Originally published in the 2024 Cincy Region Visitors Guide. Interview by Nick Dekker.
What makes our region special? Hear it straight from one of our hometown heroes: Sam Hubbard, defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals, and a born and raised Cincinnatian.
Credit: The Sam Hubbard Foundation
Everyone knows you as the "Cincinnati kid". What would you tell a first-time visitor is the #1 thing they HAVE to do while in Cincy?
I suppose the obvious answer would be to go to a Bengals or Reds game and check out The Banks. But I would also say that Cincy has a super under-rated food scene. I think Over-the-Rhine has some really good restaurants and shops.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in Over-the-Rhine?
My girlfriend and I are currently on a Cincy food tour, trying out all the new spots. We recently went to Nolia [Kitchen], Mita's, Frankie's Sips & Savories - we're trying Five on Vine soon. We love Pepp & Dolores, Sotto and Boca as well.
The Bengals are an undeniably huge part of Cincy's culture and play a big role in the lives of fans! Do you have a favorite Bengals-related memory from growing up here?
I went to my fair share of Bengals games. My senior and junior year [of high school] we won state championships in football and we got honored by the Bengals with tickets to a game.
I also like to tell the story of when I was with some friends shopping for Halloween costumes at Halloween Express in Kenwood. We ran into Rudi Johnson, who was running back at the time, and got his autograph. We thought it was literally the coolest thing we had ever experienced.
What was it like the first time you played for the Bengals in the stadium?
It's a special feeling, you know, running out of that tunnel. My first game was a Thursday night game versus Baltimore [Ravens]. I had the opportunity to play a lot more than expected due to injuries. I had a sack early in the game. The energy was unbelievable; I was out there making plays and it was a dream come true.
Everyone is a tourist - even in their hometown. What is one Cincy experience you'd still like to try?
I've pretty much done them all, but I haven't been to BLINK yet. That's next on my to-do list.
Editor note: BLINK returns in October of 2024!
What do you think makes Cincy unique and different from other midwestern towns?
One thing that's unique is people don't expect it to be as hilly as it is. I live in Mount Lookout, but there's also places like Mount Adams. The landscape is really cool.
We've got some amazing parks: Ault Park, Alms Park, to name a few. Just a lot of really cool places to hang out and go for nature walks. Loveland Bike Trail is one of my favorite things to do as well.
Being on the river is unique. It's kind of cool how you go across the river and you're in Kentucky - people are always surprised by that! You get the best of both worlds. You have a city that's still considerably sized, but with a lot of nature. And it's easy to get around; it's not hectic.
Photo credit: The Sam Hubbard Foundation
Cincinnati is big on events and festivals! From Oktoberfest and Bockfest to Redsfest, Taste of Cincinnati and Opening Day – do you have a favorite event that you've been to?
Yeah, I love Opening Day. I've been to it a few times. I think that it's a Cincinnati tradition. It brings the city alive. People take pride in it, have fun with it.
We know you're very dedicated to giving back to your local community with the Sam Hubbard Foundation. What inspired you to start this organization, and what are some ways readers can support it?
After my rookie year, I was looking for a way to get involved with the community that I grew up in. We started with a kids camp from my high school. Then, during COVID we saw a story about one of our local resources, Freestore Foodbank, running out of supplies. I launched a GoFundMe on my social media that went viral and raised $80-90,000 and we realized we had something special.
The stats are pretty staggering when you look at how many people – one out of every five – are living in food insecurity in Cincinnati. You just don't expect that! So we established a nonprofit. Our product is helping kids in the form of the "Hubbard’s Cupboards", which is partnering with Crayons to Computers, a nonprofit that goes into schools that are mostly on free lunch programs. We have these cupboards that are funded by both us and various corporate sponsors, providing healthy snacks and supplies to kids that need it. They can go in there at any time throughout the day and get what they need, from snacks to things like hygiene products. We're in 21 schools right now with the goal of getting to 70 by 2030.
You can donate or find more ways to get involved at our website. What we bring in in donations goes directly to Hubbard's Cupboards, but we have a lot of other programs.
For more interviews with locals and other useful, trip-planning information, request your own copy of the Official Cincy Region Visitors Guide!
