

13 Flavor Makers.
One Mission. One Great City!
National Chili Day is Thursday, February 24. This year, Gold Star and the Freestore Foodbank are teaming up to end child hunger and showcase 13 people who, like our 13 secret spices, embody the flavor of Cincinnati by following their own recipe! Starting on February 17, we’re honoring two Cincinnati “Flavor Makers” each day and highlighting their contributions to our city. On National Chili Day, we're celebrating Cincinnati-style chili and contributing a portion of all Gold Star sales to the Freestore Foodbank!

Maria Lees-Dunlap

Roderick Justice

Gee Horton

Rachel DesRochers

Rico Grant

Anastasia Mileham

Regina Carswell Russo

Toilynn O’Neal Turner

Elizabeth Blackburn

Cincinnati Bengals

Michael Cotrell (aka: Brooklyn Steele-Tate)

Chef Christian Gill

Tyran Stallings
Fight child hunger
National Chili Day is our day to bring the Cincinnati community together to help fight child hunger. On February 24, Gold Star will donate a portion of our restaurant and carry out sales to the Freestore Foodbank’s Childhood Hunger Programs. The program's three initiatives include the School Pantry program, Kids Café, and the Power Pack program. These amazing programs work to ensure children in food-insecure households have access to nutritious meals. To donate to the Freestore Foodbank and learn more, click the link below.

Gold Star will donate 8% of sales on 2/24/22 to Freestore Foodbank, up to $30,000. Donations not tax deductible.

Find Your “Way”
Find your nearest Gold Star and help support the Freestore Foodbank. It’s a delicious way to do a LOT of good!
Our 2021 Flavormakers
As we welcome a new group of Flavor Makers, we want to recognize our 2021 Flavor Makers who are still adding their own flavor to the city!

Jill P. Meyer

Means Cameron

Molly Wellmann

Alicia Reece

Kathrine Nero

Dan McCabe

Kick Lee

Alfonso Cornejo

Jean-Robert de Cavel

Polly Campbell

Lynn Meyers

Charmaine McGuffey

Join the eClub
When you sign up, you’re part of the family. Get offers and info about your favorite neighborhood chili parlor – Gold Star!
Maria Lees-Dunlap
Founder & CEO, Reviv Family Support Foundation
Roderick Justice
Artistic Director, The Children’s Theatre
Gee Horton
Renowned Artist, Founder at Gee Horton Studios & ArtWorks Board Member
Rachel DesRochers
Founder & CEO, Gratitude Collective (Grateful Grahams and Incubator Kitchen Collective Founder)
Rico Grant
Founder, Paloozanoire & Executive Director, SoCap Accelerate
Anastasia Mileham
Executive Director, Cincinnati Experience
Regina Carswell Russo
Founder & CEO, RRight Now Communications
Toilynn O'Neal Turner
Executive Director, Queen City Foundation & Founding Director, Robert O’Neal Multicultural Art Center
In 2005, Toilynn accepted a position at the Cincinnati Art Museum, where she worked as Education Coordinator for Community Engagement for six years. Toilynn continued her focus on arts education, diversity and inclusion by working as the Diversity Trainer and Educational Consultant for Rice Education Consulting, before moving to her new role as Director of Diversity at St. Ursula Academy, where she developed diversity initiatives and programs for staff, parents and students alike.
Toilynn's unending dedication to the city of Cincinnati drives her passion for community collaboration, diversity and cultural education for her city. Her extensive list of current volunteer positions includes membership on the board of the Cincinnati Arts Association, The Cincinnati Ballet, the Cincinnati Museum Center African Cultural Fest Committee, the African American Chamber of Commerce, Walnut Hills Area Council, the Nrityarpana School of Performing Arts and on committees for the Freedom Center Martin Luther King Breakfast, the University of Cincinnati Diversity Officer Roundtable, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Cincinnati School, the Mayor’s Commission of Gender Equality, the National African American Museum Association and the Freedom Center/ Youth Conference Planning Committee. Along with her many accolades and awards, perhaps one the most prestigious was given to Toilynn in 2019 when she received the MAC Award for Diversity and Leadership in the Arts from the Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC) of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Currently, Toilynn is the Executive Director of Queen City Foundation, a non-profit organization whose vision is to provide educational opportunities to minority students through independent college preparatory schools.
Her latest venture is to secure a permanent location for the Robert O'Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC) in honor of her late father. As Founding Director of the ROMAC, Toilynn works to celebrate, advance and preserve African American culture and achievement through the arts, history and education, while also uplifting the rich diversity of artists and cultures of Greater Cincinnati.
Elizabeth Blackburn
Director of Strategy & Engagement, Cincinnati Bengals
A native of Cincinnati and graduate of Dartmouth College, Blackburn joined the Bengals in February 2020 after previously working at the private equity firm KKR in New York City, and the consulting firm Bain & Company in San Francisco. Blackburn also spent six months working at the league office in New York, where she focused on NFL Management Council and Corporate Strategy groups.
Cincinnati Bengals
AFC Champions
Michael Cotrell (aka: Brooklyn Steele-Tate)
Festival Co-chair, Cincinnati Pride & Chair Member, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walk Board & House Emcee, The Cabaret
Chef Christian Gill
Owner and Executive Chef, Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey
Tyran Stallings
Executive Director, The D.A.D. Initiative & Partner, Buildwell Development Group
Since 2014, The D.A.D. Initiative has served thousands of students, families and communities in the Greater Cincinnati area, providing programs both during and after school that provide mentoring, cultural exposure and 21st century skills training. DAD also leads community-based programs that focus on health, employment and parent advocacy.
Buildwell Development Group, a black-owned residential and commercial development company co-owned by Stallings, creates new and renovated housing throughout Cincinnati while providing employment and growth opportunities to minority contractors. The company’s priority on alleviating blight has resulted in community improvements in several Cincinnati neighborhoods through the rehabilitation of dilapidated and abandoned properties. Tyran has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Hamilton County Community Action Agency, Children, Inc. and currently Learning Grove, where he is chair of the governance committee. His work has garnered him numerous local and national awards and recognitions, some of which include Who’s Who in Black Cincinnati, ULYP Affirmed honoree designation, Cincinnati Regional Chamber’s 2021 Making Black History Award and WIZFM’s 2021 Pillar of the Community Award. He has been featured on countless local and national panels to lend his expertise on developing African American youth. Tyran is also a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 45. His most important roles, however, are being a husband to wife Rachel and father to his son Tariq.