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Eat ’n’ Drink News
FROM AROUND THE NORTH
By Ross Boissoneau
From Cadillac to Petoskey, the North’s food and restaurant scene doesn’t stop changing. That’s perhaps been particularly true with COVID-19 interrupting indoor dining, shuttering some popular favorites (goodbye, The Franklin) and offering opportunities for others (Hello, Brasserie Amie). Here we’ll help you catch up on some changes and a few pitstops you won’t want to miss.
CADILLAC
New Owners for Hermann’s European Café and Other Properties
Chef Hermann Suhs has been an institution in Cadillac (and on TV) for more than three decades. Now the end of an era is drawing nigh: After two previous sales fell through, he’s finally found buyers: Mike Blackmer and John Kulhavi, who purchased the Cadillac Sands hotel in summer 2019, bought Hermann’s European Café and his two other businesses, Olga’s Butcher Shop and Table 212 Wine Bar. “They [the previous buyers] weren’t the right people. [Blackmer and Kulhavi] are the right people,” said Suhs.
Blackmer and Kulhavi, who have renamed the Sands hotel Lake Cadillac Resort, are investing nearly $1 million in its renovations. A spokesperson said the goal is to similarly update and modernize Suhs’ properties, including turning Table 212 Wine Bar into a pub. The spokesperson said there is no timeline for the renovations to be completed, as the company is also still working on transforming Lake Cadillac Resort.
As for Chef Hermann himself, said he’ll stay on as a consultant for a year. He’s also contracted with TV 9&10 to continue his evening cooking segment for at least another year as well. “They wanted me for two, but I signed a one-year contract,” he said.
BENZIE
Rolls Rice Forever Trades Austin for Up North
Dana Falconberry and Jonathan Boyd have relocated their vegan spring roll business from Austin, Texas, to the commercial kitchen at the nonprofit community center Grown Benzie.
They’re planning for a pop-up Rolls Rice Rollout at the end of February and hope to begin making deliveries in March.
They said the move was prompted by the market and the fact they have family downstate, but also the fact that Michigan is more committed to conservation. “There’s a much deeper commitment to public land conservation,” said Boyd. “That doesn’t exist in Texas,” added Falconberry.
People will be able to order from the website — www.rollsriceforever.com — and receive deliveries on Sundays. They plan to start by servicing northern Benzie County and southern Leelanau, from Honor, Beulah and Frankfort to Empire and Glen Arbor.
Catering Company adds Small-Dinner Delivery Service
Tim and Melanie Griffith’s Mel&Fell catering business, which grew to include dinner delivery during the pandemic (think: sunset beach picnic with snacks, sandwiches and a bottle of wine) has now morphed into a Wednesday dinner delivery service, and business is booming. “January was one of our biggest months,” said Tim Griffith. The pair hopes to expand service beyond their Empire area base to the northern and eastern parts of the county. “We have interest in Suttons Bay and Leland,” said Melanie; it’s just a matter of being able to hire delivery drivers. Nearby? See www.melandfell.com to order.
Hot Sauce Maker Trades Detroit for Up North
Detroit resident Stephen Cooper-McCann is moving his Redfelr hot-sauce-making operations to Grow Benzie. He told Northern Express the move comes down to a number of factors: the availability of the ingredients, the affordability of the kitchen, and the fact his dad lives in Manistee. “I looked locally, but the rates are really expensive,” he said of the Detroit area. “It’s cheaper to do it there [at Grow Benzie], plus they know farmers.
He began working on the concept for Redfelr nearly a decade ago. It combines Jonagold apples, Serrano peppers, and other ingredients. He lets the fresh produce ferment in the jars, then bottles it for distribution via the web or select downstate locations. He’s hoping to expand to some specialty stores in this region if he can produce enough.
LEELANAU
Cedar City Market II to Open this Month
Just a bit north, proprietor David Gersenson promises his Cedar City Market II will open sometime this month. He and his wife, Theresa, had hoped to open the store at the former Pleva’s Meats location shortly after Christmas, but that’s been delayed by construction and licensing.
Gersenson previously operated five organic food stores across the country and currently owns four hotels in Leelanau County, though two are under contract to be sold. He also owns Broomstack Kitchen & Taphouse — and curling facility — in Maple City. When it does open, Cedar City Market II will include a full-service butcher shop, with custom cuts, plus a full complement of sausages, once a smoking/curing license is secured. The store will also stock a variety of complementary specialty products as well.
Former Bank in Cedar to Become Coffee Shop
The former Chase bank building is undergoing minor renovations, with owners Lisa Rossi-Brett and Rick Brett establishing a real estate office in one part, and Cindy Gale opening Cedar River Coffee Company in the other. “I’ve always wanted to open a coffee shop, and I think Cedar needs more food choices,” she said, noting that she believes the two newcomers will complement one another and longtime community fixture Cedar Tavern.
She said it will be the only coffee shop in the county using Roaster Jack coffee, and she will also offer to-go sandwiches, snacks, salads and pastries. “I want to use as much local-based as possible.” As renovation are still underway, not opening date has been set.
GRAND TRAVERSE
Benedict Moves — Opening Soon
In Traverse City, Leslie Elsen said her breakfast/lunch stop Benedict is on track to open this month as well, though she is still looking to secure her liquor license. She said the move to the Lake Street location, formerly
Outdoor Beerdsman’s move to online retail means a move to and tasting room in Charlevoix for Long Road Distillery.
home to French restaurant Patisserie Amie (which moved into a much bigger location at the corner of Front and Cass Street in downtown Traverse City, formerly occupied by The Franklin), has nearly tripled her space. “[Benedict’s previous space on Union Street] was adorable, but had constraints with the size,” she said.
As might be expected from the name, the eatery specializes in variations on Eggs Benedict. She also wants to add some additional light options, such as biscuit sandwiches, salads, a veggie sandwich, and grain bowls.
CHARLEVOIX
Long Road Distillery Moving from Boyne City to Charlevoix
Long Road Distillery co-owner Kyle Van Strien told Northern Express that the decision by owner of the Outdoor Beerdsman retailer to go to an online model meant finding a new home. The company previously sold its spirits in a small area of the clothing shop.
“Northern Michigan has always been a
Detroit-launched Redfelr hot sauce will be made and distributed Up North.
natural fit,” said Van Strien of the Grand Rapidsbased distillery. He said the company will now operate its own tasting room and retail shop next door to Beaver Island Boat Company, on the south end of Charlevoix. Van Strien noted Long Road Distillers already uses the boat company for its annual trip to Beaver Island to pick juniper for its popular gin, Michigin.
Hotel Earl Adding Food Service & Rooftop Deck
Hotel Earl’s renovations haven’t stopped. The hotel dipped its toe into food service at its lobby bar at the end of last year, and the menu has already expanded — and will continue to do so as the season changes (and hopefully, as the pandemic wanes). General Manager Ian Fleming said current offerings include pizza made by That French Place and baked onsite, as well as a charcuterie plate, Mediterranean plate, and desserts.
He said the hotel is also working on opening a rooftop deck later this year. It, too, will offer drinks and similar dining options.
Leslie Elsen’s Benedict’s new location on Lake Street in Traverse City.
EMMET
New Developments in Outdoor Dining
In Downtown Petoskey, long-term plans for outdoor dining are moving ahead. Petoskey Downtown Director Becky Goodman said the city has approved plans for downtown restaurants to use parking spaces in front of their locations again this year; whether the businesses will have to rent the spaces or use them free going forward depends on the state’s restrictions.
Beacon Bistro to Open When Restrictions Ease
Mike and Tawna Naturkas are eying an opening date for their latest restaurant venture, Beacon Bistro, when circumstances warrant. Mike Naturkas said renovations at the location of the former Twisted Olive are nearly complete, but he wants to wait until restrictions are eased before opening the doors. He says restricting dining to 25 percent capacity and takeout doesn’t make sense for the new restaurant. “At 50 percent, I can open within two weeks,” Naturkas said.
He said the menu will be similar to that at their Paper Station Bistro in Harbor Springs, with upscale salads, sandwiches, some appetizers, and entrees. “It’s not going to be a big menu, but core foods, good food, just taken up a few notches,” he said.
*** READER SUGGESTIONS WANTED ***
Have news about a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, or food product in your area — or just a favorite dish or drink from a local spot? Let us know. We’re always looking to showcase the latest and greatest in the North’s food and beverage industry.
Email us anytime — subject head: You Gotta Try This — at info@ northernexpress.com.
Rolls Rice’s famous peanut sauce.
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144 E FRONT STREET, TRAVERSE CITY 49684 MO-TH 10-6, FR-SA 10-8, SUN 1-5 - PLAMONDONS.COM Northern Express Weekly • february 15, 2021 • 11
Hexenbelle
Global comfort food, locally roasted coffee, and magical baked goods converge to whip up a better world from the heart of Traverse City’s Warehouse District.
By Janice Binkert
One of Traverse City’s newest and most innovative restaurant/cafes, Hexenbelle, launched in November 2020, is the concept of Christian Geoghegan (head chef), Hanna Lane (head baker) and Heather Webber (head of the coffee/espresso program). The members of this young trio are already recognized among those in the local food and beverage community as up-and-comers to watch. The Northern Express talked with Geoghegan, whose multicultural background not only inspires many of the dishes on the wholly vegetarian Hexenbelle menu, but also helps to foster an atmosphere of respect and inclusion for people and foods of all kinds.
The story behind the name Hexenbelle reads like a fairytale: The word breaks down into Hexen, the German word for witches, and belle, the French word for beautiful. The combination evokes a magical forest flower for the restaurant’s founders — thus the wildflower-like logo. And with their feminist beliefs (witches, being powerful female figures, represent sisterhood and a reverence for Mother Nature’s gifts), they like to think it represents the secret special ingredient in everything they create, but also the fact that they are conjuring up food and drink to make others happy.
Two of the first things that will probably catch your eye when you enter Hexenbelle for the first time are its soothing pink color scheme (an homage to women, meant to be reminiscent of a womb), and the large Palestinian and Pride Progress (LGBTQ+BIPOC) flags adorning one wall. Christian Geoghegan, who worked alongside Chef James Bloomfield in this same space when it was Alliance, is fully on board with celebrating women — in a pink-hued setting or anywhere else. And as a biracial person of Palestinian descent who identifies as nonbinary, Geoghegan feels a deep connection with both of the flags displayed. Born in Livonia, just outside of Detroit, to an Irish father and a Palestinian mother, Geoghegan grew up in an Arabic household and honors that heritage. (Note: Geoghegan prefers the use of they, their, and them to male or female pronouns, which is reflected in the text of this article.)
The passions behind Hexenbelle’s existence are simple: carefully curated, delicious, and conscientiously prepared vegetarian fare, freshly baked pastries, and locally roasted coffee (from Chuck Korson at BLK/MRKT Roastery, Lane and Webber’s former employer). But its creators are also committed to having the venue be more than just a place to eat and drink.
The trio wants Hexenbelle to be dedicated to expanding people’s horizons (culinary and otherwise), tempering prejudices, bringing people together, and supporting worthy causes (see sidebar). It’s a tall order, but one that these three smart, highly principled, compassionate individuals strive to fill every day. And judging from the positive and enthusiastic public response to Hexenbelle ever since it opened, this region has an appetite for both its food and its ethos.
“Growing up, I was very close to my maternal grandmother, whose family had deep roots in the Palestinian city of Ramallah,” said Geoghegan. “She and my mom are my two biggest food influences — that’s where my love of cooking came from. I have younger brothers, but I was the firstborn, and my mom and dad were both working when I was little, so my grandparents would look after me, and my grandma would cook all of these wonderful Palestinian dishes.
“She had come to the Detroit area as a young girl with my great-grandparents, immigrants who had been forced out of their homeland. The family tried very hard to fit into their new surroundings, but my mom, as a woman and a brown person growing up in Detroit in the ‘60s and ‘70s, endured a lot of racism and harassment. I suffered the same fate after 9/11. We were basically told that we needed to assimilate to try to move forward. But the irony is that by trying to assimilate, you lose some of your identity. Still, our traditional food has remained a thing of great significance to my family, and I hope that by sharing my version of it here at Hexenbelle, I can reclaim part of that identity. It’s one way of keeping Palestinian culture alive and making it something that can be enjoyed and appreciated by others.”
Hexenbelle’s menu is all about comfort food from different global perspectives, and Hummus is the single most important thing on the menu for Geoghegan. “All cooks talk about ‘What would be your last meal?’ and mine would be hummus,” they said. “I know it will never be as good as my grandmother’s — ever — but that’s OK. We don’t use a recipe. It’s not that we’re arrogant; it’s just that it forces us to be present each time we make it and try to understand how the tahini is sometimes different, and the chickpeas are sometimes different, and you work from that to get it to where it’s balanced on your palate.”
Geoghegan’s hummus is served with flatbread, drizzled with Hexenbelle’s very special olive oil — fair trade, organic, Jenin Palestinian Olive Oil — and dusted with house-made za’atar spice mix. Another classic Palestinian comfort food on the Hexenbelle menu that transports Geohegen
Clockwise from top left: Hexenbelle’s coffee bar. Owners Hanna Lane, Heather Webber, and Christian Geoghegan. Oh, just the usual: pomegranate-glazed, sumac-dusted Honey Wafer Cookies and Guava Bun Hummus with flatbread. A mocha made with love. A basket of Blueberry and Pomegranate Danish with Buttery Oat Streusel
back to their grandma’s kitchen is maftoul, a soul-warming dish of couscous with tomatostewed chickpeas, labneh, and cucumber.
The menu features many Arabic and Middle Eastern items, but also food from other parts of the world. “My respect for hummus became kind of a guiding principle and root for including other iconic international dishes in our selections. I thought, ‘OK, if hummus is that important to me, every other country or world region has the equivalent of that,’ they said. “It might be Asian fried rice. It might be Mexican mole. It’s that food that defines their culture, their quintessential emotive food experience, and what everyone can relate their memories to.”
Breakfast and lunch offerings are relatively static, but for the dinner menu, Geoghegan tries to do a new dish every week. “I think we started with Mapo Tofu, an umami-rich Sichuan dish with doubanjiang (a spicy fermented broad bean sauce) served over rice,” they said. “It was inspired by James Beard award-winning chef Danny Bowien from Mission Chinese in San Francisco — he’s one of my favorite chefs. It took a lot of research to understand not just the cooking process for it but also the ingredients and the why and the how of it, but that’s important to me. This weekend for dinner, I’ll do a Persian dish, Chelo ba Tahdig, which is Persian saffron and ghee rice. The rice is really the main thing, but we will serve a Great Northern Bean khoresh (stew) with it, as well as yogurt on the side and pomegranate seeds, because some people might be hesitant to order it if it were just rice.”
Geoghegan also feels it’s important to understand the relationship of food to the season, and he genuinely appreciates local farmers and the great things they are doing. “We’re so blessed up here,” they said. “There is so much amazing produce available. That’s what keeps pushing me, and that’s why Heather and I became vegetarian and then vegan. Obviously, that can be a challenge when you’re working in the culinary field. I was a vegetarian while I was working at Alliance, but I was still trying everything because I wanted to learn, and it was part of my job. James, by the way, was a great mentor to me at Alliance, as was legendary Tapawingo chef Pete Peterson, who was doing front of the house there for about a year. Those two, and so many others, made the effort and took the time to teach and guide me, and I am grateful for that.”
Building on their previous experiences, the Hexenbelle partners saw a way to use all of their different talents in one place. “All of us have strengths and weaknesses, and luckily the weaknesses are overlapped by someone else’s strengths,” said Geoghegan. “I’m a good cook but not a great baker, so thankfully, we have Hannah, who is the best baker I’ve ever been around. She keeps our bakery case stocked with a rotating array of sweet and savory breads, pastries, cookies, and cakes. Her Guava Bun — babka dough filled with cream cheese, guava jam, and lime zest — is incredible. She surprised me recently with her new Peanut Butter Tahini Cookie, and I was blown away.
“And then we have Heather, who is a barista extraordinaire. Her Witches in Paris coffee creation — with powdered sugar, butter caramel sauce, and cinnamon — is insanely good. Together we can do this unique thing that’s somehow connected because we’re all on the same page. It’s not three individual people, it’s a unit. We view it like music — three major tones in a chord. All different notes, but they’re combining to produce something harmonious.”
One delicious result of Geoghegan’s interest in Sichuan food: His Sichuan Mapo Tofu. “I’m very interested in Sichuan food, especially since studying the history of the Silk Road,” Geoghegan said. “It started in Xi’an in China and went all the way to the Middle East, and you start to see the culinary line through that whole region. You see lamb dishes, certain spices like cumin, and other flavors of China and you’re like, oh, that’s familiar to me. But when I want to cook Sichuan food — or food from any other culture that is not my own — I’m kind of asking permission. And the permission is that if I respect its origins and it’s tasty, it’s OK.”
Find Hexenbelle at 144 Hall St., Suite 107, in Traverse City’s Warehouse MRKT. Online orders only: at hexenbelle.square.site. (Note: If an item is active on the website, it’s available to order online.) For more information, including days and hours of service, see website, email hexenbelle@gmail.com, or call (231) 486-6128.
GIVING BACK
“We all feel very lucky to be where we are, doing what we want to be doing, and it motivates us to be constantly engaged with helping others who aren’t so fortunate,” said Geoghegan. “We celebrated the winter solstice — something we carried over from BLK\ MRKT — by donating to hospice. We also champion women’s causes. We’re 2/3 women-owned, which is a huge thing for us. We definitely want to start working with people from Up North Pride, too. We’re not going to pretend we don’t care about political causes or environmental causes or ethical causes, like people who are marginalized. Everything and everyone matters to us, and we don’t try to hide who we are or who we support. We also know that we’re lucky because of the help we’ve received from so many sources, so it’s important for us to give back, or give someone a platform, or give someone a voice, or have a location for events that matter. I really want to host group events here when it’s safe to do so again.”
Indoor Dining is Back — Yea!
Flav
Downtown Gaylord
