In honor of 300th episode of ‘That’s So Cincinnati’ podcast, here are our most memorable guests

From James “Jungle Jim” Bonaminio to Graeter’s President and CEO Rich Graeter, The Enquirer has hosted hundreds of guests on the ‘That’s So Cincinnati’ podcast.
Former co-hosts and Enquirer columnists Jason Williams and Paul Dehner Jr. originally launched the podcast on Aug. 14, 2018. City Hall reporter Sharon Coolidge assumed co-host duties for ‘That’s So Cincinnati’ in 2019 and Executive Editor Beryl Love joined her in 2022.
In honor of the 300th episode, here’s a look at our most memorable guests on the show.
300 episodes and counting: Enquirer’s ‘That’s So Cincinnati’ podcast reaches milestone
James “Jungle Jim” Bonaminio is the same entrepreneur today in 2024 that he was back in 1971 when he set up a produce stand in Hamilton.
Year by year, Bonaminio’s grocery empire grew into Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield and a similar store in Eastgate that opened in 2012.
He sat down with The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast to talk about how he got his start, what’s next for the stores and why he always looks forward. And yes, he was wearing a wizard costume at the live podcast event. He has a whole closet for costumes he picked up in his travels and he likes to dress up, he said.
Read the story. | Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
Jeffrey Harris was working in the kitchen at Emeril’s in New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit, destroying his home and much of the city he loved. Harris got on a Greyhound bus. It could have been going anywhere. He didn’t know where the bus was going.
That bus took him to Cincinnati, where 18 years and many Cincinnati kitchens later, Harris is chef of his own restaurant − Nolia Kitchen in Over-the-Rhine – where he serves his take on the food he grew up with in New Orleans.
Harris was telling his story on The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast when he learned he was nominated as a semifinalist for the 2024 James Beard Award by the James Beard Foundation in the category of Best Chef/Great Lakes.
Read the story. | Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
Did Fiona actually miss seeing zoo visitors during the pandemic shutdown? How did the Cincinnati Zoo team break a gorilla of a chewing gum habit? And what does a long-time zookeeper think about “Tiger King?”
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Director Thane Maynard had the answers in a wide-ranging and engaging interview.
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport CEO Candace McGraw is preparing to retire next year, but if you think she’s slowing down, think again.
The airport is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into a new ticketing counter configuration, expanded security area and revamped baggage system. The airport nabbed the high-profile British Airways direct flight to London. And that’s on top of the strides the airport has made since McGraw took over as CEO in 2011, adding low-cost carriers and becoming a dual cargo hub airport with both one of the largest DHL hubs in the world and an Amazon air hub.
McGraw sat down with The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast to talk about the past and the future.
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
What makes Jeff Ruby a true Cincinnati treasure? Well, besides his world-renowned steakhouses, he’s never one to mince words.
And Cincinnati’s famous restaurateur didn’t disappoint in his interview on That’s So Cincinnati podcast. Among the many topics and issues he discussed in an insightful and entertaining chat: his take on The Banks riverfront development, his new book called “Art of the Meal,” how his Downtown restaurant was originally envisioned as a New York-style deli and Donald Trump.
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
When Melvin Gravely II set out to write “Dear White Friend,” a series of letters on the realities of race and the power of relationships, he wanted to share his experiences. And he did it, in the 2021 book, in a way that makes the reader think they’re in a casual conversation.
Gravely, the CEO of the commercial construction company TriVersity Construction, sat down with The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast to talk about the lessons he shared in the book and what he’s learned since the book was published.
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
The late Jean-Robert de Cavel was never far from a kitchen – whether it was at his restaurant Le Bar a Boeuf or at home with his wife and daughter.
And at 60, he told The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast, not even cancer would stop him. De Cavel said he remained in chemotherapy after first being diagnosed in 2018 with leiomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer.
“I will never be cured,” de Cavel said. “I just have to be strong. I keep very positive. My medical team says, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing because it’s working.’ Never, ever give up.”
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
Kristen Erwin Schlotman knew from a young age that she wanted to work in the film industry, even though she doesn’t watch a lot of movies.
“I’m not a cinephile,” Schlotman, the executive director of Film Cincinnati said in a 2024 interview. “Really, I love the process of filmmaking. I love making movies. I like production.”
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
Marty Brennaman calls ’em like sees ’em. Would you expect otherwise?
The Hall of Fame broadcaster talks about the history of his brutally honest style and whether he could get hired if he were just starting his career. He also gives his take on Cubs and Cardinals fans, his family, Donald Trump, FC Cincinnati and much more.
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.
Louis and Regina Graeter started making vanilla ice cream in a metal bucket on the streets of Cincinnati after the Civil War.
Four generations later, Graeter’s is churning out 1.3 million gallons of ice cream a year and selling deliciousness in 6,000 grocery stores nationwide and 55 scoop shops in nine states.
If Graeter’s isn’t So Cincinnati, then what is? In a rare interview, Graeter’s President and CEO Rich Graeter joined That’s So Cincinnati to talk about his generation’s contribution to the family business, the “legacy of stubbornness,” the company’s surging growth the past three years, what state might be the next to get a Graeter’s scoop shop and more.
Read the story. | Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Music.