Bistro Newsletter

Bistro Newsletter
December 13, 2024

One of my Pickled Hens hosted a fabulous dinner party at Mabel Gray in Hazel Park last week. I think this is our 3rd or 4th private dinner/brunch we have had there. James Rigato is an awesome chef with a stellar staff. If you haven’t been, you need to take the trip to HP. They recently built an addition, allowing for more guests as the limited seating put reservations in high demand and hard to come by. Everything was excellent… two stand out courses were the A5 Japanese Steak Skewers (some of the finest beef in the world) and the Cajun Poached Lobster Tail. Super yummy! The champagne was flowing, gifts were exchanged and much laughter was had by all. Thank you, Ms. A!! What a treat!
Monday night was the World Premiere of Detroit: A City of Chefs. I was very impressed with Keith Famie’s documentary. He really captured the essence of becoming a chef in Detroit and the camaraderie shared by the men and women of the hospitality industry. Many of my culinary heroes were up on that big screen. Chefs Mary Brady, Kelli Lewton, Lorraine Platman, Jimmy Schmidt, Rick Halberg, Takashi Yagahashi and Dan Hugelier to name a few. Sommeliers Madeline Triffon, Mickey Bakst & of course Michael Korn graced the screen as did restaurateur Bill Roberts… all the people I admire, respect and aspire to be like.  The film brought back a ton of memories for both Michael and me. From my old Culinary School days to many places where I have worked, it was an emotional film for me. Seeing how the Detroit restaurant scene has grown over the years & how I have personally matured and been fortunate enough to have gained some success along with this city was/is well… a really proud moment for me. Seeing old chef friends and many of my mentors had me thinking how lucky I am to be a part of the restaurant biz. It takes some crazy, cool and talented people to continue to push our culinary scene into the next level. Rumor has it, there is a part two coming, I look forward to seeing how Producer/Director/Chef Keith Famie expounds on the topic. Congrats to myself, Chefs Max & Travis, server Renea and even a few of our favorite guests made the cut! We’re currently airing on PBS as I write! Check out the photo gallery to view some images from the Hen Holiday Party and screening.
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Cheers,
Sharon