Love for a Cornell University-trained pastry chef was the glacage sur le gateau (icing on the cake) that sweetened Shalmah Prince’s return to the Queen City in the mid-1980s.
Love for Impact 100’s philanthropic community is like fondant, flowering Shalmah’s life today with purpose and passion.
Cincinnati native Shalmah left home to attend Abilene Christina College in Abilene, TX, majoring in fine arts/painting. Following graduation, she spent her early adulthood living in major metropolitan areas, including New York City, refining her specialty in portraiture.
“Eventually, it was time to relocate home to Cincinnati,” Shalmah says. She established a studio in Clifton and worked full time as a portrait artist. “At the end of most work days, I’d take a walk down Ludlow Avenue to visit Mullane’s Restaurant, a cafe that reminded me of places I knew in New York,” Shalmah recalls.
Chef Richard Prince, graduate of Cornell’s prestigious School of Hotel Administration, owned Mullane’s. Richard, who had worked as pastry chef in New York City and at resorts around the country, modeled the icon after Upper East Side venues.
Shalmah continues, “I’d order a slice of pie and cup of coffee…Richard would come out from the kitchen…This went on for about a year and then we married.”
The couple moved to a brick townhouse in historic East End in 1987. Their home — one of the neighborhood originals — is poised at the gateway to a new development where long-time Impact 100 member Sue Schmidt lives.
“Sue is a neighbor maker…an equivalent of PBS’ late Mr. Rogers,” Shalmah says. “Sue and her husband Bill were watching the Queen Bee half marathon, as runners made their way down Riverside Drive. I was out there, too, and Sue came up to me and introduced herself.”
Sue was familiar with Shalmah’s portraits, having seen the artist’s work on the walls of several Cincinnati homes. “When we met, I had taken a break from painting…Sue’s enthusiasm motivated me to return to the studio,” Shalmah comments.
The connection evolved over time, through neighborhood parties hosted by the Schmidts. Eventually, Shalmah attended an Impact 100 event at Sue’s invitation.
“I learned how authentic Impact 100 members are…they are so real…Richard researched the organization in-depth and learned that member contributions go directly to grant recipients… every dime, every time,” Shalmah says.
Shalmah, a new member, joined Impact 100 after the Arhaus Gallery meet-and-greet in 2023. She says her involvement has refueled her passion and uplifted her wellbeing. “I’m as healthy in mind, body and spirit as I’ve been in a long while. Impact 100 is just the most wonderful thing to be part of.”