Traverse Northern Michigan, April 2023

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Glen Arbor, Michigan 3/2/23 11:00 PM

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features 0 4 . 23

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WILD DINNER Outdoorsman and cook Keefer Edwards offers up some of his favorite foraged dishes, honed over years roaming the wilds of his childhood backyard.

BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS / PHOTOS BY LIAM KAISER

Freshly picked morels sizzle in buttery goodness.

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MERLYN’S PÂTISSERIE

If you want to try one of Anna Mae Kucharski and Jun Dupra’s Asian-French fusion pastries, you better get to the farmers market early.

Merlyn’s Pâtisserie is the new bakeshop on the block, and we can’t get enough. photo by Liam Kaiser

BY ALLISON JARRELL PHOTOS BY COURTNEY KENT

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THE DELISH LIST

It’s an over-the-top brat fest. It’s a promise of summer pies to come. It’s a standing porch-beer invite. It’s a grilled cheese road trip you need to take now. Read on for NoMi’s most delectable delights for every mood and vibe.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT UP NORTH, PEOPLE, PLACES, FOOD AND EVENTS.

BY ALLISON JARRELL, CARA MCDONALD, C A R LY S I M P S O N , E M I LY T Y R A & LY N D A W H E AT L E Y PHOTOS BY SARAH PESCHEL

3/7/23 2:00 PM

EXPANSIVE ACREAGE PROPERTY Leelanau County 78 Acres 15 min to downtown TC

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DEPART M E N TS 521 Randolph Street, Traverse City, MI 49684

9 | EDITOR'S NOTE

Ann Porter

11 | UP NORTH

ASSOCIATE BROKER

231.944.4959

MI Farm Co-op is transforming the North’s farm-to-table economy; a new book captures the beauty and power of Lake Michigan; a U.P. company makes an appearance in the NCAA’s Final Four tourney.

Ann@AnnPorterTC.com Visit AnnPorterTC.com for more information.

50 | ON THE TABLE

Give jammy eggs the royal treatment they deserve with smoked fish and a tonnato-inspired mayonnaise.

52 | LOVE OF THE LAND

Early ephemeral flowers are the true harbingers of spring.

16 | TRAVEL

You belong on a

Are RVs the new family cottage?

Whether it’s a vacation, work-cation or staycation, RV life is full of charm.

18 | OUTDOORS

Each spring, an unassuming, plump little shorebird dances across the North’s skies in search of a mate.

Don’t miss the impressive display.

photos by Dave Weidner (top) and Heather Higham (bottom)

45 | CULINARY NORTH

Tucked away in the Long Lake Culinary Campus, this new sushi spot still feels like a hidden gem— but it won’t be a secret for long.

Plus, The Bread Lady’s looninspired sugar cookies are calling.

Follow Us On Social Media

52

facebook.com/mynorthmedia instagram.com/mynorthmedia pinterest.com/mynorthmedia

ON THE COVER The Big Mick Burger, POUR Petoskey PHOTO BY SARAH PESCHEL

4 T R AV E R S E N O R T H E R N M I C H I G A N

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Traverse

NORTHERN

MICHIGAN A MyNorth Media Publication

Vol. 42 | No. 11

PRESIDENT

Michael Wnek Cara McDonald

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

SENIOR EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR DIGITAL CONTENT & SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST CULINARY COLUMNIST

Elizabeth Edwards Emily Tyra Carly Simpson Allison Jarrell Rachel Soulliere Stacey Brugeman

WHEN OUR CLIENTS SPEAK, WE LISTEN. It’s a simple but effective way of helping people reach their financial goals - and it’s a way of doing business that Raymond James has pioneered for more than 50 years. Make your voice count. Partner with one of our financial advisors and get guidance that’s in tune with your life. LIFE WELL PLANNED. Jeff K. Pasche, CFA® Senior Vice President, Investments Traverse City Complex Manager

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Tim Hussey Theresa Burau-Baehr

Maggie Beeler, AAMS®, CRPC® Investment Portfolio Associate Shelley A. Stefanits Complex Administrator Manager West Michigan Complex Courtney C. Jackson Complex Business Coordinator Barbara S. Shellman, MBA, APMA™ Accredited Portfolio Advisor™ PaulManagement M. Bonaccini Financial Advisor

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APRIL 2023

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Where community comes

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Urban BBQ Restaruant & Catering Outdoor Seating Craft Beer Full Bar Wine list 1752 US-31 EAST BAY TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN

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editor's note

W

hen i think of hospitality perfected, I think of a cool May night in Glen Arbor nearly 20 years ago, when dusk was settling across Sleeping Bear Bay. A friend and I were sitting with Senior Editor Lissa Edwards in her hippy-dippy wood-fired backyard hot tub, drinking wine and passing a floating aluminum bowl piled with sizzling hot pan-fried morels. Sip, grab, crunch, float to your neighbor, repeat. As the steam rose up to the stars, I thought, not only is this heaven; this is what it means to fully enjoy life and the people in it.

The morels in question (and there were heaps, just bags of them) had been foraged, with help from his parents, by the young Keef Edwards—a precocious, scrap-tacular little boy with button eyes and absolutely no inside voice. Even then, when he wasn’t charming the ladies or tormenting his older sisters, he was all for rambling, rooting, collecting, fishing or picking over fresh road kill.

He comes by his skills from an amazing childhood where he was loved hard and indulged in his passion for the outdoors at every opportunity. But I can’t discount the genes and role modeling he got from his mom—the hospitality baked into her Ukrainian DNA, which means guests are treated like royalty and a seat at the family table is a show of love and trust.

There’s never been a time at Lissa’s house when I wasn’t pulled by the arm to come in and sit down for a bowl of freshly picked cherries, a glass of local white, a bluegill fish fry, an ice cream cone in lieu of dinner or even just a fresh pot of coffee—which seemed to be everpresent, even on endless summer evenings as sunset stretched into midnight.

She’s always been an inspiration to me; her laidback, come-as-you-are, the-more-the-merrier ethos—one I struggled to emulate in my younger years. I was more selfconscious about having people over or returning invitations, feeling self-induced pressure to reciprocate or dazzle my guests and yet not really having the knack for it. I marveled at friends who could whip up pad Thai for eight while they chatted and sipped a beer. I always seemed to underestimate the amount of time or food needed. Once I prepared for a weekend visit from European friends, and felt so proud that I’d cooked up soup, smoked sausage and roasted a turkey tenderloin in advance. And was pleased and then slowly, mildly horrified as they sat down and ate it all in one sitting the night they arrived. My god, what would we eat the next day? (Spoiler alert: We went out for subs.)

Then there’s the Christmas when I put a lasagna out on the deck to cool and the neighbor’s dog ate it. Or another Christmas when, instead of crashing for a nap with my exhausted toddlers, I roasted, crushed and peeled hazelnuts to make chocolate ganache tartlets that, get this, NOBODY ATE BUT ME.

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

by CARA MCDONALD

But age and experience will do a number on you, expanding your skills, repertoire and self-compassion, allowing you to see that most people simply want to be at ease and feel truly welcome in your home. Just recently, I had the lastminute opportunity to invite my neighbor Laura over to hang out and catch up over dinner. We had frozen chicken burgers and salad, and a few fresh strawberries after dinner with the last pieces of a bar of dark chocolate. I forgot to chill the wine so the chard was warm. We had a delightful time. See? I’m teachable.

It warms my heart to have Lissa authoring this month’s “Wild Dinner”; what food issue would be complete without an homage to the Northwoods bounty that surrounds us? Even better, the host/forager/cook is none other than Keefer, now a delightful, grown and über-competent man of the woods (and lake… and field). I guarantee you’ll feel the maternal pride rising up from every description, that you’ll practically smell the morels sizzling in their buttery bath—abundant, delicious, more than enough to share for anyone lucky enough to be pulled in the door and offered a seat at the Edwards table.

Cara McDonald Executive Editor cara@mynorth.com

NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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Up North.

PEOPLE | NATURE | ARTS | NOSTALGIA | BUZZ | WISDOM | CURIOSITIES

Claire Butler and Kat Palms

SMALL FARMS, BIG IDEAS

by LYNDA WHEATLEY

photo by Dave Weidner

From a humble $1,200 start to a recent $250,000 grant, MI Farm Co-op is transforming the North’s farm-to-table economy.

O

ne of the best things to happen to locavores since sliced local bread: MI Farm Cooperative, the increasingly brawny brainchild of 9 Bean’s co-owner Nic Welty and Bardenhagen Farms’ owner Jim Bardenhagen.

An independent producer-owned cooperative, the MI Farm Co-op launched in 2014 with a $100 investment from 12 northwest lower Michigan farms.

The initial mission: Join forces, pool resources like marketing and delivery, and create a system to connect more farmers to the folks who want locally grown and raised foods: area restaurants, caterers, grocery stores, hunger helpers like Goodwill and Food Rescue and—key to growing a healthy community and local economy—schools.

Easy, right? Not so much. But with that little bit of money and a lot of blood, sweat and volunteers, the co-op concept caught on.

It attracted more member farms (25 at last count) and developed an online market where wholesale buyers can order an array of freshly made, plucked and picked goodies from multiple local farms at once.

APRIL 2023

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European Style Cafe Enjoy both indoor dining and take-out, featuring beer, wine and cocktails.

Dinner Prix Fixe Specials Check Our Menu Online Serving Dinner Thursday through Monday, 5:00 until 9:00 pm The Red House in Downtown Suttons Bay 231.271.2344 • marthasleelanautable.com

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We surfed MI Farm Co-op’s online shelves on a 7-degree day in February and found them brimming with a smorgasbord of delights, from apples, eggs and aged cheese, to fresh basil, baby kale, microgreens and a multitude of beef, pork and chicken cuts.

We even saw CBDA deodorant. (In case overindulgent restaurant patrons get the meat sweats, maybe?)

For average (read: non-wholesale) buyers, MI Farm thought outside the traditional CSA box. Instead of each farmer selling, packing and delivering boxes of only its fare each week, the co-op crafted a CSA that packs in every box a big, fat, fresh variety— bread, eggs, greens, in-season fruits and veggies and value-add items like goat cheese, maple syrup and granola—sourced from at least five different farms.

Lately, MI Co-op is making its farmers’ rows even easier to hoe—and hungry locavores even happier. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development recently awarded the co-op a $250,000 grant to, as Operations Manager Kat Palms says, “stoke the fires of growth and impact.”

The co-op quickly hired a dedicated driver—a role formerly held by Welty, Palms and others wearing a half-dozen co-op hats—to deliver to the co-op’s drop spots in Leelanau, Benzie and Grand Traverse counties.

It also hired a processing manager, Maya Koscielny, and teamed up to share a processing kitchen with Goodwill. Peeling, chopping and prepping the growers’ produce will make cooking and serving faster and easier for lunchroom cooks, restaurant chefs and the like, says Palms, helping co-op farmers compete with other suppliers.

Palms says more plans are afoot, such as community cooking events and, one day hopefully, opening MI Farm’s online market to non-wholesale buyers.

For those who can’t wait, you can still get a taste of the co-op’s cornucopia: Sign on for a spring or summer share now, follow live CSA unboxing and recipe-making videos on Instagram (@mifarmcoop) and stay tuned to what the co-op’s cooking next at mifarmcoop.org.

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Up North Buzz NEW UP NORTH Cool finds, community updates and sweet new businesses.

FOUNDRY BAR & GRILL 151 RIVER ST., ELK RAPIDS

A popular East Jordan restaurant is launching a second location, aiming for a mid-spring opening. The Elk Rapids Foundry will feature a garage door leading to a pet- and kidfriendly patio with activities like cornhole. foundrybg.com

B

The clothing and lifestyle brand opened its new store in downtown Traverse City this February, sharing a space with Compass Rose Outpost. The brand is inspired by the region’s waters, woods and wines. lakesandgrapes.com

Michigan State University’s men’s basketball

PATRICK DOUD’S IRISH PUB 7304 MAIN ST., MACKINAC ISLAND

Mackinac’s newest watering hole will give a nod to the island’s history and honor the Irish heritage of its namesake Patrick Doud. Patrick is the great-great uncle of co-owner Andrew Doud, who also operates the island’s grocery store, among other businesses. In addition to eight taps, there will be a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Opening this spring. patrickdoudspub.com TRAVERSE CITY CURLING CENTER The 28,000-square-foot facility has five sheets of regulation curling ice and spectator viewing. It will host lessons, regional tournaments and USA Curling-sanctioned competitions. traversecitycurling.com

Know of a business that just opened or have a fun community update?

Let us know: editorial@traversemagazine.com

photo courtesy of Connor Sports

1712 S. GARFIELD AVE., TRAVERSE CITY

S

LI

S

HIG

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INE

326 E. FRONT ST., TRAVERSE CITY

GHT

US

LAKES AND GRAPES

team has made it to the NCAA’s Final Four tourCONN ney four times since 2006. The University of SPOR OR Michigan has managed twice. We don’t want to T AMAS S steal those ballers’ thunder bu-u-u-t … we know A, MICH of a Michigan-grown MVP that, in those same IGAN 16 years, has not only appeared in the Final Four every year but also played a clutch role in every single game: the b-ball floor itself.

Based in the western Upper Peninsula town of Amasa (population: 300), Connor Sports (employees: 120-ish) manufactures more than 800 permanent and portable basketball floors each year.

If you’ve watched any Final Four games—or their bigger-bracket precursor March Madness—or half the franchises in the NBA or the WNBA Atlanta Dream or Las Vegas Aces teams play, trust us, you’ve seen Connor Sports floors in … er, at least under the action.

The company began in 1872, first as a furniture maker, then a toy manufacturer before constructing its first basketball court in 1914. Today, Connor Sports’ athletic and dance floors are renowned the world over. (See: International Basketball Federation’s annual World Cup; 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo summer Olympic games.)

Credit for Connor Sports’ champion hardwood stems from the company’s Yooper roots, with hardwood sourced from maple trees grown above the 38th Parallel. The short growing season makes for tight spaces between each tree’s annual growth rings, which means denser, more durable hardwood—a lot like the old-growth forests of yore—and a resulting flooring with exceptional force reduction, shock absorption, vertical deflection and rebound.

Connor Sports churns through 7 million board feet of lumber each year, and its wood is Forest Stewardship Council-certified (i.e. comes from responsibly managed forests); the company goes one better by recycling 100 percent of its waste. Also encouraging: Maple is planted at six times the rate it’s harvested in the U.S. We’ll hold out hope that U of M or MSU make it to this year’s Final Four—scheduled April 1 and 3 in Houston’s NRG Stadium—and send a shout-out to the 151-year-old U.P. company making their moments on the fab-four dance floor possible. Because if Michigan players make it that far, we fully expect them to win. Home court advantage, eh? -L.T.W. APRIL 2023

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Up North Nature

ROLLING IN THE DEEP

by LYNDA WHEATLEY

A former MSU English professor pens a full-color portrait of his longtime love and powerful muse, Lake Michigan.

A

uthor e. fred carlisle grew up in Delaware, Ohio, spent a decade in Appalachian Virginia’s Clover Hollow, and taught at several landlocked universities around the Midwest and even in the Middle East.

Though he’s now living back in the mountains of Virginia, Carlisle couldn’t resist diving into Lake Michigan for his latest book, “The Lake Effect: A Lake Michigan Mosaic,” a fluid look at the beauty, history, power and economic impact of the big water, and—for better and worse—humans’ impact on it.

Lynda Wheatley: Was there a defining moment or issue that compelled you to write “The Lake Effect?”

E. Fred Carlisle: Lake Michigan has been on my mind or a part of me since I was very young. There’s a picture in the book of me, 2 years old, standing ankle-deep in the water on a Lake Michigan beach. It’s always been there in a sense, sometimes consciously, sometimes hidden by the rest of

my life. When I felt that a book might be emerging, I went back to past journal entries, then I wrote separate pieces to see what I felt and thought. I read, remembered and wrote over a year or two. Once I had others read drafts, I realized that I was writing about water as much as about the lake.

LW: What’s your favorite spot next to Lake Michigan?

EFC: ​​High on a dune looking out over the blue water or sitting at the water’s edge by myself, listening, feeling, imagining.

LW: If you could recommend readers do one thing for Lake Michigan, in honor of Earth Day this year, what would it be?

EFC: There are many Great Lakes restoration projects. I urge people to learn about them and give political support and—where possible—time and money. And to tell other people about the perils that continue to threaten the lakes. A good source: fws.gov/initiative/ great-lakes-restoration-initiative.

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Up North Events SPRING FLINGS

by ALLISON JARRELL

5 ways to embrace the season.

SAT 4/8 Join artist Alyssa Smith at Traverse City’s Farm Club for a two-hour Watercolor Journal Workshop geared toward seeing and appreciating the everyday beauty around you. You’ll leave with basic sketching and watercolor painting skills, as well as your first entry in a journal. Choose from two class times (9 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.). Tickets range from $75–$95, with an option to use or purchase watercolors and a paintbrush. MyNorthTickets.com SAT 4/8 Celebrate Easter at one of the many egg hunts across the North; head to Frankfort’s Mineral Springs Park at 10 a.m. sharp to search for more than 3,000 hidden eggs, or check out Cedar’s first annual Easter Eggstravaganza downtown at 11 a.m. frankfort-elberta.com; cedarmichamber.com

SAT 4/8 Gopherwood Concerts is bringing the beloved Made in Michigan FUNdraiser back to the Cadillac Elks Lodge. Touted as “the best Gopherwood event ever,” you’re sure to be entertained by a variety of phenomenal musicians. Tickets range from $10–$20. MyNorthTickets.com SAT 4/15 The Festival of the Angry Bear presented

by Ore Dock Brewing Co. returns, showcasing a slew of barrel-aged beers, delish eats and live music in downtown Marquette.

Admission is free. oredockbrewing.com

SAT 4/15 Leelanau Montessori Forever Foundation hosts their annual Evening of Art, showcasing artwork by the children of Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy. This year’s event, “Dance of the Cosmos,” includes food, drinks, music and a silent auction at VI Grill in Suttons Bay. Admission is $50 per person, open to ages 21 and over. MyNorthTickets.com APRIL 2023

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travel

A Lake Michigan sunset casts rays over Empire's Indigo Bluffs RV Park & Resort.

CAMPING GONE WILD

by LUCINDA HAHN

G

ary becker, longtime owner of Indigo Bluffs RV Park & Resort in Empire, is in the business of family memories. His tagline, “For all the ways you camp,” represents his vision to create a more affordable, inclusive place for people to gather. “The families I know don’t fit into the same economic box,” Becker says. “But they still want to be together.”

His goal is to offer options for every budget. Indigo Bluffs has RV sites, cottages, cabins and tent sites along with WiFi access throughout the resort, a dog park, heated pool, laundry, camp store and more. Becker likes to say if Indigo Bluffs were a hotel, it’d be a Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Red Roof all sharing the same lobby and amenities, but with the personality and warmth of a boutique hotel.

Americans’ desire—or at least willingness—to pitch a tent or park an RV instead of booking a hotel reached a precipitous peak during the pandemic. Some 9 million first-time campers hit the outdoors in 2021, compared to 1 million in 2019,

according to the 2022 North American Camping Report.

“Yes, camping exploded during Covid,” Becker says, “But what really gave it a lot of momentum in my opinion was that RV ownership replaced the dream of cottage ownership, and with the affordability of RVs, this allowed a much broader group of ages and incomes to participate.

Covid pushed this trend five years into the future in a matter of months.”

Becker tells us more about the revival of RV culture.

Lucinda Hahn: What was the boom like for you?

Gary Becker: Even before the pandemic, we were already seeing lots of newer, younger RV owners. Most were gig workers—internet marketers, designers—who could work remotely and take time off between jobs. Then Covid, with all its anxiety and concern, drove even more people into the lifestyle. Now, about 22 percent of RV owners are between ages 18 and 34, which is incredible. People are increasingly searching for ways to connect with nature, spend time with their families and find stress relief.

photos courtesy of Indigo Bluffs RV Park & Resort

Are RVs the new family cottage?

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LH: What other trends are you seeing?

GB: As surprising as it may sound, we are very focused on our local customers who live five miles away in Cedar or Maple City, or maybe 20 or 50 miles away. They’ve told me, “When I’m at home, sitting on my deck, I’m thinking, ‘Argh, I gotta cut the grass, and then I have to do laundry.’ But when I’m camping, I’m not staring at all the stuff I have to do. It just goes away.”

And those folks, they’re the ones who want to take advantage of a sudden warm spell in early May or late October. So we’re trying to do some unique things like identify a local group within 90 miles, and keep some sites blocked off for them, then sending an email alert when they can be booked.

LH: Owning a campground must make for some interesting stories.

GB: With 1,200 to 1,500 people on the property every day during the high season, we have all kinds of memorable things happen. But my favorite is one of gratitude. We were told a story by a family who had camped here annually for years. Their daughter, who had been deployed overseas in the military, was coming home for good, and they were bringing her camping. We decorated the campsite and wrapped bundles of firewood in ribbons and bows, to honor her.

Lucinda Hahn traveled the globe as an award-winning journalist, living in four countries before settling in her favorite place, the Leelanau Peninsula, in 2020.

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outdoors

NIGHT MOVES

by ALLISON JARRELL

Don’t sleep through this wild sky dance.

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E

hear what’s referred to as “peenting”—a nasal, ach spring in Northern Michigan, unbeknownst to most, a spectacular buzzer-type sound. (And, in that moment, you’ll aerial ballet occurs at dusk and understand why they rely on their dance moves to dawn. Admission is free. The stage: attract a mate.)

The North’s open fields. The dancer: “After that, you just wait for them to fly, then The unassuming, kinda cute and slightly awkward move quickly to any cover close to where you male woodcock. heard them on the ground,” Fleming says.

The intensely acrobatic sky dance is this plump At this point, the woodcocks start gaining allittle shorebird’s version of a serenade—he dances titude. As they fly in a spiral pattern, anywhere for love. from 100 to 300 feet into the sky, their wings “In a good habitat, you may have several males make a “twittering” sound from the wind rushdancing within earshot,” says Kieran Fleming, ex- ing through their feathers (which you’ll hear ecutive director of Little Traverse Conservancy again during the dramatic final act). “They’re and avid woodcock enthusiast. “It’s fun to figure less likely to notice you moving while doing out where each of them is working. Sometimes you this,” Fleming says. can tell when a female is on the scene as the males “At the apex of their flight, they start to chirp … will concentrate toward where she is.” this is your clue to freeze,” he says. “They will plumThere they are— met back to the earth, dancing in the dark, very close to where you busting out all of their first heard them MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE? best moves. Romantic? peenting, and start all Perhaps, if you’re a lady over again.”

Kieran Fleming says these preserves woodcock. For the rest near Petoskey and Charlevoix are always of us, it’s a mesmerizing ENJOY THE SHOW good bets for catching a sky dance: spectacle that will leave If you’re respectful Elizabeth B. Hoffmann Nature Preserve you in awe, mouth agape while spectating, Flemand eyes to the sky. ing says birdwatchers Waldron Fen Nature Preserve can get very close after a Black Hole Nature Preserve TINY DANCERS flight or two.

Hailand/Helstrom Family Nature Preserve The woodcock goes “I wouldn’t worry Nathan Beem Memorial Nature Preserve by many names—night about disturbing one of partridge, big-eye, bogthem once,” he says.

Go out with the pros: Little Traverse sucker, mudbat and, my “They are resilient to the Conservancy will be hosting a sky dance field trip with the Al Litzenburger Chapter personal favorite, the fact that other predators of the Ruffed Grouse Society on April timberdoodle. Unlike will home in as well.

18. Check LTC’s website for location and their coastal relatives, They just move or lie details on signing up. landtrust.org these humble shorebirds low until the threat is scuttle around inland, gone. [But] if you end their brown and beige up scaring one, you’ll plumage perfect for blending in with leaf litter likely have no choice but to move on.” and other forest debris. Fleming says their preWhile woodcocks are relatively common in the ferred habitat consists of an open area (think right habitats, Fleming notes that the species has meadow or farm field) that’s adjacent to dense been steadily declining for decades now. Accordfledgling forests and shrubby lowland cover like ing to DNR data, the last peak in the woodcock tag alder, willows and young aspen. Come spring, population occurred in the 1950s, and the populathe males begin establishing their “singing tion has been dwindling by an average of 2.8 pergrounds” in these areas. cent per year since 1985. This is largely due to “As soon as the snow starts to give way to open habitat loss. ground in April, they will be at it,” Fleming says.

Even so, Fleming says woodcocks are common The mating ritual continues into May or beyond, enough that many folks across the North have but Fleming’s tip for those hoping to catch the likely heard them before, but just didn’t register spectacle is to head out mid to late April, and that very … unique … peenting sound. avoid windy nights.

“The sky dance, once you know the ritual, is The birds begin their show right before dark, amazing but rather inconspicuous if you aren’t staying active for much of the night before ramp- fully engaged,” he adds. “Most people in our reing up again at dawn. Once you’ve found your gion don’t live far from this event happening every chosen field, start by listening for them; you’ll night in the spring.”

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sweet homage

Eye-popping pastries from Merlyn’s Pâtisserie elicit reviews like magical and intergalactic. But the passion and intention siblings Jun and Anna bring to their craft are fully grounded in a mother’s love. 

by Allison Jarrell photos by Courtney Kent

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it 

was a risk.

Thoughts of excitement, peppered with doubt, swirled through Anna Mae Kucharski’s mind as she and her brother Jun Dupra prepared hundreds of baked goods for their first Sara Hardy Farmers Market of the season.

Jun was confident that their AsianFrench fusion pastries would be a hit.

Anna wasn’t as sure.

“Oh my gosh, I was so nervous,” Anna says, recalling their market debut with a smile. “I didn’t know if people would want to even try some of this stuff. I was just hoping that Traverse City was ready to embrace something different.”

The goods in question? An array of more than 460 meticulously crafted technicolored pastries glistening in the late May sun. Some recognizable, some not so much.

Walking up to their stand felt like a moment inside Willy Wonka’s factory.

There were purple-striped croissants filled with bright violet pastry cream made with ube—a purple yam with a nutty vanilla flavor, very popular in the Philippines, Anna and Jun’s home country. Savory swirled croissants rolled up with sundried tomatoes, basil and goat cheese. Korean streusel bread. Croissants shaped like muffins and filled with mango pastry cream. A brioche dressed as a Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

It was the reveal of Merlyn’s Pâtisserie, the siblings’ bakery business they’d dreamed up seven years prior.

And despite spending more than a decade working in the local and national culinary scene, they were largely unknown, starting their brand from scratch. But Anna and Jun, both accomplished chefs and bakers, knew they had something special to share: their favorite Filipino and Asian flavors incorporated into the traditional French pastries they learned to make here in Traverse City.

That first market was a whirlwind— they nearly sold out. And while Jun expected success that first day, even he couldn’t have anticipated what came next: a lengthy line of adoring customers that grew week after week. For their fourth market, they decided to double their production to more than 800 pastries (no small task in the midsummer heat). And for the first time, they sold out, only crumbs left in their Plexiglass display cases.

Nearly a year later, Merlyn’s has grown beyond a beloved farmers market booth. They offer online orders for pickup at their new commercial kitchen. They celebrate holidays with seasonal offerings. And the siblings have their sights set on one day owning their own bakeshop, where the community can gather, sit and enjoy a yuzu éclair or a matcha macaron.

What Anna and Jun want most of

all, though, is to make their biggest fan proud. Their mother, the eponymous Merlyn. She is, after all, the person who taught them the importance of taking risks and following their hearts, and instilled in them a love of all things food and family.

Anna, jun and their brother Andrei, grew up in a small province just outside Manila, the bayside capital of the Philippines. Their father had abandoned their family early on, leaving Merlyn to make a heartbreaking decision: find a job abroad that would pay enough to care for her three children.

Anna was 9, Jun was 6.

“The Philippines is a third-world country; their number one export is not products, it’s the people,” Anna explains.

“A lot of people work abroad to find a better job to support their family.”

And so, Merlyn left her home,

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“To see that line makes us feel really proud of what we’re doing. I’m not going to stay in line if something’s not good.

We never really expected people to welcome us with open arms like that.”

working first in Saudi Arabia as a cook, then in Hong Kong and Canada as a nanny. She was gone for nine years. Nine years that Anna and Jun spent living with different family members—grandparents, cousins, aunts. They wouldn’t see her for years at a time. And when she did come home, it might only be for a couple months, or a couple of weeks.

The irony isn’t lost on Anna. Merlyn was caring for someone else’s kids while someone else took care of hers. Her mother’s sacrifice still brings Anna to tears and is something she shares with her own children— the strength and fortitude of their grandmother’s love.

It’s why, when she and Jun were thinking of business names, Merlyn’s Pâtisserie was the obvious choice.

“We named it for our mom because it’s an extension of her,” Anna says. “It’s the hard work, it’s all the sacrifices she’s made so she can raise three kids and have a better life for them. That’s what we’re trying to do as well,

–Anna Mae Kucharski

With its purple striping and violet-colored cream, the whimsical ube croissant is a stunner. Anna says ube is as popular in the Philippines as pumpkin spice is in the U.S. Once you try it, you’ll understand the obsession.

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Above: Editor Allison Jarrell’s favorite savory pastry, Korean garlic bread: “It’s basically cheese on cheese.”

Left: Merlyn’s offerings are a wild bunch, bursting with far-away flavors like ube, yuzu and mango.

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to have something better. Merlyn’s is the story of us, and of our mom as well.”

Merlyn fell in love with a man from Michigan while working in Canada, and eventually the two married and moved to the U.S. To Mancelona, specifically. Naturally, it wasn’t long before Anna, Jun and Andrei joined them.

That was 20 years ago—April 3, 2003.

It was Jun’s 16th birthday. It also happened to be a massive blizzard.

“We were scared for our lives because it never snowed in the Philippines, so when we got here we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be the end of us!’ It was literally a whiteout. But we’re here twenty years after.

We’re still alive!” Anna laughs.

Anna and jun thrived in Northern Michigan. After spending a year in Mancelona, they moved to Traverse City and attended Northwestern Michigan College, Anna studying personal accounting, Jun studying fine arts.

But it wasn’t long before Anna found herself drawn to the culinary arts, which she attributes to her love of cooking as a child. Sharing meals is an integral part of family life in the Philippines, and she took on a lot of that responsibility in her mother’s absence. “She had to step up, because we lived with so many relatives,” Jun says. “She was like my second

“I learned this from Anthony Bourdain: You can really learn someone’s culture or just their personality by eating with them.

That’s why food is such a big part of our life, because it’s how we can relate to people.” –Jun Dupra mom. And she’s a really good cook.”

Inspired by Anna’s path, Jun followed suit, and the two attended NMC’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute (and Jun will be the first to tell you that Anna was top of the class, Dean’s List). But it wasn’t until Anna took an intro to baking course that her life launched into a new orbit. Before she knew it, Anna was taking a job at Trattoria Stella as their pastry chef and lunchtime line cook. After a couple years, she moved on to the role of pastry supervisor at a local resort, and two years later became the pastry chef at Red Ginger. Next, she joined Jen Welty’s team at 9 Bean Rows,

Leelanau County’s bakery and café revered for its European pastries.

Meanwhile, Jun also found himself at Red Ginger, as a sushi cook first and taking over as pastry chef when Anna left. But then he began to travel—first to East Lansing, where he worked at a Korean bakeshop, and then a bit farther, to Los Angeles, where he landed a dream job at Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant, Spago Beverly Hills. With a plethora of new chef skills under his belt, he eventually returned to Traverse City.

As their journeys veered in different directions, they both found themselves coming back to a seed planted by Red Ginger’s owner Dan Marsh.

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“He saw something special in us,” Jun says, “and he suggested that in the future, maybe we open a highend bakery.”

Anna and jun began adding more and more of themselves to their market menus: Japanese sausage bread, ube mochi donuts, taro almond buns and an array of croissants—from blueberry yuzu and Thai tea to matcha and red bean. They topped pastries with local fruit throughout the summer and even jumped on the pumpkin spice train in the fall.

The only rule for adding to their menu: make things they want to eat themselves. One week, that could be a cheesy Korean garlic bread. The next? A savory bacon, sausage and asiago muffin baked with an entire soft-boiled egg inside (known lovingly as the BA*ES muffin). That one required skills Jun learned in LA and honed off the clock.

“It took two months to learn the egg science for that muffin. Lots of peeling and boiling. I learned so much about eggs … more than I wanted to,” he laughs.

And if it seemed like the line got exponentially longer at Merlyn’s farmers market tent, that’s because it did. But not a single person complained, because they were busy either asking others for their personal recommendation, or passionately advocating for their favorite pastry. And once you make it to the tent, you’re immediately greeted by Anna and Jun, and maybe another family member or two (with luck, on a day Merlyn makes a cameo). They’ll ask how you’ve been since the previous market and tell you what’s new with them.

And they’ll explain what everything is in detail—no question is too small.

“To see that line makes us feel really proud of what we’re doing. I’m not going to stay in line if something’s not good,” Anna says. “We never really expected people to welcome us with open arms like that.”

Jun adds, “It’s great, being able to see and talk to the people that we serve. You don’t really get to do that in the restaurant business. The relationships you create are so rewarding and important.”

Last winter, the duo moved into a new commercial kitchen space in

Traverse City, one with 24/7 access, an improvement from the three days a week model they had at their previous kitchen. They’re excited about the change, and of course, they’re constantly brainstorming new additions to their menu—from a variety of Asian breads, to airbrushed pieces of chocolate art.

Eventually, they hope to open their own brick-and-mortar shop, allowing them to showcase even more Asian foods and flavors. A place for community.

kids’ success is her true “trophy.”

“I’m very proud of them,” she says, tears of joy welling. “After all of the hardship we had … I can’t believe they’re doing it.

“They told me, ‘We’re going to name [the business] Merlyn’s.’ I was shocked,” she says, smiling. “And they said it’s to honor me. I’m so happy.

And I made a joke, ‘My goodness, nobody knew my name, and now I’m famous in Traverse City!’”

Jun prepares a new work of art: a raspberry-yuzu mousse coated in a raspberry glaze, soon to be topped with fresh fruit and chocolate shards.

“I learned this from Anthony Bourdain: You can really learn someone’s culture or just their personality by eating with them. That’s why food is such a big part of our life, because it’s how we can relate to people,” Jun says.

Meanwhile, Merlyn has every newspaper clipping about Jun and Anna laminated, hanging on her bedroom walls. She’ll happily tell you her

Allison Jarrell is the associate editor of Traverse Northern Michigan. She highly recommends trying the ube croissant.

It’s life-changing. allison@mynorth.com Courtney Kent is a photographer based in Traverse City. She specializes in wedding, family and lifestyle photography. courtneykentphotography.com

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photos by liam kaiser

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Outdoorsman and cook Keefer Edwards offers up some of his favorite dishes, honed over years roaming the lakes and forest of his childhood backyard.

wild dinner by elizabeth edwards

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put a pin in the center of a map of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and it might very well land in my Glen Arbor kitchen.

If not precisely geographically, at least metaphorically—especially when my 20-something son, Keefer, brings in fresh lake trout from Sleeping Bear Bay, bluegill from one of the many inland lakes nearby and venison from deer who spent their lives grazing on Alligator Hill, the alligator-shaped ridge I can see out my kitchen window. And from that hill, too, come morels, chanterelles and other edible fungi.

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Keef grew up fishing, hunting and foraging in this bounteous parkland, and then bringing it all home to cook in my kitchen. From as young as 8 years old, he’d fire up the cast iron skillet that always sits on my stove and throw in whatever it was he had brought back that day—treating himself to open season on my spice drawer, pantry and refrigerator for extra ingredients.

Eventually, Keef became a whole-beast kind of guy—which means I’ve had antlers peeking out of my pasta pot (he took pity and bought me a new one), a cold glass jar containing boiling hot deer tal-

low explode all over the kitchen … there have been more delicious mishaps, but I’ll spare you. Science experiments aside, along the way Keef has become as skilled a cook as he is a hunter and fisherman.

His dream is to build a career as a fishing and hunting guide, teaching his clients how to prepare and cook what they come home with.

In the meantime, he practices on his friends—some of whom he’s known since before kindergarten, and all of whom fish and hunt with him when they can. When Keef says he’s cooking, Charlie, Jack, Austin, Spencer, Cam, Ben and others gather around my big oak counter to watch him filet, butcher, batter, fry or smoke (done in his Traeger grill on the deck), lending a hand or ingredients as the case requires. Last April, as this feast was being assembled, Keef ’s friend Liam Kaiser showed up with his camera. When Keef started the meal, Liam started shooting—from lake to table.

Follow Keef on Instagram: @keef_edwards

Keefer’s fishing buddy, Jack Hawley

the menu You can try these recipes at home whether you fish and hunt for your own protein or not.

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Lollipop Bluegill with Fresh Herb Tartar Sauce Smoked Lake Trout with Spruce Tips Seared Venison and Fried Morels Spring Salad Dressed with Venison and Morel Drippings

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the recipes Lollipop Bluegill ½ dozen bluegill caught in School Lake, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 1 egg 1 cup masa flour 1 cup white flour ½ cup corn starch 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste 2 cups peanut oil for frying Scale all fish by scraping a knife or spoon against the scales until the fish skin is smooth on both sides from the tail to the pectoral fin. Pull the pectoral fin back and cut between it and the gill flap (located over the gills) all the way through the fish, discarding the head end of the cut. Make a slice down the belly, pull the fish open and remove the guts. Using a very sharp knife, cut along the pectoral and the dorsal fins, following the bones within the body of the fish that anchor these fins. Use pliers to remove them and the pesky little bones that are attached (these bones are the biggest nuisance when eating a traditionally gutted fish). Hold your gutted and cleaned bluegill up by the tail and you see why Keef calls it a lollipop.

Keef’s prep tip: The rationale for this method—an advanced version of traditional gutting—is that it’s less wasteful (much higher yield of meat) than filleting, and also results in far fewer bones to pick around in the final product. This method takes time to master, but if you hold these freshwater gems as sacred as I do, you’ll find it is worth the hassle. Go slow, and by the end of a few dozen, you’ll be flying through them.

Mix egg, masa, corn starch, flour and spices.

Add a few teaspoons of water—until the batter is the consistency of crepe batter.

Heat peanut oil in a frying pan. When a drop of batter sizzles in it, it’s ready. Dredge bluegill in batter and place in oil. Bluegill fry quickly, typically two to three minutes per side at most. When the meat flakes off the bones, they are ready.

Fresh Herb Tartar Sauce ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup sour cream 3 Tablespoons pickle juice Half lemon, squeezed 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste 2 teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 2 Tablespoons (or more) each of fresh dill, basil and chives, chopped very small Place all ingredients into a bowl and stir together.

Serve with freshly fried bluegill.

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Keef’s prep tip: Have two fillet knives ready when filleting lake trout—one to use when taking the skin off, the other to use when deboning the fillet. Anytime the knife touches the outside of the skin it should never touch the meat. The slime on the skin is what gives the meat its fishy taste. This is most important for Great Lakes lake trout, though it is recommended for inland lake trout as well.

If you or someone you know finds lake trout to be fishy, try this method and you may be surprised how much you enjoy it.

Lake Trout with Spruce Tips 1 lake trout, caught in Sleeping Bear Bay, using a trolling spoon on a downrigger 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced ¼ cup butter, softened 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 lemon, sliced 1 cup spruce tips (Keef collects these tender shoots at the tip of a spruce branch in spring from our neighbor’s yard. He says they taste of rosemary and lemon.)

With the first knife, fillet the lake trout as you would any fish. Remove the skin with knife #1.

Using knife #2, cut down both sides of the rib bone line and pull it out like a zipper.

Lay the fillets on sheets of aluminum foil.

Rub the fillets down with minced garlic, working it into the meat. Blend the butter, olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Spread on both sides of the fillets. Cover them with lemon slices and sprinkle with spruce tips. Smoke (or use an oven) at 250 degrees until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees, or until it flakes with a fork (if you do not have a temperature probe).

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Where the Wild Things Are Hunters are asked to be familiar with both the State of Michigan and federal rules and regulations concerning hunting in Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Foragers can find morels in the national lakeshore starting at the end of April and lasting into late spring.

Gathering morels in the national lakeshore must be done by hand and for personal use only (non-commercial). The park limits the amount of morels per person to one gallon per day. You may also come across ramps—a wild plant related to leeks and shallots and prized for their unique flavor—but collection is not permitted on park property.

Seared Venison and Fried Morels For venison: 2 pounds (approximately) venison hind quarters from a deer Keef harvested on Alligator Hill, just outside of Glen Arbor the fall before this dinner Salt Ground black pepper 2 Tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup butter Fresh thyme sprigs Fresh chives, chopped, for garnish

Keef’s prep tip: The cuts I used were a bottom round and a sirloin, though all cuts from the hind quarter work for this method (and so does back strap).

Thoroughly salt down the venison, set on paper towels and place in the refrigerator overnight—

a method Keef says will likely transform anyone’s negative opinion of the taste of venison.

The next day, rub black pepper on the venison. Heat the olive oil in a large (preferably) cast iron frying pan. Sear the venison on all sides, turn down the heat to medium and add the butter and thyme sprigs. Continually baste the venison with the butter and thyme until it is cooked to medium rare. Reserve pan drippings for spring salad recipe. Slice thinly and serve with morels. Garnish with fresh chives.

For mushrooms: 2 cups morels, freshly gathered from Alligator Hill ½ cup butter Salt Pepper

Keef’s prep tip: Do not wash morels.

It yields a much better product and it is safe to do so because you are cooking them at such a high heat.

Slice morels in half. Heat the butter to bubbling in a cast iron frying pan. Add morels and cook until they are light brown—as you would other mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Reserve pan drippings for spring salad recipe.

•

Spring Salad Fresh spring greens and herbs Drippings from the morel pan Drippings from the venison 2 Tablespoons (approximately) olive oil 2 Tablespoons (approximately) balsamic vinegar Mix desired amount of drippings together. If they have become congealed, warm just until they liquify.

Whisk in olive oil and vinegar.

Toss with greens.

Elizabeth (Lissa) Edwards is senior editor and, most important, Keef Edwards’ mom.

Liam Kaiser is a visual storyteller with a strong love for the outdoors and the grit that comes with it. Follow his adventures on Instagram @LiamKaiserCreative.

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Come on a scrumptious romp across our Northern land. Here’s the hot dish you need to eat well and stop to raise a glass to the good life.

THE DELISH LIST

by Allison Jarrell, Cara McDonald, Carly Simpson, Emily Tyra & Lynda Wheatley

styling and photos by Sarah Peschel

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Cut the Mustard (previous spread)

Topping ideas for your next cookout. 1) Sport peppers, yellow mustard, sliced tomato, poppy seeds and dill relish 2) Blue cheese, fig jam and diced red onions 3) Homemade butternut mustard 4) Grilled red onion, onion jam and spicy mustard

The Bees’ Knees Grilled Cheese

Those who first glimpsed heaven via Velveeta and two slices of buttered Wonderbread bubbling atop Mom’s avocado-green stove, prepare to meet thy gods: Providence Organic

Farm’s “Oh My” Grilled Cheese

does exactly what it promises, tucking perky, tongue-tingling pickled red onions and Food For Thought’s habanero jelly in a sweet, soothing bed of sliced apples and creamy

SWIM, SNACK, REPEAT

Pack a blanket and the provisions to play and laze all day. Sand in your snack?

Just the cost of doing business on the beach.

Farm Country cheese. Pond Hill Farm’s Parm-Crusted Grilled Cheese can be had at a base model

of melted Swiss and Havarti inside parm-coated sourdough, but we suggest leveling up to luxury with a bright basil pesto and sunflower seed crunch.

Short Stacks

Red Velvet Pancakes Red Spire | Traverse City You won’t find a more supple red velvet texture making magic with a mildly tangy cream cheese topping than this red-hot pair.

Mary’s Potato Pancakes Abi’s Bistro | Gaylord Take the side of horsey sauce (aka horseradish and mayo), mix it with the bowl of applesauce, and slather that spicy-sweet concoction onto every single crispy bite.

Dutch Baked Pancake Small Batch | Harbor Springs Whisper-light crisped edges cradle a lofty, lusciously eggy center that, despite ample competition from a treasure trove of fruit jewels and pillowy cream, defies both gravity and all “pancake” expectations.

Beer with Fruit Roots

Tangelo Dream Ludington Bay Brewing Co. Ludington

Have this juicy, quenching pale ale queued up in the cooler for the first breezy porch weather of the season.

Kayak Attack Big Buck Brewery | Gaylord A never-ending wave of guava and grapefruit. Ride it.

Soft Parade Fruit Ale Short’s Brewing Co. | Bellaire Bushels of berries—straw, black, blue and rasp—plucked, pureed and gone swimming in a pool of toasted rye and malted barley.

Blood Orange Honey Cheboygan Brewing Co.

Cheboygan

Dripping with honey and a kiss of citrus, this American-style wheat ale tastes like summer nights ’round the bonfire.

Spooky Kriek Barrel + Beam | Marquette Crafted with local malts, hops and Montmorency cherries, this orange-hued sour ale is a purely Michigan brew. Tart, wild and hauntingly good.

Insider sip: Maybe you can’t capture summer in a bottle, but Master Brewer Lark Ludlow at Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub in Paradise comes darn close. Every August, she sends the sun-baked sweetness of the Yoop’s freshest ankle-high forest fruit—the wee and wild blueberry—cascading on a river of bright Blueberry Wheat Ale from tap to glass, a marvel that enjoys almost as much fanfare as the pub’s backyard waterfalls.

Beach Blanket Dips

Smoked Onion Dip J.bird Provisions | Charlevoix Paper-thin onions, slowly smoked in molasses and brown sugar, sing in sour cream-mayo silkiness best scooped up with Great Lakes Potato Chips or, bestest, schmeared atop burgers.

Salsa Verde Osorio Tacos y Salsas | Traverse City Spiked with fresh jalapeño, cilantro and onion, this tangy tomatillo sauce adores a salty, fritterlike tortilla chip (have you tried Fiesta Grande made in Ludington?). We also can’t stop drizzling the green stuff on everything: pork tacos, breakfast burritos…

Pimento Cheese Spread J.bird Provisions | Charlevoix Whatever shame ’80s-era bologna loaves brought upon pimentos, J.bird owner Jess Nagel has deftly—with creamy, cheesy and just-right-spicy, spreadable aplomb—redressed those grievances.

White Gold Saltless Sea Creamery Traverse City

If fondue and Bar Scheeze had a locally crafted baby, it would be named White Gold—a blend of cheese, garlic, wine and olive oil that’s impossible to stop eating. Best paired with tart apple slices or spread on a crusty baguette with a quick trip under the broiler.

Smoked Whitefish Whitecaps Spread Mackinac Straits Fish Co. St. Ignace

A traditional, no-frills touch makes this Straits-made dip sublime: It’s all about those handsome hunks of freshly caught and smoked whitefish.

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Slam Dunks

Clockwise: Salsa verde, pimento cheese spread, smoked whitefish spread, smoked onion dip and White Gold.

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She’s a Beaut

The Big Mick at POUR Kitchen & Bar in Petoskey served up with truffle herb potatoes.

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Fancy Burger

Basic cravings for a crispy-edged beef patty stacked with classic toppers on a squishy bun get turned up to 11 in the deft hands of an artful chef. Rockstar specimens: The Big Mick at POUR in Petoskey. This spice-crusted Wagyu burger snuggles up with American cheese, iceberg lettuce, raw white onion, house pickles and a generous spoonful of smoky Thousand Island.

The Notorious Butter Burger at Northland Gastropub inside Marquette’s Landmark Inn gets the CIAtouch with chef-pattied brisket and chuck, purple pickled onions, American cheese and bread-and-butter pickles on buttered and griddled brioche. Thank the Maillard reaction for the richly browned but still juicy smashburger at Birch & Maple in Frankfort. And at The Tribune in Northport enjoy the elevated take on the cheeseburger MickyD’s made famous including the magical Trib sauce, “shrettuce,” onions and pickles on a house-made sesame seed bun with a side of hand-cut crinkle fries.

Road Trip Sweets

Dark Chocolate Bars Crow & Moss | Petoskey Dark bars breaking even the most inventive molds, whether

PRETTY PINTS

What’s your jam for on the porch or after a paddle? straight-shooting 70-percenters bearing otherworldly notes from a global terroir, or complex combos pairing darks with Bolivian rose salt, passion fruit and sesame seeds.

Ruby Red Sour Cherry Patches Cherry Republic

Charlevoix, Glen Arbor & Traverse City

Tiny, mouth-puckering punches of cherry that you can’t stop, won’t stop eating.

Chocolate Haus Chips Alpine Chocolat Haus

Boyne City, Gaylord & Sault Ste. Marie

Chocolate covered potato chips.

Could life get any better?! We didn’t think so … and then we dipped them in peanut butter. Gasp.

Brat Fest

Original, Popper & Jalapeño-Bleu Gabe’s Country Smoked Meats Maple City

A good old-fashioned German pork brat generously laced with black pepper and marjoram is definitely not your wurst bet, but don’t sleep on the spicy brats when they grace the case— there’s one stuffed with cream cheese, house bacon and jalapeño; another that pairs the heat of fresh jalapeño with rich bleu cheese.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Brats Nowicki’s Sausage Shoppe Alpena, Gaylord & Rogers City

When one family has been making sausage since 1917, they’re allowed to go off script: The mavens at Nowicki’s keep this white meat chicken brat juicy with Michigan white wine, cubes of smoked ham and Swiss oozing out of every bite.

Morel and Swiss Brats Dublin General Store | Dublin Fresh-made year-round, these spring kings are stuffed silly with the North’s most famous fungi, somehow made even more succulent when squeezed against nutty-buttery melty morsels of Swiss.

Insider dish: When asparagus starts sprouting this month, start APRIL 2023

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Planked Whitefish Stafford’s Weathervane Charlevoix

Our Lake Country specialty: Justcaught whitefish is nestled up to velveteen piped duchess potatoes and cooked on a well-seasoned oak plank, gently infusing its woodsy flavor.

Knot’s Famous Kone Knot Just a Bar Omena & Bay Harbor

A paper cone brimming with beer battered perch and expertly seasoned fries will have you questioning if you’ll ever hunger again. Luckily, you have the luxury of snacking leisurely as you soak in the bay views at either locale.

Great Lakes Walleye Vintage Chophouse Inn at Bay Harbor

A sweet and succulent walleye fillet is expertly pan sautéed then soused in a delicate beurre blanc with capers.

Classic. Understated. Irresistible.

D-Style in The North

stalking the meat counter at Oryana West, where the inventor of Empire’s famed Asparagus Fest Brats, Phil Deering, makes the OG recipe just during asparagus season.

Curries We Crave

Tom Kha Kai Thai Orchid | Petoskey This awaken-the-senses soup with chicken, tomatoes and mushrooms is made rich and fragrant with coconut milk, chilies, lemongrass, makrut lime leaves and galangal root.

Navratan Korma NJ’s Grocery | Lake Leelanau NJ’s Navratan—translation: nine jewels—is as rich and, frankly, lifechanging as a ninesome of beans, veggies, pineapple, raisins and cashews simmered in golden curried coconut milk should be.

Green Curry Samsara | Traverse City Samsara’s version is powerfully creamy, steeped in earthy green curry so rich in flavor it takes a playful romp on taste buds long after the bowl is empty.

Insider dish: At Hexenbelle in Traverse City caring hands in the kitchen are ready to warm you with rotating offerings of richness and spice (e.g. Butternut Tom Kha, Coconut Curry Fried Rice).

Lake-to-Plate

Walleye Lunch Box The Narley Whale Fish Market Cedarville

Ask a local where to get lunch in this U.P. outpost and they’ll send you to a boldly painted, aquamarine market in the center of town to fill up on fried fish, potato salad, coleslaw and hush puppies.

Charles and Reid in Traverse City keeps old-school traditionalists and the newly converted Detroit-stylers hitting up this alley hotspot for that lacy and deeply caramelized crust, plus a tsunami of rich sauce on top.

Maple City’s Market 22 simply slays with a Detroit-style Reuben pizza with piquant sauerkraut, housemade corned beef and homemade Thousand Island. Upriver Pizza in Benzonia paints a fluffy focaccia canvas with the likes of homemade vodka sauce, caramelized onions and fresh meatballs. Meanwhile Traverse City’s family-owned Dino’s Pizza keeps slinging out irresistible Dstyle as it has since 1970—calling it simply “deep dish” on the menu. Be advised, this iconic Eighth Street pizzeria is open till 1 a.m. daily, providing more waking hours to heed their slogan-slash-siren song: “Let Dino’s Do It.”

Bennies (with Jets)

Eggs Benedict Sam’s Graces Café | Petoskey Just your basic Benedict, done bewitchingly well. Wonderfully wobbly

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A Fam, A Plan & A Pan

At family-run pizza biz Charles and Reid, the classics—margherita, BLT, pepperoni—are offered up alongside rotating specials like krab rangoon (topped with sweet chili and crispy wontons) and beef birria with cotija cheese and dipping stew.

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Morning Buns

A warm Tillie’s Tafel cinnamon roll under a generous blanket of vanilla-laced cream cheese frosting. Yep, an utterly irresistible way to greet the day.

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eggs; lean, locally sourced Plath’s smoked ham; a fluffy house-made English muffin and two luscious asparagus spears to swipe up every last drop of that triumphant hollandaise.

The Northerner Benedict | Traverse City Thick slabs of crispy bacon and savory tomato cherry jam (you read that right … it’s made with houseroasted tomatoes and tart cherries) sandwiched between a flaky buttermilk biscuit and the dreamiest hollandaise sauce.

Braised Short-Rib Benedict The Towne Plaza | Traverse City Ye olde eggs Benedict—first served in Gilded Age N.Y.—gets many modern updates on the Plaza’s muscleforward menu. Our fave: fall-aparttender short-rib atop a crisp polenta wedge, poached eggs and bibb leaf, drizzled with a biting bit of horseradish cream.

Insider dish: Sunday brunchin’ is better with the Pork Belly Benedict, slathered in jalapeño jam and pork fat hollandaise, at 876 Baldwin.

Roll Call

The adorable Tillie’s Tafel storefront in downtown Petoskey tempts passersby with a warm gourmet cinnamon roll slathered with cream cheese frosting, using Matilda (Tillie) Dewes’ beloved family recipe that has been passed down for the past 100 years. The bakers at 9 Bean Rows in Suttons Bay transform their legendary laminated dough into a masterful cinnamon croissant—rolled up into a golden buttery bun and ribboned with icing.

The mom-n-pop Café Noka in Topinabee makes plump cinnamon buns with buttery centers. Pinch yourself when having one split and griddled in the cozy cabin vibes with a view of Mullett Lake.

Insider dish: Available only on Wednesdays, Petoskey’s Crooked Tree Breadworks’ brioche cinnamon roll with spiced streusel topping and brown butter drizzle is a cult favorite.

Dreamy Dry Rieslings

The golden rule (and golden goose)

of Up North gatherings: to bring or to serve a bottle of dry riesling.

The zippy acidity holds its own against almost every dish on the table—baked brie, roasted turkey, freshwater fish, pork tacos, sushi, curry. Chateau Grand Traverse on Old Mission Peninsula crafts a steely dry sipper with hints of Granny Smith, white grapefruit, quince jam and honeycomb. Black Star Farms’ dry riesling tastes like sneaking a smooch at a summer farmers market: ripe with peach, honeydew melon and apple. And Shady Lane Cellars’ bottling might become your steady summer romance after one sip, buzzing with flavors of apricot, melon, lime zest and honeysuckle.

alleyway in downtown Cedar—is the place to feed your soul with smoked kielbasa from their own farm-raised Mangalitsa pork, dilled mashed potatoes, creamy cucumber salad and other delicacies. Tom learned the oldworld recipes growing up a few blocks from his Polish-immigrant grandparents in Hamtramck and visiting his babcia’s kitchen daily.

ROAD TRIP!

Just Like Babcia’s House

Time to brunch, crunch, sip and scoop your way across the North.

Charlevoix

Life of Pie

Polish Stuffed Cabbage My Grandmother’s Table MGT nails the critical balance between Eastern Europe’s dominant culinary powers—beef, pork, cabbage—then tips the scales with green peppers, carrots, onions and an oldcountry tomato sauce made for slow rolls to simmer and stew.

Farmer’s Cheese Pierogi Babcia’s Amazing Pierogi

Traverse City

Whole fat milk from Moomers Farm Creamery is the key ingredient in Babcia’s signature cheese filling, brightened with fresh chives and garlic. Fry these dumplings up in some butter and smacznego!

Famous Shed Borscht Cabbage Shed | Elberta A waterside fruit and vegetable warehouse from the late 1800s is home to sustaining brews and deeply nourishing borscht: slow-braised beef with red beets and green cabbage anointed with a delightful dab of smoked sour cream.

Insider dish: If you go once, you keep finding yourself on the winding country road to the land where polkas play every day. Kathleen and Tom Koch’s seasonal Polish Countryside Kitchen—a food truck in a charming

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie The Glenwood | Onekama When this longtime dining destination reopens for the season May 12, you must save room for dessert.

We’re talking Oreo cookie crumb crust and hot fudge drizzle.

Cherry Pie Cherry Hut | Beulah The Kraker family started selling the fruits of their labor at a roadside pie stand in 1922. Fans now flock to the landmark restaurant, home to the pie-faced mascot Cherry Jerry, and a pie that hasn’t changed in 101 years because it’s perfect just as it is: A tender crust chock-full of plump sour cherries, barely sweetened and kissed with almond extract.

Peach & Berry Pies Grand Traverse Pie Company

Traverse City

When you just can’t commit to one fruit flavor, opt for a bit of each with your peach. GT Pie serves up delicious blends pairing peach with strawberry, raspberry or blackberry.

True confessions: The blackberry steals our hearts with its buttery crumb topping and mellow sweetness that lets the peach notes shine.

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Insider dish: Psst, Grand Traverse Pie Co.’s Cherry Vernors Pie

may only be available during summer, but this lattice-topped beaut is as pure Michigan as it gets.

Dinner, Picked this Morning

Picking the stand-out staples of committed farm-to-table menus ain’t easy—most dishes bolt as fast as lettuce in July—but chefs Adam McMarlin of Wren in Suttons Bay, Randy Minish of Terrain in Bellaire and Loghan Call of Brengman Brothers on the Leelanau Peninsula consistently delight us with these steady-eddie stunners: McMarlin’s inexplicably light, whippy chicken liver mousse (mind-blowing, even if you think you hate liver); Minish’s already indulgent Great Lakes whitefish paté, folded into a pastry, topped with apple butter and served alongside Dijon, pickled fennel and pea shoots; and Calls’ (seriously, better than beef ) Michigan BBQ chickpea lettuce wraps.

Truly Madly Deeply Fried Truffle Portobello Fries Rare Bird Brewpub | Traverse City Toothsome tempura-fried Portobello mushroom wedges get drizzled with truffle oil and dusted in pecorino cheese for the perfect savory crunch.

Gyro Eggrolls FrankZ | Frankfort Weenie wizardry aside at this summertime hot dog spot, FrankZ wows in the eggroll department, packing massive amounts of Mediterranean flavors into slender, snappy snacks.

Deep-Fried Oreos Brady’s Bar | Traverse City Scratching an itch crème brûlée never will: five humble Oreo cookies, submerged in bubbling oil until their innards ooze like hot marshmallow fluff, dressed for the dance with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar, and paired—if you’re wise—with a $1 PBR. Boudin Balls Lagniappe | Marquette One second you’re in downtown Marquette. The next you’ve descended a staircase straight into New Orleans.

Laissez les bons temps rouler with a cold cocktail and fried balls of spicy

sausage and rice.

Insider dish: Once summer’s sweet Ailsa Craig onions arrive on the farm at Traverse City’s Farm Club, their luscious layers are tempura fried and soused with a chili maple glaze.

Accept All Cookies The OG Choc Chunk Tom’s Mom’s Cookies Harbor Springs

Soft, chewy cookies generously stuffed with huge hunks of hand-cut chocolate await behind a white picket fence. Enter those pearly gates for a batch made in heaven.

Cardamom Cookies The Daily BakeHouse | Manistee While the focus here is on artisan breads, check the daily bake list on Facebook where these spicy aromatic gems— heady with cardamom and love—make their fleeting presence known.

Tessa’s Cookie 231 West Patisserie | Marquette You’re strolling downtown with a chewy dark chocolate sea salt cookie in hand.

What could be better? (Grabbing a tub of cookie dough to indulge in later.)

All Varieties Slabtown Cookie Co. | Traverse City Cookies found in sheds … not usually kid-safe. Those ever-changing fruitypebbled, chocolate-dipped, Nutellafilled, candy-sprinkled confections found, fresh-baked, daily, inside the Slabtown Cookie Co.’s front yard shed … ? Family-friendly sugar-buzzy beauts Willy Wonka himself couldn’t dream up.

Holy Smoke

Start with the Burnt End Mac & Cheese at The Whi-Ski Inn in Boyne Falls. Work your way through a weekend’s worth of smoked chicken/wings/ brisket/ribs/sausage/corned beef whilst storming the bar’s bourbon shelves.

Hair might not sprout from your chest, but you will feel certain it could. Or elevate snack time with locally smoked salmon jerky: Primo’s BBQ inside Willow Market & Meats in Cadillac makes a salt-n-pepper version that’s mahogany-hued and peppercorncrusted with a whisper of sweetness; or we love to pick up a few tender morsels at Burritt’s Fresh Markets in Traverse

City—a gamechanger on a charcuterie board or a delight on a Caesar salad.

Next time you’re in Honor, the good people at Jim’s Joint are ready to fix you a sammie heavy with succulent barely-sauced smoked pulled pork.

Squeeze on the Benzie Burn—a homemade sauce with enough heat to hug you then let you go.

Big Dippers

A Fruit-Filled Double Scoop Buchan’s

Old Mission Peninsula & Traverse City

Choose your own local fruit adventure with ice cream crafted in small batches on the Buchan fam’s fifth-generation berry farm. Go Blueberry Hill and Lemonberry (with a luscious ribbon of blueberry sauce); or lemon poppy seed and strawberry (made with fresh strawberries and colored naturally with red beet juice); or double down on Lighthouse Cherry—old-fashioned vanilla ice cream with tart cherries mixed throughout.

Honey Lavender Ice Cream Milk & Honey | Traverse City Top with caramel sauce and roasted salted pecans. Then stay in that lavender haze.

Mackinac Fudge Jones Homemade Ice Cream Baldwin

Every gallon mother-daughter duo Joy Kolonich and Angela Johnson make honors their parlor’s 81 years, but perennial favorite Mackinac Fudge—velvety vanilla swirled, dotted and made divine with chewy fudge— is their crème de la ice cream.

Traverse Northern Michigan editors Allison Jarrell , Cara McDonald, Carly Simpson and Emily Tyra hope you’re hungry.

Lynda Twardowski Wheatley is an award-winning writer specializing in stories that showcase Michigan travel and recreation, history, and the passionate folks who make this place so extraordinary.

Sarah Peschel is the founder of Good Taste Creative agency. When she’s not out in the vines picking ice wine or testing recipes, you’ll find her talking to her chickens. She and her family are thrilled to call Northern Michigan home. @22speschel

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NORTHERN For the Way You Live Up North

MIDWEST MODERN! A DESIGNER’S MANIFESTO

HARMONY

THE SPIRIT OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

TRAVERSE CITY HISTORIC INSPIRATION

COLORS OF THE YEAR

Through Rose-Tinted Glasses MY FAVORITE SPACE

Designer Dawn Whyte

Traverse

NORTHERN

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Your Dream.

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Onekama Building Supply 4847 Main Street, Onekama, MI 49675 231-889-3456 FAX: 231-889-3633

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i

Photography by Carlson Productions LLC.

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Frank Gehry

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2 NORTHERN HOME & COTTAGE APRIL/MAY 2023

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inside APRIL/MAY 2023 NORTHERN

24 08

30

14

features

departments

14 / LITTLE MODERN HOUSE

07 / EDITOR’S NOTE

A couple discovers the Lindal building system and it revolutionizes their home design.

08 / TRENDS

IN THE BIG WOODS

24 / MIDWEST MODERN MANIFESTO

Designer Angie Lane teaches us how to make our interiors more Midwestern—in a cool way.

30 / CABIN SPIRIT

A design-and-build team channels the elements of a property’s mid-century cabins to come up with a home for the ages.

Reflections on Midwest Modern

Colors of the Year: Through Rose-Colored Glasses

12 / MY FAVORITE SPACE

Designer Dawn Whyte’s Northern-luxe den COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF OLD MISSION WINDOWS & KOLBE WINDOWS AND DOORS

Click on Live Here > Northern Home

NHC • MYNORTH.COM

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COUNTRY STORE From gorgeous homes to cozy man caves,

Pahl’s Country Store offers exceptional quality spaces that fit your lifestyle.

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Call (231) 269-4400 to order!

PAHL’S COUNTRY STORE | 11168 N. M37s, Buckley, MI 49620 | PahlsCountryStore.com

2012 - 2022

Outdoor Living at its Finest 4 NORTHERN HOME & COTTAGE APRIL/MAY 2023

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A MyNorth Media Publication Michael Wnek Cara McDonald

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EDITOR’S NOTE

REFLECTIONS ON MIDWEST MODERN

W

hen my colleague, emily tyra, lent me a copy of architect

and interior designer Angie Lane’s book, "Midwest Modern Manifesto," I felt I’d had a gauntlet thrown down before me. In her book (excerpted in this issue) Lane offers an equation for the four design elements that she believes make up a Midwest Modern interior. (I won’t be a spoiler, so read on to find out what they are.)

But Lane’s book got my mind wandering outside of interiors: Is there a definitive Midwest Modern architectural style? And if so, how would one define it? Apparently my inner reflection rattled the gods of architecture— and maybe even the king of them all, Frank Lloyd Wright. Seriously, was it serendipity that as I pondered the question, information about a home designed by Aris Georges, a graduate of Taliesin School of Architecture (founded by Wright) and who was a senior fellow at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, landed in my email? That lead turned into this issue’s story, “Little Modern House in the Big Woods.”

In the process of writing about this lovely jewel of a home, I had the opportunity to pick Georges’ brain on the subject of Midwest Modern architecture, which began with the Prairie School in Chicago—those long, low homes that accentuate the flat prairie landscape around them and eschewed the popular ornate Classical Revival Style with its European roots. Prairie School architecture was completely new and all American, and Wright was its leader. And as Georges further explained to me: “What bridges those early years to contemporary expressions of Midwest Modern is the distillation of his ideas in the Usonian designs of the 1930s, where he further eliminated the complexity of the Prairie School, and set the course for the minimalist, integral and exquisitely livable spaces that have influenced generations of architects since.”

But as Wright’s work would demonstrate later, there was more going on than just a style: there was an ethos based on organic materials and sitecontextual design. And this is where Wright’s designs, and those of his disciples, differed from the other Modernism of the mid-to-late last century. By other Modernism I mean the flat-roofed, monochromatic steel-and-glass boxes characterized by the International Style of architecture, later simply known as Modern architecture. Like Wright, those architects detested the ornamentation of the Gilded Age. But that was where the comparison ended. The style was more about the style, and not so much about blending into the site. Wright hated it.

Over the decades, as sustainability issues have unfurled, Wright’s ethos is more crucial than ever, and we are blessed in the Midwest to have its earliest imprint. Cue the drum roll while I introduce the third story in this issue, “Cabin Spirit.” While this home is not Modern by any conventional terms, it is definitely a flag-bearer for the Wright ethos with its use of honest organic materials, transparency to the outdoors and its careful siting that assured it blended into its beautifully wooded lakeside property. Wright pioneered all of those principles.

So, does a quintessential Midwest Modern architecture still exist? I’m pretty sure Wright wouldn’t have answered it exactly this way, but I will: You betcha!

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trends

THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES Move over, soothing greens and calm-inducing grays that colored the height of the Covid years.

These six 2023 paint colors of the year are a message we’re ready to move to the warmer, more joyous side of the color wheel—and life.

By ELIZABETH E DWA R D S

TERRA ROSA, DUNN-EDWARDS This lighter take on Victorian burgundy makes old houses feel young again and new houses look storied. Imagine a crisp white clapboard nouveau farmhouse painted this color— wouldn’t you just want to knock on that door and ask for a cup of tea? And maybe a hug.

8 NORTHERN HOME & COTTAGE APRIL/MAY 2023

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RASPBERRY BLUSH, BENJAMIN MOORE Where should you use this coral-tinged-with-pink hue?

Any room where you might want to throw on a sarong and start dancing … kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom …

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ALIZARIN, GRAHAM & BROWN Ever wonder how Marco Polo felt when he was first introduced to cinnamon and nutmeg? I’m guessing he dreamed in this warm and spicy shade that night. Use it anywhere you want to invite drama—starting at the front door.

REDEND POINT, SHERWIN-WILLIAMS Beige with a hint of dusty rose puts me back in my grandmother’s bedroom in the 1960s, snuggled up with hot cocoa and a Yogi Bear cartoon. Redend Point lends a cozy, vintage (there’s an ’80s vibe, too) feel wherever it is used.

CANYON RIDGE, BETTER HOMES & GARDENS Picture yourself meditating on a mesa in the Southwest and you have the Canyon Ridge mood. This shade is especially evocative paired with white in a bathroom where it feels clean and just a bit sun-kissed.

VIVA MAGENTA, PANTONE Raise your hand if this was your favorite color in the Crayola box!

The color gods and goddesses at Pantone sent a clear message with their choice of this bright, childlike tint: Choose optimism and joy.

Viva Magenta begs us to experiment.

Hint: Free yourself to color outside the lines.

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my favorite space

Dawn Whyte, founder and principal designer of Designs by Dawn

DREAMY DEN This cozy hideaway for all seasons is one of designer Dawn Whyte’s most delicious recent projects.

by E L I Z ABET H E DWAR D S photos by PHOE N I X PHOTO G R APHY

ALTHOUGH she specializes

in kitchens and baths, designer Dawn Whyte fell in love hard with this recent project—another useful and intimate space, this time a delightfully soothing den.

She shares the elements that make the project sing.

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“Dark and moody, this den’s atmosphere draws me in with warmth and comfort! Layers of black, off-black, graphite and natural wood tones create a sophisticated space that invites you to kick back and relax. Maybe a glass of wine after a long day, a nip of brandy after dinner or a cup of hot cocoa and a movie? This space was designed to envelop you—and it does.

The fireplace, with its linen-textured granite facade capped by a natural wood mantel, provides ambiance and warmth. The flanking lighted display cases add elegance and a place to showcase treasured items.”

“The wood ceiling design reminds you that the space was thoughtfully planned while the grass-cloth wall covering adds another layer of richness and provides high contrast with the lighter, brighter main spaces in the rest of the house. And, of course, the comfy yet luxe sofa invites you to linger longer.”

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house and home

LITTLE MODERN HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS

BUILDING JUST THE RIGHT HOUSE ON JUST THE RIGHT SITE TOOK DECADES. BUT CAROL AND JEFF MORGAN WOULDN’T CHANGE ONE SQUARE INCH OF IT.

By E L I Z A B E T H E DWA R D S / Photos by D O N R U T T

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B

ack in the early ’90s when their family

was young, the Morgans would head Up North from their home in Ann Arbor as often as they could. They camped then, trying out a variety of campgrounds in Northern Michigan, finally deciding that their favorite sites were in the Platte River Campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The campground was next to everything they loved including the popular beach at the mouth of the Platte River and the secluded Boekeloo Road beach that lies down a long winding narrow lane off M-22. The hiking trails in the National Lakeshore seemed endless, and the marina in nearby Frankfort meant they could easily put their boat into Lake Michigan. On one trip, Carol nabbed a local real estate flyer and scoured it on the ride home. That was how they found the six wooded acres, backed up to the National Lakeshore on the outskirts of the tiny village of Honor, that they purchased in 2005.

Given their sons’ busy schedules, the couple was in no hurry to build. Instead, they moved a fifth-wheel

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camper onto their property, and eventually built a pole barn so, as Carol says: “We didn’t have to schlepp all of our toys back and forth.” Over the years the couple talked a lot about what they would want to build when the time came. They even staked out where they would want to build their future home, and cleared the site. In 2010 they added a well and septic.

Still, they didn’t feel ready to build … until one day a few years back Carol was walking through a bookstore and the photo on the cover of Dwell magazine caught her eye. She purchased the issue and found out the photo was of a Lindal Cedar home, a company

founded in Seattle in 1945 that specializes in pre-cut, kiln-dried Douglas fir post-and-beam style homes. The house that had caught Carol’s eye was part of a strategic move by Lindal to brand the company’s post-and-beam building system as the ultimate modern home design. “The post-and-beam system is so appropriate for modern homes because there’s no structure inside the home. It’s all carried on posts and beams from one side of the home to the other so you can have big, open floor plans,” says Rick Fulmer, the Lindal representative in Traverse City whom the Morgans contacted and eventually worked with. Beyond the

open floor plans, the post-and-beam system allows for the expansive windows that are the signature of modern homes. And on an even deeper note, the clean, organic look of Lindal Homes hearkens back to the aesthetic of the pioneer of modern architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Lindal style was exactly what the Morgans came to realize they wanted. “It was modern rustic–natural and looked like it would just fit into the woods without shouting out,” Carol says. If they were sold on the style, it didn’t take long for them to become fans of their Lindal rep, Fulmer—a former president of Four

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“YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE IN A SNOW GLOBE ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER WHEN SNOW IS FALLING.”

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Winns boats who has also had a lifelong passion for building and designing. Fulmer in turn brought in architect Aris Georges whose deep résumé includes a Master of Architecture degree from Taliesin (the architecture school founded by Frank Lloyd Wright) as well as being named a senior fellow of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. While Georges owns a private practice, OM Studios, he is affiliated with Lindal Homes—thus his connection to Fulmer and Fulmer’s clients. For Georges, the wooded setting of the Morgans’ home presented a new challenge—one that delighted him. “Most of the houses I’ve worked with have long vistas, but that one was special because it was surrounded by beautiful tall trees and so it had

a kind of coziness to it,” he says.

The team used virtual 3D modeling for everything from where the sun would hit their home in the winter and summer in order to gauge the depth of overhangs, to what the view from their elevated deck would look like. Fulmer and Georges worked with the Morgans for months to customize the home specifically to the site. “We can’t say enough about working with Rick,” Carol says. “He went above and beyond anyone that we have ever worked with as far as the time that he put in and the expertise that he brings to the project,” Jeff adds.

The Morgans broke ground just before the outbreak of Covid-19 and finished last year. Their new 2,400-square-foot home has the NHC • MYNORTH.COM

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When Northern Michigan is at your door,

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elements of a modern home, indeed—two shed roofs and one flat, a handsome Western redcedar slatted front door that feels almost Asian, beautiful banks of windows and mid-centurymodern–style eave brackets. Architectural Douglas fir beams on the interior warm the clean, open great room. Above all, the home has the transparency to the outdoors that the couple wanted.

“You feel like you are in a snow globe, especially in the winter when the snow is falling,” Carol says.

Or as Georges describes it: “You come through the woods and suddenly you run into it.

When you go inside, the house almost disappears around you because you’re in the woods again.

It’s simply lovely.”

THE LINDAL STYLE WAS EXACTLY WHAT THE MORGANS CAME TO REALIZE THEY WANTED. “IT WAS MODERN RUSTIC—NATURAL AND LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD JUST FIT INTO THE WOODS WITHOUT SHOUTING OUT.”

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house and home

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ANGIE LANE’S MIDWEST MODERN MANIFESTO

photo by Marta Xochilt Perez

A ngie Lane was (partly) raised in the house her father was born in—an old, once-upon-a-time farmhouse in a small town outside of Lansing. While interior decorating wasn’t exactly her father’s thing, she does remember afghans hand-knit by her aunts (“some of them were, well, you know, hideous, but some of them I still have,” Lane says). Her dad and aunts also collected pudding stones—a rare composite stone left by glaciers found only in several places in the world, Michigan among them. As a child, she filed those objects away in her memory—cherishing their shapes, colors and the nostalgic feelings they conjured.

Later, Lane attended University of Michigan for undergraduate and graduate studies, leaving with a Masters of

A MICHIGAN ARCHITECT/INTERIOR DESIGNER’S BOLD, COLORFUL DECLARATION THAT, YES, MIDWESTERNERS HAVE STYLE. AND HERE’S HOW IT WORKS.

By E L I Z A B E T H E DWA R D S

Architecture degree. Before opening her own practice, Lane worked for several architectural firms, including one that also offered interior design services—a side of the design world Lane found she loved. “It’s so much more tactile than the architectural side,” she says. “You’re getting samples, you’re testing colors and searching for different furniture shapes.”

All of those shapes and colors got Lane thinking that she could figure out a “system” for isolating what makes an interior feel balanced—without repressing individual expression.

“It’s just kind of how my brain works, I like to simplify things,” she says. Eventually, Lane developed her own design formula: A (hard pattern) + B (soft pattern) + C (bright color) + D (nostalgic/ eclectic). Take those afghans—they’d give a room both A (hard pattern), C (bright color) and D (nostalgic/eclectic). The pudding stones? Those are B (soft pattern) for their curved shapes.

The magic in Lane’s formula is that

A, B, C and D don’t have to be equal parts—and the formula could be used in regions other than the Midwest— although the very warmth inherent in the formula rules out anything too spare and monochromatic. Lane had mused about writing a book demonstrating her theory for a while when Covid hit. The lockdown gave her the time to focus and 10 months later she had produced “Midwest Modern Manifesto—Easy Formula to Get Designer Style in Your Home.” Within the book’s 300-plus colorful pages is an explanation of Lane’s formula, as well as room photos of both her designs and a number of Midwestern interior designers.

The book closes with an unexpectedly perfect nod to our regional brand of hospitality: a chapter on colorful, delicious cocktails. As she writes with exquisite Midwestern pragmatism: “You’ve flipped through this long-ass book, now it’s time to relax. Cheers!”

Order Midwest Manifesto at midwestmodernmanifesto.com.

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photo by Marta Xochilt Perez

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Opposite: A Hard Pattern: plaid ceiling, art piece B Soft Pattern: window treatment, rug C Bright Color: decor, trim, paint D Nostalgic/Eclectic: letter A, rug, pyramid pillow “This lounge concept was meant to be feminine meets old school lodge where the lodge elements were used in an atypical way: oversized plaid ceiling, abstract wildlife displays and vintage tapestries as pillows instead of wall hangings.”

Below: A Hard Pattern: rug, windows B Soft Pattern: nature pattern pillows C Bright Color: blue wall, green bench D Nostalgic/Eclectic: wide blue stripe on white wall and ceiling

photo by Angie Lane

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Right: A Hard Pattern: radiator cover, quilt B Soft Pattern: table bases C Bright Color: lamp shade, decor D Nostalgic/Eclectic: antique chairs, tiki mug “Here all the displays are abstract representations of all of the state symbols of Michigan. I like all the texture happening in this corner. We’re tactile beings and we like to touch stuff. There’s smooth ceramics, antique wood, basketweave and even concrete nuggets (on the table bases).”

Below: A Hard Pattern: rug B Soft Pattern: pillows C Bright Color: wall, pillows, art D Nostalgic/Eclectic: floral painting “One of my favorite lighting tips: use a swag light from the center fixture spot to the light to end up where you want it.

Especially in old houses, there can be limited light fixture locations as well as outlets for lamps.” photo by Marta Xochilt Perez

photo by Martin Vecchio Photography

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house and home

CABIN SPIRIT 30 N O R T H E R N H O M E & C O T T A G E A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 2 3

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W

hen a well - traveled couple with michigan

A BRILLIANT DESIGN-AND-BUILD TEAM WORKS WITH HOMEOWNERS DEDICATED TO PRESERVING THE CHARACTER OF THEIR NORTHWOODS LAKESIDE PROPERTY TO CREATE A SUBTLE MASTERPIECE OF RUSTIC STYLE.

By E L I Z A B E T H E DWA R D S Photos courtesy of OLD MIS SION WINDOWS & KOLBE WINDOWS AND DOORS

and Midwestern roots purchased a piece of property in the Grand Traverse area on a lake encircled by woods, fed by clear spring water and teeming with panfish, the last thing they wanted to do was desecrate its pristine shoreline. Even if that meant not disturbing so much as a single tree. To that mission’s end, the plan became to take down six small summer cabins—some that dated to the 1950s— and place the new home on the long-ago cleared site. A seventh cabin would be saved and turned into a bunkhouse.

Though the majority of cabins would be removed, the couple was determined to preserve their hand-hewn, midcentury spirit. The layout of the home itself is a tribute to the old cabins. “We took inspiration from the history of the property,” says architect Matt Rossetti, explaining that the home is laid out as four separate buildings (cabins, if you will), connected by breezeways. Breaking up the structure’s mass allows it to be better camouflaged in the shoreline landscape.

The decision to look to the past informed every detail of this meticulously designed home from its walls of natural stone that echo the old cabins’ stone

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“The owners wanted the home to be super comfortable and approachable,” interior designer Amy Meier says. The great room’s ceiling cladding of rough-sawn, lesser-grade pine adds to the relaxed cabin ambiance. The floor is reclaimed white oak as is the mantel—sourced from Surfaces in Petoskey. The dining room table is also fabricated reclaimed wood and purposely made not to look perfect—note the splintered leg in the forefront. The pendant over the table is one of the few new lights in the home. The rest are old, but have been refurbished and rewired.

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THE DECISION TO LOOK TO THE PAST INFORMED EVERY DETAIL OF THIS

METICULOUSLY DESIGNED HOME.

foundations, to the rough-sawn barn wood used to clad the great room’s ceiling, to old-fashioned screen doors that bang shut. Reclaimed wood was used wherever possible—barnwood from Wisconsin and North Carolina was integrated into the great room and bedrooms, old clapboard from some of the old cabins was cleaned and now graces the ceilings on several bedrooms. When a salvaged curly maple floor from a sewing warehouse in the South was delivered to the site, thousands of pins and needles rolled out.

From blueprint to stone and wood, it took intense collaboration with the team and homeowners to turn back time 75 years. Along with Rossetti, the architectural team included design consultants Holly Jonsson and Kyle Evans, all based in Detroit.

Southern California–based interior designer, Amy Meier, who had worked with the homeowners previously, was integral to the design process, sourcing numerous vintage mid-century pieces that date to the era of the old cabins.

Eric Darooge and his Boyne City–based Eastmark Construction took the project over the finish line. Even though the experienced crew has numerous luxury homes to its credit, this one was especially memorable. “This project made all of us work a little bit out of our comfort zones because it didn’t fall into typical residential home construction norms,” Darooge says. “And I can say from everyone involved, from start to finish, we are very proud of the outcome.”

When Darooge made Eastmark’s skilled carpenter Mark Andres the project manager, it was as if the stars aligned and those old cabins were having their say: Andres continues to care for the property—and the home that honors the spirit of honest, timeless construction.

“We spent a lot of effort to get the glass to wrap around the corner,” says Meier of this lakeside nook in the great room. The chairs are mid-century by Italian designer Paolo Buffa. “They are very comfortable and I just love the way that they feel right at home here,” Meier says. The Shaker-style chaise was made

by Mulligan’s in Los Angeles. The two tables are midcentury from England. “They’re highly lacquered so they look like they are from a boat. I love that parallel of being on the lake and having pieces that feel nautical,” Meier says. The mid-century floor lamp was acquired at an auction.

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The French Lacanche stove backed by a thick “blue stone” tile (actually meant for flooring) backsplash is the centerpiece of the kitchen. Knotty, rough-sawn white-oak cabinetry conceals all of the appliances except the wine refrigerator. “Everyone these days is so used to putting on polyurethane and different waxes,” says Meier. “My client wanted them to be durable but look 34 N O R T H E R N H O M E & C O T T A G E A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 2 3 like natural wood.” The barstools are from Bicyclette.

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Left: A reclaimed brick floor and a cement sink in the mudroom are both vintage and utilitarian.

Note the copper water pipes coming down from the ceiling—as though the room were plumbed as an afterthought. Above: A refurbished copper light is mounted into the entry ceiling, and an upcycled vase-turned-lamp with a jute shade sits on an antique table from Europe. The exterior stone wall moves seamlessly into the interior to give the appearance of two cabins being joined together years after they were constructed.

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photo by Shade Degges

Above: “This is such a fun area,” Meier says. “The clients really wanted a space where they can just hang with their kids and friends.” The cobblestone pavers are off-the-shelf from Home Depot, while the inset crisscross beams are reclaimed and sourced from Surfaces in Petoskey. The three oil lamps (one is not shown) are by mid-century Danish designer Hans-Agne Jakobsson. After being wired for electricity, they were screwed into the bar. The barstools are Italian mid-century

by Matteo Grassi.

Top left: The “cabins” from left to right: the mudroom and screened-in porch; the main living area with the kitchen and great room above and the den/bar (Rossetti refers to it as a kind of grotto) below; the master bedroom; the guest bedroom. A green roof was chosen to mimic the moss-covered asphalt roofs of the old cabins.

Siding varies from the board-and-batten on the main cabin to cedar shake on each end cabin, “giving them their own character,” Rossetti says. The windows are also different in each cabin, a touch that makes them look as though they were built in different time periods. The use of the black windows in the breezeways connecting the cabins was to “make them disappear,” Rossetti adds.

Bottom left: Exposed furring and beams in the guest bedroom give the impression of an uninsulated summer cottage. The floor, as was much of the reclaimed material in the home, was sourced from Surfaces in Petoskey. “It’s called a threshing floor,” says Darooge. “It’s from the part of the barn floor between the barn doors that gets the most traffic so it takes on a significantly distressed look.”

The guest room has traditional 9-by-11-inch mullions in the windows—panes that frame the view of the lake like individual charming paintings. “I think many people think mullions obstruct the view,” Meier says. “But [the homeowner and I] wanted them to give the feel of an old cabin.”

The heirloom-quality walnut, pencil-stick canopy bed was custom made by Dunes and Duchess in New Milford, Connecticut. The skirted sofa is new but made to look mid-century.

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resources Architect ROSSETTI Builder Eastmark Construction Interior Design Amy Meier Design Design Consultants Kyle Evans Design Holly Jonsson Design

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T he Cu l i nary North local restaurants . craft drinks . seasonal cuisine

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photo by Dave Weidner

—SUSHI CHEF BRENT SHAFER, THE DOJO

MEET LAKE ANN’S BREAD LADY P. 47 TRAVERSE CITY’S SECRET SUSHI HOTSPOT P. 48 JAMMY EGGS WITH SMOKED-FISH MAYO P. 50 APRIL 2023

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T he Cu l i nary North Bite

Rachel Beckwith in her Lake Ann bake shop

LOON COOKIES ARE CALLING

by CARLY SIMPSON

L

ake ann’s rachel beckwith, aka the bread lady, is known for her plump loaves packed with bright dill weed, swirls of cinnamon, chunks of mozzarella and whatever winsome flavor she dreams up in the moment— spiced chai, apple pie, the bigfoot (bacon and steak seasoning!). But in April and early May, as loons return to Northern Michigan’s lakes and rivers, we’re especially excited about Beckwith’s lovely loon sugar cookies (available by special order only; 6-pack for $13.50).

An Anishinaabe oral tradition says that the loon teaches us to follow our dreams and wishes; something Beckwith takes inspiration from. The Benzie County baker, whose love for loons runs so deep she chose to make the bird her logo, started her business in 2019, building a following at area farmers markets before transforming a garage in the village of Lake Ann into a kitchen and small shop. Some days demanded 18- to 20-hour work days from the mom of three, but Beckwith kept at it. It’s a treat to support her delicious dream.

top photo by Dave Weidner // inset photo courtesy of Rachel Beckwith

These sweet treats are tiny works of art.

The Bread Lady 19773 Linwood Ave., Lake Ann facebook.com/thelakeannbreadlady APRIL 2023

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T he Cu l i nary North New in Town

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Seven-Spice Tuna Roll

D I N I N G OUT

THE DOJO’S GOT MOJO

by CARLY SIMPSON

This tucked-away sushi spot won’t be a secret for long.

photos by Dave Weidner

T

he dojo still feels like a hidden gem, having just opened in December at the off-the-beaten-path Long Lake Culinary Campus, about 15 minutes from downtown Traverse City. The once-vacant elementary school has been reimagined as a hub for regional food businesses, including The Dojo’s neighbor Food For Thought.

Within the first week of opening his classroom-turnedeight-seat restaurant, sushi chef and owner Brent Shafer already had a slate of regulars. There’s the guy who comes in twice a week for the pickled daikon hosomaki (single item roll) and a stream of west-side locals dropping by to grab dinner to-go.

Approachable classics like California and Philadelphia rolls sidle up alongside Shafer’s favorite, the seven-spice tuna roll. It’s packed with mango, cucumber, avocado, togarashi (a Japanese spice blend with chili, orange peel and sesame), lemon and citrusy ponzu sauce. The tuna gets seared with a blowtorch before being served— an intimate pre-meal show for customers sitting face-to-face with Shafer at the dining counter.

Shafer, a Traverse City native and self-proclaimed former chicken nugget kid, first experienced sushi on the job at Panda North, where he worked before joining the team at Red Ginger. Now at the helm of his own kitchen, “I’m living the dream,” Shafer says. And we’re glad he’s on a roll.

The Dojo 7738 N. Long Lake Rd., Traverse City, chu-toro.net APRIL 2023

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T he Cu l i nary North On the Table

B

uilt in the 1800s from hemlock, our three-story bank barn is—by definition—set into a steep hillside and DINING IN accessible from every level. The chicken coop is on the middle floor and we journey down a set

by STACEY BRUGEMAN of wooden garden stairs to get there. One recent morning, I Eggs are more expensive than ever walked past the rhubarb plants that will soon poke their way this spring. Give them the royal treatment through those stubborn vestiges with this tonnato-inspired mayonnaise. of snow. I stepped past the castiron water spigot, still shut off for winter. I placed my left mud boot onto the landing near the black raspberry canes that Whether you wander to your own chicken coop in need pruning. Right on cue, our rooster crowed. “Good your pajamas or you have to put on your big girl pants and morning, Rocky,” I said. As I approached the vintage slidfork over the going rate, treat chicken eggs like caviar this ing door, I found myself so grateful for those chickens. month by giving them the reverence they deserve.

Grateful I didn’t have to worry about soaring egg prices.

Grateful that all year long, from the heat of summer to Stacey Brugeman is a 20-year food and beverage journalist. the depths of winter, those “girls,” as we call our flock, Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + hang out in that romantic but drafty barn laying all the Leisure, Eater and on Instagram @staceybrugeman. eggs our family needs.

While eggs are a year-round staple, traditions associated Dave Weidner is an editorial photographer and videographer with Easter and Passover have made them decidedly spring. based in Northern Michigan. Follow him on Instagram and This year for those holidays, try a softer, 5-minute boil— Facebook @dzwphoto. which results in a vibrant, jammy yolk. Then leave the yolk where it belongs, and top each egg with a generous dollop Sarah Peschel, @22speschel, is a stylist and photographer with of luscious, tonnato-inspired mayonnaise that’s been folded an appreciation for all things related to local agriculture, food with smoked fish from right here at home. and drink.

A GOOD EGG

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^ Jammy Eggs with Smoked-Fish Mayo Makes 24 servings 12 large eggs

photos by Dave Weidner // styling by Sarah Peschel

3 ounces smoked fish, such as lake trout or whitefish, removed from its skin and flaked into smaller pieces 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 heaping teaspoon drained capers ½ teaspoon anchovy paste Juice from half a lemon, about 1 ½ Tablespoons 2 Tablespoons cold water ½ cup mayonnaise Chives, for garnish

1. Gently place eggs in a stockpot and add cold water until the eggs are covered by an inch of water. Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Ignore every warning you’ve ever been given about not watching water boil, and instead keep a very close eye on that pot. The moment there are large, frequent bubbles but before the eggs are rattling, cover the pot with a snug lid and remove it from the heat.

Immediately set a timer for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on how jammy you like your yolks. Let the eggs steep, covered, in the hot water until your timer goes off, being careful not to overcook.

2. While the eggs steep, prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice and add cold water. The moment the egg timer expires, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water, gently placing them into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.

3. As the eggs cool, make the smoked fish mayo. Add smoked fish, olive oil, capers, anchovy paste and lemon juice to a food processor and turn on to whiz. While it is running, add cold water until the mixture resembles thick Caesar salad dressing. Scrape the fish paste into a bowl and add the mayonnaise, gently folding the two together with a rubber spatula until they are fully incorporated.

4. Working under cold running water, carefully peel each egg. Slice the eggs in half, lengthwise. To keep them from slipping, smear a small fingertip of smoked fish mayo on the bottom of each half and place them on a serving platter. Top each soft-boiled egg with a generous dollop of smoked-fish mayo.

Garnish with chives and serve. – S.B.

APRIL 2023

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love of the land

get there

photo by Heather Higham

EMPIRE BLUFF TRAIL As our forest floor gradually thaws, it only takes a moment—a kiss of warmth and a few extra rays of sun—for it to bloom into the most sumptuous scavenger hunt. Blink and you’ll miss it. Flecks of purple peek from beneath tattered leaves. Delicate cream-colored petals unfurl from the greenery.

Blushing blossoms pop up in clusters. While May is known as prime wildflower season, April has its gifts, too, if you know when and where to look.

Some of the first ephemeral flowers to bloom along the forested Empire Bluff Trail are bloodroot, trillium and the whimsical Dutchman’s breeches (pictured here). Below the 45th parallel, these flowers typically pop up starting mid to late April, before the trees don their leaves.-A.J.

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YOU’RE INVITED

Named “Most Beautiful Place in America” by the viewers of Good Morning America, and sitting pretty on National Geographic’s list of “21 Best Beaches in the World.”

There are plenty of places to vacation, but nowhere comes close to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

You don’t have to take our word for it though.

Come experience the magic of Northern Michigan for yourself.

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