Hour Detroit // August 2020

P LUS

College football's COVID crisis

How Creem rocked the world

THE FOOD ISSUE

50+ Black chefs aand an d servers, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs who are shaping the way we dine

MEET 2020'S

M A K E E T R S S A T Featuring

Chef C Ch hef andd C hef Co Cooking oking n Cl ng C Class laass la ss Q Qu Queen ueen QUIANA BRODEN ue V Village illa ill lag age ge CHEF GODWIN IHENTUGE of Yum Vil Willis Will Show Sh w Bar’s Sho Bar a ’s RAVEN LOVE ar

and more!

WELCOME BACK TO A MEAL YOU DIDN’T COOK

21+. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons

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Every dollar you spend locally will help open doors of local businesses and support jobs in our community.

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D E T R O I T

5750 new k ing drive, troy, mi 48098 telephone: 248-691-1800 fax: 248-691- 4531 email: editorial@hourdetroit.com on the web: hourdetroit.com

To sell Hour Detroit magazine or for subscription inquiries: 248-588-1851

STARTS WITH HOT LIPS

volu m e t w e n t y-n i n e | i s s u e e ig h t PUBLISHER:

John Balardo

Dan Caccavaro

EDITOR:

SENIOR EDITOR & DIGITAL

Emma Klug

CONTENT COORDINATOR:

Steve Friess

NEWS & FEATURES EDITOR:

Lyndsay Green

DINING EDITOR: EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS:

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COPY EDITOR:

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR: ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: ART ASSISTANT: EDITORIAL INTERNS:

Kelsey Rae Parkinson

Kailey Howell

Lauren Buhl, Emily Roth,

Madi Rzepka, Tess Ware CONTRIBUTORS:

Biba Adams, Liana Aghajanian, Isabelle Bousquette, George Bulanda, Darrel Ellis, Page Gardner, Chris Gash, Kathy Gibbons, Brittany Hutson, Lindsay Kalter, Justin Milhouse, Jacqui Oakley, Christopher Porter, Omar Sofradzija, BreAnn White Jason Hosko

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES:

Cynthia Barnhart,

Karli Brown, Kathy Johnson, Donna Kassab, Debra Lee, Mary Pantely & Associates, Angela Tisch Jenine Rhoades

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: IT DIRECTOR:

Jeremy Leland Robert Gorczyca

SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTIST:

Stephanie Daniel

PRODUCTION ARTIST:

DIGITAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR: WEB PROJECT LEAD:

Nick Britsky

Matthew Cappo

WEB PROJECT ASSISTANTS:

Mariah Knott, Luanne Lim, Bart Woinski SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR:

Travis Cleveland

Amanda Zwiren

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR:

ADVERTISING DESIGNERS:

Christian Lott, Daniel Moen, Amanda Zwiren PRS GRAPHIC DESIGNER:

Marcus Thompson

DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT:

CIRCULATION COORDINATORS:

Michelle VanArman

Riley Meyers

CIRCULATION MANAGER:

Sue Albers, Barbie Baldwin,

Cathy Krajenke, Rachel Moulden MARKETING & EVENTS DIRECTOR:

Mary Sutton

MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER:

Molly Stelma

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER:

Caitlin Cullen

MARKETING RESEARCH DIRECTOR:

Sofia Shevin

MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATOR: MARKETING RESEARCH SALES ASSISTANT: MARKETING RESEARCH ASSISTANT: DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS: SALES ASSISTANT:

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Hannah Thomas

Georgia Iden Kathie Gorecki

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HOUR MEDIA CEO:

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4 HOURDETROIT.COM // aUgUsT 2020

CONTENTS O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8 // I S S U E T W O H U N D R E D F I F T Y T H R E E

AUGUST 2020 ISSUE TWO HUNDRED NINETY

47

THE TASTE MAKERS For this year’s Food Issue, we’re revisiting the Taste Makers list we introduced in 2019, but with a twist. In a nod to the times, we’re spotlighting 50+ Black chefs and bartenders, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs, servers, and farmers who are shaping the way we eat.

6 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUgUsT 2020

At left: Quiana Broden of Cooking With Que at The Kitchen, her brick-in-mortar in New Center. She’s holding her famous vegan mac and cheese.

Top: Chef Godwin Ihentuge creates Hot Bowls made to order at his popular YumVillage restaurant in New Center.

Bottom: Tharmond Ligon Jr. at his farm in Highland Park. Those beds, spaced six feet apart, were created in response to COVID-19 so children in the community could still come and tend the garden.

THE COVER THIS Photographs Darrel Ellis ONON THE COVER: OilAND painting byPAGE: Luke Mack for Hourby Detroit

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Contents

A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 // I S S U E T W O H U N D R E D N I N E T Y

36

INSIDER 16

17

18

19

POLITICKING IN A PANDEMIC With elections around the corner, local candidates are devising creative campaign strategies to reach voters — from a safe distance.

TROUBLED WATERS America’s favorite summer pastime may also be an infection risk. The question of the summer for HOAs: “To swim, or not to swim?”

25

FEATURES 26

24

BLACK (WOMEN’S) LIVES MATTER Meet three women on the front lines of Detroit’s movement for racial justice: Plus: Wayne State University’s police chief makes the case for de-escalation.

HE SCHOOLED THE COMPETITION A local music teacher takes the title at Jeopardy!’s Teachers Tournament. Plus: Key Michigan milestones at the Supreme Court.

32

DOES VERITAS MEAN TRUTH? The new spokeswoman for controversial, conservative group Project Veritas tells her side.

RECIPE FOR A LOSING SEASON There’s almost no scenario for college football this year that won’t mean major financial losses for universities and the communities around them.

36

KEEPING THEIR GUARD UP Only a pandemic has managed to keep Detroit City Football Club’s intensely enthusiastic boosters away from their beloved team.

24/SEVEN 21

POLISHED TO PERFECTION Nail salons are back, and these local artists are ready to get your talons in top shape.

BRING IT ON Detroit Vs Everybody has channeled the city’s defiant spirit into both a brand and a cause.

ON BEING A GOOD INFLUENCE The stereotype of influencers as vain and frivolous doesn’t fit these local internet personalities who use their platforms to uplift others.

8 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

ARTS, Etc. 39

FRESH CREEM A sharp new documentary traces how a bunch of Detroit misfits and outcasts created “America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine.”

41

RISE AND SHINE Til’ We See the Sky, a new short film from The Eightfold Collective, shares a message of hope from a city beset by a pandemic and racial strife.

42

LEST WE FORGET The Detroit Historical Society wants to know your memories of the COVID-19 era while they’re still fresh.

43

BRAVING A NEW WORLD Local author Josh Mallerman penned Netflixadapted hit Bird Box. Now he’s revisiting the post-apocalyptic tale with Malorie.

44

MEMORIAM IN THREE PARTS How his ancestors’ experience with genocide inspired jingle writer Dan Yessian to compose the classical piece An Armenian Trilogy.

DEPARTMENTS 10

EDITOR’S LETTER

12

CONTRIBUTORS

13

DIGITAL UPDATES

111

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Hour Detroit & Detroit Design’s

E D I T O R’ S L E T T E R

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By the time you read this, we at Hour Detroit were supposed to have returned in some fashion to working regularly at our offices in Troy.

It wasn’t going to be the way it was prepandemic, of course. There would have been masks and social distancing and hand sanitizer galore. There would be no big staff meetings, nor those impromptu buffets of leftovers or home-baked goodies so often left in our break room to be grazed upon by passersby. Still, we’d planned after the July 4th weekend to take baby steps back toward the world as we used to know it.

Then, in late June, we learned that someone who had recently been in our building had tested positive for COVID-19. That news was a rude awakening and a reminder that as much as we want to be done with this virus, this virus isn’t quite done with us. Alas, we realized, we’d have to wait a bit longer to bring everyone back from the diaspora of working in basements and at kitchen tables.

It’s natural that we’d want to reclaim the lives and routines we so abruptly abandoned some four months ago. Those of us who love journalism tend to enjoy the company of other journalists and the in-person process of generating ideas and talking about our work. That creative give and take is difficult to replicate over Zoom. But for now at least, Zoom will have to do.

Our August issue reflects this tension — the desire for normalcy butting against the requirements of reality. This is the first production cycle in several months where we didn’t feel compelled to tear up some sections of the magazine and rewrite others at the last minute to respond to the intense and difficult news unfurling around us. Even so, the impact of the two major stories of the year — the pandemic and the ongoing Black Lives Matter demonstrations — seeps into every crack and crevice of life. There’s nothing, it seems — not even a lighthearted interview with a local Jeopardy! champ (page 18) — that hasn’t been tinged by the events and troubles that have upended our society.

Similarly, the resurgent effort to reckon with America’s history of racial injustice, as well as the coronavirus’ wanton economic destruction of Detroit’s restaurant and bar industry, demanded a different approach to our annual Food Issue, one that fits the moment — thus, this year’s focus on 50+ Black culinarians who are shaping the city’s food and drink scene (page 47).

Even as we continue to adjust our coverage to respond to and explore the harsh realities out there, we know that many readers turn to this magazine as a refuge from the grim news that abounds elsewhere. So, rest assured that these pages will continue to provide that respite with our usual mélange of entertainment, fashion, shopping, and lifestyles coverage, along with serious journalism that illuminates and informs.

Heck, we need the softer stuff, too. After all, we aren’t merely documenting the crises of our time. Like you, we’re living through them as well.

Major Sponsor DAN CACCAVARO // Editor

10 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

ILLUSTRATION BY JACQUI OAKLEY

THE ULTIMATE BOOK ABOUT DETROIT’S HISTORY

Contributors

Have you been cooking anything special during the pandemic?

Biba Adams: “I’ve definitely been grilling a lot during quarantine. I have a pretty great rib recipe. I marinate them in lots of vinegar and mustard. I also like to grill some chicken and have that during the week in a couple salads. When I’m not grilling, I’m ordering in from some of my favorite Black-owned restaurants. My favorite is Motor City Soul Food on Seven Mile and Meyers. The food is just so delicious.” Adams is a Detroit native and Detroit-based national journalist. She has a passion for people and feels it’s her purpose to serve her hometown through her work. She’s a graduate of Marygrove College, where she majored in history with an intense focus on Detroit studies. Her piece on Eightfold Collective’s short film ’Til We See the Sky can be found on page 41.

Darrel Ellis: “My 8-year-old son and I have been making udon and ramen noodle bowls. And we also got on the sourdough bread craze. Our favorite so far was the olive and garlic loaf.” Ellis is a native New Yorker whose travels have taken him from Walla Walla, Washington, to Cape Town, South Africa. Specializing in, among other subjects, automobiles, portraits, model composites, and fashion, he has shot for publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Parenting magazine, Planet Muscle, and The Washington Post. Ellis lives just outside Detroit with his son, Alair, and his wife, Leslie. Ellis’ photos accompany this year’s Taste Makers package, beginning on page 47.

Explore the latest book from awardwinning journalist and DBusiness magazine editor R.J. King. “Detroit: Engine of America” is the real life story of how the city grew, step by step, from a French fort on the riverfront in 1701 to become the world’s largest manufacturing economy in 1900.

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Brittany Hudson: “Since we’ve been in quarantine, I’ve been using the extra time to bake things that require a little more work and patience — like bagels and doughnuts — but the results make it so worth it. And I just got into making my own ice cream!” Hutson is a native of Long Island, New York. Her work focuses on the stories of people of color in the food industry, including chefs, entrepreneurs, and farmers, and how food is a driver for creating community. Her writing has appeared in Eater Detroit, Civil Eats, and EatingWell, and can also be found on her personal blog, Fed & Bougie. In this year’s Taste Makers package, she talks with local bartenders and pastry chefs about their experiences and outlook on the city’s food and beverage industry.

Lindsay Kalter: “I’ve enjoyed cooking anything that can be made on my new grill. My summer goal is to master the art of perfect steak-making.”

Kalter is an Ypsilanti-based freelance writer who has worked for Politico and the Boston Herald. Her reporting has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, and WebMD. A Michigan native, Kalter moved back last spring after 20 years away. During that time, she lived in Boston, Washington, D.C., and the Netherlands. When she’s not writing, she can be found biking through Gallup Park and rediscovering her hometown of Ann Arbor. Find her piece on how local candidates are campaigning amid COVID-19 on page 15.

12 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

PHOTOGRAPH OF DARREL ELLIS BY ALAIR ELLIS

Digital Updates

On the Web “Thank you for writing this article, and I hope you will follow it, follow-up, and share its continuation (‘Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist on the Racial Disparities Revealed

by COVID-19,’ June).”

—Debra White-Hunt, hourdetroit.com

BEHIND THE SCENES

“Such generous hearts.

The world needs more people like these (‘Detroit Food and Drink Purveyors Change Course During the Pandemic,’ June).”

—Rocio Oxholm, hourdetroit.com

Detroit-based photographer Darrel Ellis captures chef-owner Godwin Ihentuge in his restaurant YumVillage, a quickcasual Afro-Caribbean eatery housed in Detroit’s New Center. Ihentuge is one of our featured chefs in this year’s Taste Makers series.

“Love it! Couldn’t be happier with how ‘That Woman From Michigan’ has handled the crisis (‘Feeling Stressed? Try These Guided Meditations From Headspace,’ June).”

—@over50.over60.lifestyle, Instagram

K. WALKER COLLECTIVE BY JUSTIN JACOB, THE LOWRY ESTATE COURTESY OF CORLISS WILLIAMS, THE DIRT LABEL COURTESY OF THE DIRT LABEL

“jessica [Care moore] is a phenomenal human (‘Poet jessica Care moore Regroups, Goes Digital, and Advocates for Artists,’ June). A force of creativity, connectivity, and righteousness.”

—@travwright, Instagram “Thank you, [Mitch Albom] for Human Touch (‘Best of Detroit 2020,’ June)! …. I hope all of the donations make a big difference in the Detroit community.”

—@life_luminosity, Instagram

Hourdetroit.com Digital Extra 1

2

3

Nationwide campaigns in recent months have been encouraging consumers to shop Black-owned. Meanwhile, Aurora James, creative director and founder of the footwear brand Brother Vellies, created the 15 Percent Pledge, calling on major retailers to commit 15 percent of their shelf space to products from Black-owned businesses. In that spirit, we’re sharing a list of more than 40 Black-owned businesses to support around metro Detroit, including the three featured here. Visit hourdetroit.com for the full list.

Follow us on social media!

facebook.com/hourdetroit

@hour_detroit

1 // K. Walker Collective 2 // The Lowry Estate 3 // The Dirt Label

@hourdetroitmagazine AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 13

THE RUNAWAY BRIDE 5K FUN RUN OR 2 MILE WALK FUNDRAISER FOR A BEAUTIFUL ME INC. On Saturday, Aug. 1, enjoy participating in a wedding-themed walk/run along the St. Clair River in Port Huron, Michigan, with a kickoff at 8 a.m. Raffles, prizes, and festive entertainment make this one of the most unique runs in the area! Safety measures will be in place at this live event. Every participant will receive a pair of socks because they had “cold feet.” All proceeds from this family-friendly event provide local 3rd- through 12th-grade girls the opportunity to attend A Beautiful Me’s original and interactive self-esteem workshops. Together we are building self-worth proactively in our next generation of confident women.

Sign up today at abeautifulme.com. Questions? Contact Executive Director Karen Palka at karen@abeautifulme.com or 810-216-6951.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT — THE GREAT BIG AUCTION

BEAUMONT CHILDREN’S WALK FOR MIRACLE WORKERS Beaumont Children’s annual Walk for Miracles — now renamed Walk for Miracle Workers — will bring the community together, virtually, on Saturday, Aug. 8. An online kickoff celebration will take place at 9 a.m. Participants are asked to register online, create teams, and use Children’s Miracle Network’s Crowdfunding page to raise money. Walk or run on the path of your choice.

In addition to supporting the pediatric programs and services of Beaumont Children’s, proceeds from this year’s event will support Beaumont’s health care heroes. Upon registration, each entrant will receive a participant kit that includes tips on raising funds, a racing bib, and other event gifts and information. Participants will also receive a finisher’s certificate and medal. During the event, each registrant is encouraged to share his or her experience using #BeaumontMiracleWorkers on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and post on Beaumont Children’s Facebook page. Register today at beaumont.org/walk-for-miracles. For questions: Sarah.Grutza@Beaumont.org or 947-522-0044.

VIRTUAL TOUR DE CURE MICHIGAN

The Great Big Auction is the signature fundraising event for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, and this year, it will be virtual! Please join honorary chairs Rick and Julie Hampson on Wednesday, Aug. 19, and tune in for our first virtual auction of 2020, all in support of a great BIG cause! The money raised from this event will help move more children off the waiting list and into meaningful, life-changing mentor relationships. Together, we are all Defenders of Potential! For more information, please visit our website, bbbsdetroit.org/events, or contact Katie Koch, Director of Development and Marketing, at katie.koch@bbbsdetroit.org or 313-309-9219.

AUBURN HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL GOLF OPEN The Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce’s annual Golf Open will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Pine Knob Golf Club in Clarkston. Arrive ready to network (at a distance, of course) and enjoy a full breakfast feast including a Bloody Mary and mimosa bar. Visit free beer stations on the course, lunch at the turn, and enjoy 18 holes of golf, including contest holes on one of the area’s most beautiful courses.

After your round, enjoy a delicious dinner, awards, and raffle prizes. Earn extra recognition for your company by becoming a sponsor! To register for golf or sign up for a sponsorship, visit auburnhillschamber.com or call 248-853-7862 for more information.

The American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure Michigan will be on Sunday, Aug. 30. We are excited to announce that this year’s event will be held virtually, allowing individuals and companies the opportunity to continue to support our mission. The new interactive Virtual Tour de Cure Michigan will continue our efforts in the fight to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic by raising funds for lifesaving research, education, and advocacy. Register to ride, run, or walk with us anywhere you are, and recruit your friends, family, and co-workers to help raise funds and awareness for diabetes in the state of Michigan. Create your own personal fundraising page and share your story to support the ADA through email and social media, using the hashtag #ConnectedforLife. Diabetes is something that impacts all of us; more than 34 million Americans have diabetes, including over 1 million Michigan residents. Visit facebook.com/adadetroit and instagram.com/michigan_ada for more information. Register today at diabetes.org/michigantourdecure.

CARE RIDE 4 RECOVERY CARE of Southeastern Michigan is hosting its eighth annual Ride 4 Recovery event from Aug. 16-30, leading up to National Recovery Month in September. This year’s event will be a virtual ride.

Ride 4 Recovery recognizes and honors the journey of recovery from substance use. Individuals and teams can sign up to ride for a purpose by choosing from 40, 25, 10, 5, and 1 mile distances to ride through their neighborhoods, on trails, or even on an exercise bike. Registration is $20, and all proceeds from the event benefit CARE’s life-changing programs that serve over 40,000 people each year. For more information, to register, or to donate, visit careofsem.com/ride-4-recovery/.

* PLEASE NOTE, EVENT DATES MAY HAVE BEEN CANCELED OR POSTPONED. CHECK WITH INDIVIDUAL EVENT ORGANIZERS FOR MOST UP-TO-DATE CHANGES. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOUR MEDIA SPONSORED EVENTS AND SEE PHOTOS FROM THOSE EVENTS, VISIT

HOUR DETROIT.COM Learn about local non-profits, the work they are doing in our community, and ways you can help their causes in the digital edition of Give Detroit: A Charitable Registry at hourdetroit.com.

8 // 2020

NEWS, NOTES, AND PERSONALITIES

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ELECTION 2020

POLITICKING IN A PANDEMIC With handshakes and door knocks off limits, local candidates are courting voters creatively // BY LINDSAY KALTER

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS GASH

IN

A

TIKTOK

VIDEO

POSTED

MAY

17,

SOLOMON

RAJPUT

EXECUTES

A

CHOREO-

graphed dance deploying moves like the whoa, the wave, and the dab. But he is not using the platform to entertain. The screen text overlaying his performance reads: “This is my mom. She came here from Pakistan as a teenager with nothing. Now her son is running for Congress and might become the first Pakistani American congressman in history.”

Rajput, a 27-year-old who put medical school on hold to run for Michigan’s 12th congressional seat, is challenging Rep. Debbie Dingell in the Democratic primary on Aug. 4. Like many other challengers and nonincumbents, Rajput has had to get creative with campaign tactics in the face of a global pandemic.

In the absence of the traditional approaches to improving name recognition and getting out the vote — shaking hands, knocking on doors, and attending both high-energy and low-key gatherings — candidates must focus on social media, Zoom fundraising, and improving how they present themselves on video.

“Communicating with voters via social media has stepped up,” says Susan Demas, editorin-chief at nonprofit political outlet Michigan Advance. “You can’t do face-to-face meetings with donors. I have to think it’s a lot harder to convince people to buy into your campaign.”

August 2020 // HOuRDEtROIt.COM 15

The INSIDER //

POLITICS

STAT E H O U S E

16 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

A ‘Bittersweet’ Race In the 4th District // BY LINDSAY KALTER

From knockknock to TikTok: Congressional candidate Solomon Rajput dances with his mom in a campaign video.

Home videos: Democrat Alex Bronson has worked to up his YouTube game, turning his home office into an ad hoc TV studio.

Going mobile: Republican Gabi Grossbard uses his Ram truck to get out a message he says he’d much prefer to deliver face to face.

ning for the Republican nomination to face U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D) this fall, says he took a month off from fundraising out of respect for the small-business owners and other people whose livelihoods have been in jeopardy.

Anthony Carbonaro, who also was planning to run against Dingell in the primary, says he dropped out because his main methods of collecting signatures for the ballot — knocking on doors and approaching shoppers outside stores — are no longer acceptable.

Now, as restrictions begin to lift, candidates are stuck in wait-and-see limbo. No one knows whether in-person events will be held before Aug. 4, much less Nov. 3, or whether an increased push to encourage voting by mail will impact overall turnout.

“I don’t buy that [mail-in voting] will be an automatic win for Democrats,” Demas says. “There are a lot of rural voters who are Republican who benefit from it.”

Dingell’s opponent Rajput believes the pandemic’s restrictions have forced new approaches that are broadening his reach. TikTok, for example, was an unlikely new tool to connect with younger voters, he says, and social distancing motivates him to touch base with voters more often through text and phone calls. “Having things be remote has been a really great way to get interest from people outside our district and build a bigger volunteer force,” Rajput says.

“Our campaign is actually bigger now — by a lot.”

Last year, Michele Oberholtzer of the United Community Housing Coalition was on the phone with state Rep. Isaac Robinson talking foreclosure prevention efforts when she made a promise to her friend and colleague. “Just so you know, I won’t run against you,” Oberholtzer told him. “I think you’re doing a great job.”

Oberholtzer kept that promise; she is not running against Robinson. Instead, the Hamtramck resident is one of 13 competitors vying for his seat in a special Democratic primary election (set for Aug. 4) following his death in March at 44. His family believes he died from a COVID-19-related respiratory illness.

Many of the contenders viewed Robinson, elected in 2018 to succeed his mother in an overwhelmingly Democratic district that includes Detroit’s Midtown and New Center areas and all of Hamtramck, as a friend, mentor, or colleague. The campaign, then, is laden with mixed emotions and a drive to carry on his legacy.

“There’s this strange mix of the practical need of representation and the reality of an election, mixed with this tragedy, this loss,” says Oberholtzer, 35, whom Robinson defeated in the 2018 primary.

Candidate Abraham Aiyash, the 26-year-old political director for the liberal advocacy nonprofit Michigan United, met Robinson when Aiyash was 13. He credits Robinson with getting him involved in local politics. “Abraham and Isaac!” Robinson would say to Aiyash, he recalls.

“My biblical brother!”

“While I’m not going to try to be Isaac, there’s a sense of responsibility to continue to fight the fights he fought,” Aiyash says.

Former Detroit Board of Education member Tawanna Simpson, 52, is also running. She remembers sitting in the back of political meetings with Robinson and fighting over butter cookies when their mothers were both heavily involved in local politics. Simpson says the race is not only strange for her, but “bitter, bitter, bittersweet.”

“Most importantly,” she says of her political priorities, “I want to help people deal with COVID-19, because it’s what took Isaac out.

I don’t want to see it happen to anyone else.”

TIK TOK SCREEN GRAB COURTESY OF SOLOMON RAJPUT; ALEX BRONSON SCREEN GRAB COURTESY OF ALEX BRONSON; GABI GROSSBARD TRUCK COURTESY OF GABI GROSSBARD

Some candidates have managed to hit up donors despite pandemic restrictions. Demas pointed to Julia Pulver, a Democrat unopposed in the primary who hopes to unseat Republican state Rep. Ryan Berman in Oakland County’s 39th District, who organized a Mother’s Day fundraiser she billed as a “Get Out of Zoom Free” card. In the description for her YouTube video advertising the event, Pulver exhorted supporters: “Donate at the link below, and you can tell everyone you have a very important Zoom meeting to attend for Julia Pulver for State Rep, but then ... you don’t actually have to show up!” Pulver says her campaign raised $500 off that gimmick, although YouTube only showed around 20 views of the video, as of mid-June.

Demas says the 2020 COVID-19-tainted campaign climate works better for most incumbents who already have a supporter and volunteer network as well as more money to spend on advertising.

Sen. Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Township), who is running for Macomb County prosecutor, says he has been primarily using email to reach out to voters and that campaigning in the era of COVID-19 chaos is a challenge. “Going on TV is too expensive,” says Lucido, 60. “Candidates have a limited window as well as a limited way of dialoguing with voters.”

Lucido — who came under fire after an allegation in January that he made sexist remarks to a female reporter prompted two other women, including a fellow state senator, to go public with similar accusations — says he has done several town halls via telephone and has turned to Twitter and Facebook to reach supporters.

Candidates are joining as many virtual meetings as they can, forcing them to up their on-camera game. Alex Bronson, a 29-year-old Democrat running to unseat Republican state Rep. Steve Marino (R-Harrison Township) in Macomb County’s 24th District, says he has turned his office into an amateur television set. When it became clear the pandemic would interfere with campaigning efforts, Bronson ordered lights, a camera, and a high-quality microphone. The owner of a painting business, Bronson plans to pique voter interest by posting do-it-yourself instructional videos about topics such as drywall repair.

“I looked up to see what YouTubers do to improve their videos,” Bronson says. “I wanted to make sure I could present myself well.”

For some challengers, virtual communication doesn’t come so easily. Gabi Grossbard, a 48-year-old running for the GOP nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Andy Levin (D), says his strength lies in face-to-face interactions — something he thinks is especially important for unknown candidates.

Although Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order did not go into effect until March 24, Grossbard says in-person events began to slow down as early as March 10 — so people have been finding alternative ways to gather signatures to get on the ballot. He had unexpected success leaving clipboards at people’s doorsteps and coming back later to gather them.

Grossbard’s Ram truck now is festooned with “VoteGabi” signs to send a visible message without close contact.

“When you meet candidates, they make an impression that you remember when you get into the voting booth,” he says. “I’ve had to get creative.”

Other campaigners are backing off some efforts given the financial stress caused by recent layoffs. Eric Esshaki, 35, run-

N E I G H B O R H O O D S //

The INSIDER

NEIGHBORHOODS

TROUBLED WATERS To open or not to open the community pool, that is the question of the summer // BY STEVE FRIESS AT FIRST, WE WERE SPLIT DOWN

the middle. Two wanted to go forward, two did not, and one was torn. But after a webinar put on by our lawyers, our decision became unanimous: Our homeowners association in Superior Township, of which I am a board member, would not open our neighborhood pool this year in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across metro Detroit, the boards of HOAs and condo associations, as well as the managers of apartment complexes and private clubs, have wrestled all summer with the same decision, especially in light of the fact that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave the goahead for outdoor pool openings on June 8. Those that do must limit attendance to 50 percent of capacity and implement rigorous sanitation standards, in compliance with the guidelines of their local health authorities.

To many, it’s just too difficult, costly, and risky.

By late June, just 28 of Washtenaw County’s more than 150 pools had asked the health department for the greenlight, according to information obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

“It’s been a very hotly debated issue for our clients,” says Gregory Fioritto of the law firm Zelmanski, Danner & Fioritto, which represents several hundred HOAs and condo associations in Michigan, including ours. “We’ve been telling boards and property managers to be very cautious in the current climate. Nobody knows how this is going to turn out. There will probably be litigation for years over these things. With all this uncertainty, we basically told clients we recommend not to open this year.”

The sticking point for many is not so much the question of whether a public pool would be a hot spot for spreading COVID-19 so much as what might happen legally if an outbreak is alleged to have begun at a facility. In that webinar, attended by representatives of more than 50 neighborhoods around the region, Fioritto warned that few, if any, liability insurance policies protect communities from pandemic-related claims. That means that the HOA — and possibly its board members as individuals — could have to pay out of pocket to defend against lawsuits even if it’s questionable how anyone could prove where they were infected.

“We have been hearing that several commuPHOTOGRAPH OF POOL COURTESY OF ISTOCK

nities, apartment complexes, and other groups are deciding not to start up their pool and some are going to start it up to maintain it but not allow the public or residents to use it,” says Jeremy Hoeh, an environmental health program supervisor for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. “It’s not an easy decision.”

Still, some have chosen to open anyway, including WoodLake Condominiums in Brighton.

The community has posted signs indicating that no guests are permitted, and introduced markings to help people stay 6 feet apart, says Ken Dettloff, who oversees the pool’s operations. “We’re also issuing bracelets to residents and will be challenging them on their residency,” he says.

In some cases, the question has become po-

Swim at your own risk: Communities have been split over whether to open their pools amid the pandemic.

The sticking point for many is not so much the question of whether a public pool would be a hot spot for spreading COVID-19 so much as what might happen legally if an outbreak is alleged to have begun at a facility.

litical. Barb Badalamenti, who lives in the Plymouth Village North condominium complex in Macomb County’s Chesterfield Township, was angry in late May about the prospect of a pool-less summer. She tweeted to President Trump’s handle on May 28 asking for his help in the matter, complaining of Whitmer: “She took everything away from our kids. That was the last thing they had to look forward to but God forbid a child is happy.” A few weeks later, after Whitmer changed the policy, Badalamenti’s pool was opened with a litany of restrictions.

“We need to bring our own chairs as all pool chairs, umbrellas, loungers are not out because someone would need to sanitize them after each use,” she wrote via text.

“Drinking fountains are turned off. Bathrooms are open but not the clubhouse.”

In Ann Arbor, the public Fuller Pool opened on July 1 for visitors who registered online ahead of time and were permitted to stay for 90-minute sessions in an assigned portion of the pool.

They must bring their own life jackets, kickboards, and deck chairs and are discouraged from using changing rooms, according to the city’s parks and recreation website.

Patrons also must sign waivers that read in part: “As a guest of Fuller Pool, I understand that I must wear a mask when in the lobby indoors to check in and that I have been strongly encouraged to wear my mask until I am ready to enter the water. I also agree to maintain at least a 6-ft distance between myself and others outside of my household.”

Our HOA considered creating waivers requiring pool users to promise not to sue us and to take responsibility for their own welfare, but Fioritto told us there’s no way to know whether such a waiver would hold up in court. Most of our residents accepted this news with disappointed understanding, although others posted links to news reports suggesting the risk of coronavirus transmission at an outdoor swimming pool is minimal and asking if they could have a portion of their HOA dues back. (They cannot.)

The big question now is what happens next year? The assumption that 2021 will be better is based on the expectation that there will be a vaccine or cure by then.

“These are measures taken for this year as we look to 2021 to go back to normal,” Fioritto says.

“Everybody’s hoping it’s a different ball game in 2021, but, of course, nobody knows.”

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 17

The INSIDER //

Landmark ruling: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in June that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender people from employment discrimination.

IN THE NEWS

Q&A

He Schooled the Competition

Answers and questions with Jeopardy!’s 2020 teacher tourney champ // BY STEVE FRIESS

PRECIOUS

LITTLE

TO

BEN HENRI: Originally, I was an engineering student at University of Michigan, so my background is wide-ranging. Also, musicians get a bad rap. Our content area intertwines with many other areas — history and art, social sciences and psychology, the science of sound, the anatomy of the voice. Also, I spend a lot of time with trivia. There’s a trivia website called Sporcle, and I’ve taken close to 30,000 quizzes on there.

What question did you get wrong that you kick yourself over?

Since the coronavirus, you’ve been teaching online?

Yeah. I’d be the first to say not very well, but yeah. So much of choral artistry happens in the moment with people in a room together. You cannot duplicate it with a virtual choir. The best you can do is work on things that are tangentially related, like music history and theory.

But I feel pretty useless because 90 Any questions? Jeopardy! champ Ben Henri with the show’s iconic host, Alex Trebek.

Your guess is as good as mine. There have been a lot of models proposed, like one where a portion of students come in on Monday and Tuesday, others come Thursday and Friday, and Wednesday is virtual class for everyone. Most of those ideas have been shot down.

On the other hand, you just won $100,000.

Yes, I have a cushion. It’s important to mention that that’s $100,000 pretax. I did just receive the check the other day, which was surreal and exciting.

Alex Trebek makes about $40,000 per episode. That makes the Teachers Tournament cheap, no?

Well, even he says that. On one of our episodes, he said, “The winner gets $100,000, runner-up gets $50,000, and third place is $25,000, so even on our show, teachers are underpaid.” I thought that was clever, but also like, “Well, then, give us more.”

But they fly us out there, put us up in a very nice hotel, give us a generous stipend to pay for food, everyone who goes wins some money. And Alex is an institution — he’s the reason a lot of people watch.

What does Alex smell like?

I don’t know that I got a good whiff. Stage makeup? The place is cold, and he doesn’t get that close to you. He smells like success.

He smells like knowledge.

The state has been central to several landmark rulings

IN EARLY JUNE, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT GUARANTEED protection against workplace and housing discrimination for LGBTQ Americans in a landmark case emanating out of Michigan. That case, formally known as R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, involved Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman from Redford who was fired after informing her employer in 2014 that she would be presenting as a woman. The case was only the latest precedent-setter with Wolverine State ties. Here are some other notable decisions with national implications: 1970S 1972 1986 U.S. v. U.S. District Court for the Michigan v. Jackson: By 6-3, Eastern District of Michigan: the court said defendants who A unanimous court ruled the assert their right to counsel at an government must obtain a arraignment or arrest cannot later warrant to conduct electronic have that right waived for them if the surveillance of U.S. citizens. The police try to question them again. case involved three Michiganaders The matter involved two Michigan charged with conspiracy to murder cases in which SCOTUS ruled destroy a CIA office in Ann Arbor. evidence was improperly obtained.

(The ruling was reversed in 2009.)

2003 Grutter v. Bollinger & Gratz v. Bollinger: Two rulings that clarified affirmative action law. A 5-4 majority in Grutter said U-M Law School could use race as one of many factors to favor “underrepresented minority groups.” In Gratz, though, a 6-3 majority said the U-M’s undergrad-admission point system for assessing applicants could not include a specific point bonus for minority students. Notably, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor predicted in the Grutter majority opinion that the court “expects that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.”

2014 Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action: SCOTUS ruled 6-2 that Michigan could amend its constitution to ban affirmative action in public hiring and public university admissions.

Michigan voters approved the measure, known as Prop 2, by a 58-42 percent vote in 2006.

2012 Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Religious institutions can bypass the Americans with Disabilities Act in firing a minister, SCOTUS ruled unanimously, in a case involving a Redford minister refused her job after returning from medical leave.

2015 DeBoer v. Snyder: One of four cases used by SCOTUS to rule 5-4 that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional involved a Hazel Park couple suing to wed and to take joint legal custody of their three children. The watershed case is known generally as Obergefell v. Hodges, for an Ohio case, but Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who was the couple’s attorney, asserts the issues of DeBoer gave the court its best opportunity to legalize marriage equality. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority that the plaintiffs respect the sanctity of marriage “so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves.”–SF 2015

1 8 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

JEOPARDY PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN HENRI; PHOTOGRAPH OF RENAISSANCE CENTER AND PRIDE FLAGS BY JIM WEST/ZUMA WIRE

2000s

There’s a couple. One was a choir question and the answer was a cappella. For years in college, I was in an a cappella group, and after college I was in one in Detroit called Two Weeks Notice. I’ll never live that down.

What do you think public education will look like this fall?

When Michigan Reigns Supreme

1980s

HOUR DETROIT: You’re a music teacher.

How do you know so much?

percent of my students are not divas or soloists. They’re just there because they like to make music with their friends.

THE TENDERLOINS PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF TRUTV; KATYA PHOTOGRAPH BY DYLAN M. AUSTIN

BEEN

celebrate in local education in this COVID19-marred year, so it was a delight for local Jeopardy! fans in June, when a nattily dressed music teacher with product-slicked hair, from St. Clair Shores asked enough of the right questions to win the two-week tournament featuring K-12 teachers.

Ben Henri, a 37-year-old choral music instructor at Grosse Pointe North High School, bested 14 competitors over four appearances for the $100,000 top prize. The shows were taped in February before the pandemic shut down filming and altered the school year. He reflects here on the challenge of teaching remotely as well as his TV adventure, which continues with a berth on the annual Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions whenever the show can film it.

1990S

THERE’S

C OU RTS

Project Veritas has come under fire for questionably edited clips like its report on a COVID-19 testing site in Grand Rapids. 

M E D I A //

The INSIDER

Q&A

something. It’s if you believe in it. James has a saying that nothing in life is as sweet as justice, and nothing in life is as motivating as injustice. I don’t see this as a partisan issue. If something is misrepresented in such a fashion that it creates fear or puts misinformation that can be dangerous out there, it needs to be exposed.

Does Veritas Mean Truth?

Plymouth native Megan Piwowar tells her conservative group’s side // BY STEVE FRIESS

Why doesn’t Veritas release its unedited raw video footage? Wouldn’t that show whether you deceptively edit your work?

IN EARLY MAY, CHERRY STREET HEALTH

Center in Grand Rapids came under fire after staffers lined up at its drive-thru COVID-19 testing site to make the site seem busy for cameras visiting from CBS This Morning.

The duplicity was made public by Project Veritas, a controversial New York-based group known for efforts to embarrass mainstream media outlets, after a clinic employee sent the group undercover audio of Cherry Health officials admitting to it. CBS said the network didn’t know the line was padded and has since removed the footage from the online version of the report.

That episode was a trial-by-fire for Project Veritas’ new spokeswoman, Plymouth native Megan Piwowar, who started days before the CBS kerfuffle. The 34-year-old with degrees from both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University is a former Michigan GOP spokeswoman who served as campaign manager in 2014 for Dave Trott’s first successful congressional campaign.

Piwowar’s prior gig was as spokeswoman for Philip Morris, so she’s not new to controversy. Yet in taking the Project Veritas job, she becomes a chief defender of founder James O’Keefe, a conservative provocateur who has been sued repeatedly in connection with undercover probes in which he or others assumed false identities or surreptitiously recorded people making what O’Keefe presents as incriminating remarks. In 2017, for instance, the group had a woman try to persuade Washington Post reporters to write about her fabricated claim that Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore had impregnated her when she was underage. The Post instead reported on Project Veritas’ effort to dupe its reporters, earning the group widespread condemnation.

Piwowar is undeterred, as seen in this conversation with Hour Detroit from her New York home.

PHOTOGRAPH OF MEGAN PIWOWAR COURTESY OF MEGAN PIWOWAR; VIDEO SCREEN SHOTS FROM PROJECT VERITAS

HOUR DETROIT: Since Veritas is all about media transpar-

ency, I must acknowledge that, as a journalist, I am very uncomfortable with the way you operate.

MEGAN PIWOWAR:

Can you give me a specific example?

Sure. The Washington Postt case, in which Veritas tried to inject false narratives into the media to see if they’d bite. That’s very disturbing.

Steve, I would point you to our website’s Top 10 Lies about Project Veritas. It speaks to one of the examples you’re speaking to. I’m happy to address any specific example that’s not addressed on the website. [The website’s response to the Washington Post sting reads in full: “Project Veritas uses a variety of aliases to get meetings with people.”]

Megan Piwowar 

We have never edited content out of context. I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned the Chuck Todd situation on NBC, where he aired a misleadingly edited clip of Attorney General Barr. … I was hoping that it was something we could discuss.

Was Veritas involved with that one?

No, I just thought it was a very timely example of the trend.

But he apologized.

So, you don’t believe there have been deceptively edited videos or unethical activities?

Undercover journalism is a genre of journalism. Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes had plenty of examples that he aired. He also received a lot of litigation. And the woman who I believe was one of the first undercover journalists, which I think is very inspiring as a female, Nellie Bly, in the 1800s admitted herself to a psychiatric ward to get the real story. Undercover journalistic tactics have been used for years and years and years.

Let’s talk about the big CBS case. It’s not clear whether you’re saying CBS orchestrated the deceptive video.

Our role is not to interpret the intentions.

Our job is to simply put out the information that a segment that aired nationally on CBS This Morning misrepresented that those were patients when they were not. [Project Veritas presented the scoop on a site called exposecbs.com, where it boasted that it had caught “one of the largest media corporations demonstrating how desperate the media is to hype the COVID-19 pandemic beyond reality.”]

You must have known about Veritas’ tactics and history. Did you need to become comfortable with representing them?

If I had never done anything uncomfortable in my life, I would not be where I am now. I would not be an 18-time marathon finisher. I would not be pursuing my first Ironman. I’d probably not be living here in New York City. It’s not a matter of if you’re comfortable with

He did, a few days later.

Any day of the week, you could find something in the media that didn’t go right. But what people call “media bias” is usually journalists being lazy or careless, not necessarily trying to harm anybody.

Well, Chuck Todd’s influence is a bit more powerful than just anyone you might find posting on any given day.

You helped Rep. Dave Trott get elected. He left Congress after two terms, disillusioned

by D.C. partisanship. In December, he wrote in The Atlantic that President Trump is “psychologically, morally, intellectually, and emotionally unfit for office.” Were you surprised?

I’m not going to comment. I haven’t spoken to Dave to get his exact reason for leaving. I haven’t read that letter, but I’m definitely going to add that to my reading list.

It was pretty big news.

Maybe this will surprise you, but I’m not political to be political. It’s been more, “Do I have the individual freedom to make my own choices? Do my friends have the individual freedom to get married if they want to get married? Do I have the ability to make a good living and to lead the kind of life I want if I work hard?”

Why did you leave Philip Morris?

I can make an impact at an organization that’s still relatively small. And for me to have the first big story be in Michigan was very cool.

It’s a great way to reconnect with a lot of folks back home.

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 19

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8 // 2020

MAKING THE MOST OF METRO DETROIT

24 / SEVEN

BRING IT ON Detroit Vs Everybody has channeled the city’s underdog mentality and defiant unity into both a brand and a cause

BY RACHAEL THOMAS // PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRE’ANN WHITE

August 2020 // HOuRDEtROIt.COM 2 1

24 / SEVEN //

ST Y L E

SHOPPING

Cover Up Detroit-Style While COVID-19 restrictions have eased up across the state, it’s still important to don a face mask when venturing out to keep both you and those around you safe. If you’re looking for some new mask options, check out these locally available face coverings. —RT

IF YOU ASK TOMMEY WALKER

“At what point do you pivot from thinking about the problem to solving it?”

—T O M M E Y W A L K E R 2 2 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

STELLA FACE MASK, $11 each, at Bird Bee, 1228 Griswold St., Detroit, 313-315-3070; shopbirdbee.com

Tommey Walker outside the flagship Detroit Vs Everybody store in Eastern Market.

in California that Walker came to appreciate Detroit’s impact on the national level. That revelation inspired the birth of a brand.

“Once you see the influence of Detroit — when you see how everyone stood up for [Kilpatrick], when you see how Detroiters are in power positions all over the world, when you see how important Detroit is to culture — you cannot unsee it,” Walker says. “I began to grow a chip on my shoulder because at that time, nobody was talking about this resurgence of the city. There was no positive press coming out at that time. One of the main things I say is not to complain, but to contribute.

It’s like, at what point do you pivot from thinking about the problem to solving it?”

Today, the brand is housed in Eastern Market and is focusing on its online presence. In late May, DVE partnered with the city of Detroit to present the virtual Everybody Vs COVID-19 Unity Festival with more than 20 musical acts. Walker says the event, which was presented on all of the city of Detroit’s social media platforms, received around 80 million impressions.

Visit detroitvseverybody.com to shop and learn more.

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what “Detroit Vs Everybody” means to him, he’ll first ask what it means to you. That’s what matters to him. But for the Detroit native himself, his brand represents the unity of the city. It captures “the underdog mentality” — the perspective of an individual, he says, who at some point in life feels they are pitted against everyone, but still rises to the occasion.

Walker founded Detroit Vs Everybody in 2012. Hoodies, T-shirts, joggers, and headwear — all manufactured in Detroit — sport the powerful three-word statement in thick, capital letters. The brand’s offshoot, Everybody Versus, presents collections with equally powerful statements, such as “Everybody Vs Cancer,” “Everybody Vs COVID-19,” “Everybody Vs Injustice,” and “Everybody Vs Racism.” Proceeds from collections often go to local causes. The Everybody Vs COVID-19 line, for example, helped support local small businesses hurt by the pandemic, through a partnership with TechTown Detroit and the Detroit Development Fund.

“Art imitates life,” Walker says of his inspirations.

“I felt as if it’s my job as a Detroiter who is actually living the true Detroit experience to depict life as a Detroiter as best I can.”

As a graphic designer, Walker spent years before DVE creating album artwork and business cards for local talents; leading creative campaigns for artists signed under major record labels like Def Jam Recordings and Interscope Records; and running a screen-printing business out of the Russell Industrial Center with his partners. It was while watching television coverage of the scandal engulfing Detroit’s then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick during a work trip

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24 / SEVEN //

WELLNESS

P E R S O NA L ITI E S

PRO TIPS

On Being a Good Influence

Cheer Up! The worry and uncertainty of the past six months have left many feeling beaten down.

Dr. Michelle Riba, associate director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center, offers advice for perking back up.

How three local internet voices have pivoted in response to troubled times // BY RACHAEL THOMAS WHILE COPING WITH THE WEIGHT of a global pandemic and the nationwide movement for racial justice, these three local influencers have found new ways to connect with their audiences, using their Instagram platforms to nurture, educate, uplift — and, most important for each of them, amplify the voices of fellow women of color.

// BY ASHLEY WINN

Adria Moses (@adriamoses)

As the number of Michigan’s COVID-19 cases soared, yoga and mindfulness practitioner Adria Moses knew many people would need yoga to help them cope. Moses transitioned to Instagram Live, holding her first online class on March 17, and offered donation-based classes through June. Her well-received sessions included, among others, nighttime yoga to release neck and shoulder tension, meditations for grief and anxiety, and prenatal yoga.

She’s now working on a new wellness space that she plans to launch on the membership platform Patreon.

In late May, Moses also resigned from her ambassadorship with Lululemon, disappointed by the company’s lack of response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. “If you’re a wellness brand — or you’re a brand that promotes social impact and social change — and your base is predominately white, and you’re trying to escape under the radar, those are the ones that I have a problem with,” Moses says.

In early June, she started a weekly newsletter, Radical Healing, which explores navigating through generational and racial trauma. And she says she eventually hopes to start an advocacy network for Black and brown women to help with navigating the health care system. “I’m hoping to continue to create content that creates impact, that creates action,” Moses says. “Because that is really the only point to me.”

Keeping on: Amber Lewis (left) and Evann Webb

Amber Lewis (@socialnthecity)

The City of Detroit’s digital and social media manager, Amber Lewis, uplifts her native city’s movers and shakers. From serving as a Detroit ambassador for the social networking app Bumble to curating music and DJing events as “The Playlist Princess” to connecting fellow Black women on social media through her networking community, Black Women Do Social, she seems to be doing it all.

In late March, when Lewis noticed many local creatives were losing financial opportunities because of the virus, she immediately created Issa IG Tour, a nightly Instagram Live event showcasing local DJs, event hosts, and musicians. The event plugged the

Cash App accounts of those featured to help them collect donations. Lewis also did a fourhour wellness edition. Virtual attendees enjoyed music, meditation, yoga, and a DIY face mask tutorial with Lewis and other local talents.

“My audience is primarily Black women, and I’m always going to show up for Black women, because Black women always show up for me,” Lewis, 28, says. “Even if I’m feeling inspired, I can look to somebody that I follow for inspiration to just keep going, and also [to remember] it’s OK to stop and take a break. I think I did a lot of that during this time, and it was necessary, because the most important thing for me is freedom. The freedom that I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get until mid- to late 30s, I’ve been experiencing today.”

Evann Webb (@damselindetroitblog)

For Evann Webb, balancing her job as social media specialist for the online plant shop Bloomscape with her own projects for her lifestyle blog and podcast, Damsel in Detroit, all while allowing herself to just be during the pandemic is still a process. But she’s taking it day by day.

Her recent personal projects have expanded beyond her regular fashion and beauty content to community-focused campaigns. She’s wrapping up a four-part blog series with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority that started in April. It explores her own homebuying journey and shares resources and programs the MSHDA offers.

She also did campaigns urging Michiganders to fill out the 2020 census and participated in Your Children’s Foundation and iHeartMedia’s #iCareMI campaign, which raised money for Michigan children and families affected by COVID-19.

Being vocal and transparent about her adjustment to a new normal while being a Black woman has been important for Webb, and it motivates her to keep showing up in the digital space: “Knowing that I have some type of influence, and just knowing that there are people actually paying attention to my content, or people that are inspired by it, really does motivate me.”

Reunite with loved ones — safely.

Digital platforms like FaceTime and Zoom have been our primary way of connecting with loved ones while observing social distancing guidelines, but those nominal interactions only go so far. “We’re social beings, and loneliness is not good for us,” Riba says. “At a certain point, it’s important to start getting re-engaged.” She recommends spending time with others over outdoor activities, such as tennis and biking, that allow for minimal proximity.

Get back into a routine.

Without the structure of appointments, meetings, and morning commutes, many have cast aside their normal habits. But Riba says the 2 a.m. bedtimes and 4 p.m. bananabread-for-lunches are keeping us from a restored sense of normalcy. “It’s important now to recalibrate, to get back to regular sleeping patterns and balanced diets,” she says.

Healthy eating habits and consistent sleep schedules have both been linked to mental wellness.

Less news, better views.

Many of us have been glued to our phones and televisions, anxiously awaiting news of the latest unrest or infection statistics. Aside from the stress and despondency that can result from consuming too much negative content, Riba says this also keeps us locked up inside.

Simply taking in fresh air and natural beauty has been shown to brighten one’s mood. In fact, Riba says, “studies have shown that one’s mental health improves if they do some of their exercising outside.” You might be surprised just how much an outdoor run, or even a short, after-dinner walk, can do for your state of mind.

Adria Moses 24 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

AMBER LEWIS PHOTOGRAPH BY CYRUS TETTEH, ADRIA MOSES PHOTOGRAPH

BY BRE’ANN WHITE, EVANN WEBB PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF EVANN WEBB

B E A U T Y //

24 / SEVEN

NA I L S

PAMPERING IN A PANDEMIC

THE TEN PHOTOGRAPH BY VISUALSXNIK, NAIL ART PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BELLA LANNING AND BRIANNA VILLAREAL

AFTER BEING CLOSED

for months, The Ten Nail Bar reopened its New Center location on June 16. While guests were eager to get back — appointments went fast — they weren’t returning to The Ten as it was pre-COVID-19.

Like most businesses, the nail salon is following new protocols to keep customers and staff safe.

Dividers have been put up at the salon’s nail bar, and one station will be vacant between each manicurist and guest.

Services are available by appointment only, guests and staff must wear face coverings, manicurists will wear gloves at all times, temperature checks are being implemented, and nail polish testing is no longer allowed. Children’s services and express manicures and pedicures are also temporarily off the menu.

It’s a new normal for personal-care services, but it beats doing your nails at home, says Kelli Coleman, who co-owns the salon with Anika Jackson.

“Everyone is really excited and happy to be able to add that social element back into personal care,” Coleman says.

“While it’s not going to be exactly the same as it was, I do know that people will feel just as pampered and it will be an escape and fun times for them.”

Visit hourdetroit.com for more from our recent chat with Coleman, who explains how The Ten connected with its clients to inform its safe-opening strategy, how she and Jackson coped with waiting for approval from the state to reopen, and which new protocols she thinks are most surprising to guests.

—Emma Klug

POLISHED TO PERFECTION NAIL SALONS ARE BACK, AND THE OPTIONS ARE INFINITE

BY PAGE GARDNER // PHOTOGRAPH BY KAILEY HOWELL THE DAYS OF GOOGLING “how to remove acrylic nails at home” are over. Nail salons were allowed to reopen June 15 after being closed during the state’s COVID-19 shutdown. Whether you favor daggersharp nails that gleam with embellishments or something neutral and natural, these nail artists are back in business and ready to transform your talons from locked-down to luscious.

Shell, yeah! A Tina Van creation mixing a modern French manicure with tortoise shell and flecks of gold foil.

BELLA LANNING Instagram: @wownailsusa Revival RN 9835 Village Pl. Blvd., Brighton

For your first post-quarantine look, why not keep it simple? At Bella Lanning’s studio, “less is more” is a lifestyle. “I find neutrals and minimalism practical and universal for an everyday style,” she says. “I really believe in simplicity.” For the past two years, Lanning has been working from her own studio, where clients let her unleash her creative simplicity. From plain, neutral colors with tiny embellishments to a single wisp of gray smoke

TINA VAN

on white polish, her designs are coveted by admirers of organic and minimalist aesthetics.

JENESSA DAVIS Instagram: @fanessnails Faness Studio 20111 James Couzens Fwy., Detroit

To get nails done by Jenessa Davis, you’ll need more than a photo for inspiration. In two to three hours, Davis looks into clients’ dreams and desires to paint personal and unique nail designs. “I dig really deep to customize the art for the customer.

I don’t do duplicates,” she says. “When people show me photos, I say, ‘What makes it unique to you?’ I make sure people know how to express themselves by letting their nails be their canvas.”

Instagram: @xtv.nails Nail Gloss Studio 44811 Hayes Road, Sterling Heights

From the runway to the red carpet, animal print is always in, which is why Tina Van at Nail Gloss Salon has developed a special expertise in hand-painted animal prints. With tortoise shell, snakeskin, butterfly wings, and other nature-inspired looks in her portfolio, Van is the queen of the animal (nail) kingdom.

Van says she wants her clients to “expect the highest level of sanitation from each nail tech,” which in practice means tables that are spread 6 feet apart, barriers between artists and clients, and face coverings required for artists and clients alike.

BRIANNA VILLAREAL Instagram: @nailsby_bribri Fabulous Nails 8011 Allen Road, Allen Park

Enhancing the existing features of natural nails, the French manicure is the most commonly recognized and requested design. Despite its simplicity, Brianna Villareal views each French manicure as a blank canvas on which to get creative.

“You can do it with a million colors, glitter, opaque, neon,” she says. “You can have fun with it. It’s so versatile.”

Villareal urges clients to book appointments as far in advance as possible, as many salons are already booked for months.

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 2 5

The INSIDER //

T E E K AY

Women’s

LIVES Women are playing a vital role in the movement demanding racial justice. We hear from three on the front lines in Detroit.

Plus

COLLAGE

BY ALLISON KAHLER;// PHOTOGRAPH OF DETROIT BY AUGUST 2020 HOURDETROIT.COM 26 JIM WEST/ZUMA WIRE; PHOTOGRAPH OF PROTESTERS BY JOE GALL

Wayne State University Police Chief Anthony Holt on what this moment means for law enforcement

You could be forgiven if you came away from the lengthy history of antiracism activism in Detroit in the June 14 issue of the Detroit Free Press with the impression that it is and always has been a movement by and for men.

In some 3,000 words, the paper quoted just one female activist — who is white — and referred to only a single incident of violence against a Black woman.

Truth bomb: While most of the national headlinegrabbing incidents of violence against unarmed Black people, from Treyvon Martin to Michael Brown to George Floyd, have involved male victims, Black women and Black transgender women also experience police brutality and are often the backbone of the fight to raise awareness and change minds. This is why we’re turning the spotlight here to the women leaders who so often go unsung.

Detroit Will Breathe’s Nakia Wallace and Equality Michigan’s Jeynce Poindexter represent the new guard. We the People of Detroit’s Monica LewisPatrick is the old guard and couldn’t be prouder of the younger standard-bearers.

“They’re clearly stepping into their leg of carrying the baton and moving this work forward,” Lewis-Patrick says.

“This really is a moment for eldership to step back and trust that our work and our investment and our love and our care is going to take us where we want to go, which is beyond trauma to transformation.”

‘THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES’ Detroit Will Breathe co-organizer Nakia Wallace refuses to let the battle for racial justice lose momentum // BY RACHAEL THOMAS ON THE 16TH CONSECUTIVE DAY OF BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS IN DETROIT, HUNDREDS

of demonstrators gathered outside the city’s police headquarters at Michigan Avenue and Third Street. And at the center of it all on that Saturday in mid-June was Nakia Wallace, the 23-year-old co-organizer, who welcomed everyone and then invited participants to share personal stories, offer encouragement, call listeners to action, and reiterate the demands that are propelling the movement.

Consuela Barber-Lopez, executive director of Amandla, a collection of local groups focused on crime against children of color, led the crowd in a call-and-response chant prominent from the 1980s movement against Apartheid in South Africa. Tristan Taylor, Wallace’s co-organizer and uncle, reminded the crowd that such protests across the nation since the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis cop two weeks earlier had already changed the conversation about policing in America. And disability advocate “Baba” Baxter Jones declared there’s no middle ground in the fight for Black lives. If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re part of the problem, he declared.

More than two hours later, Wallace took back the mic as the final speaker before the group once again weaved its way through the streets of Detroit. “In this country, any time we see progress on the question of equality and justice, it’s been because of our ability to take the streets,” bellowed Wallace, a hand gripping the mic stand. “Any time we’ve seen true justice or progress towards equality — the question of public education, the question of housing, the question of segregation — it has been because we took the streets. It’s been because we held the streets. This is the fight for our lives.”

This fight is not new to Wallace, co-founder with Taylor of Detroit Will Breathe, the group organizing the daily marches. Her family, like many other Black and brown families living at or below the poverty line, has long felt the system fails them, she says. She knows housing instability.

She knows police mistrust, to the point of leaving places when cops were present. And, as part of the first generation of her family to graduate high school and college, she knows the obstacles to a quality education.

“I don’t necessarily see my education as a means for a career, but definitely an expression of my freedom,” says Wallace, who earned a dual degree in English and African American studies from Wayne State University after attending Cass Technical High School in Midtown. Her fascination with reading about the civil rights movement, in fact, prompted her to found the Black Millennial Book Club. “It didn’t matter to me whether or not I could get a job. Like, it mattered, but [what mattered was that] I was able to really partake in an education in a meaningful way — something my parents and my grandparents never did.”

The first political fight of her activist career came at age 12 when she marched and attended school board meetings to oppose the closure of Detroit’s Cleveland Intermediate School, which her older sister attended. The school shut down anyway, and Wallace says that destroyed the neighborhood because students were dispersed to schools miles away in Detroit and Hamtramck.

“We were facing mass school closings throughout the district and the takeover of our schools, and it just meant mass devastation,” Wallace says. “We knew that not being able to walk to a school in our neighborhood was a very dangerous thing. We knew that the answer was not to close our schools and make our class sizes bigger but to just give us more money and to make school a better place for us.”

Since then, there hasn’t been a time when she wasn’t involved in some cause alongside Taylor.

Forming Detroit Will Breathe together, then, was a natural progression.

Originally known as The People’s March, – N A K I A WA L L AC E the group originated out of the earliest Detroit

“ANY TIME WE’VE SEEN TRUE JUSTICE OR PROGRESS TOWARDS EQUALITY — THE QUESTION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, THE QUESTION OF HOUSING, THE QUESTION OF SEGREGATION — IT HAS BEEN BECAUSE WE TOOK THE STREETS. IT’S BEEN BECAUSE WE HELD THE STREETS. THIS IS THE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES.” AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 2 7

protests following Floyd’s May 25 death. The name was changed to echo Floyd’s last words — “I can’t breathe” — and as of early July, the group continued to organize marches that would begin in the late afternoon at various starting points around town.

Within weeks of Floyd’s death, Wallace and Taylor met with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and police Chief James Craig to deliver a list of demands that included defunding and demilitarizing the police; ending the Project Greenlight program that allows police to post surveillance cameras at private businesses such as gas stations; halting the use of facial recognition technology; stopping all evictions; and restoring and maintaining running water for all Detroiters.

The demands reflect what the term “defund the police” means to Wallace — a redistribution of public money away from law enforcement and toward programs that ensure affordable water and access to quality health care. If the city took better care of its residents, Wallace argues, the need for policing would diminish.

“They don’t need $317 million, and crime is still running rampant in the city,” she says, citing data from the nonprofit Detroit Justice Center showing the Detroit Police Department’s 2020 budget. “What we need to do is create social institutions and methods in every neighborhood that are accessible to people to handle the issues that we see lead people to do crimes.”

Initially, Wallace says, Detroit Will Breathe declined invitations to meet privately with Duggan and Craig, insisting the city leaders speak publicly to the crowds. As the days became weeks and the list of demands grew more detailed and complex, the movement voted to send Wallace and Taylor to meet with Duggan and Craig to lay out their case. It was a one-time concession to the city’s leaders, Wallace says.

“We were refusing to meet privately because, quite frankly, that’s how sellouts are made, right?” Wallace says. “The movement is stronger when it’s together and when it’s collective, and that was why we refused to meet with them. And, quite frankly, why we won’t meet with them again.”

The meeting in the Mayor’s Conference Room at the Coleman Young Municipal Center amounted to 90 minutes of Duggan, Craig, and other officials listening to demands and then trying to persuade the duo to cooperate with the administration on new initiatives to improve the policing, water, and housing problems, according to Wallace and Deputy Mayor Conrad Mallett. Mallett described the interactions as cordial and professional and said the outreach is a genuine and well-established way of addressing problems with the help of advocates who already have in-roads to the community. He says he expects and hopes for further talks with Wallace and Taylor.

Wallace, however, says she and Taylor found these efforts patronizing and hollow and intended to co-opt them into taking the movement on a “long route to a slow death.” Duggan and Craig didn’t even stay for the whole meeting, she notes.

Regardless of their different takeaways, Mallett — former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and a one-time key adviser to Mayor Coleman Young who joined Duggan’s team on June 1 — says he’s impressed

by Wallace.

“What Coleman Young would have seen is a version of himself when he was the age of Nakia Wallace,” Mallett says. “He would have been profoundly respectful of what they were attempting to cause to happen.”

But since that meeting, relations have only become more tense. In late June, the group called on the police to drop charges and citations issued against protesters after police at times deployed tear gas and made arrests.

2 8 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

“MY PERSONAL PLANS OR HOPES OR DREAMS DON’T ACTUALLY MATTER …. WHAT I NEED IS TIED TO WHAT THE PEOPLE OF DETROIT NEED.”

Then, on June 28, a police SUV threw protesters off its hood when the driver sped through a large group of demonstrators who had crowded, climbed upon, and pounded on the vehicle. Detroit Will Breathe then called for – N A K I A WA L L AC E Craig’s resignation after he defended the officers’ actions by saying they were startled when one of the vehicle’s windows was shattered amid the commotion. No significant injuries were reported, and at press time Mallett said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

The protests will continue as long as they must, Wallace says, pointing for inspiration to the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and 1956 sparked by Rosa Parks’ refusal to sit in the back of a bus. The boycott ended only when the U.S. Supreme Court deemed segregation on public transportation unconstitutional.

Wallace says whatever long-term plans she had for herself before all of this started are now on hold. She’s found a calling in what she refers to as “love in the streets.”

“My personal plans or hopes or dreams don’t actually matter,” she says.

“What I need is tied to what the people of Detroit need. What I need is tied to what the people of Minneapolis need. What I need is tied to what our undocumented brothers and sisters who are in cages need.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN MILHOUSE

‘THIS IS YOUR MOMENT.’ Civil rights veteran Monica Lewis-Patrick on passing the torch to a new, multi-hued generation of protesters // BY STEVE FRIESS

on the 11th day of Black Lives Matter protests in Detroit when Monica Lewis-Patrick jolted everyone to attention. They had marched this time to the site of the Algiers Motel, where three Black teenagers were shot to death during the 1967 racial unrest by white cops who later were acquitted of wrongdoing, and Lewis-Patrick says she was unexpectedly handed the microphone.

Eight minutes later, when the 54-year-old in the sleeveless paisley tunic concluded a rousing pass-the-baton speech so emotional she had to pull the COVID-19 mask down to reach the preacher’s-pulpit volume she intended, many of the young Black Lives Matter protesters around her were in tears.

“Black mothers have not always been able to take that we were releasing you into what could be the belly of the beast,” said Lewis-Patrick, otherwise known as the Water Warrior for her leadership of We the People of Detroit, an advocacy group best known for its current efforts to secure affordable water. “We have been praying for this moment! We have been praying for you!

You are our hope! You are our promise! Everything that we’ve done has been for this moment for you to recognize your value and your worth. You are so precious. I’m telling you. This is your moment, and we will not allow anyone to deny you your moment. But you better know your momma is waiting, and we will stand between heaven and hell to protect you and to defend you.”

To a veteran civil rights activist like Lewis-Patrick, the multiracial demonstrations across the nation over police killings of unarmed African Americans represent the realization of a dream deferred. That intense address, she says, came from “the elation of seeing them come down that street, a mighty force of humanity representing every hue, every racial and sexual identity, but still centering that Black lives matter. It really demonstrated the transformation of a promise and a dream that our grandparents gave their lives for in pursuit of, as Dr. King said, little white children and little Black children walking hand in hand. That to me was the manifestation of that moment.”

It has been a long time coming for leaders like Lewis-Patrick, whose first civil rights cause — when she was 12 — was urging her Tennessee hometown school board not to remove Black literature from the curriculum. “I don’t remember not being in some kind of organizing, mobilizing movement,” she says. Her mother, she says, was the first Black female U.S. Army master sergeant and later organized tenants in their public housing project to demand more public educational support.

She moved in the aughts to Detroit, where her family had a long, illustrious history. One uncle, Willie Horton, was a Detroit Tigers great. Another, Junius Griffin, became a speechwriter for Mar–MONICA LEWIStin Luther King Jr. and later vice president of public relations at Motown PAT R I C K

PHOTOGRAPH OF MONICA LEWIS-PATRICK COURTESY OF WE THE PEOPLE OF DETROIT

THE HUMIDITY WAS THICK, AND THE CROWD WAS HOT AND WEARY

“YOU STAY IN THE ROOM TILL YOU GET WHAT WE CAME FOR. WE CAME FOR FREEDOM.”

Records. Once she arrived here, she says, she was mentored in activism by the famed artist Gloria House, former Detroit councilwoman JoAnn Watson, and others.

“I sat at the knee of some of the greatest minds and some of the greatest women that have held down policy and education and human rights in this city,” she recalls.

Today, Lewis-Patrick is a powerhouse in her own right. In 2010, she banded together with four other women to prevent the mayor’s office from taking control of Detroit’s public school system. They then transitioned to focusing on the high rate of water shut-offs in the city, a result, she says, of misplaced financial priorities that have benefited developers like Dan Gilbert while putting thousands of families at risk.

“Now to see those same captains of industries celebrating and championing Black Lives Matter while they will not commit to a water affordability plan that would ensure the Black lives have water, we have to question all of those intentions,” she says. “At the end of the day, this is the operation that we come with is that as a Black mother, I understand I am the mother of all civilization. I understand that even if people don’t think I’m worthy of water, I still have an obligation to uplift that all humanity is worthy of water.”

Lewis-Patrick says she and other activists of her vintage are trying to stay in the background to allow younger civil rights leaders to emerge. That day at the Algiers site, she just wanted to embolden them.

“Don’t you back away until you get what you came for,” she exhorted the crowd. “You stay in the room till you get what we came for. We came for freedom.”

THE BATTLES WITHIN Jeynce Poindexter is fighting for a seat at the BLM table for Black trans women // BY ASHLEY WINN

or working for a nonprofit — something lifelong Detroiter and Black, transgender activist Jeynce Poindexter learned early on. Her mentors, the older trans women who became her surrogate family after she escaped an abusive home at 14, showed her that the simple act of embracing an ostracized kid can be as profound and life-altering as a Supreme Court victory.

Once Poindexter survived to adulthood — relying on the generosity of friends and income from what she calls “survival sex work” — she was determined to pay it forward.

“I knew I had to do that for the people coming up under me,” says Poindexter, who has served, since 2016, as the transgender victims advocate for the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Michigan. “I can fulfill an advocate role in many ways, be it taking my ‘children’ to school or speaking with their parents, who don’t understand their child’s identity. Maybe it’s opening my house throughout the years, allowing several of my kids to stay with me when they’ve been kicked out.”

Her activist career, of course, extends beyond those gratifying acts of kindness. In her 20s, when she noticed that services for LGBTQ people, such as HIV/AIDS prevention programs, were being cut back, she began providing those services herself. By mobilizing residents, she organized projects for education, outreach, housing resources, peer and family mediation, and crisis intervention. In 2015, distressed by the ever-present violence against transgender women of color, she co-founded Trans Sistas of Color Project, a Detroit support organization.

Hate crimes against Black trans women are alarmingly common in the U.S., according to a report from the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. In 2019, the report states, most of the 27 trans and gender-nonconforming people who were murdered were Black transgender women.

“Transgender women of color are living in crisis, especially Black transgender women,” HRC President Alphonso David says in a press statement. “Every one of these lives cut tragically short reinforces the urgent need for action on all fronts to end this epidemic — from lawmakers and law enforcement, to the media and our communities.”

Molding a fairer, more peaceful world for trans people has proved an exhilarating and exhausting journey for Poindexter, who says she’s often disheartened by bias emanating from within her communities. “People think because we’re the LGBTQ community, everything is about love and respect and equality,” she says. “But to be honest, there’s a lot of racism.”

Similarly, Poindexter says she finds transphobia within the Black community disappointing and hypocritical. She notes that while Black transgender people have stepped up for the Black Lives Matter protests across the country, speakers at these events have rarely taken note of the enhanced danger that Black trans people face.

She points as an example to video that went viral from St. Paul, Minnesota, showing Iyanna Dior, a 20-year-old Black trans woman, being beaten by a crowd of Black cisgender men. In addition, a Black trans man, Tony McDade, was shot to death by police in Tallahassee, Florida, two days after viral video of the death of George Floyd launched the current wave of demonstrations.

ACTIVISM DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN MARCHING, RALLYING,

3 0 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

“PEOPLE THINK BECAUSE WE’RE THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, EVERYTHING IS ABOUT LOVE AND RESPECT.”

“The message of Black Lives Matter is to end discrimination and violence,” she says. “In not acknowledging violence against certain Black lives, you’re not only complacent in white supremacy — you’re perpetuating the very values you stand against. I’m in a fight with society for respect and an end to discrimination, but I also have another battle to fight, against my –J E Y N C E P O I N D E X T E R own people.”

There is some progress, though.

On June 14, Black Lives Matter events in Chicago, New York City, and Salt Lake City all focused on concern for Black trans people. The next day, the transgender community woke up to its most important legal victory, a 6-3 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that bars employment discrimination against LGBTQ people.

To Poindexter, it’s hardly enough. She’s pleased to live “through this moment and be part of the push for change” on the racial injustice front, but there are daily reminders that the multifaceted struggle she’s in is far from over.

“When I wake up each morning, I have to put on a few layers of armor because I got a few fights to fight, and that can be heavy,” she says.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN MILHOUSE

Q&A: ANTHONY HOLT

THE CASE FOR DE-ESCALATION

With police under fire, Wayne State University’s chief sees an opportunity for a needed rethink // BY JIM MCFARLIN

police Chief Anthony Holt concedes. “It’s a natural reaction. Black or white, they just don’t like us now.” For a man who has spent more than 40 years in law enforcement at WSU, the last 12 as chief, that reality has got to bite, especially since under Holt’s leadership, Wayne State has been ranked as one of the safest campuses in America by online researchers at bestcolleges.com. And 85 percent of the duties his officers perform take place just off campus in the surrounding Midtown district.

His style is both involved and innovative. He originated CompStat, a bimonthly meeting at Wayne State of law enforcement representatives from across southeast Michigan to compare statistics and best practices. And in May, the department established the headquarters of the National Deescalation Training Center on the Wayne State campus. The intensive program is designed to use personality assessment to take police training to the next level.

“NO ONE LIKES THE POLICE RIGHT NOW,” WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

HOUR DETROIT: How have these past few

months been for you and your department?

“THIS MOVEMENT RIGHT NOW, I THINK, IS GOING TO BE SUSTAINED.”

It’s been quite an ordeal. We had to deal with COVID-19, which really changed how we do business in terms of – A N T H O N Y H O LT reacting to people. I had nine officers come down with the virus. And then that horrific incident in Minneapolis [the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police] that’s probably going to change the whole culture of law enforcement. And it might be a needed culture change, where we’ve all got to look deep within our operations. Really, when you talk about community policing, this time you’ve got to take a deep dive into it.

CHIEF ANTHONY HOLT:

Can you get someone to pick you up? Or I can take you to our station, not arrest you, and you can wait until someone comes for you.” That’s how I would de-escalate. Now, I’ll probably get a lot of criticism from other officers, but if they had a struggle, and he [Brooks] took a Taser and ran, you knew who he was. You had his car. I’m going to run to his house and be sitting on the front porch when he gets there.

When you hear the call to “defund the police,” what does that mean to you?

I don’t think they’re saying, “No more police.” They want community oversight of the police. They want changes in culturally how we do business. Everybody is trying to reinvent us right now. Some of the sweeping changes they’re asking for, in terms of domestic violence or dealing with the homeless, maybe it shouldn’t be the police. I started a pilot project where we had a social worker ride on patrol with our officers, because in some situations we’re automatically the enemy. So the social worker would do the talking. We were there just to make sure it didn’t go south, she didn’t get attacked, or anything like that. You might help one in 10, but that one is in a better situation. This movement right now, I think, is going to be sustained for a while, as long as there are no arguments between the groups or it becomes more aggressive. I hope that doesn’t happen.

All the talk right now is of police shootings of civilians, but your police squad has suffered loss: Officer Collin Rose was shot and killed in November 2016. What impact did that have on your department?

We use a little more caution now. That was the first loss we ever experienced, and the person who killed him was judged not competent to stand trial. I think what helped the department get through it was the show of support we received on Collin’s behalf. Even Detroit officers, who have lost colleagues in the line of duty, told us they had never seen anything like it. He became like a billboard, the Facebook image for police officers. They named a dog park after him. Do you know contributions still come in? We have homeless people come in and say, “This is $5 for the Collin Rose Fund.” I’ll take their $5, then give them $10 to get something to eat.

Seems like the launch of your National De-escalation Training Center couldn’t be more timely.

I was approached about this two years ago by a professor out of Florida, Dr. Patrick Guarnieri, who had been training de-escalation and insider threat with the Defense Department and some corporations and was ready to bring it to law enforcement. Being a major police department inside a major research university, he thought this would be a great place to start. It’s not a “one size fits all.” In the first section, the officer receives a psychological personality test to tell him or her what kind of personality they are, how they respond to situations. We think this training will take off, and we want it to be standardized.

We’ll be the hub for a series of regional training centers across the country.

The situation in Atlanta with the killing of Rayshard Brooks appeared to be a case study for de-escalation, and that situation couldn’t have ended worse.

I know. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about that, and I need to see everything from beginning to end. But we have a McDonald’s right here on Woodward, and we get calls about guys falling asleep behind the wheel. We might ask him to move his car if he’s in the drive-thru. If he appears to be intoxicated, we might say, “We saw you sitting in the car, not driving the car, but I can’t let you drive.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSH SCOTT

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YOU CAN’T FILL THE COFFERS IF YOU DON’T FILL THE STANDS

Michigan football raked in $127 million for the school’s athletics in 2018.

Empty stadiums would be a huge blow to schools like U-M and MSU — and to local economies that bank on busy fall Saturdays.

// BY OMAR SOFRADZIJA

RECIPE FOR

A LO$ING SEASON PHOtOgRAPHs OF MICHIgAN stADIuM BY MICHIgAN PHOtOgRAPHY, uNIVERsItY OF MICHIgAN

August 2020 // HOuRDEtROIt.COM 3 3

IT’S BEEN SAID THERE’S NO “I” IN “TEAM.” BUT THERE IS ONE IN “PANDEMIC.” And that’s how Jacub Panasiuk found himself alone, lifting eight worn tires dangling from a rod-as-barbell on an Illinois sod patch this spring.

College football players like Panasiuk, a defensive lineman at Michigan State University, may have expected an offseason of highly regimented workouts with bands of brothers in pristine team facilities, underwritten by millions of booster dollars. But this year, the coronavirus pandemic left each man starting in isolation and requiring improvisation, while lacking immunization.

“Still workin” despite the disruption, Panasiuk tweeted, along with a video clip of his lifts.

The ad-lib workout could be a harbinger of a football season where an ongoing pandemic and lack of societal immunity mean the only certainty will be uncertainty and making do may have to do, regardless of what ticket stubs, television schedules, and promotional posters hanging at your favorite pubs from Ann Arbor to East Lansing promise.

Will they play? If so, when, and how? How safe is it to play a game where players swarm over each other? Will players be masked and tested? What happens if a player gets sick? Will there be fans? How many? Who decides? The governor? School presidents? Antibody tests? How does one socially distance in a stadium bathroom line when you (and about a thousand of your closest pals-for-the-moment) really gotta go, now?

The new normal is not only speculative, it’s also situational, with the virus holding the ultimate veto over any plans, at any time. “I’ve used this before. It’s more of a cardplaying analogy than political: I said, ‘Hey, this coronavirus thing trumps everything,’” says Jim Brandstatter, the longtime radio play-by-play voice and alum of University of

A fall without football would hurt locals who count on fans for extra income.

3 4 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUgUsT 2020

Michigan football, and an East Lansing native. “That’s the reality of it.”

The virus already proved itself as the ultimate sports arbiter when, in just a matter of hours, the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament went from “Hell yeah, game on! Just wash your hands,” to Nebraska’s fever-wracked coach keeling over, to “Sorry, players only. Fans, go home,” to the whole thing getting axed just before U-M was to start its first game.

That’s a script the virus can replicate, easily.

“You think of these scenarios and how everything is going to be OK and they’re getting ahead of it and all that, and then they open up schools. Guys go to school and, say, on the campus of Northwestern they have an outbreak and they have to close Northwestern. Does Northwestern stop football?” Brandstatter wonders.

That sort of moving threat kept campus leaders mulling their fall options well into the summer, and wary about discussing their dilemma right away. “There are still so many unknowns and stuff is constantly changing that we are not able to discuss specifics at this time,” Matt Larson, the associate athletic director for communications at MSU, said via email just as summer school was starting there. Michigan Athletics also took a pass on commenting.

Then again, athletic departments have every reason to be anxious: King Football pays the bills for glitzy facilities, army-sized staffs, and a host of less-visible sports, adding pressure to find some way to play.

“If they don’t play at all, about $100 million is at stake” for each of the biggest schools, like U-M and MSU, says Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Massachusetts and a sports industry consultant and author. “When you add together the revenue from the Big Ten Network and national networks and from sponsorships and from ticket sales, … if there’s no season, pretty much all that revenue disappears. If they play a season without fans in the stands, probably they’re looking at $30 to $40 million disappearing.”

In 2018, Forbes reported U-M’s football team alone brought in around $127 million annually to the athletic department through TV deals, ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and such, with $75 million of that being used to pay for sports other than football on an annual athletic department budget that’s been nearing the $200 million mark.

And the need for a financially fruitful fall follows a spring where the NCAA governing authority of college sports gave all 300-plus Division I schools like U-M and MSU just $225 million to split among themselves in 2020, a 62.5 percent drop (from an anticipated $600 million) largely driven by the cancellation of men’s basketball’s March Madness, Sports Illustrated reported.

“It’s college football and [men’s] basketball that are the revenue generators,” says Chris Solari, the MSU football and men’s basketball beat reporter for the Detroit Free Press.

Many athletic departments lose money, even with football profits at dozens of schools keeping “those nonrevenue minor sports from completely dragging the university down, because they don’t bring the money in.”

Indeed, some smaller schools have already axed some nonrevenue sports. Central Michigan University ended men’s track and field in May amid anticipated budgetary shortfalls.

Packing together “elbow-to-elbow” is part of the thrill of live college football. It’s also a recipe disaster amid a pandemic.

Even if games are played, the Big House probably won’t be a full house, nor will Spartan Stadium. To maintain social distancing, there’s been talk among Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others about playing games with stands halffilled, quarter-filled, or not filled at all. And fans trying to plan their fall Saturdays have been trying to parse seemingly contradictory statements, like U-M coach Jim Harbaugh’s preference to play in front of no fans, and U-M President Mark Schlissel’s view that if there are no students on campus, there’s probably no football on the field.

If fans find their way in, it could be a very restrained experience. “Where I used to reach around and high-five everyone I could, I probably won’t do that. But to still be there and cheer and enjoy the game and being outdoors, I’d still do it,” says John Snell of Dexter, whose family has held four U-M season ticket seats behind the flagpole in the south end zone since 1978.

But his cousin John Wilber, a retired barkeep from Rochester Hills who also holds U-M season tickets, likely won’t seat himself amid continued COVID-19 concerns. “The whole point of a stadium is jamming everybody elbow-toelbow. I just can’t take that risk,” he says.

The consequences of a reduced or missed season wouldn’t just be felt around locker rooms and in the stands. There are whole game-day ecosystems that rely on the weekly campus-wide circuses to swell campus town venues — and coffers.

“Football Saturdays get us through the winter. Without them, we’ll have trouble making it through the winter,” says Joe Bell, whose family owns East Lansing’s The Peanut Barrel bar and grill across Grand River Avenue from MSU. Bell estimates 60 percent of his game-day customers are from out of town. “They’ll come in on Friday, they’ll get into the hotels, they’ll be wherever it is they decided to stay, and then they’ll go out Friday afternoon, Friday night.

And then they’ll play all day Saturday, and then on Sunday they’ll get up and find a breakfast joint. … They’ll go to their local sports bar [in their hometowns] if there’s football and there’s no crowds,” Bell says.

Elizabeth Ricciardi can live with that. She makes a couple hundred bucks a game selling knitted hats and sweets from the front yard of her Ann Arbor home along Stadium Boulevard, just a Hail Mary toss away from Michigan Stadium. She wouldn’t mind fall weekends without herds of fans that often keep her corralled at home.

But she knows it could really hurt some of her neighbors.

“Everybody parks cars on their lawn; everybody’s got a lemonade stand or they bartend on the weekends. My brother works security at the games. Everybody kind of gets their hand in. … I know people who have a whole lawn to park, and if they have a lawn to park, they pay their rent with it,” Ricciardi says. “I know people who do make actual, livable money off of it, so I can see that being a hardship.”

But how much will it hurt? Just like the season itself, we’ll have to let it all play out and see where we are — and were — at the end. Viruses don’t use day planners. MSU’s Panasiuk may have represented the “I” in “pandemic” this spring, but in the fall, each of us with a role in our Saturday showcases will be the “u” in “unsure.”

PHOtOgRAPHs OF sPARtAN stADIuM COuRtEsY OF MICHIgAN stAtE AtHLEtIC DEPARtMENt

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KEEPING THEIR

NOTHING GETS BETWEEN DETROIT CITY FOOTBALL CLUB’S FANS AND THEIR BELOVED TEAM — EXCEPT MAYBE A DEADLY PANDEMIC

BY KATHY GIBBONS PHOTOGRAPH BY DION DEGENNARO

WHATEVER THE ANTICS, THE NORTHERN GUARD SUPPORTERS

are one crazy group of soccer superfans. They’re boosters on steroids.

They’re hard-core and singularly dedicated to making as much noise as they can about Detroit City Football Club — the more outrageous, the better.

Fans have been intimately intertwined with DCFC, now entering its ninth season, right from the start.

Before the team got going, the owners reached out to soccer buffs to ask what they’d like to see in a club. Meanwhile, when brothers and lifelong soccer fans Ken and Gene Butcher got wind of the new team, they knew exactly what to do.

“When we heard the news about Detroit City starting up, we pretty much said we want to be part of a supporter group,” says Gene, a Waterford firefighter and Northern Guard president. “We knew we wanted to do South American-Eastern European type of support: drums, chanting, nonstop, wild, crazy.

“At the first game, I actually brought a bunch of smoke bombs into the stadium and lit them all up. As we grew bigger, it kind of got more intense — more smoke, more drums, and on it went. We haven’t stopped since.”

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 3 7

to get back in the stands.”

And she did.

Kurt Schneider, one of Eightfold’s founders, notes, “As I got to know some of the group members, what really fascinated me about them was the fact that behind all of the smoke, masks, and F-bombs was one of the most loving and supportive communities that I had ever seen.”

STANDOUT SUPPORTERS

“BEHIND ALL OF THE SMOKE, MASKS, AND F-BOMBS WAS ONE OF THE MOST LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES —KURT SCHNEIDER

In fact, Northern Guard “exploded,” Gene Butcher says, attracting more than 1,000 fans to the team’s initial games at Cass Tech High School, where they played the first three years. After DCFC raised money for renovations at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, the team moved and the crowd grew even bigger with seating for nearly 8,000.

There are no membership dues. As for criteria to join?

“A lot of people ask, ‘What are the requirements to be in the Northern Guard?’” Gene Butcher says. “They are: sing loud, support, support hard, just love the club. No racists, no homophobia, no sexism. None of that nonsense. We won’t tolerate hate.”

Northern Guard doesn’t claim a membership count. It’s just a looseknit group of diehards who have become like family over the years, says Dean Simmer, who lives in Corktown and is one of the Northern Guard “capos” leading chants during games. Besides raising money for a variety of Detroit-based charities, they do the same for each other, taking up collections for car repairs and throwing baby showers.

They rallied around member Amanda Jaczkowski after she was critically injured by a truck while bike riding in 2017. In a new video from Eightfold Collective, City Til I Die, she says one of her primary objectives after the accident was to get well enough “to be able to stand up on a stepladder for approximately 90 minutes.”

“That was my goal for recovery,” she says in the film. “I’m going 3 8 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

ABOUT THE FILM Director Kurt Schneider says Eightfold Collective’s City Til I Die video came about after he saw a picture online of “a mass of crazed-looking individuals immersed in a cloud of colorful smoke.” Discovering they were the Northern Guard Supporters, he attended a DCFC game and decided to share their story. The film, in part, traces the journey of superfan Amanda Jaczkowski (picture at top) as she recovers from a serious bike accident, intent on returning to the sidelines to cheer on her team. “This film is about passion and the community that shared passion creates,” Schneider says.

View City Til I Die on vimeo.com.

DCFC head coach and general manager Trevor James, who has coached and scouted throughout the U.S. and Europe, says Northern Guard is “unlike anything you ever saw anywhere else.” Their reputation precedes them, and they were a factor in his decision to take the job in January 2019.

“It really made me want to do it,” he says. “They help the club in any way and help players have a great experience in Detroit.”

That makes Northern Guard a huge recruitment tool, he adds.

“The players know they’re going to be playing in front of 6,000 to 7,000 people,” he says. “Some teams, they don’t get 100 people or 200 people to games.”

And at game time, Northern Guard provides motivation.

“The players want to play in that atmosphere and don’t want to let people down,” he says.

When they can, Northern Guard members attend away games, too. Simmer recalls a game in Pittsburgh once where only about 18 people in attendance weren’t part of the Detroit contingent.

CEO and team co-owner Sean Mann tells a story about a Cincinnati game where DCFC scored a come-from-behind winning goal with about 50 Detroit fans on hand.

“Our fans started setting off smoke bombs, and sure enough, the fire department showed up — absolute pandemonium,” he says.

“Every step of the way, there have been experiences like that.”

But the point is that Northern Guard has been there every step of the way.

“Once we kicked a ball, really, the core of the Northern Guard kind of showed up out of the blue,” says Mann, noting that members hang out at DCFC’s Clubhouse bar-restaurant near Belle Isle with players and staff and that many have his cell phone number.

“Outside of Major League Soccer, only five or six teams have as big or bigger fan bases than we do.”

WAITING OUT THE VIRUS

If anything can rain on Northern Guard’s parade, it could be COVID-19.

Because of the pandemic, the spring season for the men’s team, which just went pro this year in joining the National Independent Soccer Association, was cut short just as it started. DCFC’s new amateur women’s team was also sidelined going into the summer.

“It’s a huge punch in the gut right now,” Gene Butcher says.

Still, hope looms.

As of press time, the women were scheduled to play in a showcase July 24-26, and Mann says plans for the men’s fall season are in the works.

What that will look like — and if fans will attend — will depend on guidance from the governor’s office.

“The anticipation is nonstop,” Butcher says. “We can’t wait for the team to be back on the field.”

STILLS COURTESY OF EIGHTFOLD COLLECTIVE

8 // 2020

METRO DETROIT’S CULTURE, CURATED

ARTS, Etc.

Creem co-founder Barry Kramer (left), editor Dave Marsh, and critic Lester Bangs on the steps of the magazine’s Cass Avenue headquarters.

D O C U M E N TA RY

FRESH CREEM A sharp new documentary traces how a band of passionate Detroit misfits built ‘America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine’ // BY CHRISTOPHER PORTER

PHOTOGRAPH BY TEEKAY GOES HERE

A NEW DOCUMENTARY ON THE SEMINAL DETROIT ROCK MAGAZINE

Creem has its roots in an early ’80s visit to a used bookstore outside Washington, D.C. Director Scott Crawford was 12 years old when he started listening to punk, especially the influential hardcore music coming out of the nation’s capital, mere miles away from his home in Silver Spring, Maryland.

“Obviously, in the early ’80s, mid-’80s, there was no internet, so the only way to find out information was to read fanzines,” Crawford says.

“The ones that I really liked were called Flipside and Maximum Rock ’n’ Roll. ... In reading them, there were numerous references to Lester Bangs and to Creem and proto-punk and Iggy [Pop] and the MC5. So, my father and I, one weekend, went to a used bookstore, and in the back of the store, there was a box of old magazines, music magazines, that no one bought, and I said, ‘Oh, my god, this is Creem.’”

When you cracked open an issue of Creem in the 1970s, you would practically get a contact high. The prose was fueled by weed and speed as well as the most powerful natural drugs: attitude and passion.

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ARTS, Etc. // F I L M 2

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“Those guys would fight about whether the latest Black Sabbath album was any good. And when I say fight, they would come to blows,” Crawford says. “To them, it was worth literally physically fighting over — that’s how important music was to them.”

Zines and Creem inspired Crawford to start his own magazine at age 12. He went on to produce several more professional publications over the years, including Harp and Blurt, both of which featured writers from Creem.

While Creem lasted until 1989, what Crawford discovered in that used bookstore were issues from the 1970s, the height of the magazine’s relevance and irreverence, and that era is the primary focus of his documentary, Creem: America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine. Billing itself as such as a rebuke to Rolling Stone, which had also covered politics alongside its mainstream-friendly music coverage, Creem magazine was an extension of the thennew — and often gonzo — journalism of Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson, Truman Capote, and others.

The idea for Creem arose in March 1969 when Tony Reay, an employee of Barry Kramer’s Mixed Media head shop and bookstore, published the first issue out of his Gladstone Street apartment. (The mag was 4 0 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

named Creem because Cream was Reay’s favorite band — and it was the mag’s first of many snide shots at Rolling Stone.)

When the first issue sold out, Kramer offered to back the magazine financially, and they started producing it in the building that housed his Full Circle record shop at 4860 Cass Ave. Reay left a short time later because he wanted to keep Creem focused on bluesbased acts. Enter Dave Marsh, a salty 19-yearold Wayne State University student who was the perfect foil for the combative Kramer.

Marsh’s pugnacious personality came to define the magazine for the next decade, even after he left for Rolling Stone in 1975.

As Creem took off, the mag moved into Kramer’s building at 3729 Cass Ave. and be-

1 Gonzo master: Lester Bangs took music criticism to poetic and caustic new heights.

2 Home/office: The Creem crew at their headquarters and sometimes crash pad.

3 This ain’t pop: Iggy Pop on a typically iconoclastic cover of Creem from 1974.

4

“To them it was worth literally physically fighting over — that’s how important music was to them.”

— S C OT T C R AW FO R D

A wild ride: The Ramones show off a beat-up Pinto for Creem’s recurring Stars Cars feature.

5 In on the act: Jaan Uhelszki, one of many female Creem writers, gets her face painted with Paul Stanley before appearing with KISS.

came a gathering spot and crash pad for bands and countercultural types. The star writer was Lester Bangs, a man who wielded insults and praise like a machete, his passion for rock ’n’ roll as fervent as his desire to offend.

The documentary covers the publication’s edgy legacy, but it also focuses on the writers and editors — all seemingly blessed with enormous personalities — who gave the magazine its vehement voice. Creem’s immature humor was aimed at teenage dudes, and it may have seemed like it was run by a misogynistic boys’ club. For instance, a review of The Runaways’ second album, Queens of Noise, is highlighted in the documentary, and the write-up is so cruel and sexist that it’s amazing the writer even conjured the vile thoughts in his brain, let alone printed them in a magazine. (In the film, Crawford gives The Runaways’ lead singer, Joan Jett, the last word on the brutal review.)

But many of the mag’s surliest jokes were written by Creem’s female staffers, such as Jaan Uhelszki, one of the film’s most prominent talking heads. “It was the ’70s, so sue me,” she says in the film.

“I really wanted to explore the women’s roles [at Creem] because I can’t think of anothCREEM PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SHORE FIRE MEDIA;

F I L M //

Creem: America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine, which opened the 2019 Freep Film Festival, returns to theaters in August before moving to streaming, on-demand, and DVD.

Rise and Shine

The shareable short film ’Til We See the Sky finds a message of hope in Detroit’s history of resilience // BY BIBA ADAMS SPERAMUS MELIORA; RESURGET CINERIBUS.

“We hope for better things; it shall arise from the ashes.”

It’s more than just the motto of our city; it is the motto of our lives as Detroiters. It is the story of our history in just 11 words.

Hoping and rising are what we do, and we have done it over and over again. Since the great fire of 1805, Detroit has burned and been rebuilt. That’s the theme of ’Til We See the Sky, a new short film from the Eightfold Collective.

Written by Brooke Weatherford and acclaimed poet Mic Phelps and directed by Nick Stachurski, the film tells a story of Detroit’s resilience through imagery and a passionate poem. The film was intended to start conversations about hope, unity, and justice during a new time of testing for the city.

“Nick came to me with the idea about doing a film about COVID-19,” says producer Bre’Ann White. “It had hit my home, so that was a big part of my motivation. Being a Black woman — and this virus hitting the Black community so hard — made me want to be a big part of the film.” White’s father died from complications of COVID-19.

The film also speaks to the Black Lives Matter movement. “George Floyd was killed as we were nearing the end of editing the film,” White says. “We knew that we had to pivot and make sure those elements were present as well.” ’Til We See the Sky is filled with intentional imagery. Through the script and every filmed element, one can sense the purpose and passion of the creators. The script features images of burning and ashes. That metaphor is relevant to both COVID-19 and the Black

Lives Matter movement. COVID-19 begins with a low-grade fever, while racial justice in America has been an ever-burning flame.

“As we were doing the script, we wanted to make sure everything, each second, was intentional in the film,” White says. “The stories had to be told. These are real people who have had real losses.”

White and Stachurski cast real Detroiters from right in their Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood, where they live around the corner from each other. “My mother is in the film,” White says. “I was walking up to my neighbor’s homes like, ‘Hey, you want to be in a film?’”

She says it was important for the casting to be authentic because the double pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice are personal to all who endure them. In Detroit, so many people have experienced loss of either loved ones or of employment. Even so, “there are still people doing positive things in our community,” White says. “That’s what I hope people take away from that — the idea that we are all in this together and we have to get through this together, and hope for a better day. And there will be a better day for Detroit.”

The film is meant to be shared, and White says she hopes it’s shared widely by people around the world. “I hope that people get the understanding that we are all in this together, and that at the end of the day, nothing is ever gonna stop Detroit.” ’Til We See the Sky and links to related resources are available on the film’s official website, tilweseethesky.com.

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TIL WE SEE THE SKY STILL COURTESY OF EIGHTFOLD COLLECTIVE

er magazine at that point that had as many women writers involved,” Crawford says.

“And it was an interesting juxtaposition with this politically incorrect magazine ... basically written for ... young boys, teen men ... but with a ton of women writers. ... How do those two things reconcile themselves?”

Uhelszki also co-wrote and co-produced the documentary with Crawford and J.J. Kramer, Barry Kramer’s son, who lost his troubled father in 1981 when he was just 4.

“To do the story justice and to do it honestly, I asked JJ Kramer very early on what’s off-limits. And he said, ‘Nothing. Nothing’s off-limits.’ And I said, ‘OK, because this really needs to be a warts-and-all kind of film.’

And he was completely on board,” Crawford says. “There are things in there that ... were uncomfortable ... and to his credit and to his mother’s credit, they allowed it.”

JJ’s mom and Kramer’s widow, Connie, is another important voice in the film because she was there for all of the madness and also had her own drug demons to beat. Other famous folks giving testimonials to Creem’s influence include REM’s Michael Stipe, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Kiss’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, film director Cameron Crowe, and MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, who also provided music for the film’s soundtrack.

Celebrities with local ties also appear in the documentary, including Chelsea’s Jeff Daniels and Bloomfield Hills native and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who tells a funny tale accompanied by animated visuals of running into Alice Cooper after riding his bike to Creem’s offices in Birmingham — the magazine’s final Michigan home after a two-year communal experiment in Walled Lake, where the whole staff lived together on a farm in the middle of nowhere.

But former editor Marsh, with his acerbic, deadpan wit and dagger-like eyes, helps tie all the voices together with his firsthand accounts of working and fighting and making up with Kramer and Bangs. The three of them were like the core members of a really great and totally dysfunctional band.

That’s why even with the documentary’s deep dive into the personal lives of those who created the magazine, Crawford says he always made sure the film came back to what this collection of oddballs and outcasts created together: “It always had to come back to Creem.”

ARTS, Etc.

ARTS, Etc. // H I STO R Y Q&A

LEST WE FORGET Detroit Historical Society wants your COVID-19 memories while they’re still fresh

BY KATHY GIBBONS // PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MAYE KUHR WHAT WILL YOU REMEMBER MOST about life in the time of COVID-19?

Whether it’s suffering from or losing someone to the disease itself or the heartbreak of distancing that keeps you separated from loved ones or any other host of experiences, the Detroit Historical Society wants to make sure those memories are preserved.

The society took over management of the Detroit Historical Museum and Dossin Great Lakes Museum during Detroit’s financial crisis. It also manages an inventory of about 250,000 artifacts in the city’s archival collection.

Just as it solicited Oral and Written History Project contributions from the public relating to the unrest of 1967 in Detroit, and for another effort centered around the city’s neighborhoods, the society is now asking that people record or share their COVID-19 recollections in writing, while they are fresh.

Here, Joel Stone, senior curator, and William “Billy” Wall-Winkel, assistant curator, share the details.

HOUR DETROIT: How did the Oral and Written History

Project series come about?

We’ve decided that the center of what we do at the museum is going to be directly derived from Detroiters and metro Detroiters, so we’re going to have oral histories be the backbone of our exhibits moving forward, and we know it’s far easier to capture perspectives in the moment than to ask for them 50 years from now.

From Tragedy, Good Things Come

What kinds of things do the submissions you’ve received so far talk about?

WALL-WINKEL: The common theme is, “We knew it was going on, but we didn’t think it was going to be bad.

And it was bad.”

BILLY WALL-WINKEL:

Why COVID for a theme?

JOEL STONE: We knew because COVID was going to be so big, the immediacy of getting people’s impressions today, as they’re hunkered down locked in their homes, can’t see their grandkids, or grandparents, they can’t go to the store — getting those visceral reactions while they’re happening is like interviewing soldiers on a battlefield.

What kind of responses have you gotten?

Not very many, but people are still processing it. The pandemic isn’t over or going anywhere — that’s why we got the project up and running. People are welcome to submit multiple entries. If they want to turn it into a journal, they can turn it into a journal.

STONE: We would also encourage that. I know friends of mine keep a diary religiously, so at some point if they decide [to donate] what they’ve written down — as opposed to an oral history — we’re happy to have that, too.

It’s possible to get on our website and submit it as an electronic document. There’s also a place on the website if you want to type out a paragraph or two. Or if you’re on your phone and [have] an MP4, you can send it through the website.

WALL-WINKEL:

4 2 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUgUsT 2020

What we’ll remember: An excerpt from Detroit Historical Society’s Detroit Responds: Stories From the Time of COVID-19

What happens to the entries?

Right up front we tell people these are going to be on the website. This is a public access thing, and we make that point to people as they leave their thoughts: Don’t go on a rant; don’t tell us something you don’t want public. … Once we approve them, every one of them gets transcribed. We try to get them up as quick as possible.

STONE:

If you were to submit your own COVID story, what would it be about?

The unrest that’s going on in the country right now. All I can think about is how annoyed I felt watching the lockdown protesters descend on the capital … without masks, without protective gear, and all I could think of was how much I wanted to get out of my apartment right now and knew I couldn’t and how it would be longer because of it. Then I think of people taking to the streets now. … People are comparing it online: “Well, all you liberals are out on the streets after yelling at us for being on the streets.” You were mad you couldn’t go to the hairdresser, … where we’re protesting murders by police.

STONE: On the serious side, the divisiveness, the responses on websites and social media that have been everything from pitiful to vile. But one of the things that keeps striking me, working from home, … it seems we’re working faster and harder than at work. Every time I turn around, it’s Friday again. It’s amazing how quickly it’s going.

WALL-WINKEL:

There have been good things to come out of this tragedy.

I’ve witnessed a calm in my city that has been a distant cousin for some time. I’ve exchanged pleasantries and a laugh or two with strangers in my travels for disinfecting wipes. I’ve noticed Detroiters taking the 6-foot rule seriously and thus have not yet had to give a tongue-lashing. I’ve finally found a use for those useless swiffer dust wipes. (spray some cleanser on one and voila! Disinfectant wipes.

Take that, hoarders!)

It’s been 29 days of isolation (including surviving a 10day staycation), and laughter most definitely creates a major barrier for insanity.

The Mom Unit and I graciously share this time and space of unknowing: how long this might last or whether or not my precautions are not cautious enough (my gloves are stocked and masks are ordered). We spend way too much time on social media (I should really update her parental controls). Catch episodes of our favorite shows together. she badgers me for my attention during work hours and criticizes my choice of pasta — she has a point with that one, though.

Do not even bother with the chicken and cheese ravioli from sam’s Club — you’ve been warned.

But I am grateful to not have to endure this global and local catastrophe alone.

The Mom Unit and god have my back. I was taught early on that “during your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried of you.” (“Footprints in the sand,” Anonymous) —Arletha

B O O K S //

ARTS, Etc.

SEQUEL

Braving a New World

With Malorie, Josh Malerman ventures out into the post-apocalyptic aftermath of Bird Box // BY ISABELLE BOUSQUETTE

JOSH MALERMAN’S LIFE, JUST LIKE HIS BESTSELLING NOVEL

Bird Box, is fascinating, original, and often inclined to take a turn for the unexpected.

He’s spent the quarantine in Franklin with his fiancee, Allison Laako, two dogs, two cats, some fish, and a snake. And recently, he opened up his spare bedroom to three small ducklings.

Apparently his dog wrested some duck eggs from their nest, and Malerman and Laako bought an incubator to hatch them at home. Until they can build an outdoor duck house, Malerman says, “the three of them own the extra bedroom.”

Malerman sits in his kitchen watching his dog guard the ducks’ room. He’s wearing his signature outfit: a button-down, black jeans, and a cap. “There’s something about that outfit that makes me feel like not just a writer, but a writer of weird tales,” he says.

As far as “weird tales” go, Bird Box certainly qualifies. It tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where humans wear blindfolds as their only form of protection from an unknown monster. The book was published in 2014 but exploded in popularity after its 2018 Netflix adaptation, which starred Sandra Bullock.

The sequel takes place 12 years after the events of the original. In it, Malorie, the protagonist in Bird Box and now the titular character in its sequel, ventures into the outside world in search of other survivors.

When Malerman started writing Malorie (Del Rey, July 2020) he says, “I found myself so excited to be in that world again.”

“I absolutely loved being with Malorie again,” he says. In fact, the character has always been deeply special to him.

“I’ve just always related to her in a root way,” he says, “not as if she’s a lover, not as if she’s a friend, … but almost like a twin sister of mine. I’ve felt that way about her since day one.”

He agrees that the linguistic link between Malorie, his character, and his surname, Malerman, symbolizes some subconscious connection. “Did I give her a name that’s similar to my own because she is similar to me? Yeah, probably,” he says.

For any other writer, the astronomical success of a book like Bird Box might have put pressure onto a follow-up. That’s not the case for Malerman. He says his writing exists, for him, in a place that is “untouchable,” free of self-doubt or other external distractions.

That mindset has been valuable to Malerman, who once spent six years on the road touring with his band, The High Strung. “I ended up writing books while we were driving from city to city,” he says. “I ended up writing books in a loud bar.

I ended up writing books when I was staying at my dad’s for a month and completely unsettled and rudderless.”

He adds, “And that same philosophy, that same place in my head where the writing happens, was also untouched by the pressure of a follow-up to Bird Box.” He clarifies that he doesn’t want “to sound like the literary Tony Robbins,” that inspiPHOtOgRAPH COuRtEsY OF PENguIN RANDOM HOusE

Bird Box author Josh Malerman writes to the beat of his own (imaginary) drummer.

rational self-help guru with enormous white teeth.

Perhaps Malerman’s ease with writing has something to do with his other creative endeavor: playing guitar for The High Strung. “I —J O S H M A L E R M A N don’t want to go as far as to say writing a book is jamming,” he says. But he does have a habit of imagining an invisible drummer sitting behind him while he writes his books.

“I’ve never seen him before,” Malerman says, “but I know he’s there, and he’s been there for 32 books. And he plays the drums and I write to his beat.”

In terms of a movie adaptation of Malorie, Malerman says “it looks like they’re moving forward.”

“I’ve talked to the producers about Malorie,” he says, “So I’m involved, but at the same time, not part of the day-to-day thing.”

Instead, his “day-to-day thing” involves writing more electrifying thrillers, running around his backyard with his dogs, and, now, raising three little ducklings. “[The ducks] put us at our limit,” Malerman says. But in a way, their addition is fitting. Who would the author of Bird Box be if his home menagerie didn’t include a few birds?

“Did I give [Malorie] a name that’s similar to my own because she is similar to me? Yeah, probably.”

Malorie finds the protagonist of the post-apocalyptic hit Bird Box setting out in search of survivors.

August 2020 // HOuRDEtROIt.COM 4 3

ARTS, Etc. // M U S I C

C L A S S I CA L

MEMORIAM IN THREE PARTS Dan Yessian felt driven to honor his ancestors. His musical journey is captured in An Armenian Trilogy. // BY KATHY GIBBONS

he’d try to engage his grandparents in conversation about the Armenian genocide.

Some 1.5 million Armenians were murdered in or expelled from Turkey between 1915 and 1922. Those conditions caused his Armenian paternal grandparents to flee Turkey when Yessian’s own father was only 2.

But they didn’t like to talk about it.

“They just shut down,” Yessian says in his documentary, An Armenian Trilogy, now available on Amazon. “It was almost like they left those memories on the other side of the world.

“I started to wonder, ‘Was this chapter in history just going to fade away?’”

It isn’t — not if Yessian can help it.

Back in 2013, the Rev. Garabed Kochakian, then pastor at St. John Armenian Church in Southfield, was researching the genocide in preparation for observing its centennial.

“I thought it would be great to have some kind of commemorative music … a wonderful hallmark of remembering the event,” recalls Kochakian, who has since retired. His wife suggested he ask Yessian, a member of the church, to create it.

From that process, a documentary resulted.

WHEN DAN YESSIAN WAS GROWING UP,

INSPIRED BY MUSIC — AND HERITAGE

An Armenian Trilogy follows the journey of the now-75-year-old Yessian, who built a successful career around creating music for advertising since founding the now-global Yessian Music and Sound Design in 1971 in Farmington Hills. Clients have included the likes of United Airlines, Ford Motor Co., and MercedesBenz, while the company has provided music for everything from Sunday Night Football to Sesame Street. There’s still a Farmington Hills office, but New York City is now headquarters, with additional locations in Los Angeles and Germany.

As the film shows, Yessian has always loved music, learning to play the clarinet around age 7 when a man from a music store near his Detroit home was going door to door offering lessons. Yessian turned out to be good at it, though he played by ear and learned by memorizing what his teacher played and then practicing until he got it right.

As a teen attending Cody High School, Yessian joined a band that played both Armenian and American music.

“They were popular with the Armenian customers because the bride and groom didn’t have to pay for two bands,” Yessian laughs. “It was a good deal.”

4 4 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUgUsT 2020

Musical memorial: At top, an archival photo from the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1922 in which an estimated 1.5 million people died. The Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra, center, performs An Armenian Trilogy at the famed Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in the capital Yerevan. At bottom, Yesian at work at his piano.

PHOTO CREDIT TEEKAY gOEs HERE ABOUT THIs

M U S I C //

Composing An Armenian Trilogy was a far cry from Dan Yessian’s day job as a writer of commercial jingles.

He moved on to play with other bands, including his own, while attending Wayne State University to become a teacher.

Eventually, his day job became teaching at Redford High School. But he was also creating and selling original music after being asked to make a jingle for National Bank and Trust of Traverse City. Hiring a band and vocalist, he cleared $500 on that first project and saw the financial potential.

Finally, he quit teaching and dove into the commercial music business full time — for decades. Then along came the priest posing that question at a church luncheon.

“I knew right away that my husband was going to delve into this,” says his wife, Kathy.

While Yessian initially seemed doubtful about taking it on, she says, “I saw the wheels turning already. We came home and he went right down to the piano.”

DOCUMENTING A PILGRIMAGE

What resulted was a classical composition in three movements.

“I’m kind of an emotional person, and there were places I was writing and I was weeping simultaneously,” Yessian says. “It was very interesting — you would hardly weep doing a Coca-Cola commercial.”

Because Yessian played by ear, he worked with arranger Kurt Schreitmueller of Detroit to put mu-

ARTS, Etc.

sic to paper. Originating as a duet for violin and piano, it evolved into an orchestral score for 91 musicians.

Through Armenian philanthropist Paul Korian, a co-founder of Staples office supplies, Yessian was connected with the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra. They performed his trilogy on Oct. 14, 2017, at the Aran Khachaturian Concert Hall in the capital city of Yerevan.

Yessian attended — he’d never been to Armenia before — and also worked with the orchestra in advance. His wife, two sons, and other family members also went.

The trip prompted the idea for the film.

“The intent was never to make a documentary or a movie,” Yessian says. “But on the way back, I had given it some thought and [realized] perhaps this could be made into a little documentary because people might … want to know what this journey was for me.”

He turned to film editor Stewart Shevin, also from Detroit, for help. Like Shevin, Yessian’s nephew, Matthew Yessian, is credited as an associate producer. He handled photography in Armenia.

The film intersperses interviews with Yessian, his brother, his wife, Kochakian, Korian, and others with home movies, archival photos and newsreel footage of the genocide, and clips of the trilogy being performed in Armenia. His producer, Ohad Wilner, helped get it on Amazon.

All of the expenses — outside costs, archival fees, travel, etc.

— came out of Yessian’s pocket.

“If you start asking people for money, whether it’s a GoFundMe or sponsors, or ally yourself to other people to invest, to me it gets a little grimy,” he says. “I didn’t want to touch that with a 10-foot pole.”

Instead, he was willing to fund what he describes as a “passion project” that changed his life.

“It’s something I wanted to bring to the forefront,” he says.

“The fact of the matter is that this Armenian event is still rather obscure and not acknowledged by a lot of people because they don’t know that much about it.”

Kochakian says that what Yessian created is one remedy for that.

“To me, art and music tell stories,” says the priest, also an artist himself. “Everything about the genocide has been in writing and speaking and debates and discussions and so forth, but I think to capture a person’s attention, you must weave in the narrative visually and musically.

“That’s what he did.”

“I started to wonder, ‘Was this chapter in history just going to fade away?’”

The Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of An Armenian Trilogy: Live in Yerevan is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.

–DAN YESSIAN August 2020 // HOuRDEtROIt.COM 4 5

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8 // 2020

THE EPICUREAN’S ESSENTIALS

Joe Spencer Louisiana Creole Gumbo

FOOD &DRINK Denetia Lyons Petite Sweets Detroit

E TH

Tharmond Ligon Jr. Rescue MI Nature Now

202

0 FOOD IS SU

The

E

TASTE MAKERS Godwin Ihentuge YumVillage

Justice Akuezue Exchange Detroit

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DARREL ELLIS

They’re running food empires, diversifying the culinary landscape, and servicing marginalized communities. Meet the Black culinarians powering Detroit’s food scene.

Quiana Broden Cooking With Que

Raven Love Willis Show Bar

Billy Owens Flamz Pizzeria AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 4 7

L

LAST AUGUST, HOUR DETROIT INTRODUCED TASTE MAKERS, A ROUNDUP OF 10

culinarians moving Detroit’s food industry forward. For this year’s Food Issue, we decided to bring the Taste Makers theme back, committing to producing it as an annual list that celebrates the new and familiar faces who made their mark on the food scene over the past year. Then on Memorial Day, George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, igniting outrage and protests around the world.

And things changed.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late February, our everyday lives have been upended — from the way we work to the way we live to the way we love to the way we view the world around us. The pandemic and the ongoing protests demanding racial justice have only served to magnify racial disparities in our society, not merely in the terms of police brutality, but also in relation to health outcomes, wage inequity, workforce discrimination, and a host of other inequities.

According to the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study by the University of Michigan, nearly half of Black Detroiters say they’ve lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, compared to 22 percent of white Detroiters. The same survey shows Black Detroiters have disproportionately been victims of COVID-19 as well and are four times as likely as white residents to know someone who died from the virus.

These staggering stats arrive against a backdrop of longstanding disparities within the city’s food and beverage industry. In a city that’s home to more than 526,000 Black residents — nearly 80 percent of the population — food accessibility has been an ongoing concern. As of 2017, for instance, Washtenaw County had eight major supermarkets, and Macomb County 27, according to the Detroit Food Map Initiative. In contrast, Detroit proper has just three major supermarkets, not one of which is a Kroger, Michigan’s largest grocer. Meanwhile, if national economic trends hold, the city’s Black-owned restaurants will be less likely to weather the COVID-19 crisis than other restaurants, as minority-owned businesses tend to have less internal capital on hand — and, according to a 2015 study on minority and women entrepreneurs by The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution, less external capital from banks and other lenders as well.

These times call for change, and in our line of work, change begins with representation. For this year’s Food Issue, we underscore just how much Black lives matter to metro Detroit’s food industry by spotlighting not just 10 Taste Makers, as we did last year, but 50 Black chefs and bartenders, food entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, servers, and farmers who are shaping the way we eat. Almost universally, these professionals touted as their chief strength the fact that they employ fellow people of color, who are often marginalized and overlooked by bigger businesses that garner mainstream attention. And in that alone, they say, they find their value.

Read on to learn more about this year’s honorees and how you can support their businesses. —Lyndsay Green 4 8 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

CHEFS Al Ra El Sloppy Chops Chef Al is the proud owner of Sloppy Chops, a steakhouse on Detroit’s west side, and catering company Upscale Cuisine — aptly named, as Chef Al brings upscale food to a casual setting. Though the pandemic forced Sloppy Chops to close its doors just a month after its February grand opening, Chef Al and his staff continued operating as a carry-out establishment and even helped to feed front-line workers at Detroit Medical Center.

The restaurant reopened to a fully booked carry-out schedule on Father’s Day. Visit Chef Al at Sloppy Chops, 13226 W. McNichols Road, Detroit; 313-646-2900; sloppychopsrestaurant.net.

Kiki Louya Chef and activist In 2016, Detroit-born chef Kiki Louya, along with Rohani Foulkes, worked with Michigan farmers to make clean food accessible with The Farmer’s Hand, a quaint Corktown market that has since closed its doors. Louya’s contributions to Corktown’s bustling culinary landscape continued. She’d go on to cofound Folk, the brunch staple turned neighborhood grocer, as well as the city’s newcomer oyster bar, Mink. In March, Louya announced her departure from the eateries to pursue new ventures and opportunities to further her advocacy for accessible food.

Learn more about Louya at kikilouya.com.

Lloyd Roberts Adachi and Zao Jun Chef Lloyd Roberts brings an international perspective to the Detroit area. The Jamaica-born chef has cooked in major cities, such as New York, Dubai, Moscow, and Budapest, learning French and Asian techniques under the tutelage of iconic culinarians, such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Nobu Matsuhisa. Roberts landed in Michigan in 2018 to helm the Birmingham Japanese restaurant Adachi, and a year later, he opened Zao Jun in Bloomfield Hills, widening his scope of Asian cuisines with Thai, Indonesian, and Chinese-inspired dishes.

cuisine with Coop, a Caribbean fusion station serving hearty dishes with bold flavors out of the popular Detroit Shipping Co. Outside of his work at Coop, Hardy has co-authored two cookbooks and competed on Food Network’s Chopped, and in 2011, he founded the nonprofit One Chef Can 86 Hunger with the goal of bringing healthy food to urban areas.

Visit Hardy at Coop, 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; 313-932-0320; coopdetroit.com.

Mike Ransom Ima The award-winning noodle joint headed up by chef Mike Ransom has cemented itself as a Corktown staple for savory bowls of udon, rice, and pho. Ransom’s interpretations of the Japanese and Vietnamese classics have been so well-received that Ima has expanded, opening locations in Midtown Detroit and Madison Heights. Ransom, whose culinary background is in fine dining, says his aim is to create food that is accessible but just as tasty as what diners would experience at an upscale establishment.

Try Ransom’s creations at Ima. Visit imanoodles.com for locations.

Reniel Billups Flavors of Jamaica Jamaica native chef Reniel Billups has been in the kitchen for most of her life. She is the founder of Irie Occasions Catering, which has held pop-ups at places like Detroit City Distillery, Lost River, and 8 Degrees Plato. And today, she owns Flavors of Jamaica, a Pontiac-based restaurant serving, well, traditional Jamaican flavors, from ackee and saltfish to oxtails and cabbage. Via Irie Kitchen, her YouTube channel, Billups shares homemade recipes with more than 6,000 subscribers.

Follow Billups on YouTube @ iriekitchen, and visit her at Flavors of Jamaica, 406 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac; 947-999-0169.

Tony Durden The Gripper Food Truck

Max Hardy Coop

Chef Tony Durden, who has cooked for celebs such as Anthony Anderson, Kem, and Ronald Isley, credits his culinary success to his upbringing in a tight-knit family. He says large family gatherings centered on food inspired many of his recipes, such as his macaroni and cheese, which customers often liken to Grandma’s baked mac and cheese.

The Gripper Food Truck is a recent venture of Durden’s namesake catering company, serving hearty sandwiches and pasta salads.

Chef Max Hardy brings a new level of mastery to island fusion

Find out where the truck is parked at thegripperfoodtruck.com.

Try Roberts’ dishes at Adachi, 325 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-540-5900; adachirestaurant. com; and Zao Jun, 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Twp; 248-9499999; zaojunnewasian.com.

HE DOESN’T QUITE CALL HIMSELF A CHEF. INSTEAD,

GODWIN IHENTUGE

It Takes a Chief Villager He’s making YumVillage an Afro-Caribbean mecca // BY LYNDSAY GREEN

Godwin Ihentuge, founder of YumVillage, refers to himself as Chief Villager at the Afro-Caribbean hot spot that opened in New Center last April. This is an apt title for Ihentuge, who’s creating community through a cuisine well-known in his Nigerian community but new to the up-and-coming Detroit neighborhood.

Out of its Woodward Avenue outpost, YumVillage serves up flavorful Hot Bowls filled with spicy Jollof Rice and hot Jerk Chicken, crispy Ginger Curry Chickpeas topped with sweet-savory suya chicken — dark meat battered in a peanut dry rub and fried crisp — and sides of sweet and spicy plantains and sweet corn cakes. All dishes are representative of the vast range of foods enjoyed across the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.

“Everything we do at the restaurant is to spread AfroCaribbean culture through food,” he says.

If the heart of YumVillage is Ihentuge’s heritage, it’s his entrepreneurial spirit that powers the business. A Wayne State School of Business alum, Ihentuge started his professional career as a mortgage banker earning a six-figure salary he often took for granted. “It was a beautiful existence — even though I was worked like a dog,” he says. But his penchant for cooking called him to the culinary world. “I have been cooking for myself since I was about 7,” he says, “and I’ve always enjoyed it.” So, he sought to transition his business background into a career in food.

In its first iteration, Ihentuge says, YumVillage was an Airbnb concept for chefs.

He partnered with chef Brent Foster, the project’s culinary lead and somewhat of a celebrity chef as a finalist on Rachael Ray’s Great American Cookbook Competition.

“Our plan was to partner chefs with underutilized restaurant spaces. We’d take care of booking, marketing, and promotions. We’d also help facilitate sales in exchange for an incubation fee.”

After Ihentuge participated in various startup incubators and pitch competitions, the concept for YumVillage evolved — first as a series of pop-ups and later as a food truck — but the intent has always been to become more than just a restaurant. Ihentuge says the business will soon transition to the YumVillage Market Pantry, inspired by an ethnic food market that once operated nearby on the corner of Woodward and West Grand Boulevard selling plantains, spices, and many of the foods that Ihentuge’s recipes call for today. “Our intention is to bring that type of marketplace back within our location.”

To support Ihentuge’s ever-expanding village, diners can subscribe to the YumVillage meal plan — prepared Afro-Caribbean meals will be delivered directly to your door — engage with the podcast Refrigerator Diaries, where Ihentuge chats with food industry professionals, or simply have a taste of the diaspora over a Hot Bowl by the Chief Villager himself.

Yum Village, 6500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-334-6099; yumvillage.com

49 HOURDETROIT.COM // MOTNH 2020

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 49

A BARTENDER IS AN INTERESTING BREED, AN

RAVEN LOVE, JUSTICE AKUEZUE

They’re Shaking Things Up

These bartenders are paving the way for fellow Black barkeeps // BY BRITTANY HUTSON

eclectic hybrid of an artist, a chemist, and a customer’s best friend all wrapped up into one skilled professional.

But the archetype of the mixologist — you know, the dapper white male with the handlebar mustache, vintage suspenders, and ornate tattoos on his forearms peeking out from beneath crisp white shirt cuffs — is long overdue for an update.

The disregarded history and contributions of African American bartenders is slowly being rectified, thanks to Black bartenders who are telling their stories and creating a pipeline for more people who look more like them to enter the profession.

In late January, local mixologists Raven Love of Willis Show Bar and Brian Edwards of Barter Detroit launched the Double Strained Collective, a blog that amplifies voices of underrepresented food and beverage industry workers. The idea for Double Strained Collective stemmed from Love’s and Edwards’ personal struggles as people of color in the industry and their desire to find, highlight, and connect with fellow Black bartenders.

The blog began with a collection of profiles on 29 Black bartenders in the Detroit area, which Love says offered great exposure for a crop of talents who have historically been under the radar. “Four months post that project, all of these beautiful new friendships have bloomed among us, and people have gotten different opportunities from being featured on the blog,” Love says.

“We want people to see that Black bartenders do exist, because, on the most basic level, we’re not included in the conversation and we’ve had to muscle our way in.”

Justice Akuezue had never heard about craft cocktails until he started working at Detroit City Distillery about

five years ago as a barback. “I asked my manager about them and he gave me some books to read — a training manual and recipes,” Akuezue recalls. “I pretty much took everything from there and ended up getting promoted to a bartender.” Building up his experience working at other bars around the city, including Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails, led to the role he has today as cofounder and beverage director of The Exchange. He and his partner, chef Davante Burnley, host pop-up dinners and offer catering and meal-prep services. Last summer, they completed a two-month residency with chef Godwin Ihentuge at Yum Village.

Like Love, Akuezue also wants to see more Black representation behind the bar and in leadership positions instead of as support staff.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” he says.

“We’re creating opportunities for each other to get recognition. Personally, I want to make sure that I introduce more Black people into the fold.”

Willis Show Bar, 4156 Third Ave., Detroit; 313-788-7469; willisshowbar.com.

The Exchange, follow @exchangedetroit on Instagram.

BARTENDERS, FOOD SERVICE WORKERS, & ACTIVISTS Alexis Akridge Lady of the House Fresh to the bartending scene, this Detroiter has been learning the intricacies of the craft cocktail world for just over a year. You can taste her creations at Corktown gem Lady of the House and at its downstairs speakeasy, Gent, when the lights go down.

Have a toast with Akridge at Lady of the House, 1426 Bagley St., Detroit; 313-818-0218; ladyofthehousedetroit.com.

Ashley D’Agostino Selden Standard Although D’Agostino is highly skilled in the realm of cocktail creation, it would be a disservice not to mention her abilities as a violist — the multitalented mixologist even played in the Detroit Medical Orchestra. One of her favorite cocktails? A Sazerac, the jazzy New Orleans twist on a cognac cocktail.

Order a Sazerac with D’Agostino at Selden Standard, 3921 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-438-5055; seldenstandard.com.

Brian Oliver Edwards Barter Besides being a master of his craft over the past six years, Edwards is also the co-creator of Double Strained Collective, a blog that lifts voices, creates spaces, and provides educational resources for metro Detroit’s Black and brown creative community. He’s also one of the few Black beverage program directors in the Detroit area.

Try one of Edwards’ creations at Barter, 11601 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck; 313-707-0986; barterdetroit.com.

David Cabello Black and Mobile A food delivery service for Blackowned restaurants, Black and Mobile began in founder David Cabello’s hometown of Philadelphia in 2017. Earlier this year, the 24-year-old chose Detroit as the startup’s first city for expansion.

Black and Mobile services nearly 20 Black-owned restaurants in the Detroit area, including Kuzzo’s Chicken & Waffles and The Jamaican Pot, with more on the way. By bringing the service to Detroit, Cabello says he hopes to help support the success of Black businesses and the African American community at large.

Visit blackandmobile.com for participating restaurants.

Larry Love Temple Bar Catch Love slinging drinks at Cass Corridor’s classic spot, Temple Bar. Known for its role in the Comedy Central sitcom Detroiters, this popular dive bar is more than just a place to play pool in dim lighting; it’s a community.

Visit Love at Temple Bar, 2906 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-832-2822.

Tristan Taylor Avalon Cafe + Bakery By day, you can often find Tristan Taylor at Avalon Cafe + Bakery’s Midtown storefront. For more than five years, Taylor has worked as a shift leader at the bakery and as a community activist aiming to bring people together to effect social change. Taylor has been at the forefront of police brutality protests held in downtown Detroit.

As Avalon works to provide benefits and living wages for its team, Taylor works independently to educate the surrounding community on racial justice.

Visit Taylor at Avalon Cafe + Bakery, 1049 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313285-8006. For re-opening updates, visit avalonbreads.net.

Nailah Ellis-Brown Ellis Island Tea Founder of Ellis Island Tea, Nailah Ellis-Brown carries on her family’s legacy through flavorful Jamaican tea blends “steeped in family tradition, brewed and bottled in Detroit.” Ellis-Brown takes inspiration from her greatgrandfather, who immigrated from Jamaica in the early 1900s and went on to found one of the largest Black-owned catering businesses in the Bronx. Using her great-grandfather’s secret recipe, Ellis-Brown sells sweetened and unsweetened versions of the all-natural and antioxidant-rich hibiscus tea nationwide.

Learn more about Ellis Island Tea at ellisislandtea.com.

DETROIT INSTITUTIONS & INFLUENCERS: Bert Dearing Jr. Bert’s Marketplace Since 1987, Bert Dearing Jr. has operated Bert’s Marketplace, an Eastern Market staple serving up food, music, and an education on local Black history. Also known as Bert’s Entertainment Complex, Dearing’s nearly 30,000-squarefoot venue includes a restaurant

serving barbecue and soul food; live jazz shows, and concerts in the Warehouse Theater and Jazz Room; a museum featuring sections decorated in images of Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and the Detroit Pistons; and two murals drawing inspiration from Dearing’s upbringing in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood.

Visit Bert’s Marketplace, 2727 Russell St., Detroit; 313-567-2030; bertsentertainmentcomplex.com.

Hugh Smith III, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge Hugh Smith III is the co-owner of the legendary Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, Detroit’s oldest jazz club.

The godson of late American jazz pianist Teddy Harris, the Detroit native bought the space with a partner in 2011 at a bankruptcy auction in an effort to continue the venue’s more than 80-year legacy of bringing jazz to the city.

Baker’s has boasted performances from jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, and the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Baker’s was granted a historic designation in 2016.

Visit Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, 20510 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-345-6300; theofficialbakerskeyboardlounge .com.

Larry Mongo, Café D’Mongo’s Speakeasy A hidden gem on Griswold Street, Larry Mongo’s space has been considered an eclectic retreat for nearly 40 years. Though the venue has undergone several name changes — Mongo’s original iteration of the business went by the name of Café Joseph and was later operated by his son Jerome under the name Wax Fruit Rhythm Café in the 1990s — its current format has been a go-to for a stiff drink and a stellar grilled cheese since 2007. Café D’Mongo’s bar has hosted its fill of famous faces, including Quentin Tarantino and Ryan Gosling — a frequent visitor who tapped Mongo for a cameo in the trailer for his directorial debut film, Lost River, in 2015.

Visit Café D’Mongo’s Speakeasy at 1439 Griswold St., Detroit.

Erica N. This African Cooks An obstetric nurse by day and cook by night, Michigan-based foodie Erica N. develops tasty Whole30, paleo, and gluten-free recipes for her blog, This African Cooks.

Erica’s creations are healthy takes on dishes influenced by her experiences living in her native Ghana, the Netherlands, and now Michigan. A scroll through her social media pages and website

VERA BAILEY

Still Spreading The Love Flowers of Vietnam’s resident hugger adapts to the times // BY LYNDSAY GREEN

THERE’S JUST ONE THING THAT MIGHT GIVE

chef George Azar’s award-winning dishes some stiff competition at Flowers of Vietnam, and that’s Vera Bailey’s hugs.

As maître d’ of the Southwest Detroit Coney Island turned trendy Vietnamese restaurant since 2016, Bailey has captured diners’ hearts with her affectionate greetings as far back as the restaurant’s earliest days as a pop-up eatery. If you’ve ever visited Flowers of Vietnam, then you’ve probably experienced the off-the-menu starter: a hug from Bailey, served fresh at the door and with lots of love. “If I can’t hug someone on their way in, I grab them on the way out,” she says.

Bailey, a native of Hartford, Connecticut, was an educator in the Hartford school system for many years, working part-time jobs in the food industry in her spare time. “Working at restaurants in Connecticut was an easy way to make some extra money,” she says. “But let me tell you something, if I had been employed at a place like Flowers back then, it could have turned into a full-time career.”

A job opportunity with the Detroit public school system for Bailey’s husband relocated their family to Detroit in 1994. Bailey, too, worked in the school system initially, and eventually landed the role at Flowers, a position she adores. She aims to spread that joy to fellow staffers and customers alike. “We’re a united group at Flowers,” she says.

“We love our food, we love the customers, we love this city, and we work together to make sure that we show all of that love in what we do.”

In late June, Flowers of Vietnam reopened its dining room and introduced a new patio with outdoor seating arrangements. Social distancing mandates complicate the intimate nature of traditional dinner settings at a place like Flowers, where the cozy space is typically bustling with patrons sipping craft cocktails shoulder to shoulder at the bar and rubbing elbows while getting their fingers saucy in a plate of Azar’s famous caramel wings. But Bailey isn’t worried. “I may not be able to give hugs,” she says, “but I can still give love through an elbow bump, and you’ll still see the love in my eyes.”

Flowers of Vietnam, 4440 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-312-4100; flowersofvietnam.com AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 51

JOE SPENCER

Variety, the Spice of Life

In product and people, Creole Gumbo is all about diversity // BY LYNDSAY GREEN

TO YOUNG, BLACK RESTAURATEURS

looking to cultivate businesses with staying power, Joe Spencer says: Make sure you have a solid product.

“Just because your mother makes great ribs or great fried chicken doesn’t mean that the world will love it,” he says.

“Do some research to make sure that you’ve got a product that will have a broad acceptance among the general public.”

When Spencer acquired Louisiana Creole Gumbo from the restaurant’s founding owner in 1982, he inherited recipes for dishes sought after by a loyal customer base that would span generations.

Secret spice blends, which Spencer keeps close to the vest, season flavorful bowls of soupy red beans and rice; meaty jambalaya chock-full of Cajun beef sausage, chopped chicken, fresh onions, and crisp peppers; and hearty gumbo.

In addition to Creole staples, traditional Southern dishes round out the menu: sweet and tangy barbecue chicken, crunchy fried catfish, and cornbread muffins Spencer says customers “die and fight for.”

Over the years, the restaurant has expanded beyond its Eastern Market-adjacent outpost and Spencer ultimately intends to add locations across the state.

In 2016, Spencer and his team celebrated the grand opening of the restaurant’s second location on Detroit’s west side, and they expect to open the doors to a new location in Farmington in the fall. “We hope that by the end of 2022, we’ll be at the stages of a regional business, reaching out to Lansing and Ann Arbor and as far as Grand Rapids.”

“The product we serve gives our city some variety — and that matters.”

–J O E S P E N C E R

5 2 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

The value of adding more African American cuisines to Michigan’s landscape, Spencer says, is fundamentally economic. “People can certainly buy pizza and Chinese food and so forth, but here’s another alternative for their palate. There needs to be diversity in the products that people buy. The product we serve gives our city some variety — and that matters.”

He adds that Black restaurateurs matter to the region’s food industry because they often hire individuals of color who are historically overlooked for job opportunities. “We actually help to build our community in a way that others don’t,” he says.

“A lot of people that we hire do not have training or advanced schooling — they may not have even finished high school.

We bring them on and train them so that they actually have a chance to grow in the restaurant business. And as we grow, we want to take them along with us.”

Louisiana Creole Gumbo, 2051 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-567-1200. 13505 W. Seven Mile Road, Detroit; 313-397-4052; detroitgumbo.com.

showcases mouthwatering photos of naturally leavened honey milk bread, a homemade tomato-based stew, barbecue pulled jackfruit quesadillas, and more.

Follow Erica on Instagram @thisafricancooks and thisafricancooks.com.

Lauren Gillon Millennial Meets Stove Also known as Elle the Foodie, the Detroit native and entrepreneur created her blog to do just what the title suggests — share easy recipes for millennials to follow as they go about their fast-paced lives. Millennial Meets Stove features starter plates, brunch, and seafood dishes, including vegan cauliflower wings, sweet potato pancakes, and shrimp- and spinach-stuffed salmon. After hours, Gillon hosts The Millennial Winedown, a podcast where she chats with fellow local millennials about life, work, and love — over a glass of wine, naturally.

Cook along with Gillon on Instagram @elle.thefoodie and millennialmeetsstove.com.

ReShawn Wilder Eyes of a Foodie What started off as Eyes of a Foodie, a food blog that Wilder launched in 2016 to show off his own gourmet recipes, has since evolved into a catering, merchandise, and consulting service, with one major specialty: cheesecake. The Detroit-based cheesecake connoisseur crafts miniature desserts in an assortment of flavors. From lemon drop to strawberry shortcake cheesecakes, his tasty creations landed him a place on season 10 of Gordon Ramsey’s MasterChef and, most recently, as one of Delish’s 46 Black chefs, influencers, and food bloggers to follow.

Keep up with Wilder on Instagram @eyesofafoodie and at eyesofafoodie.com.

PASTRY CHEFS & RESTAURATEURS: April Anderson Good Cakes and Bakes After starting a successful home-based baking business and completing her pastry arts degree, April Anderson founded Good Cakes and Bakes with her wife, Michelle, in 2013. Since then, the lifelong Detroiter has created quality, organic baked goods for celebrities — her creations

have garnered the attention of Oprah and former President Bill Clinton — and neighbors alike.

From signature Gooey Butter Cakes to vegan-friendly pound cakes, cinnamon rolls, and muffins, there’s something at the Detroit bakery for just about everyone.

Enjoy Anderson’s sweet treats at Good Cakes and Bakes, 19363 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-4689915; goodcakesandbakes.com.

Ashley Dulce The Dulce Experience For those searching for unconventional cakes, The Dulce Experience, a cake design studio founded and owned by metro Detroit baker Ashley Dulce, helps clients translate their wildest dreams into edible art for special occasions. Dulce takes unique cake flavors — brown sugar, limoncello, and lavender, to name a few — to the next level with an avant-garde flair. From three-tier cakes featuring fresh succulent toppers to monochromatic designs punctuated with geometric wafer paper, Dulce’s artisanal creations bring on the drama.

Book a tasting with Dulce at thedulceexperience.com.

Ben Hall Founder of Little Pot Soup A Detroit-based chef, Hall was the owner of Eastern Market’s nowclosed Russell Street Deli for more than a decade. Today, he’s a senior research fellow at Bennington College in Vermont, focusing on the ethics of capital in the restaurant industry, and the chef and founder of Little Pot Soup, a wholesaler producing vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free soups for children in Detroit Public Schools at no cost.

Little Pot has also expanded to schools in Houston.

Find Hall’s Little Pot Soup in Whole Foods; wholefoodsmarket.com for local retailers.

Calvin Tillman Van Dyke Coney Island This Coney Island on Detroit’s east side, owned by Calvin Tillman, serves all of the traditional favorites, such as Detroit Coney dogs topped with chili, mustard, and onions; classic Reubens; and creamy cheesecake.

Stop in for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner — Tillman’s conveniently located neighborhood staple, opened in 2018, is open until 11 p.m. daily.

Visit Tillman at Van Dyke Coney Island, 9235 Van Dyke Ave., Detroit; 313-458-8502; van-dyke-coneyisland.business.site.

Crystal Smith You Had Me at Cake 313 Since becoming a Food Network Chopped champion in 2017, Crystal Smith has placed all of her energy in building You Had Me at Cake 313, a baking company she runs out of her home kitchen. With creations ranging from intricate wedding and birthday cakes to whimsical brunch dishes, such as Fruity Pebble French Toast, Smith’s imaginative offerings are endless. She credits her passion for baking to her aunt and greatgrandmother, the resident pastry chefs at family gatherings when she was growing up.

Follow Smith on Instagram @youhadmeatcake313.

David, Jonathan, and Bishop Andrew Merritt and Sabrina Swain Narrow Way Café & Shop In April 2016, this entrepreneurial family transformed their church bookstore at the Straight Gate International Church into a café and shop to meet the needs of their congregation, both spiritually and socially. Now, they are focused on the Detroit community as a whole, by serving coffee and baked goods in a welcoming environment.

Stop in to meet the family at Narrow Way Café & Shop, 19331 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-3977727; thenarrowwaycafe.com.

QUIANA BRODEN, ANGELA DAVIS

Their Audiences Eat Them Up

Two influencers who are stirring things up // BY LIANA AGHAJANIAN

DeShawn Reed D’s Coney Island After serving a prison sentence of more than eight years on a wrongful murder conviction, Reed bought D’s Coney Island in Southwest Detroit. If you’re looking for late-night Coney classics, D’s is a solid option.

Support Reed’s inspiring business venture by visiting D’s Coney Island, 2626 Schaefer Hwy., Detroit; 313-551-5019.

Garnet Terri Gullet Terri’s Cakes Detroit With Terri’s Cakes Detroit, founder Garnet Terri Gullet creates classic cakes and an assortment of sweet treats. Carrying on a family tradition, Gullet honors her mother and grandfather, who inspired her baking career. When she isn’t baking, Gullet partners with Detroit schoolteacher Dikea Taylor-Santiago to produce Math Mondays, a series of videos on the bakery’s YouTube channel (Terri’s Cakes Detroit) in which the duo offers mathematics lessons for elementary-level kids through fun, interactive baking recipes.

To order one of Gullet’s creations, visit terriscakesdetroit.com.

WHILE THE MAINSTREAM FOOD WORLD OFTEN

struggles with the inclusion of diverse voices and perspectives, a new crop of writers, chefs, and bloggers is challenging those norms in significant ways and gaining well-deserved recognition in the process. With the help of social media, food influencers have racked up large and loyal followings over the past few years as they’ve shared their love of the kitchen with a digital audience hungry to consume their recipes.

But while the world of influencers often appears to be concentrated on the coasts, two Black voices leading the charge in the food world are right here in Detroit. Self-taught cook Angela Davis, whose blog, The Kitchenista Diaries, has earned her hundreds of thousands of fans, partnerships with brands including KitchenAid and Starbucks, and a career as a personal chef, is one of the most popular online food personalities. She solidifies her presence with mouth-watering photos of signature dishes — picture baked mac and cheese and buttermilk biscuits — that are widely shared across social media platforms.

Like Davis, Quiana Broden (pictured) is a selftaught chef. She learned to make clean dishes after a diagnosis with the autoimmune disease sarcoidosis forced her to re-evaluate how she could use food to heal herself. That’s how Cooking With Que, her blog where “vegans and meat eaters co-exist,” was born.

Broden’s emphasis on “eating to live” by concentrating on vegan versions of her favorite meals quickly earned her a fan base that has grown exponentially. She’s taught classes for the American Heart Association and arranged healthy-eating workshops for corporations. Her efforts have contributed to a greater awareness of plant-based eating in the Detroit area while increasing Black representation in the world of veganism, where people of color often remain underrepresented.

“I call myself a disruptor,” she says. “I’m all about disrupting everything we were taught.”

Her blog led to opening The Kitchen, a demonstration kitchen and culinary collaborative space where she serves dishes such as a breaded cauliflower steak called Pop Eyes & Tastebuds Cauliflower Sandwich, as well as a vegan lemon pound cake.

“I knew The Kitchen was going to be a hub for all things culinary,” she says. “If you wanted to cook healthy food, try healthy food, or shop for fresh produce — it was always focused on the mission of teaching people how to eat to live.”

The Kitchen by Cooking with Que, 6529 Woodward Ave., Ste. A, Detroit; 313-462-4184; cookingwithque.com. The Kitchenista Diaries, @thekitchenista on Instagram; thekitchenista.com.

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 53

DENETIA LYONS, CASSANDRA THOMAS

Sweet Successes

Two bakers on sweet pasts and bright futures for Detroit’s pastry industry // BY BRITTANY HUTSON

BEYOND CULINARY SCHOOLS AND ON-THE-JOB TRAINING,

at-home baking lessons passed down from parents and grandparents have led a new generation of bakers to open their own pastry shops, carrying on beloved family recipes.

For 33 years, Sweet Potato Sensations has carved a niche in the baking world, crafting sweet treats made of sweet potatoes — we’re talking cookies, cakes, ice cream, and waffles.

“Our plan was to make everything we could think of out of sweet potatoes, continuing the legacy of Dr. George Washington Carver,” says Sweet Potato Sensations founder Cassandra Thomas. She’s referring to the African American agricultural scientist who invented ways to encourage crop rotation, using sweet potatoes as a main source.

Thomas started the business with sweet potato cookies, a recipe she’d developed just for her husband, Jeffery, and in 1987, the duo began selling the cookies at a Detroit yard sale. When customers requested sweet potato pie, Cassandra interviewed family to develop a recipe. “I had to translate the recipe because cooks of that generation did not use recipes,” she recalls.

The family business opened its first storefront next to the Redford Theatre in 1993. Today, Sweet Potato Sensations sits across the street from its original location in a renovated space on Lahser Avenue.

Black-owned bakeries have become anchors in neighborhoods outside of downtown Detroit, offering their spaces for gatherings and hiring from within their communities. Still, Black food entrepreneurs face an ongoing obstacle of gaining access to capital to open spaces in the city’s buzzedabout neighborhoods. “There are quite a few bakeries downtown, but those that are Black-owned or owned by a city native are few and far between,” says chef Denetia Lyons (pictured), founder and owner of Petite Sweets Detroit, a dessert company specializing in wedding cakes and pastries.

When she opens her new space in Woodbridge in the winter, Lyons hopes to develop a bond with fellow Black storefront entrepreneurs in the city. “We’ll be located near Lucki’s Cheesecake, which is a Black-owned bakery, and they’ll be part of our community,” she says.

Lyons, who sits on the advisory board for Detroit Public School’s culinary arts program, wants to use her position as a business owner to fill the pipeline with more African American professionals. “It’s really important to get funding into our vocational programs to bridge the gap between young Black people who are interested in culinary arts and what the face of culinary arts looks like in the city.”

Sweet Potato Sensations, 17337 Lahser Road, Detroit; 313-532-7996; sweetpotatosensations.com. Petite Sweets Detroit; 248-797-5782; petitesweetsdetroit.com.

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Kirsten Ussery and chef Erika Boyd Detroit Vegan Soul After discovering that a vegan diet could help them avoid the health conditions that were prevalent in their families — diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer — Ussery and her wife, Boyd, created Detroit Vegan Soul. With locations in West Village and on Detroit’s west side, the popular restaurant offers unique takes on soul food classics, including catfish tofu, seitan pepper steak, and a barbecue tofu sandwich.

Have a bite at Detroit Vegan Soul; detroitvegansoul.com for locations.

Ron Bartell Kuzzo’s Chicken & Waffles Once a cornerback for the St. Louis Rams, this Detroit native retired after eight years in the NFL to become a restaurateur, launching himself into a business of his own called Kuzzo’s Chicken & Waffles. Kuzzo’s serves Southern comfort food including shrimp and grits, fried chicken, and peach cobbler.

Dine in (or take out) at Kuzzo’s Chicken & Waffles, 19345 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-340-2707; kuzzoschickenandwaffles.com.

Stephanie Byrd The Block After earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Howard University and a master’s in communication at Johns Hopkins University, this Detroit native decided to return home in 2013 to help her father expand the family business, Flood’s Bar & Grille. In 2015, she launched the contemporary Midtown restaurant and bar, The Block, serving American staples such as burgers, mac and cheese, and wings.

Try dining at The Block, 3919 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-8320892; theblockdet.com.

FARMERS:  Akello Karamoko Keep Growing Detroit Keep Growing Detroit has served gardeners and farmers in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park since 2013, with a mission to provide crops grown by metro Detroiters to metro Detroit residents. Exposed to organic agriculture at a young age, farmer Akello Karamoko’s goal is to inspire young people to learn more about urban farming. Karamoko has participated in several programs educating youth on farming and the food system, including Keep Growing Detroit’s Urban Agriculture Youth Apprenticeship, Michigan State University’s Organic Farmer Training Program, and the Detroit Black Community Food Security

Network’s Food Warriors program.

Visit Karamoko at Keep Growing Detroit, 1445 Adelaide St., Detroit; 313-656-4769; detroitagriculture.net.

Atieno Nyar Kasagam Detroit African Women’s Coalition for Liberated Land Native to Nairobi, Kenya, Atieno Nyar Kasagam discovered her interests in community gardening and farming while attending Michigan State University as a student of public policy. Kasagam went on to found the Detroit African Women’s Coalition for Liberated Land, a partnership in which women of color in Detroit pooled funds to transform vacant land into community gardens. Kasagam’s award-winning short film Sidelots, released in 2018, chronicles her and her husband’s journey to urban farming and acquiring a lot near their Southeast Detroit home.

Visit Atieno’s YouTube channel, Atieno for Mayor of Detroit, 2021, to watch the film Sidelots.

Billy and Jerry Hebron, Oakland Avenue Urban Farm Housed in Detroit’s North End neighborhood is Billy and Jerry Hebrons’ Oakland Avenue Urban Farm. Founded after the 2008 recession, the nonprofit began as a way to provide fresh foods and a sense of hope for North End residents.

The six-acre “Agri-Cultural” farm includes apple orchards, a community house and store, a farmers market, and a performance stage. Since the pandemic, Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, in partnership with the Northend Christian Community Development Corporation, has distributed more than 250 hot meals to families weekly, with nonperishable food items, masks, and sanitizers.

Say, “hello” to Billy and Jerry at 9227 Goodwin St., Detroit; 313-649-7756; oaklandurbanfarm.org.

Erin Cole Nurturing Our Seeds When Erin Cole and her husband founded the neighborhood farm Nurturing Our Seeds in 2010, the goal was to provide healthy foods for their family and neighbors on Detroit’s east side. Today, the farm is operated on nine vacant lots throughout that neighborhood, providing fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs for the community. The farm also hosts meditation, yoga, and dance activities.

Learn more about Cole’s Nurturing Our Seeds by visiting 7733 Helen St., Detroit; 313-461-4432; nurturingourseeds.com.

BILLY OWENS

Pie-High Expectations

With Flamz Pizzeria, this entrepreneur is expanding his empire and developing a new crop of food industry pros // BY LYNDSAY GREEN

IT MIGHT’VE BEEN INTUITIVE FOR

Billy Owens to launch a restaurant that paid homage to his Southern roots.

But when the Mississippi native had the opportunity to open his first establishment in 2011, he went with a cuisine loved by Northerners, Southerners, East, and West Coasters alike — burgers. Owens got his start in the restaurant industry when he first moved to Detroit in the ’90s, working at momand-pop shops around town and venues such as Little Caesars Arena. He went on to open Big Burgzs, a fast-food hot spot, flipping patty melts on rye and hearty steak and cheese pitas with a tall order of meat. Last June, Owens expanded his restaurant portfolio with Flamz, a quick-casual spot serving another all-American classic: pizza.

“I’d been reading about this style of pizza for a couple years and wanted to try it,” Owens says. Rather than the traditional Detroit-style pizza, he opted for thin-crust personal pies baked in a brick oven. “I went to a couple places that made this style of pizza and liked everything about the process, from the speed to how the pizza is created.” At Flamz, guests can order signature pizzas or customize their pies with an assembly-line method Owens calls “Subway-style” — choose your toppings, watch the pie go in the oven, and enjoy your creation within just a few minutes.

Owens operates both businesses in Morningside, the east side Detroit neighborhood he’s called home over the past decade. “Opening these

establishments was just me trying to help revive the neighborhood and bring something new to the community,” he says, adding that Flamz is the only Blackowned pizzeria in the area. “It’s important for Black entrepreneurs to own businesses in their own communities. We often give jobs to people from the inner city and put the money we earn back into the community, rather than outsiders making money in these neighborhoods and investing it in other places.”

Along with his three children, Owens aims to employ young, vibrant workers from the community to help them develop professional experience in the food industry.

When asked how diners can support his endeavors, Owens says, “We just want to spread the word that we operate safe environments in family-friendly spaces, and we hire from within the communities that support us.”

Flamz Pizzeria, 16369 E. Warren Ave., Detroit; 313-924-5714. Big Burgzs, 17627 E. Warren Ave., Detroit; 313-640-3956

“It’s important for Black entrepreneurs to own businesses in their own communities.”

– B I L LY O W E N S

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 55

Keith and Diane Hoye, Ohana Gardens

THARMOND LIGON JR.

The City’s His Fertile Ground

Ohana Gardens is the product of Highland Park couple Keith and Diane Hoye. Following the death of Diane’s mother in 2007, the couple recognized the direct correlation between diet and health, and just how much the body can thrive when nourished with fresh, unprocessed foods. The Hoyes’ farm grows everything from heirloom tomatoes to tea herbs, from onions and squash to sweet potatoes and kale. The Hoyes have also hosted community meals, meditation sessions, and even astrological gardening.

An urban farmer who’s sowing seeds of change for future generations // BY LIANA AGHAJANIAN

WHETHER ON HIGH-RISE ROOFTOPS,

in vacant lots, or on designated garden plots, urban farming has dramatically changed neighborhoods across the U.S., where communities have continued to grow vegetables, keep livestock, and cultivate gardens to bring fresh food back to city neighborhoods.

No city has been at the forefront of the urban farming movement quite like Detroit, a place with at least 1,400 community gardens and farms and where food — and access to it — is inseparable from structural and social justice issues. The city, whose population exceeded 2 million at its height in the 1950s, has seen that number drop dramatically to around 670,000 today.

This has led to a dearth in grocery stores and a lack of access to fresh food services, a phenomenon often called “food apartheid,” which disproportionately affects minorities and communities of color.

To fill that gap, Black activists and residents have fueled Detroit’s urban gardening movement. There’s the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, which operates seven acres of land known as the D-Town Farm, and Brother Nature Produce, co-founded by horticulturalist Olivia Hubert and her husband, Greg Willerer, who grow salad greens sold at local markets and Detroit-area restaurants.

One nonprofit dedicated to making use of Detroit’s vacant land by developing green spaces for the city’s communities is Rescue MI Nature Now Inc., which buys parcels of land and creates community gardens, wildlife conservation-focused habitats, and urban beekeeping environments to improve local access to fresh produce and honey.

The nonprofit was founded by Detroiter Tharmond Ligon Jr., whose interest in sustainability began when he was a young child after a neighbor invited him to help with his garden. The passion he felt for outdoor environments never waned. “I really enjoy being in the garden,” Ligon says. “Even if I’m not doing anything, the clarity and peace that comes from it is rewarding.”

5 6 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

Visit Keith and Diane at 18 Church St., Highland Park; 313-477-1373; ohanagardensdetroit.com.

Malik Yakini, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network Activist and educator Malik Yakini’s life’s work revolves around the impact of racism on the food system in Detroit and beyond. As founder and executive director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, an organization addressing food insecurity in the local Black community, Yakini operates the seven-acre D-Town Farm, located in Detroit’s Rouge Park. Additionally, Yakini spearheaded efforts to establish the Detroit Food Policy Council and has spoken globally on Detroit’s history of food inaccessibility and ways to create a fairer, more sustainable food system.

Learn more about Yakini’s work at the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network at 11000 W. McNichols Ave., Ste. 103, Detroit; 313-345-3663; dbcfsn.org.

“This is how we can sustain our generations to come.”

–T H A R M O N D L I G O N J R .

Rescue MI Nature Now has grown to incorporate a unique educational component in its program, where financial concepts, such as compounding interest — for example, how one tomato seed can produce 60 pounds of tomatoes — are woven into urban farming lessons. Ligon says such lessons help to prepare younger members for self-sufficiency both in and out of the garden.

“This is how we can sustain our generations to come — teach them how to be young farmers, teach them what to do with the money that they would otherwise use to buy groceries,” he says.

Rescue MI Nature Now Inc., 19984 Derby St., Highland Park; 313-312-6691; rescuenaturenow.org

Mark Covington, Georgia Street Community Collective While cleaning trash from abandoned lots near his grandmother’s Detroit home, Mark Covington was inspired to transform the space into a community garden. Known today as Georgia Street Community Collective, the nonprofit garden has grown into 22 parcels of land and is home to an animal farm, fruit orchard, and a community center with a library and computer lab.

The collective hosts community events, such as a backpack and school supply giveaway, bake sales, and holiday dinners.

Visit Covington at Georgia Street Community Collective at 8902 Vinton Ave., Detroit; 313-458-7052; georgiastreetcc.com.

— Reporting by Lou Buhl, Emily Roth, Rachael Thomas, and Tess Ware

Special Promotional Section

2020

Photo By Š Dijuri Media

FIND THE FACES OF: Advanced Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry......................58 Aesthetics.............................................................................59 Advanced Cardiovascular Health................................... 60 Aesthetic Surgery ...............................................................61 Auto Brain Injury Law.........................................................62 Architecture .........................................................................63 Award-Winning Interior Design........................................64 Awe-Inspiring Designs .......................................................65 Cannabis...............................................................................66 Beautiful Smiles ..................................................................67 Contemporary Custom Building.....................................68 Business and Estate Planning..........................................69 Communications ...............................................................70 Courage. Confidence. Compassion. ...............................71 Custom Home Building .....................................................72 Dental Implants ...................................................................73 Distinctive Interior Design ................................................. 74 Downtown Detroit Real Estate .........................................75 DOBI Real Estate........................................................... 76-77 Elite Smiles ...........................................................................78 Eyelid Surgery......................................................................79 Elite Real Estate .................................................................. 80 Floral Event Design ............................................................. 81 Grosse Pointe Real Estate.................................................82 Granite ..................................................................................83 Hope for Depression ..........................................................84 Interior Design .....................................................................85 Interior Architecture & Design ........................................86 Integrity in Real Estate .......................................................87 Lingerie .................................................................................88 Luxury Building and Remodeling ....................................89 Loving Your Smile .............................................................. 90 Luxury Real Estate...............................................................91 New Residential Development.........................................92 Mortgage Banking ..............................................................93 Northern Michigan Real Estate........................................94 Orthopedic Excellence ......................................................95 Pet People Apparel .............................................................96 Pain Management ..............................................................97 Periodontics .........................................................................98 Pet Grooming.......................................................................99 Plastic Surgery ..................................................................100 Premier Interiors ................................................................101 Prevention ..........................................................................102 Pristine Smiles...................................................................103 Real Estate Excellence.....................................................104 Restoration.........................................................................105 Same-Day Crowns............................................................106 Waterfront Real Estate .................................................... 107 Sports and Fitness Chiropractic ...................................108 Same-Day Implant Solutions .........................................109

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THE FACES OF

ADVANCED COSMETIC & IMPLANT DENTISTRY

COSMETIC DENTISTRY INSTITUTE 3415 LIVERNOIS RD., TROY, MI 48083 | 248-720-1274 | THEDESIGNERSMILE.COM

Why settle for good when you can get extraordinary?

That’s the philosophy of Hour Detroit Top Dentists Dr. Craig Goldin, Dr. Marcy Goldin, and Dr. David Whalen of the Cosmetic Dentistry Institute. The dentists are nationally recognized for enhancing the smiles of thousands of people from all walks of life and have built an award-winning, state-of-the-art dental practice featuring the latest technologies, including digital X-rays and same-day crowns. Your smile transformation will be performed quickly, with lots of pampering, and will be done by a well-trained, experienced 58

doctor-artist. If you’re missing one or more teeth, regain your confidence and quality of life with dental implants; Dr. Craig Goldin, a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, has been trained to both place and restore implants. He is the only dentist in Michigan offering Teeth Tomorrow™, a one-day replacement for poorly fitting dentures or failing teeth. For total patient comfort, Dr. Craig Goldin is trained in IV sedation. If you’ve been thinking of enhancing your smile, you owe it to yourself to seek out the best.

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AESTHETICS

HOLLY CUTLER — FACE SKINCARE~MEDICAL~WELLNESS 31350 TELEGRAPH RD., STE. 102, BINGHAM FARMS, MI 48025 | 248-663-0161 | FACEBEAUTYSCIENCE.COM

Named by Forbes magazine as “one of the most advanced medspas in the country,” FACE Skincare~Medical~Wellness has gone to where less than 1 percent of medspas have gone before.

Its founder, Holly Cutler — aka America’s Skin Saint™ — created an award-winning rejuvenation clinic that offers over 40 laser and facial technologies, injectables, nonsurgical face-lifts, body makeovers, naturopathic medicine, and IV nutrient therapy. The clinic is headed by naturopathic physician Dr. Doug Cutler, who

rejuvenates patients from an internal root-cause perspective versus merely trying to suppress symptoms.

Holly Cutler has been a guest expert on FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, and “The Doctors.” She’s also been featured in several national publications, and is a speaker for the laser and aesthetics industry. She launched an innovative skincare product line, The Skin Saint™, and her company is the first national virtual skincare consulting company to help people all over the country who may not be able to visit her clinic.

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THE FACES OF

ADVANCED CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

HEART & VASCULAR INSTITUTE/MVP ENDOVASCULAR CENTER

22720 MICHIGAN AVE., STE. 200, DEARBORN, MI 48124 | 313-791-2800 | HEARTTEAM.COM 4160 JOHN R, STE. 510, DETROIT, MI 48201 | 313-993-7777 | 20240 W. 12 MILE RD., SOUTHFIELD, MI 48076 | 248-424-5000

As an internationally renowned specialist in cardiovascular disease, the Heart & Vascular Institute is committed to placing the best interests of its patients first. HVI is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive, innovative, and cost-effective procedures, always performed by a leading group of board-certified cardiologists. At HVI, each patient’s values and needs are always respected, and the team believes integrity and respect are pivotal to fulfilling the

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mission of being the best Detroit-area heart doctors.

HVI is equipped with three state-of-the-art facilities, an outpatient surgery center, and on-site diagnostics. The practice has been recognized as a national leader for its advanced technology and innovation in endovascular minimally invasive procedures. The HVI team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to serve you and your loved ones in an emergency.

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AESTHETIC SURGERY

DR. MUNE GOWDA

26850 PROVIDENCE PKWY., STE. 125, NOVI, MI 48374 | 800-979-9858 3270 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE. 415, TROY, MI 48084 | 248-305-8400 | GOWDAMD.COM

Dr. Mune Gowda, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a plastic surgeon whose goal is to deliver the most natural-looking results possible. Dr. Gowda performs a wide variety of plastic surgery procedures and cosmetic treatments including lasers, injectables, facials, and more. With Dr. Gowda’s vast experience and commitment to excellence, you can be assured that each procedure and treatment he offers has been carefully vetted and is of the highest quality.

Dr. Gowda performs surgery at his private certified surgical

center, which is on the campus of Providence Hospital. He has privileges at Royal Oak Beaumont and Providence hospitals.

Honors Dr. Gowda has received include: Top Doctor 2020, Michigan Top Docs; Top 10 Plastic Surgeons 2020, National Academy of Plastic Surgeons; 10 Best Plastic Surgeons Award, 2018 and 2019, American Institute of Plastic Surgeons; Best Doctors 2001-2018, Best Doctors Inc.; Top Plastic Surgeon Reviews 2018, and many more.

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THE FACE OF

AUTO BRAIN INJURY LAW

BRYAN SCHEFMAN — SCHEFMAN & ASSOCIATES, PC 40900 WOODWARD AVE., STE. 111, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48304 | CELL: 248-514-0111 | OFFICE: 248-594-2600 | SCHEFMANLAW.COM

“I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve survived near-critical injuries in cars and (on) motorcycles. I’ve experienced severe injury, along with the confusion of insurance coverage, finding doctors to treat my injuries, delays in payments by insurance carriers, and the stress of care and recovery for my family,” says Bryan Schefman, of Schefman & Associates.

In over 37 years of legal practice, Schefman has represented countless individuals with severe physical and traumatic brain injuries, and he’s been fortunate enough to help each of them. “Having

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served physicians, health care organizations, and general business, I’ve been able to combine my knowledge of personal injury law and recovery, insurance law and operations, and personal experience to help clients navigate the insurance maze and win millions of dollars in settlements and multimillion-dollar verdicts,” Schefman says.

If you’re an attorney, you can depend on Schefman to help your clients. If you’ve been injured, call him today.

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ARCHITECTURE

MIRA — MICHIGAN RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS MIRA OFFICES AT PARTNR HAUS, 2139 COLE ST., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | MICHIGANRESIDENTIALARCHITECTS.COM

Michigan Residential Architects (MIRA) is a groundbreaking community of design professionals. Its purpose is to support and inspire quality design work with the most influential and talented professionals and industry partners in Michigan.

MIRA partners include: (1) John Allegretti FAIA, LEED-AP, Allegretti Architects; (2) Kevin Akey, AZD Associates Architects; (3) Alexander Bogaerts, Alexander V. Bogaerts + Associates; (4) Sarah Bourgeois AIA, Sarah Bourgeois Architects; (5) Louis DesRosiers AIA, DesRosiers Architects; (6) Elaine Keiser AIA, NCARB, Elaine Keiser Architect Inc.; (7) Eric

De Witt AIA, Lucid Architecture; Mathison Mathison Architects [(8a) Thomas R. Mathison FAIA, (8b) Evan T. Mathison]; (9) Michael Poris AIA, McIntosh Poris Associates; (10) Joseph Mosey RA, Joseph Mosey Architecture Inc.; (11) Brian Neeper AIA, Brian Neeper Architecture; (12a) Victor Saroki FAIA, (12b) Alexander Saroki AIA, Saroki Architecture; (13) Robert Sears, Sears Architects; (14a) Nick White AIA, LEED-AP, (14b) Nick Liebler AIA, LEEDAP, White and Liebler Architects; (15a) Don Paul Young AIA Emeritus, (15b) Todd Mitchell Young AIA, Young & Young Architects. Background photo: James Haefner. Michigan State Historic Preservation Office.

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AWARD-WINNING INTERIOR DESIGN

MIRA — MICHIGAN RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS

MIRA OFFICES AT PARTNR HAUS, 2139 COLE ST., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | MICHIGANRESIDENTIALARCHITECTS.COM

Michigan Residential Architects (MIRA) is a groundbreaking community of design professionals. Its purpose is to support and inspire quality design work with the most influential and talented professionals and industry partners in Michigan.

MIRA interior designers include: (1) Molly Thomas (L) and Caryn Satovsky-Siegal (R), Alexander V. Bogaerts + Associates; (2) Amy Weinstein, AMW Design Studio; (3) Arturo Sanchez (R) and Barry Harrison (L), Art Harrison Interiors; (4) Carrie Long, Carrie Long Interiors; (5) Colleen Farrell, Colleen Farrell Design; (6a) Howard 64

Davis, (6b) Michelle Davis, and (6c) Jamie Jordan, Davis & Davis Interior Design; (7) Heather Duggan, Heather Duggan Interiors; (8) Jennifer Butler, Jennifer Butler Design; (9a) Lucy Earl and (9b) Nicole Withers, Jones-Keena; (10) Meg Corley, Meg Corley Premier Interiors; (11) Ian Hartwell, Oliver Max Interiors; (12) Staci A. Meyers, S|A|M Interiors; (13) Kevin Serba, Serba Interiors; (14) Stephen Knollenberg, Stephen Knollenberg Inc.; (15) Cheryl Nestro, Tutto Interiors. Background photo: James Haefner. Michigan State Historic Preservation Office.

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AWE-INSPIRING DESIGNS

JANE SYNNESTVEDT — JANE SYNNESTVEDT INTERIOR DESIGN INC. 551 S. BATES, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-642-1066 | JANESYNNESTVEDT.COM | JANE@JANESYNNESTVEDT.COM

Jane Synnestvedt is an award-winning designer who’s been recognized for more than 25 years for creating gracious interiors.

Her expansive accomplishments have been widely received and published both locally and nationally. Her ability to incorporate a mixture of traditional and modern trends, in addition to Old World

and contemporary styles, enables Jane to create her signature interiors. Her firm has extensive experience designing interior spaces for aged historical properties, as well as new construction, in both the commercial and residential arenas. Image by Karla Waterhouse, WATERHOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY

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THE FACES OF

CANNABIS

LIV CANNABIS CO.

2625 HILTON RD., FERNDALE, MI 48220 | 248-420-4200 LIVFERNDALE.COM | INFO@LIVFERNDALE.COM

At LIV, whether you’re shopping for recreational or medicinal products, you’ll be kindly greeted at the front desk. At the beginning of your visit, LIV’s budtenders will warmly welcome you to the flower room. Their goal is to ensure that you have a unique experience with the company’s state-licensed, high-quality products.

Before shopping, all guests are invited to browse LIV’s product menus from the iPad bar and shop in the LIV Glass shop, which is located in the main lobby of the spacious facility. The LIV Glass shop contains a full array of products, ranging from CBD items to accessories.

The mission at LIV is to offer guests a comfortable place to learn, ask questions, and receive the highest quality products the market has to offer. LIV’s team members are proud to provide each and every guest an experience in cannabis that’s unique and second to none.

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BEAUTIFUL SMILES

ALAN GRODIN, D.D.S. — FLOSSIN’ IN CLAWSON SMILE STUDIO 430 SOUTH MAIN ST., CLAWSON, MI 48017 | 248-288-1110 | FLOSSININCLAWSON.COM

Dr. Alan Grodin knows full well the importance and benefits of a beautiful smile. “I was born with a great smile, and it seems that not a day goes by without someone complimenting my smile. That does wonders for my self-esteem,” he says.

After 30 years in the cosmetic dentistry arena, Dr. Grodin has made it his life’s work to help others improve their lives by improving their smiles. Working beside his wife, Doreen, he performs his smile magic at the Flossin’ In Clawson Smile Studio, where people from

near and far come to seek his expertise.

Dr. Grodin’s passion lies in his use of porcelain veneers to transform unattractive smiles into beautiful smiles. After performing countless smile makeovers over several decades, he’s confident he can help virtually anyone realize the smile of their dreams.

“A beautiful smile can positively enhance a person’s entire aura,” Dr. Grodin says. “Being able to use my talents to help so many people smile again has truly been a blessing in my life!”

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THE FACES OF

CONTEMPORARY CUSTOM BUILDING

NOSAN SIGNATURE HOMES

30600 NORTHWESTERN HWY., STE. 400, FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334 | 248-538-1549 | NOSANSIGNATURE.COM

Nosan Signature Homes has grown out of decades of traditional home-building projects. The Nosan team is dedicated to simplifying the home-buying and building process, and providing a 5-star client experience. Nosan Signature Homes understands that you want your home to reflect your personal style and taste. Their process allows you to describe what you want, their design team draws it, you approve it, and they build it.

Nosan Signature Homes assembles a team for each project, based on longstanding relationships. They collaborate with top design

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professionals and the best subcontractors and suppliers to guarantee the highest quality building standards and client experience.

Nosan Signature Homes expects the best and refuses to take unknown risks to cut costs. Their attention to time, budget, design, and craftsmanship ensures flawless execution of your project. Years of experience have increased their expertise and capacity to integrate stateof-the-art systems and value engineering, as well as practical solutions to construction and design challenges.

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BUSINESS AND ESTATE PLANNING DREW BESONSON — NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL, POISE WEALTH 901 WILSHIRE DR., STE. 300, TROY, MI 48084 248-244-6066 | POISEWEALTH.COM

Of all the decisions you make, choosing the right wealth planning team is possibly one of the most important.

Today’s most successful wealth-holders embrace a different kind of advisor. At Poise Wealth, their dedicated team of professionals collaborate with you and your advisors to first understand, then develop clarity around your goals, dreams and aspirations.

Poise Wealth differentiates itself by simplifying complex financial planning strategies while providing the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions.

The team at Poise Wealth specialize in tax-efficient multi-generational wealth planning. The silver lining in the current tax code is there has never been a better time for affluent families to engage in meaningful and impactful wealth transfer planning.

Your life’s work and intentions deserve the proper attention and planning to help provide you and your family peace of mind. Together, they will design and manage your Plan to align your actions with your intentions.

It’s time to start the conversation. To learn more visit PoiseWealth.com 69

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THE FACES OF

COMMUNICATIONS

FRANCO

400 RENAISSANCE CENTER, STE. 1000, DETROIT, MI 48243 | 313-567-2300 | FRANCO.COM

Franco has been a leader in Detroit public relations since 1964. While the agency is rooted in PR, its approach has evolved to combine marketing, social media, digital, design, video, and analytics to deliver integrated communications programs that drive organizational performance. The agency works with clients in various industries, from award-winning pizza and changemaking nonprofits to global automotive suppliers and leading professional service firms.

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Franco utilizes a unique approach that combines analytics and insights with relationships and instincts to produce meaningful results for clients. The Franco team delivers “big agency” programs while simultaneously being attentive, nimble, and cost-efficient. Clients say Franco is a “true partner” that’s reliable, accessible, and resultsdriven. Why does Franco do what they do? Because its team has an unwavering commitment to people, clients, and the community.

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COURAGE. CONFIDENCE. COMPASSION.

THE CRONIN LAW FIRM

21 E. LONG LAKE RD., STE. 250, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48304 | 248-258-3500 | CRONINLAWFIRM.COM

Courageous in its actions. Confident in its abilities. Compassionate with its clients. The Cronin Law Firm didn’t emerge from a conglomerate of attorneys; it grew organically, over time, due to Sabrina Shaheen Cronin’s substantial efforts and the accolades she’s received. Cronin has been recognized as a Client Champion by Martindale-Hubbell, a Super Lawyer, and a DBusiness Top Lawyer. These accomplishments aren’t merely a result of her perseverance, hard work, and determination — ideals that are embraced by the entire team at CLF and are

implemented in every case, with every client — rather, Cronin’s achievements stem from her philosophy of unparalleled service and caring. Collectively, the breadth and depth of knowledge at CLF are expansive. The team exceeds its clients’ expectations in family law, business, criminal defense, estate planning, and personal injury. CLF masterfully combines experience, insight, and common sense with excellent client service and appropriately aggressive representation. Without a doubt, CLF is among the best in the business.

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CUSTOM HOME BUILDING

SEAN GARDELLA — SEAN D. GARDELLA & ASSOCIATES 801 S. ADAMS RD., STE. 103 BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-640-7448 | GARDELLABUILD.COM

Sean D. Gardella & Associates is a merger of expert talents created to deliver the best construction and service offered in the southeastern and northern Michigan regions. Sean created SDGA on the heels of Ray Gardella’s 50-year commitment to building extraordinary homes in our community.

Sean’s experience, passion, and ingenuity stem from a 20-year career in ultra-high-end custom home building, offering construction for satisfied clients from Michigan to New York. His ability to build structures of complex nature and award-winning, cutting72

edge architecture have garnered him a clientele list of the best professionals in their fields. He thrives on offering clients exceeding customer service, fiscal responsibility, and value engineering through the entire design/build process.

Every home is designed and built to the client’s architectural taste, functional specification, and financial desire.

With a team of experienced members in both construction and design, the leaders have 20 to 50 years building custom residential.

They have seen it, done it, and love it!

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DENTAL IMPLANTS

DR. CHADY ELHAGE — DENTAL IMPLANT CENTER OF ROYAL OAK 4251 COOLIDGE HWY., ROYAL OAK, MI 48073 | 248-547-3700 | DENTALIMPLANTCENTEROFROYALOAK.COM

Dr. Chady Elhage is a Prosthodontist who specializes in advanced dental procedures such as Teeth-in-a-Day, dental implant treatment, and full mouth comprehensive dental care.

The term “prostho” means replacement and “dontist” means dealing with teeth. Essentially, Prosthodontists are the recognized experts when it comes to restoring and replacing teeth. Working in a state-of-the-art dental surgical facility and in-house dental lab, Dr. Elhage and his team of experts can diagnose, plan, make, place, and

restore teeth and implants from beginning to end — in just one day.

Dr. Elhage spends time with each patient to get to know their individual needs and goals for treatment. He’s the vice president of the Michigan chapter of the American College of Prosthodontics, and has lectured nationally on the topics of CAD-CAM dentistry and Teeth-in-a-Day. “A person’s smile is a key element of facial beauty,” Dr. Elhage says.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than the change in self-esteem that accompanies a cosmetic rehabilitation.”

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DISTINCTIVE INTERIOR DESIGN

IAN HARTWELL — OLIVER MAX INC. 360 HAMILTON ROW, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-310-3804 | 313-920-4003 (CELL) | OLIVERMAXINC.COM

Ian Hartwell, of Oliver Max Inc., is a consummate professional and artist, with both interior and exterior design projects throughout metro Detroit in cities such as Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Northville, and the Grosse Pointes, in addition to out-of-state locations like Chicago, Seattle, Palm Beach, and Virginia Beach.

Hartwell caters to the discerning client who’s open to new experiences and styles, even as he works with them closely to ensure that the spaces he creates feel “like home.” Whether it’s a new build or renovating an

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existing space, Hartwell sees the devil in the details, listening attentively to his clients and helping them throughout the design-build-accessorize process — from choosing the right foundation to selecting the last fork, in some cases!

With more than 20 years of experience in the design industry, Hartwell has received numerous awards for his work and actively serves his local community, most frequently through the Suite Dreams Project charity.

Oliver Max has been honored with multiple first-place DHDA Awards across all categories.

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DOWNTOWN DETROIT REAL ESTATE MATT O’LAUGHLIN AND HANNAH HOPPOUGH — ALEXANDER REAL ESTATE DETROIT 4417 SECOND AVE., DETROIT, MI 48201 313-590-4256, 313-744-6720 | AREDETROIT.COM

Alexander Real Estate Detroit, a boutique brokerage in the heart of Midtown Detroit, quickly became the No. 1 brokerage in the city after launching in 2018.

Looking for your next Detroit space, investment opportunity, or pied-à-terre? Matt O’Laughlin and Hannah Hoppough’s team at ARE has closed more than $150 million in the city of Detroit. The duo specializes in new construction and redevelopment condos, penthouses, and off-market listings and buildings. Their unique approach to sales and marketing makes them the developer’s choice in the city, from conception all the way to selling out the end product.

O’Laughlin and Hoppough have sold out more than 10 condo developments in the past decade. With over 200 current condo listings in the city, they’re sure to have something for you. Check out their signature event, CONDOS & Cocktails, hosted at some of Detroit’s hottest addresses!

Stay in the know by following them on social media: @DowntownMattO (O’Laughlin) and @DetroitCentric (Hoppough).

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THE FACES OF

DOBI REAL ESTATE

DOBI REAL ESTATE

2211 COLE ST., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-385-3350 | WEAREDOBI.COM

Hard work. Resilience. Relentless dedication. These are a few of the characteristics that define the gentlemen at DOBI Real Estate. Consecutively, they have 50 years of experience; some of them have been recognized for achieving top sales volume, and are within the top 5 percent of metro Detroit agents.

Together, DOBI agents redefine industry standards by pushing through the uncomfortable, as these are the moments that enable them to test their resolve and grow. To them, real estate

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is a fair game — what you put into it is what you get out of it.

At the end of the day, the greatest reward is knowing that their clients’ satisfaction and results are a reflection of their efforts.

Pictured this page, left to right: Ryan French, Tom Holzer, Patrick Jarjis. Next page, top left to bottom right: Mark Kattula, John Lionas, Ryan Nelson, Scott Pulus, Doug Rahaim, Ben Rondot, Ross Rossan III, Nick Seman, Vic Simjanoski, Kevin Sinnott, George Thomas, and Simon Thomas.

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2020

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ELITE SMILES

DR. SHAKEEL NIAZI — THE ELITE SMILE CENTER 1390 W. AUBURN RD., ROCHESTER HILLS, MI 48309 | 248-299-8300 | ELITESMILECENTER.COM

Dr. Shakeel Niazi, an Hour Detroit Top Dentist for many consecutive years, believes passion, dedication, perseverance, and happiness are a few of the essential ingredients for a successful life. He says that’s how he’s been able to create many elite smiles for more than three decades — and he says he’s still passionate about his work.

“Several of my patients drive a long distance,” Dr. Niazi says.

“They include NBA stars, the mayor of Rochester Hills and his

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family, and other notables who want elite smiles. At the Elite Smile Center, the leading dental provider in southeast Michigan, we make every smile count.”

Dr. Niazi is also a regular contributor to many charities. He founded a free dental clinic in 2014 dedicated to helping the poor, underserved residents of inner-city Detroit. He explains that this work allows him to give back and pay it forward to the community, while also serving God.

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EYELID SURGERY

EVAN H. BLACK, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.C.S. — CONSULTANTS IN OPHTHALMIC & FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY, PC 29201 TELEGRAPH RD., STE. 324, SOUTHFIELD, MI 48034 | 800-245-8075 | THEEYELIDEXPERTS.COM

Dr. Evan Black and the physicians at Consultants in Ophthalmic & Facial Plastic Surgery — Drs. Nesi, Gladstone, Nesi-Eloff, Schlachter, Kahana, and Beaulieu, and physician assistants Lindsay El-Awadi and Sara Turner — are proud to be known as the “Eyelid Experts.”

With 22 years of experience, Dr. Black has developed and improved techniques to provide the results patients are looking for when it comes to plastic surgery in the delicate areas around the eyes and forehead. His advanced training, together with the personal care and

attention provided to patients, is obvious from the first office visit.

Outstanding results, faster healing, long-lasting benefits, and happy patients are what Dr. Black and his team strive to achieve.

They offer upper and lower eyelid surgery and the removal of eyelid “bags.” State-of-the-art endoscopic brow- and forehead-lift procedures accomplish the rejuvenation many patients are unable to get from eyelid surgery alone.

When you choose the Eyelid Experts, you’ll “see” the difference!

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ELITE REAL ESTATE STETSON R. JARBO — COLDWELL BANKER WEIR MANUEL 294 E. BROWN ST., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 248-525-8881 | STETSONJARBO.COM

To be an “Elite,” one must possess and display superior qualities and service compared to the rest of a group or society.

With more than $50 million in completed sales under the Coldwell Banker brand, Stetson R. Jarbo identifies as an elite real estate expert. Jarbo has been recognized as one of Coldwell Banker’s International 30 Under 30, is a member of the International Diamond Society, and was named to the International Presidents’ Circle — all in recognition of his top-tier production levels, superior work ethic, and excellence in customer service.

As someone who’s recognized as a Real Estate All-Star

by Hour Detroit annually, Jarbo promises every client will love where they live.

“Real estate isn’t just a job,” Jarbo says. “It’s a passion, and I love to see people smile when they find their home.”

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FLORAL EVENT DESIGN

JON GERYCH — GERYCH’S SPECIAL EVENTS AND FLORAL DESIGN 713 W. SILVER LAKE RD., FENTON, MI 48430 | 810-629-7000 | GERYCHSDESIGN.COM | GERYCHSEVENTS.COM

Founded by current owner Jon Gerych’s father, Gerych’s began more than 50 years ago as a florist and greenhouse serving the Fenton community. When Jon took over the business, he transformed Gerych’s into a full-service event design and rental company.

Jon and the Gerych team have gained notoriety by producing some of the largest weddings in the Detroit area. They’ve also styled photo shoots for Versace, handled weddings in Napa Valley, and worked

with major auto brands on auto shows nationwide.

Gerych prides himself on taking the vision of every client, big and small, and turning dreams into reality — whether it’s a hanging piece over the dance floor, one-of-a-kind centerpieces, or custom-built rental pieces. Jon Gerych continues to build Gerych’s inventory of unique rental items and is looking forward to continuing to play a role in Detroit’s resurgence.

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GROSSE POINTE REAL ESTATE

HIGBIE MAXON AGNEY INC. — INTEGRITY. HERITAGE. LIFESTYLE. 83 KERCHEVAL, GROSSE POINTE FARMS, MI 48236 | 313-886-3400 | HIGBIEMAXON.COM

For over 90 years, Higbie Maxon Agney has been helping families find the perfect home for their lifestyle. As Grosse Pointe’s premier real estate company, HMA offers an experienced, informative, and personalized approach to buying or selling a home.

Since 1929, HMA’s top-performing agents have been involved in the sale of some of the most stunning residences in the area — and it’s a tradition they continue, maintaining the growth of the housing market in southeast Michigan.

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HMA’s knowledgeable team is committed to providing an unparalleled level of assistance as your trusted real estate partner.

Whether you’re dreaming of a cottage or a castle, let Higbie Maxon Agney help you discover the home, and the community, that’s right for you.

Front row, left to right: Melissa Singh, Kay Agney, Libby Follis.

Second row, left to right: Jaime Rae Turnbull, Dennis Andrus, Darlene D’Amico, Michelle Agosta.

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GRANITE

CATALIN VINTELER — GRANITE SOURCE OF MICHIGAN 26530 W. 8 MILE RD., SOUTHFIELD, MI 48033 | 248-982-9103 | GRANITESOURCE@YAHOO.COM | GRANITESOURCEOFMICHIGAN.COM

With more than 17 years of experience, an eye for excellence, and an abundance of happy clients, Catalin Vinteler and his team at Granite Source of Michigan have kept a low profile while taking the stone installation and fabrication industry by storm.

Increasingly, Vinteler has partnered with many of the top designers, builders, and architects in the Detroit metropolitan area.

His stone installations have been featured in the annual Detroit

Home Design Awards competition, and his projects have frequently placed first, second, or third in their categories.

If you walk into Granite Source of Michigan, you can expect prompt and friendly service no matter what your stone fabrication and installation needs may be. For a job that’s well done and affordably priced, look no further than Catalin Vinteler and his team of expert craftsmen at Granite Source of Michigan.

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HOPE FOR DEPRESSION

DR. ANTHONY MICHAELS — BIRMINGHAM TMS 189 TOWNSEND ST., STE. 302, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 248-540-0555 | BIRMINGHAMTMS.COM

Depression doesn’t wait. Neither should your treatment.

Dr. Anthony Michaels, D.O., of Birmingham TMS, is a board-certified physician and psychiatrist who has been practicing for more than 40 years. He’s developed a patient-centered practice that emphasizes personal and individualized treatment.

Birmingham TMS now offers contactless TMS treatment in the safest environment possible. NeuroStar Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a proven, innovative, nondrug, FDA-cleared treatment option for major depression when medication isn’t providing adequate relief.

TMS activates the natural function of the brain using a noninvasive magnetic field. It’s an easy, in-office experience with few side effects. During treatment, patients are awake and alert. No hospitalization, no anesthesia, and no sedation are necessary. There are no adverse effects on alertness, memory, or sleep, and patients can resume their normal activities — including driving — immediately following TMS treatment. Medicare and most major health insurances cover TMS treatment. Call for an appointment.

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INTERIOR DESIGN DANA MOWAT — VALIA DESIGN BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 248-205-6690 | VALIADESIGN.COM DANA@VALIADESIGN.COM

Authenticity is at the heart of Dana Mowat’s success.

As owner of Valia Design, she’s devoted to designing spaces uniquely reflective of each client. “We begin each project from a clean slate,” she says. “Repetition is never part of our mission.”

Mowat’s naturally-developed design approach was honed by working with leading Chicago firms and spending 10 years as an award-winning design educator.

In business in the metro Detroit area for seven years, Valia Design has become one of the region’s top interior design firms, earning accolades locally and nationally.

“This has been a year of fulfillment,” Mowat says. “I had multiple clients contact me with heartfelt thanks for creating spaces they’ve truly enjoyed while being quarantined. It feels amazing to be appreciated for designing comfortable, beautiful rooms.”

Valia Design, a full-scale interior design firm, provides commercial and residential services of any scope.

Focusing on client collaboration, Mowat exceeds expectations, delivering uniquely functional spaces.

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INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

MERIEN DAKA DESIGN GROUP

187 S. OLD WOODWARD, STE. 250, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-804-1411 | MERIENDAKADESIGNGROUP.COM

Innovation, authenticity, and a goal to make each home distinguishable are what make Merien Daka and her designs sought-after.

Trained and educated as an interior architect, Daka’s versatility allows her to reimagine any space into an enviable part of the home.

As founder of Merien Daka Design Group, she seeks to create a vision and then execute it for each client, designing one-of-a-kind environments that are tailored to each client’s unique taste, with an emphasis on skillfully executed, flawless design.

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Daka’s versatile approach is inspired by travel, as she absorbs various cultures, architecture, and art, and introduces her clients to concepts that have moved her. Clients have described Daka as a “modern visionary” in how she approaches and executes projects, creating timeless spaces.

Her promise is that each client will receive a space that evokes warmth and comfort through fine craftsmanship, well-curated furnishings, and art that complements the home’s architecture.

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INTEGRITY IN REAL ESTATE

GWEN AND ROGER DAUBENMEYER — KELLER WILLIAMS PAINT CREEK 543 N MAIN ST., STE. 111, ROCHESTER, MI 48307 | 833-333-GWEN (4936) | THEINTEGRITYTEAM.COM

“The Integrity Team’ isn’t just our name; we chose it because it’s the foundation of everything we are and everything we do,” says Gwen Daubenmeyer, of Keller Williams Paint Creek.

After years of having built a loyal and steadily growing clientele by word-of-mouth, it was clear to Gwen and Roger Daubenmeyer that they needed to build a team to continue to deliver the level of service for which they’re known.

“Together with every hand-picked member of our team, we’ve

developed a process that delivers a fantastic hands-on experience, providing constant communication and successfully navigating every detail of a sale or purchase,” Roger says. “It isn’t our goal to list or sell a house; after 30 years, that’s not a challenge anymore.”

The Daubenmeyers and their Integrity Team are known for their ability to interpret current market trends, forecast coming trends, strategize marketing, and shrewdly negotiate — the things that make real estate fun and exciting!

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LINGERIE

LISA HARDY HAMILL & KIM HARDY HICKSON — HARP’S LINGERIE 265 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-642-2555 | HARPS-LINGERIE.COM

A customized fit and extraordinary lingerie are the secrets to a happy customer. Keeping the tradition alive, the granddaughters of Betty Harp, founder of Harp’s Lingerie — Lisa Hardy Hamill and Kim Hardy Hickson — know that what you wear underneath your outfit is just as important as the clothes themselves.

Lingerie determines your silhouette and your comfort, ensuring you’ll look and feel your best. At Harp’s Lingerie, you’re showered with excellent customer service and fit perfectly for undergarments

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that will accentuate your figure. Harp’s carries a wide variety of intimate apparel for your everyday, bridal, and special occasion needs.

Hard-to-fit sizes are Harp’s specialty; they carry band sizes from 32-54 and cup sizes from AA-N. Experience the Harp’s difference and see why, for more than 70 years, they’ve proudly earned the loyalty of generations and repeat customers. Harp’s strives to make everyone feel beautiful and special when they walk out the door, just as Mrs. Harp did so well.

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LUXURY BUILDING AND REMODELING

DAVID S. COMPO — COMPO BUILDERS INC.

42700 W. 10 MILE RD., NOVI, MI 48375 | 248-513-4170 | COMPOINC.COM

At the age of 12, David Compo began to refine his skills in architectural drawing. By 15, he was handling the working plans for his parents’ building company, and at 17 he was named the top architectural student in Michigan. Today, he’s the 2020 president of the HBA and his accolades include Builder of the Year and Developer of the Year. Compo has overseen the construction of more than 1,000 luxury west-side homes and remodeling projects.

He’s also been a 20-year real estate broker; his company, Compo Brokerage, LLC, services building clients in land acquisition, selling their existing home, and finding rentals, and represents others in buying and selling real estate in southeast Michigan.

Compo Builders recently completed a state-of-the-art ranch model, The Lisa, in the Dunhill Park community in Novi. The award-winning home features cutting-edge technology and will be featured on the cover of the Parade of Homes magazine.

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LOVING YOUR SMILE

MICHAEL E. SIMONY, D.D.S. & ASSOCIATES 41700 HAYES RD., STE. D, CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI 48038 | 586-263-9300 | OFFICE@DRSIMONY.COM | DRSIMONY.COM

Dr. Michael E. Simony says his focus is to improve real people’s health.

That’s why each member of Simony Dental Group is educated and passionate about the care their patients receive.

“I’m also passionate about improving my patients’ confidence to smile,” Dr. Simony says. “Smiles must be created and designed very uniquely and dynamically. Really beautiful smiles are made through calculations around the flow of someone’s lips, and in consideration of how emotions affect the

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posture of the mouth.”

Dr. Simony explains it’s important to measure and quantify the lips and posture of the mouth so that close-up conversations, where light reflection, translucence, shape, symmetry and how the teeth match the curvature of the lips in a delicate, real way, are complemented by a terrific smile.

“Each face is different,” he says, “but each result is the same. I want to make sure my patients end up loving their smile.”

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LUXURY REAL ESTATE

JILL LASKEY — HALL & HUNTER REALTORS 442 S. OLD WOODWARD, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-703-7906 | JILLLASKEY.COM

With her innovative approach to marketing and her vast knowledge of the ever-changing real estate market, Jill Laskey is an award-winning Realtor who consistently delivers results to her clients.

Laskey was raised in Windsor and has lived all over the world, including Ferndale and Birmingham, Mich., as well as Gothenburg, Sweden; Copenhagen, Denmark; Charlotte, N.C.; and Neenah, Wis. She’s a true relocation guru who uses her personal experience to help newcomers seamlessly transition into the metro Detroit area.

In the past five years, Laskey has closed more than 325 houses, totaling more than $75 million in sales. The secret to her success is simple: She focuses on building long-lasting relationships with her clients based on trust and mutual respect. She employs empathy and intuition to successfully navigate through the sometimes overwhelming process of buying/selling a home.

When she’s not busy selling real estate, Laskey and her three teenage boys enjoy spending time with family and friends.

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NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES THE LOFT WAREHOUSE 3434 RUSSELL ST., STE. 101, DETROIT, MI 48207 313-658-6400 | BHHSTLW.COM

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | The Loft Warehouse are THE experts in condo and new – home residential development in metro Detroit. Their management team, consisting of MBA’s, engineers, project managers, and developers, has over 100 years of combined development experience.

Their current condo development listings include: North Corktown 11, Fort Shelby Residences, The Saint Charles Collection, Brush 8, EcoHomes, Fisher Kahn, Jardins St. Paul, Lafayette West, and many more in the pipeline. Twice a year, they publish a comprehensive, proprietary Detroit Condo Market Report, showing data on local buyer trends, price evolution and absorption rates. Its an essential tool for developers, investors, and banks.

Whether you are a developer/ investor launching a brand new, or condo conversion project, or a buyer or seller, consult with the BHHS – Loft Warehouse team early in your planning. Their real estate marketing, sales, and project management expertise allows you to Build with Confidence, and achieve your real estate goals. Visit bhhstlw.com/Build.

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MORTGAGE BANKING

HARRY GLANZ & DAN BURKE — CAPITAL MORTGAGE FUNDING 17170 W. TWELVE MILE RD., SOUTHFIELD, MI 48076 | 248-569-7283 | CAPITALMORTGAGEFUNDING.COM

Since its inception in 1992, Capital Mortgage Funding has been a leader in Michigan’s mortgage banking industry. Led by co-founders Harry Glanz and Dan Burke, two of the state’s most well-respected mortgage banking luminaries, the company is driven by a simple but very effective philosophy. “We’re a relationship-driven organization; our focus is on our clients’ experience and making the process as smooth as possible,” says Glanz.

During this unprecedented time, the company continues to deliver top-notch personalized service safely to its clients’ homes. Glanz

and Burke take great pride in the steps their mortgage bankers are taking to accommodate their clients’ purchase and refinance activity through Zoom meeting technology.

CMF specializes in residential loans and does them everywhere.

The company proudly celebrates its 28th anniversary in 2020. Capital Mortgage Funding is powered by Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.

NMLS No. 2289. Equal Housing Lender. Harry Glanz, President/CoFounder NMLS#61034. Dan Burke, VP Area Manager/Co-Founder NMLS#61101.

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NORTHERN MICHIGAN REAL ESTATE

PATRICK LEAVY — KIDD & LEAVY REAL ESTATE 325 E. LAKE ST., PETOSKEY, MI 49770 | 231-838-6700 | PATLEAVY.COM

For more than 21 years, Pat Leavy has been helping families create memories in beautiful northern Michigan. With boundless energy, perseverance, and a great staff, Leavy has become the No. 1 agent in northern Michigan, with more than $250 million in sales in the past three years.

Leavy doesn’t just show houses; he introduces clients to the sandiest waterfront, the cottage on Walloon Lake with a storied history, his secret morel hunting ground, or his favorite bartender.

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He believes a home Up North is a lifestyle, not just a house.

If your objective is to sell your property, Leavy has attained the leading position as the Realtor of choice for top properties in Petoskey, Bay Harbor, Walloon Lake, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, and Boyne City.

Whether you’re looking for a home up north or selling, begin your conversation with Pat Leavy, a true expert in northern Michigan real estate.

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ORTHOPEDIC EXCELLENCE

THE CORE INSTITUTE

26750 PROVIDENCE PKWY. STE. 200, NOVI, MI 48374 | 248-349-7015 | THECOREINSTITUTE.COM

Superior outcomes, proven results, and a world-class team that cares about each and every patient. That’s what makes The CORE Institute one of Michigan’s leading orthopedic practices, and it’s why they have five stars — the top rating from The Physician Alliance — to prove it.

The CORE Institute’s physicians are recognized nationally as leaders

in specialties ranging from total joint replacement, sports medicine, spine care to pain management and rehabilitation.

Patients know that The CORE Institute delivers quality care, which is why they choose them when they want to Keep Life In Motion®. Visit their locations in Novi, Brighton, and Southfield.

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PET PEOPLE APPAREL

TEMERIA HEARD — SWAGGLES!

3031 W. GRAND BLVD., STE. 505B, DETROIT, MI 48202 | 313-259-2800 | SWAGGLES.COM

Founded in 2019 by Temeria Heard, — Swaggles supports organizations that provide protection, compassion, and forever homes to dogs in need. Swaggles offers unique apparel and accessories, and donates a percentage of its profits to anti-cruelty and anti-animal abuse causes.

Swaggles’ core mission is to support organizations and causes that are dedicated to animal rescues. The company believes it’s important for dogs to have the compassion and protection that’s

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needed for their overall healing.

Because Heard believes so much in the brand, Swaggles has trademarked its paw image and the words featured on the company’s initial three designs: “Compassion,” “Protect,” and “Detroit.” Heard and her team like to say “The paw is the brand.”

Please join Swaggles’ efforts in supporting organizations that rescue dogs all over the world. Visit swaggles.com today!

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PAIN MANAGEMENT

PAIN FREE LIFE CENTERS

TROY, MI | 248-879-1100 | PAINFREELIFECENTERS.COM

With a decade of experience in Laser Therapy, Jeff Morton and Pain Free Life Centers in Troy have been the pioneers in noninvasive, drug-free pain management. “We’ve focused exclusively on Laser Therapy from Day One. We’re the only center that’s dedicated to High Intensity-High Dose Laser Therapy. Other pain management centers using low-level lasers simply don’t have the equipment or experience to generate photobiomodulation, the key requirement necessary to yield effective results,” Morton says.

Pain Free Life Centers’ results speak for themselves. “The thing that gets

me out of bed in the morning is the fact that I know I’m going to help provide somebody a better quality of life. That’s what drives me — every patient, every time,” he says.

As director of Pain Free Life Centers in Troy, Morton is uniquely aware that pain never takes a day off. That fact was driven home with the recent COVID-19 crisis. Morton is so confident in what they do, the initial consultation and first treatment are free. “You have nothing to lose but your pain,” he says.

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PERIODONTICS

JOSEPH R. NEMETH, D.D.S. & ASSOCIATES

29829 TELEGRAPH RD., STE. 111, SOUTHFIELD, MI 48034 248-357-3100 | DRNEMETH.COM

Joseph R. Nemeth, D.D.S., is a specialist in the field of periodontics (gum diseases) and has served patients throughout Michigan for more than 25 years. As one of the area’s foremost experts in periodontics, Dr. Nemeth has played a major role in applying innovative medical and technological advances to current periodontal practice. He is committed to excellence and dedicated to helping patients achieve their best possible dental health.

As the first periodontist in the country to use dental lasers and the first periodontist in Michigan to be certified in the minimally invasive Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation Technique for gum recession, Dr. Nemeth strives to incorporate the latest technologies and procedures in his practice for the benefit of his patients. State-of-the-art procedures available include less invasive laser treatment for gum disease, the breakthrough Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation Technique for gum recession, gum reshaping procedures for smile makeovers, and dental implants for missing teeth. Call 248-357-3100 today for an appointment.

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PET GROOMING BRIAN LANE AND HELEN QUINN, OWNERS BINGO PET SALON 719 E 11 MILE RD., ROYAL OAK, MI 48067 248-544-7424 | INFO@BINGOPETSALON.COM

Bingo Pet Salon has served Royal Oak and the surrounding communities for almost a decade. Bingo, one of the area’s premier pet groomers, offers full-service pet grooming for all breeds of dogs and cats. It also provides services to local rescues and shelters.

Owners Brian Lane and Helen Quinn pride themselves on being more than just a grooming shop. Since 2014, Bingo, along with its sister company, the Bingo Institute of Grooming, has provided more than 750 free grooms for local rescues and shelters. Bingo has also donated hundreds of grooms to fundraising events sponsored by local community groups.

“Our staff is always up for making our community better,” says Lane, who has served as a “Real Men Wear Pink” ambassador for breast cancer awareness, run marathons as a guide for the blind, and encourages his staff to speak out for social justice. “We’re not just a groom shop; we’re part of the community.”

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PLASTIC SURGERY

DR. ELAN REISIN — STAR PLASTIC SURGERY 44050 W. 12 MILE RD., NOVI, MI 48377 | 248-735-3800 | MYSTARDR.COM

Your health and beauty are in exceptional hands with Star Plastic Surgery in Novi. Dr. Elan Reisin, M.D., F.A.C.S., and his team of surgeons have completed more than 15,000 cosmetic surgeries.

Dr. Reisin, Medical Director at Star Plastic Surgery, is a multiyear Hour Detroit Top Doc honoree. Dr. Reisin is board-certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery, and has received numerous national awards. After five years of serving as an attending physician and teaching surgical residents at the prestigious

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Georgetown University Hospital Department of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Reisin decided to create Star Plastic Surgery, a pre-eminent, state-of-the-art AAAHC surgical center and medical spa.

As a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Dr. Reisin has traveled internationally to learn from top plastic surgeons. He has also given back through philanthropic trips to the Dominican Republic to treat children with congenital and traumatic deformities.

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PREMIER INTERIORS

MEG CORLEY — MEG CORLEY PREMIER INTERIORS 968 E. MAPLE RD., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-303-5443 | MEGCORLEY.COM

Attention to detail, transparency, and high-end design are of the utmost importance to Meg Corley when working with any client. That’s why she created Meg Corley Premier Interiors, which encompasses her 18 years of experience in the design industry. Corley builds long-lasting relationships with her clientele, who reside in cities such as Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, and Grosse Pointe, as well as Naples, Fla. Corley offers 3-D renderings on all her projects, which helps facilitate her clients’ visions and gives a purpose for interior

architecture that’s elegant and timeless. Transforming and evolving design from a blank canvas is her true passion on new construction and large renovation projects alike.

Blume Collective in Birmingham is her collaborative studio, where other interior design companies share studio space. It’s also a supplier of custom furnishings. Corley has received numerous design awards and has been featured in Architectural Digest, Detroit Home, and Better Homes and Gardens.

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PREVENTION

KOLENDER MEDICAL — BRIAN KOLENDER, M.D. 31500 TELEGRAPH RD., STE. 130, BINGHAM FARMS, MI 48025 1274 LIBRARY, STE. 302, DETROIT, MI 48226 | 248-866-KOLENDER

A look at the statistics of the hospital admissions and the death toll as it became apparent that the coronavirus was a behemoth we were woefully unprepared to conquer begs the question: Why were we so unhealthy as a nation that our innate immune system failed?

An indigenous inflammatory profile left us with no option but to hide until the experts came up with a vaccine. The rude awakening for those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and other 102

co-morbidities left thousands sequestered and fearful of their options.

Brian Kolender, M.D., an internal medicine physician and one of the very few specialists in prevention, cautions it’s time to no longer accept the inevitability of chronic disease. “Heart attack and stroke are 100 percent preventable,” he says with unparalleled conviction, “but the patient has to take the first step in joining a practice where the relationship with the doctor is a journey of sustainable health.” © Annemarie Cronin Agency

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PRISTINE SMILES

DR. ABDULLAH SAYED, D.D.S. , M.S. — PRISTINE PERIODONTICS AND IMPLANTS 2425 E. LINCOLN ST., STE. 100, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 248-901-0000 | PRISTINEPERIOIMPLANTS.COM

Upon walking through the front door at Pristine Periodontics and Implants — a gorgeous, modern building in Birmingham — Dr. Abdullah Sayed and his team of specialists will instantly put you at ease.

Dr. Sayed is a pioneer in his field, and one of the most highly educated and talented surgical specialists in Michigan. He’s a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and on the faculty at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Dr. Sayed has placed more than 7,000 dental implants, and his patients are able to enjoy a lifetime of pristine smiles as a result.

Dr. Sayed is committed to using cutting-edge technology to achieve the best results for his patients.

“My passion is seeing the profound positive impact our work has on each patient’s quality of life,” he says. “Innovations in gum and bone regeneration and placement of dental implants allow our patients to smile confidently and enjoy the simple pleasure of eating.”

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REAL ESTATE EXCELLENCE CINDY KAHN — HALL & HUNTER REALTORS 442 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 248-568-7309 | CINDYKAHN.COM

Cindy Kahn has lived in Michigan most of her life. In fact, she and her husband raised their two daughters in the same community where she has dedicated her life to marketing and selling the finest residential properties in southeast Michigan.

Kahn’s reputation for honesty and perseverance, together with her market knowledge, have led to a long and growing list of referral business. Her dedication to clients is shared by her assistant, Elaina Ryder, and the entire Hall & Hunter team; their professionalism is obvious from the beginning through to the end of all transactions.

There’s a simple reason why Kahn has been Hall & Hunter Realtors’ Top Producer 2016-2019, continues to be an area top agent year after year, and is among the top 1 percent of Realtors nationwide: She’s devoted to helping clients meet their objectives in a discrete and professional manner. Kahn is an extraordinary agent who provides extraordinary results.

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RESTORATION

ELLEN A. JANETZKE, M.D., PC 60 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE. 100 BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48304 248-220-6760 | DRELLEN.COM

An accomplished plastic surgeon, Dr. Ellen Janetzke offers the most current surgical and nonsurgical options so you can look your very best.

Dr. Ellen is one of few female surgeons specializing in breast and abdominal surgeries. Breast augmentations, breast lifts, and breast reductions enhance the appearance of the breast, while breast reconstruction restores a feminine profile.

Women who want to improve their figure postpregnancy often come to Dr. Ellen for a Mommy Makeover — a customized series of surgical techniques addressing the abdominal area and the breasts. Tummy tucks and liposuction appeal to both women and men who want an aesthetically pleasing body shape. Dr. Ellen also performs male breast reduction for those with gynecomastia.

Prior to performing any cosmetic treatment, Dr. Ellen and her qualified staff will thoroughly explain the procedure. Their skills ensure exceptional results.

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SAME-DAY CROWNS DR. DOLORES J. BARAN, D.D.S. AND ASSOCIATES 1103 N. MAIN ST., STE. A, ROYAL OAK, MI 48067 248-548-1440 | ROYALOAKSMILES.COM

Cerec Technology is a CAD system that can make a crown or cap for patients in the same visit, meaning there’s no need for messy impressions or painful temporaries. Dr. Dolores J. Baran has been using this technology for more than 15 years. Dedicated, innovative, and astute are words that patients have used to describe Dr. Baran.

A graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Dr. Baran and her team perform all dental procedures (including sleep dentistry, dental implant placement and restoration, and root canals) in-office.

She’s also well known for her cosmetic work, including veneers and Invisalign.

Call for a complimentary consultation.

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WATERFRONT REAL ESTATE

TONY & RENEE DEKROUB — RE/MAX PLATINUM

6870 GRAND RIVER AVE., BRIGHTON, MI 48114 | 866-945-1920 | THEDEKROUBTEAM.COM

Renee and Tony DeKroub are leaders and successful business entrepreneurs. Renee has been honored as a Real Estate All-Star — one of the top 5 percent of Realtors in metro Detroit — and is prepared to make your next move flawless.

Their energy, easygoing style, knowledge of the area, and real estate expertise make them the ideal choice. They also have a strong presence in the community.

From the start of her career as a legal secretary to becoming the

president of the Legal Secretary Association, Renee has continually proven her excellence. In 1991, she founded Advanced Medical Solutions, a home medical equipment company with seven offices and more than 50 employees. Thanks to a great team and her partner, Tony, Advanced Medical Solutions has become a strong business, allowing her to pursue her dream career in real estate.

Renee and Tony DeKroub would be honored to the have the privilege of handling your next move!

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SPORTS AND FITNESS CHIROPRACTIC

DR. SCOTT SIEGEL, DC, CSCS, CPT AND DR. CAITLIN SIEGEL, DC SIEGEL CHIROPRACTIC 21641 ALLEN RD., WOODHAVEN, MI 48183 | 734-362-7500 | SIEGELCLINIC.COM

Having trained and competed in hundreds of endurance events, this father-daughter duo understands the importance of proper body alignment to athletes. Together they operate Siegel Chiropractic in Woodhaven, where they not only offer manual chiropractic adjustments, but also many of the latest techniques for treatment, recovery, and performance enhancement.

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certification in the Graston technique, Active Release Technique (ART), kinesiotaping, personal training, and strength and conditioning.

They also offer compression boots, cold laser therapy, and spinal decompression, and have four massage therapists on staff.

Whether you’re just beginning your fitness journey or you’re focused on achieving your personal best, you want a doctor who understands your needs and is committed to keeping you in the game.

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SAME-DAY IMPLANT SOLUTIONS

RAMI JANDALI, D.M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P. — DENTAL REHABILITATION CENTER 26699 W 12 MILE RD., STE. 200, SOUTHFIELD, MI 48034 | 248-626-6526 | 248-626-6529 (FAX) | WHENYOUSMILE.US

As a board-certified specialist in prosthodontics, Dr. Rami Jandali oversees the only facility in Michigan with the technology necessary for same-day, full-mouth implant solutions.

This technology includes a 5-axis milling machine for implant restorations, a face scanner for digital smile design, a 3-D printer, and a CT scanner. “While some offices have one or two of these components, we integrated all of them under one roof. This gives us full control of the treatment workflow, all with the precision of digital

technology,” Dr. Jandali says.

At the Dental Rehabilitation Center, patients with significant dental problems including failed bridges and root canals, gum disease, or dentures discover options that offer immediate solutions.

“We give patients a new chance with permanent implants that feel and look like healthy teeth. Many patients tell us they wish they’d done this years sooner,” Dr. Jandali says. “We don’t just change patients’ smiles; we give them their life back.”

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CHEF’S TIPS & TECHNIQUES Q&A

Let’s Go out for Dinner!

When Michigan restaurants were given the go-ahead to reopen in early June, there was a deep sigh of relief. During the COVID-19 shutdown, we spent more time in the kitchen preparing time-honored, family-favorite dishes. These attempts to elevate our culinary skills achieved both mouthwatering success and unpalatable failure. When we needed something different, we traveled to our favorite restaurants for curbside pickup and we

Q:

ordered home delivery. While the food was delicious, we craved the experience of eating out with friends and family.

As the state has limited seating to 50 percent of a facility’s capacity, many metro Detroit restaurant owners have added tables to expand patios or take advantage of parking lots. Several communities have closed downtown streets on weekends (or longer) so restaurants can serve more customers outdoors.

Safety is a priority. Tables must be 6 feet apart, restaurants are continuously sanitized and cleaned, staff are screened, and they wear personal protection equipment. You’ll likely see plexiglass counter shields and, in some establishments, plexiglass between booths.

Restaurants will continue curbside pickup and delivery, but let’s eat out before summer slips away. ■

What makes 900 Degrees Pizzeria Bistro different from other Italian restaurants?

A: At 900 Degrees Pizzeria Bistro, prepare for an authentic Italian dining experience. Their executive chef created genuine Italian dishes in Florence for 15 years, and now shares a variety of his recipes at 900 Degrees.

With an Italian heritage, the team at 900 Degrees is proud of the high quality and freshness of the

ingredients they use to enhance the flavors of their dishes.

The restaurant’s pastas are freshly handmade daily, and they use quality seafood that’s wild-caught and always fresh.

Shellfish are used in many of 900 Degrees’ risottos, spaghettis, and appetizers. To get the freshest fish, each item is hand-picked.

Their 30- to 45-day dry-aged Angus beef filets highlight the quality of products 900 Degrees uses. They’re proud to invest in the freshness and source of the products they serve their customers — and that pairs perfectly with the authenticity their chef brings to all of the restaurant’s Italian dishes.

900 Degrees Pizzeria Bistro Sal Parisi General Manager 50925 Hayes Rd. Shelby Township, MI 48315 586-884-4739 900pizzeria.com 900pizzeria@gmail.com

AUGUST 2020

Restaurant Guide Highlands’ Wagyu Beef Tartare topped with smoked egg yolk and pickled shallot, and served with marrow toast.

YO U R C O M P R E H E N S I V E RESOURCE FOR DINING OUT IN METRO DETROIT

C OV I D -1 9 U P DAT E

Shortly before press time, the state’s stayat-home order was lifted, allowing restaurants to resume service with some restrictions. Please call the numbers listed here to verify hours and space availability.

WAYNE

lights include the pork shoulder, a steak sandwich, and a trout Reuben. There’s also a handful of thin-crust pizzas. Salads are sized to be main dishes. Beer and wine are part of the package (there or to go). 1049 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-285-8006. B,L,D daily.

AMERICAN Apparatus Room $$$$ NEW AMERICAN • The Foundation Hotel’s restaurant, the Apparatus Room, once housed the Detroit Fire Department headquarters.

The cooking of chef Thomas Lents, who earned two Michelin stars while at Chicago’s Sixteen, is refined and highly skilled. A separate Chef’s Table restaurant offers a pricey but delicious option. 250 W. Larned St., Detroit; 313-800-5600.

B,L,D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. Avalon Café and Bakery $$ ORGANIC BAKERY • The bakery’s mini-empire includes a café on Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

Its bread is also the basis for dishes such as Avocado Toast with tahini, thinly curled cucumbers, lime, and chili flakes. Vegetarian fare includes a frittata oozing with goat cheese. Meatier high-

Family-friendly

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE VAUGHN

Dog-friendly

Babo $ NEW AMERICAN • This all-day café settled into the Midtown Park Shelton building in June 2019, serving elevated comfort food made from local, small-batch producers. The self-described gourmet diner offers espresso drinks and such dishes as Avocado Toast, Chilaquiles, Pasta al Limone, and the Babo Burger, which features a challah bun from Avalon Bakery. 15 E. Kirby St., Ste. 115, Detroit; 313-974-6159. B,L,D daily.

Baker’s Keyboard Lounge $$ SOUL FOOD • This iconic lounge serves soul food: beef short ribs with gravy, creamy mac and cheese, collard greens, and sweet cornbread muffins. 20510 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-3456300. L Tue.-Fri., D daily.

Valet

Reservations

Bash Original Izakaya $ JAPANESE • A new Japanese pub from the proprietor of Canton’s popular Izakaya Sanpei opened its doors in Woodbridge in January.

Occupying the former home of Katsu, Bash maintains much of that eatery’s Asian-inspired décor, such as hanging lanterns and bamboo shades. Bash’s drink menu focuses on Japanese craft beer, while the food menu of small plates and sashimi includes Gyoza, Tempura Udon, and fried octopus balls called Tako Yaki. 5069 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313-788-7208; D Tue.-Sun. Bobcat Bonnie’s $ GASTROPUB • The menu is eclectic, with fried goat cheese, Korean beef bowl, vegan tacos, and chicken fingers coated with Cap’n Crunch.

The weekend brunch with a Bloody Mary bar and all the classics is a hit. 1800 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-962-1383. L,D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. 240 W Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-677-0158.

L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun. Brome Modern Eatery $ BURGERS • This healthy spin on a classic serves never-frozen, grass-fed, antibiotic-free, organic

E N T R É E P R I C ES

burgers. There’s beef, chicken, haddock, and vegetarian dishes — but no pork, as the restaurant is halal. There’s also a cold-pressed juice bar.

22062 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-996-5050.

L,D Mon.-Sun. Brooklyn Street Local $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • This Corktown spot serves breakfast, lunch, and brunch with fresh, locally grown, and organic ingredients. It lists its sources on a chalkboard and is vegan-friendly.

Poutine — hand-cut fries, cheese curds, and mushroom or beef gravy — is the tip-off that the proprietors are from Canada. 1266 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-262-6547. B,L Tue.-Fri., BR Sat.-Sun. Capers $ STEAKHOUSE • This is the type of place longtime Detroit natives describe like an old friend.

On Gratiot Avenue between Seven and Eight Mile roads, this place has been packing them in for nearly 35 years. There’s a massive a-la-carte menu, but the main draw is steak by the ounce, at market price. 14726 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-527-2100. L,D Mon.-Sat., D Sun.

$ Affordable (less than $12)

$$ Moderate ($13 to $20)

$$$ Expensive ($21 to $30)

$$$$ Very Expensive (more than $30)

AUGUST 2020 // HOURDETROIT.COM 111

R ESTAURA N T LISTIN GS // AUGUST 2020

Caucus Club $$$ TRADITIONAL AMERICAN • The reborn spot emphasizes service and a traditional steak and seafood theme, with such tasty signature dishes as dry-rubbed and wood-grilled ribs, prime rib, and steaks. 150 W. Congress, Detroit; 313-9654970. L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat. Central Kitchen & Bar $$ CREATIVE COMFORT • The space facing Campus Martius is done up in gray and white under industrial light fixtures. Crowd-pleasers include buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits, burgers, and salads. 660 Woodward Ave., Ste. 4A, Detroit; 313963-9000. L,D Mon.-Fri., BR, D Sat., BR Sun. Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails $$ NEW AMERICAN • Generally, there are five “cold” starters, five offerings from the “vegetables” category, and six “hot” items that could be considered main dishes, including duck confit and Lake Superior whitefish. The wine list is brief and esoteric. 15 E. Kirby St., Detroit; 313-818-3915.

L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun. Chili Mustard Onions $ VEGAN • This is Detroit’s only Coney Island with a completely plant-based menu. Choose from a selection of traditional favorites including the Coney Dog, Southwest Nachos, and chili fries, all complete with owner Pete LaCombe’s secret vegan “cheeze” sauce. 3411 Brush St., Detroit; 313462-4949. L Mon.-Sat.

Dime Store $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • This breakfast/lunch spot adds just the right retro touch to a contemporary American menu typified by omelets and Benedicts early in the day. 719 Griswold St., Ste. 180, Detroit; 313-962-9106. B,L Mon.-Sun. Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe $$$ GASTROPUB • A jazz club with top guest musicians and an American bistro menu in a traditional interior. Starters include crab and salt cod cakes, pan-fried calamari with chorizo and Korean beef rib. 97 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-882-5299. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. Empire Kitchen and Cocktails $$ NEW AMERICAN • This relaxed Cass Corridor eatery with patio seating serves artisan pizzas and new American bistro fare. Highlights include scallops, Empire Burger, and white pizza.

3148 Woodward Ave.,Detroit; 313-315-3131. empirekitchenandcocktails.com Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café $$ NEW ORLEANIAN • New Orleans dishes including jambalaya, muffulettas, and fried catfish beignets. Come for breakfast, lunch, dinner, happy hour, or carry-out. 400 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-965-4600. 29244 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-351-2925. 23722 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-498-3000. B,L,D (downtown), L,D Southfield and St. Clair Shores. BR at all three.

Ford’s Garage $$ BURGERS • Henry Ford’s legacy is celebrated on Dearborn’s main thoroughfare. There are at least 12 variations on the classic American burger. Other appealing dishes include lobster mac and cheese, and chicken wings. 21367 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-752-3673. L,D daily.

Grand Trunk Pub $ NEW AMERICAN • Breads from Avalon Bakery and meats from Eastern Market anchor the hearty fare, which pairs well with a selection of Michigan beers. Staples include a reuben with Poet Stout Kraut and the Ghettoblaster beer-battered fish and chips. 612 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-9613043.; L,D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. Green Dot Stables $ NEW AMERICAN • The menu of sliders — with 20-plus eclectic bun toppings, including Cuban, Korean, and “mystery meat” — packs in fans.

Local beers are spotlighted along with chicken paprika soup, a nod to the neighborhood’s Hungarian origins. 2200 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit; 313-962-5588. L,D daily.

Grey Ghost $$ NEW AMERICAN • The cuisine at this Brush Park hotspot isn’t easily defined, but the results are original and well-prepared. For example, the miso glazed cedar plank salmon, and lump crab cake served with a honey mustard remoulade sauce from their Ghost To-Go pickup menu. 47 Watson St., Detroit; 313-262-6534. D daily. BR Sun.

Highlands $$$ STEAKHOUSE/NEW AMERICAN • Occupying the top two floors of the Renaissance Center, Highlands comprises three separate concepts.

A steakhouse of the same name provides a high-end dining experience, while the more casual Hearth 71 serves locally sourced dishes cooked over an open fire. The third concept within the space is the appropriately named High Bar, where guests can choose from a vast collection of spirits and decadent desserts. 400 Renaissance Center, Floors 71 and 72, Detroit; 313-567-3126; D Mon.-Sat. The Hill Seafood & Chop House $$ TRADITIONAL AMERICAN • The menu is balanced between seafood and meat, with an emphasis on premium ingredients and organic produce. Swordfish, prime New York strip, and Colorado lamb chops are signatures. 123 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-886-8101. L,D Mon.-Sat. The Hudson Cafe $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • The fresh, well-prepared fare from the kitchen of this breakfast/lunch spot has creative takes on the eggs Benedict theme, pecan-banana pancakes, and apple-walnut stuffed French toast, as well as lunchtime sandwiches and salads. One of our favorite brunch spots downtown. 1241 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-237-1000. B,L daily.

Cliff Bell’s $$ EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • This restored Art Deco hotspot offers small plates such as duck wings “a l’orange,” and savory merguez meatballs and artisinal burrata. Large plates include shrimp and grits and steak frites. Jazz prevails on the bandstand. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit; 313-961-2543. D Tue.-Sun., BR Sun. Detroit Club $$$$ FRENCH-AMERICAN • The formerly shuttered Detroit Club was magnificently restored before reopening in 2018 — and now, the public is invited.

It now operates as a boutique hotel, serving a light breakfast and full lunch and dinner. The old dining room, known as the Grille Room, looks very much as it did more than three decades ago. The food is excellent, as is the service. 712 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-338-3222. L,D Daily.

Detroit Soul $ SOUL FOOD• A hidden gem in the city’s East Side.

Detroit Soul serves its namesake with a healthy twist. Owners Sam Van Buren and Jerome Brown draw from the recipes of their grandparents, who relocated to Detroit from Alabama in the 1940s.

The turkey is a standout. This is the kind of place that every soul-food lover must visit. 2900 E. Eight Mile Road, Detroit; 313-366-5600. L,D Tue.-Sun. Detroit Vegan Soul $ VEGAN • The popular spot offers your classic soul food favorites but with plant-based twists — mac and cheese, maple-glazed yams, collard greens, and interpretations of catfish and pepper steak.

8029 Agnes St., Detroit; 313-649-2759. L Tue.Sun., D Wed.-Sat. 19614 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-766-5728. BR Sun.

Cork & Gabel’s The Mayflower Ricotta Donuts are rolled in cinnamon sugar, topped with Bavarian cream, and garnished with mint.

1 1 2 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE VAUGHN

DINING & NIGHTLIFE Marketplace

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R ESTAURA N T LISTIN GS // AUGUST 2020

R E S TAU R A N T O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 1 Iridescence $$$$ UPSCALE AMERICAN • A stylish white-linen restaurant, with a 16-story view from the top of the MotorCity Casino Hotel. The menu varies with the seasons. Check out the glass-fronted mechanical wine vault and the huge Dale Chihuly-like glass panels flanking the open kitchen. A place for a special evening. 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-237-6732. D Wed.-Sun. Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails $$$ NEW AMERICAN • This black woman-owned restaurant was founded by Nya Marshall to bring fine dining to the East Jefferson Corridor where she grew up. The spot serves New American fare with international influences in a modern, elevated space bathed in neutral tones. The Mezcal Wings with pickled jalapeño and cilantro bring a Mexican kick to the table, while dishes like the Shrimp Linguine Pomodoro contribute European flavors. 9215 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-332-0607; D Daily

R E S TAU R A N T O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 2 Joe Muer Seafood $$$$ SEAFOOD • This reborn Detroit legend is stellar for a romantic evening or a quiet business lunch or dinner. Located on the main floor of the GMRenCen, it has sweeping views of the Detroit River and a menu that walks the line between oldtime favorites and hipper Asian-influenced seafood, sushi and raw bar. There’s also a Bloomfield Hills location. There are reminders of the past as well: white-bean relish, smoked fish spread, creamed spinach, and stewed tomatoes. A true Detroit classic. 400 Renaissance Center, Ste. 1404, Detroit; 313-567-6837. L Mon.-Fri., D daily, BR Sun. 39475 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; 248-7929609. L,D Mon.-Sat., BR,D Sun. Jolly Pumpkin $$ BREWERY • Jolly Pumpkin’s brews rule the offerings, along with other Northern United Brewing Co. beverages, such as North Peak and Grizzly Peak beers and “Civilized Spirits.” Pizzas with creative toppings abound. 441 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 313-262-6115. 419 S. Main St., Ste. 9, Royal Oak; 248-544-6250. L,D daily.

Karl’s $$ AMERICAN • The luncheonette is part two of the Siren Hotel’s partnership with Lady of the House Executive Chef Kate Williams. Inspired by the East Side bakery of the same name that Williams’ great-great grandparents once owned, the menu features diner staples. 1509 Broadway St., Detroit; 313-855-2757. B,L,D daily.

Karl’s Cabin $$ AMERICAN • Dishes from their currently rotating drive-through menu such as pecan crust whitefish and beef tenderloin medallions with sautéed shrimp and bearnaise sauce surpass typical roadhouse food. 6005 Gotfredson Rd., Plymouth; 734455-8450. L,D daily.

The Kitchen by Cooking with Que $$ VEGAN • This eatery created by Detroit-based cooking blogger Quiana Broden serves lunches of smoothies, salads, and sandwiches. Broden also often offers live cooking demonstrations. 6529 Woodward Ave., Ste. A, Detroit; 313-462-4184. L Tue.-Sun.

1 1 4 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

Karl’s Shrimp Boil features a brothy pot of corn, potatoes, and dill.

Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles $ SOUTHERN COMFORT • Several recipes, including a signature thin waffle, are family-owned at exNFL player Ron Bartell’s spot. Think comfort food kicked up a notch: fried catfish, salmon croquettes, shrimp and grits, and biscuits. Drink the Kool-Aid, too. 19345 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313861-0229. B,L,D Tue.-Sat., B,L Sun. Le Culture Cafe $$ SOUL • Eastern Market’s Le Culture Cafe is bridging fine-dining with comfort food. Start with the Maryland crab cakes, then the Mamba Chicken Pasta or the Lobster & Crab Grilled Cheese. 1428 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-285-8137. D Tue.-Sun. Lady of the House $$$ NEW AMERICAN • This Corktown restaurant combines subtle Irish influences with hyper-localized ingredients. Each meal begins with a seasonal teaand-cracker service, followed by a menu featuring snout-to-tail butchering, housemade charcuterie, and shareable entrées. 1426 Bagley, Detroit; 313818-0218. D Tues.-Sun. London Chop House $$ STEAKHOUSE • The kitchen turns out classics such as oysters Rockefeller, French onion soup, and sautéed perch. This is the place to come when you need to satisfy a craving for steak in elegant surroundings with hospitable service. 155 W. Congress St., Detroit; 313-962-0277. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat.

Lovers Only $ BURGERS • The star at Lovers Only, located in downtown’s Capitol Park, is pasture-raised beef from Ferndale’s Farm Field Table. Other key ingredients, including baked goods, are local as well.

There’s also craft cocktails and beer. 34 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-986-1174. L,D daily.

Lumen Detroit $$ NEW AMERICAN • A contemporary American menu and a Victor Saroki setting make the restaurant overlooking downtown’s Beacon Park one of the best of recent entrants onto the scene. Appetizers such as freshly made pretzels prelude main courses such as salmon with chimichurri herb sauce. 1903 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-6265005. L,D. Closed Mon. Mercury Burger & Bar $ BURGERS • This Corktown joint seats 70 around the zinc-covered bar set with Mercury (Liberty) dimes. The burger is available in a variety of iterations, such as Southwest Detroit with a chorizo slider, jalapeno, Müenster cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, and pickled spiced carrots.

2163 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-964-5000.

L,D daily.

Monarch Club $$$ NEW AMERICAN • At the 14th floor of the revamped Element Detroit Hotel located at the Metropolitan is the Monarch Club. It’s one of the most recent rooftop bars to open in metro Detroit and serves a variety of delicious small plates along with classic cocktails. 33 John R St., Detroit; 313-306-2380. D daily.

Motor City Brewing Works $ BREWERY • Just 10 mostly nontraditional pizzas on excellent, chewy crust, and the option to build your own pie with various toppings. Plus, salads from locally grown greens to accompany the house-brewed beers. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 313-832-2700. L,D daily.

Mootz Pizzeria & Bar $$ ITALIAN-AMERICAN • Bruno DiFabio, a six-time World Pizza Games champ, rejects the label New York-style for his fare. “It’s authentic New York pizza,” he says. In a hurry? Grab a slice from Side Hustle, Mootz’s by-the-slice counter next door. 1230 Library St., Detroit; 313-243-1230. L,D daily.

Mudgie’s Deli $ DELI • Seats are often filled in search of the O’Leary (pastrami, Swiss, and greens) or the Brooklyn (beef brisket, bacon, and beer cheese).

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE VAUGHN

DINING & NIGHTLIFE Marketplace

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buildings still left on Monroe Street. 573 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-962-2100. L,D daily.

Republic $$ NEW AMERICAN • This tavern offers rich and bold dishes befitting its castle-like home in the renovated Grand Army of the Republic Building. The locally sourced menu showcases Old World preservation methods and nose-to-tail cooking. While the menu may be meat-centric, vegetarians won’t feel left out. 1942 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-446-8360. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sun. Roast $$$ STEAKHOUSE • Meat is the focus at chef Michael Symon’s restaurant at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, as underscored by the rotisserie slowly roasting the “beast of the day.” There’s much more on the a la carte menu, including dry-aged steaks, branzino, pork, and reginette. 1128 Washington Blvd., Detroit; 313-961-2500. D daily.

Rocky’s of Northville $$ NEW AMERICAN • Menu includes sea scallops and Gulf shrimp. At dinner, look for grilled rainbow trout. 41122 W. Seven Mile Road, Northville; 248349-4434. L,D daily.

Rose’s Fine Food $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • The menu is straightforward, based mainly on fresh ingredients and fromscratch preparation. Breakfast eaters can choose from a variety of egg dishes, such as the ESD (egg sandwich of the day). For lunch, there’s a selection of creative sandwiches. 10551 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-309-7947. B,L daily.

Red Smoke Barbeque’s Cowboy Reuben sandwiches hickory-smoked brisket and melted Swiss cheese between Texas Toast.

The dinner menu features meat and cheese boards as well as build-your-own pasta and meat and potato options. It’s a delicious place for a meal any time 1413 Brooklyn St., Detroit; 313-961-2000. L,D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun.

selection is impressive and caters to a diverse set of price ranges and wine drinkers, so you won’t be disappointed with any bottle here. 800 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-922-7272. L,D daily.

BR Sat.-Sun.

Nosh Pit $ VEGAN • This vegan staple in Hamtramck, and its roving food truck, have been dishing up delicious plant-based takes on classic deli sandwiches for years. Try their latkes with banana jam, the house made Coney Carrot Dog with all the traditional toppings — like diced onion and yellow mustard. It might best the original!

2995 Yemans St., Hamtramck; 313-486-0777.

L Tue.-Thu., L,D Fri., B,L Sat.

Parks & Rec Diner $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • Breakfast and lunch are the focus, from a single menu that offers traditional breakfast dishes and sandwiches, as well as dishes such as shrimp and grits with harissa and chili atop a cornbread waffle. Standards such as buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy are also available. This spot is a classic for whenever you crave brunch food. 1942 Grand River Ave., Detroit;313-446-8370. B,L daily.

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Parc $$$ NEW AMERICAN • Excellent food, exceptional service, and a crisp and formal but distinctly unstuffy atmosphere set this Campus Martius gem apart. Appetizer highlights include a bright and fresh tuna tartare and wood-roasted oysters. Mint gremolata and lemon chili oil add a zippy touch to oysters on the half shell. Main courses are exceptional, including an interesting blend of Italian food, wood-grilled whole fish, and organic Scottish salmon. There’s also a large selection of dry-aged gourmet steaks, wood-grilled and served tableside. The wine

Prime + Proper $$$$ STEAKHOUSE • Downtown Detroit dining gets a major shot of glamour with this over-the-top steak and seafood emporium on the corner of Griswold and State streets. Although red meat, from prime dry-aged Tomahawk ribeye to Wagyu strip is the focus — and yes, there’s a burger made with a dry-aged butcher’s blend — oysters, king crab, and caviar are not far behind. An elegant white and gold setting backgrounds it all.

The niceties are maintained by an impeccably dressed staff. 1145 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-6363100. D daily.

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Prism $$$ NEW AMERICAN • Greektown Casino-Hotel’s renamed eatery is located off the main casino.

The menu features local ingredients, steaks, and fresh seafood. 555 E. Lafayette St., Detroit; 313309-2499. D Tue.-Sat. Rattlesnake Club $$$$ NEW AMERICAN • The restaurant on the river remains one of the most appealing spots in town.

The casually elegant space offers appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Dishes that typify its style include seared diver sea scallops, an 8-ounce filet and a 24-ounce porterhouse. 300 River Place, Detroit; 313-567-4400. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat. Red Dunn Kitchen $$ NEW AMERICAN • The Trumbull and Porter hotel’s spiffy restaurant is an ambitious undertaking, offering three meals a day. Chef Jay Gundy’s style is best experienced at dinner, with a la carte offerings such as foie gras-stuffed quail, smoked and marinated salmon collars, braised lamb leg, and bacon-wrapped duck breast with polenta. 1331 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313-8879477. B,L,D daily.

Red Smoke Barbeque $$ BARBEQUE • Hickory and applewood-smoked ribs, pulled pork, Amish chicken, and classic sides are served in one of the most attractive two-story

Rusted Crow $$ ECLECTIC AMERICAN • Mussels marinated in white wine and lemon sit alongside spinach artichoke dip. Craft cocktails utilize house spirits. Try the Rosemary’s Baby, made with Detroit Steam vodka and ginger beer. 78 W. Adams Ave., Detroit; 313-782-4751. L Tue.-Sun., D daily.

The Sardine Room $$$ SEAFOOD • A seafood restaurant and raw bar, it’s fresh, fun, and energetic, with a clean-line décor and a menu full of surprises. For starters, there are New England lobster, oysters, sashimi tuna, and shrimp cocktail. Worthwhile is a porchetta slider of slow-cooked pork served on a brioche bun with arugula, pickled onions, and a salsa verde. And don’t forget the signature fresh Portuguese sardines grilled in butter. 340 S. Main St., Plymouth; 734-416-0261. D daily, BR Sun. SavannahBlue $$ SOUL FOOD • Highlights include the twicedredged fried chicken and the shrimp and grits.

Accompaniments and appetizers include yam casserole, catfish fritters, and a Georgian Hummus that substitutes black-eyed peas for chickpeas. There’s also a great bar. 1431 Times Square, Detroit; 313-926-0783. D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. Scotty Simpson’s Fish & Chips $ SEAFOOD • Head to this Brightmoor spot for perfectly prepared fish and chips. The key to Scotty’s longevity is the batter that coats the cod, perch, shrimp, chicken, onion rings, and frog legs. 22200 Fenkell St., Detroit; 313-533-0950.

L,D Tue.-Sun.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF RED SMOKE BARBEQUE

R ESTAU RA N T L IST IN GS // AU GUST 2020

Second Best $ RETRO AMERICAN • The talents behind nearby Grey Ghost have unveiled a second, more casual spot with a retro spin in Brush Park. The menu of lighter dishes includes deviled eggs, ramen noodle salad, and fried chicken sandwiches that accompany drinks that were popular more than a few years back. 42 Watson St., Detroit; 313-3153070. D nightly.

R E S TAU R A N T O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 6 Selden Standard $$$ NEW AMERICAN • What sets Selden Standard apart is that it is moving Detroit into a new era in which upper-end dining with starched linen and tuxedoed waiters doesn’t hold much interest anymore. Chef Andy Hollyday, a multiple James Beard semifinalist, does farm-to-table scratch cooking with ideas borrowed from around the world. A key to his cooking is the wood-fired grill.

This spot has garnered national attention.

3921 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-438-5055. D daily, L Mon.-Fri., BR Sat.-Sun. Slows Bar BQ $$ BARBEQUE • The brick-and-wood original in Corktown gained a following for its pulled pork, ribs, and chicken. They expanded with a “to go” spot in Midtown, as well. This is a true Detroit classic in every sense of the term. Corktown location: 2138 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-962-9828.

L,D daily. Slows To Go in Midtown: 4107 Cass Ave., Detroit; 877-569-7246. L,D daily.

notable are the crab cakes. In the evening, the bistro transforms into a club. 13741 W. McNichols Road, Detroit; 313- 862-7685. L,D daily.

Table No. 2 $$$$ NEW AMERICAN • This black-owned, white-linen eatery offers a wide-ranging, seasonal menu of contemporary American dining like Lake Michigan Walleye and the Great Lakes Surf and Turf Burger. 18925 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-3409550. D Tue.-Sat.; L Sun. Tap at MGM Grand $ SPORTS BAR • More than 40 HD flatscreen TVs for sports fans, plus sports memorabilia. The menu features comfort food and pub classics: burgers, wings, and fried mac and cheese.

Pizza and more upscale entrees are also available, as are more than 50 beers. Bring your family and friends for a very entertaining night on the town. 1777 Third St., Detroit; 313-465-1234. B,L,D daily.

They Say $$ GASTROPUB • Many folks pass right by on their way to Atwater Brewery, Andrews on the Corner, or the Rattlesnake Club. But Chene Park regulars know They Say does triple duty as a great place to grab dinner before a show. The food is grouped into “opening acts, intermission, and encores.” 267 Jos Campau Ave., Detroit; 313-446-4682. L,D daily.

Union Street $$ NEW AMERICAN • The extensive dinner menu includes such tasty highlights as fried calamari, pistachio-encrusted salmon, a J.L. Hudson Maurice salad, filet mignon, beer-steamed mussels, fish tacos, chicken wings, and several vegetarian options. 4145 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-831-3965. L,D daily.

Vivio’s Food & Spirits $ SANDWICH/DELI • This Eastern Market classic has been run by the Vivio family for more than 40 years. Sandwiches and burgers are mainstays, but diners also appreciate the steamed mussels.

2460 Market St., Detroit; 313-393-1711. L,D Mon.Fri., BR,L,D Sat., L,D Sun. The Whitney $$$$ NEW AMERICAN • The historic 1890s mansion is still going strong. The menu is typified by classic beef Wellington, wrapped in spinach, prosciutto, and pastry; and pan-roasted Scottish salmon.

Tableside cooking, by reservation only, is an optional feature. Don’t forget The Katherine McGregor Dessert Parlor for a sweet treat.

4421 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-5700. L Mon.-Fri., D and high tea daily, BR Sun. Wine Dotte Bistro $$ WINE BAR • This interesting wine bar and restaurant offers a view of the Detroit River. The menu includes shrimp scampi, lobster tails, tenderloin

medallions, and lamb chops. The wine is displayed in a cabinet across one wall and it’s the main focus. 2910 Van Alstyne St., Wyandotte; 734-556-3195. L,D Tue.-Sat., BR Sun. Wolfgang Puck Steak $$$$ STEAKHOUSE • Decorated with tasteful photographs of Detroit, the dining room offers bar seating or the more secluded dining room.

The menu features red meat but also includes stuffed shrimp and whole Maine lobster. Steaks include 10- or 12-ounce dry-aged New York sirloins. MGM Grand Detroit, 1777 Third St., Detroit; 313-465-1644. D daily.

Wright & Co. $$ NEW AMERICAN • The collaboration between chef Marc Djozlija and Dave Kwiatkowski of the popular Corktown craft cocktail bar Sugar House gives new life to the second-floor space in the vintage Wright Kay building. Small plates such as tuna tartare with pickled pears and wontons, and pork tenderloin with goat cheese purée are the focus. 1500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-962-7711.

D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. Vertical Detroit $$$ WINE BAR • This wine-centric restaurant puts the focus on pairing Chef Matt Barnes’ innovative cuisine with owners Jim and Rémy Lutfy’s

Smith & Co. $$$ NEW AMERICAN • This Cass Corridor bar and restaurant is housed in the old Smith Welding Supply & Equipment Company building — hence cement ceilings and exposed brick that evoke an industrial vibe. The menu features small plates, sandwiches, and entrees such as Mushroom Toast; Michigan Pork Belly; the Fried Chicken Bowl with sweet sesame sauce and kimchi; and the Smith Burger, marinated in a soy-ginger blend and topped with a fried egg. Beverage options include craft beer, wine, and fresh takes on classic cocktails. 644 Selden St, Detroit; 313-947-7100. L&D Mon-Sat., B,L,&D Sun. Standby $$ NEW AMERICAN • The libation menu — categorized by spirit — is longer than the food menu, but both food and drinks are equally emphasized.

The fare ranges from small plates of chicken liver mousse and duck confit ravioli to entrees such as a waygu strip steak and red duroc pork belly.

225 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-736-5533. D daily.

Not wheelchair accessible.

Street Beet $ VEGAN • The popular vegan pop-up Street Beet has landed a permanent spot at Midtown’s 3rd Street Bar, serving up plant-based riffs on quintessential fast foods. Try the Kentucky Fake Chicken sandwich, with fried tofu, pickles, and spicy mayo, or the Taco Hell Crunchywrap, with walnut chorizo and cashew nacho cheese. These faves and additions like the Phony Cheesesteak are available via counter service, carryout, and online ordering. 4626 Third Ave., Detroit; 313-312-4669; L&D Sun., D Mon., D Tue.-Sat. Sweet Soul Bistro $ SOUL FOOD • The large menu includes homages to Detroit musicians, from Stevie Wonder Wonderful Wings to Aretha Franklin Catfish Bites. Also

Wright & Co.’s Fresh Potato Chips are loaded with white cheddar cheese, scallions, tomato relish, and bacon (optional).

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WRIGHT & CO.

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nationally recognized wine program. The menu emphasizes locally sourced protein, seafood, and produce. A must-try for any wine enthusiast.

1538 Centre St., Detroit; 313-732-9463. D nightly.

Not wheelchair accessible.

ASIAN Al Ameer $$ LEBANESE • This Lebanese restaurant is a recipient of the prestigious James Beard America’s Classics Award. The Al Ameer platter is perfect for sharing: two grape leaves, two fried kibbeh, chicken shawarma, tawook, kabob, kafta, and falafel. 12710 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn; 313-582-8185. 27346 Ford Road, Dearborn Heights; 313-565-9600. 2100 N. Haggerty Road, Canton; 734-667-5316. L,D Mon.-Sun. Flowers of Vietnam $$ VIETNAMESE • Chef/owner George Azar transformed a former Coney Island into a destination.

The bar exudes industrial cool, but the neighborhood joint vibe remains. The menu is largely shaped around Azar’s appreciation of Vietnamese food, but it has a very personal twist. 4430 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-554-2085. D Wed.-Sun.

Ima $ JAPANESE-INSPIRED • Japanese-inspired fare with a Midwest emphasis. Ima tacos trade the traditional shell for a slice of jicama-stuffed spicy shrimp, roasted tofu, or garlic chicken.

Appetizers include edamame, dumplings, and clams. 2015 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-502-5959.

D Mon.-Sun. Johnny Noodle King $ JAPANESE-INSPIRED • This noodle shop offers bowls topped with pork belly, confit chicken, and tofu as well as seaweed salad and gyoza.

There are several fusion bowls as well like the Southwest topped with shredded chicken and housemade crema. 2601 W. Fort St., Detroit; 313-309-7946. L,D Tue.-Sun. Pao Detroit $$$ FUSION • Visit this upscale Pan-Asian fusion restaurant for Asian-themed cocktails and dishes, such as fried oyster, charred octopus, filet mignon, and Alaskan king crab legs. The interior combines new and old. 114 W. Adams Ave., Ste. 200, Detroit; 313-816-0000. D Mon.-Sat. Park Grill $$ MEDITERRANEAN • Mediterranean fare gets a Balkan spin. The menu offers tasting plates, pita-wrapped sandwiches, and salads, as well as entrees including chicken and beef shawarma, beef and pork kafta, lemon-pepper pork tenderloin, and lamb chops. Service is friendly and informal. 15102 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Park; 313-264-1997. L,D daily.

Pho Lucky $ VIETNAMESE • This charming Midtown Vietnamese spot serves authentic fare emphasizing pho. Bowls of spicy broth with noodles, round steak, and meatballs come in several variations. Other noteworthy dishes include summer rolls and crisp spring rolls. Look for Asian beers and robust Vietnamese coffee. 3111 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313338-3895. L,D daily except Tue. when it’s L only.

Takoi $$ THAI • Thai-Laotian fare might seem out of place in Corktown, but virtually everything on the menu has distinction. There’s a depth, concentration, and balance between heat and coolness, the range of spices, the delight of moving from one superb bite to the next. 2520 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-8552864. D Mon.-Sat. Urban Ramen $$ JAPANESE-INSPIRED • This is the popular ramen restaurant’s second location — the first one is in Los Angeles. Urban Ramen serves bowls of steaming hot broth, filled with house-made, springy ramen noodles topped with fixings like bamboo, egg, pork chashu, sesame seeds, and more. The menu also includes sushi, poke, and sides such as garlic edamame and Japanese fried chicken. 4206 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-285-9869. L,D Mon.-Sat.

EUROPEAN Amore da Roma $$ ITALIAN • Guy Pelino, Roma Café’s chef, took over the ownership reins of this restaurant on the edge of the Eastern Market. He retained the menu, adding a charcuterie board and updating the wine list, and didn’t change the character of the old-school restaurant, known for its steaks and pastas. 3401 Riopelle St., Detroit; 313-831-5940. L,D daily.

Antonio’s Cucina Italiana $$ ITALIAN • The Rugieros have impressed restaurant guests for decades with authentic cuisine. Signature dishes include Gnocchi Rita and Chicken Antonio. There’s a full bar and a very extensive wine list. 2220 N. Canton Center Road, Canton; 734-981-9800. 26356 Ford Road, Dearborn Heights; 313-278-6000. 37646 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills; 248-994-4000. L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun. Atwater in the Park $ GERMAN • At this casual spot, traditional Germanstyle beer is the beverage of choice. Chef Chris Franz’ noteworthy menu is compatible with such additions as a platter of local bratwurst and other sausages teamed with housemade red cabbage and sauerkraut, plus amazing potato pancakes and daily soups. 1175 Lakepointe St., Grosse Pointe Park; 313-344-5104. L,D daily.

Besa $$$ EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • This modern fine-dining eatery takes its name from Albania — where the owners trace their heritage — and means “pledge of honor.” Choose from starters suchas honeyroasted rutabaga, pastas like ramen noodle raviolo, and entrees like Michigan-raised lamb belly porchetta. 600 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-315-3000. D Mon.-Sat. Cadieux Café $$ BELGIAN • This eastside institution was like a slice of home for early Belgian immigrants. They serve up four varieties of mussels, and a wide range of hearty dishes such as Belgian Rabbit, but there also are classic sandwiches. 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit; 313-882-8560. D daily.

Café Nini $$$ ITALIAN • This intimate spot offers well-prepared food that includes eight appetizers, a half-dozen pasta dishes, and five main plates, notable among which are tournedos di vitello — medallions of veal filet in a fresh mushroom sauce. The wine list is impressive as well. 98 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-308-3120.

L Mon.-Fri., D daily.

Cantoro Italian Market and Trattoria $$ ITALIAN • A restaurant inside the market serves great traditional Italian food. Do not miss the tagliatelle alla Bolognese: wide pasta with a meat sauce made of ground veal, beef, sausage, and pancetta. A delicious Italian feast you can conveniently pick up on your way home. 15550 N. Haggerty Road, Plymouth; 734-420-1100. L,D Mon.Sat., L Sun. Cork & Gabel $$$ EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • Corktown’s newest eatery takes the form of a 4,450-square-foot renovated

Cantoro Trattoria’s Linguine al Nero di Seppia alla Pescatore serves up squid ink linguine with clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, and scallops.

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beer hall and is an ode to filling European staples.

Try the crispy braised chicken wings slow-cooked in house spices and served with blue cheese.

Simply delicious! 2415 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-638-2261. D daily.

Dakota Inn Rathskeller $ EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • The sausages are the kind that snap when you cut them. The combo plate features one bratwurst and one knack-wurst, served with hot German potato salad and sauerkraut. And yes, sing along with the schnitzelbank song. 7324 John R St., Detroit; 313-867-9722.L Wed.-Fri. D Thu.-Sat. Giovanni’s Ristorante $$$ ITALIAN • This old-school Italian restaurant offers housemade pastas, including an outstanding lasagna. Elaborate veal and seafood dishes and desserts like orange Creamsicle cheesecake round out the delicious menu. 330 Oakwood Blvd., Detroit; 313-841-0122. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat. The Greek $ GREEK • Plaka Café was a presence on Monroe Avenue for years, and now its space is in the hands of the founders’ children. Notable dishes include spinach pie, grilled salmon, lamb chops, and New York strip steak. 535 Monroe Ave., Detroit; 313-209-6667. L,D daily.

Grandma Bob’s $ PIZZA • If you’re wondering what that psychedelic building on Corktown’s Michigan Avenue is, it opened last March as a pizzeria known as Grandma Bob’s. Executive chef Dan De Wall, previously of Wright and Co., offers a small, delicious menu of pies, including sausage and pistachio with mascarpone cheese and thyme. Or try the Big Mack — the vegan pizza version of the popular burger. 2135 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-315-3177. L,D Wed.-Sun. La Dolce Vita $$$ ITALIAN • Traditional Italian cuisine is key at this Palmer Park hideaway. Recommended is the lake perch in white wine sauce, the veal scaloppine with artichokes, and the lasagna. 17546 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-865-0331. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat., BR,D Sun. La Lanterna $$ ITALIAN • The founder of Da Edoardo, the first Edoardo Barbieri, started it all in 1956 with a restaurant called La Lanterna. Now his grandchildren have revived it. Although the white and red pizzas — like Margherita, Liguria, and Bellagio — dominate, there’s more, including a number of elegant pastas like the Lasagna Alla Bolognese. 1224 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-962-8821. L,D daily.

Lucy & the Wolf $$ SPANISH • This Anglo-sounding restaurant offers very good Spanish-inspired tapas dining. Standouts include ceviche, double charred chicken wings, and a grilled flank steak in chimichurri sauce. 102 E. Main St., Northville;248-308-3057. D Mon.-Sat. Mario’s $$$ ITALIAN • This Midtown Detroit classic dates to 1948. Linen-covered tables, framed paintings on wood-paneled walls, expert waiters in black tie, and tableside preparation survive here. Italian dinners always start with an antipasto tray and continue through soup, salad,pasta, and entree.

4222 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-832-1616. L,D daily.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE VAUGHN

(Clockwise from top) SheWolf Pastificio & Bar’s Polenta, made with house-milled organic Michigan corn; Scallops atop a brown butter celery root purée; and Manzo, a 24-oz. prime bone-in ribeye.

Michigan and Trumbull $$ ITALIAN-AMERICAN • After a successful fourmonth run at Fort Street Galley, Michigan and Trumbull left the nest in January, making it the latest in a long line of Detroit-style pizza joints to open in the area. Far from your traditional carryout joint, Michigan and Trumbull is housed in a sleek, refurbished car-repair garage. The menu features square, deep-dish pies with Detroitinspired names, such as Packard Pepperoni and Vernor Vegan. 1441 W. Elizabeth St., Detroit; 313-637-4992; L&D Mon., Wed.-Sat.; D Sun.

Greektown restaurant. The resturant boasts an extensive menu, from moussaka and spinach pie to gyros and roast lamb. 24935 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-772-3200. 558 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-964-6800. L,D daily.

PizzaPlex $ ITALIAN • This pizza isn’t just authentic, it’s straight-up certified. PizzaPlex’s fare earned the title of Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN), or real Neapolitan pizza, from Naples-based Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. 4458 Vernor Highway, Detroit; 313-757-4992. D Wed.-Sat.

Nico & Vali $$ ITALIAN • This eatery offers favorites with unexpected twists. The artichokes and chilies appetizer boasts battered and fried artichokes with Fresno and jalapeno peppers, tossed with fresh basil in white wine. Popular choices include Vermouth Lamb Porterhouse. It’s a classic Italian spot with an update that’s worth a visit. 744 Wing St., Plymouth;734-207-7880. L,D daily, BR Sun.

Polish Village Café $ POLISH • The “Polish plate” includes stuffed cabbage, pierogi, kielbasa, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes and gravy. The dill pickle soup and city chicken are standouts, too. A Polish staple in Detroit, where there aren’t too many. 2990 Yemans St., Hamtramck; 313-874-5726. L,D daily. Cash only.

Not wheelchair accessible.

Ottava Via $$ ITALIAN Chef Ariel Millan sends out great thincrusted pizzas as well as interesting small plates typified by bruschetta, calamari, roasted garlic, and whipped goat cheese to be spread on paperthin crostini. 1400 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-9625500. L,D daily.

Roman Village $ ITALIAN • The Rugiero family has been serving authentic Italian cuisine since 1964. They’ve launched three additional Antonio’s Cucina Italiana locations. Roman Village is the original and features their signature gnocchi Rita. 9924 Dix Ave., Dearborn; 313-842-2100. L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun.

Pegasus Taverna $$ GREEK • The cry of “opa!” resounds in St. Clair Shores at the second edition of the longstanding

San Morello $$$ ITALIAN • This Italian gem serves pizzas, pastas, and wood-fired dishes that draw inspiration

from the coastal towns of Southern Italy and Sicily out of the Shinola Hotel. Think Tartufi Pizza with fontina and black truffle, handcrafted

by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini. 1400 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-209-4700. D daily.

Savant $$$ FRENCH • This addition to the Midtown restaurant scene made headlines with its “caviar bumps” — bite-sized portions of caviar eaten off the back of one’s hand — when it opened in September. In a cozy-yet-upscale interior with leather couches and an open kitchen, Jordan Whitmore and Rebecca Wurster, formerly of Apparatus room, serve up rotating European-inspired menu items, including Champagne Chicken, Foie Gras Clair, Calamari, and — for vegan diners — Ratatouille Confit. 51 W. Forest Ave., Detroit; 313-285-9294.

D Tues.-Sat., L Sun.

R E S TAU R A N T O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 2 0 SheWolf Pastificio & Bar $$$ ITALIAN • Chef Anthony Lombardo takes fresh and housemade to a new level with this Midtown restaurant that serves only dinner from a menu inspired by Italian cooking specific to Rome. Milling all of his own flour for his pastas, Lombardo, well known as the former executive chef at Bacco, serves a selection of simple but elegant regional Italian dishes. 438 Selden St., Detroit; 313-3153992. D Tue.-Sun.

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Smashed Beets are among Magnet’s various vegetables charred on the restaurant’s wood-burning grill.

Supino Pizzeria $$ ITALIAN • Relax with one of the town’s best thincrust pizzas — they come in more than a dozen variations, with or without red sauce. A few dishes from the La Rondinella menu made the list as well, such as paninis, salads, and small plates such as polpette and fagioli. Beer, wine, and cocktails add to the appeal. 2457 Russell St., Detroit; 313-567-7879. L,D Tue.-Sat. Trattoria Serventi $$ ITALIAN • The brick pizza oven turns out an array of thin-crust pizzas and there’s an interesting daytime menu that offers a real bargain. In the evening, such dishes as veal Tosca, and manicotti alla trattoria, recalling chef Aldo Ottaviani — who was instrumental in setting up the original Andiamo menu — typify the style. 20930 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Woods; 313-886-9933. L,D daily.

INTERNATIONAL Bucharest Grill $ MEDITERRANEAN-AMERICAN • This bustling sandwich shop, now with five locations, is a cult favorite with its fresh Mediterranean fare, notably the best chicken shawarma wrap sandwiches in town. We’re serious. 19492 Livernois Ave., Detroit.

110 Piquette St., Detroit. 2684 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-965-3111. L,D daily.

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Common Pub $ GASTROPUB • Fans of Atlas Global Bistro, which shuttered in 2013, should be happy to learn that some of the principals may be found at this spot in the Belcrest Apartments. The well-edited menu includes duck rangoon and a burger. 5440 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-285-8849. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat. Detroit Shipping Company $ FUSION • This bi-level destination, created out of shipping containers, offers a variety of food options ranging from the Caribbean-fusion dishes at Coop to chipotle-roasted grasshopper at Brujo Tacos + Tapas to Thai fare from Bangkok 96 and more. 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; 313-462-4973.

L,D daily.

Eatori Market $-$$ SPECIALTY GROCERY • This stylish spot overlooking downtown’s Capitol Park. The menu has steamed mussels with leeks, garlic, and fresh oysters. International flourishes abound with truffle aioli for the burger. 1215 Griswold St., Detroit; 313395-3030. L,D daily.

El Barzon $ ITALIAN-MEXICAN • Norberto Garita prepares Italian and Mexican cuisines alongside his wife, Silvia Rosario Garita. Authentic Mexican entrees include mini tacos with beef, chicken, steak, barbecued goat, or sausage, and mole poblano, while the Italian influence takes the form of spaghetti carbonara and Suppa di pesce (seafood soup). 3710 Junction Road, Detroit; 313-8942070. D Tue.-Sun.

Folk Detroit $ AUSTRALIAN • A charming Corktown storefront dishing up an all-day brunch menu. It’s an offshoot of the Farmer’s Hand grocery and farmers market. The menu focuses on beautifully plated dishes like salads, quiche, meat pies, all beautifully plated and nutritious. 1701 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313-290-5849. BR Wed-Mon. Frita Batidos $ CUBAN • Since opening in 2010, Ann Arbor’s Frita Batidos has been cherished for its spicy Cubaninfluenced chorizo burgers and tropical milkshakes made with fresh fruit. Now owner and Top Chef: Las Vegas alum Eve Arnoff has opened a second location in downtown Detroit. The casual eatery is the mirror image of its older sibling — bright and urban, with white walls, picnic tables, and exposed ductwork. Also featuring a full bar, the restaurant offers local craft beers, tropical cocktails, and the option to add a splash of rum to your milkshake. 66 W. Columbia St., Detroit; 313-725-4100. L,D daily.

Leila $$$ LEBANESE • The restaurant from the proprietors of Birmingham’s Phoenicia is named after the owner’s mother — just one facet of the establishment that pays homage to family traditions and heritage. The menu includes various Lebanese dishes, from falafel to Leila’s Bolognese, featuring spaghetti, pine nut, and basil. Other menu items include sujuk — a spicy Armenian sausage — and tabbouleh made of parsley, cracked wheat, and spices. The beer and wine lists offer plenty of options to accompany any meal. 1245 Griswold

St., Detroit; 313-816-8100; leiladetroit.com; D Sun., L&D Mon.-Sat. Magnet $$ MEDITERRANEAN • The newest restaurant from the proprietors of Takoi opened in September with a primarily vegan and vegetarian-based menu of wood-fired Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes. Anchored by a bar which sits in the middle of the establishment, Magnet’s interior is warm, urban, and casual.

The menu comprises small and large vegetarian plates of blistered corn, eggplant, oyster mushroom, and more, as well as Branzino, Prime Rib, and Leg of Lamb among meat and fish options.

4842 Grand River Ave, Detroit; 313-656-2640.

D Mon.-Sat. Closed Sun. Marrow $$ MEAT-FORWARD • This West Village restaurant and butcher shop hybrid is an ode to meat, especially unusual cuts. Diners must walk through the butcher shop, bypassing cases of pastrami and sausage, before entering the restaurant. Offerings include seasonal pork yakitori and local duck breast as well Mapo Mushroom.

8044 Kercheval Ave., Detroit; 313-652-0200.

D Wed.-Mon. Maty’s African Cuisine $$ AFRICAN • A small storefront in the Detroit Old Redford neighborhood is decidedly Senegalese.

Fataya, a deep-fried pastry with savory fillings, are reminiscent of an empanada. The star of the show is the whole chicken with yassa. 21611 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-472-5885. L,D daily.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE VAUGHN

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Norma G’s $ CARIBBEAN • Lester Gouvia, the Trinidadian chef who brought us the famed food truck, recently opened a full-service restaurant under the same name. Stop in for a plate of Chicken Pelau: a tasty blend of rice, diced chicken, squash, peppers, and golden-brown baked chicken. 14628 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-290-2938. D Tue.-Sat. Ollie’s Lebanese Cuisine $$ CARIBBEAN • Well-prepared shish tawook, shish kafta, lentil soup, and fresh salads are on the menu. Fresh fruit and vegetable drinks accompany the fare. 16351 Ford Road, Dearborn; 313-2531010. 26348 Ford Road, Dearborn Heights; 313914-2660. L,D daily.

The Peterboro $$ ASIAN-FUSION • A contemporary take on American-Chinese fare gives new life to the cuisine with robustly spiced dishes, including an “absurdly delicious” cheeseburger spring roll and a take on almond boneless chicken. 420 Peterboro St., Detroit; 313-833-1111. D daily.

Revolver $$$$ FUSION • Chefs and prix fixe menus rotate, hence the name, but the conviviality is constant. A cozy setup — five tables in a modern, minimal space — fosters communal dining. Cuisines run the gamut — one week it may be rustic Italian, another week may be sushi. 9737 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck; 313-757-3093. D Fri.-Sat.

Latin-American find in Detroit’s Springwells Village. 1312 Springwells St., Detroit; 313-297-2360.

L,D Tue.-Sun. Evie’s Tamales $$ MEXICAN • This Mexicantown restaurant makes some of the best tamales around. Pork or chicken is jacketed with sturdy masa, a dough of ground corn, and then wrapped in a corn husk and steamed. Eat in or order a dozen for later.

3454 Bagley St., Detroit; 313-843-5056.

B,L,D Mon.-Sat., B,L Sun. M Cantina $ MEXICAN • Nuevo Latino street food is the premise at this surprising spot where everything from the tortilla chips to the salsas are made inhouse in the open kitchen. Juices are freshly squeezed and the menu of tortas, tacos, tapas, and salads from the kitchen of Heidi and Junior Merino from Hawaii and Mexico is distinctive.

13214 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-399-9117.

B,L,D daily.

Mi Lindo San Blas $$$ MEXICAN • Heaping platters of seafood such as shrimp, octopus, and scallops, tell the story at this spot that brings a corner of Mexico’s seaside Nayarit region to southwest Detroit. On weekends when live music is added, the tables are often pushed back to create a dance floor. 1807 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-789-5100. L,D daily.

Vicente’s Cuban Cuisine $$ CUBAN • An evening at this lively spot is more than just Cuban and Spanish dining. Appetizers and tapas include the outstanding Tapa de la Casa, pork leg marinated in mojo; a Spanish chorizo and fresh mushrooms concoction with flambéed sherry wine; and empanadas,a Cuban turnover filled with ground beef or chicken. 1250 Library St., Detroit; 313-962-8800. L,D daily.

OAKLAND AMERICAN Ale Mary’s $$ GASTROPUB • There’s no mistaking that the name of the game here is beer, and the bartenders can help with narrowing down the options.

There’s a separate vegan menu, plus such highlights as Cajun shrimp tacos, Southern fried chicken, creative burger options such as one with a mac-and-cheese bun, and a lot of whiskey.

Come hungry, ready to drink, and you will not be disappointed. 316 S. Main St., Royal Oak;248-2681939. L,D daily. BR Sat.-Sun. Beans & Cornbread $$ SOUL • Upscale soul food is the premise: wings, Hoppin’ John, catfish, and a gravy-smothered pork chop. Tempura battered fried shrimp comes

with a choice of cocktail or spicy BBQ sauce, and there’s a notable Louisiana-style gumbo. 29508 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-208-1680.

L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun. BR Sun. Beverly Hills Grill $$$ NEW AMERICAN • Breakfast near noon is compatible with the Grill’s dawn-to-dark schedule. Fare includes crab cake Benedict, corned beef hash with poached eggs, and omelet du jour. There are plenty of lunch and dinner options, typified by black bean chili, Caesar and spinach salads, and a notable burger. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills; 248-642-2355. B,L,D daily.

Big Rock Chophouse $$$ STEAKHOUSE • This old railroad station is a great setting. Portions range from a dainty filet to a huge porterhouse. There are also a variety of small plates to choose from including tuna tartare, crab cakes, mac and cheese, and more. 245 S. Eton, Birmingham;248-647-7774. L,D Mon.-Sat. Café ML $$ NEW AMERICAN • Café ML is contemporary, both in décor and its “globally inspired food.” Such dishes as short rib steamed buns, Chinese chicken salad, Singapore street noodles, and Korean fried chicken share the menu with burgers, steak frites, and fresh seafood. Garage door-style windows open onto the patio on warm days.

3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township; 248-642-4000. D daily.

Seva Detroit $$ VEGETARIAN • Seva offers such dishes as black bean and sweet potato quesadillas, gluten-free options, and colorful stir-fries — some vegan as well as vegetarian. There’s also a full bar as well as a juice bar. 2541 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-662-1111. 66 E. Forest Ave., Detroit; 313-974-6661. L,D daily.

Traffic Jam & Snug $ GASTROPUB • Michigan’s first officially designated brewpub is fresh and eccentric. The menu is diverse, and somewhat slanted toward vegetarian diners with such veggie-forward dishes as spinach lasagna, quiche, and portobello mushroom soup. No worries, there’s meatloaf and crabcakes, too. 511 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 313831-9470. L,D daily.

Yum Village $ AFRO-CARIBBEAN • The former food truck opened a full-service restaurant in the North End in April. The space is bright and fun with wooden tables, mismatched chairs, and a colorful, geometric paint job. And the food is just as bold. The restaurant serves up piquant dishes like Lemon Pepper Jerk Chicken. 6500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-686-2839. L,D Tue.-Sat.

LATIN AMERICAN El Asador Steakhouse $$ MEXICAN • A concentrated cuisine with little modern flairs that also stays faithful to traditional Mexican cooking. Don’t miss the Camarones en Salsa de Langosta: breaded shrimp stuffed with cheese, fried to a golden dark brown, and topped with a lobster cream sauce. It’s a delicious dinner spot you don’t want to miss and an unassuming

The M Cantina Salad stars mixed greens, mango, queso Oaxaca, cucumbers, pico de gallo, and a house-made vinaigrette.

PHOTOGRAPH BY FEATHERSTONE MOMENTS

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Capital Grille $$$ STEAKHOUSE • Hand-cut, dry-aged steaks and fresh seafood are the stars. An outstanding wine list features over 350 labels. The setting is appropriate for business and social events and includeswell-appointed private dining rooms.

2800 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy; 248-649-5300.

L,D Mon.-Sat., D Sun.

perfect location for New York strip steak, gulf shrimp, or a classic cheeseburger. The Royal Oak location also sports the highly anticipated lush rooftop bar called Pinky’s that opened this spring.

There’s a buffet-style brunch at both Diamonds locations on weekends. 100 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-291-5201. D daily; 101 W. Grand River Ave., Howell; 517-548-5500. D daily.

Churchill’s Bistro & Cigar Bar $$$ TRADITIONAL • You can buy your cigar and smoke it, too. Plus, there are dry-aged steaks, pan-roasted sea bass, seasonal East Coast oysters, and lamb chops, among other options. A full bar boasts a large selection of whiskey, scotch, and bourbon — and plenty of wine. 116 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham; 248-647-4555. L Mon.Sat. D daily.

Eddie’s Gourmet $$ NEW AMERICAN • Chef Eddie Hanna’s gourmet diner is a simple concept that works to perfection.

The menu offers standard selection of breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches, and lunch specials, but the real draw is the counter-side gourmet and pasta specials. Offerings include Veal Marsala and Chicken Milano 25920 Greenfield Road, Oak Park; 248-968-4060. L,D Mon-Sat.

Como’s $$ NEW AMERICAN • This Ferndale favorite reopened in May 2019 under the ownership of Peas & Carrots Hospitality with a trendier, fresher look. The warm, homey feel is still intact, but it’s ditched the old menu for — among other things — chef Zack Skylar’s square, deep-dish, Detroit-style pizza that’s leavened from a sourdough starter as opposed to commercial yeast. 22812 Woodward Ave., Unit 100., Ferndale; 248-677-4439. L,D daily.

The Fly Trap $ ECLECTIC AMERICAN • This “finer diner” typifies fashionable Ferndale with its tin ceiling, red-topped tables, and counter with swivel stools.

It offers sandwiches, salads, pastas, and omelets. .

22950 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-399-5150.

B,L Tue.-Sun., D Tue.-Fri.

Diamond’s Steak & Seafood $$$ STEAKHOUSE • Now with a second location in Royal Oak, this Howell-based restaurant is the

Forest $$$ EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • The menu is brief but designed to let the kitchen assemble sharp flavors from various farm and market ingredients.

Try the delightful Mandilli pasta with pistachio

pesto and Tuscan kale, and the understated “Farm Egg.” 735 Forest Ave., Birmingham; 248-258-9400.

D Mon.-Sat. BR Sat. Garage Grill & Fuel Bar $$ NEW AMERICAN • The car-themed rooms of a former 1940s gas station are as fresh and appealing as the dishes themselves. The kitchen serves up a variety of seafood starters and “full-size sedan” entrees, as well as pizzas. 202 W. Main St., Northville, 248-924-3367. L,D nightly, BR Sat.-Sun. Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse $$$$ STEAKHOUSE • This plush steakhouse offers dryaged prime and Kobe-style wagyu beef in a clubby setting. An extensive wine list accompanies the menu that also features platters of chilled seafood. 201 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248594-4369. D daily. 17107 Haggerty Road, Northville Twp.; 248-679-0007. D Tue.-Sat. J-Bird Smoked Meats $$ BARBEQUE • Offering wood-smoked meats served with the traditional sides of cornbread, buttermilk slaw, and mac and cheese, popular dishes include the Three Meat Sampler and JBird Gumbo, as well as St. Louis Ribs and old-fashioned JBurgers. If you love meat, this is your place.

1978 Cass Lake Road, Keego Harbor; 248-6812124. D daily. BR Sat.-Sun.

Kruse & Muer $$ SEAFOOD • The menu features seafood — lobster and shrimp in saffron cream — and pastas, pizzas, and sandwiches. There’s also beef, chicken, and a children’s menu. 327 S. Main St., Rochester; 248-652-9400. L,D daily, BR Sun. There’s also: Kruse & Muer Roadhouse, 801 S. Lapeer Road, Lake Orion; 248-814-9500. L,D daily; Kruse’s Deer Lake Inn, 7504 Dixie Hwy., Clarkston; 248-7952077. 134 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills; 248375-2503. L,D daily; and the latest addition, Kruse & Muer on Woodward, 28028 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248-965-2101. L,D daily.

Lockhart’s BBQ $$ BARBEQUE • The heart of this authentic barbecue is the dry-rubbed meat smoker, which can smoke up to 800 pounds of meat at a time. Choices such as pork ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, burnt ends, and chicken are served atop butcher paper on metal trays for the true experience. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak; 248-584-4227. L,D daily. BR Sun. Luxe Bar & Grill $$ NEW AMERICAN • The simple menu offers burgers on brioche buns and interesting salads and sides, as well as entrees typified by wildcaught salmon, prime filet, and Greek-style lamb chops. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-792-6051. 115 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-924-5459. L,D daily.

Mabel Gray $$$ NEW AMERICAN • Chef James Rigato produces some masterful dishes on this tiny menu, which does not miss a beat. The menu includes a multicourse tasting option, as well as a daily listing of changing items that never miss. It’s a fine dining experience that is certainly worth experiencing. 23825 John R Road, Hazel Park; 248-3984300. D Tue.-Sat. Mad Hatter Bistro, Bar & Tea Room $$ ECLECTIC AMERICAN • The whimsical setting inspired by Alice in Wonderland welcomes far more than the tea-sipping set with burgers and sandwiches, rabbit Porchetta, truffle risotto bites, and baked brie with pistachio, honey, and pomegranate.

There are also pastries and other sweets, of course. 185 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-540-0000. L,D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. Tea by reservation. Lower level not wheelchair accessible.

The Meeting House $$ ECLECTIC AMERICAN • This eclectic American menu includes lobster fettuccini, steak frites remarkably close to those at Paris bistros, and housemade potato chips with a hot Jarlsberg dip.

Or, try the roasted carrot risotto made with house labneh, pistachio, pomegranate gastrique, and Za’atar. 301 S. Main St., Rochester; 248-759-4825.

D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. The Morrie $$ NEW AMERICAN • Music and munchies can be a great combination when served in the right proportions. Such offerings as the smoked chicken wings, Teriyaki salmon and Baja sweet potato tots, as well as the requisite burger and steak, appeal to a wide demographic. The rock’n’roll-themed eatery also brought its much-loved American dishes and cocktails to Birmingham in 2019. 511 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-216-1112. D daily. 260 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-940-3260.

L,D Mon.-Fri., B,L,D Sat.-Sun. BR Sat.-Sun.

Townhouse’s Chicken & Waffles feature buttermilk-brined chicken, a creamy dollop of maple butter, scallion chimichurri, and a side of hot sauce.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY ALY SASSON

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Ocean Prime $$$$ SEAFOOD • An upper-end steak-and-fish place and a popular business lunch site. The menu features naturally harvested fresh fish and prime aged beef. Don’t miss the chocolate peanut butter pie or the carrot cake. A tried-andtrue metro Detroit spot. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy; 248-458-0500. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.

Redcoat Tavern $ BURGERS • The half-pound choice beef hamburger is always atop the list of local favorites. But a low-fat, high-flavor Piedmontese beef one is tastier than the original. This is the place for your burger craving. 31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248549-0300. 6745 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township; 248-865-0500. L,D Mon.-Sat.

One-Eyed Betty’s $$ ECLECTIC AMERICAN • Picnic-style tables and blackboards lettered with scores of brew choices add a beer-hall sensibility to this popular spot.

The kitchen delivers New Orleans-themed dishes such as po’boy sandwiches and Cajun chicken and sausage as well as a mouth-watering bacon burger that draws in crowds daily. Weekend brunch features delicious housemade doughnuts.

175 W. Troy St., Ferndale; 248-808-6633. D daily, BR Sat.-Sun.

Rochester Chop House $$ NEW AMERICAN • Two restaurants in one; Kabin Kruser’s and the Chop House. There’s a throwback roadhouse-style feeling about the Chop House, which has a menu divided between red meat and fresh fish and seafood. Signature dishes include calamari, Maryland jumbo lump crabcakes, and a large selection of aged steaks, rack of lamb, and steak/seafood combinations. 306 S. Main St., Rochester; 248-651-2266.

L Mon.-Fri., D daily

Otus Supply $ NEW AMERICAN • This Ferndale stunner has delightful food, superb service, and one wild look.

The menu offers eight main courses and shared plates, as well as pizza and sandwiches. Can’tmiss: The housemade rigatoni made with Italian sausage and shredded boar. There’s also a concert venue called The Parliament Room.

345 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-291-6160.

D Mon.-Sat.

Rugby Grille $$$$ NEW AMERICAN • At the Townsend Hotel’s upscale restaurant, the classics remain, including boned-at-the-table Dover sole and hefty steaks.

They also introduced a new menu last year. Michigan-produced ingredients from local farmers and ranchers are still a focus. 100 Townsend St., Birmingham; 248-642-5999. B,L,D daily.

O.W.L. $ MEXICAN-AMERICAN • This Royal Oak spot offers 24 hours of sustenance. Step up to the counter and order from the letterboard menu before grabbing a stool at the counter or along the window ledge. Dishes include such diner musts as eggs, sausage and potato hash, burgers, and chicken wings as well as tacos and nachos served from the open kitchen. 27302 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248-808-6244. B, L,D daily.

Social Kitchen & Bar $$$ NEW AMERICAN • The energetic Birmingham spot allows guests a view of the kitchen action.

It has a creative and varied menu typified by falafel lettuce wraps, fried chicken sandwiches, crispy Brussels sprouts, and salmon with braised lentils, crispy kale, and a mustard vinagrette. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham; 248-594-4200. L Mon.-Fri., D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. Streetside Seafood $$ SEAFOOD • Small and cozy yet sophisticated, the restaurant has a pared-down menu of fresh fish and seafood on a seasonal menu. There are always two soups: a bisque and a chowder. Favorites include the smoked whitefish melt at lunch. A delicious restaurant for all palates to enjoy and feel comfortable in. 273 Pierce St.Birmingham; 248-645-9123. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.

Three Cats Restaurant $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • Formerly a tiny café serving customers of the boutique Leon & Lulu, Three Cats is now a full-fledged restaurant and bar.

Located in the former Clawson movie theater next door to the shop, the spot serves small, simple plates, including vegetarian and vegan options for brunch, lunch, and dinner. The beverage menu features local selections, such as vodka from Ferndale’s Valentine’s Distilling Co. and wines from grapes grown on the Leelanau Peninsula.

Patrons can even take home the colorful, quirky chairs or tables they’re dining at, as most of the furniture in the restaurant is for sale. 116 W. 14 Mile Road, Clawson; 248-288-4858. L,D Mon.-Fri., B,L,D Sat.-Sun.

Toast, A Breakfast & Lunch Joint $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • It’s fun, it’s breezy, and the food is very, very good. The house specialty smothered burrito has plenty of fans, as does huevos rancheros: fried eggs upon corn tortillas, pintos, and cheese. Toast, a Neighborhood Joint, the spinoff of the Ferndale original has a more elaborate setting pairing ’50s retro with sleek contemporary in a pair of rooms. The new menu features twists to comfort food. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-398-0444. L daily, B Sat.-Sun. 203 Pierce St., Birmingham; 248-258-6278. B,L Mon.-Sat., B,L Sun. Toasted Oak $$$ BRASSERIE • The menu revolves around the charcuterie — crispy pork belly, live paté, beef short rib, etc. — sold in the market next door and a list of hot grill items, such as grilled steaks with béarnaise sauce. 27790 Novi Road, Novi; 248-2776000. B,D daily, L Mon.-Fri. Townhouse $$$ NEW AMERICAN • This popular Birmingham spot has several exceptional offerings on its menu, such as the specialty 10 ounces of 28-day dry-aged beef hamburger on brioche. 180 Pierce St., Birmingham; 248-792-5241. L,D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. 500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-723-1000. L,D Mon.-Sun. BR Sun.

Park 600 Bar + Kitchen $$ EUROPEAN INSPIRED • Seating includes the central bar, in front of the blazing pizza oven, at a communal table and conventional tables, and on the terrace overlooking Paint Creek Trail. The menu has an array of small plates and sandwiches at lunch along with intriguing dinner entrees.

Royal Park Hotel, 600 E. University Drive, Rochester; 248-453-8732. B,L,D daily and afternoon tea ($39 per person) Thurs.-Sun. by reservation.

Prime29 Steakhouse $$$$ STEAKHOUSE • The 29-day aged prime beef, including the 24-ounce tomahawk bone-in rib-eye, still stars here. There’s also Chilean sea bass, Loch Duart salmon, and lamb chops with lobster fried rice. The service is notable, as is the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. 6545 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield; 248-7377463. D daily.

Public House $$ SMALL PLATES • This Ferndale classic once known for its sliders recently received a menu update courtesy of executive chef Nick Erven and head chef Jasmine Hughes. While old favorites like deviled eggs are still present, they’ve been updated with pork rind, and the restaurant now offers “Fancy Ass Hash Browns” with caviar and fried chicken with spicy tomato ranch. The desserts are really worth a try. 241 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-850-7420. L,D Mon.-Fri, B,L,D Sat.-Sun.

Social Kitchen & Bar’s Blackened Shrimp Cobb Salad is a combo of avocado, bacon, egg, tomato, cucumber, white beans, and bleu cheese.

PHOTOGRAPH BY C LOUISE PUBLIC RELATIONS

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Kaizen Ramen $ JAPANESE • A downtown Royal Oak space with exposed ductwork, orange booths, and a lively, floor-to-ceiling, black-and-white robot mural may not seem like the obvious choice for authentic Asian noodles. But this casual spot offers a variety of vegan and meat-based ramen dishes, as well as gyoza, poke, spring rolls, and karaage — Japanese-style fried chicken. Don’t skip out on desserts like mochi ice cream and cheesecake tempura. 411 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak; 248-677-1236. L,D Mon.-Sat. Lao Pot $$$ CHINESE • In early December, the owners of Madison Heights’ international market 168 Asian Mart opened Lao Pot, which specializes in Chinese Hot Pot cuisine. Hot Pot is a traditional method of cooking, using a pot of simmering broth, which sits in the center of the dining table. Lao Pot gives diners the chance to customize and cook their meals right at their tables, combining great food and a memorable experience. 32707 John R. Road, Madison Heights; 248-689-9888. L,D daily.

R E S TAU R A N T O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 0 8 Mon Jin Lau $ ASIAN-FUSION • Explore such dishes as Singapore noodles, combining chicken, shrimp, chilies, and curry with angel-hair pasta; Mongolian beef; or seared scallops with corn chili sauce and a side of fried taro. The patio opens up and the dining room transforms into a dance floor for weekly events. 1515 E. Maple Road, Troy; 248-6892332. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.

Antihero’s Pork Ramen features pork belly, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, scallion, rayu, and a marinated egg.

220 Merrill $$$ CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN • The menu includes apps and small plates as well as crispy Key West shrimp, pan-roasted sea bass, and fried calamari.

There are heartier entrees as well, like the braised beef short ribs. 220 Merrill St., Birmingham; 248646-2220. L,D Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. Union Woodshop $$ BARBEQUE • Part of the ever-growing Union Joints restaurant group, this is a self-described wood-fired joint, where pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and beef brisket come from the smoker, and Neapolitan-style crisp-crusted pizzas from the wood-burning oven. And definitely check out the mac and cheese. There’s also a delicious kid’s menu for any youngsters in your party.

18 S. Main St., Clarkston; 248-625-5660.

D Mon.-Fri., L,D Sat.-Sun. Vinotecca $$ WINE BAR • Proprietors John and Kristin Jonna, the father-daughter duo who also collaborates on Vinology in Ann Arbor, have come up with an eclectic menu, including Loch Duarte salmon and a Kona coffee-rubbed filet. 210 Old S. Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-203-6600. D Tue.-Sun., BR Sat. and Sun. Vinsetta Garage $$ NEW AMERICAN • This restaurant in a vintage car-repair shop offers well-prepared comfort-food classics such as burgers on pretzel buns, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, pizzas,

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and roast chicken. A restaurant that pays true homage to Detroit. 27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley; 248-548-7711. L,D daily.

Voyager $$ SEAFOOD • Fresh seafood with emphasis on oysters is the premise in this hard-to-find location.

The space entails convivially close quarters for such dishes as peel-n’-eat shrimp, chili crab spaghetti and grilled swordfish. The premium bar offers short but notable lists of beer and wine as well as craft cocktails. 600 Vester St., Ferndale; 248-658-4999. D Tue.-Sat.

ASIAN Adachi $$$ JAPANESE-INSPIRED • Downtown Birmingham’s Ford-Peabody mansion transforms into a much buzzed-about restaurant. Heading the kitchen is Lloyd Roberts, who has trained in the kitchens of celebrity chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Nobu Matsuhisa. 325 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham. D daily, L Mon.-Fri. Anita’s Kitchen $ LEBANESE • With pita pizzas and lamb chops, the Lebanese food here is some of the best around. And there’s vegetarian and gluten-free fare, too. Healthy, nutritious, and delicious. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-548-0680. 150 W. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313771-3030. L,D daily.

Antihero $$ JAPANESE-INSPIRED • This Izakaya — a Japanese pub-style bar or eatery — opened in fall 2018. Its food is focused on small plates along with an endless array of craft cocktails, beers, and more. 231 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248307-7383. D Wed.-Sun. Bi Bim Bab $$ KOREAN • Though sushi and a small selection of Japanese entrees share the bill here, it’s Korean food at center stage — on barbecue grills, on which meat and seafood are grilled to order.

Or come for the restaurant’s namesake. 43155 Main St., Novi; 248-348-6800. L,D daily.

Elie’s Mediterranean Grill/Bar $$ LEBANESE • The lamb and chicken shawarma, shish kafta, kibbee nyeh, and other Lebanese dishes are emphasized by the décor, including photomurals of old Beirut and strings of blue beads cascading from the ceiling. A fun place to frequent for a quick lunch or a night out with friends. 263 Pierce St., Birmingham; 248-6472420. L,D Mon.-Sat. Hong Hua $ CHINESE • One of the best area restaurants dedicated to Asian food offers some rare delicacies — shark’s fin and bird’s nest soups, fresh abalone — as well as more customary items. One signature dish is stir-fried yellow grouper fillet with vegetables. 27925 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills; 248-489-2280. L,D daily.

New Seoul Plaza $$ KOREAN • An all-in-one spot for Korean eats that opened in fall 2018, New Seoul Plaza offers a dish for every craving. Try Daebak KBBQ for Korean barbeque, Jinji for traditional dishes or Myomee Coffee & Dessert Café for something sweet.

27566 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-9968922. L,D daily.

168 KTV Bistro $$ PAN-ASIAN • Don’t judge by its unassuming strip mall location. It’s a unique experience that meshes food, karaoke, and pop party culture into a onestop destination. The dining room offers dishes blurring the lines. Standouts include stir-fried snow pea leaves with garlic and stir-fried udon.

The traditional Korean noodle dish chap chae is a strong option. 32415 John R Road, Madison Heights; 248-616-0168. D daily.

Phoenicia $$$ LEBANESE • This long-standing Lebanese spot has clean, contemporary lines that complement the French door-style windows. Don’t miss the morel mushrooms or roasted garlic cloves with tomato and basil as an appetizer. The menu expands to unexpected items such as baby back ribs. 588 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-644-3122. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.

Quan Nem Ngon $ VIETNAMESE • This gem of a bistro in a handsome space adds to the local Vietnamese offerings. Dishes such as cha gio (elegant little eggrolls), bun bo nuong sa (grilled steak atop angelhair rice noodles), and banh mi made with fresh ingredients. 30701 Dequindre Road, Madison Heights; 248-268-4310. L,D daily.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ANTIHERO

Voted The Best

royal oak

birmingham

detroit

We want to thank our clients who have supported us throughout the years, especially now.

Whether they have been with us since we opened our first salon nearly two decades ago, recently discovered us, or visited another time, they have played an important part in shaping us.

Before any of us had children, we had the salon, and as it has grown, we have admired how our team has too: a passionate group of professionals dedicated to extending our vision to all of you.

These are remarkable days — with you we know we will get through this together.

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Ronin $$ JAPANESE • The sushi menu, ranging from spicy tuna rolls to yellowtail and salmon eggs and well beyond, is augmented by a concise menu of cooked fare. Front windows open onto the sidewalk, making the cocktail lounge open-air during the warm months. 326 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; 248-546-0888. D daily.

Take Sushi $$ JAPANESE • Crisp salads, miso soup garnished with the tiniest dice of tofu, sashimi and sushi, oversize bowls of soba or udon noodles, and all the familiar — and some not-so-familiar — entrees, combine together to make this spot special. 1366 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills; 248-652-7800. L Mon.-Sat., D daily.

Yotsuba Japanese Restaurant & Bar $$ JAPANESE • The semi-circular sushi bar is the center of this restaurant. Sushi chef Bobby Suzuki has a loyal following for his precise nigiri rolls.

There are also tatami rooms and conventional seating. 7365 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township; 248-737-8282. 2222 Hogback Road, Ann Arbor; 734-971-5168. L,D daily.

Bar Verona $$ ITALIAN • Helmed by celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, who has appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef, the upscale-casual eatery offers updated Italian favorites in a modern atmosphere. The menu features homemade pastas, such as garganelli with shiitake mushrooms and truffled porcini cream; and pizzas, including the Verona with Tomato Cream, Black Forest Ham, and Burrata, as well as a selection of steaks and seafood dishes. See website for locations; barverona.com Bella Piatti $$ ITALIAN • The location right across from the Townsend Hotel has inspired a number of visiting celebrities, professional athletes, and film crews who stay there to check out the Italian fare at this restaurant. The menu of such dishes as Gemelli pasta with fresh tomato sauce, salmon baked with spinach, kalamata olives, white wine, and tomatoes, and tagliatelle Bolognese stands on its own. It’s one of our true favorites in the area in terms of Italian restaurants. 167 Townsend St., Birmingham; 248-494-7110. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat.

Bigalora: Wood Fired Cucina $$ ITALIAN • The pizza concept from chef Luciano Del Signore, a four-time James Beard Award nominee, features small plates, fresh pastas, woodroasted meats, and a range of distinctive Neopolitan pizzas. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield; 248750-2442. L Fri.,D daily. 711 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-544-2442. L,D daily. 3050 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-971-2442. L,D daily. BR Sun. Café Cortina $$$ ITALIAN • Selections include prosciutto di Parma stuffed with greens and mozzarella; squid sautéed with fresh pomodori; gnocchi with porcini mushrooms; and meaty prawns finished with lemon, white wine, and herbs. For dessert, try the crepes 30715 W. 10 Mile Road, Farmington Hills; 248-474-3033. L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat. Crispelli’s Bakery Pizzeria $ ITALIAN-INSPIRED • This hybrid offers artisanal pizzas from a brick oven, salads, paninis, and soups. A bakery offers crusty breads, desserts, and meals to go. Two patios add to the appeal.

28939 Woodward Ave., Berkley; 248-591-3300.

625 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy; 248-680-0066.

6690 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield; 248591-3300. L,D daily.

Due Venti $$ CUISINE • Everything is precise and balanced at this northern Italian gem: food, service, and atmosphere. Try the “fritelle” of sliced cauliflower fried in olive oil or the gnocchi with 14-hour braised lamb shank ragu. Desserts include affogato, a flourless torta with chocolate cake and raspberry mousse, and biscotti — everything is completely delicious. 220 S. Main St., Clawson; 248-2880220. D Tue.-Sat. La Strada Dolci e Caffé $ ITALIAN • A slice of European elegance offers an impeccable little menu of Italian dishes and rich coffees and espresso. Paninis, delicious fresh green salads, hearty minestrone soup, pastas, pizzas, and decadent and artistically crafted pastries are prettily served and very tasty.

243 E. Merrill St., Birmingham; 248-480-0492.

B,L,D Tue.-Sat., L,D Sun.

Zao Jun $$ ASIAN FUSION • Adachi chef Lloyd Roberts has brought his refined yet imaginative Pan-Asian cuisine to Bloomfield Township. More casual than Roberts’ first local outpost, Zao Jun boasts an eclectic menu, influenced by traditional East Asian traditions as well as New Age techniques.

Alongside an extensive drink menu of wine, beer, sake, and Asian-inspired cocktails, Zao Jun offers creative dishes such as Duck Macao, Kani Crab and Green Apple salad, and Mongolian Beef.

6608 Telegraph Road., Bloomfield Twp.; 248-949-9999. D daily.

EUROPEAN Andiamo Restaurants $$ ITALIAN • Steak and Italian pasta are the focus, but dessert is also impeccable. The more casual but as just delicious spots are known as Trattorias.

Flagships: 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit; 313567-6700. 21400 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313359-3300. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township; 248-865-9300. 7096E. 14 Mile Road, Warren; 586-268-3200. 14425 Lakeside Circle, Sterling Heights; 586-532-8800. Trattorias: Fenton. D daily.

Clarkston. L,D Mon.-Fri, D Sat.-Sun. Assaggi Bistro $$$ ITALIAN • Seasonal offers encompassing rustic Italian, country French, and authentic Lebanese are all created in the open kitchen. Standouts include Moroccan duck legs, porcini-dusted day boat sea scallops, and cioppino (seafood stew).

330 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-584-3499 D Tue.-Sun. Bacco $$$ ITALIAN • Chef-owner Luciano Del Signore’s pastas are like pure art. Try the Strozzapreti Norcina: Italian sausage, truffles, tomato, and white wine, tossed in hand-rolled pasta. From local grass-fed beef to sustainably farm-raised sea bass, the ingredients are top-end. A true Italian gem in the suburbs. And the desserts, are not to be missed. 29410 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-356-6600. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat.

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Ronin’s Tuna Tartar is served with avocado, garlic soy, red onion, tomato, and wonton chips.

PHOTOGRAPH BY EE BERGER

Voted The Best

Voted Best Italian Restaurant

by Hour 2020 Two Years in a Row

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTE

Is it the simple fresh ingredients made to order?

Is it a clean atmosphere? Is it friendly service?

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The menu crosses boundaries, from tacos and wood-fired dishes to assorted flatbreads and sushi rolls. The interior is also Instagrammably beautiful. 15 S. Main St., Clarkston; 248-297-5833. D daily, BR Sat.-Sun. Hazel, Ravines & Downtown $$ ECLECTIC • This is an inventive, casual and fine-dining eatery, grab-and-go market, and bar all in a 10,000-square-foot space in downtown Birmingham. The restaurant itself offers three menus. Hazel focuses on comfort food. Ravines is for the seasoned traveler. While Downtown appeals to foodtrend-followers. HRD is the ultimate neighborhood hangout. 34977 Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248671-1714. B,L,D daily.

LATIN AMERICAN Culantro $$ PERUVIAN • Native Peruvian Betty Shuell brings a taste of her home to Ferndale. The casual, seatyourself establishment is named after an herb that is often used in preparation with the more familiar cilantro. An especially notable dish is Pollo a la Brasa, marinated chicken. 22939 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-632-1055. L,D daily.

Gran Castor’s Porchetta Mexicana features chorizo, orange, and fennel wrapped in pork belly, served with black beans and warm tortillas.

Gran Castor $$ LATIN STREET • From the duo behind hit spots like Vinsetta Garage and Union Woodshop comes this vibrant Latin-American café and restaurant.

Diners can choose to sit behind one of the two bars, a cozy café, or in the 245-seat dining room all decked in colorful textiles. 2950 Rochester Road, Troy; 248-278-7777. D Mon-Sun.

Lelli’s $$ ITALIAN • Dinners begin with an antipasto tray, creamy minestrone, salad, side dish of spaghetti, and then — nine times out of 10 — a filet mignon with zip sauce. 885 N. Opdyke Road, Auburn Hills; 248-373-4440. L Mon.-Fri. D daily.

Honcho $ LATIN FUSION • From the owners of Vinsetta Garage and Union Woodshop, this restaurant can be described as “Latin food that speaks with an Asian accent,” menu items include a chicken burrito fried and tossed in a soy fish sauce. 3 E. Church St., Clarkston; 248-707-3793.

L,D daily.

Loccino Italian Grill $$ ITALIAN • Loccino is a “family-friendly” yet upscale Italian restaurant. Choose from fresh seafood, steak, chicken, and veal dishes, plus traditional pastas, pizzas, salads, and more.

They also offer happy hour specials from 3-7 p.m. weekdays. A great special occassion place or delicious workday lunch spot for whevener you need a break from the office. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy; 248-813-0700. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.

Loui’s Pizza $ ITALIAN • Sure, you can now get a Michigan craft beer, but not much else has changed.

And that’s a good thing. Parties dine on square pizzas with crisp crust that’s faintly charred around the edges. Hailed by food critics and Detroiters alike as arguably one of the most classic Detroit style pizzas in the city — so it’s well worth a trip. 23141 Dequindre Road, Hazel Park; 248-547-1711. L,D Wed.-Sun. Market North End $$ ITALIAN • Joe and Kristin Bongiovanni opened this eatery just across the street from the family’s other two restaurants, Salvatore Scallopini and Luxe Bar & Grill. It represents a younger, casual alternative with a serious kitchen that

1 2 8 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

offers American dishes with global touches.

474 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-712-4953. L,D daily.

Polka Restaurant & Beer Café $$ POLISH • Servers in traditional garb greet you near original murals, and light woodwork is enhanced with painted floral panels. Try the dill pickle soup, city chicken, and beef short rib, plus other favorites like pierogis, schnitzel, stuffed cabbages, and several kielbasa styles. 2908 E. Maple Road, Troy; 248-817-2601. D Tue.-Sun. Pop’s For Italian $$ ITALIAN • It doesn’t sound fancy, but this Ferndale restaurant serves well-prepared Italian dishes paired with an ambitious wine program. The fairly brief menu starts with a list of pizzas, then moves to pastas, but has all the classics to hit the spot.

280 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-268-4806. D Tue.-Sun. Sal’s $$ ITALIAN • Formerly known as Salvatore Scallopini, this old-school Italian eatery has long been known for its classic handmade pastas. Still, it’s more recent menu additions—bold seafood dishes that reflect the Bongiovanni family’s Sicilian heritage— hold up just as well. 505 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-644-8799. L,D daily.

Silver Spoon $$ ITALIAN • This quintessential slice of Italy features excellent food, knowledgeable staff, and

friendly service. Try the bucatini made with pancetta, onion, red wine, and fresh tomato sauce. Also worth trying: saltimbocca alla Romana, or veal scaloppini sautéed in white wine. A truly delicious place for any kind of outing. 543 N. Main St., Rochester; 248-652-4500. D daily.

Tallulah Wine Bar & Bistro $$ WINE BAR • Understated monochromatic décor and a pared-down menu of seasonal dishes make this spot a Birmingham classic. The kitchen turns out dishes like Lamb Belly Ragu with housemade pasta; and Alaskan Halibut with mushroom ragu and asparagus. Wine is served by the glass, the pitcher, or bottle. 155 S. Bates St., Birmingham; 248-731-7066. D Mon.-Sat.

Imperial $ MEXICAN-INSPIRED • The brief menu offers California-style tacos on soft tortillas, including lime-grilled chicken, carnitas, and marinated pork, as well as slow-roasted pork tortas, and guacamole, 22828 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 248-8508060. L,D daily, BR Sun.

MACOMB AMERICAN

INTERNATIONAL Bistro Joe’s $$$ GLOBAL • Part of Papa Joe’s Gourmet Market, Bistro Joe’s is in a mezzanine overlooking the open kitchen and market. There is an eclectic list of dishes like Spicy Tuna “tacushi,” steamed mussels, and tasty flatbread pizzas. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-594-0984.

L,D Tue.-Sun., BR Sat.-Sun.

Bad Brad’s $$ BARBEQUE • The rustic setting is just right for the menu of St. Louis ribs, brisket, and pulled pork.

3437 S. Baldwin Road, Orion Charter Township; 248-977-5910. 35611 Green St., New Baltimore; 586-716-9977. 6525 23 Mile Road, Shelby Township; 586-254-7010. L,D daily.

Butter Run Saloon $ GASTROPUB • Solid American fare that’s beyond bar food (although their burgers are certainly

The Fed $$ GASTROPUB • An attractive restaurant with great food and a delightfully refreshing atmosphere.

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noteworthy). There’s escargot, perch, steaks, and a huge whiskey selection — 900 at last count.

27626 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-675-2115.

L,D daily.

Detroit Fish House $$ SEAFOOD • This restaurant feels like a true coastal eatery, serving an extensive menu of fresh fish and seafood in a well-designed setting. Choose from a wide variety of fresh fish and meaty seafood, ranging from salmon to Lake Superior whitefish. 51195 Schoenherr Road, Shelby Charter Township; 586-739-5400. L,D Mon.-Sat., D Sun. J. Baldwin’s Restaurant $$$ NEW AMERICAN • The menu showcases talented chef Jeff Baldwin’s contemporary American food: cedar-planked salmon, chicken fettuccini alfredo with pesto, and herb-crusted chicken, with housemade breads. The desserts include chocolate bumpy cake, spiced carrot cake, apple cobbler, chocolate mousse layer cake, and banana foster bread pudding. Overall, J. Baldwin’s serves up really amazing food. 16981 18 Mile Road, Clinton Township; 586-416-3500. L,D daily, BR Sun. Mr. Paul’s Chophouse $$$ STEAKHOUSE • This bastion of red meat as well as classic dishes is still going strong. Try old-school tableside presentations such as Chateaubriand and Caesar salad. There’s a solid selection of fresh seafood and pasta, too. The founding family still runs the place and emphasizes hospitality and a good time. 29850 Groesbeck Hwy., Roseville; 586-777-7770. L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat. Sherwood Brewing Co. $ GASTROPUB • Quality local ingredients raise Sherwood’s fare to well above “elevated pub grub.”

Notable choices include the House Beer Chili, Better Made-crusted fish and chips, and Buffalo Mac. Homemade extends to dessert, including Cashew Outside Cookies. This isn’t just bar food, it’s elevated bar food. 45689 Hayes Road, Shelby Township; 586-532-9669. L,D daily.

Twisted Rooster $$ SPORTS BAR • This “Michigan-centric” chain (Chesterfield Township, Grand Rapids, and Belleville) has takes on classics, with mac & cheese variations and steaks with “zip” sauce.

45225 Marketplace Blvd., Chesterfield; 586-9491470. L,D daily.

Vast Kitchen and Bar $$ NEW AMERICAN • Chef Nicole Justman heads the kitchen at this fresh spot that brings a touch of Birmingham to Shelby Township. A contemporary menu includes ginger-crusted salmon and filet mignon. 52969 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township; 586-991-6104. L,D Mon.-Sat. Waves $$ SEAFOOD • Seafood covers most of the menu at this Nautical Mile favorite. It’s tough choosing between such appetizers as Cuban-spiced crawfish tails, grouper nuggets, and steamed mussels. Entrees include pastas and several choices from “over the wave,” such as Lamb Chops and New York strip steak, plus crab cakes, and beer-battered cod. 24223 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-773-3279. L,D daily.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse’s Fried Cherry Pie is filled with plump Michigan cherries.

EUROPEAN

WASHTENAW AMERICAN

Da Francesco’s Ristorante & Bar $$ ITALIAN • Da Francesco’s has been around for more than 15 years, but its massive new facility is packing in the crowds offering an upbeat modern twist to traditional Italian dining. 49521 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township; 586-731-7544. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat., L,D Sun. Gaudino’s $$ ITALIAN • The trend toward combining a food market with a restaurant has a good example at this spot. It offers imported pastas and sauces, plus a butcher counter with sausages and a wine assortment. The menu offers pasta and pizza, salads, and entrees, including a Chicken Milanese.

27919 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-8796764. L,D Tue.-Sun. Testa Barra $$ ITALIAN • The newest spot from talented chef and restaurateur Jeffrey Baldwin and his wife, RoseMarie, offers modern Italian fare in a lively, upbeat setting. Pastas are made in-house.

48824 Romeo Plank Road, Macomb Township; 586-434-0100. D nightly D Tue.-Sun..

Black Pearl $$ SEAFOOD • This seafood and martini bar is especially popular during patio season. But step inside for a host of craft cocktails, then stay for dinner. A seafood-dominated menu includes a notable roasted scallop dish. The Pasta Gone Bayou is also worth a try, with shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage, and a Cajun cream sauce. And make sure to order dessert. The Sweet Potato Beignets and gluten-free Black Pearl Molten Cake are exceptional.

302 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-222-0400. D daily.

Blue LLama Jazz Club $$ CREATIVE AMERICAN • This swanky new jazz club opened on the site of Rush nightclub in April 2019. Come for the music, which includes headliners such as the Grammy-nominated Ravi Coltrane Quartet, but stay for Chef Louis Goral’s delicious food. Try the crispy foie gras PB&J with Marcona almonds and strawberry jam. There is also a delicious Sunday brunch with decadent orange blossom beignets and strawberry pancakes. 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-372-3200. D Wed.-Sat., BR Sun. The Common Grill $$ SEAFOOD • Owner and chef Craig Common’s skilled work has drawn the attention of Gourmet

1 3 0 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

magazine and the James Beard House — as well as the Purple Rose Theatre crowd. This mainstay is known for fresh oysters and seafood, but all the fare is expertly prepared. A tried-and-true foodie destination with a range of desserts, including coconut cream pie, lemon pudding cake, and cherry cobbler. 112 S. Main St., Chelsea; 734-475-0470. L,D Tue.-Sun., BR Sun. Grange Kitchen and Bar $$$ NEW AMERICAN • If the charm of the brownstone storefront brought you in, regionally sourced ingredients will make you stay. From fried pig head to pig-ear salad, every scrap of the hog is used, reflecting a philosophy of sustainability.

118 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; 734-995-2107.

D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. Logan $$$ NEW AMERICAN • The menu is American, with strong global influences, including pork dumplings and ceviche for starters. For entrees try the Tagliatelle & Burrata with caramelized onions and tomatoes. 115 W. Washington St., Ann Arbor; 734327-2312. D Tue.-Sat. Seva Ann Arbor $$ VEGAN • Seva offers such dishes as black bean and sweet potato quesadillas, gluten-free options, and colorful stir-fries — some vegan as well as vegetarian. There’s also a full bar as and juice bar. Choose from one of the most extensive vegetarian menus in the area. 2541 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-662-1111. L,D daily.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ZINGERMAN’S ROADHOUSE

R ESTAU RA N T L IST IN GS // AU GUST 2020

Zingerman’s Deli $ SANDWICH/DELI • This is a must-try staple in Ann Arbor. The temptations at Zingerman’s are endless: fresh breads and a menu of filling sandwiches, olive oils and housemade balsamic vinegars, chilies, and mustards. 422 Detroit St., Ann Arbor; 734-663-3354. B,L,D daily.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse $$$ CLASSIC COMFORT • This eatery celebrates American food from various cities across the country. From fresh Maryland crab cakes to the delicious delicacies of New Orleans and smoky-spicy flavors of New Mexico, every last bite of the country is represented here. The buttermilk biscuits are beyond-this-world. 2501 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-663-3663. B,L,D daily.

ASIAN Miss Kim’s $$ KOREAN • This spinoff from the Zingerman’s mini empire comes courtesy of chef Ji Hye Kim and is a go-to spot for healthy Asian eats. Kim often incorporates ancient Korean culinary traditions, such as rice syrup and plum extracts, into her dishes. Some of the restaurant’s standouts include the Wasabi Sugar Snap Peas and Korean

BBQ Ssam Plate to name just a few. 415 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-275-0099. L,D Tue.-Sun. Shalimar $$ INDIAN • Offering North Indian, Tandoori, and Mughlai dishes, Shalimar is suitable for carnivores and herbivores alike. Standouts include the Tandoori Lamb Chops marinated in yogurt, ginger, and garlic, which is best eaten with flavorful garlic naan. Well worth the trip to Ann Arbor. 307 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-663-1500. L, D daily.

Slurping Turtle $ JAPANESE • This fun, casual restaurant owned by celebrity chef Takashi Yagihashi offers plenty of shareable dishes, such as hamachi tacos and duck fat fried chicken. 608 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; 734-887-6868. L,D daily.

EUROPEAN KouZina Greek Steet Food $ GREEK • The Greek “street food” at this popular spot comes in lamb and beef, and chicken. Try the lentil soup for a delicious weekday lunch or go for something more filling like falafel. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this excellent spot. 332 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-997-5155. L,D daily.

Mani Osteria & Bar $$ ITALIAN • This casual restaurant infuses freshness with lower prices. It’s a well-rounded blend of modern, eclectic Italian with classic standbys.

The pizzas are hot, fresh and perfectly executed to suit your tastes. 341 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; 734-769-6700. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sun., BR Sun. Paesano $$ ITALIAN • With a friendly waitstaff and decked in vibrant colors, this restaurant is not to be missed.

The menu changes with each season. Must-try items have included the pasta carbonara with shrimp, duck bacon, and Italian greens, as well as beet and ricotta gnocchi. 3411 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-971-0484. L,D daily.

INTERNATIONAL The Blue Nile $$ ETHIOPIAN • The real treat of the meal at this Ferndale restaurant is that it’s scooped up with a spongy bread called injera, and all the lentils, often seasoned with Ethiopian spice mixture known as Berber, and vegetables are delicious.

221 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor; 734-998-4746.

D Tue.-Sun.545 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248547-6699. D daily.

Cardamom $$ INDIAN • Check out the Hyderabadi Biryani — chicken, goat, and vegetable dishes, in which the rice is cooked then baked. All the Indian favorites are available, like Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Rogan Josh, and garlic naan. The ideal spot for when you crave the classics. 1739 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor; 734-662-2877. L,D Tue.-Sun. Vinology $$$ ECLECTIC • Natural brick walls blended with dark-wood booths and tables lend warmth, while tall ceilings contribute to a spacious feel. The menu draws on assorted cuisines to produce dishes like Vegan Dumplings, Short Rib Tacos, Fig and Gorgonzola Flatbread, and Filet Mignon with black truffle garlic butter and burgundy reduction. The wine list here is incredible. 110 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-222-9841. L Mon.-Fri. D daily.

All restaurants are reviewed anonymously, all expenses are paid by Hour Detroit, and the listings have no relationship to advertising in the magazine. All restaurants are handicapped accessible unless otherwise noted.

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TRUSTED ADVISERS Q&A

Trusted Advisers Offer Valuable Knowledge and Sound Advice Making important decisions can often be difficult. Is this the right time to buy a new home, or should you have some renovation work done to improve and update your present living space? How do you select the best quality products and accessories to accentuate your home décor?

With the new no-fault auto insurance law, how do you choose the appropriate coverage?

If you’re unsure of how to proceed, it’s wise to reach out to an expert who has the experience, training, and insight to provide you with ideas and solutions.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown, many real estate professionals say they have renewed confidence about the local housing market, whether you’re a seller or a buyer. If you’re concerned about social distancing in the future and you’re thinking about building a new home or an addition, you might want to add an

Q:

office or a home movie theater to your list of musthaves.

Trusted advisers are passionate and enthusiastic about their work, and they listen carefully to understand their clients’ needs. A creative interior design expert can help you visualize your new project. A compassionate, skilled attorney can offer guidance on conflict-free communication while co-parenting. Consider the following experts when you need professional advice to help you make your best decisions. ■

Why is there so much passion about one of Detroit’s newest business ventures, Swaggles?

A: “I’ve seen heartbreaking stories about dogs being abused,” says the company’s founder, Temeria Heard. “These horrific images keep me awake at night. I launched Swaggles after watching a story about a small dog who was confined in a cage and doused with boiling water by its owner.

“I love my Bichon Frise, Snuggles, and can’t imagine anyone hurting her,” Heard continues. “Swaggles is a blend of ‘Snuggles’ and the swag

that my company, Corporate 52 Marketing Group, is known for.”

Swaggles offers unique, highquality apparel and accessories for men, women, children, and dogs.

Its sweatshirts and T-shirts are especially popular. “We trademarked our paw image and the words for our initial three designs: Detroit, Compassion, and Protect,” Heard says.

“We like to say ‘The paw is the brand.’ ” Swaggles donates a percentage of its profits to anti-cruelty and anti-

animal abuse causes. Its mission is to support organizations and causes that are dedicated to rescuing, healing, providing shelter, and finding safe and loving homes for dogs in need.

“We plan to expand our brand in several cities nationwide,” Heard says. “Wearing a Swaggles T-shirt is trendy, but more importantly, it’s a great way to help protect dogs and show your compassion.”

Corporate 52 Marketing Group Temeria Heard 3031 W. Grand Blvd., Ste. 505B Detroit, MI 48202 877-542-8032 313-204-9276 corporate52.com Advertisement on page 96

TRUSTED ADVISERS Q&A Q:

Where’s the housing market headed following COVID-19?

A: January, February, and early March exhibited strong numbers with regard to showings, offers, and closings. That momentum was interrupted by COVID-19.

Understandably, the plans of many buyers and sellers were put on hold or changed because of virusrelated restrictions.

Even so, the fundamentals of the local market have remained solid during the quarantine, and interest rates are historically low. Sellers are beginning to feel

Q:

Signature Homes, says yes!

“We’re going to have a recession, largely due to high unemployment and small business failures that began earlier this year. However, interest rates remain low and there’s a shortage of used homes that are move-in ready,” Nosan says. “Construction opened back up on May 7 under new safe work rules, and it’s likely we’ll work this

Hall & Hunter Realtors Cindy Obron Kahn Area Top Producer 2008-2019 442 S. Old Woodward Birmingham, MI 48009 248-644-3500 248-568-7309 cindykahn.com Cindy@CindyKahn.com Advertisement on page 104

way for the foreseeable future.

Real estate sales also restarted under new rules to ensure proper protocol is followed, including social distancing and using PPE.” It appears that staying at home will be the new normal for some time to come. The activities we value outside our home, including trips to the gym and movie theaters, may not feel safe or necessary anymore. That means that, more

than ever, the comfort, efficiency, and right mix of rooms (home office, exercise room, theater) will be in demand, yet not readily available in existing housing stock.

New homes and substantial renovations are the only way to address these needs. There will be more built to order and less speculative building. For these reasons, Nosan believes new homes will retain and even increase in value.

Nosan Signature Homes Terry Nosan Principal, Building and Real Estate 30600 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 400 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-538-1549 nosansignature.com tnosan@nosan.net Advertisement on page 68

My ex-husband and I are co-parenting. It’s been frustrating and stressful. How can we focus on the needs of our children when we have trouble communicating?

A: In times of stress, emotions often take over instead of rational, reasonable thinking. People tend to react in the heat of the moment instead of taking a breath before they respond.

Attorney Sabrina Shaheen Cronin coaches her clients to maintain boundaries, but be reasonable.

It takes an inner confidence and strength to be kind and to do what’s right in the face of adversity, rather

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selling sides of the residential real estate market should sync up shortly and finish 2020 as strongly as they started,” she says.

“Being very knowledgeable about the local market, I welcome both sellers and buyers to contact me for assistance,” she continues.

“I’m happy to list and market the home you’re selling and/or discuss your needs if you’re considering purchasing a new residence.”

Is building/purchasing a new home still a smart investment, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: Terry Nosan, of Nosan

Q:

confident in moving forward. On the buying side, demand is strong, but the home residence desires of buyers have changed. Due to the pandemic, buyers want more space, home offices, and larger backyards. There’s even been some shift from urban to suburban location preferences.

As an experienced real estate professional, Cindy Kahn keeps a close eye on the industry and prevailing market trends. “I anticipate that the buying and

than mirror the negative sentiment being directed toward you.

There’s been a rise in childhood depression and suicide when children are exposed to stress and conflict. If you or your ex are acting out of frustration, hurt, or anger, be mindful that your children can see and hear everything, and will feel the stress tenfold. After all, they didn’t ask to be in the middle of a high-conflict situation,

or to be bounced back and forth between your homes. It’s not right or reasonable to put your children in the middle, so set aside your emotions for their sake.

Strive for peaceful and purposeful communication so your children will feel loved and secure. Look at the bigger picture. With improved communication, you and your ex can both be there for your children throughout their lives.

The Cronin Law Firm, PLLC Sabrina Shaheen Cronin 21 East Long Lake Rd., Ste. 250 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 248-258-3500 callcroninlaw.com scronin@callcroninlaw.com info@callcroninlaw.com Advertisement on page 71

What if I’m injured in an automobile collision and my doctor submits my bills to my employer’s health plan or Medicare insurance, and they pay my bills instead of the no-fault carrier?

A: Understanding your insurance coverage is essential in making decisions that can impact your legal rights and obligations.

Under the new no-fault law, you may still be liable for repayment if your other insurance is Medicare, a Medicare Advantage Plan, or an

employer health ERISA plan.

Medicare has an absolute right to reimbursement, and your employer’s health plan may have similar rights. Both insurers already know about your claim and your settlement, as required under federal law. They also have

reimbursement rights and will demand repayment from any settlement for your injuries if you haven’t purchased appropriate no-fault coverage. Choose your nofault coverage carefully, in order to preserve an adequate recovery for your injuries.

Schefman & Associates, PC Bryan Schefman 40900 Woodward Ave., Ste. 111 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 248-594-2600 248-562-3225 (Fax) 248-514-0111 (Cell) schefmanlaw.com bryan@schefmanlaw.com Advertisement on page 62

TRUSTED ADVISERS Q&A Q:

We’d like to have our next home built. What’s the next step?

A: Whether it’s one room at a time or an entire house, Oliver Max gets involved in various aspects of home construction. Prospective buyers who intend to build often contact Oliver Max to help them create the home of their dreams.

More than an interior design firm, Oliver Max advises on new construction decisions down to the last accessory. While they don’t provide structural blueprints, they can specify exterior construction

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factors you should investigate before buying a vacation home up north: Does the location suit your lifestyle? Is there a city or town that offers the things you need and want? Does it have restaurants you like? A store for supplies? Are there medical facilities nearby? How about a theater or other entertainment?

Does the closest lake fit your interests? Is the lake fully

Oliver Max Inc. Ian Hartwell Interior Design 360 Hamilton Row Birmingham, MI 48009 248-310-3804 olivermaxinc.com olivermaxinc@gmail.com Advertisement on page 74

recreational? Can you water ski and boat on it? Will you use the cottage during hunting season or for winter activities?

What size and style of cottage do you want? How much square footage do you need? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Do you prefer a log cabin or another style?

What about privacy concerns?

What’s the soil and water quality like? Is the soil hard-packed sand

or muck? While you may not mind either way, it can affect the home’s resale value.

Start with a suitable city or town, and work from there. Be clear about your preferences.

Work with a local, professional real estate agent who knows the area and can provide specific information so you can make the right decision. Then start making memories at the lake!

Kidd & Leavy Real Estate Pat Leavy Owner 325 E. Lake St. Petoskey, MI 49770 231-838-6700 231-439-2800 patleavy.com patleavy@kiddleavy.com Advertisement on page 94

I’d like to add natural stone to my home décor. What’s the difference between granite and marble?

A: Denser and stronger than all other natural stones, granite is more resistant to heat, scratches, staining, and discoloration than most marbles.

The durable quality of granite makes it an excellent choice for high foot traffic areas in the home and outdoors. This beautiful, versatile stone is available in a palette of different colors, shades, and textures, with consistent patterns throughout the slab.

Marble is among the most elegant stones. The variegated slabs

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your new home, Oliver Max provides images, color swatches, and samples — and, if you prefer, more realistic digital drawings.

The firm focuses on distinctive design and doesn’t promote a certain look. If you have items you already own and would like to use, they can incorporate them. Their goal is to help you create a space that’s comfortable for you.

What should I consider when buying a cottage Up North?

A: There are several major

Q:

materials as part of an allencompassing plan. You’ll have input on roofing, siding, windows, and more. Inside, they can assist you in choosing plumbing fixtures, lighting, flooring, colors, carpet, paint, and other accessories.

Whether it’s new construction, a remodel, or a beautiful interior, you want to be sure all parts of your project form a cohesive whole, and that the final result is what you had in mind. To help visualize

have “movement” or veining with varying colors and patterns that lend a one-of-a-kind quality to your project. Softer and more porous, marble is susceptible to scratching and to staining by foods and acidic liquids. Long-lasting and versatile, marble is best in your home’s lowtraffic areas — especially in the bathroom, where it can be applied on almost every surface.

If you’re looking for stone material that mimics marble, you might like

man-made quartz. Produced using natural quartzite with added resins and pigments, engineered quartz is a very durable material that requires less maintenance. It’s nonporous, abrasion-resistant and non-staining.

Man-made quartz offers a range of color options, patterns, and contemporary designs.

Visit the showroom at Granite Source of Michigan to find the best quality stone products for your home décor.

Granite Source of Michigan Catalin Vinteler 26530 Eight Mile Rd. Southfield, MI 48033 248-982-9103 granitesourceofmichigan.com office@granitesourceofmichigan.com Advertisement on page 83

What’s your favorite part of being a Realtor?

A: “I often get asked what I love about my job. My answer is simple.

It’s not a job to me. I have a passion for real estate, and I love making people happy when they find a place

to call home,” says Stetson R. Jarbo, of Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel.

For some people, buying or selling a home is an emotional process. For others, it’s looked at as

an opportunity to add equity to a financial portfolio. In either of these circumstances, clients can trust Jarbo to ensure that they experience both enjoyment and happiness.

Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel Stetson R. Jarbo 294 East Brown St. Birmingham, MI 48009 248-525-8881 248-205-1241 (Fax) stetsonjarbo.com StetsonJarbo@gmail.com Advertisement on page 80

TRUSTED ADVISERS Q&A Q:

Will COVID-19 and the shutdown negatively affect home values?

A: That’s the question on everyone’s mind. To answer that question, it’s helpful to look at actual data. According to CoreLogic, the source of Keller Williams Paint Creek’s real estate data, there have been five recessions since 1980. Of the five, home values have increased in three, decreasing occurred in only two. Here are the actual statistics: 1980, +6.1 percent; 1981, +3.5 percent; 1991, -1.9 percent; 2001 +6.6

Q:

than 50 years ago as a florist and greenhouse serving the Fenton community. When Jon Gerych took over the business that his father founded, he transformed Gerych’s into a full-service event design and rental company.

Jon started with a simple passion for creating unique events that capture the imagination and delight of his clients. His attention to detail

and unique creativity keep Gerych’s clients coming back for more.

Jon and the Gerych’s team have gained notoriety by producing some of the largest weddings in the Detroit area. They’ve also styled photo shoots for Versace, handled weddings in Napa Valley, and worked with major auto brands on auto shows nationwide.

Jon Gerych prides himself on taking every client’s vision, big or

The Integrity Team Keller Williams Paint Creek Gwen Daubenmeyer 543 N. Main St., Ste. 111 Rochester, MI 48307 833-333-GWEN (4936) theintegrityteam.com gwen@theintegrityteam.com Advertisement on page 87

small, and turning it into reality — whether it’s a hanging piece over the dance floor, one-of-a-kind centerpieces, or custom-made rental items. “I’m excited to continue to be a part of the Detroit market and I’m looking for the market to come back,” he says. “Detroit has made great strides in recent years and has proven its resilience. I feel confident for the future and look forward to the rebound of Detroit.”

Gerych’s Jon Gerych President & Creative Director 713 W. Silver Lake Rd. Fenton, MI 48430 810-629-5995 810-629-6905 (Fax) gerychsdesign.com gerychsevents.com Advertisement on page 81

What’s Tony and Renee DeKroub’s secret to success?

A: They listen!

mind, while educating and guiding Tony and Renee DeKroub believe them through the intricacies of today’s complex real estate.” their clients’ needs and concerns Both Tony and Renee “grew are their No. 1 priority. Homes are lifetime investments, and they realize up” in the real estate empire.

Renee watched the devotion and buying a home ranks among their clients’ most important expenses. commitment her parents, Nancy and Ray Choate, gave to their clients, and “We approach our task with sensitivity, concern, and professional noticed that her parents created a very successful career. Tony’s family competence,” Tony says. “Our goal was in the business of real estate, too, is to be available to our clients and to work with their best interests in and the example set by their parents

Q:

created a surge of pent-up demand,” says Gwen Daubenmeyer, of The Integrity Team at Keller Williams.

“Demand, coupled with a shortage of inventory, drove prices up a median of 7.4 percent compared to April 2019.

“The market could change. With an impending election, strained trade relations, and unemployment, we could cause a market shift,” she says. “Right now, however, it remains a very robust seller’s market.”

How has Gerych’s helped make its clients’ dreams for a beautiful wedding or an elegant event come true?

A: Gerych’s opened more

Q:

percent; 2008, -9.8 percent.

Most of us think of the housing bubble of 2008 when we think of recession, but things are much different now. A significant contributor to the housing crash of 2008 was an unhealthy banking industry. That isn’t a problem now. Mortgage lending has actually tightened, even though interest rates remain low.

“We anticipated a sharp decline in homes sold during April, but it

is the foundation for Tony and Renee’s dedication to their clients.

The DeKroub Team’s energy, easygoing style, knowledge of the area, dedication, and expertise make them the ideal choice for helping with all your real estate needs.

“You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.”

— Dale Carnegie

The DeKroub Team / ReMax Platinum Renee & Tony DeKroub 108 W Grand River Ave. Howell, MI 48843 866-945-1920 thedekroubteam.com Advertisement on page 107

What are the top reasons to hire a residential architect?

A: A residential architect can help you create and focus your dream house into a built reality.

Architects are licensed professionals, and solve problems

with creative and elegant solutions.

They’re trained in communication, have building experience, and can make life easier. They’re also able to create environmentally friendly

building projects and guide you through the entire project as your advocate.

To put it simply, architects are cost-effective and a good investment.

Michigan Residential Architects (MIRA) Nick Tsontakis, AIA, NCARB, MRAIC Director and Publisher PARTNR HAUS 2139 Cole St. Birmingham, MI 48009 480-874-2288 michiganresidentialarchitects.com NickT@APNpub.com Advertisement on pages 63 & 64

1970

What would a 1970s-era rock festival be without them? Of course, there was the music, too. At the Goose Lake International Music Festival, held 50 years ago on Aug. 7-9 just outside Jackson, Michigan, in Leoni Township, the lineup included top international bands, including The Faces with Rod Stewart, Jethro Tull, the James Gang with Joe Walsh, Chicago, Mountain, and Ten Years After, as well as Detroit-area groups such as Savage Grace, the Up, Mitch Ryder & Detroit, Brownsville Station, and the Stooges. The idea for the outdoor festival was hatched by three metro Detroiters: Richard Songer, who made a mint in construction; Russ Gibb, WKNR disc jockey and owner of the Grande Ballroom on Grand River; and Tom Wright, Gibbs’ manager at the Grande. Held a year after 1969’s Woodstock, Goose Lake was much more organized than that free-spirited gathering. An ingenious touch was a revolving stage so that there wouldn’t be a lull between acts.

The promoters initially hoped the crowd would reach around 60,000, but Goose Lake ballooned to more than 200,000 music lovers. The festival was intended to be an annual event, but complaints about illicit drug sales outraged politicians. Songer was indicted for promoting the sale of drugs but was acquitted. The festival turned out to be just a oneyear affair. Today, the site is a campground. In 2019, the Goose Lake Jamboree, in nearby Jonesville, attracted several thousand fans. At press time, another jamboree marking the festival’s 50th anniversary, also in Jonesville, was slated for Aug. 5-9. For more information, go to facebook.com/GooseLakeJamboree. —George Bulanda

1 3 6 HOURDETROIT.COM // AUGUST 2020

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