Innovation

There are many restaurants that claim to have a sustainable element to their sourcing, service or menus; but few restaurants take it as far as Ben Bebenroth does with Spice Hospitality Group. Spice is the only hospitality company in the country to offer menu items that were grown on national park land. He operates a 13-acre, ever expanding, farm within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This allows for all of his seasonal produce, meats and cheeses to be sourced within 25 miles of his restaurant, located in Ohio City, and catering company, which travels, but never outside of the greater Cleveland area. In 2013 when he got the lease for the farm, he moved his family to the house located on the property of the farm so that he could oversee the daily operations and since then has hosted numerous events at the farm itself. These events have the goal of promoting the work he is doing and teaching Clevelanders about the sourcing of their products and to "turn on the light" for what true local and seasonal sourcing can be for them.

The farm was the culminating step in what has been a core innovation for the Spice Catering Company since it opened in 2007. When Ben first was taking on clients he was serving them produce that he grew in his grandparents' backyard, while operating the catering company out of their basement. As the business grew, so too did his garden, and when he moved into his own house in Brecksville in 2009 he dug up the front and side yards to plant garlic, peppers, tomatoes, corn and onions to allow him to have complete control over his produce supply chain. After opening Spice Kitchen + Bar in 2012 he began looking for a way to continue his local sourcing while still growing with the needs of his business. In 2013 he took over the remaining 48 years of a 60-year lease on the property in Cuyahoga Valley National Park which allowed him to eliminate the need for food purveyors in his restaurant and catering company.

Inspiration

Spice Hospitality Group was inspired by the owner's trips around the world during his time in the military. He saw how cultures who don't have the same access as he had in America sourced their food locally and looked after the agricultural needs of their area. During one such trip he was in Australia with his wife eating kangaroo tail cooked over a fire in a dry creek bed. He considers this his watershed moment that pushed him toward sustainable business practices and uber-local sourcing of his ingredients. "I remember how it felt to know how careless we were about food before our trip and how that meal changed my life and outlook forever."

He credits his father, who was a public school health teacher, for his interest in using food to "enrich people's lives" and teaching them about the benefits of local ingredients.

Overall impact

The overall impact of Spice Hospitality Group is one of decreased pressure on both the environment and restaurant product supply chain. By pulling itself out of the massive food purveyor and distributor network they reduce their environmental impact greatly, and by producing their own high-quality and hyper-local produce they can educate their customers about the benefits of this idea and further apply pressure to other local businesses to change their practices and methods. Spice Catering uses every meal as an opportunity to teach their customers about the benefits of their practices. This is highlighted by their willingness to invite people into their "home" and show them how specifically they are working to improve the health and well-being of the community around them. Ben has been hired as a consultant by Nestle in Mentor, Ohio, and by the nutrition team with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is becoming clearer that his mission of bringing local and sustainable resources to the Cleveland area and growing his products in a nutrient dense environment is beginning to be recognized by larger groups around Ohio.

While many companies claim to be local or sustainable or "green," Ben Bebenroth and Spice Hospitality are truly walking the walk and getting their hands dirty to make sure they are living up to their founder's mission and core values.

Business benefit

The Spice Hospitality Group is as vertically integrated as a business in this space can get. By owning the farm, distribution and restaurants their ingredients are sold in, they are cutting costs across every level of the business. They are also able to charge a premium over their competitors thanks to their niche marketing and mission driven menus and message.

Social and environmental benefit

Spice Hospitality Group is driven to educate and enlist the help of its audience and customer base. Ben Bebenroth admits that they have yet to truly tap in to the potential of the customers as a driver of change across the city of Cleveland and the restaurant industry more globally.

"We haven't really taken advantage of our die-hard customers yet. Between growing the catering operation, restaurant and farm, we haven't tapped in to our marketing abilities and gotten people to truly understand how far we are taking this yet. That will change soon."

As they continue to build their marketing platforms and unify their messaging across the entire brand, the overall impact for the Cleveland area will become clearer. To hear Ben talk about all of the miles their food isn't traveling is already a huge step for local and sustainable agriculture in Cleveland, but once they are able to convey that to their customers, Spice will really start to see its overall impact grow.

Interview

Ben Bebenroth, Chef/Founder