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Tucked away in a strip mall on St. Mary’s Road in Columbus is a restaurant that serves up some delicious Korean food.

John F. Greenman, former president and publisher of the Ledger-Enquirer, called it “The best Korean restaurant in Columbus.” Having not eaten at another Korean restaurant in Columbus I wouldn’t be able to accurately say the same.

However, I can say Golden Chopsticks would be incredibly hard to beat. Our visual journalist, Mike Haskey, was stunned to find out I had never had it. So, we hopped in my truck one day and decided to grab lunch there.

The first thing I noticed walking in was the hot pot tables in the restaurant. For those not familiar, hot pot is a bowl full of flavorful broth that is kept simmering on a warmer to allow diners to dip meats, vegetables, tofu and various other foods into it to cook and absorb the flavors from the spices in the broth.

The weather was a bit chilly that day, so I decided to order the Kimchi Jjigae — a kimchi soup with pork, onions and tofu. Kimchi is a Korean dish made of fermented vegetables which typically includes radishes and cabbage along with other spices.

Kimchi is not for the weak of heart or tongue. It has a very potent flavor and smell, and can definitely make your tongue long for a swig of ice water to help cool it down from the spiciness of the dish.

However, the soup I had it in was divine. The spice from the broth was not burning heat and was complimented nicely by the undertones of the pork flavor from the meat.

My favorite thing about the soup was probably the tofu in it. As a dedicated meat-lover in my culinary adventures, I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed it.

The tofu soaked up the flavor of the broth but retained its rigidity without becoming mushy. Each bite of the tofu made me think a life without meat might be possible, but then I remembered the joy that is bacon and my mind quickly dismissed that thought.

Mike got Lunch Special “B,” which was Dak Guee (marinated and grilled spicy chicken breast). It came with chop chae, spring rolls, yaki mandu and rice. He definitely seemed to like each item.

So if you’re wanting something to brighten your day, I definitely suggest heading down to Golden Chopsticks.

An all-in-one butcher shop, restaurant and grocery store is set to open in Columbus this summer.

New York Butcher Shoppe is coming to Maple Village, 8186 Veteran’s Parkway. The chain, headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, has 36 locations in nine states. The Columbus location will be the seventh in Georgia. The closest location is in Atlanta.

Michael Harrell, owner of 11th & Bay Restaurant, 1050 Bay Ave., is set to open seven New York Butcher Shoppe locations in the coming years, twoin Georgia and five in Kansas City, Missouri. The Columbus location is expected to open in mid-June.

Harrell told the Ledger-Enquirer he had the idea of opening a butcher shop for a long time. He fell in love with being a butcher eight years ago after chef Chris Hastings suggested he should cut his own meat to serve at 11th and Bay..

“There’s a bit of an art to it,” Harrell said. “It’s just one of those things. I would describe it as similar to what a chef feels when they cook. They just love it, and they can lose themselves in it.”

A regular customer at 11th and Bay suggested the idea of opening up a butcher franchise, and after 20 minutes of online research, Harrell stumbled on the New York Butcher Shoppe chain.

“I’ve looked into franchises before, and they are so expensive,” Harrell said. “The amount of money you have to have cash liquid is always outrageous. When I looked into [New York Butcher Shoppe], they were very reasonable.”

The New York Butcher Shoppe franchise is not just a butcher retail store. It comprises a restaurant, bar, grocery store and wine retailer housed under one roof. Customers will be able to request custom cuts of steak to be cooked and served in the restaurant. By offering many different services, the multiple streams of income will allow for more reasonable pricing, Harrell said.

“As a result of that,” he said, “I’m able to lower the cost of everything so that it’s a less-costly experience but gives you the high quality that you would see in a high-end restaurant.”

Harrell’s wife, Heather, who is the lead chef at 11th and Bay, will create the food and drink menu for the butcher shop location.

“I’m grateful for the way Columbus has embraced my wife and my family and has taken care of us,” Harrell said. “I pray to God they enjoy this next venture here.”

This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

JP

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Jordyn Paul-Slater is the business and engagement reporter at the Ledger-Enquirer. Her work has appeared in publications such as Reuters, Fast Company and The New York Observer. She completed her master’s degree in specialized journalism at the University of Southern California and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from George Washington University.

Before Mykel Williams was projected as a top-10 NFL Draft pick, before the sacks and becoming one of the most dominant defensive linemen in college football, he was just a teenager in Columbus, Georgia, chasing greatness in the yard with cones, hand guards, and his dad watching the clock.

In many ways, Mykel wouldn’t be where he is today without his father, John Johnson’s unwavering dedication to his son’s NFL dream. Mykel’s father has been his coach, motivator, and constant presence—even before the Georgia alum entered high school.

From early childhood, Mykel was put through an intense training regimen that included everything from late-night drill sessions to homemade workouts using cones and hand guards. John also taught him using film breakdowns found online. Simply put, John Johnson helped his son live the life of an NFL athlete from a very young age.

But Johnson wasn’t just a dad whose help and care were limited to his son’s career. When Mykel Williams suffered a potentially career-derailing patella strain during his sophomore year, it was John who kept him grounded.

“Injuries happen; trust the process,” he told his son—words that helped Mykel come back stronger and post two sacks in his first game back at Hardaway High.

Less is publicly known about Mykel’s mother. But in an interview with the University of Georgia’s collegiate sports website georgiadogs.com, he mentioned that his mother is a serious cook and wishes him to set up a catering service as a post-football business option.

Now, it’s clear that his upbringing, rooted in support and structure—the kind of home that fosters focus and resilience—has helped the Georgia star become one of the first defenders off the board. In fact, draft projections and reports from analysts like Chris Simms indicated that Williams might go ahead of a top-rated quarterback like Shedeur Sanders—a projection that further underlines the Columbus native’s rise.

That said, perhaps the biggest indicator of Williams’s rise is the fact that even a journalist like Simms, who didn’t list the Georgia star among his personal favorite pass rushers, has admitted that the league is paying attention.

“People I’ve talked to have been saying Mykel Williams, from Georgia, has their eye. That’s the guy that’s going to end up in New Orleans at number 9. Not one of my favorite pass rushers, but he’s big, he’s long, he played at Georgia. He can do a lot of different things at that defensive end position. Anybody you talk to, in the know, in football right now would go, ‘I’m hearing the Saints are hot on Mykel Williams.’”

For a kid who used to run backyard drills in Columbus, and for a dad who built an NFL mindset before anyone outside Georgia even knew Mykel’s name, this draft feels like the universe’s way of rewarding their years of hard work and sacrifice.

Post Edited By:Samnur Reza

As baseball season for the Columbus Clingstones begins next month, the Columbus Council is preparing to ask contractors for proposals to build a mixed-use development in South Commons near Synovus Park.

When the Columbus Council OK’d a lease with Diamond Baseball Holdings to bring the Minor League team to Muscogee County and upgrade Synovus Park, proponents of the plan told city leaders it could lead to up to $350 million in private investment in a mixed-use development.

The stadium’s construction is nearly finished, and city officials presented a request for proposal to the Columbus Council in a March 25 meeting.

Issuing the request for proposals will help the city find people interested in developing the area around the baseball stadium, Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge said during the March 25 meeting.

City officials have an idea of what they would like to see in that area of town, Hodge said, but developers would not be beholden to their ideas.

This development could include a hotel, retail and office space, multifamily housing, a parking deck, and workforce housing, according to the city’s proposed plans.

Bringing in more green space to the area is important to city officials, Hodge said. Getting rid of the “sea of asphalt” was one goal of the development, Mayor Skip Henderson previously told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Another concern was ensuring the local skate park either remains in its current spot or is relocated somewhere else on the site, Hodge said.

Councilor Bruce Huff of District 3 wanted to see a redesign for the skateboard park in South Commons if it’s moved.

Stakeholders in the park would like to see it become a “competition” skate park, like what is seen on ESPN, Huff said.

“So not only can they enjoy it locally,” he said. “But they could bring in some revenue as far as not having to leave town to compete nationally. Maybe we could have some competitions like we do for white water rafting.”

If the skate park is redesigned and moved, Hodge said, there is an opportunity to address that idea.

Although the development authority would issue the request for proposals if approved, she said, this move would not transfer the land to the development authority.

Councilor Charmaine Crabb, of District 5, was concerned about the area for development being included in a Tax Allocation District. These districts are established to spur investment by financing certain redevelopment activities through pledged future incremental increases in property taxes generated by the new development.

When the district was set, there was a base set, so a certain amount of property tax revenue goes to the city and the school district, Hodge said. Anything above that base amount is allocated to a separate fund that’s managed by the city and is used for infrastructure and other needs.

This area is part of the 6th Avenue/Liberty District Tax Allocation District and has $2.4 million in it, Hodge told Crabb. Council already authorized $1.6 million of that money to go towards A.J. McClung Stadium, Hodge said.

If the development is in a Tax Allocaton District, Crabb said, the city wouldn’t be able to collect taxes from it.

“We’re not going to make the money that everybody’s saying that we’re going to make, as long as it’s in a TAD,” she said.

While the property tax revenue from the development would go into the allocation, Hodge said, sales tax revenue from the development would be beneficial.

The council could “sunset” the Tax Allocation District, Henderson said, which is within their ability to do. Some of the money would help A.J. McClung Stadium and whoever is chosen as the developer, Henderson said. Once the development is there, he said, the money will start coming in every year.

From there, the council could set a ceiling on the district and let it sunset, Henderson said.

“Now you’ve got that same money going straight into the general fund,” he said. “And then it’s up to the council. You could do whatever you wanted with it.”

The council could identify certain needs they’d want the money to go towards, Henderson said, or it could supplement the general fund during the normal budget process.

“We should put something together so that we use that tool for what it was intended, which is to get that development up so that long, long term it will generate revenue for the city of Columbus,” Henderson said. “Whether it goes in your right pocket or your left pocket, there’s money coming into the citizens of Columbus. Otherwise, that baseball (field) was a $50 million foolish thing to do, frankly.”

More work needs to be done on the request for proposals, but it’s expected to come back before the council soon.

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April 23, 2025 5:39 PM

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Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Brittany McGee is the community issues reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer. She is a 2021 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism with a second degree in Economics. She began at the Ledger-Enquirer as a Report for America corps member covering the COVID-19 recovery in Columbus. Brittany also covered business for the Ledger-Enquirer.