, which is liked by many of our members. In addition to these topics, there is a book club, singing group, and exercise class for members to participate in (all virtual opportunities). If you're 55+, connect with UpBEAT. https://www.ohiohealth.com/health-and-wellness/upbeat-program-athens You can also call Caitlin Bond, UpBEAT Program Coordinator, at (740) 566-4680 for more info or to receive the UpBEAT newsletter.