Top Ten

Meet the Region’s (and Montana and New Hampshire’s) In-Need Employers

If help wanted ads are any indication, the northwest Lower Michigan job market is on job seekers’ side. More than 4,294 employment ads were placed in the region last month, up nearly 16 percent since March and on a steady upward climb since January, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives that’s based on data compiled by The Conference Board Online Help Wanted Data series.

About 2,000 of those jobs were located in Traverse City, with about 1,000 in Petoskey, and the rest scattered around Boyne City, Cadillac, Manistee, Grawn, and beyond — some 1,000-plus miles beyond. While the hungriest employer, Munson Healthcare, led demand with 504 ads, two of Boyne Resorts’ sister properties — Big Sky Resort, in Montana, and Loon Mountain Resort, in New Hampshire — were second and third, placing 204 and 180 ads respectively, beating the region’s own Boyne Resorts, which rang in with 139 ads. (McLaren Health Care (108), Spartannash (99), Blarney Castle Oil (76) and Great Wolf Resorts (47) were among the top 10.)

Seekers hoping to streamline the hunt can check out the upcoming Northwest Michigan Works! virtual hiring event Tuesday, May 25. The online event will feature more than 50 regional employers. The first session — showcasing jobs in hospitality, retail, and healthcare — will run 10:30am–12:30 pm. The second session — construction, manufacturing, and outdoor seasonal jobs — will run 12:30 pm–2:30pm. Participants can register for the event and learn about each job opening and upload their resume beforehand at nwm.org/VirtualHiring

May 22 Collage Concert at GLCFA

For the first time in two years, the entire Dorothy Gerber Strings Program will perform together, live, at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts. The end-of-year Collage Concert brings together student musicians from all levels of the educational programs — young violinist, celloists, and viola and bass players — to perform as ensembles and as part of the DGSP youth symphony. Seating for the 6pm May 22 event is limited, but tickets are still available — or you can watch it stream live at youtu.be/GEX03Zi9YKc.

Celebrate Food & Wine Wine Dinners PERFECTLY PAIRED Stuff we love Geniuses who create their own cool job

Fresh from the “Why didn’t we think of that?” files: The five-month project proposed by “Paige L.,” a Traverse City-based Huron Pines AmeriCorps member serving with the Michigan DNR. For five months, she and her trusty pup, Willow, will set out in an RV (sponsored by General RV Center) to tour Michigan’s rustic campgrounds while cataloging details about hiking trails, parks, recreation opportunities, and all the fun to be had in the state’s great outdoors. Her work will fatten up the DNR’s photo library, collect GPS location data for mapping, and improve the DNR’s Recreation Search Directory, a critical resource for campers. For them (and any weary desk-chained souls who want to live vicariously through her), she’ll document her journey on the Project Rustic website (search “Project Rustic” at Michigan.gov) and posts on the General RV Blog (GeneralRV.com/ProjectRustic), alongside tips for extended RV travels, eco-friendly camping, camping with pets, campsite cooking, how to stay connected on the road, and more.

tastemaker Black Truffles at Pepe Nero

They aren’t pretty to look at, with their gnarly, inky exterior, perhaps most suggestive of small fossilized dinosaur eggs. But the beauty of the black summer truffle — tartufo nero — lies within, in its cream-colored core. The pride of Italy’s Umbria region, these truffles are often described as having a mushroomy, earthy taste, which makes sense, since they are a type of fungi and grow underground near the roots of old trees. Only licensed truffle hunters can harvest them, with specially trained dogs helping to sniff them out. Giorgio Lo Greco, a native of Palermo, Sicily and chef/owner of Pepe Nero in Traverse City, is currently featuring fresh Umbrian black truffles on his restaurant’s menu. “I am dedicated to the authenticity and quality of our ingredients and our cooking,” he says. “I consider myself an ambassador of Italian culture and cuisine.” Every year during Umbria’s black truffle season, from May to September, Lo Greco has a standing bi-weekly order for them with an importer friend. They are offered for an extra charge as an optional finishing element to complement certain dishes, shaved at the table with a flourish by your server. It’s not a low-cost indulgence, but worth it for those who savor the rare chance to taste this delicacy in northern Michigan. $18 at Pepe Nero, 700 Cottage View Drive, Traverse City. (231) 929-1960, www.pepenerotc.com.