That fluffy omelet or stack of wispy-thin pancakes anyone may have ordered at Sugar n’ Spice on Wednesday, January 3, did more than satisfy personal hunger. In fact, it helped satisfy the financial needs of Halom House on Hunt Road in Blue Ash. That’s because the Blue Ash location of Sugar n’ Spice will donate a portion of its January 3 proceeds to further the work of Halom House, an institution that shares a connection with the restaurant through the Mayerson family.
Eggs sunny-side-up with hash brown potatoes
Halom House is a special place founded to help Jewish parents with disabled children who have grown to adulthood. Prior to Halom (Hebrew for “Dream”) House, Jewish parents with disabled adult children had no good way to help their disabled offspring to optimize and normalize their lives in an independent context that fostered Jewish values and teachings. Families could keep their disabled adult children at home, of course, which meant they would live in a Jewish environment. But doing so was difficult for all concerned, and especially so as parents aged. Disabled adults being at home made it less possible, almost impossible, for them to develop independent life skills, along with the social and emotional balance needed to be productive and more self-reliant. The alternative to staying within the family was to place the disabled adult in one of a number of local group homes, where independence and emotional maturity might be gained. But lost or poorly maintained would be the connection to the disabled adult’s Jewish heritage.
The Greek omelet with English muffins
So, what to do? According to a history of Halom House’ founding, a group of Jewish parents with disabled adult children met at the home of Dr. Enrique Kauffman in February of 1983. They wanted to explore the creation of an organization outside their homes, focused on providing independence and support to their disabled adult children, but with a commitment to their Jewish heritage. Dr. Kauffman, along with Dr. Martin Scharf, helped the group of parents narrow their objectives into a workable plan of action. By the spring of that year, the parent working group was joined by Jewish community members who wanted to help and committed to do so. Among these was Rhoda Mayerson, grandmother of Adam Mayerson, owner of the Sugar n’ Spice franchise. For the parents of disabled adult children, creation of an independent living arrangement with Jewish roots was a “dream come true.” Hence, Halom House.
The actual house was purchased in early 1984, a 4-family apartment building on Section Road in Roselawn. The new home was approved by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to provide residential support for up to eight individuals in June of that year. By June of the following year, staff had been hired, a director was named, and four clients were accepted into the facility.
Dining Out was at the Summit Park location of Sugar n’ Spice on January 3, late in the service day. While the good deed was in progress, the folks dining there may or may not have known their patronage was contributing to Halom House. The crowd looked much like the average array, and for everyone we saw, the stat that Adam Mayerson often cites about Sugar n’ Spice held true. He has said that in the neighborhood of 90 percent of his patrons order a breakfast meal when they come to Sugar n’ Spice, regardless the time of day. On this day, some sat at plates of wispy-thin pancakes smothered in house-made syrup. Others were working their way through one of the many fluffy omelets on the menu. Still others enjoyed eggs in a variety of ways — scrambled, sunny-side-up, and over easy. As much as we were able to observe, every plate was some form of a breakfast meal. When you are eating at a diner known for its wispy-thin pancakes and fluffy omelets, why would you order anything else?
See you at Sugar n’ Spice in Summit Park!
