Meet one of our makers ... Jeff Su, co-owner of Vintage Tea & Coffee. Watch video
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland is proud of its Rust Belt roots and history steeped in making things. This year, instead of profiling smart creatives or top CEOs, we decided to feature a new generation of craftsmen and women ... We affectionately call them "makers."
As the maker movement grows across the country and advocates the comeback of urban manufacturing, these folks from Northeast Ohio embody the maker spirit. They produce everything from reclaimed furniture to green tea products to one-of-a-kind stained glass pieces.
This week, the Plain Dealer will feature three makers per day ... this is one of those makers. We not only talked to them about what they make and how they make it, but also about some of the things they love about living and working in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.
Meet one of the NE Ohio Makers ...
Jeff Su's matcha green tea latte Jeff Su, Vintage Tea & Coffee
Jeff Su, co-owner of Vintage Tea & Coffee, 1816 E. 12th St., downtown Cleveland, is a Taiwanese immigrant who came to Cleveland for college and stayed after graduation to start his own business.
What he makes: Su makes a variety of all-natural beverages, from specialty coffees to cold-brewed iced tea to bubble teas with no high-fructose corn syrup or other artificial ingredients.
But his signature drink is the Matcha Green Tea Latte -- imported Japanese Shizuoka green tea powder blended with frothy steamed milk (non-dairy and lactose-free options available).
Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Song and Dance, by Antonio Canova presides over the Rotunda at the Cleveland Museum of Art. His favorite place to take an out-of-town visitor: The Cleveland Museum of Art and surrounding University Circle area.
His favorite restaurants: Le Petit Triangle Cafe for brunch. SPICE Kitchen & Bar for dinner.
Mason's Creamery for dessert ("their ice creams are the best"). He also likes the Night Market Cleveland, at which he is a vendor.
His favorite all-time creation: Su's Matcha Green Tea Latte. This is a brief video of how he makes the drink from steamed milk, matcha powder, and a bit of cane sugar.
