As a child, I had to go to the Mathews Barber Shop every two weeks to get a haircut. I never understood why it was called a haircut; my head was full of nappy unmanageable hair, and I didn’t want anyone putting anything on, or in my hair because it hurt.

In my opinion, this was punishment. On the other hand, it was always good to go to the barber shop, because this was the only time I could go anywhere on my own. My mother didn't allow us to associate with other people.

The Hotel Matthews was even better, especially during Christmas week. I would always get busted by my father, who would be with people like Ruby, of Ruby and the Romantics, Count Basie and the likes, and he was proud when I showed up, because he wanted to show off his baby boy, but I wanted to go downtown.

Putting fresh, local, sustainably grown vegetables on the table of everyone in our community is the aim of an organization called City Fresh.

City Fresh is a Cuyahoga County nonprofit program of the New Agrarian Center that supports the creation of a sustainable local food system in Northeast Ohio. Founded by Brad Masi, the program was meant to address the needs of those who are most at-risk within our community.

The New Agrarian Center is committed to building a stronger and more sustainable regional food system in Northeast Ohio: a food system that promotes health in the broadest sense of the word -- healthy land, healthy communities, healthy individuals and a healthy economy.