2011

Mark and Fran Di Donato

Mark was born in Akron and came to Cleveland in 1994 to attend John Carroll University. He left after college and returned in 2004, living initially in Ohio City, before buying his present home in 2005. Mark’s back yard looks like a little farm with raspberry and blackberry bushes growing next to a concrete driveway and numerous containers seeded with vegetables. Mark has six hens, an arauchana who lays blue eggs and two handsome black and white rock hens.

Ricardo Sandoval, owner of Fat Cats Restaurant

Ricardo grew up in Rocky River and opened his restaurant in Tremont in 1997. He was one of the “pioneers” who nurtured the renaissance of Tremont as a hub of great dining and creative enterprises. Fat Cats Restaurant has an herb garden in the back and a large vegetable garden at the side where Katie Maurer helps Ricardo grow heirloom vegetables for use in the kitchen. The restaurant also has several brightly painted rain barrels and creative bicycle racks ready for the Cuyahoga Valley bike trail to be completed.

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