Fried rice bowl with broccoli and chicken chow mein. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)
Review: Award-winning local franchise founded right here in 2010
TOLEDO – Have you ever dreamed of owning your own restaurant, or becoming so popular and, well, organized, as to offer franchising opportunities? In this week’s edition of Flavor in the 419, we profile Toledo-based, award-winning Balance Pan-AsianGrille, whose co-founders Prakash Karamchandani (PK) and HoChan Jang (CJ) did just that.
Chissandra Price, Sofia Tiell, and Chesney Paulson enjoy their meals at Balance Pan-Asian Grille. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)
Since 2010, they’ve worked to innovate new technologies across a range of functions including menu creation, customer engagement, operations and brand marketing. They’ve garnered attention from notable industry publications and have made the annual list of Fast Casual’s “Top 100 Movers and Shakers” multiple times, ranking #28 on this year’s list.
With restaurants in Toledo, Cleveland, Dallas and Denver, and an aquaponics facility downtown that grows fresh produce for corporate locations and other local restaurants, you should have plenty of opportunity to taste their modern Asian-inspired cuisine. If you’ve never tried Balance or are a long-time fan, I encourage you to indulge in their seasonal variety of flavorful appetizers, colorful rice bowls, inspired tacos and curated collection of bubble teas. Your taste buds will thank you and leave you craving more.
Balance employee Mia Albright makes tacos. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)
With seemingly endless combinations of fresh, organic ingredients, sauces, halal meats, vegan and gluten-free options, you will not get tired of exploring all that Balance offers. Ordering online, in-person or through their mobile app is quick and easy.
When I was there, I witnessed a steady stream of customers running in to pickup food they had ordered ahead. In the parking lot, I met one happy customer and his two dogs who were waiting for food to be delivered curbside.
Balance also provides catering options for your next graduation party, corporate function or special event. They have reimagined every detail of the restaurant experience to create consistently high-quality, nutritious meals, full of flavor, served fast in compostable packaging.
Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself. Balance currently has locations locally in Perrysburg, Sylvania and downtown Toledo.
If you happen to see PK or CJ in the restaurant or on a catering run, or speaking at an upcoming event, say hello and thank them for bringing their best to our community!
Have more suggestions for food reviews? Comment below or contact Kevin Tiell at kevin@tiell.com.
Balance Pan-Asian Grille Sylvania location. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)Colorful bubbles for Balance teas. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)Chrissandra Price makes a bubble tea (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)Micaya Vanderende hands a bubble tea order to a customer (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)Casey J. Cole picks up his order curbside. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)Kenna Iodice_and Krista_Zarend order at the Balance kiosk. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)Sofia Tiell and Chesny Paulson order at the Balance kiosk. (TFP Photo/Kevin Tiell)
Girl Named Tom will return to Maumee to celebrate Sunshine Communities' 75th anniversary on Sept. 7.
Sunshine Communities celebrate 75 years With Girl Named Tom band
MAUMEE – A little background: Sunshine Communities is a community that has an agenda of supporting people with developmental disabilities. In 1950, Roy and Georgette Engler founded Sunshine Homes due to the dissatisfaction of the poor living conditions in the in-state institutions. Aiming for better living environments for children, the Englers used donated material and labor to build a structure next to their home that included a medical staff and care.
By 1978, Sunshine had expanded enough to include family care and vocational services that helped adults with disabilities who were working. As of today, Sunshine supports 250 individuals everyday with 430 employees, 50 nurses, 28 residual homes, and 60 vehicles that provide transportation.
75 years later, the community still thrives. A coffee shop in downtown Maumee named Georgette’s allows some of the community members to work in the public. The community itself holds jobs for their members, such as helping raise and take care of farm animals and horses. With a strong tie to the Mennonites, Sunshine is sponsored by the Mennonite Health Services, sharing core values and beliefs, like empathy, integrity, mutuality and a shared faith-centered mission.
On Sept. 7, Sunshine will throw their grand finale celebration in downtown Maumee, near Georgette’s, as it “aligns perfectly with our sunshine footprint and strengthens our connection with the community,” stated Sunshine Communities’ CEO Jason Abodeely.
Caleb, Bekah and Joshua Liechty, of Pettisville, Ohio, of Girl Named Tom. (Courtesy Photo)
To celebrate, Girl Named Tom, winners of the hit NBC TV show, The Voice, will perform.
Girl Named Tom, based out of Pettisville, Ohio have strong ties to the Mennonite community, a community that also has strong ties to Sunshine.
In a statement from Abodeely, he shared why Girl Named Tom was a good fit for the event:
We approached Girl Named Tom due to their strong ties to the Mennonite faith, from which we built our core values in the 1960s. Mennonite congregations supported Sunshine Children’s Home, now Sunshine Communities, through quilt-making and other philanthropic efforts. Those relationships, and our mission, have stood the test of time, as we continue to create community through Anabaptist values. It’s come full circle, and we’re incredibly proud to remain deeply connected to our roots in Northwest Ohio 75 years later.
Abodeely wrote that “we wanted to bridge our past with the present. We host summer concerts each year on our campus, and bringing Girl Named Tom to Uptown Maumee alongside our friends, neighbors, and retail locations marks a new chapter in this tradition”
Beginning at 5 p.m., the event is free to the public and will be standing room only, but chairs are permitted with no umbrellas. Port-a-potties will also be on site, food trucks will be available.
Opening for Girl Named Tom at 5:30 p.m. is local band Chloe and the Steel Strings. Girl Named Tom will perform at 7:15 p.m.
Here are a few more details to know before you go:
First aid will be located at Sunshine Studios
Guests are asked to bring chairs
Food trucks will be present
This is not a ticketed event
Jacky’s Depot will be offering signature Sunshine partnership ice cream flavors
Well-care and physical exams necessary, encouraged for children
Parents often ask if their child still needs a well-care or physical exam if their immunizations are up-to-date.
The answer is yes, and there are several reasons that it is important to have an annual well care exam. For example, physicians can identify problems early and prevent chronic illness. It allows for parent education to promote healthy habits, anticipatory guidance related to the next developmental milestones related to age of the child, education and promotion of the importance of vaccinations, and providing vaccines if needed and parents are agreeable.
The well-care exam also allows for early identification of possible chronic medical conditions such as asthma, ADHD, anxiety, migraines, childhood obesity, high cholesterol, or early onset diabetes, among others. The visit also offers a time for parents and children/teens to ask questions related to their concerns.
Early diagnosis can help providers to begin treatment before there are complications and comorbidities related to untreated chronic medical illnesses. With the increase in childhood obesity, we are seeing an increase in childhood lipidemia, hypertension and diabetes.
Rates of anxiety and depression are also rising among children, so this also allows us to be proactive instead of reactive. The earlier we start treatment, the less likely there will be complications from these chronic illnesses, which increases the child’s chances of recovery and stability.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends an annual well-child exam/physical exam every year starting at the age of three, including height and weight with a body mass index (BMI).
Other recommendations include an annual blood pressure screening annually starting at age three and at every visit for high-risk patients, vision and hearing screenings annually or every two years for school-aged children, a risk assessment for sudden cardiac arrest and death from ages 11-21, a universal screening for dyslipidemia with a lipid profile once between ages 9-11, and a screening for anxiety/depression beginning at age 12. (Source: AAP)
If your child has not had a well child/physical exam in over a year, make time to call your primary care provider and schedule their exam.
Money Matters: A look at mortgage rates, home loans and refinancing
I remember the first home my wife and I bought a home here in Toledo. We left the closing table high-fiving each other because we got a 30-year mortgage at 6.75 percent. It was a duplex, where we lived in half and rented the other half out, which basically paid our mortgage. We bought the house for $60,000 and sold it a few years later for $98,000.
Flash forward to today, and we are in our third home in another hot real estate market. For first-time homebuyers or anyone who purchased a house in the past year, it is a good time to pay attention to rates and be prepared.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index during the first week of August 2024, there was a 35 percent increase in applications to refinance. Over the past 30 years, my wife and I refinanced our mortgage loan a few different times. I reached out to Liz Terwilliger, branch manager at Union Home Mortgage in Perrysburg to get some pointers on what to consider when refinancing.
Rates are just beginning to come down, so depending on where you’re sitting, you may want to wait to refinance.
Liz Terwilliger
“If your rate is in the eight’s or higher, it would not be a bad idea to look at doing something now. If you’re in the seven’s, I personally think it’s in your best interest to hang tight because rates are expected to continue falling throughout 2025.”
“What you want to avoid,” she went on to say, “is having to refinance more than once because there are costs associated with a refinance, and you don’t want to pay those twice. Finally, be cautious with lenders that offer a ‘free’ refinance. Typically, those programs do not offer the best market rate available. Many of those lenders will give a slightly higher rate to cover the costs of the refinance on the back end.”
Terwilliger said that essentially it looks like it was free, but the consumer pays in the long run. It’s almost always going to be more beneficial for a consumer to take the lowest rate they can, even if that means paying the closing costs.
The recent spike in interest rates hit mortgage rates in October 2023, when the average 30-year mortgage rate in the United States was 7.73 percent. As of Aug. 14, 2024, that rate has dropped to 6.47 percent.
For the homeowner who can afford a higher monthly payment and shorten the loan to 15 years, that rate has dropped to 5.63 percent. It is also important to note that rates can change daily, and a homeowner’s rate will depend upon the property type, down payment amount, and credit score.
Some future home buyers may be waiting if they anticipate that rates will continue to drop and real estate prices might go lower than their record highs. Being patient and finding the perfect house versus overpaying can be a good strategy.
In the meantime, since rates and the total cost is impacted by your credit and down payment, it is a good idea to check your credit and save up for a down payment. Federal law allows you to get a free copy of your credit report every year through annualcreditreport.com. Putting down more than 20 percent not only cuts one’s payment, but can help a home buyer avoid pricey private mortgage insurance, which protects the lender if a borrower defaults on their mortgage.
Checking the local real estate market, I reached out to John Mangas, a broker and co-owner at RE/MAX Preferred Associates.
He said, “With the downward movement with both 15- and 30-year mortgage loan rates, we are seeing homeowners returning to the market. Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have estimated that there are 54 million mortgage-ready millennials just waiting for rates to drop to a level that they find acceptable. This will drive the housing market in the third and fourth of 2024 and beyond.”
As we navigate these fluctuating rates and market conditions, the key question remains: Is it time to buy or refi? With careful consideration and professional advice, you can make the best decision for your financial future.
Securities offered through Peak Brokerage Services, LLC Member FINRA/SIPC/MSRB. Advisory Services offered through The Retirement Guys Formula, a Registered Investment Advisor. America’s Retirement Headquarters and The Retirement Guys Formula are separate and independent entities from Peak Brokerage Services, LLC.
Dr. Amerah Archer, acting executive director of Toledo Public Schools Department of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, left, leads a Women's Equality Day circle on Monday. (TFP Photo/Paula Wethington)
Women’s Equality Day honors the adoption of the 19th Amendment
TOLEDO – Students at Toledo Pre-Medical and Health Science Academy had an opportunity to discuss women’s right to vote, along with social expectations of today, during a Women’s Equality Day program Monday.
The discussion was led by Dr. Amerah Archer, acting executive director of Toledo Public Schools’ Department of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The other speaker was Sheena Barnes, a Toledo Public Schools board member.
Dr. Amerah Archer, acting executive director of Toledo Public Schools Department of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. (TFP Photo/Paula Wethington)
Women’s Equality Day honors the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended voting rights to women, in August 1920. Events in the Toledo area marking the anniversary also included the Northwest Ohio Women’s Equality Day conference Monday at the Glass City Center.
“Voting is how we get things accomplished,” Archer told the students.
Eight high school juniors opted to attend the program, including Payyon Parker, Zaida Marino and Jaylyn Guilford. The chairs were placed in a circle upon invitation of Archer, who hoped the setting would spark discussions that might not otherwise happen in a classroom setting.
While the emphasis was on voting and women in leadership roles, they also talked about what it’s like to be a woman working in the medical careers.
Toledo Pre-Medical and Health Science Academy, a partnership of Toledo Public Schools and ProMedica, is a four-year high school at the Upton Avenue academic campus. The program is in its third year, and the oldest students are now juniors.
“Who do you think goes out to the polls more? It’s women!” Archer said when starting the discussion.
That was a surprise to Zaida. “I see more men running,” she said.
Sheena Barnes, Toledo Public Schools Board of Education member. (TFP Photo/Paula Wethington)
“You can all be an elected official,” Barnes said later, sharing her story of how she was invited to run for a school board seat. “We need more intelligent young women in office to keep fighting for our equity.”
To tie women’s history into the students’ career interests, Archer said that while women make up a majority of all those working in health careers, only about 1/3 of currently active physicians are women.
“Pursue the career you want to pursue. Don’t take it because it is the shorter route and you want to have kids,” Archer said, relating how she worked on her PhD part-time during her son’s toddler and preschool years.
Discussion topics also included who is expected to handle family responsibilities, depictions of women in popular culture, and social media trends featuring unrealistic physical appearances.
“You are beautiful already,” Barnes said.
Each student attending got a keepsake card from Archer, with a collage of women’s faces as the artwork. She invited them to write themselves an encouraging note to save, or perhaps give the card to another woman whom they wish to encourage.
Students at Toledo Pre-Medical and Health Science Academy and their guest speakers pose for a group photo after a panel discussion Monday honoring Women’s Equality Day. (TFP Photo/Paula Wethington)
A sign depicts the area on the Anthony Wayne Trail where the former Toledo Zoo's pollinator prairie grew, before the City of Toledo mowed it down last week. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
Anthony Wayne Trail prairie mow angers residents
A pollinator on Toledo Zoo property, off the Anthony Wayne Trail, is close to the area mowed down by the City of Toledo. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
Northwest Ohioans are so lucky to experience the diverse wildlife found within the Great Lakes Basin, with ecosystems that include the Lake Erie Coastal Zone, the Oak Openings Region, the Great Black Swamp and the Maumee River.
TOLEDO – I have always had a deep love and respect for the outside world. Growing up, I remember going to Maumee Bay, Magee Marsh and Crane Creek with my family to walk the trails, watch for migratory birds and walk along the Lake Erie shoreline.
Now, as an adult, I keep a garden, continue to enjoy our city’s many wonderful metroparks, such as Wildwood, Side Cut and Oak Openings. I also pick up litter wherever I go. Our small but diverse ecosystem is vitally important because we host a plethora of pollinator and migratory bird species.
Annually, 70,000 to 80,000 people visit Magee Marsh in the six-week period mid-April through May during the songbird migration.
-metroparkstoledo.com
In order for these birds to make such a long and treacherous migration, many native plant species and pollinators are needed to support the vast number of birds. Our area is home to many different species of bees and butterflies, including the rare Karner blue butterfly, which is endangered due to habitat loss.
Like the Karner blue butterfly, honeybee populations are also declining around the world due to use of pesticides and colony collapse disorder. Farmers and gardeners alike rely on honeybees in order to pollinate crops. If honeybees were to become extinct, our crops could not be pollinated enough to support us.
A little over a decade ago, the Toledo Zoo showed its dedication to conservation efforts through the establishment of the Wild Toledo program.
In the fall of 2014, Wild Toledo began converting previously mowed lawn and abandoned lots to environmentally beneficial urban prairies, which save resources through reduction of mowing, improve rain water management and reduces runoff. These plantings also provide aesthetically pleasing habitat for important native species like birds and pollinators.
-toledozoo.org
The benefits of planting these prairies include increasing pollinator population, decreasing carbon dioxide, reducing runoff, creating resting spots for migratory birds, reducing upkeep, creating sources of beauty, increasing food sources and increasing habitats in general.
A single milkweed plant remains near the Toledo Zoo’s former pollinator prairie on the Anthony Wayne Trail, which was mowed down by the City of Toledo last week. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
The Anthony Wayne Trail has been a dedicated prairie since the Wild Toledo program began, but it has since been mowed down by the City of Toledo, which has upset many citizens.
A video from the Toledo Zoo was uploaded to their Facebook page on August 23 as a response to concerns over the missing prairie. Dr. Ryan Walsh, director of Plant Conservation, stated that “the Anthony Wayne Trail prairie is one of the first prairie Wild Toledo put in over a decade ago and it was, by all accounts, one of our most successful at this point. That prairie was pretty much self-sufficient,” he said. “It required very little maintenance on our part because, once a prairie’s reached a certain size, they will actually outcompete all the weeds, and there’s very little maintenance that needs to be done.”
Walsh added that the prairie was a collaboration with the city, as it is their land being used. “Unfortunately, the City of Toledo decided they did not like look of the prairies. They did not like the fact that it was providing ecosystem services and they wanted to take this in a different direction.”
Garbage lies scattered throughout the median where the Toledo Zoo’s pollinator prairie grew before the City of Toledo mowed it down last week. (TFP Photo/Christy Frank)
According to news reported by 13abc, the city had been getting complaints about the appearance of the prairie. Some citizens believed the prairie to be weeds and wished to see grass rather than the diverse prairie. The news station also stated that the city wished to work with the zoo in order to establish a project where seasonal wildlife would be planted, but the zoo did not wish to respond.
Walsh went on to explain that the city didn’t have to spend money mowing the prairie. That’s actually saving tax payer dollars in the interest of conservation and creating habitat, in comparison to formal landscaping, which would be 30 to 40 times more expensive as a prairie instillation or mowing alone.
“So, there’s less time, effort, money and CO2 going into the atmosphere,” said Walsh.
It is extremely disheartening to me to see how the city has handled this situation. The zoo has been working hard to raise awareness about the importance of these prairies. The response from citizens has been plentiful, as people are upset over the actions of the city for their environmental negligence.
I, and many others, would like to see the city leave the prairies alone and let the zoo keep up their conservation efforts. It is important to keep these designated wildlife habitats so that we may live in a cleaner and healthier environment. This is not only vital for us right now, but for our future generations.
If you would like to start your own native wildlife garden or habitat, there are seeds and plants for purchase on the Toledo Zoo website.
We may do better in Toledo, but I hope our native pollinators can too.
Editorial cartoon by Don Lee for the Toledo Free Press.
Walkers carry balloon letters spelling 'pride' in Toledo Pride's parade, marking its 15th year. (TFP Photo/Au'Ree Antoinette)
15 years of Pride celebrated in the streets of Downtown Toledo
TOLEDO – The city came alive over the weekend as the annual Toledo Pride Festival kicked off on Friday at Promenade Park. This year’s celebration offered a vibrant and diverse array of activities designed to honor love, diversity and community.
Friday’s festivities opened with a dynamic lineup of live music, DJs and drag performances. Performers, such as Ann Arbor Drag Queen Jessi Hex and Toledo’s very own Sam Tolson provided an evening of entertainment that kept attendees dancing well into the night. Once the sun went down, Fleet Feet held their Toledo Night Pride 5k Glo and 1-mile Fun Run.
Two spectators listen to live music by local band Street Light Curfew. (TFP Photo/Au’ Ree Antoinette)
Belly dancers from House of Spice dressed up as Disney princesses as they walked along with the Old West End float during the Pride Parade on Saturday. (TFP Photos/Au’Ree Antoinette)
The festivities continued on Saturday, with the Pride Parade, which started on Adams St. and concluded on Summit St. Hundreds of supporters, covered in their rainbow gear, lined the streets to cheer on the colorful procession.
Following the parade, Promenade Park became the epicenter of celebration once again for a second night of festivities. The day’s events featured even more live music, entertainment, and an expanded array of food trucks and community vendors.
“This year marks 15 years of pride here in Toledo,” said Pride Fest’s MC, DJ Savanna.
“Celebrating 15 years of Toledo Pride and my 5th year of participation, the parade remains my favorite. Seeing local businesses and people come together in joyful celebration highlights the strength and unity of our community, making each year a powerful reflection of who we are,” said Taylor Shettlewood.
With something for everyone, from captivating performances to local shopping opportunities, the weekend was filled with joy and unity. Toledo Pride remained a family-friendly event, welcoming people of all ages to join in and experience the city’s biggest pride celebration of the year.
Local spectators start a group dance of the Macarena. (TFP Photos/Au’Ree Antoinette)Pride Festival MC DJ Savanna expresses her excitement for the upcoming performances at the annual Toledo Pride Fest. (TFP Photo/Au’Ree Antoinette)Drag queen Jessi Hex putting on their theatrics for the crowd. (TFP Photo/Au’Ree Antoinette)
