Introduction

Talking with chefs, restaurant owners, bartenders, farmers, sausage makers, waitresses, baristas and more, one is taken by their passion. It may be for the food or drinks they create, their adopted neighborhoods, the people with whom they work or even the history of the buildings in which they live. It is almost never the money. Even though making money is the bottom line, it is not what drives them. For many, it is a calling. It is a job that includes a sense of purpose, a deeply felt commitment. These are not people who would open a Dairy Queen in some quiet suburb. They do recognize the economic advantages of what they are doing, such as how cheap it is to start a restaurant or food business in Detroit compared to other cities. And they do understand the challenges and risks of Detroit; typically, the feeling among these entrepreneurs is that crime is real but never as bad as people from the suburbs think it is. The city is in such terrible shape that it can provide little to nothing in terms of support. For some businesses, like food trucks, it offered mostly bureaucratic difficulties. But these people are entrepreneurs who see something that others do not, and they are committed to that vision.

This book was written to give readers a glimpse at some of the people and their activities that are making today the most exciting time to be involved in the Detroit food scene. Some people own bakeries, some are urban farmers and some have saved old restaurants. Some hold “pop-up” events, like the very popular Tashmoo Biergarten in the small emerging neighborhood called West Village. Some of them, for the first time in their lives, talk about finding not just a business but a “home” in Detroit. Several are quick to relay their credentials of growing up or living for a time in some neighborhood of Detroit, while others are from elsewhere—Arizona, Canada or closer, like Ann Arbor. Many are young, but not all—one of the owners of the Mercury Burger Bar is a retired Detroit cop. They bond with others like themselves; they eat at one another’s places, promote and praise one another, share news and gossip, loan tools or trucks, look after one another and respect whatever each one is trying to do. Generosity is a part of this small community.

It is inspiring to meet and talk with these people, and when you listen to some of them, you realize why the city is making a comeback. It also explains why the national press and people from around the United States and the world are watching the city and visiting these places.

It’s only food, but food can do that. Visit Detroit and see what the excitement is all about.