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The Venue Report Roundup: Ohio’s Top 23 Wedding Venue’s
Besides being known for their love of sports, Ohio natives are also huge fans of the outdoors. And we can understand why, with the rolling hills and expansive blue skies. From museum hotels to stately old mansions to organic farms and open-air greenhouses, there’s a wedding venue for every personality type in the Buckeye State.
Named number 3 wedding venue in Ohio is Orchard House, Granville, Ohio.
Part B&B, part glamping hotspot and part Ohio wedding venue, Orchard House Bed and Breakfast in Granville has the best of all worlds. Weddings here are hosted in a pine grove or on the expansive green lawns.
Reporter: Alyssa Brown
Eat (Really) Local at Orchard House
This Granville B&B prides itself on creating truly memorable meals. Co-owner Dean Lowry does that by starting in his own backyard.
NOVEMBER 2017
BY RICH WARREN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC WAGNER, FOOD STYLING BY KATHLEEN DAY
Your breakfast toast comes from Lucky Cat Bakery, just across the road. The eggs are courtesy of the free-range chickens wandering out back. Many of the herbs, fruits and vegetables that appear on your plate grew on-site, while most everything else came from farms and purveyors within a 20-mile radius. When it comes to eating local, Granville’s Orchard House Bed and Breakfast takes the idea to a new level.
When Dean Lowry and Jodi Melfi purchased the 12-acre estate in 2015, they resolved to create truly memorable meals for their guests by highlighting what is fresh and available from their own backyard or what they can get nearby. Over time, the couple’s suppliers have grown to include One Line Coffee in Granville, as well as Sunbeam Family Farm and Latshaw Apiaries in nearby Alexandria.
Exceptions are made for especially high-quality ingredients, such as dairy products from southern Ohio’s Snowville Creamery. That’s because locality isn’t the only measure of whether an ingredient makes it onto the menu. Lowry, who serves as Orchard House’s principal chef, carefully quizzes his potential suppliers, asking them about their farming practices and how their animals have been raised. He wants to know if produce is grown chemical free and if animals are raised humanely with access to sunlight and the outdoors.
“For me, it’s important that our suppliers raise their food ethically and with attention to the environment,” Lowry says. “We’re looking for farmers who have a global mindset, who don’t just live without regard to nature. We want to work with people who think globally and act locally.”
Orchard House Bed and Breakfast co-owner Dean Lowry prides himself on making great breakfasts with simple, local ingredients. (photo by Eric Wagner)
He practices what he preaches, too. His herbs and produce are all grown organically, and Lowry works hard to make sure his chickens are happy.
“I want them eating bugs, grass, maybe even an occasional apple or leftover pizza crust,” he says.
Experience has taught him happy chickens will produce higher-quality, better-tasting eggs. And that’s the ultimate goal: sheer flavor. Lowry’s attention pays off at the breakfast table, where the meals change as the seasons turn. This time of year, autumn’s bounty appears in dishes like Lowry’s sweet potato hash or the B&B’s famous Dutch baby, an apple pancake made in a cast-iron skillet and cooked in the oven.
French toast is another seasonal favorite, prepared in both savory and sweet varieties, using frozen cherries, peaches and apples picked out back during the summer. The cinnamon roll pancake is popular with kids, and the baked polenta with crumbled sausage and cheddar cheese is a year-round favorite.
Lowry’s eclectic approach to his menu carries over to the bed-and-breakfast itself. He and Melfi decorated the 1850s brick Italianate structure with a pleasing blend of antiques from around the world and contemporary artwork — a style they call “cosmopolitan country.”
“We didn’t want to be your grandma’s dusty quilts kind of B&B,” says Lowry, a former IT technician from Detroit who met Melfi, a Granville graphic artist and designer, online. “So we worked in modern, local artwork to liven things up.”
Eggs on the B&B’s menu come from the free-range chickens wandering out back. (photo by Eric Wagner)
Although not formally trained as a chef, Lowry is a longtime foodie who loves devising new dishes. When he finds a recipe that intrigues him, he plays with flavors and textures until he gets it right. Finding that the poblano peppers he originally used in his sweet potato hash weren’t to all his guests’ liking, he substituted just a touch of powdered cayenne and smoked paprika.
For culinary inspiration, Lowry watches cooking shows such as Food Network’s “Chopped,” which challenges four chefs to concoct original dishes using unusual combinations of ingredients, such as asparagus hearts and gummy bears.
“I find myself watching what they make and thinking, Oh wow, without the gummy bears, I could make that,” he says. And then he does.
Orchard House’s guests give a hearty thumbs-up to Lowry’s flavorful breakfasts. Visitors Jarret and Emily Holley of Columbus especially appreciate the locality of the food he prepares.
“I’m originally from Nevada, where it’s almost impossible to find local food, so I really enjoy knowing what I’m eating comes from close by,” says Jarret, with Emily adding that the couple likes to frequent restaurants in Columbus that embrace an eat-local approach. Zach and Danielle Winning of Cincinnati were visiting Orchard House this September for the third time.
“We’re obsessed with Dean’s food,” Danielle says. “It tastes fresher, and it’s fancier, although it’s a simple kind of fancy. Best of all, I don’t have to make it myself.”
For those wishing to emulate Orchard House’s culinary approach in their own kitchens, Lowry has straightforward words of advice.
“Always use the freshest, best-quality ingredients,” he explains. “I stress natural over organic: food that’s been grown or raised without pesticides, additives and that’s been minimally processed and tampered with.”
Above all, Lowry says, simple ingredients are the best. You only have to lift a forkful of one of his morning creations to know that simple translates to scrumptious.
4058 Columbus Rd., Granville 43023, 740/651-1850, orchardhousegranville.com
Edible Columbus – Fall 2017
By Claire Spurlock
Every time I visit Granville I find new depths to its charm. The village’s cohesive and independent food community beckons, as do the boutique shops and the abundant strolls through blocks of well-loved homes and mature trees bordering downtown. Granville is easily accessible from Columbus and, once there, largely walkable in fair weather. Wherever you look, glimpses of Granville’s history are evident in buildings that remain from its inception and carefully plotted streets built to mimic the New England hometowns of early settlers. Modern Granville residents have helped solidify community traditions and charm and usher in a modern spirit that allows for business and tourism to thrive…
Settle in at the Orchard House Bed and Breakfast, where guests can visit with resident chickens, goats and sheep on the 12-acre property and relax in a restored 1850s farmhouse complete with spacious guest rooms named for prior residents. Orchard House offers seasonal “glamping” through October and hosts weddings in the pine grove.
Breakfast is served each morning in a sunny nook by innkeeper Dean Lowry, featuring eggs collected daily from the chicken coop, local meats and produce, Lucky Cat bread and One Line coffee. After enjoying a leisurely cup, it’s time to hit the streets for a second round of Granville explorations.
“There’s a lot to draw from within community. Certainly, as far as support and resources, but then also ingredients, manpower and love,” says Alfie’s owner Sam.
This sweet little treat from Ohio wedding photographer DiBlasio Photography showcases what I hope will become a much desired wedding trend of 2017! On paper this bed & breakfast wedding reads like an easy breezy casual affair. It is however, the gorgeous sophisticated styling that sets this orchard wedding apart! Prime for 2017 wedding trends stardom, its the combination of a casual atmosphere met with refined elevated wedding decor details that creates the perfect environment. Nestled in on the garden grounds of The Orchard House Granville, the orchard wedding is brought to life with a mixture of reclaimed wood furniture paired with stately floral china and etched glassware. Keeping with a fresh organic feel that echoes their surroundings, a sprawling centerpiece was crafted for the length of the table featuring a main focal arrangement while utilizing leafy vines and ferns to creep outward. No orchard wedding would be complete without some of its local fare utilized as accents, as such, plums and apples dance throughout the tablescape. In the spirit of the modern boho bride, the team selected an art deco inspired lace body hugging gown from La Jeune Mariee Bridal Boutique. The wedding dress was paired with a jeweled headpiece, the refined answer to the floral crown, creating the perfect marriage of wild and free elegance. If there is one thing you take from today’s dreamy orchard wedding its the beauty in location, always paired with elegance & style.
NEWARK OHIO - Explore Licking County honored multiple people and community organizations Tuesday at its annual IMPACT awards.
Seven awards were given out to people and organizations who contribute to the tourism industry in Licking County.
Explore Licking County Director of Sales and Marketing Carol Thress said the IMPACT awards were created to celebrate tourism and hospitality. She said organizers received a record number of nominations this year.
Orchard House Bed and Breakfast was awarded the New Partner of the Year Award.
The Broadway Pub was awarded the Food and Beverage Partner of the Year.
The Buxton Inn was awarded Lodging Partner of the Year.
The Canal Market District dedication was awarded the Event of the Year.
The Works was awarded Attraction of the Year.
The Licking County River Round Up was awarded the Collaboration of the Year.
Bruce Cramer, executive director of Bryn Du Mansion, was awarded the 2016 Tourism Partner of the Year.
GRANVILLE OHIO - Unique Lodging of Ohio, a sector of Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association, recently named Orchard House Granville as one of the state's top three inns.
With a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor, 4.8 stars on Google, 4.8 stars on BedandBreakfast.com, visitors repeatedly comment on high quality of service and delicious breakfast creations, according to an inn news release.
"We are incredibly honored to be ranked alongside two of Ohio's long-standing classic, traditional inns — Inn at Cedar Falls and Glenlaurel Inn," Innkeeper/owner, Dean Lowry said.
"We purchased Orchard House in April 2015 and have worked hard to bring the property to a higher level, which has been run as a bed and breakfast, on and off, over the past 25 years,” Lowry said. “Focusing on farm and local sourcing for our entire operation has added a very attractive element for our guests."
GRANVILLE OHIO - When UNESCO nominates the Newark Earthworks as a World Heritage Site, possibly by 2018, Licking County will see a massive influx of tourism.
“The expectation is…that this is going to bring very significant numbers of tourists from Europe, from Asia, and from around the United States,” says Richard Shiels, emeritus director of the Newark Earthworks Center.
We need to create experiences for travelers to enjoy multiple nights, keeping their generous vacation spending dollars local. “Lodging as a Destination” converts single-night to multi-day stays.
Think about boutique hotels with environments so unique and appealing that visitors first select where they’ll stay; then what activities they’ll enjoy.
GRANVILLE OHIO - Granville’s Orchard House Bed & Breakfast is trying to take local sourcing to the next level.
Owners Dean Lowry and Jodi Mefli have established partnerships with local businesses to provide their guests with items like baked goods, coffee and organic produce, among many other things.
“Our guests are worldly, health and socially conscientious, and they want something meaningful with their stay,” explained Lowry.
In addition to being the B&B's full-time innkeeper, Lowry is also the breakfast chef.
“My goal is to locally source as many of the ingredients as possible,” he said, “such as my hens' eggs, veggies, fruits and herbs from our gardens, coffee from One Line Coffee, tea from Petali, meats from local farms, breads from Lucky Cat, fruit from local producers and of course, maple syrup from Loudon Crest Farms. If I could figure out a popular alternative for orange juice, I could get very close to 100 percent local!”
Featured February 8, 2016 at Junebug Weddings. Photography by The Portos. Flowers by Village Flower Basket.