Skrtic's Pics: Abundance, Scott Nixon, Mallorca

John Skrtic has been with the Cleveland Public Library for over 30 years. He now serves as the chief of special projects and collections, which makes him responsible for overseeing the 11 million items in the Library Collection. He holds a master's of library and information science from Kent State University and a master's of public administration from Cleveland State University. Skrtic grew up on East 41st Street in Downtown Cleveland and has lived in the city his entire life. He is father of two children and spends his free time archiving the people and places of Cleveland.

Abundance

It was great to spend time with Liu Fang, chef and co-owner of Abundance Culinary at 1975 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. We talked about her working life and the food she wants to create. Originally from Shandong, China, Liu worked in coal-mining compliance before entering the restaurant business. She told me about work that took her deep underground into coal mines. Her job took her around China and overseas, introducing her to different foods along the way. An interest in craft beer eventually led her and her husband, Carl Setzer, to establish Great Leap Brewing in Beijing in 2010. Over the next decade, they grew the business to 240 employees, with Liu overseeing kitchen teams across three cities.

Liu came to Northeast Ohio in 2020 while pregnant with their second child. Carl, a Chardon native, later returned to China on business and spent 53 days in COVID-related isolation. Their daughter had been born by then, and Liu was here caring for both children while worrying about her husband. Making buns and dumplings gave her something to concentrate on and helped ease her anxiety. She learned techniques through video calls with her grandmother. Friends began trying her food, and cooking took her life in a new direction. What began in her home eventually became a residency at Larder Delicatessen and Bakery, followed by Abundance’s permanent restaurant in 2023.

Throughout our conversation, Liu kept giving credit to others. She spoke about Jeremy Umansky and Allie La Valle Umansky at Larder, as well as Steve Presser. She also recalled the encouragement she received from Doug Katz, who helped her find a home for the restaurant. I appreciated how readily she praised the people who offered advice and support. We talked about her wish to show diners more of the range of Chinese cooking and to treat them with the care and respect she believes they deserve. Her cooking draws on Chinese regional traditions while making room for Northeast Ohio ingredients and her own ideas. The food is superb, and the former diner makes an exceptional setting for it. I loved hearing how much more she wants to create and share with people here.

Leigh Brooklyn

I had been hoping to photograph Cleveland artist Leigh Brooklyn for some time. I admired her work, and we had been in touch, but the timing never quite worked out. When I finally caught up with her, she was working on one of Cleveland’s great statues at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. She had tools in hand and was wearing a Wonder Woman shirt that seemed fitting for the occasion. Sometimes a delay works in your favor. I was glad to photograph Leigh doing her work and helping care for a piece of the city’s history.

Born in Oberlin, Leigh earned her degree in biomedical illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her early work included medical and scientific illustrations for Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and local museums and research institutions. She later studied figurative sculpture with David Deming, a sculptor and CIA president emeritus, earned certification in structural welding and pursued training in stone carving. Her practice now ranges from detailed oil portraits and drawings to large sculptures and architectural restoration. She works with Cleveland Stone Co. and Fairplay Stone Carving, and her continued study has taken her to carving studios in Italy and brought her into contact with artists and craftspeople in Germany. I appreciate the years of learning behind work that requires so many different skills.

Leigh’s collaborations include modeling figures and carving stone for the Greek Garden Monument in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, restoring sculptural elements at the Federal Reserve and working with Monument Conservation Partners on the bronze Venus outside the Carl B. Stokes United States Court House. Alongside those projects, she continues making her own paintings, drawings and graffiti-inspired Love Bombs. Her art explores women’s strength, identity and experiences and has been exhibited in galleries and museums and at art fairs across the country. She has also received American Illustration recognition and participated in residencies in France and Italy, as well as at the Vermont Studio Center. Thanks to Leigh for allowing me to take her photograph on a beautiful October day in Cleveland. See more at leighbrooklyn.com.

Sir Yacht

It was great to see Joey Kinsley, better known as Sir Yacht, at a Cleveland Guardians game. A Rocky River native and devoted Cleveland sports fan, Joey has built a large online following through comedy, ambitious challenges and the unvarnished opinions his fans enjoy hearing. He gives people plenty to talk about, and I appreciate the enthusiasm and craziness he brings to social media. Cleveland sports matter to him, and he makes that clear.

His sports commentary reached a wider audience after the Browns’ winless 2017 season, when one of his rants was shared by SportsCenter’s Snapchat account. Since then, his work has grown to include travel, food challenges and comedy about life in Ohio and the Midwest. He also appeared on two seasons of Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America. There is a lot to enjoy about someone willing to put himself in these situations and let the audience watch what happens.

At the game, I had to congratulate Joey on his running accomplishments. In April 2026, he completed the London Marathon, which he described as his first official marathon. Finishing those 26.2 miles is something to be proud of, and I was glad to tell him so. I enjoy his outspoken sports takes and all the unexpected things he brings to my feed. Beyond all the crazy challenges, I loved seeing how Joey interacted with people who came up to meet him and say hello. He treated everyone with respect and that familiar Midwest kindness. It was good to catch up with him while we were both there to support our Cleveland team.

Scott Nixon

It was great to team up with my friend Scott Nixon, the Lakewood resident behind Stay Beautiful America, to make a video at Marie’s Restaurant in Cleveland. I enjoyed introducing him to this St. Clair Avenue spot, known for its Croatian and other Eastern European dishes. Scott regularly shares his food discoveries online, and I was glad to join him for this one. It was also great to take his photograph in front of the restaurant. He is always zipping around the region on his bicycle. He has a curiosity I appreciate and loves learning about places in Cleveland he has yet to visit.

I’ve loved watching Scott’s journey over the past few years, including his sobriety and his involvement with Club Soda Club. He hosts and produces All Bubbles. No Troubles., a weekly interview series featuring people who have reduced their drinking or stopped altogether. Those conversations give people room to talk about their experiences in their own words. Scott and I check in regularly online, and I appreciate the friendship we have built along the way. It has been good to follow his progress and see him share this part of his life.

His food videos take viewers around Northeast Ohio, and his travels now extend beyond the state. In New Orleans, he filmed a po’boy tour that included a stop at Parasol’s. I enjoy following those trips, but I especially appreciate his continuing interest in the places here at home. There is always another Cleveland restaurant to visit and something more to learn. Sharing Marie’s with Scott was a fine way to spend time with someone who enjoys making those discoveries and bringing his viewers along.

READ MORE: 50 Best Restaurants in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio

Robert Louis Brandon Edwards 

It was great to meet Robert Louis Brandon Edwards at Cleveland’s historic Greyhound Terminal, where I went for an update from Playhouse Square on the building’s progress and possible future uses. Robert is an architectural historian and a doctoral candidate in historic preservation at Columbia University. He posed for my photograph in front of a 1957 GM PD4104 Greyhound bus. I enjoyed meeting someone so thoughtful and knowledgeable and hearing how his research connects a family story to a much larger chapter of American history.

His grandmother’s Greyhound journey from Fredericksburg, Virginia, to Harlem during the Great Migration helped inspire that work. Robert studies the experiences of Black passengers during the Jim Crow era, examining the buses alongside the stations where their journeys began and ended. He acquired a 1947 Greyhound bus for his research. In a description he shared with me, he explained that he had recently added the 1957 bus, which retains many original seats and signs. He is also collecting tickets, schedules, maps, letters, photographs and advertisements. He studies a bus as a preservationist would study a building, looking at its design, its use and the lives connected to it.

Robert hopes to establish the National Museum of the Great Migration in Cleveland, ideally in connection with the historic terminal. His plans include restoring the buses and developing an augmented-reality experience so visitors can step aboard and learn about Black travelers’ experiences in the 1940s and 1950s. He recognizes that the project will require considerable time, research and financial support. Playhouse Square, which purchased the 1948 terminal in 2024, has outlined repairs while considering its future uses. I look forward to following Robert’s work and the efforts to preserve this important Cleveland landmark.

Ebonie Randle

It was great to meet Ebonie Randle at Shalom & Tranquility Community Garden, located at 3789 West 39th Street in Cleveland’s Brooklyn Centre neighborhood. Ebonie was full of life as she moved around the grounds, giving me a tour and introducing me to her daughter. I also loved meeting the volunteers who help the children and support the garden’s work. Ebonie is the garden’s founder and lead farmer, and I appreciated the chance to hear about a place where neighbors come for fresh food, activities and time together.

A native Clevelander who also lived in Long Beach, California, Ebonie attended Long Beach City College. Her gardening education has included Ohio State University classes, lessons from Rid-All and guidance from her mentor, Morgan Taggart. Another important influence came through the S.E.E.D.S. Women’s Development Program in 2019, where a fellow participant’s gardening work encouraged her to begin her own project. She started the garden in June 2020, turning a vacant neighborhood lot into a place to grow food and bring families together. Her work developed with support from Ohio State University Extension, the Summer Sprout program and community partners.

Today, neighbors turn to the garden for produce, shared meals and activities for their children. The Super Garden Kidz program teaches young people about growing food, health and helping their community. Garden Grubs meals, literacy activities and movie nights give families reasons to return throughout the growing season. Ebonie also helps teach beekeeping as a founding member of My Sistas Keeper, a collective of Black women beekeepers in Greater Cleveland. I appreciated her energy and the volunteers’ commitment to the people around them. Thanks to Ebonie and my friend, filmmaker Kate Bennis, for setting up the meeting. I’m also grateful to all the volunteers who welcomed me and showed me the work they do for this Cleveland neighborhood.

Kate recently made a documentary about Ebonie titled There’s No Place Like Shalom. Watch it here: storiesbyus.org/story/view/SxL2B

Francesco Lanza

It was great to spend time with Cleveland photographer Francesco Lanza, whose work I have admired for years. I enjoyed hearing about the life behind the photographs and the people who helped him get started. Francesco told me his parents grew up around East 93rd Street and Harvard Avenue and attended John Adams High School. He grew up in Lakewood and Avon Lake, and his dad got him his first camera. His connection to photography began with that encouragement from home. He told me he started at Happy Dog as a janitor and eventually began photographing the bands that played there. He had gone to work at a neighborhood music venue and found an opportunity to develop his skills as a photographer.

Music became an important part of his life and work. Francesco remembers camping trips with his father, discovering the Grateful Dead as a teenager and later traveling across the country for concerts. Photographing live performances taught him to respond quickly to movement and difficult lighting. He told me he left Cleveland for New York City in 2016 and later lived in Mount Shasta, California, and the Bay Area. This year, he spent three months in Rome. He told me about meeting people, making friends and reconsidering what he wanted from his life. After returning to California, he packed a rented minivan and drove back to Cleveland to begin again.

Now back home, Francesco is building Headshots by Francesco Lanza, drawing on more than fifteen years of professional experience in music, wedding, news and portrait photography. His sessions include a conversation about what the client needs, guidance during the shoot and time to look through the photographs together. He is also developing From Sicily to Cleveland, a documentary photography project exploring the places his great-grandparents left and the Cleveland communities where Sicilian families settled. I’m glad to see him bringing his experience back to the area and look forward to following both his new business and his personal work. Thanks to Francesco for sharing his story. See his photographs and learn more at lanzaphoto.com.

Mallorca

It was great to spend time with Laurie Torres and take her photograph at Mallorca. I have been frequenting her downtown restaurant since the beginning, and I appreciated the chance to talk about the people behind all those excellent meals. Laurie opened Mallorca on February 8, 1997. She has a legal background and has lived in Pittsburgh and Galicia, Spain. Her love of the food in Galicia inspired her to bring that cooking to Cleveland. She has called Solon home for more than 30 years. At Mallorca on West Ninth Street, Spanish and Portuguese cooking has become part of the lives of Clevelanders who keep coming back, myself included.

I always tell Laurie how much I admire the consistency and excellence of Eleazar’s cooking. Known as Chef E, he has been in the kitchen since the beginning, preparing meals for Clevelanders and travelers. I admire the work it takes to maintain that standard year after year. Laurie has also devoted time to supporting her fellow restaurant owners. She has served as president of Cleveland Independents, an organization that promotes independently owned restaurants and represents their interests. During the pandemic, she worked to keep Mallorca operating while retaining its original staff. Those efforts deserve appreciation alongside the food and service. In 2026, Mallorca received national recognition as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality.

We also reminisced about the late Enrique Munoz, who welcomed guests to Mallorca for decades. In my book, Enrique was the king of service. You knew you would be looked after when he was there, and he made you feel like royalty. I miss him, and I was glad to remember him with Laurie. Thank you, Laurie, for the years of work that have kept this wonderful restaurant going and for continuing to feed us hungry Clevelanders so well. We are lucky to have Mallorca here. Learn more at mallorcacleveland.com.

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