Downtown Newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

DOWNTOWN

19 CRIME MAP

A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format, plus a reminder about our online interactive map with story details on public safety incidents.

LEAD TESTING PROGRAM FOR KIDS READY TO START

First adopted by lawmakers in 2023, the state of Michigan is finally launching a new concerted effort to test for lead contamination among young children 31

The endorsement name game; latest polling for the U S Senate contest; crypto millions will be a factor in 2026 race; mounting problems in the Troy District Court; Ronna McDaniels has a new assignment in Michigan

41 MUNICIPAL

Township marine patrol agreement; police recap of incidents at the Village Fair; Next reports finances to the city; township clerk award; outdoor dining decks under review; plus more

2025 Birmingham Bloomfield Cultural Arts Awards

Our 30th Year

Nominations are due by July 18, 2025

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David Hohendorf

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Lisa Brody

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Hillar y Brody Anchill | Cris Braun | Dana Casadei | Tracy Donohue | Stacy Gittleman | Austen Hohendorf

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PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS

Laurie Tennent | Matthew Cromwell | Theodore Michael | Mackenzie O'Brien

Laurie Tennent Studio

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David Hohendorf

ADVERTISING SALES

Mark Grablowski

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Chris Grammer

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C R I M E M A P

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w n p u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m . W a n t w e e k l y u p d a t e s o n p u b l i c s a f e t y s t o r i e s ? S i g n u p f o r o u r w e e k l y u p d a t e e m a i l n e w s l e t t e r a t d o w n t o w n p u b l i c a t i o n s c o m S e x u a l a s s a u l t A s s a u l t M u r d e r / H o m i c i d e R o b b e r y B r e a k i n g / e n t e r i n g

L a r c e n y V e h i c l e t h e f t L a r c e n y f r o m v e h i c l e V a n d a l i s m D r u g o f f e n s e s A r s o n M a p k e y N O R T H

Oakland Confidential is a column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-therecord We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklandConfidential@DowntownPublications com All sources are kept strictly confidential

THE NAME GAME: The U S Senate race in Michigan to replace depar ting Senator Gar y Peters (D -Bloomfield Township) is heating up – or at least the competition to acquire the bulk of – and most significant –endorsements On the Republican side, while Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Battle Creek, Kalamazoo) teases a campaign entr y, for mer Congressman Mike Rogers (R-White Lake), who came this close to beating Senator Elissa Slotkin (D -Holly) in 2024 has already sewn up pretty much all the endorsements from Republican U S Senators, like Republican Majority Leader John Thune and the RSCC All that’s missing for Rogers is a tip of the MAGA hat from President Donald Tr ump “Huizenga’s a super guy, but needs to stay away Rogers has all the endorsements already,” said one Republican politico, who thinks Huizenga’s just angling to “get something ”

The GOP ’ s goal is to avoid a primar y that would deplete finances in order to focus on their general election opponent On the Democratic side, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D -Bir mingham, Bloomfield, majority of Oakland County) recently announced that for mer Democratic Gover nor James Blanchard had come out for her, along with Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, fellow Congresswoman Hillar y Scholten (D - Grand Rapids) and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, plus Elect Democratic Women, the committee dedicated to sending more Democratic women to Congress Fellow Democrat state Senator Mallor y McMor row (D -Royal Oak, Bir mingham, Troy) has been endorsed by 10 of her state legislative colleagues: state Senators Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh; Assistant Majority Whip Mar y Cavanagh; Veronica Klinefelt; Sue Shink; and John Cher r y; and House Democratic Whip Jennifer Conlin; Reps Joey Andrews; Sharon MacDonell; and Carol Glanville One of the two other Democratic contenders, for mer state House Majority Leader Joe Tate(D -Detroit) – who announced at a “vir tual” briefing – has not signaled any endorsements, if he has some For mer Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed has picked up the backing of Senator Ber nie Sanders (I-Vt ), but no word on any other endorsements Michigan U S Senators Peters and Elissa Slotkin have both announced they will not endorse for the primar y

LEADER OF THE PACK: We know it’s early, but just as candidates are lining up endorsements – and money – recognized pollsters are actively helping to deter mine who will emerge from the crowded fields of potential candidates on our primar y ballots in a little over a year A recent Glengariff Group poll commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber for Senate indicated that at this point in time, U S Rep Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed are cur rently the leading candidates in the Democratic primar y –although Stevens is the clear frontr unner, with for mer U S Rep Mike Rogers strongly favored by Republicans In a hypothetical matchup of Stevens v Rogers, Stevens cur rently leads Rogers, among registered voters, 45 2 percent to 43 8 percent, and by a larger margin among “definite voters ” Glengariff pollster Richard Czuba told various media outlets that Stevens does better with independents than either Mallor y McMor row or El-Sayed, which he said is “going to be really impor tant to watch ” With over a year to go before the August 2026 primar y, Stevens gar nered 34 percent of the primar y field, El-Sayed, 22 percent, and

ROGERS

STEVENS

MCMORROW

TATE

EL-SAYED

McMor row, 14 percent, with 30 percent still undecided Among potential general election voters, Stevens led among registered and ‘definite’ voters, with 34 3 percent McMor row ’ s numbers show much greater potential and a tighter percentage in a recent poll by Global Strategy Group (GSG), with Stevens at 24 percent, McMor row at 20 percent, El-Sayed at 15 percent and Joe Tate at four percent “Among the 20 percent of primar y voters who know both Mallor y and Haley, Mallor y holds a staggering 23-point lead,” GSG stated, indicating strong favorabilities for McMor row Perhaps in light of her strong polling, Stevens has recently hired some campaign heavyweights: as political director, Ter ra DeFoe, who was Senator Elissa Slotkin’s 2024 deputy political director, and Jason Ellenburg, for mer Senator Debbie Stabenow ’s 2018 campaign manager as political advisor David Kramer, who was on Slotkin’s finance committee, will chair the Stevens’ campaign finance council Kramer ’ s mother, Zina, recently hosted a fundraiser for Stevens

CRYPTO INFLUENCE: In the 2024 U S Senate race, then-candidate Elissa Slotkin got a $10 million boost from The Fairshake cr ypto super PAC in her race against Mike Rogers But this time around Rogers has been promised a “multi-million-dollar ” infusion from First Principles Digital, a new cr ypto super PAC that says its donations can be used in the primar y and general election Quite a switch from the 2024 contest when cr ypto forces worked against Rogers No word yet from the folks at The Fairshake

HEADACHES OR HICCUPS: Congressman John James (R-Rochester, Rochester Hills, Shelby Township, most of Macomb County) is suddenly transitioning from Republican darling to potential albatross The two -time congressman had been welcomed by U S House Leader Mike Johnson’ s (R-LA) as a fellow traveler, promoted at Johnson’s wester n retreat and was one of a select few to renominate him for Speaker of the House Repor tedly against White House and congressional requests to maintain his House seat, James is leaving it to r un for gover nor in 2026 – the House seat is being targeted by Democrats to flip While James had believed he would be anointed by President Tr ump, at a bill signing in June, Tr ump took a dig at the congressman for leaving the seat vulnerable “John James I don’t know You know, he’s r unning for gover nor, but I’m not sure I’m happy about that, John,” Tr ump said According to several Michigan Republicans, neither are they James is r unning in his fif th race in as many cycles, and “there is real James fatigue He only spent one ter m in Congress, and then he’s spending this ter m r unning for gover nor ” Several Democrats have announced for James’ 10th Congressional District seat, but no Republicans – yet The secret being whispered is that Michael Bouchard, Jr , of Rochester Hills, son of Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who was until recently in the militar y, is strongly considering jumping into the race As for GOP candidates for other open seats, like Haley Steven’s cur rent 11th District congressional seat, and Mallor y McMor row and Jeremy Moss’ state Senate seats? According to a knowledgeable local Republican, “ The only people who want to r un are right wing ideologues, not because they think they can win – no one is that delusional – but because they want to espouse the ‘ message, ’” he said “It is pointless to get candidates to r un for these seats, which I think will skew heavily to Democrats, just like in 2018, because independents are ver y unhappy with Tr ump, and that isn’t going to change with the midter ms ”

NEW ASSIGNMENT: For mer Republican National Committee Chair woman Ronna (Don’t Call Me Romney) McDaniel is back home in suburban Detroit and has landed a new gig She has joined Dick DeVos and other members of the DeVos family to lead a new organization, Michigan For ward Network, with the goal of tur ning the Michigan Senate Republican in 2026 It is a 501(c)4 nonprofit, meaning it does not have to disclose donors to it but can spend money freely on elections “Michigan is at a tipping point,” DeVos said in a statement “ With one of the highest

JAMES MCDANIEL

unemployment rates in the countr y, underper for ming schools and a shrinking population, the challenges facing Michigan are serious The Michigan For ward Network is committed to delivering the leadership and policies we need to tur n things around ” A fellow highly-placed Republican noted that McDaniel, with her histor y as both for mer chair of the RNC as well as the Michigan GOP , “has access to ever y big donor in the countr y They ’ll do a great job ” While they don’t intend to spend – at least at this point – on the guber natorial race, telling the Wall Street Jour nal that by investing state legislative races they ’ll help the top of the ticket Also on the group ’ s leadership team is Shane Her nandez, a for mer state legislator who is the group ’ s president, and Sarah Anderson, an executive director of another DeVos-affiliated group, who is chief of staff

DIRTY LAUNDRY PILES UP: It’s not of ten the public gets a look behind the cur tain when it comes to the judiciar y, most likely to maintain the air of decor um that contributes to the public’s tr ust in how justice is administered But a situation that’s been brewing for a couple of years at the 52nd District Cour t in Troy has finally bubbled up publicly involving complaints about District Cour t Judge Kirsten Nielson Har tig The judge, first elected to the cour t in 2010 and now ser ving her third six-year ter m, has been the subject of for mal complaints in the past to the Judicial Tenure Commission, which generally won’t even confir m that they are fielding objections to how a member of the bench per for ms So it was unusual in recent weeks that the commission released a 16-page complaint filed against Har tig, which will kick off a cour t-like proceeding that could end with the suspension by the Michigan Supreme Cour t or at worse the removal from the bench for her honor The commission in early June made public complaints that Har tig had created a “climate of fear ” for lawyers and cour thouse personnel and she was accused of dismissing cases with prejudice due to a supposed gr udge she has with the office of Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald af ter members of her office have repor tedly filed for mal complaints about the judge Supposedly the judge has filed grievances against prosecutors What has tur ned up the heat even more on the drama at the district cour t is a par tial leak of some results of a commission- ordered May 2024 psychological evaluation of the judge as “unsafe to practice due to disr uptive behavior and personality dysfunction ” The commission complaint also accuses Har tig of providing false infor mation and stalling for six months in providing a copy of the psych repor t To boil down the soap opera fur ther, District Cour t Presiding Judge Travis Reed bar red Har tig from hearing felony cases, af ter his failed attempts to have the Supreme Cour t suspend her from the bench while a Supreme Cour t-appointed Master conducts hearings Meanwhile, wags inside the cor ridors of the cour ts say that Har tig has little suppor t in the judiciar y, let alone with other officials like Oakland Sheriff Mike Bouchard who has publicly blamed one of Har tig’s decisions on releasing a prisoner for contributing to the death of a law enforcement officer We are being told that the hope is the stained reputation of the cour t would be best eliminated with her removal from the bench

ODDS N’ ENDS: Ingham County Clerk Barb Byr um (D) wasted no time in May af ter she announced she would be seeking the par ty ’ s nomination to r un for the Michigan Secretar y of State position next year In late May she picked up the endorsement of UFCW Local 951 which boasts nearly 30,000 members state-wide Byr um has spent 12 years as county clerk af ter six years in the state House

GROWING GOP FIELD: The field of Republicans hoping to become Michigan’s gover nor just got even larger

For mer House Speaker Tom Leonard, who has twice attempted to become attor ney general, has now for mally entered the race The field of GOP hopefuls now includes U S Rep John James, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt and for mer Michigan Attor ney General Mike Cox

HARTIG

BYRUM LEONARD

FA C E S

Jack DeCerchio

Actor, producer and writer Jack DeCerchio recently released his new short film on Apple TV called, “The Last Role of Charles LeBlanc ” The Bloomfield Hills native wrote, co-produced and starred in the film

In the comedy drama, DeCerchio plays Luke, a young drifter who is hired as a groundskeeper at the home of aging legendary movie star, Charles LeBlanc DeCerchio’s character coincidentally bears a strong resemblance to Charles’ best friend and enduring costar, the late Stuart Benedict Luke soon realizes that Charles believes he is Stuart and that they are about to begin shooting their 1950’s film noir classic, “Gangsters Don’t Go to Heaven,” with the story progressing from there

“The Last Role of Charles LeBlanc” gives a conspicuous nod to the influential classical or golden age of Hollywood cinema

“My dad is a cinephile and passed that onto me Growing up, we always watched old movies on the weekends, and he encouraged me to watch the classics,” DeCerchio explained. “The film has an homage to the movie, ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ but with my own twist

“I was also influenced from an article I read a few years ago about Jack Nicholson and his suspected declining health since he hadn’t been seen in a while I thought about how an older actor would still just want to act ”

DeCerchio tapped family talent to help create his film. His uncle, Tom DeCerchio, an established commercial director, directed the film while DeCerchio’s father, John DeCerchio, a Michigan-based advertising industry executive, served as a co-producer

“Since my uncle is in the industry in L A , it only made sense to go to him with the script He ended up being as passionate about this project as I was,” he said. “They both have such great perspectives from their experience. We all worked together like a well-oiled machine ”

While the film was mainly shot in Los Angeles where DeCerchio now lives, he returned to Michigan for editing and ended up adding some scenes that were shot in Detroit and at his parents’ house in Bloomfield Hills

During his younger years, DeCerchio hadn’t planned to be an actor or work in films. He credits his time at Roeper School with its emphasis on the arts for encouraging him to seek creative pursuits

After high school, he attended American University in Washington, D C majoring in business with the intention of working on the business side of the movie industry He spent several summers in L A interning at production company Mandalay Sports Media.

He moved to L A and worked as a production assistant for the AB C TV show, “Bless This Mess,” which completed its second and final season as the COVID19 pandemic started in 2020

“During COVID, I came back to Michigan and started taking acting classes over Zoom and fell in love with acting,” he said

These days, DeCerchio prioritizes auditioning for acting roles as well as perfecting his craft through taking scene study classes and learning improv techniques with The Groundlings, an L A -based improvisation and sketch comedy troupe and school

He is also working on another short film as well as a feature script “I’d love to make a film in Michigan. It’s a great film community.”

He is also taking piano lessons and spends “a lot of time working out ” He enjoys annual trips to Colorado for snowboarding and returns to Michigan every few months to visit family and admitted that after living in California, he prefers visiting during warmer weather months

“A career in the film industry and arts takes a long time to see success There’s no direct path or roadmap...Watch lots of movies and plays and ask yourself why they made certain choices when making it The best writers are great readers But don’t just copy ideas – put your own twist on things ”

He added, “Be ready to hustle I’m always grinding the next thing ”

Story: Tracy Donohue

Cathy Guisewite

Photo:

LEAD THREAT

STATE RAMPS UP TESTING FOR CHILDREN

B Y STACY GIT TLEMAN

f ter multiple years of testing the municipal water in the beleaguered city of Flint ever y six months, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May of this year deter mined that lead levels in Flint’s municipal water consistently measure at three par ts per billion (ppb).

That matches lead levels in drinking water supplies of Bir mingham and Bloomfield Township and is far below the federal actionable levels of 15 ppb or state actionable levels of 12 ppb as of Januar y 2025.

To fur ther improve the safety of drinking water for Michigan’s youngest children, Gov Gretchen Whitmer in 2023 signed into law the Filter First Program Managed by the Michigan Depar tment of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), Filter First is a $600 million grant program to replace outdated porcelain drinking fountains with hydration stations that have become a familiar addition in schools and childcare centers The metal and refrigerated touch-free stations provide cold, filtered water which students and staff can either sip directly from the fountain or refill a water bottle in schools and daycare centers

EGLE advises schools, daycare centers, and other institutions to limit the number of water fixtures used for drinking and food preparation If water is unpotable, EGLE provides signage and instr uctions to let people know not to use the water source for drinking or cooking

But there remains a larger source for lead exposure than drinking water

This was also addressed in 2023 with the passage of a law to screen all children under age six for lead exposure

In October 2023, Whitmer also signed Public Acts 145 and 146 for universal blood lead level (BLL) testing for ever y child in Michigan at 12 and 24 months and six years of age State and Oakland County health officials praise the legislation because they say it is the best way to protect children from lead exposure when they are most vulnerable to the heavy metal’s long-ter m har mful effects on their developing bodies

The law also provides that test results will be recorded as a per manent par t of a child’s immunization record The law went into effect at doctor ’ s offices and health clinics in late April of this year The law also provides funds for lead testing through the Children’s Health Care Access program

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), lead poisoning is most har mful to human health in children under the age of six This is because even low levels of lead can damage developing brains and ner vous systems, delay cognitive growth, and impair physical development Exposure to lead can cause problems with lear ning, behavior, speech, hearing, growth rates, and the development of the ner vous system

On a national scale, blood lead levels are based on the 97th percentile of all tested children ages one to five nationwide, according to a 2007-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination sur vey published by the CDC Two percent of sur veyed children nationwide had blood lead levels greater than five micrograms per deciliter

remediation, all have some lingering lead dust This dust then settles to the floor where babies and toddlers spend lots of time crawling, playing and exploring their world with their mouths

Dr Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive at the Michigan Depar tment of Health and Human Ser vices (MDHHS) stressed that this legislation package was decades in the making Its goals and impetus are separate from the Flint Water Crisis which began in April 2014, she added

“ What happened in Flint was an absolute tragedy, but when it comes to looking at testing, we have to separate that stor y from the reality with which we are still dealing,” Bagdasarian said “Lead in water is not the primar y means by which kids are exposed We must now put the focus on lead paint and lead dust in housing to achieve our goals In the conversations I have had, I have been confounded that the focus keeps coming back to Flint What we need to address is the lead found in layers of old paint and the soil where kids play That’s the holistic approach That’s where most kids encounter lead ”

ationwide, 1 in 40 children ages 1-5 have unsafe BLLs The CDC also points to research that concludes over half the U S population was exposed to high lead levels in early childhood due to lead in soil, the toys they played with, or the paint used to paint their homes Even leaded paint lurking beneath layers of newer paint in well-maintained homes can cr umble, flake off, and become dust National statistics say that 40 percent of all housing units contain some lead-based paint There are still 9 2 million lead ser vice lines providing water across the countr y, with federal programs expected to replace them all by 2041

According to state public health officials, Michigan has three million homes built before 1978, and a million of them were built before 1950 Unless they have undergone complete lead

agdasarian said early inter vention is key when it comes to remediating lead exposure Overall, she added that the MDHHS is taking a “Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs” approach when it comes to children’s health and well-being This means prioritizing all angles; star ting with proper housing and nutrition and then moving up through other measures such as lead safety and vaccination

“ To me, weighing out factors that lead to healthy children is not an ‘either- or ’ prioritization,” Bagdasarian said “It is ever ything together This new law about universal lead testing has been the result of decades of effor t This is the work that needs to continue so long as there are kids who are being exposed to lead We also need to examine how other contaminants such as forever chemicals are affecting the health of children We will continue this work so long as funding remains ”

Bagdasarian explained that up until this April, Michigan was only required by the CDC to test targeted populations receiving Medicaid

“ The targeted testing numbers were not giving public health exper ts, pediatricians and other lead exposure exper ts the data we needed to catch lead exposure early enough in childhood for all our children,” explained Bagdasarian, who also chairs the state’s Lead Exposure Commission “Now, universal testing will change the game in ter ms of preventing and treating lead exposure in children which could lead to a better quality of life that is marked with enhanced physical and intellectual health ”

Bagdasarian said because universal testing only began in late April, the numbers and data are not yet available to discuss The data collected from the tests will eventually be available to the public in an updated MiTracking online database that contains public health data including targeted lead testing since 2012

In its March 2023 repor t to the State Legislature for fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the MDHHS’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program stated that a consensus on what was considered an elevated BLL was not reached until 2022 There had been previous years on record when 3 5 micrograms per deciliter was considered elevated Moving for ward, five micrograms or higher is deemed as an actionable level of concer n

According to the repor t, in FY 2021, the state tested 102,968 children under age six for lead A total of 2,038 or two percent of

tested children had BLLs greater than or equal to five micrograms per deciliter and 500, or 05 percent, had BLLs of over 10 micrograms per deciliter

In FY 2022, blood lead tests for 100,830 children under age six were repor ted by laboratories A total of 2,090 or two percent of tested children had BLLs greater than or equal to five micrograms per and 478, or 05 percent had BLLs of over 10 micrograms per deciliter

The number of children tested remained relatively constant from FY 2012 - FY 2019

The program costs $2 9 million each year and half of the funding comes from federal Health and Resources and Ser vices Administration grants

pollutants tend to settle downward Another thing that makes our patients vulnerable is their housing instability They of ten move back and for th between counties and Detroit as their families move or lose housing status "

Wells said her practice’s one-stop shopping for care, including check-ups, tests, and day- of lab test results for blood testing means that a parent will not have to take off more work to schedule another appointment to get test results and treatment options

“ We do our best to minimize bar riers for patients,” Wells explained “If a child’s test retur ns with high lead levels, I can have that counseling and refer ral for treatment while the patient is still in the room This approach is cr ucial for marginalized families with limited resources I need to give as much care as possible while the patient is with us in the examination room That way, nothing can slip through the cracks because the patient or their caregiver does not have to schedule another follow -up appointment ”

In Washtenaw County, cur rent rates of high lead exposure are rare In 2012, 4 8 percent of 2,700 selected children tested for high BLLs In 2024, elevated BLLs fell to 2 5 percent of 4,700 tested children in the county

hildren with elevated blood lead may qualif y for ser vices provided through the state’s Lead Safe Program Eligible families based on Medicaid or household income are matched with resources to remediate lead hazards

As the data from universal testing comes in, state public health officials and healthcare professionals said they will be able to get a better understanding and ability to detect patter ns on where pockets of lead contamination exist and be more effective in delivering care and remediation ser vices

According to MDHHS Public Infor mation Officer Lynn Sutfin, the next steps in the universal testing rollout involve a robust outreach and education campaign directed at county public health officials, individual pediatric and family healthcare providers, and families with young children These effor ts include in-person and online training seminars spearheaded by lead poisoning prevention professionals, lead poisoning prevention staff, and a digital media and mailing campaign

“It is essential we get the word out to parents and caretakers to talk to their healthcare provider about blood lead testing and things to look out for in a child’s home sur roundings,” Sutfin said

According to the MDHHS, blood lead testing is a preventive health ser vice under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) It is covered without additional copayment or coinsurance charges

This includes Medicaid and most private insurers

Sutfin said some local health depar tments and programs offer free blood lead testing even for the uninsured One example is the Wayne State Mobile Unit which offers tests at community events

“If a child has an elevated blood lead level, it’s impor tant to identif y and remove that exposure source so the child’s lead level can be lowered,” said Sutfin “If a child has a venous confir med elevated blood lead level, the local health depar tment will reach out to provide in-home nursing case management ser vices to educate the family about nutrition and safe cleaning, conduct a nursing assessment, and connect the family to resources to find and remove lead hazards from the home ”

One medical practice that is welcoming the star t of universal lead testing in Washtenaw County is the Cor ner Health Center in Ypsilanti The practice focuses on at-risk patients aged 12 to 25 years old and their children Nearly all its patients receive Medicaid

"Our patients tend to be at higher risk of environmental pollutants," Wells said "Kids are always lower to the ground, and

Wells explained when a child tests positive for elevated lead levels, results are repor ted to the local health depar tment through the Michigan Care Improvement Registr y For acutely high levels, chelation therapy may be prescribed to remove heavy metals from the body

Wells explained the new lead testing legislation benefits patients by ensuring insurance coverage and promoting early detection

"(The legislation) gives us the data we need to offer another piece of evidence that can lead to a child’s optimal health," Wells explained, "Though parents can deny testing, universal testing provides healthcare professionals more authority to screen and ensure children are free of lead toxins ”

Wells said the new law is a model example of how public health should function

“One of the problems with making people understand the impor tance of funding public health is that people don't see the need for it until there is a problem,” Wells said “ The critical work of public health agencies happens behind the scenes It is always in the background, quietly investigating potential public health crises, from measles outbreaks to lead exposure The passing of this legislation sends a simple but power ful message that we need to protect our most vulnerable children from the hazards of lead poisoning one test at a time ”

ublic health officials in Oakland County say they are well under way in ramping up their plans to accommodate for an anticipated bump in lead exposure cases as universal testing takes off

Oakland County Health Officer Kate Guzmán said a highlight of her early career was spearheading the community lead program as a public health nurse Guzmán said that star ting in early Januar y, her depar tment has already had visits or planned

visits with over 80 percent of the county ’ s 145 pediatric offices to educate them about the changes that will be coming to their practices

Already in Oakland County, Pontiac is classified by the MDHHS as one of 83 “cities of concer n ” when it comes to lead exposure

There are no specific numbers on how many children have tested for high BLLs in Pontiac The state only gives that breakdown for Detroit However, according to 2020 data from Michigan’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Dashboard, 17,101 children under the age of six in Oakland County were at risk for elevated blood lead levels In 2024, 433 tested children in Oakland County had elevated blood lead levels

In cases where children have been found to have elevated blood lead levels, Oakland County offers nursing case management ser vices to families These ser vices include assessing the child's growth and development, examining the home environment, identif ying potential lead hazards, and refer ring families to social and medical ser vices

Michelle Allread, Oakland County ’ s nurse super visor who oversees the county ’ s child lead program said her “small but mighty ” depar tment is gearing up for an anticipated increase in cases She heads a staff of two full-time lead nurses, one fulltime auxiliar y clerk, and two par t-time clerks

To make the public understand the urgency for early testing for all children, she presented the following facts

“Children who are lead poisoned at an early age are seven times more likely to drop out of high school and six times more likely to enter the criminal justice system,” Allread said “ This is the reality that few people are aware of, including pediatricians and other healthcare providers Sometimes the urgency is not there because lead poisoning symptoms may present and resemble other illnesses ”

Guzmán said as of April 30 the Oakland County Health and Human Ser vices Depar tment has been infor ming pediatric and healthcare practices that in- office testing is a simple and reimbursable ser vice under the Affordable Care Act

“Another message we are tr ying to communicate to our clients is that they can tr ust gover nment agency employees who are exper ts in lead remediation to enter their home,”

Guzmán said “ That tr ust is developed through good communication from the county as well as their healthcare provider We need families to understand that these workers are here to help you This is a free ser vice the county can offer that includes a nurse, a registered dietician, and an environmental health professional who can conduct a full home inspection ”

poisoning can lead to poor literacy and (impact) high school graduation rates Preventing this poisoning can be so power ful for a child and their life outcome It is meaningful and impactful if we can prevent, detect, and treat it ”

One sticking point in the logistics of the rollout is doctor ’ s offices having access to testing and diagnostic equipment onsite Ideally, a caregiver would have their child tested and get the results the same day at their pediatrician’s office or healthcare clinic so follow -up treatment could get immediately under way rather than sending the family home with a script to make another appointment at a separate lab

According to Sutfin at the MDHHS, there is no additional funding to provide lab equipment for lead testing attached to the newly enacted legislation However, the MDHHS is providing 100 Leadcare II point- of-care machines and test kits to healthcare providers within 82 high-risk areas in the state

uzmán said she has always been passionate about being on the lookout for lead exposure in children since the earliest days of her career as a public health pediatric nurse That is because early inter vention changes the entire trajector y of a child’s life

“Ever since I was 23 and brand new in public health, one of the reasons lead testing as a public health initiative was so compelling to me is because exposure (to lead) plays a large role in continuing the cycle of pover ty,” Guzmán said “Lead

utfin said the machines allow for in- office testing with immediate results If the result comes back as greater than 3 5 micrograms, patients will need another test in a laborator y to confir m the elevated level

Guzmán said in Oakland County her staff is coordinating grant-seeking effor ts with the Neighborhood Housing division to help pay for lead abatement costs for Medicare recipients and others who cannot afford to pay for lead cleanup in their homes

“As the testing ramps up, the need for ser vices and staffing at the county level will increase dramatically,” said Guzmán “ We will need even more nursing, auxiliar y health clerk, and sanitorium power which means more funding We have a commitment from the Oakland County Executive’s office to use county general funds to supplement our lead team But we will need more, including federal funding, to match the expected increase in demand for our ser vices ”

Dr Ehud Kapen is a pediatrician with Southfield Pediatrics with offices in Bingham Far ms and Novi Kapen said because many of his patients receive their insurance through Medicare, his office will not see a great change in the way they practice patient care in lieu of the new testing law

Kapen said in his office, infants are tested for lead at nine months, which he said is a common timeline followed by many other board-cer tified pediatricians in Michigan His practice was petitioning the state to change the milestone marker from 12 to nine months All testing and lab work are conducted at his practice’s offices so he and his colleagues can offer caregivers of his littlest patients same-day results

Overall, Kapen said a “minuscule” number of patients have their bloodwork coming back with elevated levels of lead

Still, he is pleased that the universal testing law has now gone into effect

“I am all for it,” Kapen said “ The earlier we test and detect high lead levels in our patients, the sooner we can help and treat them It’s a great piece of legislation ”

FA C E S

Suzanna Shkreli

Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli knows the feeling of good fortune from the golden opportunities she’s received in her career over the last decade

“I feel incredibly blessed and honored to have the chance to serve my community in the different ways that I have, ” said Shkreli, who recently received the Oakland Together 40 Under 40 award, for the best and the brightest professionals living or working in Oakland County in business, arts, education and public service

Coming from a family who stressed hard work and education, Shkreli is a firstgeneration American of Albanian ethnicity She earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Oakland University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and then went on to become a prosecutor in Macomb County with the United States Department of Child Protection

W ith earnest devotion to the welfare and safety of children, the committed prosecutor served as Michigan’s Children’s Ombudsman and worked as deputy legal counsel in the Executive Office of the Governor She also served as Director of Juvenile Justice Reform at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

The Birmingham resident also serves in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet and is a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect She has chaired the training subcommittee on child fatality protocol development, “to help pinpoint areas where services designed to protect may be failing physically and sexually abused children.”

Whimer appointed Shkreli commissioner of the Michigan Lottery in 2024, where the newcomer generated $4 8 billion in gross sales and contributed $1 2 billion from the lottery to the State School Aid Fund

Checking in after her first year as “the commish,” Shkreli said,”I am loving this year and all of the innovative ways we are growing We are creating new games like the Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers-themed games that have sold out, as well as modernizing operations and generating sales for funds the Michigan Lottery uses to support public and charter schools, higher education institutes and more ”

One of Shkreli’s favored initiatives is “Excellence in Education” that honors educators across the state.

”Each week of the school year, a public educator is chosen to visit Lansing and receive an award of $2,000, and then another award for $10,000 is given annually to one of the finalists,” she said

Family time is important as well “I have a twin brother and another brother and sister and we all value being together,” she said “We have all practiced in fields of law and established the first Albanian American Bar Association in Michigan

“In my free time you’ll find me walking around downtown Birmingham and stopping to eat at some favorite spots like Phoenician, La Strada Italian Kitchen, and Tallulah W ine Bar & Bistro And I can’t resist stopping for ice cream, my favorite being Dairy Deluxe.“

Activity on the political rumor mill may be picking up as to what the future holds for Shkreli, as she was tagged by the Democratic Party to run for Congress in 2016 and ran against incumbent Mike Bishop in the 8th District “Right now I’m focused on my position with the Michigan Lottery and not looking anywhere else,” she said

“I do stay open to opportunities as they come, and will always continue to do that in my future, I’m sure,” says Shkreli Like one of her favorite popular Michigan Lottery slogans says, ”You can’t win if you don’t play”

Story: Susan Peck

M U N I C I PA L

Township senior services report

By Dana Casadei

In the words of Christine Tvaroha, Bloomfield Township Director of Senio Ser vices, her depar tment cr ushed it this past year, and their annual repor t proved it

With a mission to ser ve those 50 and over through promoting wellness, suppor ting independence, strengthening communities, and cultivating vitality, senior ser vices had 41,544 visits for fiscal year 2024-2025, with 80 percent of those visits for fitness programs and classes

Of those 41,544 visits to the center, it created 485 new member profiles, and nearly 13,000 program registrations

Throughout the 2024-2025 fiscal year senior ser vices not only provided 65 day trips to places like museums, river cr uises, and tours of Michigan Central Train Station, but also helped seniors through Meals on Wheels, delivering 6,554 meals to 93 clients across Bloomfield Township, and their chore ser vices program

With the chore ser vices program senior ser vices was able to complete 28 snow removals, 12 lawn mowings, 23 gutter cleanings, and 56 yard cleanups

Some of the largest changes to happen this year include the reopening of the Friendship Club Adult Day Ser vice – made possible through the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan – and pool resur facing and salt water conversion, all which were paid for through use of the American Rescue Plan Act and the $424 000 senior ser vices received in grant funding

The new parking lot was also days away from being completed at the board of tr ustees meeting on Monday, June 9

“I never thought I would say this, but the asphalt is beautiful,” Tvaroha said

Senior ser vices also launched a new par tnership with SilverSneakers, which allows eligible members free access to their gym So far, there are over 200 residents enrolled

Next gives financial update to commission

By Grace Lovins

Next senior ser vices, Bir mingham’s long-standing senior ser vices provider, repor ted a solid financial standing during the Monday, June 9, city commission meeting and as par t of the organization’s financial update to the city, the group presented its finances and plans for strategic growth over the next three years

Next executive director Cris Braun,told the commission that the organization has ser ved the community for the last 47 years, since 1978 Repor ting the non-profit’s financials for the 2023-2024 budget year, Braun explained that Next ser ved the community with a total revenue of $1,262,252 for the year

Next’s finances show the organization relied heavily on in-kind suppor t from Bir mingham Public Schools as well as a mix of grants and planned giving to fund their operations Braun said the organization’s expenses mostly go toward the operations and facility space

Over the course of the next three years, Braun said Next aims to expand program offerings by five percent annually, increase its grant applications by 30 percent, bring on two to three new sponsors each year and adjust membership rates and fee-based programs upwards of five percent annually

City commissioner Clinton Baller stressed that the commission needs to see more for ward-looking financial planning as the city may invest more into the organization “If we are going to suppor t this organization even more going for ward, I’d like to be confident that you ’ ve looked at the future and that you ’ re prepared financially to deal with it,” he said

During discussions, city commissioner Andrew Haig also encouraged Next to aim for higher per capita funding contributions from the sur rounding communities Next ser ves Cur rently, Bir mingham contributes at a higher rate than its neighboring communities

No for mal action was taken by the commission as the repor t was an update on Next’s financial standing

my favorite thing to brag about I love all the data but behind the numbers are people,” Tvaroha said “ Volunteers who give their time, caregivers finding moments of respite members staying active and connected, and a dynamic and suppor tive staff ”

Cur rently senior ser vices is made up of eight full-time administrators, and 18 par t-time staff Of the par ttime staff, 75 percent are Bloomfield Township residents, acording to the replrot

Senior er vices had one more big thing to celebrate this past year too, the 15th anniversar y of the Senior Center building

Planners approve Cafe Origins platform

By Grace Lovins

Following a postponement from an April meeting of the Bir mingham Planning Board Cafe Origins got the green-light from planning board members during the Wednesday, May 28, meeting to continue on to the city ommission for approval of an outdoor dining platfor m

Cafe Origins, located at 163 W Maple, is looking to establish an outdoor dining platfor m in the W Maple right of way The cafe is proposing to occupy par t of the right of way while also extending into the existing sidewalk on Maple Per the plans, there will be three tables on he platfor m itself and two chairs on he sidewalk

City planning director Nick Dupuis tated in the meeting packet memorandum that no other outdoor dining platfor ms are on the same side of W Maple as Cafe Origins, but Dick O’ Dows across the street cur rently has a platfor m New restaurant Teuta, also on the side of W Maple as Dick O’Dows, was also recently approved or an outdoor dining platfor m in the treet, according to Dupuis’ memorandum

Over the course of her presentation, Tvaroha was able to share not only highlights through the data of all they ’ ve done this last year, but highlight the people she gets to work with too

“Our team is really excellent, and

City contemplates survey of residents

By Grace Lovins

The city of Bir mingham is set to consider a potential sur vey od residents to lear n more about their wants for the community af ter city

commissioners voted on Monday, June 9, to discuss the concept as an agenda item during a future meeting

Commissioner Andrew Haig was the one to bring the idea to the commission, urging the city to look into conducting a sur vey that would provide the commission and city staff with an idea of what residents think and feel about their community When asked to justif y the effor t, Haig simply stated, “ Why would we not want to know what the residents here want?”

With the commission voting to bring the idea for th as a for mal meeting agenda item, city staff will look into what it would require to conduct such a sur vey and bring a recommendation on whether city staff could feasibly handle the study inter nally or if an outside fir m would need to be hired, said mayor Therese Longe More infor mation about the sur vey will be discussed during the next regular commission meeting

Origins’ proposed plans show the platfor m in the street taking up two on-street parking spaces, however Dupuis stated in the memorandum that the cafe’s parking requirements were still being met

The proposed plans show planter boxes on each side of the tables in the public sidewalk to add a bit of a bar rier The platfor m in the street will have a white metal rails to act as an enclosure for the tables in the platfor m

Board member Daniel Share advised the representatives with the cafe to pay attention to the tables and chairs on the sidewalk saying he is concer ned about the seating encroaching on the public given there is no enclosure for those seats

With little discussion or additional comments from other planning board members, the board voted unanimously, 7-0, to recommend approval of the outdoor dining area to the city commission which will decide on final approval of the site plan and design

Alter nate planning board members Nasseem Ramin and Duncan Cur rie voted in place of Stuar t Jeffares and Ber t Koseck who were absent

Clerk’s office awarded by state association

By Dana Casadei

The Bloomfield Township Clerk’s Office recently ear ned the "Excellence in Overall Best Practices” award from the Michigan Municipal Clerk Association

The clerk’s office was recognized for its Election Communications Plan and Mailer which was utilized during the 2024 General Election cycle

Per the clerk’s office award application, “ The main goal of this communication plan was to empower voters by educating them about recent election changes and refreshing their knowledge on how to vote effectively in both the August and November elections By providing voters with clear, accessible infor mation, we also aimed to enhance their voting experience, increase their comfor t level with the process, and encourage par ticipation in the democratic process ”

The Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks Board of Directors promotes, enhances, and encourages

the professional development and standing of municipal clerks through cooperation, communication, education, and training by utilizing seminars, institutes, and meetings; to promote and encourage improvement of methods and procedures of duties per for med by clerks; and to address legislative matters relating to the municipal clerk’s responsibilities

Bloomfield Township Clerk Mar tin

Brook stated, "As the elected township clerk, a goal I have is for ever y legally registered Bloomfield Township resident to vote in ever y election To fur ther this goal, the clerk and cable depar tments collaborated in 2024 to develop an elections communication plan This plan provided for unifor m messaging across ever y platfor m, from mailers to homes to social media and our website "

He added, "I am honored that the clerk's depar tment has been recognized by our peers - the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks - for ‘excellence in overall best practices ’ We strive for excellence in ever ything we do ”

Multi-year dredging on Quarton Lake set

By Grace Lovins

A five-year dredging project is set to begin on Quar ton Lake af ter Bir mingham City Commissioners awarded on Monday, June 9, the contract to Mid-American Group at a total cost of roughly $652,000

The city received four bid proposals for the work ranging from under $600,000 to over $8 million Monroe County-based Mid-American Group’s bid was the lowest cost at $593,008 with a 10 percent contingency for a cost of $652,309 for the entirety of the five-year project

According to city engineer Melissa Coatta, the project will include the most dredging activity in the river nor th of the lake and Oak Boulevard She said the staging area for equipment and materials will be on the nor th point of Oak Boulevard and it will also ser ve as an access point

While some of the work will go south past Oak, most of the work over the course of the project is focused on the nor ther n por tion of the area

Concer ned for residents given the previous dredging project at Quar ton Lake, commissioner Clinton Baller asked about potential disr uptions to the nearby homes He said equipment had been lef t for a long period of time even af ter the project had been completed Coatta said the equipment will be kept in the designated staging area throughout the project

Coatta also explained that letters will be mailed out to residents living on Quar ton Lake and door hangers will likely be lef t on homes as well She is coordinating with the city ’ s communications depar tment to get the infor mation out through social media also

Commissioner Andrew Haig stressed the need for comparisons with nearby communities such as War ren or St Clair Shores to ensure Bir mingham remains costcompetitive He said he wants to see that benchmarking used in all city projects going for ward Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the contract award to MidAmerican Group for the five-year project

Township elections changes under review

By Dana Casadei

The Bloomfield Township’s Clerk’s Office have been looking into ways to improve elections within the township and presented its findings to the board of tr ustees at their Mnday, June 9, meeting

The two updates to the cur rent election process that were proposed to the board include consolidating the township s cur rent precincts from 18 to 12, and par tnering with Oakland County for early absentee ballot processing Both of these are in alignment with state law

than a projected 4,820 voters per precinct, therefore, staying within the law ’ s limit of 4,999 active voters per precinct The proposal includes three backup polling locations as well

“I think it makes a lot of sense, ” said tr ustee Chris Kolinski “I also really appreciate the fact that you all didn’t want to make this change until af ter you got to see one election cycle, and got to see the numbers Don’t make changes just to make changes, make purposeful, meaningful changes This was great ”

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“Although 2025 isn’t an election year, we always have elections on our minds,” said Catarina Yankey, election specialist “ We also didn’t want to jump into something this big

”

The clerk’s team collected data on voter tur nout from the 2022 gover nor election and 2024 presidential election, and found that there was a 35 percent decrease in in-person voter tur nout across all 18 precincts on Election Day

“ We would’ve expected an increase given that 2024 was a presidential election,” Yankey said “ With this we saw that our voters really liked voting early ”

In that same presidential election almost 19 percent of total voter tur nout was from early voters, a massive increase from the August primar y, which only had 4 48 percent for early voters

For residents, a consolidation of precincts would allow for faster results at the end of the night, and allow for the most experienced staff to be less spread out across 18 precincts as they cur rently are, Yankey said

This type of consolidation would come with a variety of benefits for Bloomfield Township staff and residents, including a 25 percent decrease in election staffing costs and enhanced security since there would be fewer locations to watch over With fewer precincts to manage calls from and help troubleshoot the clerk’s office would be able to provide better customer ser vice on Election Day too, she said

The 12 precincts are cur rently being proposed would be a mix of already set precincts and combining some others, with none having more

During the meeting Yankey also discussed why Bloomfield Township should consider par ticipating in Oakland County ’ s Absent Voter Counting Board (AVCB) This board already consists of 18 jurisdictions which par ticipate including Bir mingham, Far mington, Lathr up Village, Royal Oak Township, Southfield Township and West Bloomfield Township

“ We really felt like this would be a great oppor tunity for ourselves and our residents,” Yankey said

Not only would Oakland County be able to take on Bloomfield Township’s volume of absentee ballots, but it would also lead to faster results come Election Day and a massive increase in labor efficiency, according to Yankey

For those jurisdictions who par ticipate with the county ’ s program, absentee ballots are transfer red by police escor t over two transfers The first happens on the Friday before the election, and the second at 4 p m the Monday before, which is when the largest majority of absentee ballots are sent in

Since those absentee ballots are already picked up prior to Election Day, the count begins on Saturday, and they are completely done come Election Day Results from those ballots can be posted af ter polls close, some as early as 8 p m

With those types of results, residents would know the outcome far earlier than they usually do, with the township not getting results in until 11 p m or later on Election Night, Yankey said

It is predicted that par tnering with Oakland County for pre-processing absentee ballots would provide a cost savings of 15 percent to Bloomfield Township

With both of these changes the clerk’s office sought feedback from election workers, the election commission, and conducted

operational benchmarking with Oakland County, all who highlighted the numerous benefits of consolidating precincts and collaborating with Oakland County

“I know when it was presented to the election commission we were ver y impressed with the recommendations, cer tainly the efficiency, the cost savings this enhances the entire voting experience,” said tr ustee Neal Bar nett “I’m ver y much in favor of your recommendations and I think it will make the experience better and cer tainly, more secure for our residents ”

While ever yone on the board was in favor of the two propositions presented at the Monday night meeting, this presentation was not one that asked anything of the board other than to have an open discussion about what is being proposed

The clerk’s office will come back to ask for approval from the board of tr ustees for polling locations and the par tnering with Oakland County for

early absentee ballot processing The new precincts will also be presented to the election commission again

Outdoor dining plans postponed again

By Grace Lovins

For the second time, plans for an outdoor dining platfor m outside of Teuta, a br unch restaurant 168 W Maple Road in Bir mingham, have been postponed at the city ’ s planning board level due to issues with the parking situation where the platfor m is being proposed and the submitted plans reviewed by the board during the Wednesday, June 11, meeting also lacked required details

Teuta is looking to add an outdoor dining platfor m to their business in the W Maple right- of-way, said city planner Leah Blizinski, with room for four tables and twelve chairs total Blizinski said the restaurant is cur rently near two outdoor dining platfor ms already on W Maple: Dick o ’ Dows down the street from Teuta

as well as the recently approved platfor m for Cafe Origins across the street

Af ter the board’s last review of the proposed plans during the Wednesday, May 7, meeting, the owners of Teuta adjusted their plans to add an additional four chairs to the platfor m One key detail that remained the same was the loss of an ADA accessible parking spot on the street for the platfor m to take its place If the space is eligible to be lost, Blizinski said, Teuta would be required to reimburse the city for the loss of the space

Blizinski also said that while city staff has received some details on items like the umbrellas and heaters, they were not received on time to be included in the meeting packet reviewed by the board The plans included in the packet also did not match the cur rent parking layout of the area

Nearly all of the planning board members commented that they would not be comfor table with the loss of an ADA accessible parking space and

were concer ned about the concept of relocating an ADA parking space for the purpose of having an outdoor dining platfor m Some board members also indicated that the restaurant having a platfor m in close proximity to two other existing platfor ms could cause traffic issues

Board member Stuar t Jeffares offered that Teuta could potentially pursue outdoor dining on the sidewalk rather than the street as the width of the sidewalk in that area would allow for enough room to hold some tables and chairs

Chair Scott Clein, in response to the daughter of the restaurant owners who attended the meeting, said that they could also potentially pursue the parking space behind the proposed platfor m but would need written approval of the land owner adjacent to Teuta to get approval from the city

Ultimately, the board voted 7-0 to postpone Teuta’s plans for an outdoor dining platfor m without a set date so the owners had the necessar y time to decide how they want to proceed

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Joint workshop for zoning, outdoor dining

By Grace Lovins

Updating Bir mingham’s zoning ordinances and possible additional r ules around outdoor dining platfor ms were the focuses of the Monday, June 16, joint city planning board and commission meeting

City commissioners offered input on the planning board’s next steps to begin updating the zoning ordinance based on the 2040 master plan as well as considerations for fur ther outdoor dining platfor m regulations

The city ’ s planning board has been gearing up for an update of the zoning ordinance for roughly two years following the adoption of the 2040 master plan in 2023 In July 2024, city commissioners for malized the priorities that each city board and commission was assigned by the planning board to help kickstar t the implementation of the master plan

According to city planning director Nick Dupuis, the commission recently granted $200,000 in the 2025-2026 budget cycle to be used for hiring a fir m

to help with updating the zoning ordinances Dupuis explained that the city can anticipate having a request for proposals (RFP) ready to issue in July, responses to the request in early August and, depending on the RFP , star ting work on the project early next year

Dupuis said the hope for the joint meeting was for the planning board to know if the commission had any major considerations they want the board to keep in mind while the updating process takes off Commissioners consistently suggested that public engagement communication and the reader-friendliness of the ordinance itself were three major items the board should be reflecting on throughout the process

The commission stressed that the public should be infor med of both what the update is and is not going to do Planning board chair Scott Clein reiterated multiple times during the meeting that the master plan did not call for substantial changes to zoning and that, while there are par ts of the master plan the city must follow there isn’t something the city must do on ever y page

Transitioning over to discuss outdoor

dining platfor ms, Dupuis posed the question to the commission if they would want to ask the planning board in the future to study the number, density or locations of the platfor ms and, if so, what considerations they should take into account

Mayor Theres Longe added that adjacency would be an impor tant factor to add to the list, using restaurants Teuta and Mar row that recently applied for outdoor dining platfor ms as examples

Both platfor ms proposed by the different businesses had issues with sur rounding parking and traffic concer ns

Commissioners went back and for th on a few considerations, but all came to a consensus that outdoor dining platfor ms should not cause the loss of an ADA accessible parking space as was the situation with Teuta

By the end of the workshop, city commissioners offered several pieces of feedback and considerations for the planning board to keep in mind while they approach updating the zoning ordinance and considering updated outdoor dining platfor m r ules As the meeting was a workshop, no for mal action was taken by either the board or the commission

North Adams project work gets underway

The Nor th Adams Road project in the city Bir mingham has now star ted

This project includes minor sewer repairs and a full water main replacement, reducing the roadway to three lanes, and resur facing the road from Madison to the nor th city limits

The contractor on Thursday, June 5, star ted preparing the site with placement of signs, deliver y of materials, sawcutting and pulverizing some of the pavement that will be removed Beginning Monday, June 9, water main installation will begin on Shepardbush Street between Putney and Mohegan No lane closures are proposed on Adams Road until June 16, af ter the last day of school

Par tial and full closures on Adams Road will occur as needed during this project Residents who do not live on Adams Road or on a dead end street should use alter nate routes when possible

This project will be substantially completed by the end of August, weather per mitting

Police rundown of Village Fair incidents

The Bir mingham Police Depar tment has issued a memorandum to city officials outlining “incidents of significance” related to the annual Village Fair which took place in the downtown area Thursday, May 29, through Sunday, June 1

The memorandum from the police depar tment on Monday, June 2, was sent to city manager Jana Ecker who then distributed the memo to city commissioners and all city depar tment heads

An earlier update was issued in an email late on Friday, May 30, from Bir mingham Police Chief Scott Grewe following two major physical altercations at the fair that evening

According the Grewe’s email update to city officials, “Just prior to 9 p m an assault occur red and two juveniles were taken into custody Shor tly af ter closing a large mob like crowd for med on Henrietta and eventually spilled into the roadway on Maple blocking all traffic A large volume of juveniles blocked several sidewalks in town for the next 30 to 45 minutes ”

The police chief ’ s update also noted that “ a second assault occur red, this time involving four females at the cor ner of Old Woodward and Mer rill Three of the females were taken into custody and one was transpor ted to the hospital ”

The June 2 memorandum was issued by police captain Greg Wald and contained brief descriptions of a number incidents encountered over the four-day event

Wald’s memorandum contained a litany of incidents, most not involving physical fights at the annual event The events noted in the memo ranged from disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, verbal disputes, crowd dispersal and in one case public dr ug use by a group of teenagers

The Village Fair in 2024 was the site of one major fight among teenagers that drew the attention of city officials who asked this year for the event sponsors to consider its hours of operation

In past years the annual Village Fair, hosted by the Bir mingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, ran as late as 11 p m Officials from the Chamber of Commerce, the

The police memorandum from June 2, 2025

Friday May 30th

Injury accident- At about 3:45 pm a teen patron was struck by a vehicle while walking on the outside perimeter of the fair, minor injuries Neither the teen nor the driver were at fault Another vehicle was illegally parked (standing) on the crosswalk, forcing the teen to walk around and into traffic The illegally parked vehicle was ticketed

Verbal Dispute- At about 8:25 pm officers were approached by two teens saying some older teens were trying to start a fight with them Officers gave the older teens a warning

Assault/Obstructing Police/Breach of Peace- At about 8:35 PM A Birmingham officer was on foot patrol on Henrietta, between Martin and E Merrill, when he witnessed a physical altercation between 4 teenage males He separated the individuals and began conducting an investigation when two of them ran southbound into the neighborhood A perimeter was established and the males were located in a backyard in the 500 block of Pierce Street Upon further investigation, it was determined that the two individuals who ran were the aggressors in the altercation, who had pushed and pulled the upper bodies, shirts, and necklaces of the victims during a heated argument The suspects, a 17-year-old male from Pontiac and a 16-year-old male from Farmington Hills, were arrested Petition pending

Fight- At about 9:15 pm, while clearing out crowds from the fair closing, officers were informed of a fight in progress After sorting through the crowd, officers were unable to locate aggressors / victims

Assault / Breach of Peace- At about 9:30 pm Birmingham officers on foot patrol observed a commotion and people running toward the corner of S Old Woodward and E Merrill Officers ran to the scene and found four teenage females involved in a physical altercation, one of whom was lying on the ground, and bleeding from her face. Officers conducted an investigation, including the review of witness cell phone videos They determined the females were acquaintances, and one of the suspects had been actively trying to start a fight with one of the others Officers arrested the three female aggressors: an 18-year-old from Southfield, a 17year-old from Sterling Heights, and an 18-year-old from West Bloomfield The 18-year-old victim from Detroit was taken to the hospital for evaluation of minor injuries Charges were sought for Assault and Battery and Disorderly Conduct through the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office

Disorderly Conduct- At about 10:10 pm, residents complained that a large group of teens were on top of the Park structure screaming The teens were gone upon officers’ arrival

Public Drug Use- At about 11:00 pm officers responded to the 200 block of E Merrill on a complaint of a large group of teens smoking marijuana Upon arrival there was obvious use of marijuana, but no user could be identified The crowd was dispersed

company which owns the fair and city public safety officials cut back on hours of operation this year and devised a system involving officials assessing each evening if the fair could stay open past the 9 p m closing time On Thursday evening the Village Fair was allowed to

Disorderly Conduct- At about 11:50 pm officers responded to a group of teens who were yelling and playing loud music at the top of the Park Structure Upon arrival a group of teens were exiting the structure in a vehicle and were warned

Saturday May 31st

Assault- At about 2:00 am officers responded to an unconscious male at the Townsend Hotel The 40 year old victim from Byron, who had regained consciousness, claimed he was jumped by four males in their early 20’s, earlier in the evening It is unknown if this incident was related to the Village Fair.

Verbal Dispute- At about 6:20 pm officers heard a commotion near Henrietta & Merrill Upon arrival they separated two parties who were arguing over a parking spot

Disorderly Conduct- At about 9:20 pm officers encountered a large group of teens arguing on E Merrill, all of which were posturing as if they were about to fight Officers broke up the altercation and one of the parties involved claimed he was spit on

Crowd Dispersal- At about 9:33 pm officers responded to a complaint of a large group of teens congregating in the parking lot of the Baldwin House The teens left upon request Fight- At about 9:47 pm officers responded to a reported fight in progress at Old Woodward & Oakland Upon arrival officers could not locate any aggressors / victims

Sunday June 1st

Probation Violation / Family Trouble- At about 4:45 pm officers responded to a 911 call at the fair where a woman stated her ex-husband, whom she has a no contact order against, was following her Upon arrival officers confirmed the no contact order and separated the parties. The ex-husband, a 32 year old man from Farmington, was removed from the fair and the appropriate court was notified.

Assault- At about 5:55 pm a fair employee approached an officer on foot patrol, reporting that an assault had just occurred in the line for the ferris wheel The officer located the individuals on Henrietta walking toward Townsend After the investigation, it was determined that a verbal argument started over one of the females cutting in line The argument escalated, and the female punched the other multiple times with a closed fist: the suspect, a 19-year-old female from Commerce Twp , was arrested and charged with Assault and Battery.

Trespassing- At about 6:10 pm a local business owner, adjacent to the fair, asked officers for assistance in removing 8-10 young juveniles who were selling candy in his business and were refusing to leave The juveniles left upon request and were told that a permit is required to sell goods

Minor in Possession / Open Intoxication - At about 8:45 pm officers cited a 20 year old man from Dearborn for Minor in Possession

remain open until 11 p m but on Friday and Saturday evening, Chamber of Commerce and fair company officials recommended early in the evening that the event close at 9 p m , according to Joe Bauman, president of the Chamber of Commerce

Problems with large numbers of teenagers are not something unique to the city of Bir mingham annual event A number of similar events in Oakland County and elsewhere have either had to greatly increase police presence or in some communities have been canceled altogether

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Marrow outdoor plans move ahead

By Grace Lovins

Bir mingham eater y Mar row, located at 283 Hamilton Row, will soon have an outdoor dining platfor m af ter the final site plans were reviewed and approved by the city ’ s planning board during the Wednesday, June 11, meeting

Mar row ’ s proposal for the outdoor dining platfor m showed a deck along Hamilton Row with four tables, 16 seats total, that occupied a single on-street parking space The platfor m would be the four th on Hamilton Row alongside platfor ms for Bir mingham Sushi, Commonwealth and Greek Islands, said planning director Nick Dupuis

Similar to Mar row ’ s last presentation to the planning board during a preapplication discussion, the proposed deck occupies a parking space and extends into the painted X parking bar rier between spaces which also extends beyond the establishment’s facade Per city ordinance, Mar row would need written approval from the owner of the adjacent storefront to extend past their facade

Multiple board members said they were concer ned about the deck cutting into the “X” bar rier as cars could have a difficult time getting in and out of the sur rounding parking space and, as has happened at other establishments per board member Stuar t Jeffares, could potentially hit the deck itself

The suggestion was made to remove the easter nmost table proposed in the plans to shor ten the deck, preventing it from extending into the painted “X ” Ultimately, the situation shif ted to allowing Mar row to work with Dupuis to occupy space on the sidewalk next to the platfor m so Mar row doesn’t lose seating and the painted “X” remains unoccupied

Planning board members voted unanimously 7-0 to recommend approval of Mar row ’ s outdoor dining plans to the city commission on the condition the deck does not stretch into the “X” parking spot bar rier Dupuis and Mar row said they will work together to update the platfor m and seating ar rangements to meet the board’s requirements

Marine patrol for township lakes

The 2025-2027 marine patrol ser vices agreement with Bloomfield Township was approved at the board of tr ustees meeting on Monday, June

City loses long-time business member

The Bir mingham business community has lost a long-time member with the death on Monday, June 9, of Cher yl Daskas of Tender, the high-end fashion boutique

A for mer model, Cher yl Daskas, age 71, spent a number of years as an active board member of the Bir mingham Shopping District (BSD) and 32 years as an owner of the women ’ s boutique with her sister, Karen Daskas In her work with the BSD, Cher yl Daskas was a prime mover behind the cur rent city policy of restricting floor space in buildings for retail rather than office tenants as par t of the effor t to help animate the city sidewalks Inter ment was at the White Chapel Cemetar y

The new agreement will star t in 2025 and last for three years, and is a renewal of a similar contract the township has signed in the past

The approval of this agreement will allow for any resident residing on a designated lake or water way within the township to use these ser vices if they pay for it For residents to be able to use this ser vice, the township has to have an agreement with Oakland County Sheriff marine patrol unit, which is what they voted on at the meeting

The hourly rates for a marine unit deputy with a boat for 2025 would be $49 64 per hour, $54 15 for 2026, and $59 08 for 2027 Other rates in the contract include those for a marine unit deputy with a boat over time rate and a marine unit deputy without a boat

When this ser vice is used the Oakland County Sheriff ’ s Office invoices the township, which is then repaid by the home owners association that requested the use of the ser vice Cur rently, the only residents in Bloomfield Township who use the marine patrol ser vices are those on Upper Long Lake Brook mentioned it was unclear if the residents plan to use it again within the three years of the new contract, or if there were any new residents who would be using this resource

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Helen French

Birmingham resident Helen French knows what it's like to relocate to Southeast Michigan and has built a successful business around it

French grew up in suburban Dublin, Ireland, and attended University College Dublin, moving to the United Kingdom to finish her education at Manchester School of Physiotherapy with the goal of becoming a physical therapist

She spent 14 years working as a physical therapist in the U K , with the bulk of those years working with children and their families

In 2012, she and her husband moved to Michigan for his job with an automotive supplier Despite being a bit skeptical, French said, “It turned out to be one of the best things we ever did ”

The couple rented a home in Birmingham which they ended up buying “We wanted a walkable community and we’re big foodies, so Birmingham and Detroit are perfect for that ”

After the move, French admits she “played a lot of golf ” before accepting a position as executive director of the British American Business Council (BAB C) of Michigan in 2013, a position she held for nearly nine years

The organization promotes U S and U K business partnerships and is the largest transatlantic business network with 21 chapters and over 2,500 member companies based in North American and the U.K. French also worked in positions related to her physical therapy background

A few months after the COVID -19 pandemic hit, French decided to venture out on her own and founded Greenstone Destination Services to assist individuals and families with their moves to Michigan Most of her clients are international relocations

French explained that “destination services” involve assisting clients once they arrive in Southeast Michigan with everything from visits to the Secretary of State office to banking, schools, doctors, housing, utilities, renters' insurance as well as social integration

She recommends to her clients that they keep an open mind and stay positive.

“The move can be a real culture shock, especially for spouses. Some clients really struggle I encourage them to find at least two positives for every negative and to pick and choose people who they have most aligned interests with, avoiding any negative people ”

For social connection, French highly recommends to women who are new to the area to join the vibrant nonprofit Birmingham Bloomfield Newcomers and Neighbors Club (BBNC), which offers a wide variety of activities for members to connect and build lasting friendships

“It’s a very international mix of women and I’ve met some of my best friends there,” she said, adding laughingly, "After I joined and they realized I was from Ireland, I became the pub leader for two years ”

The relocation expert noted that after years of booming business between 2021 to 2023, it is a bit uncertain right now “It’s been an extraordinary year No one is moving No one knows what’s happening with the current administration,” she explained

Aside from work, French loves to garden She and her husband have two dogs and enjoy travel, especially to visit family, including her parents who are still in Dublin In Michigan, they appreciate the four seasons, trips Up North, and consider Saugatuck their “happy place ”

“We love the food and the friendliness of the people here,” she explained “I’m a huge advocate of Detroit and am excited to see it come back – Uber and international visitors and relocations have made a big impact Many of my younger clients want to live in Detroit...The Art Deco architecture in Detroit is so unique It’s a small but big city ”

French reflected that she and her husband have met many American and international lifelong friends here and she keeps in touch with many of her clients long after they are settled

“There’s a fitting Irish saying that says, ‘Strangers are only friends you haven’t met ’”

Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: Laurie Tennent

FA C E S

B U S I N E S S M AT T E R S

LaserAway in Michigan

LaserAway has opened in downtown Bir mingham at 135 E Maple Road, with a mission to “make clients feel beautiful by providing the best and most effective aesthetic treatments in a friendly, relaxed environment ”

Founded in 2006 by brothers Scott, Todd and Brock Heckmann along with Dr Roy Winston in West Hollywood, CA, the company offers laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal, laser skin rejuvenation, body contouring, skin tightening, and injectables There are over 150 LaserAway clinics in the United States with the Bir mingham location being the first clinic to open in Michigan Guided by its vision to be the premier provider of all aesthetics treatment categories under one roof, the company has per for med millions of treatments under the leadership of Dr Will Kirby, who ser ves the company ’ s chief

medical officer, and a team of 16 board cer tified der matologist medical directors, who collectively super vise hundreds of licensed clinicians in cities across the countr y Jenna Logan, regional director at LaserAway, stated that the decision to expand into Bir mingham was driven by thorough market research conducted by a team of real estate par tners These exper ts work closely with the company ’ s business development team to identif y prime locations for retail growth “ We are thrilled to be here in Bir mingham It’s a great development, the whole area is booming it feels vibrant and bustling,” said Logan

Bobbles & Lace

Bobbles & Lace, a fast-growing women ’ s fashion boutique, has opened a new location at 244 E Maple Road, Bir mingham The boutique offers a curated selection of private-label clothing,

accessories, and styling ser vices aimed at the moder n, styleconscious consumer Founded in 2008 by Lindsay Rando in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Bobbles & Lace evolved from a single store into a nationally recognized brand with locations throughout the Nor theast, from Por tland, Maine to Westpor t, Connecticut In 2022, the company began offering franchise oppor tunities, marking a new chapter in its strategic growth The Bir mingham location is the result of that initiative Macie Richmond, a recent graduate of Wester n Michigan University, first discovered the brand online through a friend and then stumbled upon a storefront while traveling in Colorado Drawn to the brand’s aesthetic and business model, Richmond and her father quickly pursued a franchising oppor tunity Within a month, they had finalized the necessar y agreements and began

collaborating with the company ’ s franchise team to identif y the ideal location ultimately selecting what they believed to be the per fect spot in Bir mingham “Bobbles & Lace likes to avoid malls and strip malls in general They really want a solid downtown and a good community around it,” said Richmond The boutique features a broad range of fashion offerings including comfor table athletic wear, for mal dresses, ever yday apparel, shoes, purses, and accessories appealing to a variety of tastes and lifestyles, while maintaining an accessible price point The Bir mingham opening represents Bobbles & Lace’s first location in Michigan

Business Matters for the BirminghamBloomfield area are reported by Gigi Nichols Send items for consideration to GigiNichols@downtownpublications com Items should be received three weeks prior to publication

N E X T N O T E B O O K

For the past few months, Next has been exploring Japan through our comprehensive cultural series This special programming has brought to Next area exper ts from the Japanese consulate, university professors and ar tists proudly creating their work in front of an engaged audience

Our study of Japan will continue throughout July and August, giving you the oppor tunity to attend several enlightening programs programs that will help us expand our understanding of Japan and challenge our thinking

Join us in the evening of Thursday, June 26, to meet Ms Keiko Nakajima, Shiga Visiting Official from Ritto, Japan In this presentation about the Michigan-Shiga Sister State Program, we will lear n how this program has brought a better cultural, economic and educational understanding to both countries Next is honored to host Ms Keiko Nakajima, who is cur rently visiting the United States from Japan, and will explain the deep roots of the Sister State Program

On Tuesday, July 1, delve into the Japanese ar t of Kintsugi with ar tist Aki Motoyama Kintsugi is the Japanese ar t of repairing broken potter y by mending the areas of breakage with ur ushi lacquer mixed with a powdered gold metal Aki Motoyama is a Kintsugi ar tist based in Japan where her work is exhibited in galleries across Tokyo

In the evening of July 15, The Great Lakes Taiko Center comes to Next to per for m a traditional Japanese Dr umming concer t Taiko is rooted in the ancestral wisdom and cultural histor y of Japanese music traditions and continues to grow today as a global cultural ar ts movement that amplifies imagination, uplif ts spirits, and builds community

On Tuesday, July 29, enjoy a vir tual tour of Japan with professional travel consultant, Shunki Lucas who was bor n and raised in Japan We’ll explore Tokyo’s vibrant blend of tradition and moder nity, the breathtaking beauty of Mt Fuji, the cultural richness of Kyoto, the historic significance of Nara with its world-renowned oldest wooden str ucture and the inspiring histor y of Hiroshima

The Sakura Instr umental Group will per for m at Next in the evening of July 31st Experience the beauty and lear n the cultural traditions behind the folk music and dances of Japan Named af ter the Japanese word for cher r y blossom, Sakura is an instr umental and per for mance group that celebrates traditional Japanese music and dance

Join guest speakers Ann O’Neill, president of the Japanese American Citizens League of Detroit, and Mar y Kamidoi, inter nment camp sur vivor, on Friday, August 29 You've heard the stor y of Japanese Americans incarceration during World War II, but you will also lear n what happened next Even before the end of the war, Japanese Americans were hired out of the inter nment camps into labor and industrial jobs in Chicago and Detroit Through the book Exiled to Motown, our speakers will demonstrate the persistence of the Japanese American community in Detroit and how it continues to change and flourish

Along with our cultural series programs, Next also offers a wide variety of other programs to keep you busy this summer With fitness and creative ar t classes, to credentialed speakers and local travel, there is something for ever yone Add special interest clubs, discussion groups and social gatherings, and you’ll find many ways to stay active and connected Please join us For more infor mation and to register for upcoming programs, please visit Bir minghamNext org

Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next

Anticipation builds for the 36th annual Bir mingham House Tour Get ready to open the doors to inspiration because one of Bir mingham’s most beloved community events is back, and it’s better than ever! The excitement is already mounting as final touches are being made and finishing flourishes applied That’s right the 36th annual Bir mingham House Tour is just around the cor ner, and this year promises to be a memorable jour ney through the hear t of home design and architectural char m

Mark your calendar for Thursday, September 11, when design enthusiasts, architecture admirers, and curious neighbors alike will gather to explore eight stunning homes nestled in the Bir mingham and Bloomfield area Carefully curated by a dedicated committee, each home on the tour offers something tr uly special whether it’s a bold reinvention of a classic colonial, a moder n masterpiece of clean lines and glass, or a cozy bungalow brimming with war mth and personality

As you wind through just 13 miles of local streets, you’ll step inside a wide variety of home styles and sizes, each selected for its unique character and design inspiration Knowledgeable docents are stationed in each home to give insights into design choices, renovation challenges, and creative features that make each residence shine

This self-guided tour isn’t just about admiring beautiful spaces it’s about connecting with your community The homes belong to your neighbors, friends, and fellow Bir mingham/Bloomfield residents, making the tour a celebration of shared creativity and local pride

Planning to attend? Early registration is highly recommended Not only will it save you money, but it will also give you access to a delicious optional luncheon a per fect way to relax and compare notes with fellow tour-goers For those who decide to join on a whim, don’t wor r y day- of registration is war mly welcomed

If you ’ re looking to get even more out of the Bir mingham House Tour, register for the VIP Experience Visit communityhousehelps org for details and registration

Summer of discover y at The Community House with our camps and classes Get ready for a season packed with creativity, curiosity and connection The Community House is your destination for summer lear ning fun for all ages Our summer camps are bursting with energy and imagination, offering kids unforgettable lear ning oppor tunities Meanwhile summer classes invite teens and adults to dive into new skills, ignite passions, or explore lifelong interests This isn’t school it’s hands- on, hear t-first lear ning that inspires and excites The Community House is where neighbors become friends, talents are discovered, and curiosity thrives Make this your smar test summer yet Register now to grab your spot in our camps and classes, and create a season full of growth, laughter, and lear ning

Visit communityhousehelps org for a full list of camps and classes

Coming Saturday, September 27th: The Pillars of Vibrancy Jubilee will celebrate seven distinguished individuals who are pillars of the sur rounding community in an evening to remember The keynote speaker, Judge Gerald E Rosen, will speak about his pivotal experience as the chief mediator and architect of the “Grand Bargain” in Detroit’s bankr uptcy case that saved the DIA’s priceless collections This unforgettable experience is on the horizon don’t miss your chance to join in the Jubilee

Visit communityhousehelps org for more infor mation

Community Connect: Don’t forget to visit The Community House ever y Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a m to noon Enjoy our beautiful space for work, conversation, games and free coffee

Alison Gaudreau, President, and Camille Jayne, Board Chair

Cris Braun

P L A C E S T O E AT

The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown.

Birmingham/Bloomfield

220: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 220 E Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 2220 220restaurant com

5th Tavern: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner daily No reservations Liquor 2262 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 481 9607 5thtavern com

Adachi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. Liquor. Reservations 325 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009 248 540 5900 adachirestaurant com

Andiamo: Italian Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248 865 9300 andiamoitalia com

Beau’s: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4108 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 626 2630 beausbloomfield com

Bella Piatti: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 494 7110 bellapiattirestaurant com

Bell Bistro: American Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Liquor Reservations 185 N Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 829 7900 bellbirmingham com

Beverly Hills Grill: American Lunch, TuesdaySunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Liquor No reservations 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355. beverlyhillsgrill com

48302 248 540 7220 cityscapedeli com

Commonwealth: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 9766 gocommonwealth com

Dick O’Dow’s: Irish Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 1135 dickodowspub com

Eddie Merlot’s: Steak & seafood Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 712 4095 eddiemerlots com

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 258 9939 einsteinbros com

Elie’s Mediterranean Grill/Bar : Mediterranean Lunch, Thursday-Saturday, Dinner, MondaySaturday No reservations Liquor 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 647 2420 eliesgrill com

EM: Mexican Lunch, Saturday, Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 470 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, 48009 947 234 0819 embirmingham com

Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday Dinner, TuesdayFriday No reservations 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 645 1033 embersdeli1 com

Flemings Prime Steakhouse & W ine Bar : American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 323 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 723 0134 flemingssteakhouse com

Forest: Continental cuisine Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 9400 forestbirmingham com

Greek Islands Coney Restaurant: Greek Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 1222 greekislandsconey com

Beyond Juicery + Eatery: Contemporary Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 270 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009; 221 Cole Street, Birmingham, 48009; 3645 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301; 4065 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301; 1987 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 beyondjuiceryeatery com

Bill’s: American Breakfast, weekends, Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 646 9000 billsbloomfieldhills com

Birmingham Pub: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 555 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 885 8108 thebirminghampub com

Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248 593 8880 birminghamsushi com

Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Liquor Reservations 34244 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 0984 bistrojoeskitchen com

Bloomfield Deli: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday No reservations 71 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 645 6879 bloomfielddeli com

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza Lunch & Dinner, daily Liquor No reservations 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 6690 thebrooklynpizza com

Café Dax: American Breakfast, daily, Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 298 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248.283.4200. daxtonhotel.com

Café ML: New American Dinner, daily Liquor Reservations 3607 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Township 248 642 4000 cafeml com

Café Origins: Global Breakfast and Lunch, daily, Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 163 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 742 4040 originsbirmingham com

Casa Pernoi: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 310 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 940 0000 casapernoi com

Churchill’s Bistro & Cigar Bar : Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 116 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 647 4555 churchillscigarbar com

Cityscape Deli: Deli Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations 877 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills,

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, TuesdaySunday No Reservations Liquor 575 S Eton Street, Birmingham 248 712 4050 griffinclawbrewingcompany com

Hazel’s: Seafood Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1 Peabody Street, Birmingham 248 671 1714 eatathazels com

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily No reservations 3633 W Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301 248 203 9111 honeytreegrille com

Hudson’s Place: Pizza/Coffee/Takeout Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 1087 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 540 2266 hudsonsplacepizzeria com

Hunter House Hamburgers: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 7121 hunterhousehamburgers com

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 201 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 4369 hydeparkrestaurants com

IHOP: American Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations 2187 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 248 333 7522 Ihop com

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood Brunch, Sunday, Dinner daily Reservations Liquor 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 792 9609 joemuer com

Kaku Sushi and Poke’: Asian Lunch, MondayFriday & Dinner daily No reservations 869 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 480 4785, and 126 S Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009 248 885 8631 kakusushipoke com

Kerby’s Koney Island: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 2160 N Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 333 1166 kerbyskoneyisland com

La Marsa: Mediterranean Lunch & Dinner daily Reservations 43259 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 858 5800 lamarsacuisine com

La Pecora Nera: Italian deli. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations 135 Pierce St Birmingham, 48009 248 940 5613 lapecoraneradetroit com

La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar : Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 243 E Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 480 0492 lastradaitaliankitchen com

Leo’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 154 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham,

48009 248 593 9707 Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 646 8568 leosconeyisland com

Lincoln Yard and Little Yard: American Little Yard take-out hours: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Lincoln Yard hours: Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2159 E Lincoln Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 653 5353 eatlincolnyard com

Little Daddy’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 647 3400 littledaddys com

Luxe Bar & Grill: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 525 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248 792 6051 luxebarandgrill com

Madam: American Brunch, weekends Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner daily Reservations Liquor 298 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 283 4200 daxtonhotel com

Mare Mediterranean: Seafood Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 115 W illets Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 940 5525 maremediterranean com

Market North End: American Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 712 4953 marketnorthend com

Marrow: American Butcher shop and eatery Breakfast and Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 283 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 734.410.0405 marrowdetroit com/restaurant

MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar : Mexican Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301 248 723 0800 mexbloomfield com

Middle Eats: Mediterranean Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield, 48093 248 274 328 middleeats com

Nippon Sushi Bar : Japanese Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner daily No reservations Liquor 2079 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 481 9581 nipponsushibar com

Olga’s Kitchen: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 2075 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 451 0500 olgas.com

Original Pancake House: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 5775 oph-mi com

Phoenicia: Lebanese Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 588 S. Old Woodward Birmingham, 48009 phoeniciabirmingham com

Roadside B & G: American Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1727 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48302 248 858 7270 roadsidebandg com

Salvatore Scallopini: Italian Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & W ine 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 644 8977 salsbirmingham com

Shift Kitchen & Cocktails: Small plates Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 2380 shiftbirmingham com

Sidecar : American Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 2380 sidecarsliderbar com

Slice Pizza Kitchen: Pizza. Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 3475 slicepizzakitchen com

Social Kitchen & Bar : American Lunch & Dinner, daily Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Reservations Liquor 225 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 4200 socialkitchenandbar com

Steve’s Deli: Deli Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday Breakfast and Lunch, Sunday No reservations 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301 248 932 0800 stevesdeli com

Streetside Seafood: Seafood Lunch, Thursday & Friday, Dinner, daily Liquor 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 645 9123 streetsideseafood com

Sushi Hana: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations. Liquor. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 333 3887 sushihanabloomfield com

Sy Thai Cafe: Thai Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily No reservations 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 9830

sythaibirmingham com

Sylvan Table: American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1819 Inverness Street, Sylvan Lake, 48320 248 369 3360

sylvantable.com

Tallulah W ine Bar and Bistro: American Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 55 S Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 731 7066 tallulahwine com

Terra Kitchen & Cocktails: New American Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 260 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 556 5640 dineterra com

Teuta: Diner Breakfast and Lunch, daily No reservations 168 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 590 2113

teutabirmingham com

Thai Street Kitchen: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations 42805 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304 248 499 6867

thaistreetkitchen com

The French Lady: French Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations 768 N Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248 480 0571 zefrenchlady com

The Gallery Restaurant: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & wine 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 851 0313

galleryrestaurant2 com

The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2395 S Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 858 7688 moosepreserve com

The Rugby Grille: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 5999 rugbygrille com

Toast: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Reservations Liquor 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 6278 eatattoast com

Tomatoes Apizza: Pizza Lunch & Dinner daily Carryout. 34200 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009 248 258 0500 tomatoesapizza com

Touch of India: Lunch, Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday & Sunday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 297 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 593 7881 thetouchofindia.com

Townhouse: American Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 5241 eatattownhouse com

Whistle Stop Diner : American Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Liquor No reservations 501 S Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 566 3566 whistlestopdiners com

W ilder’s: American Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 458 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 771 0900 wildersbirmingham com

ZANA : Modern American Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 210 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 800 6568 zanabham com

Zao Jun: Asian Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301 248.949.9999. zaojunnewasian.com

Royal Oak/Fer ndale

Ale Mary’s: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 316 South Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 268 1917 alemarysbeer com

Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 22651 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220

248 548 0680 anitaskitchen com

Beppé: New American Lunch, Saturday and Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations Liquor 703 N Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 607 7030 eatbeppe com

Bigalora: Italian Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 711 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 544 2442 bigalora.com

Blind Owl: International/American comfort

Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 511 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 216 1112 blindowlrestaurant com

Cafe Muse: French Breakfast & Lunch, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor 418 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 544 4749 cafemuseroyaloak com

Coeur : New American Small Plates Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 330 W Nine Mile Road,

Ferndale, 48220 248 466 3010 coeurferndale com

Como’s: Pizza Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 22812 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 677 4439 comosrestaurant com

Crispelli’s Bakery and Pizzeria: Italian Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 28939 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072 248 591 3300 crispellis com

The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday No reservations 22950 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale 48220 248 399 5150 theflytrapferndale com

Grand River Brewery: American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations. Liquor. 1 E. 14 Mile Road, Clawson, 48017 248 607-3631 grandriverbrewer

Gus’ Snug: Irish Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 38 S Main Street, Clawson, 48017 248 607 3631 gussnug com

HopCat: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 430 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 744 2544 HopCat com

Howe’s Bayou: Cajun Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday No reservations Liquor 22949 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248.691.7145. howesbayouferndale.net

Imperial: Mexican Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 22848 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 691 7145 imperialferndale com

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor 22871 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 543 9500 inyorestaurant com

Kacha Thai Market: Thai Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations 205 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 942-4246

KouZina: Greek Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 121 N Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 629 6500 gokouzina com

Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 28028 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 965 2101 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 410 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 591 5459 lilysseafood com

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Brunch, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 202 E Third Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 584 422 lockhartsbbq com

Masala: Indian Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations 106 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.850.8284. food orders co/royaloakmasala

Mezcal: Mexican Bruch, Sunday Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 201 E Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 248 268 3915 mezcalferndale com

Noori Pocha: Korean Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Liquor 1 S Main Street, Clawson, 48017 248 850 7512 nooripocha com

Oak City Grille: American Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 212 W 6th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 556 0947 oakcitygrille.com

Oak Parker : American Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 13621 W Eleven Mile Road, Oak Park, 48327 oakparkerbar com

One-Eyed Betty’s: American Breakfast, weekends, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor. 175 W. Troy Street, Ferndale, 48220. 248 808 6633 oneeyedbettys com

Pastaio: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 208 W 5th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 565 8722 eatpastaio com/royal-oak

Pop’s for Italian: Italian Brunch and Lunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 280 W 9 Mile Road, Ferndale,48220 248 268 4806 popsforitalian com

Redcoat Tavern: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 31542 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48073 248 549 0300 redcoat-tavern com

Ronin: Japanese Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 326 W 4th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 546 0888 roninsushi com

Rosita’s Cocina: Columbian Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. Inside Café Muse, 418 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 586 354 0929 rositastreats com

Royal Oak Brewery: American Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 215 E 4th Street, Royal Oak,

48067 248 544 1141 royaloakbrewery com

Sozai: Japanese Dinner, WednesdaySaturday Reservations 449 West 14 Mile Road, Clawson,48017 248 677-3232 sozairestaurant com

The Modern Vegan: Vegan Brunch, weekends, Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 304 N Main St, Royal Oak, 48067 248 206-7041 tmvrestaurants com

Three Cats Café: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 116 W 14 Mile Road, Clawson threecatscafe com

Tigerlily: Japanese Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 231 W Nine Mile Road Suite A, Ferndale, 48220 248 733 4905 tigerlilyferndale com

Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 23144 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 398 0444 eatattoast com

Tom’s Oyster Bar : Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 318 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 541 1186 tomsoysterbar com

Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 415 S, Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 542 4444 trattoriadaluigi business site com

Vinsetta Garage: American Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 7799 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072 248 548 7711 vinsettagarage com

Voyager : Seafood. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations Liquor 600 Vester Street, Ferndale, 48220 248 658 4999 voyagerferndale com

Troy/Rochester

Antica Nova: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1695 E Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48083 248 422 6521 anticanova.com

Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian Lunch, Tuesday-Friday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1933 W Maple Road, Troy, 48084 248 280 1831 cafesushimi com

Capital Grill: Steak & Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2800 W Big Beaver Road, Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084 248 649 5300

CK Diggs: American & Italian Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2010 W Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 853 6600 ckdiggs com

The Dime Store: American. Breakfast and Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 6920 N Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306 248 963 0941 eatdimestore com

Ernie’s on the Creek: Modern Mediterranean Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 543 N Main St #201, Rochester, 48307 248 710 8808 erniesonthecreek com

Firebird Tavern: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4845 Rochester Road, Troy, 48085 248 289 9650 firebirdtaverntroy com Grand Castor : Latin American Lunch and Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2950 Rochester Road, Troy, 48083 248 278 7777 grancastor com

The Jackson: Modern American Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 184 N Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 709 9453 thejacksonrestaurant com

Kona Grille: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 30 E Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083 248 619 9060 konagrill com

Kruse & Muer on Main: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor. 327 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 652 9400 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

Loccino Italian Grill and Bar : Italian Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Liquor Reservations 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098 248 813 0700 loccino com

The Meeting House: American Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 301 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 759 4825 themeetinghouserochester com

Mon Jin Lau: Nu Asian Dinner, daily Reservations. Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Road, Troy, 48083 248 689 2332 monjinlau com

Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 888 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 404 9845 mortons com

M E T R O I N T E L L I G E N C E R

Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what s happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Gigi Nichols who can be reached at GigiNichols@DowntownPublications com with news items or tips, on or off the record

Big Rock Italian Chophouse set to open July 15

In 2023, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) announced that they would be adding Big Rock Italian Chophouse as a new concept to its family of restaurants Located in Bir mingham’s for mer Grand Tr unk Wester n Railroad Depot, the for mer Big Rock Chophouse has undergone a two -year renovation, now housing two distinct yet complementar y experiences: Big Rock Italian Chophouse features 7,718 square feet of restaurant space, while The Rock Cigar Club occupies 2,357 square feet of refined, luxur y lounge space including the addition of the Annex, a newly built second floor space The menu will offer signature dishes featuring USDA prime steaks and chops, fresh seafood and chef curated pastas In preparation for its July 15 opening, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants has announced the leadership team for Big Rock Italian Chophouse and The Rock Cigar Club: Steve Her miz as general manager, Chris Mayer as executive chef and Sue Simich as sales and concierge manager According to Cameron Mitchell, founder and CEO of CMR, each member of the leadership team has deep roots within CMR and brings decades of hospitality experience, ensuring the renovated and reimaged destination is guided by industr y veterans who exemplif y the company ’ s people-first philosophy “Our culture is to put people first, both our associates and guests Sue, Chris and Steve all absolutely represent this philosophy of creating a tr uly extraordinar y experience for our guests at ever y level,” said Mitchell 245 S Eton Street, Bir mingham cameronmitchell com

Rolling in new flavors

Aji Sushi has opened its doors at Midtown Square in Troy taking over the space for merly occupied by Panera Bread The restaurant is owned by Jian Lin and managed by his nephew, Benson Lin The newly renovated interior draws inspiration from traditional Japanese homes, featuring a clean, minimalist design accented with light natural wood and Japanese prints The restaurant offers seating for approximately 80 guests, with an additional 12 seats available on the outdoor patio Aji Sushi’s menu features a diverse selection of Japanese cuisine, including classic sushi rolls, sizzling teriyaki dishes, and inventive fusion creations Two of the popular signature rolls include: King of the Ocean featuring lobster tempura, shrimp tempura, spicy snow crab, avocado, soy paper, wrapped with crab sticks, boiled shrimp, eel sauce and tempura bits; and the Aji Roll with tuna, salmon and yellowtail, topped with various colors of caviar The owners are cur rently awaiting their liquor license, and hope to begin offering sake, wine and beer within the next six months One of their standout offerings is the “all-you-can-eat” experience distinctly not a buffet Guests order directly from the menu, ensuring freshly prepared dishes while helping to reduce food waste “It’s been a huge hit with our customers,” said Benson Lin 1325 Coolidge Highway, Troy ajisushimi com

A perfect duo

Tony Camaj and Marash Lucaj have been friends for 30-plus years, and just last year they hatched a plan to open a restaurant Their par tnership couldn’t be more complementar y Camaj s background is in constr uction while Lucaj s experience is in the restaurant industr y They looked at several locations in different cities and were immediately drawn to a location in Bir mingham’s Adams Square Shopping Center at Adams and Bowers Street They named their new venture House of Bir mingham In addition to overseeing the constr uction, Camaj also handled the interior design of the space The inviting interior features a mix of cozy booths and sleek banquettes that can seat up to 85 guests Wood accents on the ceiling and walls provide depth and war mth and are complemented by contemporar y lighting fixtures The menu, developed by Lucaj, features a wide variety of breakfast fare from healthy bowls and egg dishes to sweeter options like French toast, pancakes, waffles and crepes The skillet dishes, craf ted with homemade seasoned potatoes, eggs offered along with meats or veggies have emerged as crowd favorites The lunch side of the menu offers wraps, burgers, salads, and classic sandwiches such as the Califor nia BLT and the tuna melt with Swiss cheese on grilled r ye The restaurant is open seven days a week from 8 a m to 3 p m 653 S Adams Road, Bir mingham order spoton com

NM Café: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2705 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 816 3424 neimanmarcus com/restaurants

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 375 9200 oceaniainnrochesterhills com

Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2915 Coolidge Highway, Troy, 48084. 248 458 0500 ocean-prime com

O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 324 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 608 2537 oconnorsrochester com

Orchid Café: Thai Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Road , Troy, 48085 248 524 1944 orchid-cafe com

P F Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor Somerset Collection, 2801 W Big Beaver Rd , Troy, 48084 248 816 8000 pfchangs com

Recipes: American/Brunch Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 134 W University Drive, Rochester, 48037 248 659 8267 Also 2919 Crooks Road, Troy, 48084 248 614 5390 recipesinc com

RH House: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 No reservations Liquor 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 586 1000 rh house com

RH Social: Pizza/Sports Bar Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 6870 N Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306 248 759 4858 rochesterhillssocial com

Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 306 S Main St , Rochester, 48307 248 651 2266 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 755 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 269 8424 ruthschris com

Sedona Taphouse: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 198 Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083 248 422 6167 sedonataphouse co

Silver Spoon: Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48306 248 652 4500 silverspoonristorante com

Stumblebum Beer Co : American Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Beer 1965 W Maple Road, Troy, 48084 248 307 7204 stumblebumbeer.com

Too Ra Loo: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 139 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 453 5291 tooraloorochester com

West Bloomfield/Southfield

Aurora Italiana: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6199 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., 48322. 248.782.3000. auroraitaliana com

Aurora on the Lake: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382 248 360 6650 auroraitaliana com

Cornbread Restaurant & Bar : Southern Lunch & Dinner, Thursday-Tuesday Reservations Liquor 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034 248 208 1680 cornbreadsoulfood com

Bigalora: Italian Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034 248 544 2442 bigalora com

The Fiddler : Russian Sunday, Dinner, ThursdaySunday Reservations Liquor 6676 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 851 8782 fiddlerrestaurant com

Mene Sushi: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Beer & W ine 6239 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 538 7081 menesususi com

Nonna Maria’s: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248 851 2500 nonamariasbistro com

Pickles & Rye: Deli Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations 6724 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 737 3890 picklesandryedeli com

Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 6545 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48322 248 737 7463 prime29steakhouse com

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations Liquor 6745 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 865 0500 redcoattavern com

Shangri-La: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 626 8585 dinesangrila com

Stage Deli: Deli Lunch, & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Liquor 6873 Orchard Lake Rd , West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 855 6622 stagedeli com

Yotsuba: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 7365 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48322 248 737 8282 yotsuba-restaurant com

West Oakland

Volare Ristorante: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393 248 960 7771 ristorantevolare com

North Oakland

Clarkston Union: American Breakfast, Sunday, Lunch, & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 54 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248.620.6100. clarkstonunion.com

Kruse s Deer Lake Inn: Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346 248 795 2077 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

The Fed: American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 15 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248 297 5833 thefedcommunity com

Rudy’s Steakhouse: Steak Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 9 S Main Street, Village of Clarkston, 48346 248 625 3033 rudysprimesteakhouse com Via Bologna: Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations Liquor 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346 248 620 8500 joebologna com

Union Woodshop: BBQ Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 18 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248 625 5660 unionwoodshop com

Detroit

Adelina: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations. Liquor. 1040 Woodward Ave, Detroit,48226 313 246 8811 adelinadetroit com

Alpino: Alpine cuisine Brunch, Sunday Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1426 Bagley Street, Detroit, 48216 313 524 0888 alpinodetroit com

Ash-Bar : Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1509 Broadway Street, Detroit, 48226 313 277 4736 ash world/hotels/the-siren com

Bar Pigalle: French Brunch, Sundays Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2915 John R Street, Detroit, 48201 313 497 9200 barpigalle.com

Barda: Argentinian Dinner, Thursday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4842 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, 48208 313 952 5182 bardadetroit com

Basan: Asian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2703 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313.481.2703. basandetroit.com

Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2684 E Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, 48207 313 965 3111 bucharestgrill com

Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails: Seasonal American Lunch, Thursday & Friday, Dinner, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 15 E Kirby Street D, Detroit, 48202 313 818 3915 chartreusekc com

Cliff Bell’s: American Dinner, WednesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48226 313 961 2543 cliffbells com

Coriander Kitchen and Farm: Farm to table. Brunch, Sunday, Lunch & Dinner, Monday and Thursday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 14601 Riverside Boulevard, Detroit, 48215 313 338 9466 corianderkitchenandfarm com

Corktown Taphouse: American and Mexican No reservations Lunch & Dinner, daily Liquor

1611 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216 313 362 8184 corktowntaphouse com

Cuisine: French Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 670 Lothrop Road, Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110. cuisinerestaurantdetroit com

The Eagle: The Eagle: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 3461 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 334 4530 eaglerestaurant com

El Barzon: Mexican Lunch, Tuesday-Friday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 3710 Junction Street, Detroit, 48210 313 894 2070 elbarzonrestaurant com

Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226 313 965 4600 fishbonesusa com

Freya: Price fixed Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations, Liquor 2929 E Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48202 313 351 5544 freyadetroit com

Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 330 S Oakwood Boulevard, Detroit, 48217 313 841 0122 giovannisrestaurante com

Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2200 W Lafayette, Detroit, 48216 313 962 5588 greendotstables com

HIROKI-SAN: Japanese Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 1265 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, 48226. 313 597 8344 hirokisandetroit com

Javier’s Downtown: Steakhouse Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1452 Brush St, Detroit, 48226 313 816 0007 javiersdowntown com

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243 313 567 6837 joemuer com

Johnny Noodle King: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2601 W Fort Street, Detroit, 48216 313 309 7946 johnnynoodleking com

Lady of the House: New American Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4884 Grand River Ave Unit 1C, Detroit, 48208 313 230 4678 ladyofthehousedetroit com

Leila: Lebanese Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1245 Griswold Street, Detroit, 48226 313 816 8100 leiladetroit com

Lena: Dinner, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor 2720 Brush Street, Detroit, 48201 313.262.6082. lenadetroit.com

Le Supreme: French Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1265 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226 313 597-7734 lesupremedetroit com

Lone Goat: British Pub Lunch, MondaySaturday, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 33 John R Street, Detroit, 48226 thelonegoat com

Mad Nice: Coastal Italian/American Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4120 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 558 8000 madnicedetroit com

Mario’s: Italian Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4222 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313.832.1616. mariosdetroit.com

Mezcal: Mexican Brunch, Weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 51 W Forest Avenue, Detroit, 48202 313 974 7441 mezcaldetroit com

Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 4710 Cass Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 974 7669 midtownshangril-la com

Motor City Brewing Works: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & W ine 470 W Canfield Street, Detroit, 48201 313 832 2700 motorcitybeer com

Oak & Reel: Italian Seafood Dinner, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor 2921 E Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48202 313 270 9600 oakandreel com

Ostrea: Seafood. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations Liquor 536 Shelby Street, Detroit, 48226 313 403 2111 ostreadetroit com

PAO Detroit: Asian Fusion/Pan Asian Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 114 W Adams Avenue, Suite 200, Detroit, 48226 313.816.0000. paodetroit.com

Parc: New American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48226 313 922 7272 parcdetroit com

Prime + Proper : Steak House Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1145 Griswold St, Detroit, 48226 313 636 3100 primeandproperdetroit com

Prism: Steak & Seafood Dinner, WednesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 555 E Lafayette Street, Detroit, 48226 313 309 2499 hollywoodgreektown com

Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave , Detroit, 48226 313 962 2100

Selden Standard: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor 3921 Second Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 438 5055 seldenstandard com

Sexy Steak: Steakhouse Dinner, daily Reservations. Liquor. 1942 Grand River Avenue, Detroit,48226 313 403 1000 sexysteakdetroit com

SheWolf Pastifico & Bar : Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 438 Selden Street, Detroit 48201 313 315 3992 shewolfdetroit com

Sinbad’s: Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 100 St Clair Street, Detroit, 48214 313 822 8000 sindbads com

Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations Liquor 2138 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216 313 962 9828 slowsbarbq com/locations/corktown

Soraya: Japanese Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, Mondy-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 160 W Fort Street, Detroit, 48226 313 262 6078 sorayadetroit com

Sullivan’s Steakhouse: Steakhouse Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1128 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226 313 591 2495 sullivanssteakhouse com

Supergeil: Berlin Doner Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 2442 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216 313 462 4133 supergeildetroit com

Tap at MGM Grand: American Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226 313 465 1234 mgmgranddetroit com

The Apparatus Room: New American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 250 W Larned Street, Detroit, 48226 313 800 5600 detroitfoundationhotel com

The Block: American Brunch, Weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor. 3919 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 832 0892 theblockdet com

The Dime Store: American Breakfast & Lunch, Thursday-Tuesday No reservations Liquor 719 Griswold Street #180, Detroit, 48226 313 962 9106 eatdimestore com

The Peterboro: Chinese American Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 420 Peterboro Street, Detroit, 48201 313 462 8106 thepeterboro com

The Statler : French Brunch, Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 313 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48226 313 463 7111 statlerdetroit com

Townhouse Detroit: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 500 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 48226. 313 723 1000 townhousedetroit com

Vecino: Mexican Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4100 3rd Ave, Detroit, 48201 313 500 1615 vecinodetroit com

Vertical Detroit: Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 1538 Center Street, Detroit, 48226 313 732 WINE verticaldetroit com

Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2460 Market Street, Detroit, 48207 313 393 1711 viviosdetroit net

The Whitney: American Brunch, Sunday Wednesday-Friday, Tea Service, Friday & Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4421 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313.832.5700. thewhitney.com

Wright & Co : American Dinner, TuesdaySaturday No reservations Liquor 1500 Woodward Avenue, Second Floor, Detroit, 48226 313 962 7711 wrightdetroit com

Zuzu: Asian Fusion Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 511 Woodward Ave suite 100, Detroit, 48226 313 464 7777 experiencezuzu com

Ferndale welcomes Nine Kitchen + Bar

Nine Kitchen + Bar has opened on Woodward Avenue in Fer ndale, just nor th of Nine Mile Road hence the name Housed in the for mer Brooks Brewer y location, the space has undergone a complete transfor mation At the hear t of the restaurant is a striking 20-seat bar, the focal point of an interior that blends industr y and glam Cor r ugated steel ceiling panels, exposed ductwork, and ter razzo flooring provide a raw, moder n backdrop, which is sof tened by plush velour banquettes, elegant lighting, and vintage black-and-white Hollywood photos The venture is led by coowners Damian Dabish and Marlon Gaggo, with Ryan Thweni ser ving as general manager and Sloan Year r y overseeing the bar program Thweni describes the concept as “ a new American bistro and upbeat cocktail lounge with good vibes only ” The menu is built around elevated comfor t food and shareable plates, including favorites like bang bang shrimp, tuna tar tare, and lamb meatballs Signature entrées include caramelized onion chicken ser ved with cacio e pepe mashed potatoes, asparagus and rosemar y car rots; and whitefish cr usted with pistachiosage breadcr umbs, finished with par mesan, beur re blanc, and seasonal vegetables Nine Kitchen + Bar is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner The happy hour, which has already proved to be quite popular, r uns Tuesday-Friday 4-6 p m House wines are $6, draf t beers are $2 off and craf t cocktails are offered at $10 22925 Woodward Avene, Fer ndale ninekitchenbar com

One door closes, another one opens

The latest chapter of “ one door closes and another one opens ” features Café Succa and Kemosabe in Bir mingham Café Succa ser ved acai bowls, smoothies, sandwiches and coffees and was owned by Anthony Toma who took to social media in a live broadcast to voice no regrets about closing the operation “Café Succa is officially closed ” said Toma “ Thanks to ever yone who came out and suppor ted Glad to be rid of it, I guess Not so much rid of it, but glad I don’t have to be responsible for staffing and being here doing the retail thing Brick and mor tar is not my thing anymore I’m the kind of guy that likes to be free and not buckled down to a physical location ” Toma then suggested that his customers suppor t other similar dining options such in Bir mingham such as Beyond Juice and Fr uition Café Succa was located at 600 N. Old Woodward Avenue, enjoyed a primo location at the nor th end of the city with a patio overlooking the Far mer ’ s Market A new and completely different restaurant-concept, Kemosabe, is set to take over the space Kemosabe is owned by Rober t Esshaki and will be a French bistro style restaurant The cur rent design includes seating for 54 inside and 16 seats outside, with plans to constr uct a roof top dining area The restaurant has been granted per mission by the Bir mingham City Commission to seek a bistro license

2025 Culinary Collective with Jacques Pépin

In July, Michelin-star red chef and owner of Oak & Reel in Detroit, Jared Gadbaw, will kick- off his annual Culinar y Collective dinner series with a multi-course event celebrating an icon in the culinar y world Jacques Pépin Gadbaw will join 90 chefs across the countr y in honoring the legend with the “90 Chefs for 90 Years” series This special Culinar y Collective dinner will take place on July 17, and is par t of a nationwide celebration recognizing Chef Pépin’s 90th bir thday and his enduring commitment to culinar y education Joining Gadbaw for the one-night- only dinner is owner and chef Danny Combs of the acclaimed Cincinnati restaurant Colette, who is known for his refined yet imaginative take on French cuisine Also joining them is Chef Dan Williams, Corporate Chef for Daniel Boulud The chefs will collaborate on a menu that blends both timeless French techniques with their unique styles Proceeds from the dinner will suppor t the Jacques Pépin Foundation (JPF) and its mission to empower communities through culinar y education The Culinar y Collective dinner will also launch Oak & Reel’s month-long French menu takeover that r uns through mid-August Throughout the month Chef Gadbaw and his team will offer an exclusively French menu, designed to transpor t guests to France and take them on a culinar y tour of its most iconic regions from the butter y richness of Nor mandy to the bold flavors of Provence Tickets for the July 17 dinner are $235 Seating is limited oakandreel com/culinar y-collective

Time to evaluate Birmingham Village Fair

The city of Bir mingham is at a crossroads regarding the longtime Village Fair, held for the last 60 years the last weekend of May/the first weekend of June in Shain Park and sur rounding streets Although it isn't directly the fault of the city, massive fights and disr uptions by teens who have come into the downtown area the last two years during the fair have caused fallout that the city – and the Bir mingham City Commission, which provides the per mit for the Village Fair, and Bir mingham Bloomfield Chamber, which sponsors it – must deal with, before more serious injur y, or even a fatality, occurs

For 60 years residents of the Bir mingham and Bloomfield area, and their children, as well as those from sur rounding communities, have looked for ward to the ar rival each spring of the Bir mingham Village Fair which promises four days of fun activities, as well as memories The Bir mingham Village Fair is hosted by the Bir mingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce (BBCC) each year in the Shain Park area of the city The event is the major fundraiser for the business group which devotes considerable time and energy to provide the community with a fun and safe event that the entire family can enjoy Last year, BBCC President Joe Bauman told us that local non-profit groups each year get about $20,000 from the chamber ’ s fair proceeds The BBCC spends about $20,000 each year for police and fire depar tment presence at the event, with somewhere between eight-14 officers present at any time, including some volunteer officers

For years, the fair stayed open until 11 p m on Friday and Saturday evenings, and has been a fun activity for not only families but teens to hang out The fair is billed as primarily a family event, and

those with young children typically have lef t by 6:30 or 7 p m , leaving the games and rides to the teens, who are largely unsuper vised

Last year, several repor ted physical confrontations occur red The most concer ning event – which was caught on sur veillance cameras and numerous phone videos – was a beatdown that took place on Saturday evening at about 10 p m on Henrietta Street near W Maple, involving male students from Brother Rice and Seaholm Several males attacked a Seaholm student, who police described as someone tr ying to diffuse tension between two groups The attackers continued to beat and kick him once he fell to the ground

Charges were brought against some students, but that didn't stop two hor rific fights from breaking out this year on the evening of Friday, May 30, where five teens, two boys and three girls, where taken into custody and another landed in the hospital The fights spilled out onto Mer rill Street and Henrietta and Maple streets – technically just outside the jurisdiction of the Village Fair From videos, it appears police were totally outmanned and had difficulty getting the crowds under control

A city commissioner this past year raised concer n that if the fair shuts down at 6 p m when families leave, the teens would disperse to the streets of Bir mingham Well, they already are Yes, kids need someplace to go and hang out We all did – but there is a distinct difference between peaceful recreation and wild hoodlums Sadly, some of the teenagers fall into the latter categor y, and are r uining it for ever yone

Bir mingham is not the only municipality facing out of control visitors As we noted last year in this space, St Mar y ’ s annual Polish Countr y Fair was

cancelled because of teen violence and threats on social media, as has Berkley Days, where for two consecutive years teen gangs descended to settle their disputes

The problem facing Bir mingham is it is now one of the last remaining events of this nature and is likely to draw even more teens from a much larger area in the future

While we understand that this has been a significant moneymaker for the chamber of commerce, Village Fair and several local nonprofits the BBCC suppor ts, something must be done to prevent the teen violence of the last two years –whether it is a serious increase in police officers, or even fur ther reduced fair hours, for example

We notice that the BBCC on social media has star ted a campaign asking local businesses to appear in videos to promote the Village Fair and its benefits to the local business community The chamber of commerce must be anticipating complaints and questions we are already receiving But a public relations effor t is the last thing we need

Let’s have a serious review of the problems of the Village Fair – not next spring but immediately while this year ’ s event is still fresh in ever yone ’ s mind

We don’t believe that the city should delegate the task of finding a solution to just the chamber of commerce and police officials, an approach that did not work this year The city commission needs to hold a work session or two to discuss the Village Fair and under what conditions it can continue

The city would expect nothing less from any other major event before it issues another per mit

Growth of bistros, dining platforms in city

Sometimes too much of a good thing is just way too much, and the city of Bir mingham is faced with just such a conundr um of its own making

An innovative ordinance in 2007 to develop bistros for the city, which included a requirement to have outdoor dining in order to invigorate the retail community and create greater walkability appears to be at a tipping point Many of these establishments requested from the city, and were per mitted, to build platfor ms for their outdoor dining in at least one parking spot in the city The thinking was that, yes, it removed a parking space from circulation for six months of the year, but it enhanced the downtown by creating greater visibility not only for the dining establishment, but for the entire downtown business district The goal was to have diners shop in stores before or af ter their meals

Fast for ward 18 years, and there are now restaurants of all kinds in Bir mingham, 48 of which

have outdoor components, and 15 with dining platfor ms We understand there are applications in with the city for three more dining platfor ms, including more for W Maple Combined with redesigned streets downtown which eliminated parking spaces on Maple, Old Woodward, Pierce and Hamilton, the increase of dining platfor ms not only creates visual cacophony, but a tr ue difficulty for shoppers and other visitors to downtown seeking parking

A r undown of the outdoor segments indicates that the 48 include both those with liquor licenses, and those without At a recent joint Bir mingham City Commission/Planning Board workshop it was acknowledged that the dining platfor ms are costly for restaurateurs to build and maintain But there is a cost to the image and welfare of the city, as well

We recommend putting a hold on future applications for outdoor dining platfor ms as the planning board assesses the impact on the city as a whole, not just individual businesses We also think

that the question of whether the city has reached a saturation point when it comes to bistros should be addressed We all remember the decline of Royal Oak when dining and drink establishments became too numerous

As some quick added thoughts for planners to consider: perhaps establishments without liquor licenses should not be granted platfor ms Fur ther, the city should not allow a dining business to have outdoor seating and platfor ms in front of neighboring businesses Par t of assessing a proper ty before opening is deter mining the outdoor space possibilities – not hoping you can crib your neighbor's

The city would also be well ser ved to do a sur vey of other municipalities around the countr y with similar ordinances to see how they are faring, and coping, which can then lead to a discussion of whether the city has reached a point that a moratorium on dining platfor ms and bistros would be in its best interests