Skrtic's Pics: Mason's Creamery, Kevin Clayton, Anne Harrill, Zaytoon's David Ina

John Skrtic has been with the Cleveland Public Library for over 30 years. He now serves as the chief of special projects and collections, which makes him responsible for overseeing the 11 million items in the Library Collection. He holds a master's of library and information science from Kent State University and a master's of public administration from Cleveland State University. Skrtic grew up on East 41st Street in Downtown Cleveland and has lived in the city his entire life. He is father of two children and spends his free time archiving the people and places of Cleveland.

Mason's Creamery

I had been trying to get a photograph of Jesse Mason and Helen Qin for a while, but our paths just never seemed to line up. Then I spotted the two of them together in Ohio City and finally had my chance. Their story began with a simple birthday gift. Jesse, who was born in Huntsville, Alabama, bought Helen an ice cream maker for her birthday while they were dating in Los Angeles. Helen was born in Chengdu, China, and was a big ice cream fan. She never used the machine. Jesse did. He began making ice cream for family and friends, and the response was good enough to make them wonder if there might be something more to it. When they moved to Cleveland in January 2013, they decided to give it a try, and Mason’s Creamery was born.

The first Mason’s Creamery was a mobile operation, appearing at festivals, farmers markets and food events around Cleveland. A few months later, neighbors in Ohio City told them about an old ice cream shop that had closed. The building at West 44th Street and Bridge Avenue had been an ice cream stand for about 60 years, known first as Dari Delite and later as Ohio City Ice Cream. Jesse and Helen took over the space, renovated it and opened Mason’s Creamery there in October 2014. Today, the shop is known for its amazing ice cream and constantly changing flavors. Their travels and customer suggestions help inspire new creations. They also expanded beyond ice cream, adding their super-popular ramen during Cleveland’s colder months.

The menu at Mason’s is not just excellent; it is fun. You can go in for a scoop and end up trying ramen or one of their fantastic Korean corn dogs. There are always new ice cream flavors to discover, and the menu gives people plenty of reasons to keep coming back. 

Océanne

I had heard about Anne Harrill long before I met her. When I first met her husband, Doc Harrill, years ago, the talented local musician and founder of Refresh Collective often talked about his creative wife and the jewelry she was making. So it was great to finally sit down with Anne, hear more of her story and get a photograph of her in front of her beautiful Detroit Shoreway shop. Anne was born on the French island of Réunion and came to Cleveland in 2000. She and Doc married in 2002, and today she is a West Park resident and mother of two. Anne began making jewelry as a hobby, selling at local shows and getting to know Cleveland’s artists and customers. What started as a creative outlet became her full-time work in 2010.

By 2015, she had moved her operation out of her home and into a warehouse, and in 2017 she opened Océanne in Gordon Square at 6519 Detroit Ave. The business has continued to grow. Océanne opened its second location at Pinecrest in 2021, followed by a third at Crocker Park. The company also has a presence at Van Aken Market Hall, 3441 Tuttle Rd. in Shaker Heights. Océanne has grown beyond jewelry to include apparel, accessories and home goods, while its jewelry continues to be designed in Cleveland and made using traditional techniques. Océanne has received local recognition, including Best of CLE honors. Anne has also become increasingly well known around town for her distinctive designs and her talent as a jewelry maker. To see more about her company, check out oceanne.net

Kevin Clayton

Kevin Clayton is Executive Vice President and Chief Impact and Equity Officer for Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers. His work goes well beyond basketball. Clayton oversees the organization’s Community Impact and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, along with the Cavaliers Community Foundation, Cavaliers Legends and government affairs. Through that work, he has helped connect the Cavaliers with people and organizations throughout Northeast Ohio. It has also been great working with Kevin and the amazing team at the Cavaliers, and I really appreciate all they do for Cleveland and the community.

It was great to photograph Kevin inside the new Cleveland Public Library exhibit, “All In 216: 10th Anniversary Championship Exhibit,” celebrating the Cavaliers’ historic 2016 NBA championship. Ten years later, that championship remains one of the defining moments in Cleveland sports history. I’m grateful to Kevin for helping make the exhibit possible and for giving me the chance to photograph him there.

North Coast Women’s Sailing Association (NCWSA)

For 30 years, the North Coast Women’s Sailing Association has been opening doors for women in sailing and sailboat racing here in Cleveland. Founded in 1996 and based at Edgewater Yacht Club, NCWSA gives women the opportunity to learn how to sail, race and skipper while becoming part of the larger sailing community. Over the years, the organization has built a strong tradition of education, competition, friendship and getting people out on Lake Erie. What began as an effort to create more opportunities for women in sailing has grown into an important part of Cleveland’s sailing community. It was especially great to have Cindy Einhouse in the photo. She is one of the founders and original members of NCWSA.

I was lucky enough to spend some time with this amazing group on Lake Erie, where they took me out on the beautiful lake and let me photograph them as NCWSA celebrates its 30th anniversary. I sailed on the Ovation, owned by Tom Einhouse, with Tom and David Butcher serving as coaches. What struck me most was the range of experience and accomplishments among this group. They come from different fields and different backgrounds, but on the water they come together to learn from one another, work as a team and enjoy being out on Lake Erie. It was a beautiful Cleveland day, a shimmering lake and a great group of people who were generous enough to let me tag along with my camera. Pictured is my now forever sailing squad: Theresa Permenter, Aidan Walsh, Samantha McClain, Barbara Nainiger, Becky Cox, David Butcher, Tom Einhouse, Cindy Einhouse and Natalie Prayte. It was great to document an organization that has been part of Cleveland’s sailing community for 30 years. Learn more here: ncwsa.net

Amanda Harnocz

Amanda Harnocz is the kind of Clevelander who loves the city and is always finding ways to give back to it. She is a lifelong Clevelander, a storyteller and a Communications Specialist for Cuyahoga County, where much of the content she creates is about the people, programs and communities that make the county special. Amanda and I always geek out about Cleveland when we see each other, talking about neighborhoods, people, places and all the little things that make this city ours. And her Cleveland credentials are for real. She lives in the actual city, works in the city and has a 216 phone number. If you call yourself a Clevelander, those things matter to so many of the people I’ve interviewed over the years. I took Amanda’s photograph at Heinen’s Downtown, where we were both eating and grieving the loss of our market. It was great to get her picture at a Cleveland institution we were lucky enough to have for a little more than a decade.

Amanda comes to storytelling through journalism and communications, always looking for the people and everyday moments worth sharing. She is also a Global Cleveland Ambassador to Hungary, helping build connections between Cleveland and Miskolc. When she isn't working, which seems to be almost never, she can be found exploring Cleveland neighborhoods, cooking, gardening or collecting lost playing cards she finds along the way. You can follow some of those adventures on Instagram at @amandaharnocz, where her Lost Card Collection has become its own little Cleveland archive. She has completed one deck and is working on a second. So if you find a lonely playing card on a Cleveland sidewalk, take a picture and send it to Amanda. She just might give that lost card a new home.

RELATED: Heinen's Downtown Cleveland Grocery Store Is Closing July 31

Zaytoon

Downtown Cleveland has been lucky to have Zaytoon at 1150 Huron Road, and this summer, this amazing restaurant quietly reached a milestone: nine years in business. I recently stopped in and caught up with owner David Ina, who has built Zaytoon into a downtown favorite since opening in July 2017. We talked about the restaurant, his career and the long road that led him to Cleveland’s culinary world. I’ve been a regular at Zaytoon since the doors opened, so it was especially good to photograph the person behind a place I’ve watched become part of the downtown neighborhood.

David’s connection to food started early. His first job was at his parents’ restaurant, Phonecia, in Maple Heights, where he started working when he was about 12. He later attended Polaris Career Center and Strongsville High School, where he studied culinary arts, followed by culinary studies at Sullivan University in Louisville. He earned a degree in hospitality management from The Ohio State University, worked as a sous chef at Crop Bistro and spent several years teaching culinary arts as an adjunct instructor at Cuyahoga Community College’s Public Square campus.

There is also a personal Cleveland connection to the story. David met his wife while working at Crop in 2012. Today, they live in Fairview Park with their 5-year-old daughter and their 4-month-old son. For David, Zaytoon brings together a career that began in a family kitchen, took him through culinary school, professional kitchens and the classroom, and eventually brought him back to Cleveland to build something of his own. To learn more about Zaytoon and David’s restaurant and catering business, visit zaytoonlebanesekitchen.com

Adediwra "Deborah" Adedeji

I recently had the chance to meet Adediwra Adedeji, a downtown Cleveland resident originally from Lagos, Nigeria, who is pursuing her PhD in polymer engineering at Case Western Reserve University. She told me about her research, including her work with soft surfaces, liquid crystals and gel-gel interactions. She posed for me in front of her Leica confocal microscope, and I have to admit, I learned a lot just listening to her explain the work. It is one thing to walk into a laboratory. It is another to meet the person behind the research and hear why the work matters.

Spending time with Adediwra and many other scientists, teachers and doctoral candidates left me with a real appreciation for the people doing this work right here in Cleveland. We often talk about the city through its neighborhoods, restaurants, businesses and events, but there is another Cleveland filled with people spending their days studying, teaching, experimenting and trying to solve difficult problems. Meeting Adediwra let me peer into that world, and I left in awe of the many incredibly smart people working in our city and doing their part to make the world a better place.

Ready Set Coffee Roasters

I stopped in to see Christopher and Molly Allen at Ready Set Coffee Roasters, 7306 Detroit Ave. in Cleveland, because I am always trying to get siblings together for a photograph. With their different schedules, I could never make it happen. But this time, the stars lined up. Chris and Molly were both at the coffee shop, and their mom, Margaret Allen, was there too. Margaret was so sweet, and before long, I had the whole family together in front of their coffee bar. Sometimes the best photographs are the ones you have to wait for.

Ready Set Coffee Roasters grew from a small roasting operation into the Gordon Square coffee shop it is today. Chris and Molly, along with their partners, started the business in 2018, learning the craft and eventually moving their operation from the garage to a brick-and-mortar shop that opened in 2021. But before the garage and before the coffee shop, there was Florence, Italy. They traveled there to study at the Espresso Academy, earning certifications and learning the science, craft and sensory side of coffee. The idea for Ready Set even began over a pint in an Irish pub in Florence. They brought what they learned back to Cleveland, and Chris began roasting coffee in his garage in 2019.

RELATED: Ready Set Coffee Roasters’ Chris Allen Is a Hardcore Garage Roaster

Many Clevelanders also know Chris from his years as a musician. He has played with Boys From County Hell and Rosavelt, among other bands. Molly is a longtime restaurant designer, and both she and Chris are co-founders of Ready Set Coffee Roasters. I was just happy I finally got the Allens in the same frame.

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