Those who are deeply familiar with central Ohio’s dining scene know that Ali Alshahal’s A&R Development Group is blazing an innovative and sustainable trail across Columbus.
The company started out as one convenience store in Clintonville, owned by Alshahal’s father, Kamal. Today, it owns the Crest Gastropub, Ethyl & Tank, Midway on High, Fourth Street Bar and Grill, the Market Italian Village, Café del Mondo and Alchemy Juice Bar + Café.
Alshahal and A&R put a strong emphasis on fresh food, community ties and local sourcing, starting with buildings. Alshahal enjoys finding buildings that are already a part of the community and rehabbing them to reflect the area, using local materials whenever possible.
“We are interested in taking something that is a negative and turning it into a positive, changing some of these business that have history and heritage that were forgotten about, and giving them refreshment and life, and seeing the community around them blossom thanks to new and flourishing business,” says Alshahal.
The Clintonville building that houses the Crest dates back to 1933, but Alshahal and A&R redid the entire building, formerly a small, rundown pub. In the spirit of sustainability, he used recycled materials from an old barn.
“Our inspiration comes from us knowing the city really, really well,” says Alshahal. “We are not outside investors coming in to fill a trend in the city. Our ears are to the ground of our city. Everything about what we’re doing is including Columbus.”
Another good example is Alchemy, which opened in October in Olde Towne East. It’s right next to the Fitness Loft gym, so its menu emphasizes fresh pressed juices and smoothies and other nutritious selections for gym-goers to enjoy before or after their workouts. The roof doubles as a garden and yoga retreat.
The recent purchase of Café del Mondo has allowed the company to put in an industrial-size bakery that will provide fresh bread, pastries and sweets for its establishments.
“(Café del Mondo) has been in business since 1990 in a neighborhood we’re heavily invested in,” Alshahal says. “We didn’t want to see it go to someone who wasn’t going to preserve the history.”
Locally sourced meat and produce is a big part of A&R’s business model, too. In fact, some of the Crest’s produce comes from its rooftop garden, and the company is now working to create a two-acre farm in Italian Village, which is expected to be finished by spring.
“We use 100 percent of the food we grow,” says Trish Clark, A&R director of farms and community outreach. “We want people to be close in proximity to the food they eat.”
Taylor Woodhouse is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
