30-year Cincy Chef Finally Opens Doors to Own Restaurant Downtown

As one of Cincinnati’s longest established chefs, Jimmy Gibson is looking forward to opening the doors to his own restaurant as Executive Chef of Jimmy G’s. Gibson has spent almost 30 years working in Cincinnati and made headlines with The Phoenix ("Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America" by Esquire magazine), Plaza 600 at the Aronoff Center (dubbed "the first cool, modern, big-city restaurant in Cincinnati" by Chuck Martin, Cincinnati Enquirer) and South Beach Grill ("5 out 5 stars" by Polly Campbell, Cincinnati Enquirer). Jimmy G’s construction and design are 2/3 of the way completed at its Elm Street location which is set to open late November. The choice of location was carefully considered and was part of an ongoing effort by its owners to further develop the "WeVi" district, a term downtowners have begun using to describe untapped real estate west of Vine Street.
Principal Owners of Jimmy G’s include Ron Goldschmidt, Ryan Goldschmidt, Bill Foster, Scott Sheridan; the group also shares joint ownership of Lunar, a property directly adjacent to Jimmy G’s. The restaurant will have an elevator that guests can take to gain VIP access to the nightclub and other special discounts and services. Lunar will be celebrating its 1-year anniversary in December and combined with Jimmy G’s, both businesses will help bolster the economy by providing over 100 jobs to the community.

Jimmy G’s menu details are still under wraps; however, Gibson promises to provide a wide range of choices of contemporary American cuisine with a protein-centric twist. "One thing is for certain, fans of local steakhouses will find a chic adaptation of what’s traditionally expected," said Jimmy G’s General Manager, Ross Highley. Highley has worked as the Bar Manager for the former hot spot, Jeff Ruby’s Tropicana in Newport, KY, AGM Bootsies Produced by Jeff Ruby and AGM at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in Louisville, KY.

Wine lovers will enjoy their own niche at Jimmy G’s via reserved wine lockers. Many have sold since prior to and during construction; however, a handful of lockers will be kept available following Jimmy G’s official opening.