Detroit From Across The Pond

We discuss Jewell's passion for food, eating out, "big flavours", her love of Thai food and her deep passion for the food scene in Detroit. 

Additionally, we discuss the influence of a Polish upbringing on food and eating especially the social element. We can dive pretty deep into the world of a classic Polish food Pierogi and of a typical mid-western US ice cream known as "Superman ice cream". We also talk about her first foray into European travel and her trip with a friend to the Balkans". 

WAV

If someone asked you to cycle around where you live and record all the different aspects of it - art, buildings, nature - how would you do it? How long might it take you? Our guest today Tom Leeper did just that in Detroit. Someone who loves being on his bike Tom decided that after cycling on similar areas for a long time he wanted to venture further afield. At the same time, Tom started taking pictures of the vast amount of art and interesting buildings in Detroit. In doing so over several years, he has created a unique cultural archive which has involved cycling thousands of miles and taking tens of thousands of pictures.

We also dig into what he thinks is unique about Detroit and what has driven and sustained Tom through this project. The conversation takes a look at Detroit's historic Belgian bar and the unusual game that you can play there and a couple of other strange and fun games which you can play there.

Listening to the podcast alongside looking at Tom's website Every Linear Mile will give you a real sense of the creativity and fun that peppers so many areas of Detroit.

What do you do when you run a vegan catering business, and not just a fantastic restaurant but a hugely successful and popular food truck and as a result of COVID-19 you have to put everything on hold? Add in the fact that you have put vast amounts of time, energy, money and creativity into making it all happen and anyone could be forgiven for feeling utterly shocked and unsure of what to do and anxious about the future. Well our guest today, like many small business owners, certainly experienced that sense of uncertainty and what must have been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions as much of our world shut down as the pandemic swept across the globe.

However, Karen Schulz is not one for staying down long in the face of adversity. In today's show, we hear Karen's wonderful story and her infectious laugh as to how as a New Yorker she ended up in Detroit; how her husband and their good friend Stefan took a real leap of faith and followed a dream of serving good food and making people happy. In doing so, they set up an award-winning food truck and all on a modest budget relying on the quality of their food and customer service to grow the business. In the process, we also learn a smidgin of Yiddish courtesy of Karen's Grandma.

In the face of COVID-19, Karen and the team turned to help people and developed Nosh Care supplying meals and a range of foodstuffs to people with dietary needs who, through no fault of their own, had been hit hard by the sudden economic downturn.

Today's show is a heartwarming story, and even if you are not vegan, you could well end up feeling a little peckish listening and looking at the show notes.

Enjoy, have a great week; thank you so much for listening and stay safe.

With my warmest wishes,

Andrew

This show takes a look at some of the aspects of Detroit's green environment. Our guest is Sue Hudnut, who works for the Greening of Detroit (link to their website). It is a not for profit organisation which has played a significant role in panting tens of thousands of trees right across Detroit. As well as making a significant positive impact on Detroit's ecology it's programmes also encompass adult job creation through training programmes and involving young people in environmental work through its Youth Green Corps Leadership. It also looks after beautiful green spaces such as Lafayette Greens which lies right at the heart of downtown Detroit. 

Sue looks after the beautiful garden, which is a gorgeous green space for people to sit and socialise. During the summer, Sue organises yoga classes and meditation sessions.  

In this show, we talk about the gardens, the nature of Detroit's green environment and how Sue made a dramatic career change moving from the international corporate world to following her lifelong dream. 

Mention a Cornish pasty in the UK, and most people living in the UK know exactly what you are talking about. A half-mooned shaped pie traditionally filled with beef, potatoes and swede. However ask an American what a Yooper Pasty is and according to Charlie Hopper today's guest, 90% of them would look at you blankly and have no idea what you were talking about. 

Today's show takes a fun dive into the passionate world of Yooper Pasties. The original recipe was brought by Cornish miners who went to work in the mines in northern Michigan or the upper peninsula (the UP). The Pasty is a traditional food in northern Michigan and is also really popular with the many visitors to the area.  

Charlie discusses how he moved from being a radio engineer in Detroit to writing a piece of software which he then sold to a large US company ultimately moving to Calumet and becoming the administrator of an older adults' care home. This move triggered his involvement in the world of pasties which the residents at the care home used to chop vegetables for.

The pasties were a favourite food of the residents as many of them were either the children of miners or retired miners themselves. Over time the home began selling pasties to raise money and ultimately became the current business Pasty Central (https://www.pasty.com/).

If you like your food and you are interested in regional foods, this is the interview for you.  

A fascinating discussion with Gail Marlow from Detroit's Motor City Mission.

Imagine losing everything that you have—or struggling with severe mental illness which is untreated and which means that functioning in every society is incredibly difficult. Perhaps you are a veteran whose experiences in conflict zones has left you with PTDS and deep emotional scars? Or maybe a family trapped in a cycle of poverty and much of your income pays for a motel room with not enough left over to bur or rent a home of your own? It could be that you have challenges with substance abuse or even having a terminal health condition such as cancer. These are some of the things which The Motor City Mission works with every day.

In this interview, Gail Marlow discusses the fantastic work that she and her team do every single day of the year. Connecting and supporting people who, for a variety of reasons., can't or won't access other services. Gail discusses some of the reasons that people end up on the street and the sorts of things that she and her colleagues provide. Basics such as food and clothes. Practical and emotional support and assistance to access healthcare.

Although this discussion is about Detroit, the critical and challenging issues raised are valid across much of our world today and only made more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gail is a truly wonderful and inspirational human being marrying professionalism with a deep sense of care and passion for her work and the community that they serve. A genuinely inspiring conversation.

Rebecca discusses the role and importance of the Detroit Historical Museum in documenting the history of Detroit and its people. We take a look at how the original French settlers shaped the layout of parts of the city. The ways in which the History museums might document the impact of COVID-19.

How telling stories to a receptive audience can be healing and therapeutic experience both for the storyteller and the audience. A space is created of trust and receptivity in which people share their tales of a whole range of experiences. Satori is a master story teller and she shares her journey to coaching others in story telling and how telling her own stories proved deeply healing and transformative for her.