The Dish

Traverse City has been getting lots of national attention for it's food scene. It was even named Food City of the Year by Midwest Living. But the chefs and wine makers who've shaped this place say the story goes much deeper.

At the second annual Traverse City Food & Wine Festival, The Dish spent time with the people behind the plates. What emerged was deeply rooted to the land, the water, the farms, and the community that lies them together.

Veteran chefs like Eric Patterson of The Cooks' House talked about the decades long relationship with farmers, and one in particular he warmly refers to as "Heirloom Craig."

"We've been with the same grower for 15 years. He provides all of our heirloom tomatoes ... and he brings, between 250 and 500 pounds of tomatoes a week for about eight weeks straight, right around now," he said.

Newer voices, including chefs Cameron Rolka of Umbo and Sarah Bobier of Artisan, described a culinary community that welcomed them in and handed them the keys to the region’s bounty.

Another voice, chef Adam McMarlin of Wren in Sutton's Bay, put it this way: "A lot of the restaurants that have been here before me, like Cooks' House and Trattoria Stella and Tapawingo, really kind of paved the way for what people are seeing when they come to town now, you know?"

You taste that closeness through the food. Whether it's cherries picked at peak ripeness, heirloom tomatoes delivered minutes from the vine, or wines shaped by the cold water surrounding Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas. You can feel it in the way chefs show up for each other in mentoring, collaborating, and celebrating what grows here.

As chef Tony Vu of The Good Bowl put it, Traverse City’s food culture is “by far” defined by its ingredients, and by the people who care for them.

It’s a place where the table keeps getting bigger, and it seems there’s room for whoever shows up next.

We heard from:

Brad Morgan: Wine Club Manager, Mari Vineyards

Myles Anton: Executive Chef & Owner of Trattoria Stella

Amanda Danielson: Founder of Trattoria Stella

Eric Patterson: Co-Chef Owner of The Cooks’ House

Bryan Ulbrich: Left Foot Charlie

Sarah Bobier: Executive Chef at Artisan in ther Delmar Hotel

Cameron Rolka: Chef & Owner of Mink in Detroit, Owner of Umbo in Traverse City

Tony Vu: Chef & Founder of The Good Bowl

Whitney Waara: Event Director, Traverse City Food and Wine

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There's a small restaurant near Western Michigan University where, for a lot of people in Kalamazoo, lunch is also an introduction to gobit doner, to lahmacun, and to a whole cuisine some customers didn't even know they'd been missing.

Ayasofya is Kalamazoo's only Turkish restaurant, and its owners, Halil and Fatma Dursunoğlu, feel that responsibility every time someone walks through the door.

"When you are the only one responsible to represent the Turkish food... you need to think like 100 times more than normal," Fatma said. "I have more responsibility to let them taste good food."

They didn't set out to run a restaurant. Fatma's an environmental engineer who spent ten years working with the United Nations on desertification and erosion. But when she moved to Michigan she was pregnant and craving lahmacun, Turkish flatbread topped with minced meat. She couldn't find it anywhere, so she decided to make it herself. The couple opened Ayasofya while Fatma was nine months pregnant. One day, while preparing food for a customer, she went into labor. After giving birth she was back in the kitchen within two weeks.

"Actually, she went to labor literally from the kitchen," Halil said. "I still remember that day."

The restaurant sits in the old Bruno's pizzeria space, a spot generations of WMU students knew and loved. Fatma and her husband Halil, who teaches computer science and cybersecurity at Western, kept the plates, the forks, even the oven. "We respect their memory," Fatma said.

On this episode, we're in the kitchen for the making of gobit doner, a Turkish sandwich filled with shaved meat, fries, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo and fresh-baked flatbread. And Fatma and Halil talk about that it means to be the only ones carrying the Turkish cuisine's reputation on your shoulders.

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Peterson’s Fish Market in Hancock is a family‑run operation built on one guiding principle: freshness. Pat Peterson and her family, catch, fillet, smoke, and serve Lake Superior whitefish just miles from where it’s pulled from the water.

The Petersons come from generations of commercial fishing and are members of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. After early pushback when they arrived in Michigan, the community eventually embraced their market. Today, locals and visitors line up for fried whitefish, smoked fish chowder, and other homemade dishes at Four Suns Fish & Chips.

They fish year‑round, work with biologists to protect the lake, and credit their success to the people who show up day after day. For the Petersons, it’s simple: respect the water, serve fresh fish, and take care of the community that takes care of them.

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You won’t find soy beans, corn and mango in the dishes at Unco Chad’s Hawaiian Flavaz. The bright blue food truck pops up around southeast Michigan, and offers something different than other local poke restaurants, owner Chad Kubo said.

Unco Chad’s menu — poke bowls, kalua pork, kalbi chicken and more — is authentically Hawaiian.

Unco Chad’s has become a statewide obsession, and his dishes have gone viral on social media. 

Kubo sat down with The Dish to talk about how his childhood in Hawaii influenced his love of food, why he wants to offer authentic flavors to Michigan, and what it looks like to live out a spirit of “aloha.”

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Protein is having a moment, with powders available in a variety of flavors and base ingredients. The Green Leap, a family-owned business based in Grand Rapids derives their protein powder from a source you probably won’t find at Meijer: crickets.

We visited Montse Rosales Osoria at her cricket farm in West Michigan, plus the kitchen where she roasts and packs the final product. 

Helpful links:

• Find The Green Leap website here
• Find bonus footage on our website here
• Read what the U.N. has to say about insect consumption here
• Read a study about the nutritional benefits of cricket consumption here

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Manuel De Paz created his Guatemalan diner, Encuentro Latino, with community in mind. The name translates to “Latin Gathering.” It’s been in the same location in downtown Ypsilanti since 2015. Many other shops have struggled to stick around, but a loyal customer base has kept Encuentro Latino in business.

Today, chef-owner De Paz talks about building something distinctly Guatemalan – a gathering place for everyone – the dishes that keep people coming back, and what it means to keep the doors open when part of your community is afraid to walk through them. 

Helpful links!

• Find Encuentro Latino here and follow them on their Facebook page to be in on their weekly specials. 
• Follow and subscribe to The Dish here so you don't miss an episode!

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The Cottage Bagel, a home bakery in Grand Rapids owned by Angela and Tony Ochoa, has developed a loyal following, with weekly bagel and scone pre-order “drops” often selling out within hours. Orders are placed on their website, and then picked up from the Ochoas’ home on Fridays.

The Ochoas highlighted the culture of community-building and supporting local businesses in the city. We talked with Angela and Tony about quiet morning rituals, baking in the Republic of Georgia, and what it means to be part of a growing community of home-based cooks.

Helpful links:

• Find the Cottage Bagel order form here
• Find bonus footage on our website here

Give us your suggestions!

• Email us at [email protected]
• Find our submission form here

Support our work: https://www.michiganpublic.org/podfund

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A sober bar manager in Ann Arbor is redefining what zero‑proof cocktails can be.

In this episode, my colleague April Baer talks with Max Schikora of Echelon Kitchen and Bar about his path to sobriety, the pressures of bar culture, and how he’s crafting some of Michigan’s most thoughtful spirit‑free drinks. 

Max’s story is also a window into a broader shift. More people in the service industry are choosing sobriety, and more restaurants are making space for them. At Echelon, Max helps lead a weekly Ben’s Friends meeting, part of a national support network for hospitality workers navigating addiction and recovery.

He also walked April through one of his favorite creations: a roasted beet cocktail that’s earthy, bright, and built from kitchen scraps that would otherwise be tossed. It’s a drink that captures his philosophy: nothing wasted, everything intentional.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or use Lifeline Chat to connect with a trained counselor.

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We spent some time with Yumna Jawad, better known as Feel Good Foodie, in her Grand Rapids home. She shared her must-have holiday dish and some super practical tips to help us all survive the holiday season in the kitchen.

• Find Yumna's stuffed grape leaves recipe here
• Find the landing page for Yumna's episode here
• Find The Dish's suggestion form here, or email us at [email protected]

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British-born and Michelin-starred chef Kieron Hales has cooked for presidents and royalty across 27 countries. 

He's Executive Chef at Zingerman's Cornman Farms in Dexter, Michigan, a farmhouse and event space with a restored red barn on the property. He works with couples to create custom menus—crafting farm-to-table meals or recreating family favorites—and provides them with the recipes to keep.

Today he talks with me about his favorite food memory, his mother's crepe cannelloni. It’s a labor-intensive lasagna-like creation of crepes stuffed with bolognese and baked in bechamel sauce. Plus what he takes away from cooking at the highest levels of the culinary world, and what it means to create meals that become memories. 

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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