In the beginning, back before opening Sugar n’ Spice in 1941, Mort Keller was a barber. Back in the late 30’s, his shop was situated roughly on the same piece of land that is currently occupied by Sugar n’ Spice. As the story goes, in 1939, Mort was on a trip to California. He happened to stop at a restaurant for breakfast and was so impressed with the pancakes that he asked about the recipe.
Mort ended up purchasing the pancake batter recipe from the restaurant with the idea of opening his own breakfast restaurant in Cincinnati, which he did in 1941. He named the restaurant Sugar n’ Spice, and featured his secret recipe “wispy thin” pancakes. Sugar n’ Spice was a hit, and soon became the go to breakfast, lunch and dinner spot in this Paddock Hills neighborhood.
In the early days, Mort also continued to be a barber; there are current Sugar n’ Spice regulars like Stanley who recalled as a child going to Keller’s for a haircut then having breakfast at the restaurant.
