[Model D] Detroit Vegan Soul celebrates grand opening in West Village this Saturday

Scrambled Tofu, Polenta Cheez Grits, Red skin potatoes, vegan sausage, and sprouted cinnamon raisin toast from Detroit Vegan Soul

2012 Hatch Detroit finalists Detroit Vegan Soul will celebrate a grand opening in its new space in West Village at 8029 Agnes St. this Saturday, Sept. 28.

After starting out with a vegan meal delivery and catering service, Kirtsen Ussery and Erika Boyd realized that there is a real demand for homemade vegan comfort food in Detroit. Both vegan themselves, they started veganizing their family recipes and found that people really loved it.

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[EID Feature] When you go to the Auto Show, Go Natural

The new atrium at Cobo Center. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

By now you've heard about the $300 million renovation project currently underway at Cobo Center. Part of the construction includes a three-story glass-walled atrium overlooking the Detroit River, which will make its debut (temporarily) during the 2013 North American International Auto Show when it opens to the public next Saturday, January 19.

Just a tad less buzzworthy, but something the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority is also very excited about, is their new concession stand Go Natural located on the main concourse, opening just in time for the Auto Show. Go Natural is the first step in a whole new direction for Centerplate, the Cobo Center's food service vendor. This grab-and-go cafe features a variety of prepared foods - soups, salads and sandwiches - all made with fresh, natural, locally-sourced ingredients. Organic produce, locally-raised free-range chickens, from-scratch soups and more are on the menu at Go Natural, which is all part of a larger initiative by Centerplate to not just catch up to the marketplace but "leapfrog" it, offering the kind of food not normally found in convention centers. Options at Go Natural include breakfast and lunch items, and are definitely hearty yet healthy.

In addition to the atrium, which will host private parties and VIP dinners, the new construction in Cobo will include a grand ballroom, additional meeting rooms, a brand-new food court and a new 8,000-square-foot kitchen with private tasting room. Catering will be entirely overseen by Centerplate's ACF Executive Chef Jamie Miller, whose biggest passion and primary objective is to use fresh, locally-sourced ingredients in his cooking.

I had the chance to preview Go Natural, as well as the Auto Show in mid-construction, this past Thursday. Check out the photos in the slideshow below. For the record, I had the buffalo chicken sandwich and tomato soup. The sandwich was made with huge chunks of high-quality chicken and more huge chunks of bleu cheese on ciabatta bread, the soup was loaded with fresh vegetables, and the ladies at the counter were lovely. As far as convention center "fast food" goes, this place seems pretty top-notch.

Go Natural at Cobo Center - Slideshow Creator

[Concentrate] Only in Ann Arbor: Ron's Roadside BBQ

The reviews on Yelp say it best. Between the effusive praises and complaints that their favorite dishes were sold out, folks like Peggy F of Northville describe Ron's Roadside BBQ (a.k.a. Romanoff's Catering) as "hidden off to the side of nowhere and nothing." And that just seems to fuel the passion for a family business that has been an Ann Arbor fixture for almost 40 years but mostly attracts those who are 'in-the-know.'

Roman Philipp started his business as a small catering company in the ‘60s, then built the kitchen that currently houses Romanoff's Catering and Ron's Roadside BBQ in 1973. Roman and his family ran the business for all these decades until he passed away a few years ago. At that time, Roman's son Ron was living in New York and operating his own BBQ restaurant; his father's death prompted him to come home and helm the family business.

To say Ron is an interesting character would be an understatement. He studied at LaVarenne Cooking School in France, worked in high-profile kitchens in Manhattan and the Hamptons, was a chef for the Barefoot Contessa, spent some time out in New York's wine country then decided to open his own BBQ restaurant in upstate New York.

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