James Bigley II, managing editor
Buckeye Chocolate’s Assorted Turtles ($10)
While on a spontaneous shopping trip out at Aurora Farms, my friends and I stumbled into Ohio Artisan Collective, which, as you might have guessed, pulls from an assortment of Ohio makers, artists and food vendors to create a gaggle of gifts for just about anyone. After 20 minutes of perusing, my heart landed on a box of Buckeye Chocolate’s assorted turtles. Wrapped with a golden string, the 8-ounce collection of milk and dark chocolate turtles is enough to stem the tide of late-night cravings. ohioartisancollective.com
Arbela Capas, associate editor
Refried Vintage’s Plaid Skort ($30)
While I was all about the maxi and midi skirts last spring and summer, for some reason with the onset of cold weather I became in the mood to style a shorter skirt to mix things up. One of my favorite vintage sellers, Sivan Eshell runs her vintage pop-up shop, Refried Vintage out of Cafe Social in Tremont and she has the best selection of statement pieces and retro gems from various eras. She had this gray plaid skort that fit me like a glove and also reminded me of my simpler days as a kid when skorts were all the rage on the playground. I always have a blast shopping at her shop because she helps me think of ways to style items, especially when it’s something out of my comfort zone. Now I just need to decide if I want to go for a more Cher from Clueless look or Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. instagram.com/refriedvintage
Kim Schneider, editor
Golden Girls Mug from Nature’s Oasis ($19.99)
These four friends got me through my first year of college and beyond. And now it has become my go-to pandemic show. While some of the jokes and storylines are cringe-worthy now, the themes of friendship and family are what I love most about Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia. So when I saw this mug on Nature’s Oasis’ Instagram a few weeks ago I knew I had to have it. And if Golden Girls isn’t your thing, Nature’s Oasis has mugs paying tribute to Schitt’s Creek, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, RBG, Dolly Parton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, so I’m sure I will add to my collection soon. naturesoasisstores.com
Dillon Stewart, associate editor
Ohio City Pasta ($5 each), The Cheese Shop’s Greek feta ($10), Olive Cleveland’s Olive Oil ($18), Basil and Cherry Tomatoes ($6) from The West Side Market
My fiancee has been obsessed with this TikTok-viral pasta recipe, which is a simple, creamy one-pan pasta. For Valentine's Day, I decided to put a Cleveland spin on it by taking a trip to the West Side Market. You basically just put a brick of feta and some cherry tomatoes drizzled in olive oil in the oven at 400 degrees for about a half-hour. When it comes out, mix in the basil and your cooked pasta, and viola, you have an alfredo-style pasta dish. The fresh spaghetti noodles from Ohio City Pasta really took this dish up a notch, as did the Mediterranean Medley olive oil from Olive Cleveland. westsidemarket.org
