History
Sammy's in the Flats
- November 21, 1980 - Opening Day
- July 1, 1981 - Dinner Service Began
- 1983 - Sammy's Riverview I is added
- 1986 - Sammy's Riverview
II is added
- 1987 - Nations Restaurant
News Fine Dining Hall of Fame
- 1989-2000 - Wine Spectator Award of
Excellence
- 1992 - Restaurant Business Business Leadership
Award
- 1994-2000 DiRoNa Award - Distinguished Restaurants of
North America
- April 2000 - Restaurant closed, Dining Room Upgraded to
Banquet Space
Sammy's Tenth Street Market & Cafe
- From 1985 to 1990
- 1990 - Converted into Sammy's Waterfront Room
- First Event features Mariah Carey being presented by
Sony Records
Keynote Restaurant at Severance Hall
Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom
Sammy's Manakiki Ballroom & Courtyard
- From 1993 to Date
- June 5, 2004 - First Wedding in Hanna Courtyard
Sammy's at the Gund Arena
George S. Dively Conference Center
- From 1995 to August 15, 2004
Sammy's at Blossom Music Center
Denise Marie Fugo
- 2000 Chairman National Restaurant Association
Sammy's at Playhouse Square Center
Sammy's at Legacy Village
Articles
The James Beard Foundation's Taste America
Currents - 2007
(click for larger image)
Currents - April 19, 2007
The Cleveland Orchestra welcomed Music Director Laureate Christoph
von Dohnanyi who, for the first time since 2002, returned here to
conduct a spectacular Benefit Concert, followed by a special patron
dinner.
Dorothy Humel Hovorka, Clara Rankin, Gretchen Smith and Richard Bogomolny
served as co-chairman of the momentous evening that began with the
concert, stunning performances first of Robert Schuman's Symphony No. 4, and then, after
intermission, Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony. The audience that
filled Severance Hall to capacity sprang to its feet following both, with the
standing ovation at the conclusion prompting Mr. Dohnanyi's return to the
stage at least a half dozen times.
Following the concert, some 200 guests gathered in the Smith Lobby for a sumptuous
dinner, prepared by Sammy's Catering, that was served at banquet tables.
Don Vanderbrook designed the decorations that included fragrant white lilies,
sprays of orchids and dogwood blossoms on silvered branches in tall silver trumpet
vases arranged on deep chocolate organdy cloths. On the center line of every
table were rows of individual silver candlesticks with votives nestled in lily
blossoms.
Cleveland Orchestra Executive Director Gary Hanson offered a "toast to
maestro," as Mr. Dohnanyi arrived to sit at the head table. Before dessert
was served, there were remarks by Richard Bogomolny, chairman of the Musical
Arts Association, and by its president, Jamie Ireland, who said that Mr. Dohnanyi
had donated his fee to the orchestra for the benefit of its educational programs.
The proceeds from the evening exceeded a quarter of a million dollars, said Mr.
Ireland, who thanked Al Rankin, Jr., chairman, president and CEO of NACCO Industries,
Inc. for sponsoring the evening's concert as well as "...for its legacy
of support to the orchestra not only in the past but also the future." At
the conclusion, Mr. Dohnanyi spoke, too, thanking everyone for welcoming him
so warmly to the place that was home to him for nearly 20 years.
It was truly a magnificent evening for our beloved Cleveland Orchestra.
Cleveland Institute of Music - "An Evening with Bobby McFerrin"
Currents - February 15, 2007
(click for larger image)
Marianne Lipps and Christopher DeAngelus
Cleveland Weddings Magazine - September 2006
(click for larger image)
Keep the Jazz Fires Burning:
Sammy's in the Flats 25th Anniversary
Plain Dealer - 11/27/05
Eighties reunion: Movers and shakers on Cleveland's downtown
party scene during the 1980s returned in droves to an old favorite
party spot—Sammy's in the Flats—on Nov. 18 to celebrate
the company's 25th anniversary. More than just a high end soiree,
the event helped raise nearly $15,000 for scholarships for Cuyahoga
Community College's Jazz Studies program. The evening also
posthumously honored local jazz legend Hank Greer, who played regularly
at Sammy's for 18 years.
Family affair: Sammy's owners Ralph DiOrio and Denise Fugo—sweethearts
since their day at Garfield Heights High School—had their
extended family in attendance, including their kids Dena, Georgia,
Jessica and nephew Tom, as well as Denise's dad, Bill Fugo,
82, who worked the crowd and danced with anyone who would join
him.
Jazzy show: Local jazz legend Ernie Krivda served as musical director
for the evening and hooked up performances from five acts including:
Evelyn Wright and Jazz Alive, the Tri-C Jazz Studies Performance
Combo, Grupo Brasil, the Jackie Warren Quintet and his own band,
Swing City.
Food for thought: Sammy's brought out its classic gourmet
dishes for the party, including escargot, fois gras, lamb chops and
crab cakes. A buffet dinner consisted of a wild berry salad, chicken
in puff pastry, rare roast beef and creamy pastas. Anyone who enjoyed
Sammy's during its heyday might have been sad when the restaurant
closed in April 2000 because the owners wanted to concentrate on
their growing catering business.
Quotable: "Sammy's really helped jump start the Flats
district when it opened in 1980, and it became an institution," said
Jim Harris, a local publicist for the event.
Taking chances: A vibrant group of longtime opera fans gathered
at Sammy's at Legacy Village on Nov. 19 to help raise $20.000
for the Cleveland Opera. The snazzy guests dressed in festive costume
attire, but the games of chance were missing. A week before the party,
Cleveland Opera League chair Susan Bianco found out the permits for
gambling weren't in order, and the group had to cancel the
gaming activities.
Entertaining options: Instead of blackjack and craps, party planners
hired extra entertainment for the evening. Lounge singer Scott Brotherton
channeled the spirits of Dean Martin and Neil Diamond during cocktails,
and the band Ovation performed during and after dinner. Gurests also
entertained themselves by bidding on silent auction items and purchasing
tickets for a Chinese raffle.
The Cowboys And Cowgirls Were Out In Full Force For Hay Day 2005!
Fieldstone Farm
September 2005
Over 300 cowboys and cowgirls raised the roof
at Fieldstone Farm TRC's annual Hay Day on September 17th.
The crowd was decked out in denim and diamonds—this year's
Hay Day theme—along with their cowboy hats and boots. As guests
entered, they were greeted by banjo music, cactus-pear margaritas
and delicious hor d'oeuvres.
After a performance by Fieldstone Farm TRC's mounted drill
team, Rich and Linda Bradshaw lassoed the crowd into the arena
for a roping demonstration and competition. Sunnie Hellman took
first place in the competition and won a beautiful silver belt
buckle donated by Rich Bradshaw. The lucky runner-up, Jeff Weeden,
also won a silver buckle donated by Cowboy by Choice. The sit-down
dinner was a delicious on-the-range feast catered by Sammy's.
After dinner, guests danced to the foot-stompin' tunes of
Chapter 11 and enjoyed horse drawn hay rides along tiki torch lit
trails. New this year, guests took a chance at winning a prize
on the numbers board. The $5,000 grand prize was won by Stuart
London, a Fieldstone Farm TRC volunteer. The other fabulous prizes
included a trip to Colorado, a catered thanksgiving dinner, a week
in St. Pete and more. Megan Velotta, event chair, and her posse
did and outstanding job, covering every detail of the evening!
This event would not have been possible without the support of
our generous sponsors. Thank you one and all.
Sammy's Announces New Location at Legacy Village
Contact: Denise Marie Fugo
(216) 406-0256
June 2005—Lyndhurst, Ohio—Northeastern Ohio's premier
lifestyle center, Legacy Village, is excited to announce the addition
of Sammy's at Legacy Village, opening June 22, 2005. The Legacy
Village location will offer the unparalleled, one-of-a-kind fine
dining banquet experience that Sammy's is known for.
Sammy's, celebrating its 25th year serving Northeast Ohio,
currently operates: Sammy's in the Flats,
Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom,
Sammy's at Playhouse Square Center and
Sammy's Manakiki Ballroom & Courtyard.
Sammy's also caters off-site at venues such as Lakeside Courthouse,
HealthSpace, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Crawford
Auto-Aviation Museum, Sarah Benedict House, Cuyahoga Valley Career
Center, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens and Corporate College West.
Sammy's at Legacy Village is the company's fifth banquet
venue. General Manager, Karen M. Tagliaferro Bender, brings her
sixteen years as a chef, special event coordinator and banquet
manager experience to weddings, corporate events, benefits, b'nai
mitzvahs, meetings and conferences,
and special events.
Sammy's will occupy the 10,000 square foot space on the 2nd
floor of Legacy Village's main building, overlooking the entertainment
area at Center Court. Sammy's reputation is one of quality,
and Legacy Village is sure to provide a wonderfully stylish backdrop
for the sophisticated and elegant atmosphere that Sammy's will
offer their guests.
Ride the elevator or escalator to Sammy's at Legacy Village.
As you enter, you are surrounded by pairs of French doors beautifully
finished with espresso stain which open on to the balcony and terrace
to enjoy the beautiful views and streetscapes of Legacy Village.
Sammy's pre-function bar is also richly finished with espresso
stain and is washed with light while the carpeting's rich tones
of black, brown, tan and gold warm the room.
These warm tones flow to the Grand Hall. Fluted wood columns are
dramatically up-lit and finished with gold leaf. The tufted fabric
ceiling is finished with white lights. This whimsical yet sophisticated
space was designed by architect William J. Fugo and Ralph DiOrio,
Sammy's chief operations officer. Sammy's design team
worked in conjunction with The Osborn Engineering Company and Legacy
Construction Services.
Imagine your wedding ceremony on the balcony and reception in the
Grand Hall at Sammy's at Legacy Village. Please visit www.sammys.com for additional information.
Legacy Village is a shopping and entertainment community like
no other. It's a place where friends and families can window shop,
enjoy a wonderful meal together, or just relax with a cup of coffee.
Strolling down Main Street, guests discover the fantastic selection
of retailers and restaurants, many of which are exclusive to Northeast
Ohio, as well as the largest collection of restaurants in the
area.
Legacy Village is managed by First Interstate Properties, Ltd.,
a Lyndhurst, Ohio-based full service real estate development and
management company. Its portfolio includes over 3,000,000 square
feet of commercial retail space in the State of Ohio.
Zippity ZooDoo
Currents - 7/15/04
By Kathryn Riddle
This year's Zippity ZooDoo benefit hosted by the Cleveland Zoological
Society offered a special preview of the newest addition to the
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Mrs. [Billie Howland] Steffee, Zippity
ZooDoo's honorary party chairman, was accompanied by her son David
and his wife Laura and were among the early crowd of more than
760 guests who toured the building.
While enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, people bid on the
silent auction until the call to dinner served under a canopy of
tents flanking the center-stage dance floor where the African Soul
ensemble performed as everybody was seated.
The rest of the evening, guests bundled up against the chilly
night air, enjoyed the dinner catered by Sammy's, and warmed
up with dancing to music by the Jerry Bruno Orchestra.
eXtreme Shakespeare
Currents - 7/15/04
By Linda McMullen
It's a summer night's (and day's) dream as
the Great Lakes Theater Festival returns to repertory and Shakespeare
in July and August. To make merry with this good news for play-lovers,
the Great Lakes Theater Festival's annual June benefit went to
eX-tremes with a lively party for 350.
The Renaissance to Radical theme played out as guests checked in.
Co-chairs Donna Walsh and Diana Stromberg welcomed all to the State
Theater lobby, where jugglers and jesters entertained along with
a daring gentleman on stilts.
After grazing on Sammy's yummy nibbles and pass-arounds, and checking
out the silent auction items, the crowd was led by her majesty
Queen Elizabeth into the Ohio Theater for a command performance
billed as an exceptional music spectacular.
A delicious dinner of beef tenderloin and stuffed baked breast
of chicken followed on the stage of the State. The setting was
wonderfully imaginative: row after row of Shakespearean costumes
hung high across the stage like a 16th century clothesline illuminated
with rich red and golden lights. Breathtaking!
Reds, Whites & Brews
Currents - 7/15/04
By Kathryn Riddle
The third time was a charm for the annual Cleveland
Reads benefit celebrating fabulous food and wines of Spain and
Mexico.
To the utter joy of party chairman Shelley McCuen, the event at
Sammy's in the Flats was a sell-out with more than 250 guests crowding
the former dining room, its mass of windows offering a spectacular
view of the Cuyahoga River's bend.
Sammy's buffet of Mexican and Spanish foods was superb, including
chicken tacos, empanadas, and Spanish rice with chorizo. Dessert
was terrific, too, with a choice of Spanish almond cake, flan
and churros. Four beverage tables featured selections of tastings
of red and white wines from Spain and California and such marvelous
Mexican beers as Dos Equis, Pacifico and Negro Modela. Stations
offering sumptuous salsa and tapas rounded out the gastronomic
delights.
Patron Benefit Dinner will take on new look, feel for 2004 event
Sun News - 7/1/04
By Michelle Park
This year, the Patron Benefit Dinner of the Festival of the Arts
will taste and look a bit different. For the first time in 12 years,
Sodexho chefs will not cook the foods for the benefit dinner, said
[Susan] Rudin-Leonard, in her fifth year as chair of the event.
Instead, Sammy's, a Cleveland catering company, will host four
stations of foods for guests.
The hibachi station will feature grilled shrimp, pasta salad,
imported cheeses and melon, Rudin-Leonard said. Another station,
Southwestern tortelacchi, will include cactus and corn pepper salad
and chicken. Rosemary pork tenderloin will be served in the third
station, along with blackberries and old world breads, and molasses
grilled beef tenderloin will be the main dish of the last station.
Sammy's will serve dinner guests peach martinis, vanilla bean
mousse, chocolate raspberry bars, lemon squares and brownies for
dessert.
"Most of the foods are finger foods," [Nancy] Arphrell
said. "There is a lot of mingling (at the benefit dinner).
We didn't want to do a formal sit-down dinner. That's too constrained."
"The planning committee chose Sammy's because of its reputation.
They are well-known in the area," she said, noting
the catering company is known for its reliability and quality of
its food products.
Diabetes Associations' Casino Night
Currents - 4/15/04
By
Art Thomas
The Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland, like other wise
agencies, has been developing a support group of younger professionals.
These energetic supporters will be the most generous benefactors
of the future.
For the third consecutive year, the Diabetes Association raised
funds with a Casino Night. This year the venue was the "room with
a view," [at
Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom]. High atop the Huntington Building
downtown, the guests enjoyed the lake views to the north in the main ballroom
area.
The 150 guests ranged in age from young 20s to...well, considerably
older...
The guests also shared a commitment to having fun at the event
and there was no shortage of things to do.
A DJ found music for everyone with a mix of sounds that went from
'60s beach tunes to gospel and soul to some pretty serious rock.
Las Vegas style casino games were the centerpiece of the evening.
The most popular of the games seemed to be blackjack with every table
active through most of the night. There were slot machines too. "Fun
Money" was
the currency of the realm, and the fake notes were converted into
raffled tickets for a wide range of packages. They were won Chinese
raffle style.
At a silent auction, among other items, celebrity guest
Rebecca Wilde donated a day with her in the broadcast booth.
Flats Oxbow Auction
Currents - 4/15/04
By Kathryn Riddle
The banks of the Cuyahoga were alive and kicking
at the Flats Oxbow Auction, the 14th annual event that benefited the non profit
organization founded 28 years ago.
The party was held at Sammy's in the Flats, the perfect venue
with its Waterfront and Riverview Rooms overlooking the oxbow-shaped
bends that define the Cuyahoga River's flatlands. Organized
by Laura Furjanic, special events coordinator for the Flats Oxbow
Association, the evening was an auction-lover's
delight, drawing over 200 people in support of the Flats Oxbow mission
to preserve and promote the area. Executive director James Pressler
said that the event is the organization's major fund-raiser
and that he anticipated generating $35,000 before expenses.
Brass
player Peter Dominguez and keyboardist Leo Coach entertained
during the silent auction cocktail hour and dinner, which was especially
good and served by Sammy's highly attentive wait staff.
There were randomly drawn door prizes, too, making this party one
that was simply loads of fun!
Oxbow Association auction raises $30,000 for the Flats
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 3/31/04
By Lois K. Weissberg
Two hundred people enjoyed the spectacular view
at Sammy's in the Flats Friday night for the 14th annual Flats
Oxbow Association auction. In case anybody didn't know what "oxbow" meant,
Jim Pressler, executive director of the association, explained that
when a river bends and meanders (as does the Cuyahoga River), it
has oxbows—from the shape of the yoke of an ox.
The Flats Oxbow Association is a community development organization
that promotes the interests of businesses, property owners and
residents of the Flats.
The eclectic crowd included members of each of these communities.
They listened to the Leo Coach jazz combo, had dinner and participated
in a silent auction and a lively live auction. Freighter trips,
blimp rides and helicopter rides were among the auction items that
helped raise close to $30,000 for the association.
The past comes to life at Akron's Stan Hywet Hall
Currents -
3/18/04
By Sylvia A. Haupt
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, the former home of F.A. Seiberling,
co-founder of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, remains today
as one of Northeast Ohio's best-loved treasures. With a castle,
English gardens, a lagoon and enchanting vistas, Stan Hywet is
deep in the heart of Akron's near west side overlooking the Cuyahoga
Valley.
A visit to Stan Hywet appeals to more than just the women's garden
club. Anyone with an interest in history, art, architecture, antiques
and the humanities of the early 20th century will find something
at which to marvel. Built between 1912 and 1915, the Tudor Revival
mansion was host to a multitude of guests in its day including four
U.S. Presidents, the Von Trapp family singers, Helen Keller and Will
Rogers. But perhaps most appealing is that sixty-five room and 70
acres of the estate remain virtually the way they were in 1955 when
the family home of over 40 years became a museum.
Antiques abound throughout the house and not just with the accoutrements
of its day. The Seiberlings had a penchant for filling the home with
just the right touches and searched Europe for art and furnishings.
Visitors find the fruits of their labor around every corner.
Visual treats like a 15th century German Clock in the Billiard
Room, 16th century Flemish tapestries in the Great Hall, the woodwork
in the Master Bedroom rescued from a 17th century English manor
house…the
list goes on.
The artifacts of the home paint an endearing portrait
of its inhabitants. Mr. Seiberling seems true to form as an American
industrialist fascinated by all the whistles and bells of the ear
including an electric card table that shuffles and deals, a telephone
switchboard system for guests and servants to communicate, a central
vacuum, a warming over, an electric refrigerator and even a chest
made of vulcanized rubber.
Mrs. Seiberling comes to life as mother, grandmother, hostess
extraordinaire and general manager of all things musical and aesthetic.
She seems to connect the dots between everyday life at Stan Hywet
and idyllic living. According to Sue Petrilla, one of the many
informative guides at the mansion, the Mrs. believed in "food for the body; food for the mind." In
the breakfast room, a sunny area filled with the charm of 17th
century England, sits an easel used to display a poem or thought
for the day. One can almost hear morning banter and taste marmalade
and scones.
The dining area continues the fantasy. Bordered by scenes form
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, decorative arts lovers can feast on ornate,
silver-plated chandeliers and wall scones; Royal Dalton, gold rimmed
plates featuring illustrations of the homes visited by the Seiberlings;
elaborate French-style cabinets; and scrolls, s-curves, filigree
and other design motifs over almost every square inch of the home.
Visitors will also get a sense of how the Seiberlings spent their
spare time. With fitness and health a priority, an indoor pool
called "The Plunge" is
on tour. The downstairs area also includes a gymnasium, sauna,
changing room, one-lane bowling alley and basketball court. Each
family bedroom had a sleeping porch as they believe in lots of
fresh air to ward off tuberculosis. (Mr. Seiberling slept in his
year-round.)
Other familial touches are sprinkled throughout. In one of the
boy's rooms, visitors will see 70-year-old "graffiti" done
by young Seiberlings to support World War I and II. Paintings by
Mrs. Seiberling, an accomplished artist, can also be viewed in
the Gallery.
Why the family atmosphere is prevalent, the Seiberlings
were anything but reclusive. As the saying carved above the front
door states, "non nobis solum" ("not
for us alone"), the couple entertained lavishly with parties
and celebrations complete with four-star lodging in the form of
a full guest wing. The famed Music Room, considered by architects
and interior designers to be one of the most beautiful rooms in
America, welcomed renowned musicians of the day including Paderewski
and Leopold Stowkowski.
Music and other cultural traditions continue at Stan
Hywet with a host of events and activities to honor the past and
stimulate the minds of the future. The Music Room Concert series
features regionally and internationally acclaimed musicians. Mayfair
Event lauds spring with a "seasonal sampling of antiques,
celebrated stitchery and hard-to-find flowers." The Father's
Day Antique, Classic and Collector Car Show is always anticipated,
automobile aficionados or not. Ohio Mart is noted as one of the
best arts and crafts festivals in the country.
Daily tours of the grounds and mansion are always available as
well as several specialty tours. The Decorative Arts Tour focuses
on the sculpture, paintings and lithographs of the estate. The
Yesterday and Today Grounds Tour features some of the outbuildings,
restoration work and the gardens. The Socialite to Servant Tour
and dinner is a new offering. Visitors come as a "guest" of
the Seiberlings, tour the home and enjoy a sumptuous meal. After dinner, roles
change. "Guests" could be trapped as potential staff
members to experience first-hand the duties of the Stan Hywet domestic
engineers. The event also includes historical characters and sneak
peak tours behind closed doors.
Children are also included in the Stan Hywet
calendar. A variety of Summer Day camps are on the agenda and cover
the creative and performing arts, hobbies, science and vintage sports.
Although photos are prohibited inside the home, photographers will
find inspiration in the natural and manicured settings of the grounds.
The English Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Great Meadow, and Birch
Allee are beautiful year-round and create an elegant backdrop for
portrait and group photos. Some areas on the grounds are even available
for outdoor ceremonies and receptions.
The next time you're in need of royal treatment, consider a trip
though history to what has been chronicled as one of "America's Castles" and
plan to enjoy the splendor of art, nature and history all rolled
into one afternoon.
Cleveland's Finest Hors d'Oeuvres Contest
Currents - 3/18/04
By Kathryn Riddle
To celebrate its tenth annual Cleveland's Finest Hors
d'Oeuvres Contest, Our Lady of the Wayside honored the man who started
it all.
Chad Chillemi, proprietor of The Woods Restaurant & Lounge
in Rocky, River, received special recognition at this year's
event at Sammy's in the Flats. OLW executive director Terry Davis
presented the award to Mr. Chillemi whose idea of the hors d'oeuvres
competition has generated over $250,000 for the non-profit agency
that serves people affected by mental retardation and developmental
disabilities. Barbara and John Jacobus, who served as benefit chairmen
for the fourth consecutive year, expressed their thanks to him
and to the party's sponsors as well.
The Don Better Jazz Trio played throughout
the evening that included a raffle drawing and silent live auction,
the latter conducted by WDOK's Nancy Alden sans her radio partner
Robin Benzle who was vacationing with family. Together Nancy and
Robin have served as celebrity hosts for nearly all of the previous
OLW contest benefits.
After sampling the sumptuous hors d'oeuvres prepared for the popular
competition by Bravo Specialty Caterers, Carrie Cerino's Ristorante
and Party Center, Eddie's Creekside, Sammy's Catering, Suacy Bistro,
Stancato's Italian Restaurant, and The Woods and Bravo Specialty
Caterers.
Proceeds from the party, said Terry Davis, help Our Lady of the
Wayside "create
opportunities and open doors for the people it serves."
Putters, Bones & Birdies
Currents - 3/18/04
By Kathryn Riddle
Everyone dressed to a tee for the annual Cleveland
Museum of Natural History's benefit.
Miniature golf was the theme of Putters, Bones & Birdies chosen
by the Women's Committee to banish the mid-winter blues, according
to party chairmen Ann Humphrey and Lynn Quintrell.
"We wanted to do something different, casual and fun," said
Lynn. "Members
of the museum staff and departments and affiliate societies designed each
of the 18 holes, and they're not easy either!"
Up to the challenge were some 200 or so guests, many of whom
wore snazzy golf attire and brought their own putters to the course
that meandered through the galleries and showcased the splendid
exhibits. Although an admitted non-golfer himself, executive director
Dr. Bruce Latimer designed a hole aptly entitled "Director's
Challenge" featuring replicas of bones from the museum's collection.
Flora and fauna, recycling and the cosmos were among themes of
each hole, culminating in everybody's favorite, the 19th, with
food and beverages served buffet style by Sammy's Catering. Umbrella
tables with ample seating for guests had adorable flowerpot centerpieces
created by decorations committee members Joan Holmes and Judy Kreiner.
The Women's Committee scored a hole-in-one with its "fun" raiser
that will enable it to support educational projects and programs for the
Natural History Museum.
Jump Back Ball: Mobsters & Molls
Currents -
3/18/04
By Linda McMullen
You missed the 2004 Jump Back Ball? What a crime!
This perennial blast put on by the creative minds of the 20-and-30-somethings
of Playhouse Square Partners always shoots for the outrageous,
and this year's gig was right on target.
First, just to get in the door, you had to go through the side
door through "Lucky
Louie's" wake, past the smiling "Funeral Director" (Chris Axelrod)
and grieving widow (Ellen Friedman). Then for VIPs, it was on to the State
Theater stage for an early celebration (walking over the body outlines on the
floor and hitting "Bugsy's Speakeasy" before the main action began).
Out in the State lobby [at Playhouse Square], the sold-out crowd
(825+) sampled an Italian buffet, had their photos taken in jail
or sleeping with the fish, and got a head start on winning bottles
of (legit) gin or champagne. Upstairs, the mezzanine was mobbed
by mobsters and molls trying to get a martini poured through one
of four giant Ketel One bottles. And no gangster action is complete
without the gambling tables. Sassy Erin's Casino, named for co-chair Erin
Schopf, kept the cards hot and the crap game hopping.
Back out in the Lobby, there were more Capones than Tony Sopranos.
Lots of zoot suits, spats and hats on the men; the gals went for
flapper beads, boas and pin curls. Big Nick Guglielmo, party co-chair,
had cigars stuffed in the pocket of his red double-breasted, and
all the gents in the band Redline sported mobster mode.
Again, a fabulous turnout and result: Expected funds raised for
the Playhouse Square Partners coffers...over $100,000.
The Nephron Jazz Ball
Currents - 3/18/04
By Kathryn Riddle
The Kidney Foundation of Ohio presented its annual
benefit, the Nephron Jazz Ball, at Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom.
Sonia Juhasz and Dr. Floyd Loop served as co-chairmen for the event
that this year honored Dr. Robert Kay, chief of staff and vice
chairmen of the board of governors at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Over 350 guests attended the party that included a silent auction,
raffles and music for dancing by the Ernie Krivda Swing City Band.
Reds, Whites & Brews: A Benefit
for Cleveland Reads
The Plain Dealer
What: A sold-out benefit at Sammy's in the Flats to support
Cleveland Reads, the local United Way Services program that provides
literacy services to Greater Cleveland youth, adults and families.
Now in its third year, the event drew 250 party-goers and raised
more than $20,000 for the cause.
The Scene: Party planners chose a fiesta theme that played out
with piñatas, sombreros, and mini maracas for favors. Event
chair Shelley McCuen spiced up the festivities with libations from
Mexico, Spain and California. Folks noshed at food stations overflowing
with corn chips, salsa and fixings.
Worth Repeating: The location. A wall of large picture windows
on the second floor of Sammy's affords one of the best views
in the city
"Rainmakers
2003"
Northern
Ohio Live
November 2003
Denise Marie Fugo
President & CEO, Sammy's
Born: Cleveland
On Rainmaking: My rainmaking abilities lie in creating
an organization of talented professionals who are passionate about
our mission of providing world-class foods to northeast Ohio. I
am the lead scout and cheerleader for Sammy's. I take the first
arrow and pass on the customer praises. My husband and I demonstrate
the incredible importance of teamwork. We love to give people the
opportunity to succeed at Sammy's. That's how we make it rain!
Competitive Edge: I have very high standards and a very
focused quality orientation. I naturally lead, coach and motivate.
I always do my homework.
Biggest Mistake: Mistakes are part of daily life. I use
each opportunity to learn from my mistakes; more important, where
I can, I translate what I have learned into better systems to support
success for Sammy's team.
Favorite Cause: Chautauqua Institution and the National
Restaurant Association & Educational Foundation.
Role Model: As a young woman growing up in Cleveland, my
role models were Dorothy Fuldheim, Nancy McCann and Barbara Lieblinger
from Higbee's Teen Board. My husband is a role model for me today;
he has an incredible capacity for work and play.
Business Pet Peeve: Lack of board of directors leadership,
which has permitted executive fraud, destroying the credibility
of American for- and not-for-profit corporations.
Applause for Young Audiences
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 5/12/03
By Carolyn Jack
Three million two hundred ninety-five thousand three
hundred seventy-five. That's how many area schoolchildren Young
Audiences of Greater Cleveland has provided with arts-education
programs during the last 25 years.
But 25 years is only half the story: On Wednesday, Young Audiences
celebrates its 50th anniversary at a special event in Playhouse
Square's State Theatre, featuring the third annual presentation
of its Arts Educator Awards.
That chance to stretch young minds is what got executive director Marsha
Dobrzynski involved in Young Audiences…Convinced of the need for in-school,
hands-on arts workshops and residencies, Dobrzynski has spent the last 10
years expanding the group's mission, adding programs integrated with school
curricula and arts-education training for teachers and artists.
The first
Young Audiences chapter opened in Baltimore in 1952 to bring classical
music into the schools. George Szell, legendary leader of the Cleveland
Orchestra, joined the national organization's board and helped
start a similar program in Cleveland in 1953. The school-music
project officially became part of the national Young Audiences
in 1968 and 10 years later was incorporated as Young Audiences
of Greater Cleveland.
Its then-president Barbara Robinson believed that arts education
needed to go beyond shows for children. Giving kids opportunities
to create art was critical.
The dish on catering: Food service heats up
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 4/3/02
By Marilou Suszko
Catering has the aura of being a glamorous job where
you spend your days in a well-appointed kitchen, creating and sampling
beautiful food and serving it to an adoring, appreciative crowd.
In reality, it's just plain hard work.
Sammy's Catering operates
four banquet facilities throughout Greater Cleveland and caters
off-site at venues such as Playhouse Square. Denise Marie Fugo, president
of Sammy's, says that the economy plays a big, but not insurmountable,
role.
"Weeks before 9/11, we began marketing to companies with a
good performance year, even in the midst of the recession," says
Fugo. "While those companies are still Sammy's best prospective
clients, the firm's focus on them is more intent and finely directed."
"Recessions are always a challenge," says Fugo. "We've
lived through a few of them during our 21 years of business. We
just have to tighten our belts."
Holiday gatherings serve up appreciation, calories
Lake County Business Journal - December 2000
By Lori Valyko Weber
Employers often like to thank their workers for
loyalty and service. And the way they do it can range from barely
noticeable (grab a bagel on your way in, take it to your desk, get
to work, munch occasionally, clean up your crumbs) to a la-de-da
fancy gala black tie ball complete with a 20-piece orchestra and
caviar.
Year-end seems to be a good time to recognize worker contributions,
party planners say. Generally speaking, people are already in a happy
mood. They usually have time off and want to reflect on the past
year's accomplishments and lay plans to further their growth into
the New Year.
"Companies that are wiling to commit their resources for their
employees often have a lot of worker respect," says Denise M.
Fugo, president of Sammy's at Manakiki Country Club in Willoughby
Hills. "And it doesn't have to be
elaborate. It's the opportunity to bond and say thank you that most people
really appreciate."
Sammy's hosts all kinds of corporate parties this time of year.
Some events can be up to a thousand people, Fugo says. Other gatherings
are more intimate and are often held in the company executive's home.
"Quiet
people who don't interact much at the office tend to open up and
respond to a party that provides music or dancing or even a comedian," says
Fugo. "I've seen events that didn't fit the mood of the office, and
people can feel a bit awkward for awhile.
"People respond to themes with a lot of enthusiasm. Try to
tie your beer and wine with the foods from their respective countries.
Big companies like to feature foods from all the countries where
they have facilities. Most people are willing to experiment and
try new things."
A mansion to celebrate the day you say "I do"
Cleveland Live - 12/6/00
By
Tammy Stables Battaglia
Wealthy entrepreneurs dotted Northeast
Ohio with dozens of classic mansions in the 19th and early 20th
centuries. Many of the estates eventually were razed or became
members-only clubs. Only a handful are open to the public and allow
wedding receptions on-site.
That grouping stretches east to mansions including the Glidden
House at University Circle, the Henn Mansion in Euclid, Pine Ridge
Country Club in Wickliffe, Manakiki Ballroom in Willoughby Hills,
Mooreland Mansion at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland and Wildwood
Cultural Center in Mentor.
To the south in Akron are Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, the O'Neil
House and Hower House at the University of Akron.
While mansions open to the public abound on Greater Cleveland's
south and east sides, they are conspicuously absent from the West
Side.
Manakiki Ballroom, Cleveland Metroparks and Sammy's, which together
operate Sammy's Manakiki Ballroom in Willoughby Hills, stayed true
to history when they remodeled and updated the former summer estate
of Howard Hanna in 1993-94.
"The style of the home is southern colonial, so we tried to research and
work with the archival documents to see what would make sense design-wise for
the facility," Sammy's President Denise Marie Fugo said.
So the planners kept three original fireplaces and light fixtures
intact. They also custom-dyed the parlor carpet and painted walls
a sunrise yellow popular during the 1908 mansion's heyday.
More Homes Ignoring Kitchens
News Herld - 11/19/00
By Janet Podolak
"Last year, people spent 45 percent of their food dollars
away from home," says Denise Marie Fugo, chairman of the National
Restaurant Association. "Half the adults in this country eat
out at least once each day. That's up from 25 percent in 1955."
"By 2010 we expect that 53 percent of a family's
food dollar will be spent eating out," Fugo says.
Holding the top office in the National Restaurant Association means
that Fugo has her thumb on the pulse of this burgeoning industry.
But she's also
co-owner with her husband Ralph DiOrio of Sammy's, one of Northeast Ohio's
largest catering firms. It operates Sammy's at Manakiki Golf Course in
Willoughby Hills among its five locations.
"We closed our Sammy's Restaurant in the Flats and turned
the kitchen into our catering commissary," explained Fugo.
The West 10th Street restaurant, which opened in 1980, was long
considered one of Cleveland's best fine
dining restaurants, but Fugo and her husband, chef DiOrio, closed it earlier
this year to concentrate on catering. They cater more than 4,000
events annually.
"People are looking for the catering experience
to be more restaurant like," says Fugo.
Owning a restaurant is a dream for many people, and most restauranteurs
start in entry level jobs like cook, server or bus person. Fugo,
herself, began her food service career behind the counter at Burger
King while still in high school.
Although it sometimes seems that chain restaurants are taking
over the world, that's not really so, she observes. "Seventy percent
of restaurant operators do less than $600,000 worth of business a
year and have fewer than 20 employees," Fugo said.
The restaurant business is very intense from an operations point
of view, Fugo says. "Success is tied to food, people, rent and
utilities. If one of those elements is out of kilter, it won't
work."
[Fugo]
married her high school sweetheart, got her bachelors degree at Ohio
University then went off to Chicago for a masters degree in business
administration. The home the couple renovated in Chicago's Lincoln
Park was sold as seed money to begin Sammy's in 1980.
Cleveland professionals help couples throughout the country plan
the wedding of their dreams: Sammy's Stars in One-of-a-Kind
National Wedding Video
Lief & Karson Communications - 9/28/00
News Release
CLEVELAND—Cleveland does it again! Some of the most talented
wedding professionals in the world are right here in Cleveland,
Ohio and over thirty of those professionals have joined together
to produce one amazing 90 minute video.
Sammy's catering plays a major role on the video and shares
extensive advice on expertly planning one of the most important
events of a lifetime. Sammy's in the Flats will hold the
World Premier of the film during a black tie reception on October
4, 2000.
Help! I'm Getting Married, the "official
video wedding planning guide" is being made available to
three million engaged coupes each year throughout this country
to plan the wedding of their dreams.
Independent film maker turned professional wedding videographer,
Dean Rosson, created the film Help! I'm Getting Married and
lends both his art school background and love of film making to
the production of an informational video with a touching blend
of reality and romanticism. Two years of research and development
followed by a year of creation has led to an exciting and original
video planning guide-sure to become a standard.
A Brush with Destiny
Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine - 3/19/00
By Andree Niswande
[Mary] Deutschman enjoys painting the
town she calls home with hundreds of her city scenes, still lifes
and landscapes hanging on the walls of such local establishments
as Sammy's in the Flats.
Fine-dining pioneer Sammy's closes Flats restaurant, will cater
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 4/30/00
By Angela Townsend
Sammy's in the Flats, the pioneering local
landmark that helped usher fine dining into downtown Cleveland
20 years ago, no longer takes reservations.
Last night, Sammy's in the Flats served its final dinners as a
restaurant. Starting this week, the owners will focus on their
burgeoning banquet and catering operations, and the Sammy's dining
room at 1400 W. 10th St. will host only special events rather than
nightly dining crowds, owner Ralph DiOrio said yesterday.
As news of the restaurant's closing spread by word of mouth yesterday,
reaction caught DiOrio and his co-owner, wife Denise Marie Fugo,
by surprise.
"In the last 24 hours, we've had a surprising amount of phone
calls; people expressing how sad they were to hear the news,"
DiOrio said. "We've had 20 great years."
"The change," DiOrio said, "will
allow Sammy's to focus on meeting the challenge of being able
to mass produce large quantities of food with a restaurant flair."
He said he and his wife began to realize four or five years ago
that the more catering they did, the better off they were because
advance bookings made the business more predictable than restauranting.
"As a result," DiOrio said, "we started looking long and hard
and decided [to change] the long-term focus as a company."
Fugo called the restaurant "our first love" and credited it with
giving the company a competitive advantage in catering. "But
the switch," she said, "is a natural progression for us. It's the
next step."
Sammy's in the Flats opened in what was then a less-than-desirable
area in November 1980, at a time when the words 'fine dining' and
'Cleveland' fit together about as well as lobster and peanut butter.
Over the years the restaurant became known for its upscale entrees,
seafood bar, vast wine selection and elegant ambience."
The recession of the late 1980s and early 90s forced DiOrio and
Fugo to reassess their business strategy, the owners said. They
began pursuing more off-site food services; operations at Severance
Hall, Gund Arena and the Blossom Music Center came and went.
The Sammy's Group today includes exclusive contracts at the Metropolitan
restaurant in the Huntington Building and catering operations at
Sammy's Manakiki Ballroom in Lake County and the Dively Executive
Education Building in University Circle.
Sammy's will resurface as a restaurant from time to time throughout
the year for occasions such as Mother's Day brunch, New Year's
Eve, a handful of promotional wine-tasting dinners and other special
events, the owners said.
"The 25 employees of the Flats restaurant, who make up roughly
10 percent of the company's full and part-time staff, will be reassigned
throughout the company's other operations," DiOrio said.
DiOrio said he would ultimately like to build a facility that would
house all the Sammy's entities under one roof.
"Downtown needs more banquet facilities," he added.
Making Reservations
Cleveland Plain Dealer Scene & Heard section - 7/27/00
By Sarah Crump
Missing Sammy's? You know, the Flats restaurant
owned by Denise Fugo and Ralph DiOrio. Fugo has announced that
she and DiOrio will reopen Sammy's, but only for special occasions
and events, such as New Year's, Valentine's Day and Mother's day
and for exclusive wine dinners. Meanwhile, the culinary couple cater
under the Sammy's name from the restaurant location. Their catering
division also serves lunches in Sammy's Metropolitan Ball Room
in the Huntington Bank Building.
A Balancing Act: Caterers Do the Impossible to make clients' dreams
come true
Restaurants USA Magazine - September 2000
By Sarah Smith Hamaker
"Catering has come a long way from
the simple chicken dinners of the past. Customers today are looking
for the catered experience to be more restaurant like," says
National Restaurant Association Chairman Denise Marie Fugo, who
is also president and chief executive officer of Sammy's in Cleveland.
Fugo and her husband, Ralph DiOrio, started doing small private
banquets and off-premise catering in 1981. Sammy's catering eventually
became so successful that Fugo closed the restaurant side of
the business earlier this year to concentrate solely on catering.
Fugo caters more than 4,000 events annually—including weddings,
conferences, private parties and class reunions—both on
site at Sammy's, Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom, Sammy's Manakiki
Ballroom and the George S. Dively Conference Center at Case Western
Reserve University and at off-premises locations. Guests dine
on signature items such as a seafood raw bar with Gulf shrimp,
smoked salmon, Alaskan king crab legs, smoked and pepper trout,
and homemade soups such as Wild Mushroom and Seafood Chowder.
Getting married? Need help? Videographer has tape for you
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 10/9/00
By Fran Henry
[Videographer Dean] Rosson fell into the wedding videography
business in 1987. Last week, at Sammy's in the Flats, he premiered
his ultimate product, Help, I'm Getting Married, an artful
90-minute extravaganza of beautiful weddings and wedding planning
advice from professionals as well as recently married couples.
Letter to Sammy's Family
Summer 2000
By Denise Marie Fugo
Dear Friends and Customers of Sammy's,
As you know, in April of this year we made the decision to focus
100% on our catering and banquet business due to the extraordinary
growth and success in that area. Over the past 20 years, Sammy's
has earned a reputation as a world-class restaurant with exceptional
cuisine and a pioneer in the now burgeoning Cleveland fine dining
scene. It was a very natural business progression for us to want
to bring that same high level of fine dining expertise to the expansion
of Sammy's catering and banquet operation.
We've had so many calls from you, our restaurant customers, friends
and many of the suppliers wishing us well and hoping to be able
to still have the Sammy's "experience."
This is a very exciting
time for us and our Culinary and Service team, many of whom have
been with us for over 10 years. We continue to provide Banquet services
at Sammy's in the Flats, Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom, and Sammy's
Manakiki Ballroom in Lake County. Our Off-Premise Catering services
from 2-10,000 guests are available within a two-hour drive of Cleveland.
We remain passionately dedicated to the food and service excellence
and fine dining that Sammy's has stood for since 1980.
Most of all, we thank you for your support and good wishes. We
look forward to seeing you in the near future at one of our special
Sammy's events.
If you are in the process of planning your holiday event, an anniversary,
wedding, corporate banquet, benefit, class reunion or prom, we hope you
will consider Sammy's as your event consultant, banquet location, or
caterer. Please call our Special Events Coordinators at 1-800-837-5899.
If it's Special...it's Sammy's!
Celebrity Sammy's Diners
May 2, 2000
By Denise Marie Fugo
Paul Newman
Mario Andretti
Bobby Rahal
Bette Midler
Alex Trebeck
Billy Joel, piano performance to Christie Brinkley
Wayne Newton
Drew Carey
Gladys Knight
Robert Goulet
Anthony Quinn
Jean Stapleton
Helen Hayes
Abe Caboda
Dixie Carter & (her husband) "Our Town"
Huey Lewis and the News
River Dance Cast
Steve Perry
Graham Nash
Celebrity Sammy's Banquets:
Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac
Mariah Carey
The Who
John Michael Montgomery
Virgin Airlines
NBA Welcome Reception for NBA All-stars (1997)
Chefs Cook for Charity: Five Star Sensation cancer benefit brings
America's kitchen masters to Cleveland for dining showcase
The Beacon Journal - 6/23/99
By Jane Snow
Biennially since 1987, Cleveland has been the
site of the biggest and best showcase of chefs in the country.
Five Star Sensation, a fund-raiser for University Hospitals' Ireland
Cancer Center, sells out before invitations are even printed. This
smashing event out-glitters any food fete staged in New York or Los
Angeles, our twin capitals of cuisine.
The star-studded list included five Cleveland chefs from Sammy's,
Johnny's, Moxie, Ristorante Giovanni and Sans Souci.
The star chefs are treated royally while in Cleveland, which
is one of the reasons they return year after year, raising millions
of dollars for the cancer center. Last weekend, the take was
expected to top $700,000.
[Carole Carr, area volunteer], is responsible for keeping the
chefs happy. They are welcomed and pampered in Cleveland as at
no other cooking event, say the chefs
The Critics' Choice of Cleveland's Best Restaurants
Savvy Diner - Summer/Fall 1999
"...Sammy's is better than ever. Everything from soups
to sorbets is beautifully presented, and the service is first
rate. All that, plus great ambience and a dynamite view...who could
ask for anything more?" Cleveland Magazine
"...Over the years Sammy's has won local media awards
for its new American cuisine. It has been inducted into the prestigious
Fine Dining Hall of Fame of Nation's Restaurant News, a first
for a Cleveland restaurant." Cleveland Plain Dealer
A memorable night for Lawnfield
NH - 6/25/98
By Barbara Snow
A huge white tent—nestled between large trees
and the restored windmill—greeted 225 partygoers last week
at Mentor's Lawnfield estate.
On Friday, the Western Reserve Historical Society hosted a special
benefit to raise funds to support educational programming at the
James A. Garfield National Historical Site.
"We are filled to capacity," said Gloria Andrews, chair of
the event. "What a grand finale for a job that was so many years
in the making."
Before dinner, guests had the chance to leisurely
tour the newly renovated home of President James A. Garfield.
Catering was provided by Sammy's.
"This is a lovely setting for
enjoying cocktails on the lawn," said Denise Fugo, who co-owns
Sammy's with husband Ralph DiOrio.
Cocktails were served with hors d'oeuvres that included salmon
on black bread with capers, four-cheese mousse and a wild mushroom
strudel. Ralph, who busied himself at the grill, was preparing
the main entrée.
The meal, which was outstanding, consisted of a spinach salad
with a honey citrus vinaigrette, a double entrée of grilled
sirloin filet and lemon roasted chicken, grilled summer vegetables
and golden whipped potatoes. A slice of lemon pistachio gateau
with raspberry coulis and fresh mint finished the meal.
The Critics' Choice of Cleveland's Best Restaurants
Savvy Diner - Spring 1998
"Sammy's is not only back on track, it is better
than ever. Everything from soups to sorbets are beautifully presented,
and the service is first rate. All that, plus great ambience and
a dynamite view—who could ask for anything more?" – Cleveland
Magazine
"Over the years, Sammy's has won local media awards for its
new American cuisine. It has been inducted into the prestigious
Fine Dining Hall of Fame of Nation's Restaurant
News, a first
for a Cleveland restaurant." – Cleveland Plain Dealer
My favorite fare
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 12/18/98
By Wilma Salisbury
Delicious cuisine skillfully prepared,
artfully presented and graciously served by an attentive staff in
a beautifully designed room; these are the ingredients that make
a meal in a restaurant an aesthetic experience.
As a music and dance critic who reviews restaurants, I seek a harmonious
balance of food, wine, service and ambience. When all elements click,
the pleasure of dining produces a euphoric feeling comparable to
the moment when the music takes wings or the dancers give a transcendent
performance.
It doesn't happen often. But in 1998, four restaurants I reviewed
gave me that special sense of well-being.
Sammy's in the Flats has held a place of honor on my list of favorites
ever since it opened in 1980. The candlelit room offers magnificent
views of landmark bridges over the Cuyahoga River and an authentic
glimpse of Cleveland history. Although the plain brick building is
old, the mood feels contemporary. As musicians play cool jazz softly
in the background, the servers perform tasks with professionalism
and the kitchen staff prepares outstanding cosmopolitan cuisine.
Lebanese chef Jihad Hachicho brings a Middle Eastern touch to
gourmet dishes such as pork tenderloin wrapped in phyllo with a
paste of hot peppers, goat cheese and dried fruit. The luscious
entrée is a new addition to the
winter menu, which I recently sampled to make sure the dining experience
still comes up to the high quality of two visits last February,
when I recommended the restaurant for a romantic Valentine's Day
dinner.
University Hospital gala creates culinary sensation
WeST LIFE - 7/2/97
Cynthia Schuster-Eakin
Ralph DiOrio, owner of Cleveland's
Sammy's restaurants, has learned that, when you have the world's
most famous chefs preparing food for a benefit gala, the grocery
list can be somewhat exotic.
The kitchen of DiOrio's Sammy's at the Arena restaurant was the
site of intense preparations for Five Star Sensation, the June
21 party to raise money for University Hospital's Ireland Cancer
Center. DiOrio had to accommodate the menu requirements of some
of the nation's most renowned chefs, in town to create their
culinary masterpieces for Five Star Sensation.
In addition to 17 of the country's finest restaurants, 24 vintners
were represented. For the first time, dinner was enhanced by
the presence of the U.S. World Cup Pastry Team.
The 1997 Five Star Sensation was chaired by Mebby Brown, Carole
Carr and Theodora Wolf. The sold-out event attracted 1500 party
goers and raised $400,000 for the Ireland Cancer Center.
Jazz Fires Burning: The story of legend Hank Geer
January 1997
By Scott Lax
1934. Franklin Roosevelt is finishing his first of four terms
as President of the United States. Dizzy Dean pitches the St. Louis
Cardinals to a World Championship. Adolph Hitler prepares to declare
war on the world while Arturo Toscanini conducts his sublime symphonies
throughout Europe. And in Cleveland, 12-year-old Henry Gersphacher
prepares to play his first job as a professional musician: the
calliope player in Clyde Beatty's Circus. Henry collects the wood
and stokes the boiler to keep the fires burning under the big calliope.
He sits down. His fingers touch the keys, and the heat from the
boiler sends air through the pipes that make such wondrous sounds.
Little Henry Gersphacher laughs-he's a musician now, and in the
magic that rises from the fire and steam he finds the source of
the joy and purpose that will stay with him long after Dizzy Dean
and Hitler and Roosevelt and Toscanini are gone.
1996. Election night. Hank Geer, 74, and I sit at the bar at
Sammy's in the Flats. Bill Clinton has just been re-elected, Dennis
Kucinich resurrected, the school levy finally respected and casino
boats soundly rejected. But we don't talk about politics. IN this
place, politics are secondary to jazz. This is the grown-up Henry
Gersphacher's corner of the world, where he plays his music six
nights a week, and this is where you come to listen to the man
who has played for so long and taught so many.
To listen to Hank Geer perform jazz and to hear him talk is to
be enveloped in the cool mist of American music's better days.
And there's his look, of course utterly hip, but not in the postmodern,
ironic, retro way. His is the authentic hip, a look put together
when to look like this was to declare your camaraderie with your
black brothers and with the jazz cats who helped to push away
the boundaries in music and race and society.
Always there is a black beret, tilted just so; the white, neatly
clipped beard; the white shirt and silk scarf around the neck.
There's the khaki sport jacket with lots of pockets, the black
pants and shoes, the burning cigarette and golden glass on the
piano. Hank Geer looks like his music. Marilyn Holderfield has
sung with Hank since 1977. Everything goes back to his music,
she says of her friend and musical mentor. He lives jazz.
And this is true, for all I can see. I've watched Hank back up
singers at Sammy's on his sax and piano for 15 years, and I've
listened as he talks about life. He starts with any topic, -
the architecture of Sammy's, say. The he weaves in sculpting,
plumbing, primitive man, 13th chords, burlesque, cooking, Russian
composers and how it's possible to think in different harmonics.
Finally, he seamlessly draws the subjects together with music.
Always with music.
But you must hear him play to understand, hear him blow air through
his horn and listen to the notes leave his fingers and fill the piano,
to feel this lifetime of passion and devotion
Wine Spectator
1995 Award of Excellence, honoring Sammy's
1994 Award of Excellence,
honoring Sammy's
1993
Award of Excellence, honoring Sammy's
DiRNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America)
1993 Award Recipient
R&F Exclusive
City Life - 9/1/94
On the drawing board: In Cleveland, City Life is pursuing on and off-premises catered events serving from 50 to 5000 people. Its principals want to develop a network of fine-dining restaurants and catering businesses at captive locations such as concert halls and theaters, sports stadiums, and golf courses in a seven-county region around Cleveland.
Denise Marie Fugo On...
Excellence: "There are four components to excellence. First, give customers a world-class food experience of national renown. Give them world-class service. Provide a level of ambience so customers feel proud about where they are and why they are there. And grow a world-class management team from within. You have to hit these ingredients on the mark to be good at what you do."
Long-term survival: "There are opportunities every day, so you must be flexible. Your gut has to be sensitive to the market. For example, when the business-meal deduction was lowered to 80%, I didn’t think it would hurt my restaurant business, but I decided to diversify. I got into the catering banquet business and learned how to run an operation out of a tiny finishing kitchen at Severance Hall. Research the opportunities and sell your ability to be flexible to you staff."
Important industry developments: "Technology will become more important as government puts more pressure on the cost of doing business. We must give employees the tools to become more productive. That is what is hurting fine dining so much. I'd also like to see more industry leadership selling the virtues of good food. There is much misinformation about what is good for you and what is bad."
Inspirations: "I've enjoyed following the careers of Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck. On the business side, I learn a lot from chain leaders I sit with on the NRA board. I also respect the Levys in Chicago for how far they have come. If I can be half as successful as them, I'd be thrilled."
"Spruced up for a Spring Start..."
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 3/2/94
By Mary Strassmeyer
Golfers at the Manakiki Golf Course will see $1
million plus in clubhouse renovations and decorating, site improvements and
course work this year. Six hundred-thousand dollars of that restored
the original 1928 condition of the south wing that was added to the
original Howard M. Hanna summer home to accommodate golfers at the
former private Willowick Club. The renovation uncovered the vaulted
wooden ceiling. Later called the Manakiki Country Club, it became
public in 1961.
5 Star Sensations: Cookbook offers fine recipes
The News-Herald - 12/11/91
By Janet Podolak
The transparent plastic tent at Nautica
in the Flats is long gone and the chefs who made last June's Five
Star Sensation the food event of the year have returned to their
restaurants in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and
Boston.
But people are still talking about the sold-out party that benefited
the Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals to the tune of
$120,000.
Chefs from many of the nation's most famous restaurants joined
those from Cleveland's best eateries to present Five Star Sensation
as an extraordinary tasting of foods and wines. They brought their
ingredients, helpers and cookers and set everything up beneath
a transparent tent in Cleveland's Flats. The formally attired party-goers
provided a mood of elegance to the Flats.
Japanese cuisine to honor retiring Hill House director
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 9/6/90
By Iris Bailin
Lots of fund-raising parties have food themes, but rarely
does the theme revolve around one person. Such is the case, however,
with Saturday's gala event to benefit Hill House, a non-profit
agency that serves mentally ill adults in Cuyahoga County.
The party, at TRW world headquarters in Lyndhurst, will honor
Henry T. Tanaka, who is retiring later this year as Hill House
executive director. He founded the agency 29 years ago.
Because Tanaka is of Japanese heritage, the cocktail reception
and dinner will feature a Japanese-style menu catered by Sammy's
in the Flats. Highlight of a silent auction will be a trip to
Japan worth $5,000. Select pieces from the Mitzie Verne Collection
of Japanese Art will be available for purchase, with part of
the proceeds going to Hill House.
Sammy's owners launch venture
The News-Herald - 8/25/90
By Deborah Winston
The Mid-Day Club, a private dining club in Cleveland
since 1924, will be closing at the end of the year to make room
for a new restaurant from the owners of Sammy's in the Flats.
Huntington National Bank officials announced yesterday that the
club, located on the 21st floor of bank headquarters in downtown
Cleveland, will close Dec. 31.
A new restaurant, owned and operated by Ralph DiOrio and Denise
M. Fugo of City Life, Inc. will open at the end of January after
$1 million in renovations.
DiOrio and Fugo are the husband and wife team behind Sammy's
in the Flats, a world-class restaurant that was the first successful
new business in the redevelopment of Cleveland's riverfront entertainment
district.
The new restaurant, which remains unnamed, will be open to the
public and will serve moderately priced breakfasts and dinners.
William J. Williams, Huntington chairman, said the addition of
the restaurant caps a two-year renovation of the 66-year old
Huntington Building, 917 Euclid Ave.
Fugo, president of City Life, said she and her husband wanted
to expand their business and serve downtown customers.
This is the strategic hub of downtown Cleveland, Fugo said. It
is a first-class building, and we have the advantage of building
on the reputation of a venerable Cleveland institution, the Mid-Day
Club.
Sammy's proprietor wins Crain's award
Crain's Cleveland Business Journal - 5/21/90
By Jon Connole
"Driven by a passion for service, Denise Marie Fugo has made
Sammy's restaurant one of the most visible and valuable symbols
of Cleveland's renaissance."
So said Martin D. Skip Walker, chief executive officer of M.A.
Hanna Co., when presenting Ms. Fugo president of City Life Inc.,
Sammy's parent company with the 1990 Crain's Cleveland Business
Award for Business Excellence at a luncheon last Wednesday.
Ms. Fugo seemed overwhelmed with the thought that her business
accomplishments were in the same league as those of M.A. Hanna
and Mr. Walker, who won the business excellence award last year.
"We are a little company," Ms. Fugo said. "We probably have
a reputation that's bigger than our company. Hanna has such a big
financial impact on our economy."
But Sammy's has a substantial impact on Cleveland's reputation.
When business visitors come to town, they're likely to dine at
Sammy's in the Flats. Ms. Fugo said American Express card receipts
show that 40% of Sammy's customers are from out of town.
Sammy's serves 65,000 guests a year, Ms. Fugo said. She thinks
the emphasis on providing quality service, food, environment and
value keep the diners coming.
The restaurant will try to do anything to make customers happy.
When a group from Walt Disney Co. came to town, Sammy's prepared
its trademark chocolate dessert, boule de neige, in the shape of
a big Mickey Mouse.
City Life, which includes Sammy's, the Tenth Street Café and
a catering business. When Ms. Fugo and her husband, Ralph DiOrio,
launched Sammy's in 1980, they cooked the food at home because
they couldn't afford kitchen equipment.
Now, Sammy's has a reputation
as Cleveland's premier dining establishment, attracting many
of the celebrities who pass through the city. The names are too
many to list in entirety, but include Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley,
Paul Newman, Vincent Price, Anthony Quinn, Jose Canseco and Mario
Andretti.
Ms. Fugo also has made something of a name for herself as a small-business
advocate.
Ms. Fugo can look back with satisfaction at her first
decade in business. "It's been a long 10 years," the 37-year-old
Ms. Fugo said when accepting the award. "It feels like 20.
I feel a lot older on the inside than I look on the outside. But
I've got a good 40 or 50 more years left."
Sammy's may not reach the scope of Mr. Walker's M.A. Hanna Co.
in that time, but the notion of winning the award in the footsteps
of the old-line industrial giant struck Ms. Fugo hard when she
accepted it.
"I mean, Hanna. I really am shocked," a choked-up Ms. Fugo said
with tears in her eyes. "I was just thinking that I'd like to
come to this lunch because I want to learn how Skip took a company
and grew it to $1 billion. I haven't done that yet."
Convention game plan included going one-on-one
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 3/17/90
By Mark Russell
A buddy system paired some members of the Democratic
National Convention site selection committee with Greater Clevelanders
who shared similar backgrounds.
Local convention boosters who
wooed the Democratic committee over the past three days used
creative methods to set Cleveland apart from the four other
cities competing for the convention: New York, New Orleans, Houston
and Detroit.
Committee members toured the city and were wined and dined,
from a reception and dinner Wednesday at Sammy's in the Flats
to a lavish reception and dinner inside the old Arcade.
Ethnic food benefit a true extravaganza
Cleveland Plain Dealer - 12/10/89
By Iris Bailin
The food was wonderful, the setting fabulous, and the whole
evening had a shivers-down-the-spine quality. That seemed to be
the consensus of the 700-plus who braved slick roads Dec. 2 to
attend the second Ethnic Extravaganza, at TRW's glorious new world
headquarters in Lyndhurst.
Reflecting its beneficiary, Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers
Association, the party drew a mix of the usual benefit-goers, plus
association supporters and a sprinkling of politicos.
Dan Elliott, White Consolidated general counsel and an NCA board
member for 15 years, said he planned to get to all 14 food tables,
each of which featured a different ethnic cuisine.
All the food came from ethnic restaurants and caterers except
for the Moroccan, which Sammy's provided. But co-owner Denise Fugo
turned to an expert for advice. Native Moroccan Mina Venec, elegant
in a gold-embroidered green Moroccan gown, must have done a good
job, because the bstilla and chicken tagine ran out by 9. Venec's
French husband, Yves, is an engineer with BP America here. The
coupled attended the party with Parker-Hannifin CEO Pat Parker
and Madeleine, event vice chairman.
The evening raised about $50,000 for the neighborhoods association.
Next day, leftovers went to the Hunger Center of Cleveland.
What made Sammy's happen
Cleveland Plain Dealer – Fabulous Flats Issue - 6/3/88
By Iris Bailin
When Denise Fugo and Ralph DiOrio tried to get a loan
for a restaurant in the Flats in 1980, the banks told them they'd
never do any business after 5 p.m.
The young husband and wife didn't believe it. What they did believe
in was the renaissance of the city. So they started a company called
City Life.
And they managed to scrape together enough money to open a restaurant
called Sammy's.
Today, the dazzling success of Sammy's is no secret. But the tale
of its scrappy, less-than-glamorous start-up is known to few.
The story begins in Chicago in the late '70s, when Denise,
a stockbroker, and Ralph, a sales representative for a pharmaceutical-coating
company, wanted to start a business but had no capital. Their only
asset was a house they had renovated in the old Lincoln Park neighborhood.
In their mid-20s then, the Garfield Heights natives were watching "60
Minutes" one
night and heard someone say, "Trying to find good food in Cleveland
is like trying to find a Chinese restaurant in Buffalo. They don't exist."
"I
never forgot that," said Fugo. "I never forgave the man, I
was so mad."
Soon after, the couple noticed an article in Venture
magazine about the renovation of Cleveland's Old Arcade. They called
Arcade developer Harvey Oppmann with a restaurant proposal that led
to "five
months of negotiations that didn't go anywhere," said Fugo.
Later, on a visit home for a wedding, the couple looked around
downtown and became convinced something was happening here.
They sold the Lincoln Park house and with a $40,000 profit and
a job for Fugo as a financial analyst at (then) Sohio, they began
searching for a location for a restaurant.
Advised to approach the Higbee Co., which owned several downtown properties,
the partners eventually looked at an old warehouse called the Riverview Building
on W. 10th St. "We wanted to just rent the second floor, but they said no,
we had to buy the building," said Fugo.
"Five friends and family members pitched in $5,000 apiece,
and the partners handed Higbee's a $50,000 down payment. "Higbee's
in essence was our first bank," said Fugo. "We couldn't
have done it without them."
In July 1980, DiOrio and a horde or relatives began the
construction. Fugo would show up after [her] regular jobs, and
the crew would work "till they
couldn't go anymore," usually until midnight or later. Toward
the end they frequently worked all night.
A major project was uncovering the tall windows that had been
bricked over. "By
knocking out those walls, we opened up this fantastic river excitement," said
Fugo. "But we couldn't afford to take out the I-beams, so we had to live
with it." That's why Sammy's is on three levels.
The bar top was cut from marble from the old Hippodrome Theater,
and the 1880s mirror came from a tobacconist on W. 9th St. "It took 20 people from an
adult sheltered workshop—and our people—to carry it over here," recalled
Fugo.
The irreplaceable cornice moldings and 3-inch-thick oak doors
had graced Samuelo Mather's office in the Western Reserve Builidng. "They'd
been dumped in the basement under dirt and were going to be bulldozed," said
Fugo.
On the day after Thanksgiving, Sammy's opened with a seafood
raw bar and no kitchen. "We
had no money left for a kitchen," said Fugo. They grilled
in the basement, opening the doors to let out the fumes, and did
the rest of the cooking at home in Ohio City, transporting food
in Grandma Fugo's electric roaster.
Fugo still remembers vividly their first New Year's Eve. Chef
Ruthanne Berkey, no a local caterer, prepared the elaborate menu. "I
still have the stains on my carpet," said Fugo. It was that
night that Berkey introduced the boule de neige, the chocolate
creation that has become Sammy's signature dessert.
During those
first months, Sammy's was primarily a bar and served soups and
sandwiches at lunch. Finally, in July 1981, a $38,000 loan funded
a kitchen, and Sammy's became a real restaurant.
Fugo continued at Sohio for two years. "We couldn't pay
ourselves, and someone had to work," she said. After 18 months,
the partners began to draw a salary, "and
believe me, it was peanuts," she said.
"You wouldn't name it Ralph's," she said. "Ralph
(means) a shy man. Ralph is an awful name. But Sammy's swings.
Sammy's is sophisticated. Sammy's sparkles. The happiest letter
in the English language is 'S'.
To this day, I'd name it Sammy's."
Over the years Sammy's has
won local media awards for its new American cuisine. It was inducted
last year into the prestigious "Fine
Dining Hall of Fame" of
Nation's Restaurant News, a first for a Cleveland restaurant. Recently
it was named in 1988 Travel/Holiday award winner.
But Fugo is quick to admit that Sammy's is more than food. "We are in the
entertainment business first," she said. "We love to
make good food, but it's arches and moving bridges and lots of
people. It's the excitement of the Flats, the energy. This is like
an adult Disneyland. With the Nautica stage across the river, that's
4,000 people. You know how much fun it is to watch 4,000 people?"
Sammy's Operation Began with Passion for
Food and Evolves with Smart Business Strategy
By Lief & Karson Communications
Denise Marie Fugo and Ralph DiOrio
had a simple vision back in 1980, when as a young working couple
living in Chicago, they chose the relatively unknown Cleveland Flat's
location as a venue for their first foray into dining and entertainment.
"We were living in Lincoln Park and discovered that Ralph
loved to cook. Bon Appetit magazine was our inspiration, and we
would study it and then create in our tiny kitchen," Fugo
said. "Then, on a drive home to Cleveland
for a wedding, we just decided to open a restaurant. We only had experience
in sales and construction, but we had a great passion for food."
Native Clevelanders Denise Marie Fugo and Ralph DiOrio had met
in high school and were voted "Swinging Seniors" at Garfield
Heights High School. Always an ambitious teen working multiple
jobs over the summer, and selected for the esteemed Higbee's Teen
Board, Fugo with DiOrio would coincidentally later negotiate with
Higbee's for a partially vacant building in the then undesirable
Flats area.
Fugo and DiOrio graduated from Ohio University with a communications
degree and a business degree. Both were avid students of organizational
behavior. Fugo attended the University of Chicago and received
her MBA. "I became the first female
summer intern at Goldman Sachs, where men weren't anxious to work with
women," she
said. "Later, they hired me and I worked there for three years."
She and DiOrio acquired the Higbee's-owned building in the Flats
with the help of the late Herb Strawbridge and opened a night club.
With only old-time storefront drinking holes serving the rougher
waterfront trade, the pair introduced a sophisticated innovation
to Cleveland – a
seafood raw bar with jazz that quickly became a destination for the
chic.
"After a year, we knew we really wanted to be in fine dining," she
said. "Se we took out a loan on my in-law's home and bought
our first kitchen."
Truly a pioneer in the vision for a revitalized downtown, Sammy's
in the Flats instantly became the place to go for creative cuisine,
impeccable service and an exciting urban dining setting. By 1984,
Fugo and DiOrio began developing plans for an upscale specialty
food store and the 10th Street Market and Café was
born. With carry-out gourmet food and a casual place to go for lunches,
they gradually learned that their customers did not want to cook.
The retail store actually became the base for catering.
"We started working with consultants and learned how to take
delicate, high quality perishable foods and move them beyond the
restaurant's walls. We converted the Tenth Street Market & Café to
Sammy's Grille Room and catered our first event – Sony's introduction
of Mariah Carey. Sammy's Grille Room has since been expanded to
Sammy's Waterfront Room with a breath-taking view of Cleveland's
colorfully illuminated bridges and river."
With the laws changing for business meal deductions, Fugo and
DiOrio saw their new banquet and catering capabilities as an additional
opportunity to grow. With the goal to create a hybrid operation
from the restaurant, combining its established fine dining techniques
with an outstanding service reputation, Sammy's could be positioned
as a leading banquet and catering company.
Severance Hall became their first food service contract, with
cuisine prepared at the restaurant and finished at the concert
hall's Keynote Restaurant. That relationship lasted nine years,
the longest contract in Severance Hall's history.
Other food service contracts followed: Sammy's banquet and catering
operation took over the Huntington Bank Building's Mid-Day Club
in 1991 and converted it to Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom, one
of its largest event venues still today. Then came a renovated
Sammy's Manakiki Ballroom at the Donald Ross designed Manakiki
Golf Course in Lake County (1993).
Throughout the last ten years, other prestigious but unprofitable
contracts not operating today included the Gund Arena and Blossom
Music Center.
Determined to focus 100% of their energy on expanding the catering
and banquet business as they moved into the new century, Fugo and
DiOrio decided to close Sammy's in the Flats restaurant operation
in May, 2000 for daily dinners.
"It's simply the next step in our business plan," Fugo
said. "We
will still provide the Sammy's fine dining experience to the public
for those very special life celebrations with family, friends and
business associates. This is an exciting time for us."
In May
2000, Fugo was elected chairman of the board of the National
Restaurant Association, which represents 831,000 restaurants and
a work force of 11 million restaurant employees. She is the first
woman to hold the organization's top spot in more than 60 years.
Fugo has also received the Crain's Cleveland Business Award of
the Year for Business Excellence (1986). Sammy's holds the prestigious
Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award, the Wine Spectator's
Award for Excellence and Nation's Restaurant News' Fine Dining
Hall of Fame Award.
Learn more about Sammy's.
