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Rossford native Jonathan Bennett competes on ‘Dancing with the Stars’

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Toledo Free Press
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The tongue-in-cheek headline on the British tabloid paper The Daily Mail’s website read, “Jonathan Bennett peeks at Jenna Johnson’s derriere before DWTS rehearsals.” Not the sort of notice Bennett is used to garnering, to be sure, but when you’re doing a show like ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” it’s bound to happen.

Jonathan Bennett on Dancing with the Stars

Jonathan Bennett on Dancing with the Stars

“It’s very strange, and often humbling and flattering that they care so much about what we do outside of rehearsal. It’s weird to me,” Bennett said in an interview with Toledo Free Press.

“‘Dancing With the Stars’ is a different machine. Now they want to record you going in and out of the studio, and everything you do in the studio they want to pick up on camera now.”

Bennett is used to being on camera, of course. The Rossford native has worked as an actor for over 15 years now, with roles in “Veronica Mars,” “Smallville,” “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” and, of course, “Mean Girls” on his resume. But “Dancing With the Stars” is different, Bennett said.

“It’s really unnerving. There’s a lot of cameras around all the time, and we rehearse, like, five hours a day, seven days a week. And it just, it tests your limits. And every minute, there’s a camera in your face. So it’s a very unusual experience.”

Bennett has worked at throwing himself into unusual experiences for most of his adult life, though — ever since that day back home where he first fell in love with the theater. “I went and saw ‘Anything Goes’ at Rossford High School, and I was in seventh grade, and from that moment when I saw the show, I went, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

After finishing at Rossford High, Bennett attended Otterbein University in Westerville to study theater. But soon, he decided to make the leap of moving out to New York. “It’s really scary for an 18-year-old to try and make it in the big city. But there is just some underlying comfortability about it that just made me keep going. Because I just knew that’s what I was supposed to do.

“You definitely grow up quick. And I think I can recommend that to everyone: When you’re 18 years old, go and live in New York for three months. That’ll show you how the world works, instantly,” Bennett said. “[Living] in New York, in my early 20s, in New York City, [I was] kind of maturing and coming into adulthood in a place where there’s so much stuff to learn from.”

His first major job was a role on the long-running soap “All My Children,” and from there miscellaneous roles on TV and film would follow. But none have had the staying power of the 2004 comedy “Mean Girls,” where he played Lindsay Lohan’s love interest. Wait, 10 years? Has it really been 10 years?

“Not at all,” Bennett said. “It feels like we just shot it yesterday. And I just can’t believe the reaction that all the fans have had over the years for the film. It’s incredible.

“There are a few reasons. One, it’s really well done — by [writer] Tina Fey and [producer] Lorne Michaels. They just really know how to do a show. And then number two, everyone can relate to it. No matter what year you are in high school, what grade you are — every high school is the same.”

But now, over a decade later, Bennett is putting all his energy into his run on “Dancing,” competing with his professional partner and fellow “DWTS” rookie Allison Holker. “They called me and asked me if I wanted to be part of the show, and I jumped at the chance. Because I’ve watched the show for years, and I’m really excited to get to be a part of it.”

His excitement isn’t even moderately tempered by the fact that, well, he doesn’t really know how to dance. Oh, sure, he’s done musicals and the like over the course of his career, but learning a few steps onstage is a huge step removed from doing a tango in front of a few million people every Monday.

“I have no experience [with dancing]. I have zero. I have negative experience,” Bennett joked. “Once you’re on the show, then you have to figure out how to dance.”

But in addition to the thrill of competing, Bennett noted how excited he was that folks in his hometown were so fervently behind him. Rossford residents organized a pep rally to view the show Sept. 15, and he’s been overwhelmed by the support. “I have the most amazing fans and friends in Rossford.”

After earning good notices from the judges with his performance, Bennett survived the first cut on the Sept. 16 elimination episode, meaning the journey continues for the young actor who only ever wanted to entertain.

“I just want to do my best every day, and then every week I go back I just want to push myself and do better than I did the week before,” he said.

Village Players show focuses on ‘growing old with dignity’

By
Toledo Free Press
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Actors Carol Ann Erford and Bill Quinlan in Village Players’ “Quartet .”

The Village Players production of Quartet will change your perception of senior citizens.

The comedic drama follows 4 retired opera singers who deal with the harsh realities of aging when an ex-wife shows up and causes friction.

“It’s a really beautiful play about growing old with dignity, which is really what drew me to it,” said Jeff Allbright, director.

“I have older parents, and I’ve always been interested in that whole process as I’m going through it with them,” said Allbright. “We often throw senior citizens to the wayside as a forgotten population, and this play really shows how vital they can be.”

According to Allbright, Toledo has a rich population of older actors who don’t get enough opportunities to showcase their abilities.

Carol Ann Erford plays Cissy, a character in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. Erford claims although Cissy is comic relief, she’s a very layered character who can move audiences to tears as quickly as laughter.

“It’s wonderful to see how these older characters react to each other,” said Erford. “Audiences will see bits and pieces of themselves and their parents in these roles, especially those approaching mature age.”

Erford claims that her passion for acting began in the 60s, when there weren’t nearly as many performance opportunities for younger folk.

“It was ensemble learning back then, which comes in handy with a  show like this because if one person gets hung up on a line, someone else can jump in and save them,” said Erford.

An interesting challenge for John Duvall, who plays Reginald Paget, is portraying a character 30 years outside his range.

“It’s a new thing for me. I think the majority of it is through body language and facial expressions,” said Duvall. “It’s all elevated by makeup, but we really don’t rely too heavily on that.”

Duvall claims this play explores how no senior citizen is just another face in the crowd, and everyone you see has an interesting story to tell about their life as a whole.

“You’re not always an old person. Everyone has a history, and this play talks a lot about that. For me, as a younger actor playing someone so old, it really made me think,” said Duvall.

With 30 years of directing experience, Allbright finds that his equal passion for acting gives him an advantage with his cast.

“It helps because we all speak the same sort of language, so there’s a level of intuitiveness about the process,” said Allbright.

Quartet plays Sept 12-13, 17-19 at 8pm and Sept 14 at 2pm. The Village Players are located at 2740 Upton Ave. Tickets are available at 419-472-6817.

Final Cut offers exclusive tastings

By
James A. Molnar
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A recent Chef’s Table tasting at Hollywood Casino Toledo’s Final Cut Steak & Seafood featured
cabernet sauvignon paired with a smoked short rib and sous vide Wagyu ribeye with potato
soufflé, bone marrow crust, black garlic bordelaise, maple gastrique and cabernet gelée.
Toledo Free Press photo By James A. Molnar

The service was impeccable and so was the food. This was not a standard meat and potatoes kind of meal.

Rather, this was the one of the exclusive Chef ’s Table tastings at Final Cut Steak & Seafood restaurant inside Hollywood Casino Toledo.

The tasting, held Aug. 20, paired a nine-course meal with a selection of wines from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

Inside the private dining room where the tasting took place were seats for 20 people. The display cases on the walls featured dresses worn by Halle Berry and Toledo native Katie Holmes. The view overlooked the Maumee River with the Downtown skyline in the distance.

The Midwest representative from the winery was on hand to offer insight into each wine and answer questions.

Final Cut chef Aaron Lawson created something unique to pair with each wine. A foie gras custard and pork belly paired with the glass of sauvignon blanc. A butter poached rock lobster with popcorn gelée paired with the zinfandel.

View a photo gallery of all of the pairings at ToledoFreePress.com.

The next Chef ’s Table is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 15 and will be paired with Moët Champagne. Wines, all part of the Moët House, will include Moët Champagne, Dom Pérignon Champagne and Chandon Still Wines.

Those interested in the Oct. 15 tasting can contact Final Cut manager and wine sommelier Sunwoo Choi at (419) 661-5381 or [email protected].

Collingwood Arts Center planning second food truck fest Sept. 20

By
Erin Holden
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The Collingwood Arts Center (CAC) is planning its second food truck festival for 2-7 p.m. Sept. 20.

Participating vendors will include Aunt Carla’s Boosh, Chris’ Italian Ice, Bella Dolcetti Bakery, Black Kettle Barbeque, Grumpy’s on the Go, Slammin’ Sammies, The Displaced Chef, On The Move, Toledo Hot Dog, RedRoc Taco Truck and Wanderlust, said CAC Interim Executive Director Sarah Kurfis.

The event will also feature performances from CAC’s Children’s Theater Workshop and other local artists.

Cost is a suggested $2 donation to CAC. Proceeds from beverage sales also go to CAC. Street parking is available near CAC, 2413 Collingwood Blvd., or lot parking at Compass next door. Some seating will be available, but organizers suggest bringing chairs or blankets.

The inaugural CAC food truck festival, held in July, featured eight food trucks and drew about 1,000 people.

“People thought we timed it with the food truck/mayor controversy, but really we’d been trying to pull that together for a while,” Kurfis said.

Chris Bores of Pursuit of the Paranormal will offer free ghost tours during the festival at 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Free historical tours will be offered at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. A T-Town Tassels burlesque show will take place at 9 p.m. Cost is $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

“Come hang out, drink, eat awesome food, support local businesses, support Collingwood Arts Center — and then stay for the burlesque show,” Kurfis said.

For more information, visit www.collingwoodartscenter.org

Paddy Jack’s to debut food truck soon

By
Toledo Free Press
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Paddy Jack’s plans to debut a food truck soon that will serve 10 of its popular gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.

The 24-foot truck is wrapped and ready to go, but is waiting for some coolers to be installed, said manager Jennifer Hurst, who estimated the truck will be ready to roll by November.

A food truck was actually the original concept for Paddy Jack’s, but that plan was put on the back burner when the chance came to acquire a restaurant location.

“Now that we have our two stores up and running, we’re just excited to put it on wheels like our original thought,” Hurst said.

Restaurant locations are 6725 W Central Ave. and 5122 Heatherdowns Blvd. For more information, visit paddyjacks.com.

Lucas: Dynamic experience

By
Will Lucas
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It’s very likely that you interact on a daily basis with a cold piece of glass or plastic you retrieve dozens of times per day from your pocket or pouch — a relatively tiny outer shell that houses a supercomputer by many standards. Into these smartphones, heartless contraptions that they are, we pour our souls. We post our most intimate thoughts into virtual notepads; we pepper questions at search engines, making inquiries on the ingredients of the contents hidden in the darkest corners of our beings. These are things we haven’t disclosed, the boxes we’re afraid to open. We tell Google and Yahoo secrets we’ve told no man and no god. We live with great joys and bitter pains — common and irregular issues of life were once shared because we knew we weren’t the only ones. The fact that we’re not alone in trials hasn’t changed; there are many still engaged in the same wars. What has changed though, are the stories we tell ourselves while we’re in the trenches. We believe that we are, in fact, alone. These are the self-inflicted isolations we easily escape to.

There are many dynamic aspects of the human experience that shape us all in different ways. Depression is currently center stage in our public discourse. The shakened trust some feel toward those sworn to keep us safe and secure. We can be quick to reason these things internally, trusting our own feelings and discounting critical thought. With mere strokes we infect the masses with potentially harmful points of view passed off as thoughtful — yet inarticulately injected via 140 characters. At the same time, life changes for the better. A baby is born into a loving home. A student passes a test she’s been dreading for weeks. A hero returns. This juxtaposition plays itself out every hour of the day. And without noticing, we easily continue to live only considering what’s on the surface.

On Sept. 18 at the West Toledo YMCA/Start High School Theater, TEDxToledo will again collect the brightest minds and leading thinkers in our area for a day full of ideas worth spreading. Attendees will enjoy new friends and local food trucks; students from Start High School will attend for free to fill unsold seats.

This year’s theme, “Human,” explores the many dynamics of the human experience. From 8:45 a.m. until about 4:30 p.m., more than a dozen speakers will take the stage for 18 minutes or less, having prepared the talk of their lives. They’ve rehearsed. They’ve been frustrated and scrapped ideas. They’ve come to revelations and fresh perspectives about subjects they thought they knew deeply. They’ve learned and they’ve grown. Most of all, they have ideas to share. Ideas that, hopefully, cause us all to consider new ways to approach our daily lives in the best ways.

TEDxToledo, a nonprofit event held under license from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), aims to raise the level of conversation in Toledo — literally and figuratively. Our goal is to retarget our energies toward ideas that make a lasting impact. I hope to see you there. Tickets are available now at TEDxToledo.com.

Will Lucas is CEO and Founder at Classana, CEO and Founder at Creadio and a founding organizer of TEDxToledo.

Local author publishes guide for ‘the best day of your life’

By
Toledo Free Press
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Even though she is a journalist and blogger, Jennifer S. White got her first smartphone less than a year ago. She is still not used to it and warns people she might mute the conversation with the side of her face.

“I’m 34 but I feel like 99,” she said.

Author Jennifer S. White includes yoga in her plan for ‘transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.’ Photo courtesy Jennifer S. White

Many things, including smartphones, provide convenience. But with that comes the challenge of taking a healthier possibly less convenient route, something White faces daily.

“If I have a car and I can drive there, why the hell would I walk?” she said. “We have everything at the touch of our fingers and it’s hard to force ourselves to slow down and remember that the biggest changes in our lives come from small, tiny tortoise-like steps toward growth. I think it can be overwhelming for people.”

White, a former Toledo Free Press columnist, wrote about this and more in her self-published book “The Best Day of Your Life: A Guide to Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary,” available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The book discusses everyday practices to help readers reset a bad mood, beat stress, overcome loneliness, deal with anger and more. White said the intention is for readers to first read the book in full but then go back and work on specifics “one step, one day, one moment at a time.”

She said trying to put the practices in place can be challenging.

“I wanted the book to be a personal tool,” White said. “If you’re having a day where you’re feeling angry or frustrated, there’s a chapter you might want to read.

“Or if you’re having a day where you’re feeling lonely or kind of depressed, there’s [another] chapter you might want to read.”

White has been a yoga practitioner for more than 20 years. She said she hated the first class she took.

“I was so bored,” she said. “But I think, over time, if you stick with the actual physical practice of it, the mindfulness kind of comes into it.”

In her first chapter, “Make Every Day Your Best Day,” White says there are many ways of practicing yoga — while riding a bike, taking a scenic walk or eating breakfast — by just focusing on breathing.

“The idea of practicing yoga on a mat is maybe even sexy and kind of fun with cute clothes, but it’s really about being present in ourselves,” she said. “Even though this is not a yoga book at all, it’s very yoga-flavored and that is also unintentional. [Yoga] becomes a part of who you are.”

Jennifer S. White with her daughter, Gemma. Photo courtesy Jennifer S. White

White said she caught herself focusing on her breathing when she recently got into a car accident with her 4-year-old daughter, Gemma.

“[I was] just trying to stay present with the situation at hand and that’s something that when you practice a lot physically, it comes to you naturally, I believe,” she said.

White said everything she writes is for Gemma, including this book.

“My writing changed and took on a new avenue after I had her,” she said. “As a parent … what I want for my child is for her to be confident and happy in herself and her life.”

White said her writing became more honest after she had Gemma.

“For me, being a parent is about connecting with the parts of myself that I’m supposed to be embarrassed of … like my temper or my ADHD,” she said. “I’ve written about having an eating disorder in the past. Those are the types of things that we’re supposed to feel ashamed of [and I’m] showing her that I don’t have shame.”

Run for Reece to help local family with medical bills

By
Erin Holden
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Reece Bova was not quite a year old when his parents were told he won’t live to see his fifth birthday, that his heart will fail and there was nothing else to be done.

Refusing to accept that prognosis, Matt and Shannon Bova of South Toledo set out to find a doctor who would treat their son.

Matt and Shannon Bova of South Toledo with their son Reece, 2. Reece was born with a congenital heart and lung condition. A night glow 5K run set for Oct. 4 in Perrysburg will raise money to help the family with medical bills. Toledo Free Press photo by Christie Materni

“We were told there was no one — no doctor, no hospital — who could help us, that the procedures he would need were too dangerous, that the risk far outweighed the reward,” said Shannon, 31, a Bowsher High School graduate and former Toledo Free Press employee. “We as his parents obviously were not happy with that response.”

The Bovas, who lived in Tennessee when Reece was born, sent his records to pediatric heart centers nationwide and were turned down by all but one.

They now travel to Boston Children’s Hospital a few times a year so Reece, now 2, can undergo a procedure that uses balloon catheters to temporarily widen the too-small arteries in his lungs, so his heart doesn’t have to work so hard pumping blood to his lungs.

“Because the arteries are so small, they can only dilate them so much,” Shannon said. “And once the arteries are opened a bit, they can begin closing again.

“The reason why they said it’s so risky and dangerous is because the arteries are so small that they are at risk of rupturing if they dilate them too much. If they do that, then he starts bleeding into his lungs and you may not always be able to stop the bleeding in the lungs. Obviously if your lungs fill with blood and they can’t stop it, then that’s it.”

The Bovas moved back to Toledo about a year after Reece was born to be closer to family.

Reece will likely need the artery-widening procedure for the rest of his life, but doctors are hopeful the frequency can be reduced.

“The analogy they gave us was if you take a balloon out of a package, it’s really stiff. The more you blow that balloon up and let the air out, it’s going to be stretched a little bit, and hopefully it will stay open longer,” Shannon said.

“The hope is we can do these every six months for a couple of years and then he may not need them as often, maybe once a year, maybe once every two years. We’re not there yet, so we don’t know, but we do know his body responds well to the treatment.”

The diagnosis

Reece was born with a congenital heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot with severe peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. He is not a candidate for a heart transplant because of his lungs and isn’t eligible for a lung transplant because of his heart. He was also born with only one kidney.

Shannon had no indication during her pregnancy that anything was wrong. But when Reece was born in March 2012, he was “silent, limp and blue,” she said.

“It was probably three minutes that passed and we finally heard him cry,” she said. “They initially thought the birth had maybe just stunned him a little bit and he would spend the night in the NICU and be fine. But he didn’t improve. That’s when they brought in the pediatric cardiologist.

“He was born at 9:23 at night and I would say by midnight we were in a tiny little conference room with the cardiologist, bawling our eyes out,” Shannon said. “We went to the hospital that day thinking we were going to experience happiness and everyone taking pictures; instead we experienced something much different. We experienced fear, the unknown.”

The new parents were told Reece had Tetralogy of Fallot, a series of four anatomical abnormalities of the heart.

“I was kind of numb at first,” said Matt, 30, a native of Dublin, Ohio. “It didn’t really sink in. I didn’t know what to think or what was going to happen down the road. Just the unknown was kind of scaring me at that point. All we knew was we had to take it day by day.”

The day after Reece was born, he was transferred to a children’s hospital in Atlanta where he spent 17 days in the NICU. He had a shunt placed in his heart at 6 months old and open heart surgery in December 2012 before his first birthday.

Reece Bova, 2, with his mom Shannon Bova share a moment at home in South Toledo. Toledo Free Press photo by Christie Materni

Doctors were puzzled when Reece didn’t show the improvements they expected after his open heart surgery and the Bovas were soon presented with more bad news.

“Typically kids with Tetralogy have their repair and grow up to lead fairly normal lives,” Shannon said. “Shaun White the snowboarder has tetralogy. There’s a couple of NFL football players. Things would be much different right now if it was only the heart.”

In February 2013 doctors discovered Reece also had severe peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis, a condition in which the arteries in his lungs are too small, putting pressure on the heart as it works hard to pump blood through the lungs.

“That was the day they told us that he would not survive to see his fifth birthday,” Shannon said.

Run for Reece

To help the family with medical costs, Shannon’s mother, Kathy Phillips, and sister, Jenna Phillips, 18, both of Maumee, have organized a nighttime 5K and one-mile fun walk fundraiser.

Run for Reece will take place at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Woodlands Park in Perrysburg, followed by a glow-in-the-dark afterparty. Cost is $25 in advance or $30 at the race. The race will not be timed and family-friendly events are planned. The organizers are also looking for corporate sponsors.

Money raised will go toward paying off existing medical bills and future trips to Boston Children’s Hospital. Reece’s next treatment will be in November or December, Shannon said.

“As a family, we just wanted to help,” Kathy said. “It’s very hard. You feel very helpless. You just try to be there for support because that’s all you really can do.”

“He’s my beautiful little nephew. I wouldn’t trade him for the world,” said Jenna, a recent Maumee High School graduate now studying nursing at Mercy College. “It’s just hard as family to sit back and listen to all the money worries and everything. We just wanted to help.”

Another way to help is to bring the flier found at the Facebook page “Run for Reece” to the Applebee’s at 531 W. Dussel Drive in Maumee on Sept. 17 to have 15 percent of your bill donated to Run for Reece. Participants will also get a $5 coupon for their next visit.

Progress

Because of his heart and lung conditions, Reece also has numerous developmental delays. He started crawling around 18 months and only recently started walking. He doesn’t talk yet and is still bottle-fed — apparently scared to eat after so many intubations during hospital stays, Shannon said.

He sees a physical therapist to work on his gross motor skills, an occupational therapist to help him learn to eat and a speech therapist to help him talk.

Frustratingly, one step forward medically often results in two steps back developmentally, Shannon said.

“From spending time in the hospital, you saw his muscles weaken a little bit so his mobility is not as good or just when we saw him start opening his mouth for a spoon, he went to the hospital and was intubated and came back wanting nothing to do with it,” Shannon said.

Matt and Shannon said they sometimes find it difficult to see other kids Reece’s age reach milestones he still struggles to attain, but then they remind themselves of everything he’s gone through and how far he’s come.

“[I feel] anger, jealousy, sadness, knowing that we are so far behind that,” Shannon said. “But then in the same breath, I think, ‘Well, you know what? Those kids have not had open heart surgery and have not been given the prognosis he was given.’”

“I just want to see him be a typical kid, just doing regular things like playing sports, playing in the grass, talking, eating food — all the things a lot of parents take for granted because their kids just start doing it on their own,” Matt said. “Just those little things are big for us.”

In other ways, Reece is like any other toddler. He loves watching cartoons, jumping on trampolines and “getting into things,” like any new walker, Shannon said.

“He’s made a significant amount of progress, but I would be lying if I said there wasn’t still a lot of fear of the future. Because while we know he responds well to the treatment, at any time something could change,” Shannon said. “At any time his heart could decide that it’s been working too hard and it doesn’t want to anymore. We’re trying to make that not happen by making these trips to Boston and continuing to be his biggest advocate.”

For more information or to register visit www.runforreece.com.

Mancy’s Steaks interior renovation nearing completion

By
Toledo Free Press
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The bang of hammers and whir of saws filled the air at Mancy’s Steaks on Sept. 4 as a planned two-month restoration reached its peak.

The project is the first extensive renovation at the restaurant since it opened at its current location in 1974.

“We haven’t really touched it since,” said owner Gus Mancy, whose grandfather opened the steakhouse in 1921. “Now it’s time to freshen the place up.”

Mancy’s Steaks is undergoing an interior restoration project. Toledo Free Press File Photo by Joseph Herr.

The finished restaurant will feature a renovated foyer, restored wood from floor to ceiling, restored original tin ceilings, new carpeting, tables, chairs, booths and restrooms, upgraded lighting, the addition of a second fireplace and more private dining options.

“It’s not really a remodel as much as it is a restoration,” Mancy said. “We’re restoring a very beautiful restaurant. Our goal is to make it better. It’s been a fun project.”

Track lighting being added will “put a soft glow on each and every table,” Mancy said. But don’t worry: “People say, ‘Don’t get rid of the Tiffany shades!’” he said. “We’re not.”

The walls surrounding a private table in the foyer were removed, opening the front entrance room.

A fireplace was added to the dining room facing Phillips Avenue to help accommodate guest requests to be seated in the Fireplace Room, Mancy said.

The Phillips-facing dining room will also become a little more casual, featuring butcher-block tables, taupe tablecloths and a wine closet next to the new fireplace, Mancy said.

“The music might be a little louder in here, just a little bit more casual to appeal to a younger demographic, while the main dining room will maintain the pure white tablecloths and a touch more formal feel,” Mancy said.

Work started Aug. 1. The restaurant was closed Aug. 30-Sept 5 for the most extensive portion of the work on the entryway and foyer. Work will continue for a few more weeks.

Mancy worked with Columbus-based design firm Design Collective, which specializes in restaurant and hotel design, on the project. The company also designed Mancy’s Bluewater Grille and Shorty’s True American Roadhouse, two other Mancy’s Restaurant Group properties.

“They are doing an awesome job for us,” Mancy said. “They have designed some of the best steakhouses in the Midwest and have been great to work with.”

Mancy’s Steaks was originally located where its parking lot is now, but the building was destroyed by fire in 1973. It reopened next door in its current location. Portions of the exterior were renovated last year, including a new canopy over the entrance.

“We’re definitely a destination restaurant,” Mancy said. “We’d love for you to come and check it out. Hopefully it will feel even more comfortable and people will come away happy with the ambience, the food and service.”

Mancy’s, located at 953 Phillips Ave., is known for its namesake steaks, which are aged and hand-cut on site. The menu also features seafood, house-made sauces and desserts and an extensive wine list. Banquet facilities and off-site catering are also available.

For more information, visit mancys.com.

Royal return: Toledo restaurant owner visits Jordan at invitation of king

By
Jay Hathaway
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A Toledo restaurant owner recently got the chance to fulfill a dream.

Mahmoud “Mac” Rafati, owner of Mac and Tong’s restaurant, has lived in the United States for over 50 years. But recently he had been tussling with the desire to see his home country of Jordan one more time. A chance meeting and an unexpected phone call made that a reality.

Mac Rafati, right, owner of Mac and Tong’s restaurant, pictured with his son at the Jordan River. Photo Courtesy Mac Rafati

Mac Rafati, right, owner of Mac and Tong’s restaurant, pictured with his son at the Jordan River. Photo Courtesy Mac Rafati

This summer, Rafati got a call from his son, who lives in Malibu, Calif. To Rafati’s surprise, his son told him King Abdullah II of Jordan was shopping in his organic food store. Seconds later, Rafati and the king were having a conversation.

“I thought my son was joking,” Rafati said. “[Then] I realized I was talking to the King of Jordan. It was a shock.”

The king asked Rafati about himself, and took an interest in his past in Jordan.

“He was very, very nice and polite, as a lot of people from [Jordan] are — hospitable. We talked for about four or five minutes. … He asked how long it had been since I’d been in the country, and I said ‘54 years.’

“I told him I am three days younger than his late father, and that my last wish would be to see Jordan again, and I hope I can make it.”

Three days later, Rafati received an email inviting him and his son to Jordan for a week, compliments of the king.

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Rafati joined the Jordanian army when he was 17. At 25, he went to Germany for schooling. After two years studying languages there, he came to the U.S.

Rafati found work with an engineering company in Pittsburgh, which led him to a connection that would again alter the course of his life.

“We built a paper mill for Owens-Illinois in Texas,” he said. “I came back up north to [return] to our office in Pittsburgh, but I got lost in Toledo. It’s a true story. It sounds like a joke, but it’s not.”

Some friends he met at the O-I mill in Dallas convinced him to stay in Toledo. As an added bonus, O-I gave him a job at their Toledo facilities.

Eventually, O-I asked Rafati to work on a few overseas projects. His work took him to the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Egypt and Ecuador.

While in Toledo, Rafati met his wife, Tong, who was a manager for China Gate restaurant.

After five years of travel, Mac left O-I and he and Tong opened a restaurant, Our Place, located on South Reynolds Road. They ran the popular eatery for 15 years until they decided to retire.

For a time, the couple traveled around the West Coast, but in 2006 they felt the pull to return to Toledo, where they opened Mac and Tong’s, in the Ottawa Hills Shopping Center, 4330 W. Central Ave.

In August, Rafati, his son and his son’s girlfriend departed to take the king up on his offer. Upon arrival, they were picked up in a car and taken to visit with the king and queen.

The trio then set out to see the sights, which included traveling to the Dead Sea, the Jordan River and spending a night at a camp in the desert, featuring a feast and full amenities.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Rafati said. “They had everything. Lamb meat, chicken and vegetables. It was great! When dignitaries visit the King of Jordan, they go to this camp, have dinner and see the sunset in the desert.”

Rafati’s group spent the rest of the week visiting other points of interest before returning to the U.S. Now back in Toledo running his restaurant, Rafati said he is invigorated with a renewed love for his native country.

“I have so much pride in my homeland,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I almost forgot about that, living here for so long. It brought back a lot of emotions, a lot of pride.”

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