Janis Tsai

Lisa LudwinskiSister PieWest Village

The Dish: Addicting Salted Maple Pie at Sister Pie in West Village

Sister Pie is the pie shop that looks like a tornado swept it from fashionable Brooklyn into Detroit’s gritty West Village. The 2014 winner of Hatch Detroit’s $50,000 prize transformed their dream into a comfy brick and mortar store that is inviting and warmly chic. It is a sharp contrast from the abandoned houses a short walk away. The open professional kitchen allows you to watch the bakers create Salted Maple Pie, the dish you must try because it is so good. The sweet maple filling was...

Eskimo Jack'sHatch DetroitHatch Detroit Contest

Meet The 2015 Finalists Of The Hatch Detroit Contest

The finalists of the 2015 Hatch Detroit Contest have been announced. The finalists are Norma G’s Fine Caribbean Cuisine, Live Cycle Delight, The Royce Detroit, and Eskimo Jacks Artisan Cookies+Ice Cream. At stake is a $50,000 grant, a flood of publicity, and momentum for these small businesses to establish themselves at a brick-and-mortar location in Detroit. Round two of voting begins now, with each business starting from a blank slate. The winner will be announced August 28 at the Hatch Off,...

Artisanal FoodDetroitEric Russ

Find Locally Sourced Food Near You With Detroit-based App Grubbable

Do you like local restaurants? Do you look for locally sourced food when you go out? Have a smartphone? Here’s something that is just for you. Meet Grubbable, the Detroit-based app that works like a Wikipedia for your favorite local Detroit and Metro Detroit restaurants, but it also gives you discounts. How? By learning more about the local farms and artisans each restaurant uses. “When they eat at any old chain, they are supporting often unsustainable agriculture, cruel environmental practi...

Batch Brewing CompanyCanucky CommonGino Gesuale

Obscure Historical Beer Resurfaces At Batch Brewing Company and Motor Craft Ales

Have you ever heard of a beer called the Kentucky Common? Neither did Corktown nanobrewery Batch Brewing Company when they set out to collaborate with Windsor nanobrewery Motor Craft Ales. The collaboration resulted in their spin on the Kentucky Common, the Canucky Common, which was launched this Monday. Motor Burger owner Gino Gesuale said the collaboration is the “first of many to come.” Motor Burger is where Motor Craft Ales is sold. The Kentucky Common is rich, dark, and malty. It has a...

Downtown Boxing GymEminemSouthpaw

Win A Highly Prized "Southpaw" Boxing Glove Signed By Eminem And Support Charity At The Same Time

“You only get one shot, do not miss your chance,” is not only part of an Eminem lyric, it also applies to this special way to support the youth programs at the Downtown Boxing Gym. Now is your shot to win one of 10 already-sold-out Southpaw boxing gloves made by Title and autographed by Eminem by donating at least $10 to Downtown Boxing Gym, through the Marshall Mather’s Foundation’s Klickly crowdfunding campaign. The grand prize winner gets a handwritten response to a fan letter from Eminem...

Chris CarrierDeana WojcikDetroit Mushroom Factory

See Inside A Detroit House That's Been Turned Into A Mushroom Farm

In a residential two-story Detroit house a few minutes away from Eastern Market live Deana Wojcik and Chris Carrier, real-life couple and co-owners of Detroit Mushroom Factory. They have turned it into an urban mushroom farm where they grow culinary and medicinal mushrooms year-round. They show me a reishi mushroom that looks like it belongs underwater in a coral reef. I drink reishi mushroom tea in their living room and bring up medicinal mushrooms. When I first heard they grew those, my...

HagertyWoodward Dream CruiseWoodward Dream Cruise 2015

Classic Cars And Marriage Vows At The Woodward Dream Cruise

We do some crazy things for love. There is nothing like gorgeous classic cars and romance to rev our engines. More than 150 couples made a pit stop at the Hagerty drive station in the Central Medical Imaging parking lot during this year’s Woodward Dream Cruise to renew their vows inside their classic cars. Gordon and Geri Rinschler of Birmingham, MI renewed their vows in the very same 1930 Ford Model A that they drove to get married 47 years ago. Another man brought a picture of his decea...

BohomodernEskimo Jack'sHatch

2015 Hatch Detroit Contest Announces 10 Semifinalists For $50,000 Prize

Ten local aspiring entrepreneurs are one step closer to $50,000 tonight. Live blogging from the announcement, Hatch just shared the top 10 semifinalists for their 5th annual Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, presented by Opportunity Detroit. Whatever Hatch does, Detroit takes notice. Hatch supports Detroit’s retail development by directly funding, promoting, and mentoring individual brick and mortar retail businesses. They also complete beautification projects for prime Detroit retail neighborho...

Detroit LionsRyan Broyles

Financially Smart Jock: Detroit Lion Ryan Broyles Lives on $60,000 a Year

Detroit Lions wide receiver Ryan Broyles has made national headlines for doing something so financially outrageous, it is trending on all the major news sites. ESPN reported Broyles lives on a $60,000-a-year budget supporting himself, his wife and his newborn son. Broyles was drafted by the Lions in 2012 during the second round draft. He signed on for a cool $3.6 million with $1.42 million guaranteed. “Whatever comes, it’s just a blessing. But I got the mindset of a businessman off the field,...

NM CafeOcean PrimeRuth's Chris Steakhouse

Here Are 5 Places That Will Impress Your Date During Troy Restaurant Week

Troy is having a very good month. In addition to Troy being named the fourth best city in the U.S. to start a small business, Troy Restaurant Week begins Sunday, August 16 through Friday, August 21. Restaurants will present a three course prix fixe menu from $15-45 depending on whether you order dinner or lunch. This dining format is a low stakes way to sample from every part of each restaurant’s menu. Troy is a suburb with the bulk of its fine dining centered around Big Beaver Rd., with luxur...

Craft WorkDetroit Vegan SoulHatch Detroit

Here's 5 Reasons To Explore Detroit's West Village

When a neighborhood becomes “trendy” or “hot,” it is easy to forget how much work and money was involved to get there. West Village is on the east side just past the bridge to Belle Isle and neighbors the more well-known Indian Village. Although the area has weathered the ups and downs of Detroit a bit better than others thanks to a stalwart and resilient community, there’s an additional resurgence happening here based upon that foundation the long-standing community kept in place. It’s a neig...

Just BakedTubby's

Subs and Sprinkles Come Together As Tubby's Buys Just Baked

Would you like a cupcake with that? Tubby’s has announced it bought Just Baked’s trademark, product recipes and distribution rights on August 3. The Metro Detroit sandwich chain, known for its grilled submarine sandwiches, will begin selling Just Baked’s cupcakes and other desserts in their 60 locations sprinkled across Metro Detroit. Just Baked will be fully integrated into Tubby’s identity in the next few months. Expect the same decadently topped confections Just Baked is known for, but in...

Abandoned BuildingsCentral Detroit ChristianDetroit

See How Detroit's Ultimate Picker MacGyvers Trash Into Treasure

Nate Gangwer enters the abandoned Kingsley Arms apartment complex on Detroit’s Hazelwood St. through the back. There is no door. It is completely deserted. Broken glass, fallen structures and rusted handrails greet him in a dark room where sunlight strains through. He pulls out his flashlight and opens his bag of tools that include a crowbar and a hammer. He gets to work trying to dislodge a door, first wedging with a crowbar, then kicking with full force, where his treasure might await. “We g...

Detroit neighborhoodsDevelopmentexpansion

An Inside Look At Parker Street Market's Expansion In West Village

As of late, many of Detroit’s developments have been “big” – a new Lawrence Tech building, the Whole Foods, multiple square blocks of Brush Park, and the new Red Wings arena. But the fun – and the signs of real life – are in the small. To that end, Parker Street Market, the hidden West Village corner store adored by Detroit foodies, has only been on the scene a little more than a year, but it is already expanding 700 sq. ft. by the end of the summer. This will at least triple 1the store’s...

Ben BeazleyConcrete CuisineDistrict 6

Food Truck Ordinance In The Works To Help The Industry Flourish

Detroit food truck lovers and food truck owners may be rejoicing if a new ordinance that is in the works passes, as it could change the game for Detroit’s food trucks. The essence of the ordinance would make it easier for a business to become a food truck and find places to legally park, which is essential for profit and for the industry to flourish. The effort is spearheaded by Detroit District 6 City Council Member Raquel Castañeda-López who aims to have it passed by the end of this year s...

Dorothy HernandezHamtramackJake Williams

Sarap Serves Elevated Filipino Food This Saturday At Yemens St. Pop-up

Filipino-style ceviche served in taco shells made from root vegetables. Pork belly and snout, sauteed with chicken liver pate, topped with fried duck egg. Does it sound delicious or does it sound intense? Decide for yourself this Saturday at Sarap’s pop-up dinner at Yemans St., the dining space with communal seating where Metro Detroit chefs express their culinary vision if only for a fortnight. Purchase tickets online for Sarap’s five course meal that start at $55, with a 7 p.m. dinner that sta...

Central Detroit ChristianDetroit ReMadeNate Gangwer

Detroit ReMade Transforms Detroit Junk Into Cool Treasure

Nate Gangwer enters the abandoned Kingsley Arms apartment complex on Detroit’s Hazelwood St. through the back. There is no door. It is completely deserted. Broken glass, fallen structures and rusted handrails greet him in a dark room where sunlight strains through. He pulls out his flashlight and opens his bag of tools that include a crowbar and a hammer. He gets to work trying to dislodge a door, first wedging with a crowbar, then kicking with full force, where his treasure might await. “We g...

Bedrock Real EstateDetroit Water IceMeridian Group

Mitch Albom Opens Detroit Water Ice To Benefit Charity

Mitch Albom just opened Detroit Water Ice, a frozen dessert shop, on prime downtown Detroit real estate in the Compuware building that used to house Ben and Jerry’s. Albom, one of Detroit’s most well-known celebrities, came to Detroit to write sports for the Detroit Free Press. He rose to national fame with best-selling novel Tuesdays With Morrie, which was turned into a movie produced by Oprah Winfrey. Now Mitch is following the likes of Paul Newman to mix star power and food retail to c...