Sheldon Good/Photo
Yonathan Setiawan, of First Mennonite Church in Bluffton, Ohio, indulges in his lemon and blueberries frozen yogurt from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in the North Market.

After tasting three different flavors, Yonathan Setiawan selected a fruity frozen-grassfed-organic-Ohio-dairy variety. Was it the right choice?

Setiawan, from Bluffton, Ohio, gave his approval: “So good.” With that, the lemon and blueberry frozen yogurt from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams became another two-word winner.

Signature flavors offered year-round at Jeni’s include: Gravel Road, Thai Chili and Salty Caramel, the shop’s most popular flavor and name of the company blog (saltycaramel.com). Summer seasonal flavors right now include Strawberry Buttermilk, Backyard Mint, and Wildberry Lavender.

“Our flavors are inspired by [local] farmers,” said Jeni Britton Bauer, president and founder of the company, which has two locations within walking distance of the convention center. “We’re looking to shake things up with cucumbers later this week.”

Two new flavors will be blended up by the end of the week: apricot yogurt and cucumber sorbet. Sweet corn and black raspberry was introduced on Wednesday (because you can never be too far from corn).

But corn and raspberries aren’t the only fresh, local produce that Jeni’s incorporates into ice cream. Every Saturday morning during the summer, each of the store managers goes and gets fresh berries at the North Market, which are then served over ice cream, along with real “whooped cream.”

Jeni’s seeks to utilize whatever ingredients are simply in season. “Farmers brought us beets earlier,” Britton Bauer said, “which we used to color one of our chocolate flavors red-velvet, making it look iridescent.”

Britton Bauer opened her first ice cream adventure, called Scream, in 1996. In 2002, it reopened as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, which has now expanded to include five retail locations and one production kitchen in and around Columbus. According to jenisicecreams.com, the corporate culture is “to create the finest ice creams with compelling ingredients and serve them with graciousness to every customer.”

“We try to visibly be ambassadors for Columbus,” said Jeni’s spokesperson Ryan Morgan, who attributes himself the unofficial title of “marketer in residence.” Some employees refer to Morgan even more informally as “the Twitter guy,” because he is in charge of the Jeni’s account. “People who come to the convention center like to see what we’re all about.”

Mennonites have been flanking Jeni’s since Monday, with no signs of decreasing traffic until Sunday (not because Mennonites don’t eat ice cream on the Sabbath, but because Convention 2009 officially ends that morning). According to Carly Habenschuss, manager of the North Market location, business has been steady. “Usually our rushes are at lunch and dinner, but now it’s all the time,” Habenschuss said.

Setiawan wasn’t the only Mennonite at a loss for words during the noontime rush at Jeni’s on Wednesday. “It was awesome,” said Alyssa Horst, from Orrville, Ohio. “I’m just trying to get the experience of Columbus.”

That’s exactly what Jeni’s wants customers to consider. “It’s all about the experience,” Morgan said. “You could come in and sample flavors for half an hour. That’s fine. We understand that some of our flavors can be intimidating.”

Britton Bauer goes a step farther. She professes to not be shy about eating ice cream in general – from Jeni’s that is. “Our milk is only pasteurized once and contains as many omega-3s as three fish supplements,” Britton Bauer said. “You can eat a big sundae, which is not low on calories but is high on nutrients. People are surprised to hear it, but our cream is actually kind of good for you.”

There you have it: Indulge a little, take a sample or two – or as many as you want. Make your selection, and enjoy a large helping of frozen deliciousness. Don’t worry, it’s good for you; you’re supporting local farmers; and experiencing the best of Columbus all at once.

“Ice cream is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment,” Morgan said (especially when you’re encouraged to sample as many as you’d like).

“We welcome taste-testing,” Britton Bauer said. “You don’t have to buy anything. It’s important to push people to taste things that invite your flavor memory that eats away at your brain.”

July is National Ice Cream Month, created by President Reagan in 1984. The United States ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.

Recent coverage of the ice cream shop can be found in the New York Times, Food and Wine magazine, Food Network, Bon Appetit magazine, and NBC’s Today Show. In June 2009, Bon Appetit ranked Jeni’s as the number eight ice cream shop in the United States. In 2005, Food and Wine handed Britton Bauer a “Tastemaker Award” as an ice cream artist.

The Short North location (just up from the convention center on High Street) is open 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. The shop in the North Market is open Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday from 8am-5pm; Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Bratwursts and burgers for $4; pizza at $3 a slice; sushi plates for $5; a wide range of ethnic selections such as Moroccan chicken over mojadara at Firdous Express Mediterranean and traditional Pho fare via at the Lac Viet Market.

All frugal options.

But Flavors of India might provide the most value for your money. Six dollars buys a mountain of basmati rice and two vegetarian sides, including a creamy palak paneer that nicely counters spicy dal lentils. For a few dollars more, add lamb or chicken curry. Don’t miss the refreshingly unique ginger lemonade for $1.50.

The wide selection of international options ensures that everybody can find something to enjoy. But it’s the less exotic offerings that might provide the most memorable taste experiences. The lemon garlic dill cream soup from The Fish Guys stand offers a taste as complex as its name implies. Loaded with giant chunks of freshly-cooked halibut, this rich and hearty soup is the antithesis to the canned variety that college students have become accustomed to. At $3.50 for an eight-ounce cup, soup is a slightly less cost-conscious option, but even frugal diners need to splurge occasionally.

For dessert, Taste of Belgium pairs waffles and crepes with freshly-ground, individually-prepared coffees. You’ll smell (and hear) the grinding coffee beans and sizzling crepes long before you see your food being made before your eyes. Waffles cost $3.75 and dessert crepes run $5. For the true penny-pincher, stop by and try a free sample of the waffles from the amply-stocked tray.

For those looking for a refreshing treat on a hot summer day, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams a few stalls away offers an awe-inspiring – though somewhat paralyzing – selection of homemade treats (keep reading this column for much more information on Jeni’s in the coming days).

North Market is open daily from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Conventiongoers pressed for time should consider planning an early lunch break as the crowds of local business people and fellow Mennos swell soon after noontime.  Ample seating is available in two locations: streetside patio or second-floor, balcony tables. If you’re lucky, your afternoon snack attack might be accompanied by local musicians playing beat-box infused bluegrass, as ours was.

Sheldon Good/Photo
Customers gather around A Touch of Earth coffee in North Market. Built in 1876 and reminiscent of Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, the North Market is home to 32 local merchants that offer a variety of bagels, bratwursts, beads and bouquets.

As you enter the city named for the man who sailed the ocean blue, you might feel a bit claustrophobic. That’s because you’re at the geographic center of Ohio, among approximately 8,000 other Mennonites and within 550 miles of half of the U.S. population.

Chances are you’ll spend most of your convention week inside the walls – which you’ve now realized are quite asymmetric – of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. You’ll breathe and be filled within these walls. But perhaps you’ll get the urge to befriend the surrounding city.

Let’s take a stroll.

Stand outside one of the glass entrance/exit areas along North High Street. Notice there’s no light rail. You’re not in San Jose anymore. Columbus is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a passenger rail service of any kind (light rail or passenger train). In fact, the doors you just exited stand directly over the former Union Station.

Which way to turn?

Left takes you to Nationwide Arena, where the Blue Jackets (NHL) play. The arena district is the entertainment hub of the city. Go here for fine dining and live entertainment.

Right takes you to the Short North Arts District, near Goodale Park, a 40-acre retreat along the corner of the Victorian Village.

Go straight, and you’ll hit the North Market. Built in 1876, this market is reminiscent of Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia (yeah, Philly ‘93!). The North Market is home to 32 local merchants that offer a variety of bagels, bratwursts, beads and bouquets.

Let’s turn right down High Street, in the general direction of Ohio State University (the largest university in the country) and grab some grub.

Don’t look up though — that’s a giveaway that you’re a tourist. And take off that Mennonite Church USA lanyard from around your neck.

Notice the Byzantine-like Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral (which challenges the LEGO-style architecture of the convention center). If you want a leg up on the next Mennonite assembly, visit the parish – it’s a member of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh.

Walk toward Goodale Street. This is the beginning of your bohemian adventure among the Short North Arts District, a milelong stretch of restaurants, shops, galleries and green spaces (similar to the tree-lined First Street in San Jose).

Surf and turf greet hungry travelers. Bluefish Seafood On the Cap to the right; Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse on the left. We’re bourgeois Mennonites not aristocratic New Yorkers. Let’s continue on.

As you approach the I-670 crossover and the first of many wrought-iron arches, the options multiply (the formerly wooden original arches were built in the early 1900s).

Don’t be alarmed, though. If you don’t like change, you might sample the espresso at the convention center’s closest coffee shops, which sit catty-corner – Cup O’ Joe’s and Starbucks (W. Poplar Avenue).

According to the Nashville 2001 mPress, Mennonites love ice cream. Ben and Jerry’s ran out of ice cream at the OpryLand Hotel. Thankfully there’s a Coldstone Creamery on the left. Don’t worry – it costs just as much.

But the Short North is renowned more for its murals than its ice cream.

Two of the city’s oldest murals decorate Milley Alley. On north wall of Utrecht Art Supplies sits a mural of Columbus’s original Union Station (now the site of our convention center). On the south wall of Union Station Café is a 100-foot-long collage of trains. Both were painted by Greg and Jeff Ackers in 1989.

The Short North’s most recent mural is on the opposite side of High Street. Curtis Goldstein and Michelle Attias painted this recreation of George Wesley Bellows’s “Cliff Dwellers” in 2004. Notice the chimney.

For more historic encounters, head east to the Italian Village. This area was one of Columbus’s first suburbs and was annexed in 1862.

But we still haven’t found lunch.

For a quickie, try the $7 shawarmas and gyros at Happy Greek (660 N. High St.).

In a large group? In the spirit of Happy Greek, consider a hummus appetizer along with your deep-dish pizza at Fabian’s, one block farther, on the left.

A frugal eater? Five dollars will get you the most food – pound per dollar – at Phillip’s Coney Island restaurant (747 N. High St.)

Finally. Dessert. If you didn’t already fall victim at Coldstone Creamery (or even if you did), stop for a scoop at Jeni’s (corner of High and E. Lincoln Sts.). Thai Chili, Gravel Road and Black Coffee highlight the signature flavor list. Remember Cup O’ Joe’s? They roast their own beans, which flavors Jeni’s Black Coffee flavor.

It’s almost time to get back for the afternoon seminars. Almost.

Walk two blocks down Buttles Avenue. If your breathing gets easier, it’s more than just your metabolism going to work on your Jeni’s waffle cone. You’re approaching the northeast corner of Goodale Park.

Too bad the convention didn’t start on the weekend. The Community Festival (ComFest) – according to comfest.com, arguably the largest free, noncorporate urban music and arts festival in the country – was held here June 26-28.

Take a stroll through the park (past the pond), and wind your way back to Goodale Street. This street takes you back to High Street, the beginning of our trek.

You’ve now successfully traversed the surrounding quarters of downtown Columbus. You no longer have to wonder why Money magazine voted Columbus the eighth-best city to inhabit.

But you’re now left with a new question after all that walking: why doesn’t Columbus have a light rail like San Jose?

Don’t worry – Pittsburgh and Phoenix both do.

Editor’s note: Sheldon Good wrote this article while he was finishing his senior year at Goshen College, well before the convention. He reported the story courtesy of Google and the Internet.

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