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DETROIT SENSI MAGAZINE MARCH 2020
sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag
F E AT U R E S
24
The Face of Detroit
32
In a New Dimension
Chef Max Hardy champions our cityʼs diverse food scene.
Paper engineers create the first pop-up book to explore the world of cannabis.
D E PA R T M E N T S
00
9 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 THE BUZZ News, tips, and tidbits
to keep you in the loop GET POPPING Make your own infused popcorn. SEEING ROUGE Detroit’s weirdest parade THE NEXT VIAGRA? Product promises longer-lasting sex. PURSUIT OF APPINESS
Happy the App lends an ear to those in need.
18 THE LIFE Contributing to your
40 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip
hangouts around town BENZINGA Tap into local financial know-how. LIFT YOUR SPIRITS How to tell (and smell) a good whiskey CALENDAR Spring into action with these events.
50 THE END
Big City Mountaineers gets kids climbing.
ON THE COVER Chef Max Hardy concocts culinary delights at his restaurant, COOP Caribbean Fusion. PHOTO BY DAVID RANDOLPH
health and happiness SIZE MATTERS The wins and woes of tiny homes HOROSCOPE What the stars hold for you
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Retail Stores in Kalamazoo & Nashville A DV I S O R Y B OA R D
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I NSTAG RAM @sensimagazine is home to exclusive photos and content.
Magazine published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2020 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.
EXECUTIVE Ron Kolb Founder, CEO ron@sensimag.com Mike Mansbridge President mike@sensimag.com
B
Alex Martinez Chief Operating Officer alex@sensimag.com EDITORIAL
Stephanie Wilson Co-Founder, Editor in Chief stephanie@sensimag.com Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com Leland Rucker Senior Editor leland.rucker@sensimag.com
Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large robyn.lawrence@sensimag.com Helen Olsson Copy Chief Melissa Howsam Senior Copy Editor Bevin Wallace Copy Editor
Darralynn Hutson, Tracy Ross, Mona Van Joseph Contributing Writers DESIGN Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Kiara Lopez Designer Josh Clark Designer Jason Jones Designer em@sensimag.com PUBLISHING Jamie Cooper Publisher jamie.cooper@sensimag.com Kyle Miller Associate Publisher kyle.miller@sensimag.com Leah Stephens Associate Publisher leah.stephens@sensimag.com Constance Taylor Associate Publisher constance.taylor@sensimag.com B U S I N E S S /A D M I N
EDITOR’S NOTE
Back in 2017, when
I was active on Bumble, my bio read as follows: “Small car, tiny dog, micro apartment, big career, huge dreams.” (I go on and off it now; online dating requires the kind of witty texting banter I just don’t have the energy to attempt after writing all day and reading all night, but that’s a story for another issue.) Right now, we’re focusing on the list, which referenced my Fiat 500, my three-pound Chihuahua, and my 239-square-foot apartment. Minimalist living, maximalist personality; it worked. It wasn’t a tiny home, per se, but it was tiny and it was my home. And I loved it. It was cozy, it was bright and inviting, and it made impulse purchases impossible. Every item I brought into the space had to be carefully considered because space was valuable. If I was on the fence about a shirt or a toaster or a throw pillow, I asked myself what I was willing to part with in order to create room for it on the shelves or in the closet. Living in such a small space as a full-grown adult forced me to be use what I had and to read the books on my shelves. Living in that mini studio taught me to be content. In Robyn Griggs Lawrence’s feature on tiny homes, you’ll see similar sentiments expressed by people living in such spaces. A celebration of minimalism in a maximalist world, small-space living is a trend that’s still on the rise years after it first came to our collective attention. The article gives you a good sense of why. It may inspire you to seek out your own small spot in which to live. Culling down the arbitrary things you’ve amassed over the last few decades is a cathartic experience that results in a feeling of freedom. As Jack Kerouac pointed out, “If you own a rug, you own too much.” Enjoy the magazine, however many rugs you may own.
Minimalist living, maximalist personality; it worked. It wasn’t a tiny home, per se, but it was tiny and it was my home.
Best,
Kristan Toth Head of People kristan.toth@sensimag.com Amber Orvik Administrative Director amber.orvik@sensimag.com Andre Velez Marketing Director andre.velez@sensimag.com Neil Willis Production Manager neil.willis@sensimag.com Hector Irizarry Distribution distribution@sensimag.com
Stephanie Wilson @stephwilll
M E D I A PA R T N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy
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With Extra Pop Chef Stone turns your popcorn into pot-corn.
Chef Trey Stone has always had a “love affair” with cannabis, so it was only natural when he started infusing his favorite personal dishes. Then, in 2018, Michigan legalized recreational cannabis use, greenlighting the way for Stone to take his weed-infused dishes public, 10 D E T RO I T
focusing on intimate inserved over bacon and home dinners. Brussels sprouts sauteed The taste of cannabis isn’t with butter-poached sweet the point. “The [cannapotatoes—is delicious withbis] flavor is there, and it out the “additive.” Another accents dishes depending favorite is pork chop over a on how herbaceous it is,” he mac ’n’ cheese that’s crusted says. One of Stone’s most with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. popular dishes—Cornish “We do try to throw in a little game hen roasted, then stoner flare,” says Stone.
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Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn Recipe by Chef Trey Stone / Contains THC
INGREDIENTS
2–4 ounces infused butter, melted (or infused oil of choice)* 2 tablespoons powdered sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 bag plain microwave popcorn
INST RUCT IO N S
• Cook popcorn to package directions. • Melt butter and pour over popcorn. • Mix powdered sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over popcorn. * The recipe can easily be made THC-free by subbing regular butter.
CONTRIBUTORS
Aaron H. Bible, Tracy Ross, Stephanie Wilson
BY THE NUMBERS
Find fortune in the Motor City by purging the Nain Rouge.
Every spring, towns across the country host bizarre festivals. In Colorado, Nederlandʼs Frozen Dead Guy Days celebrates the cryopreservation of Bredo Morstoel, whose body is stored in a local Tuff Shed. And every March for the past decade, Michiganders have gathered in Detroit to celebrate the ousting of the Nain Rouge (which is French for “Red Dwarf”), whose appearance is said to presage misfortune. Revelers dress up in costumes so the mean man wonʼt recognize them. Come midday, the scoundrel shows up to taunt the crowd, and everyone chases him down Cass Avenue to the steps of the Masonic Temple, where more taunting—and partying—ensue. John Lohner, wholesale purchasing manager at Lume Cannabis Co., with 12 stores across the state, suggests you enhance your Nain Rouge experience with a hit of Blood Star cannabis, a strong, uplifting high that just may fortify you defenses against the Red Dwarf.
“To hell with stigma. [Cannabis] is a magnificent thing. This is a gift of the gods. If anyone smells the smoke, they’re smelling the breath of the mother God.”
8 DAYS
The stretch McCarty used Rick Simpson cannabis oil at the start of his recovery, “gram after gram… every waking hour”
1972
The year Ann Arbor made possession of a small amount of cannabis a civil infraction. (Kalamazoo, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti all followed suit in 2012.)
THE NEXT VIAGRA? Promescent promises longerlasting sex. Although PE, or premature ejaculation, doesn’t have quite the same stigma as ED (erectile dysfunction), it can definitely become a barrier to intimate and meaningful lovemaking. It’s also a common problem for couples. In fact, Psychology Today recently reported on the “orgasm gap.” In case you hadn’t noticed, men tend to reach an orgasm during heterosexual lovemaking about three times faster than women—5.5 minutes vs. 18 minutes. According to the new brand and product Promescent, up to two billion women go without orgasms each year as a result of this issue. Makers of Promescent, a climax-delay spray, claim it prolongs lovemaking. So, will it become the next Viagra? Check it out for yourself and see if it improves your sex life.
two JOINTS The amount of marijuana possession for which poet and activist John Sinclair (from Flint, Michigan) was arrested—and sentenced to 10 years in prison—in 1969
promescent.com
—Cannabis activist Chuck Ream at the opening of Ann Arbor’s Om of Medicine cannabis shop in December
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TEN FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE COMMON CITIZEN
5 of 10
Everyone has the right to control their own health. We must be allowed to make informed choices so each one of us can live our best lives, on our own terms. Let’s embrace cannabis for humanity and liberation for all.
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THE BUZZ
VOX POPULI
EMILY LARDNER
JOSH B.
TRAVIS KLINGER
JOSH GALLUP
CHAUNCEY ROSE
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
Owner, Lardner the Gardener Troy
I like to be like a cat: find a ray of sunshine, strip down, throw a blanket on the floor, and bask in the warmth of the sun on my body.
PHOTOS COURTESY (TOP) UTOPIAGARDENS.COM, (BOTTOM) VISITDETROIT.COM
Question: What is your March-in-Michigan cabin-fever survival strategy?
Cannabis Grower Madison Heights
Nothing is better at fighting the winter blues than spending a few hours a day in a beautiful indoor garden tending the ladies [a.k.a. pot plants]!
City Commissioner Sturgis
On the gloomiest of days, a Bear Hunt in the house kicks the blues. My girls and I draw the curtains and blinds, and I hide one of our bigger stuffed bears in the house. Then I let the ‘hunters’ loose to find their trophy.
Medical Courier Grand Rapids
I Jeep the Twisted Trails Off Road Park up near Traverse City. We get geared up, hook up the trailer, and go play on the hills and trails.
CBD Boutique Manager Grand Rapids
I love hiking when it’s snowing. I once made my own snowshoes and hiked to Pickerel Lake Park in Fred Meijer Nature Preserve. It’s on 80 acres of land, and the amount of wildlife is astounding.
Go Irish, Detroit Style
From 1845 to 1852, during the Great Potato Famine in Ireland, thousands of Irish immigrants flocked to Detroit. According to journalist Bill Loomis, the locals feared the movement, worrying that the influx would be “too Irish.” Today, the Irish and the wannabes bond over St. Patrickʼs Day, celebrating the past as well as the present at Corktown St. Paddyʼs Day parade and party. Itʼs the perfect way to invite spring back to the state as well—since the event is half inside in a heated tent, and half outside on Michigan Avenue and Vermont Street—with a beer, full bar, food, and music.
Utopia Gardens
Dispensary Rundown Yelp lists these dispensaries as the 10 best places to get cannabis in Detroit. We would have liked to be a fly on the wall when the owners and founders came up with the names for their shops. 1. Utopia Gardens (the Secret Garden was already taken.) 2. Corktown Collective (for Irish only?) 3. House of Dank (reminds us of wet carpet) 4. THC Detroit (clear and to the point) 5. District 3 (Katniss Everdeenʼs choice) 6. Locate Loud (weʼre stumped) 7. Dream Dispensary (points for alliteration.) 8. 420 Factory Medical Marijuana (thatʼs a lot to chew on) 9. Sticky Detroit (too cute) 10. 420 Dank (OK, the dank thing is growing on us) M ARCH 2020
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Hatch a Plan
New Year 2020, Enjoy 20% off! Sparrow Consulting is a comprehensive business consulting firm that serves a variety of public, private, and non-profit organizations. With expert staff specializing in the fields of organization development, public administration, licensing and compliance, cannabis business development, grant funding and financing, risk management, strategic planning, occupational health and safety, emergency management, and strategic planning, Sparrow Consulting can help you hatch you plan. We honor all state Social Equity Applicant discounts determined by the state. Muskegon, Michigan | (231) 670-5863 connie@hatchaplanmi.com www.hatchaplanmi.com
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THE BUZZ
BILITIES
BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF
1 READING ROOM The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf, $27). Showcasing her signature literary prowess, Mandel explores the infinite ways we search for meaning in this much-hyped new release, expected March 24. Also out this month: It’s Not All Downhill from Here by How Stella Got Her Groove Back author Terry McMillan.
2 STREAM THIS Freeform’s The Bold Type. Now in its third season, this sleeper hit could be your new favorite series. It’s mine, in no small part because it centers on three young women working for a New York mag. But also because it’s witty AF, aspirational, and depicts successful women who are defined not by their relationships but by their careers. It’s empowering, and you should watch it for free on Freeform, or on your favorite streaming platform. 3 LISTEN UP NPR’s Life Kit podcast offers tools to keep it together. And by you, I mean me; I need all the help I can get. Picking out a lightbulb last fall had me staring mouth agape in a store aisle for a half hour trying to make sense of all the options. After listening to “Picking Out a Lightbulb, Made Easy,” I know which bulb’s for me. Life Kit’s episodes are short, to the point, and offer tips on how to do things like start therapy, start a book club, master your budget, remove stains, and juggle paperwork, appointments, and repairs. Basically how to adult.
COME ON, GET APPY
Going through something? We all experience moments when we could use some support. Some of those moments are life-changing, while others are a part of everyday life. If you need to get it off your chest, you need to get Happy, the app. Described by Vice as “like Uber but for ʻHappy Givers,ʼ” Happy connects you to one of more than 2,000 trained listeners who arenʼt there to offer advice or give feedback. Theyʼre just there to support you and make you feel heard. Theyʼll give you the space to speak openly, anonymously, for as long as youʼd like. For every individual caller referred by the American Heart Association through May 31, 2021, Happy will donate a free first-time call valued at $24 to the American Heart Associationʼs Support Network, for a minimum donation of $50,000. So download the App now. Call, get support, and be happy. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play happythemovement.com
4 GROWING TREND Pot in Pots. The Swiss-cheese-leafed Monstera is last year’s “It” plant. Cannabis is the hashtagable houseplant of 2020. Get in on the trend. Depending where you live, you can find clones or seeds at select dispensaries with an easy google—while you’re at it, look up local laws regarding home grows. Cannabis cuttings (a.k.a. clones) are pretty easy to root—check Leafly.com for tips—and you should definitely bring some to your next plant swap. Spread the word, spread the love.
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Tiny homes are an obvious solution to housing and climate issues. Why isn’t it easier to find places for them? TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE
18 D E T RO I T
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of McMansion Mania. Shafer’s 130-square-foot home (yes, you read that right), built for $40,000, was a hard “no” to all that. It was also cozy and inviting, and Shafer described himself as a claustrophile (someone who loves closed-in spaces). Shafer won the Philosophy and Innovation Award
in our Natural Home of the Year contest because his adorable house embodied everything the magazine stood for, and he wasn’t afraid to say things. He said that we Americans like our homes like we like our food—big and cheap—and he was the first to figure out that putting a tiny house on
PHOTOS BY POVY KENDAL ATCHISON
Size Matters
I visited Jay Shafer’s meticulous American Gothic–style house in a sun-dappled Iowa City backyard shortly after we launched Natural Home magazine in 1999. The Dow had just surpassed 10,000, mortgage credit requirements were melting into oblivion, and America had a bad case
wheels makes it an RV and therefore not subject to city and county minimum-size standards and codes. He wasn’t shy about his intention to make tiny homes a revolutionary alternative in a housing market headed for disaster. “I am certainly not proposing that everyone should live in a house as small as mine,” Shafer wrote in the letter accompanying his contest entry. “Such minimalism would be excessive for most people. What I am saying is that the scale of our homes should be as varied as the spatial needs of their inhabitants, and that it is those needs rather than government regulations and conspicuous consumption that should determine house size.” Shafer’s message was radical, and largely ignored, in the frenzy
leading up to the 2008 crash. But his company, Tumbleweed Tiny Homes, built a following, and he built a name for himself as the godfather of a fledgling tiny house movement (one blogger called him “the George Washington of simple and sustainable living”). He wrote The Small House Book and was on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Then he lost the company in a business dispute and his house in a divorce, and he was homeless for a while, living in a pigpen inside a shed. Determined never to live that way again, Shafer designed a 50-square-foot home that cost $5,000 in Sebastopol, California. He gives master class workshops at tiny house festivals around the world (including the Tiny House Festival Australia in Bendigo, Victoria, March 21–22).
operating and maintaining them costs a lot less. When the International Code Commission made changes to its residential code to facilitate tiny house construction in 2018, it reported lifetime conditioning costs as low as 7 percent of conventional homes. That reality is driving the spike in interest in tiny homes, which are getting a lot of attention as a solution to the affordable housing and homeless crises, with the added bonus of being A Status Symbol for kinder to the planet than Humble Braggers a traditional three-bedThough 82 percent of room/two-bath. Whether renters say they would like to buy a home some- they live in tiny homes for financial reasons day, according to Fannie or not, climate-aware Mae, homeownership is homebuyers get a status at its lowest point since symbol that flaunts their 1965. Ordinary people can’t afford the American honorable choice to reduce their footprint and Dream (median listing live with less—no easy price: $310,000). In the thing to do, even in this Bay Area, homebuyers post-Kondo age. paid twice their annual It doesn’t hurt that tiny income for a house in the homes—generally defined 1960s; today, they shell out nine times their year- as homes with less than ly salary. Only 13 percent 400 square feet—are now readily available in every of millennial renters in style, from your basic the United States will shed to sleek Dwell-worhave enough cash to put thy models. You can buy 20 percent down on a plans and build a tiny house in the next five house yourself or pick out years, according to an one online and have it Apartment List survey. shipped to you. You can Tiny homes are much cheaper, with prices rang- even order one on Aming from $10,000 to more azon. Used tiny homes, along with inspirational than $200,000 (averagstories and information, ing about $65,000), and “The evolution of tiny houses has paralleled the digital revolution, since this whole tiny thing started at the turn of the century,” Shafer told foxnews.com in 2014. “Once it became possible to have a remote little phone instead of a landline and a wall-mounted flat screen instead of a 2-foot-by-1foot chunk on the dresser, folks started seeing the potential for living in what basically amounts to a laptop with a roof.”
LIVE TINY AND FREE More than twice as many tiny homeowners—68 percent compared with 29 percent of all US homeowners—have no mortgage, and 78 percent own their own home. SOURCE: thetinylife.com
LEFT: The dining table in Jay Shaferʼs 130-squarefoot home can be taken down and stored in a closet when not in use.
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THE LIFE
TRY TINY
Think you might love a tiny house? airbnb.com, vrbo.com, glampinghub. com, and getaway.com all have tiny home listings to sample the lifestyle.
SECTION
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN TINY HOMES
can be found at sites like tinyhousefor.us, tinyhousetalk.com, and tinyhouselistings.com. Tiny Home Nation: 10K Strong More than half of Americans would consider a tiny home, according to a National Association of Home Builders survey. Potential buyers and just-dreamers flock to check out micro-houses, “schoolies” (converted school buses), and vans at tiny home festivals like the Florida Suncoast Tiny Home Festival in St. Petersburg (March 28–29) and the People’s Tiny House Festival in Golden, Colorado (June 6–7). But the reality is that only about 10,000 people in North America—the lucky ones who have managed to find parking spots—actually live in tiny homes. Like anything that disrupts the norm in a conformist capitalist culture, building a tiny home in a world of ticky-tacky boxes is not easy. The good news is that times are changing, as municipalities consider tiny home villages as a way to house the homeless and marginalized communities. Still, most states only allow tiny homes to be parked in rural areas (Massachusetts, California, Florida, and Oregon are somewhat more
lenient). Because most zoning laws in the United States don’t have a classification for tiny houses, most owners have to follow Shafer’s lead and register them as RVs, trailers, or mobile homes. In most places, zoning ordinances won’t allow you to buy land, park your tiny home/RV, and live happily ever after. You either have to rely on the kindness of family and friends with backyards or pay a monthly park fee to rent a space in one of the tiny home villages cropping up across the country. Park Delta Bay, an RV resort in Isleton, California, now has a row reserved for tiny homes. At Village Farm, an RV resort that’s turning into a tiny-home community in Austin, Texas, residents pay about $600 to $700 a month to park and use the services. Slowly, city and state governments are responding to homebuyers’ demands for tiny home
opportunities beyond RV resorts. Portland, Oregon, (but of course) has relaxed its ordinances to allow for everything from tiny house communities to tiny house hotels. In Rockledge, Florida, citizens demanded zoning changes allowing for a pocket neighborhood with homes ranging from 150 to 700 square feet. A tiny home community for low-income residents is under way on Detroit’s west side, and Vail, Arizona, built two dozen 300to 400-square-foot houses for schoolteachers. Advocacy groups have been paving the way for tiny homes since Shafer and a few friends founded the Small Home Society in 2002, and they’re seeing a resurgence. In 2017, a group of University of California-Berkeley students launched the Tiny House in My Backyard (THIMBY) project to promote research and development and raise awareness of tiny house communities.
Operation Tiny Home is a national nonprofit that helps people “maintain a life of dignity” through high-quality tiny housing and empowerment training programs. In Canada, activists calling themselves Tiny House Warriors are taking the revolution to the next level, placing “resistance-homes-on-wheels” along the pathway of the proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline. “We are asserting our inherent, God-given right to our lands,” says Kanahus Manuel, a leader of Tiny House Warrior. “We’re defending what’s ours, and tiny homes are how we’re doing it.” M ARCH 2020
Interior and exterior of the Letʼs Get Stoked tiny house model from Rocky Mountain Tiny Homes.
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THE LIFE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mona Van Joseph has been an intuitive since 2002. She is an author, columnist, and host of Psychic View Radio. She created dicewisdom.com, which also has a smartphone app. mona.vegas
HOROSCOPE
MARCH HOROSCOPE What do the stars hold for you? TEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH
you are—and totally step JULY 23–AUG. 22 back from the people Listen to the compliwho are taking advanPeople are about to ment that presents ittage of your good nature. prove to you how much self to you as a critithey love you. March is cism; energies will make MAY 21–JUNE 20 when your gratitude toyou better through jealward people who are ousy and roadblocks. It It’s time to apologize for supporting you will make could be that you realize the things you have done all the difference. it’s time for a change. to hurt people. If your ego won’t let you actual- AUG. 23–SEPT. 22 MAR. 21–APR. 19 ly call them to apologize, write them a “spiritual” There are angels surThere is something to letter telling them you rounding you. Pennies celebrate that presents were unfair to them and and feathers in your path itself to you. To thank the that you are sorry. are likely. This is a month universe for this opporof being aware of how tunity or inspiration, do- JUNE 21–JULY 22 things are lining up for nate to an organization a you. Accept all invitations. few times this month. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” SEPT. 23–OCT. 22 APR. 20–MAY 20 The door to your future couldn’t open any wider. Coincidence will be your Do not try to impress If you want the job, you best friend this month. anyone who isn’t treating can have it. If you want It’s time to drop (old) you well. Please agree that relationship to go ideas that you can’t have with the vibration that to the next level, you what you want…you toyou are perfect the way can have it. tally can. Pay attention! FEB. 19–MAR. 20
PISCES
LEO
GEMINI
VIRGO
ARIES
CANCER
TAURUS
LIBRA
OCT. 23–NOV. 21
DEC. 22–JAN. 19
Practice saying nice things about people. Do not take on the bad karma right now of backstabbing those who truly do not deserve it. Ask yourself: “Am I basing my opinion on someone else’s agenda?”
When you focus on one thing at a time, you are a genius. Avoid multitasking this month. Better to spend the time to make sure it’s done right the first time.
SCORPIO
PISCES, ENERGIES WILL USE JEALOUSY AND ROADBLOCKS TO MAKE YOU BETTER THIS MONTH. IT COULD BE THAT IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE.
CAPRICORN
JAN. 20–FEB. 18
AQUARIUS
Embrace the high energy of spinning lots of You are the owner of this plates right now. You are lifetime and acting as the chef who has many though you do have the pots simmering, and it’s power to change things time to admit that you will make all the differlike it this way. Thrive by ence this month. You will making the magic hapget a sign that you are on pen with all the resourcthe right track. es available to you. NOV. 22–DEC. 21
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FACE THE
OF
CHEF MAX HARDY IS CHAMPIONING DETROIT’S DIVERSE FOOD SCENE. TEXT DARRALYNN
PHOTO BY DAVID RANDOLPH
HUTSON
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t’s Tuesday morning and Chef Max Hardy (a.k.a. Chef Max) is in his kitchen at COOP Caribbean Fusion in Detroit’s midtown. Around 10 a.m., his team of young cooks are allowed to play whatever music they want to boom through the speaker of the tight prep stations. While Chef Max enjoys gospel, the beat most of the time ends up on reggae. After all, they are cooking a Caribbean cuisine with just the right kick to satisfy the most opinionated Detroiter. “Detroit hasn’t always been known as the food mecca of the world, but now that the city is growing in the food scene, it’s so important to train the next generation of chefs,” he says. “With such an influx of chefs coming to the city from all over, it can be challenging to try to make your mark with so many different influences. It would be great if every school in DPS [Detroit Public School] could have a culinary curriculum.” M ARCH 2020
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The proud owner and operator of COOP, Chef Max knows how to cook a chicken, yet what he’s most proud of is that he’s taught his team how to cook the best falloff-the-bone chicken—so much so that he’s known all over Detroit, across TV cooking competitions, and the world over for those exact culinary skills. COOP’s menu items hold titles like its infamous COOP Wings with just the right jerk, and the Midtown Crispy Chicken Fork Sandwich that would put any Popeyes chicken sandwich to shame. “We marinate our chicken for 18 to 24 hours so that it’s falling off the bone,” says the chef. “Most of our spices and sauces aren’t found anywhere else in the city.” COOP Caribbean Fusion is just one selection of a collection of food vendors in the Detroit Shipping Company, set up like a food court with options that include Brujo Tacos & Tapas, Monty’s Beef Company, and Bangkok96. There are two bars with open-air seating and a coffee shop on the second floor. The Detroit Shipping Company is the brainchild of three native Michiganders whose mission was to develop an entertainment venue in the Cass Corridor area, complete with a garden, upscale street-food vendors, artists’ space, and start-up retail out of shipping containers. “Detroit has always been segregated when it comes to food.” says Chef Max. “There was the Polish, then Mexican; we had our soul food; and in Dearborn, it was Middle Eastern. Detroit always had its different pockets; now so much more of the food growth is saturated in Midtown and Downtown.”
of black chefs. However, restaurant ownership is largely confined to the rapidly redeveloping core of the city that has spent more years resurrecting itself back alive. Fame and Fusion Chef Max has had his share of fame and defeat—from being called one of 16 black chefs changing food in America by the New York Times to securing a full culinary scholarship to Johnson and Wales University that helped kick-start his career. By the age of 21, Hardy was an executive chef responsible for multimillion-dollar food and beverage budgets in South Florida. He launched a private events company, but soon pivoted to focus more on his celebrity clients. “I do a lot of fusion, mixing different ingredients with different cuisines, but I’m known for my healthy meals,” he says. His clients have included actors, professional athletes, and dignitaries like the Prince of Dubai and the prime minister of Turks and Caicos. However, he was able to really hone his craft in 2010 as the full-time personal chef to NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire. After traveling the world, he appeared on the Food Network’s popuYou may have heard of Detroit’s lar Chopped series as a finalist. “I foodie scene. This out-of-nowhere grew up in a tough neighborhood in Detroit, and being with my growth has been slowly brewing for the past 10 years, evident with grandmother in the kitchen cooking kept me focused,” says Chef the number of restaurants that Max. “It was important to me to have popped up in Midtown and bring home what I’ve learned travdowntown. eling the world. Because of the With a population of roughly 800,000-plus, Detroit is still more time spent in the kitchen, I was able to get a scholarship to attend than 80 percent black. The adculinary school. Cooking saved mittedly sophisticated—and still growing—restaurant scene you’ve my life. Those days that we would heard about is flourishing because cook and bond with each other as
HIS CLIENTS HAVE INCLUDED ACTORS, PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES, AND DIGNITARIES LIKE THE PRINCE OF DUBAI AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF TURKS AND CAICOS. HOWEVER, HE WAS ABLE TO REALLY HONE HIS CRAFT IN 2010 AS THE FULL-TIME PERSONAL CHEF TO NBA ALL-STAR AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE.
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a family back in the day are what made me want to become a chef.” While in New York, Chef Max met Devita Davison, Detroit’s own FoodLab marketing and communications director. The two collaborated on the Made and Grown Series of private dinners on urban farms—and because he grew up around Meyers and Grand River and noticed that a lot had changed in Detroit since his early days growing up on the northwest side, Chef Max had his first thought that “maybe it’s time for me to come home.” In 2017, Chef Max opened his flagship Caribbean-soul restaurant, River Bistro, in the city’s Grandmont Rosedale district. Yet after just two years, the resto had to close its doors. “The past two years operating River Bistro have been amazing and would not have been possible without the support from the Grandmont Rosedale community,” Hardy said in a 2018 statement. “Our neighbors wel-
comed us with open hearts, and for that, we will be forever grateful. It’s time to focus on the future. One of the reasons for me to move back home is to show that black chefs are here. And we are making a contribution.” Running COOP is just one element to Hardy’s multilevel approach to making Detroit’s culinary scene better reflect Detroit itself—not only is he hoping to create opportunities for more black chefs, but he’s always been focused on training and education for the next generation, even traveling to other countries to do so. “You always think of mom-andpop places or barbecue or soul food [in Detroit],” he says. “You don’t think of chef-driven restaurants here.” Chef Max has been on a constant culinary journey—from an urban farm on the block where he grew up to another cookbook and line of Chef jackets and custom spices to culinary training
WITH A POPULATION OF ROUGHLY 800,000PLUS, DETROIT IS STILL MORE THAN 80 PERCENT BLACK. THE ADMITTEDLY SOPHISTICATED—AND STILL GROWING— RESTAURANT SCENE YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT IS FLOURISHING BECAUSE OF BLACK CHEFS. programs in local schools to, eventually, he hopes, his own cooking school. He’s been back and forth to Dubai and Africa, learning and cooking at world food festivals, even adopting a primary school in Africa that he supplies with shoes and books while also working on the infrastructure for a kitchen. Hardy has already been successful in raising a great deal of awareness of the culinary arts in his city. “In a city that’s like 85 percent black,” he says, “how is it that it’s not a black chef that’s the face of restaurants in Detroit? M ARCH 2020
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Paper-engineering obsessives create the first pop-up book to explore the world of cannabis.
In a New TEXT LELAND RUCKER
DIMENSION 32 D ET RO I T
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GET YOUR OWN
Dimensional Cannabis: The Pop-Up Book of Marijuana Poposition Press, $50 marijuanapopup.com
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF POPOSITION PRESS
C
ollaboration is a wonderful thing. When my friend Rosston Meyer told me a few years ago that he was planning a pop-up cannabis book, I thought it sounded like a great idea. I knew Meyer ran an independent publishing house designing popup books in collaboration with artists. Meyer is a designer with a passion for art and pop culture, so I imagined his books were a modern upgrade of the old-school pop-up books I played with as a child—3-D elements and foldouts, tabs to pull and wheels to spin— but with a modern aesthetic that appeals to adults. “A pop-up on pot would be cool to flip through and play with,” I remember thinking. “I hope he does it.” A few years later, Meyer came around to show me a physical mock-up of his pot-themed popup, which he’d titled Dimensional Cannabis. What he showed me was a modern art form I wasn’t aware existed. Yes, the book featured 3-D elements and foldouts, with tabs to pull and wheels to spin, but what I had pictured was similar only in concept. These were intricate and elaborate kinetic paper sculptures that painted a picture and brought it to life. I was blown away. So, when he asked if I’d be interested in writing the words to go on the pages before me, I signed on immediately. Altogether, Dimensional Cannabis took more than three years to complete, with a total of nine people contributing to the final product published by Poposition Press, Meyer’s independent publishing house. A small press, Poposition designs, publishes,
and distributes limited-edition pop-up books that feature artists or subjects that Meyer finds of deep personal interest. He got started in the genre in 2013, when he started working on a collaboration with Jim Mahfood, a comic book creator known as Food One. The resulting Pop-Up Funk features Mahfood’s diverse designs transformed into interactive three-dimensional pop-ups. The limited-edition run of 100 copies were all constructed by hand. Since then, Poposition has worked with a number of contemporary artists to publish titles like Triad by cute-culture artist Junko Mizuno and Necronomicon by macabre master Skinner. Meyer has been fascinated by pop-up books since he was a kid, and in 2013, he began concentrating on paper engineering and book production. “After making a couple books focused on just artists, I thought that creating a popup book about cannabis would be a good idea,” he says. “There’s nothing else like it in the market, and there’s an audience for adultthemed pop-up books.” For Dimensional Cannabis, Meyer collaborated with Mike Giant, a renowned American illustrator, graffiti writer, tattooer, and artist. Giant’s medium of choice is a Sharpie, and Giant’s detailed line work is instantly recognizable. An avid proponent of cannabis, Giant illustrated the entire Dimensional Cannabis book. Giant and Meyer met at a weekly open studio Giant hosted in Boulder. “When the idea of doing a pop-up book about cannabis came up, he asked if I would illustrate it,” Giant says. “I’ve been an
advocate for cannabis use for decades, so it didn’t take long for me to agree to work on the project.” Meyer began by sending Giant reference materials to visualize. “I’d get it drawn out, hand it off, and get some more stuff to illustrate,” Giant says. “He’d send me previews of the finished pages as we went. It was really cool to see my line drawings colored and cut to shape. That process went on for months and months until everything for the book was accounted for.” The process of making pop-up books is called “paper engineering.” I love obsessives, and the engineers who put this book together, make no mistake, are the ones who spend endless hours figuring out the tiniest details of the folds and materials necessary so that water pipe emerges every time you open the paraphernalia page. “David Carter and I started talking about the idea a couple years prior to actually starting on the book,” Meyer says. “The initial concepts for each spread were figured out, and a different paper-engineer peer was asked to design each spread so that the book had variation throughout.” Dimensional Cannabis is divided into six pages, or spreads, covering the cannabis plant’s biology, medical properties, cultivation, history, and influence on popular culture. The paraphernalia page features many items we associate with cannabis consumption over the years in America, from rolling papers and pipes to vaporizers, dabs, and concentrates—and that foot-long bong that miraculously appears as you turn the page. One spread opens to the full plant, with information on its M ARCH 2020
LEFT: Dimensional Cannabis includes six pop-up pages, including this colorful, meditating figure that dominates the medical spread. It was designed by Isabel Uria.
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Left: The paraphernalia spread shows the many ways people consume cannabis, and includes many items, including a clear, acetate bong, rolling papers, and a vaporizer. It was produced by Ray Marshall, who, Meyer says, “basically knocked it out of the park on his first version.” Below: Well-known illustrator Mike Giant provided the cover, with Kevin Steele providing the coloring for the bookʼs six pop-up spreads
unique and fascinating properties. Another opens to a colorful, meditating figure with text about the healing properties of cannabis. One page is dedicated to its cultivation possibilities, basic genetics, and the differences between indoor and outdoor growing. The history spread takes us back to the beginnings of the curious and long-standing connection between humans and cannabis. Engineer Simon Arizpe had worked with Meyer before and jumped at the chance to work on that one. “I wanted it to be Eurasian-centric as the viewer opens the page, showing the early uses
of cannabis in ancient Vietnam and China,” Arizpe says. “As the viewer engages with the pop-up, cannabis’s use in the new world spreads across the page,” he adds. “We decided [to focus] on moments in time that were either politically relevant, like weed legalization, or culturally significant, like Reefer Madness.” Arizpe feels like the entire project is an example of what can be done working with talented people outside the traditional publishing engine. “Rosston came up with an idea that has a big following and made it happen,” he says. “It is pretty exciting when people can do that out of nothing.” M ARCH 2020
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE BY DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
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For Meyer, who says he likes a good sativa when he’s working, the project was a labor of love that spans all his areas of interest. “Not only was this a great experience putting together such a unique book, but having different paper
engineers work on each spread made this a real collaboration,” he says. “There have only been a couple pop-up books produced with a roster of engineers. Dimensional Cannabis is for cannabis lovers and pop-up book collectors alike.”
POP-UPGRADE If the book alone isnʼt enough to decorate your coffee table, Poposition Press offers two more ordering tiers, complete with extra merch to maximize your enjoyment. The Collectorʼs Edition ($240) includes an enhanced pop-up book with gold-foil case wrap, a foil-stamped slipcase, The Good Stuff enamel pin, and a Hemp art print on hemp paper. The Connoisseur Edition ($420) comes with a wooden laser-etched slipcover, two sets of enamel pins, a Dope art print, and a Gramps art print, both on hemp paper.
Meyer originally conceived a scene showing people looking at the book, which morphed into a celebration of the universality of the plant in many cultures and people throughout history.
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Knowledge Is Power A content ecosystem brings Wall Street to the people on Main Street.
TEXT DARRALYNN HUTSON
When you hear the word Benzinga, a board game or Pokemon character comes to mind. But, here in Detroit, Benzinga is a media content ecosystem that makes it easier and quicker for individuals to access the most up-to-date financial news and information on investments in the cannabis industry, with articles, webinars, and online courses. 40 D E T RO I T
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From breakouts and unusual volume to analyst ratings, futures, and options, Benzinga prides itself on being a leading full-service, one-stop shop for investors of all stripes styles. Owned and operated by Jason Raznick, Benzinga is a startup empowering a new generation of investors in the cannabis space. Raznick launched benzinga.com in 2010 from the bottom up.
“I’m not rich, and I had no money when I started the company,” he says. “I was a new dad, and I had to bring money into the house. I didn’t have a choice; I had to make it work.” The company has since grown to become a hub of more than 20 employees who are tech-savvy enough to furnish actionable information on the capital markets to its two
million readers a month, all from the offices in downtown Detroit’s One Campus Martius in the Compuware World Headquarters. “In business, as in life, I try to empower people as much as possible,” Raznick says. “Everyone learns by doing and failing, falling and rising, and doing again.” Raznick is someone you’d call a multibusiness entrepreneur. He
has tried many different endeavors and perseveres until he gets it right. While attending the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Raznick started multiple companies and was twice named in DBusiness’ “30 in their 30s” list and Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40” list. “I had an online textbook business, an online dating site, and, in high school, I tried to do a digital TV recording business, but I couldn’t make it work,” he says. “Four years later, TiVo came out and did the same thing. You can imagine how I felt about that one.” The experience only motivated him to succeed. He gained momentum by
researching and contributing to a variety of financial news publications such as CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post. Raznick quickly saw a need to provide information to investors who wanted into the market quickly and easily. He wondered why only a chosen few were given access to the financial information that he thought should be accessible to everyone. “I wanted to give the average person access to the same tools and education that the 1 percent of investors has,” he says. “There was a deep divide there, and that’s how Benzinga got started.” When Raznick launched in 2010, working out of his basement office with
Jason Raznick (left) chats with Calvin Johnson (center) and Rob Sims (right) at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Toronto.
“In business, as in life, I try to empower people as much as possible. Everyone learns by doing and failing, falling and rising, and doing again.” —Jason Raznick, founder of Benzinga
a $10,000 investment, he essentially wrote and distributed financial articles. Eventually he added investment expert webinars, online courses on how to trade for the beginner, and a platform where people can follow an expert who makes active trades. Benzinga turned a profit, gaining more than 50,000 users. Raznick moved to Bingham Farms, and, the following year, into new headquarters on 10 Mile Road in Southfield. Growing strong, Benzinga received $1.5 million from Lightbank, a venture capital fund backed by the founders of Groupon. “We make money by licensing our content and selling subscriptions,” Raznick says. While Benzinga doesn’t provide investment advice, it does offer the latest financial news. “We provide everything to help our customers make informed decisions as if they were right there on Wall Street,” he says. Dedicated to being part of Detroit’s technological resurgence, Benzinga is producing much more than an ever-evolving website. The company is also creating jobs. A recent hiring frenzy included positions including content creator, analyst, and event planner. M ARCH 2020
COMING UP Benzinga will host its Cannabis Capital Conference on March 20 at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit. Itʼs a gathering of cannabis entrepreneurs with big ideas and the investors looking to fund new enterprises in a rapidly growing industry. The event will feature expert speakers, panels of thought leaders, and one-on-one meetups.
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TEST YOUR TASTE
THE SCENE
Detroit Whiskey Festival March 13 letsdetroit.com
A R O U N D TOW N
Spirit Away
Here’s how to ID a good whiskey, just in time for the Detroit Whiskey Festival.
TEXT TRACY ROSS
All wine connoisseurs know the three rules of identifying a good vintage: swirl, smell, sip—and then pretend you’ve formed an opinion. But with Detroit’s boldest whiskey event returning for its fourth year with the best whiskeys, bourbons, and ryes from around the world, we wondered if there might be corollaries to taste-testing a good whiskey. The answer comes from experts at Wine Enthusiast (winemag.com), who also know their ryes and bourbons. Follow these tips to “nose” your best sip.
2. Use a Glencairn glass: Wine glasses are for wine; Glencairn glasses— with bulbous bottoms for swirling, and narrow tops to concentrate aromas—are for whiskey. 3. Observe the color: A general rule of thumb is: the darker the color, the more concentrated the flavor. 4. Sniff, but gently: Whiskey starts at 40% ABV and often go much higher. Don’t destroy your olfactory nerves by sniffing too hard. Instead, hover your nose over the glass and “dip” it deeper (just barely) for more aromas.
1. Taste, don’t drink: The goal is to evaluate and 5. Sip small and savor: enjoy the whiskey, not to While beer may be for get smashed. Sip a little guzzling, whiskey is for bit at a time (don’t shoot delicately sipping. “Give it!) and consider spitting your palate a chance it out, just as you would to adjust to the alcohol levels,” says connoisseur with a wine taste-test.
Paul Hletko, “then take another sip.” 6. Wrap up your test with a “chew”: The late Jim Beam master
distiller Fred Noe popularized this rule, which involves “rolling” the whiskey around your mouth in order to pick up all its flavors. M ARCH 2020
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THE SCENE CA L E N DA R
On the Calendar
Full thaw may be weeks away, but these spring happenings will brighten your days. TEXT TRACY ROSS
Lambs and lions seem to slumber longer in Michigan than other states, but we’ve got a bevy of cool events to make the Will-the-Snow-Ever-Melt month rocket by. Enjoy with St. Paddy’s Day and Spring Equinox celebrations, watch monster trucks smashing jumps, sip bourbon, and experience one of the weirdest parades in the US.
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Selections of Sturgill Simpson African American with Tyler Art from Private Childers Mar. 1, 6:30 p.m. Collections
Dashboard Confessional 20-year Celebration
Mar. 1, 10 a.m. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit dia.org
Mar. 3, 6 p.m. St. Andrewʼs Hall, Detroit standrewsdetroit.com
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Masonic Temple, Detroit themasonic.com/events.php
Guests of Honor: Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali Exhibit
Metro Detroit Cannabiz Connection Networking Mixer
Mar. 5 through Sept. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit dia.org
Mar. 11, 6 p.m. Great Lakes Culinary Center, Southfield cannabizconnection.com
7th Annual Detroit Gets Married Detroit Whiskey Mar. 7, 6 p.m. Festival IV Masonic Temple, Detroit themasonic.com/events.php
Sip cocktails, win prizes, and mingle in the Crystal Ballroom as you put the final touches on your wedding plan—cocktail attire required.
Dave Mason Feelin’ Alright Tour 2020 Mar. 8, 7 p.m. Sound Board Theater, MotorCity Casino Hotel, Detroit soundboarddetroit.com
Mar. 13, 6 p.m. Eastern Market Corporation, Detroit letsdetroit.com
Detroit Irish Fest Mar. 14, noon 2000 Michigan Ave., Detroit detroitirishfest.com
Party with Paddy and his drunken followers.
Tour 2 Monster Truck Jam Pit Party Mar. 14–15 Ford Field, Detroit monsterjam.com
THE SCENE CA L E N DA R
LEFT: WHISKEY FESTIVAL BELOW: MONSTER TRUCK JAM RIGHT: MARCHE DU NAIN ROUGE
Corktown St. Patrick’s Day Parade
PHOTO COURTESY OF VISITDETROIT.COM
Mar. 15, noon Corktown detroitstpatricksparade. com
Two hundred years ago, Detroit ushered in the largest ethnic group of newcomers to the city: the Irish. Now the city’s oldest surviving neighborhood hosts the parade of the year. It’s not all beer and people-watching, though. Expect Irish step dancing and face painting for kids, plus commentary from Peggy Sullivan Gray, the Grand Marshal.
International Day of Happiness 1K, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon Mar. 20 (any day, really) Various locations, Detroit moonjoggers.threadless.com
Fifteen percent of every $22 entry goes to the charity All Hands and Hearts. With registration, you get a limited-edition T-shirt to prove you raced.
Michigan Celebrate happiness Cannabis Caucus with your personal Blake Shelton Mar. 18, 6 p.m. Friends & race, where you Detroit Heroes Tour choose your own thecannabisindustry.org
course in the city.
Mar. 21, 7 p.m. Detroit Theater, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit detroittheater.org
Festival of Laughs Mar. 21, 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, Detroit foxtheatredetroit.net
Join Lavell Crawford, Sommore, Gary Owen, and Don D.C. Curry for a night of offthe-cuff laughter, drinks, and acci-
dentally shooting old-fashioneds out your nose in a comedy-loving audience.
Monster Energy Supercross Tour 2020 Mar. 21, 10 a.m. Ford Field, Detroit fordfield.com
Marche du Nain Rouge Mar. 22, noon Midtown, Detroit marchedunainrouge.com
Join “krews” that build human-powered floats, coordinate costumes, and represent their neighborhoods in this daylong festival to push out Detroit’s legendary harbinger of doom, the Nain Rouge, or
Red Dwarf that’s heckled the city for 300 years.
Pussy Riot Mar. 27, 7 p.m. El Club, Detroit elclubdetroit.com
Watch the feminist protest rock band from Russia crush the stage. The band will donate $1 from every ticket to support Planned Parenthood and its local affiliates.
Colin Hay Mar. 29, 7 p.m. Royal Oak Music Theatre foxtheatredetroit.net
Detroit Pistons vs. Houston Rockets Mar. 29, noon Detroit Theater, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit nba.com/pistonsvw
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Bringing a Scientific Approach to CBD
founding the Center for Compassion in Traverse City, Michigan, doing certifications for the state’s medical marijuana program with a clinical focus. That business still operates today. In 2014, he began formulating his own CBD supplements, first with the full spectrum cherry oil and later with dehydrated cherry oil and other products, all the while gaining a following through word of mouth. “We focus on tinctures, because it’s the fastest and safest way to get CBD into the system,” Thue says. “We can custom-formulate it to add or change the dose or emp and CBD oils and performed a deep-dive professionally, strength based on individual usage.” tinctures are the focus completing his associate degree as a He says that his patient demographof Great Lakes Hemp medical assistant at Baker University in ic skews to the over-40 group. “But Supplements. CEO and June of 2017. we have that gap where it’s either the founder Michael Thue, a certified Thue is also a member of the Amerchildren or the older patients—and medical assistant, was inspired early ican Association of Medical Assistants not much in between.” on with the success of the company’s (AAMA) and the Oncology Nurses Great Lakes Hemp Supplements full spectrum CBD cherry drop oil at Society, and he has completed two grows, processes, and produces the 2015 High Times U.S. Cannabis accredited continuing education courses everything as a vertically integrated Cup in Denver. for nurses by Patients Out of Time on the business within its 7,500-square-foot The product took third place in endocannabinoid system and cannabis. facility. Thue says that he wants to the Best High Edible CBD category, “My background as a medical assis- expand his operations and focus on which was proof positive that his tant has enabled me to better speak to plant genetics. small company could compete in the patients about products and how they market. Just a year later, Thue took work with their ailments,” Thue says. home the trophy for the Best Hemp “I wanted to stick with that side of Edible Crystal Trichome at the 2016 CBD and the medical aspects of canGreat Lakes Hemp Supplements CannaQuest Expo. Today, Thue is dialed nabis.” Thue began his foray into the Hemp Supplement Company in for human health using CBD. He has industry with a medical clinic in 2009, greatlakeshempsupplements.com
A certified medical assistant turns his focus to a line of full spectrum CBD products that can be custom-formulated for patients.
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“We focus on tinctures, because it’s the fastest and safest way to get CBD into the system. We can customformulate it to add or change the dose or strength based on individual usage.” —Michael Thue, CEO and founder, Great Lakes Hemp Supplements
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Great Lakes Natural Remedies A native son returns to Michigan with plans to build and expand a business to help the community and boost the state’s economy.
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s the Midwest markets begin to flourish because of state legalization, with states like Michigan, Illinois, and even Missouri getting into the mix, more enterprising business owners are finding a customer niche that will help them grow their medical marijuana business—a business that was basically a pipe dream for anyone in this part of the country just a few years ago. One of those Michigan natives returning to the state to run a medical cannabis business is Trevor Wisniewski, who, in 2017, along with his wife, founded Great Lakes Natural Remedies (GLNR), a state-licensed vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates,
processes, and provisions cannabis. Wisniewski went to school in Michigan, moved away, and became a serial entrepreneur, working in real estate and other projects in compliance and regulation. “When he found out that the cannabis business was coming to his home state, he realized that this would be a perfect opportunity to help bring jobs back to Michigan,” says Sarah Foss, chief sales and marketing officer for GLNR. “He wanted to bring jobs back here, in a highly regulated industry, which he is used to dealing with.” In 2018, Wisniewski broke ground with the GLNR cultivation facility, and then he began looking at other strategic locations for potential expansion. The company opened its first medical
provisioning center in Benzonia at the end of 2019, with plans to open up an adult-use store early this year. The company is planning to open up additional stores this summer in Muskegon, Manistee, and Warren, with other facilities in the plans for both medical and adult use, Foss says. GLNR’s cultivation facility feeds its shops with craft flower, which gives them the ability to provide consistent product for patients. Eventually it will also feed the processing lab, which will produce a full line of cannabis extracts and edibles under the White Pine brand sometime this spring, Foss says. GLNR’s current product line is its own flower line, Foss says, but it’s making strategic partnerships with other brands, mainly focusing on the medical aspect of the plant. The company also recognizes that the adult-use market is employing cannabis for health-conscious purposes. Additionally, GLNR carries topicals, oils, concentrates, and a variety of edibles. “Our mission and focus is to educate people from a professional point of view on cannabis,” Foss says. “It’s not about how high we can get you; it’s about how can we help you.”
“When he found out that the cannabis business was coming to his home state, he realized that this would be a perfect opportunity to help bring jobs back to Michigan.” —Sarah Foss, chief sales and marketing officer, Great Lakes Natural Remedies
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Big City Mountaineers bigcitymountaineers.org Michigan Ice Fest michiganicefest.com
Headed to the Top Big City Mountaineers gets city kids out in the wild.
Big City Mountaineers (BCM) is on a mission to get underserved kids out doing the types of activities that are usually reserved for kids of privilege. Take ice climbing. It’s a sport that builds confidence and puts climbers in an intimate connection with the medium of frozen waterfalls. It’s a blast. But it’s not something many urban kids will ever get a chance to try. The Michigan Ice Fest, held in February at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, wants to change that dynamic. The fest offered eight scholarships to BCM, Iowa, and Downwind Sports, which brought eight teenaged Somali girls from Banaadir Academy in Minneapolis to the Upper Peninsula to give using picks and crampons a shot. The girls also received clothing and equipment from outdoor brands Patagonia, Outdoor Research, Helly Hansen, Bogs, and Seirus Innovation. 50 D E T RO I T
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PHOTO BY MIKE WILKINSON
TEXT DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN
MyGLNR.com // @MyGLNR