Bistro Newsletter

I’m hoping everyone had a great holiday weekend. Michael and I celebrated our 13-year wedding anniversary (26 years together total! Whoa!?!?). We were married on the beach in Northport with 80 of our closest friends and family. We rented an impressive home where both our family could stay with us for the entire week. Our produce company Leonardo’s gave me a giant refrigerated truck and we hauled up all the food and equipment needed for a Chef’s dream wedding. I knew I didn’t want anyone else to cater my wedding, so we tackled everything “ourselves”. My best friend, Chef Sara, worked for 2 Unique Caterers at the time and she helped me prep and pack everything, she also kept me sane. Michael’s company Woodberry Wine provided us with the best wedding wine list I’ve ever seen, and my friends and family pitched in and did everything else. My sisters made my wedding cake (and much more), the Hens did my flowers, signature cocktail and kept me laughing, our friend Bernie built our wedding Huppah. Glasgow Joe, Michael, Vandy and the guys provided the music. Mom hung up all the lighting and made the late-night Brisket Sliders. My in-laws, Richard & Cindy, hosted our pre-wedding party at Shady Lane Vineyards in Suttons Bay. Maddy was our fabulous bartender, Cookie Lady Sue was my chef for the actual day, organizing and keeping everything tidy. Our friend Mark beautifully and emotionally officiated our wedding holding The New York Times Cookbook. The entire weekend was an incredible act of love, kindness and generosity and to this day I am amazed at what our friends and family all did for us.​

To celebrate our anniversary Michael & I went to Ontario for one night. We visited Rock Glen Falls, which was gorgeous and made for a unique “hike” through the creek to the Ausable River. We enjoyed a riverside champagne breakfast picnic while we swam and looked for fossils. We spent the afternoon at the Pinery on Lake Huron at the dog beach with Brisket. It was packed, little did I know Canada celebrates Labor Day the same weekend we do. I would have loved to stay at an AirBnB in Grand Bend, but everything was booked so we stayed at the Marriot Insignia in Sarnia instead. Decent hotel but I would not stay in Sarnia again, although we had a nice dinner at Alternate Grounds on the Bay and the waterfront was pretty, the “leftover” heroin needles I stumbled across during my morning walk with Brisket certainly did not endear me to the city. The more I travel I find I am a country mouse, not a city girl. All in all, it was a relaxing, romantic weekend spent with my favorite guy. I’m so fortunate to still be in love 26 years later.

Lastly, speaking of love, I would like to dedicate this week’s newsletter to Nancy Brockman. Nancy and her husband Walt usually sit at the end of the bar, she in her bucket hat with her amazingly big smile and Walt with his serious but kind face and his quiet humor. Nancy’s battle with cancer came to an end last week. We will miss her dearly. Nancy was a teacher and an artist, two professions I deeply admire. Her love for Walt, married for 54 years, is an inspiration, as was her ability to never quit, to always seize any moments of happiness she could. Truly a special lady.

With gratitude,
Sharon