For the past 21 years, the Detroit Free Press dutifully announced their highly anticipated list of Best New Restaurants and Restaurant of the Year. However, this year, the Freep chose to highlight those chefs and restaurateurs who stepped up to positively impact their communities. These ten chefs and restaurateurs, introduced as the inaugural class of Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Food Fighters opened their kitchens and their hearts to feed countless frontline and hospital workers, seniors, struggling families, and the homeless this past year.
Much to my surprise, I was honored to be chosen as one of the 2021 Food Fighters! As the lead chef for Make Food Not Waste, we fed thousands of Detroit families for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. And, in that same spirit of community, I co-founded Taste the Diaspora – an initiative celebrating foods of the African diaspora while celebrating Black chefs, farmers, and food makers in Detroit.
With the distinct honor of being a Food Fighter, each awardee is celebrated through a special one-night-only dinner event at their respective establishment, a program referred to as the Top 10 Takeover. My Takeover Dinner will be held on Thursday, August 26th at Batch Brewing in Detroit.
This event provides me another opportunity to highlight the amazing, selfless organizations, businesses, and food growers that I get the pleasure of working with everyday like Detroit Food Academy and Nurturing Our Seeds Farm.
This smoked gouda & black pepper biscuit recipe is just a sneak peek of what diners will get to experience. Enjoy!
Tickets for the remaining upcoming Top 10 Takeover dinners can be purchased here.
Congratulations to all of the Food Fighters recognized!
- The Block
- She Wolf Pastifico
- Batch Brewing Co
- Saffron De Twah
- Farmacy Foods
- In the Business of Food
- Coop
- Kuzzo’s
- Bunny Bunny
- El Nacimiento
- Bangkok 96
Ederique Goudia is the Metro Detroit Content Creator for Taste the Local Difference. Contact her at: [email protected]
Image Credits: Detroit Free Press, Make Food Not Waste