Little Camille’s & Culinary Expressions Catering The story of

Written By: Mark Miller

“We came from a hard working family who taught us to learn a trade, take care of the necessities, and respect others.”

We are truly blessed to have had the most wonderful parents who taught us a solid work ethic, responsibility for self, and love of others. We came from hard-working families who taught us to learn a trade, respect others, and take care of the necessities in life. We will be forever thankful for all the people who have helped us get to where we are today.” In 2002 Mark and Camille Miller started a catering business called Culinary Expressions Catering. They bought a building in Mt Clemens and started their adventure. It was hard in the beginning, getting to know people and promoting the business. Then they met Lisa Edwards (then Anchor Bay Chamber of Commerce) and Dan Moss (Central Macomb Chamber of Commerce now the Macomb Chamber) who were both helping with Chamber of Commerce opportunities. The newly formed catering business tried flyer’s and ad campaigns but found that they we not working to their advantage. They joined the Chamber of Commerce and decided to go to every event and meeting that was offered. They started meeting so many people and made some great connections. That year business grew 40%. The chamber membership also opened many other doors, like making Culinary Expressions the “Chef” of the Mt Clemens Farmers market where Mark created culinary dishes from the fresh produce supplied by the area farmers. “It was so successful that whenever I made something out of certain items, the entire market sold out of that product. We met so many great people and we taught them how to cook fresh and to eat good food. It was one of the most gratifying things I have done.” As the years have gone by, with the catering business growing, Mark was too busy to keep doing the market and sadly had to stop. Then Little Camille’s Pizza opened in 2008 in Mt Clemens … shortly followed by a City road closure due to road repair, closing the pizzeria briefly. They did reopen but the experience gave them the thought that they wanted

to put their pizza in a restaurant. And so the search was on, and in 2011 Mark and Camille bought a bar-restaurant called the Slippery Rock in New Baltimore. Slipper Rock was a small 70 seat building but the landlord agreed that they could grow into the adjacent room when they were ready. They made the investment, and Little Camille’s Pizza became Little Camille’s By the Bay! Menu items originate in the “cooked from scratch” kitchen, concentrating on good food, good service and reasonable prices. Besides the fabulous pizza, The Garlic Knots and Big Ron Salad have been a crowd favorite. The Hand Breaded Chicken Tenders & Mac & Cheese keep families coming in … and don’t forget the Michigan Lake Perch. It’s SCRUMPTIOUS! Business had been going well and in 2016 Little Camille’s By the Bay expanded to the 2nd room, which can be used for private events and additional dining. The staff works hard to take care of the customers. Mark stresses that the staff, after all, is the key component of the restaurant’s success. “They are family to us and we preach to them to treat our customers as family too. Never in my life would I have thought that we would have this large of a business having anywhere from 20 to 35 employees working with us. The challenges happen every day, but we enjoy meeting them and overcoming them.” “We love all our customers and staff and Camille and I are so blessed to have so many good people around us, especially our daughter Cara, sister Arlene, nephews Andrew and Hudson, and our niece Madison who all work with us, along with the rest of our family who have put labor and love into our success.” Their next adventure is in the works as they look at opening another restaurant! It is a little early to give much detail but they’re thinking “Miller’s Pizza & Grill”. Doesn’t that have a nice ring to it? Stay tuned for the next chapter. n