Four Tastings from the Northwest Lower Michigan Food and Beverage Scene

Millie and Pepper
120 S. Union St., Traverse City
231-421-9499 • MillieAndPepper.com

Millie and Pepper of downtown Traverse City started as a 25-foot-wide modern-day general store but has grown to include a nontraditional crêperie and a unique coffee shop.

Owner Julie Hearne says she always planned to move toward food. Initially, she envisioned meats and cheeses but realized other businesses were already doing this well.

“I thought, ‘What do we do well at home?’” she says. The answer was crêpes with a sandwich feel. She uses buckwheat, which makes the crêpes crunchier and adds a texture that allows for her sandwich-like creations. The most popular menu item is the Cuban crêpe, which includes a homemade mustard sauce. “We do traditional crêpes that lean American. We have a s’mores and one that tastes like a cherry pie. That is very Northern Michigan.” She recently added something new to the menu as well after getting many requests from customers: vegan crêpes.

The crêperie now takes up more than half of the store, which forced her to cut back retail space and invite a newcomer to join her. In late September, Shannon Sidey opened her coffee shop, Northern Maiden, within the Millie and Pepper space.

Sidey has more than a decade of experience in the coffee industry in various roles, which has allowed her to leverage some unique products for her business. “My product line is different than the typical coffee shop,” she says. “I have lots of simple items, but that is to hold the integrity of the product.” She has chosen specific companies that focus on sustainability and stewardship.

Sidey is most excited to bring hot buttered yam to Traverse City’s beverage scene. It is a yam-based drink that is made with bourbon for sweetness; the alcohol is burned off in the cooking process. The drink also includes a black tea component. She says it has some of the same qualities as a pumpkin spice latté.

Harwood Gold Café
230 Bridge St., Charlevoix
231-437-3900 • HarwoodGold.com

Harwood Gold Pure Maple Syrup dates back more than 120 years, but its entry into the culinary scene is relatively new. Amber Parsons and her sister, Katie Untalan, learned their trade from their parents, who made and sold maple syrup on the family farm as a hobby. The sisters took over the farm in 2014 and saw potential in what they could do with the product. Two years later, in 2016, they launched a retail store and specialty food café in downtown Charlevoix, over time introducing 75 new products.

“At its most basic, what we do is take a gourmet product and make it healthier,” says Parsons.

The company encourages people to use maple syrup as a healthier alternative to other sweeteners. Parsons says since maple syrup is naturally very sweet, a little can go a long way.

Cinnamon Quill infused syrup is one of the top-selling products. A cinnamon stick is placed into the hot syrup and marinates for a few weeks, infusing the syrup with flavor.

The creativity doesn’t end at the breakfast table; they also sell savory infusions with bay leaves and ghost peppers. Parsons says those pair well with salmon and chicken. In addition to the infusions there are jams, mustards, chutney and a sriracha—which Parsons says flies off the shelf—all sweetened with maple syrup.

The brick-and-mortar location has an entire tasting table where customers are encouraged to sample all of the products.

“People come in and spend a lot of time tasting. It’s really well received,” says Parsons.

You can also tour the production facility and farm where the maple syrup is harvested and made by calling to set up an appointment.

The Wine Bar: Locals Nights
Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail
LPWines.com

Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail is extending Thursday’s “The Wine Bar: Locals Night” indefinitely after experiencing a good initial turnout. The free event is held every Thursday from 4 to 6 PM at different wineries that belong to the association.

“It’s a fun way to get consistent Thursday nights and get people out to the wineries during the off-season,” says Abby Walton- Porter, assistant director of Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail.

At the event, you can expect three complimentary tastings, a special $5 pour, learning experience and prize wheel for a chance to win all kinds of wine-lover goodies.

“I offer a red, white and rosé $5 pour. I want to appeal to all my guests. I want to show them there is a wine for everybody,” says McKenzie Gallagher, co-owner of Rove Estate Vineyard and Winery.

Rove has seen success with the event and is hosting a locals night once every month throughout the winter. Gallagher says the event is getting a following, bringing new people into the tasting room.

“Every winery will give you a unique experience,” says Gallagher.

Walton-Porter says it is a way to get locals—and anyone—to travel to wineries instead of frequenting a bar in town.

“I don’t think people necessarily think of wineries as a place to go to for a happy hour. But where else can you go for a $5 glass of local wine?” asks Gallagher.

Locals Night launched in March 2019 and will continue as long as wineries are on board. Walton-Porter noted several wineries even signed up through the busy summer season into the harvest season. She has a list of participants each week extending into February. The association will continue to update the winery location for each week on its website.

Way of Knife and EDC Gear House
502 E. Front St., Traverse City
231-252-2500 • WayOfKnife.com

There are two ways to sharpen culinary knives: by hand or with a power grinder. At home, a honing rod will keep your knives in good shape for a short period and is usually used for production knives. When you’ve invested in high-end pieces, you’ll want to keep those performing at their peak, which means taking them to a professional.

Home cooks usually need to take knives in a few times a year for professional sharpening, while chefs need a tune-up every three to five weeks. Of course, the frequency depends on the quality of steel and how much they are used.

Marcus Gee, the owner of Way of Knife in downtown Traverse City, is one of a few people in the area that chefs trust to take their knives to. At purchase price of roughly $150 apiece, those tools must be maintained for their performance. Gee starts by securing the knife in a clamp that helps him to work the blade by hand. He checks the angle of the edge and begins hand grinding with a ceramic stone to reset the bevel. He slowly rolls each swipe over the edge on the left side and repeats on the right side. The technique eliminates chips and burrs. In the next step, he swipes the length of the knife blade with a low-grit stone, working his way up to a finer grit. This corrects a dull blade. When he is finished you can see tiny shards of steel that have been carefully shaved off to reach a keen edge.

Gee charges $1.50 per inch to sharpen and usually takes 24 to 48 hours. He is fairly new at the craft, learning just a year and a half ago when he opened his business, quickly discovering there was a need in the area for this service. He says he has received training through the company that sold him the sharpening system and is learning new techniques through other professionals on YouTube.

Jennifer Burns is a freelance writer in Traverse City