If you blinked, you probably missed it. Sierra Laumer’s restaurant, forkheartknife, opened its doors on May 5, 2010, with a tiny menu to match its tiny footprint...

(just four tables) on Main Street.  Laumer’s goal—which she pursued with the help of her best friend-turned-business partner Leah Heisel—was equally modest: to work as a caterer while occasionally providing a few low-priced, artfully cooked dishes to her Over-the-Rhine neighbors.

The occasional dinners turned into every Wednesday and Thursday, plus brunch on the weekends. It was a huge hit and a true labor of love, born out of Laumer’s desire to honor her sister, Jenna, who’d died just five months earlier after a devastatingly brief battle with cancer. 

That first night of business, Laumer and Heisel were surrounded by friends and family to christen the space. It was Cinco de Mayo. The menu: guacamole, salsa, chips and fish tacos. “We spent $150 on food and I thought, ‘I hope we make that $150 back so we can go and buy more food for the next meal’,” Laumer says.

Exactly one year later, forkheartknife will close its doors for good. A few glowing mentions in the press and positive word-of-mouth brought bigger, more demanding crowds—much to Laumer and Heisel’s surprise—and the space simply couldn’t handle it. Friends urged them to raise their prices; the pair said no. “We didn’t want to become this exclusive, reservations-only type of place,” Laumer says.

For its last day of service, forkheartknife plans to return to its young roots, as Laumer and Heisel whip up as many fish tacos as they can for the diners who are so sorry to see them go. 

But don’t think you’ve seen the last of Laumer on the Cincinnati food scene. She’s spending the summer learning more about her craft and planning her next move. “I have the type of personality where I climb a mountain… and then I need to climb another mountain.” 

Photos by Cameron Knight

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Fish Tacos & Mexican Street Corn

INGREDIENTS

Fish Tacos (yield: 8 tacos)

• 4 fillets of mahi mahi, about 1/3 lb. each, 1 1/2 in. thick
• Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper
• 16 6-inch soft flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
• Chimichurri Sauce
• 1/2 bunch cilantro (leaves only, chopped)
• 1 or 2 jalapeños (seeded and chopped)
• Juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 pinches crushed red pepper
• Fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Slaw

• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 2–3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 generous pinch of kosher salt

Additions

• 3–4 avocados, sliced
• 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
• Mexican Street Corn
• 1 lb. bag frozen corn, cooked
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 rounded Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
• Pinch of smoked paprika
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Lime wedges for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly salt and pepper the non-skin side of each fillet.

STEP 2: Blend all the chimichurri ingredients in a blender until thoroughly combined. Spoon sauce over each fillet to cover, saving some to drizzle over finished tacos. Bake fish on a lightly oiled, foil-covered baking sheet for about 15 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

STEP 3: While fish is baking, make the slaw by tossing all ingredients together in a large bowl.

STEP 4: For shells, place 8 tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with 2 Tbsp. of shredded pepper-jack cheese. Top each with another tortilla and heat in oven until cheese is just melted.

STEP 5: To make the mexican street corn: This dish is best with freshly grilled corn on the cob, rolled in the ingredients after cooking. But until fresh corn is in season, frozen corn is a great substitute. Toss all ingredients together. Serve alongside fish tacos with a wedge of fresh lime. 

STEP 6: Top each shell with half of a fish fillet, skin removed. Top with avocado, queso fresco, a generous handful of slaw and a drizzle of chimichurri sauce.