Rick Coates

Features Rick Coates A Puff of Freedom at Nolan’s Cigar Lounge
By Rick Coates 10/5/09

For 31 years Mike Nolan has been selling tobacco in downtown Traverse City. Nolan’s Tobacconists have enjoyed success over the years because Mike understands the business better than most (he is president of the cigar store industry association for 38 stores in Michigan) and he even has been a trendsetter in establishing the first cigar dinner in the country over 20 years ago (documented by Cigar Aficionado, which credits Nolan and restaurateur Jim Milliman for starting the trend).
As Michigan nears a smoking ban in public buildings, Nolan knows he had to do something if he wants to keep his business a success. So he is launching Nolan’s Cigar Lounge.
“Most of the proposed legislation will allow for established tobacco shops to have a lounge for their patrons to smoke,” said Nolan. “It is something I have talked about doing for a long time anyway, but with legislation looming in Michigan, I figured I better get it down now.”

Dining Rick Coates Tastemakers
Rick Coates 9/28/09
National Food
and Drink Days

I have always wondered who comes up with all of the days of celebration. for example, Sweetest Day (October 17) is on the horizon. Does some guy who is locked in a greeting card company closet dream up these holidays? Thankfully there are not greeting cards for the hundreds of national food and drink days we throughout the year.
Yes that’s right, everyday, 365 days a year there is some sort of National Eat or Drink. For example, this week on September 28, it is National Drink Beer Day. Seems like the proponents of this day picked the wrong day as October 4 is National Eat Tacos Day and also National Drink Vodka Day. Ever try eating tacos and drinking vodka? they should have switched the vodka with beer.
Okay this week is also National Don’t Eat Salt Week. Now what is the point of this? It is also National Drink Beer Week, salty foods goes best with beer don’t they? Oh yeah, it is also National Eat Chili Week. try making a good chili without some salt. Now next week is National School Lunch Week, isn’t every day the kids are in school a school lunch day?

Dining Rick Coates Tastemakers
Rick Coates 9/21/09
Dinner in
the Hills

Mt. Holiday Ski & Recreation Area was on its death bed 10 years ago, until a group of families and ski enthusiasts came together and kept the long time ski operation from heading into extinction. Now operated by a non-profit association, Mt. Holiday is a year – round recreation and entertainment facility offering skiing, disc golf, mountain biking, wedding receptions, private parties and banquets. Last year they brought in veteran ski hill operations manager Rick Van Tongeren (Cannonsburg near Grand Rapids) to serve as their new General Manager and a new banquet manager, Michelle Konstanzer. Now Mt. Holiday is enjoying a 12-month operation. Being non-profit they are dependent on fundraising and on Saturday, September 26, they will host their 4th annual dinner.
“We are calling it ’Dinner in the Hills’ as this is the first time the dinner will be here at Mt. Holiday” said Van Tongeren. “We have a lot going on all night including great food, beer, wine, music and silent auction. We expect to draw 160 people.” The evening will feature 10 area chefs preparing a variety of wild game and other speicliaty entrées and appetizers. The gourmet offerings will be paired with wines from seven wineries from the region and four are microbreweries.

Dining Rick Coates Cooking up Something Good

The Cooks’ House finds culinary success in downtown Traverse City

By Rick Coates 9/21/09

When chefs Eric Patterson and Jennifer Blakeslee opened their restaurant The Cooks’ House in downtown Traverse City a year and half ago, they had a vision that they felt would take five years to accomplish, instead they find themselves ahead of schedule and helping to lead a culinary revolution in Northern Michigan.
“We are a lot further along than we expected to be at this point,” said Patterson.
“The area has quickly grasped our mission of using foods from local growers and producers and our vision focusing on the seasonality of what is available to create our menus. We had hoped to release a cookbook after three to five years of being open but have already accomplished that goal as well.”

Features Rick Coates GONE FISHIN‘
Trout Unlimited Celebrates 50 Years

By Rick Coates 9/21/09

There are three closely guarded secrets in Northern Michigan – favorite hunting grounds, morel mushroom locations and choice spots on a trout stream.
Trout fishing in Northern Michigan sometimes takes a backseat to the famous rivers out west but not this past August, as a few hundred who fly-fish headed to Northern Michigan for the annual Trout Unlimited (TU) convention held in Traverse City August 22.
This TU convention was a special one as it marked the 50th anniversary of the national organization. The weeklong conference featured guest speakers, authors, seminars and guided fly fishing trips for anglers who came from several of the 400 TU chapters around North America. There were also several parties, including a formal dinner honoring the founding members.
According to TU spokesperson Erin Mooney, Northern Michigan was picked specifically to host this special celebration

Dining Rick Coates Tastemakers
Rick Coates 9/14/09
Community Supported Agriculture
During my visits to area farmers markets this summer I have noticed more and more Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms. It seems that CSA are popping up all over, with more than 24 in Northern Michigan and others in the planning stages.

Features Rick Coates Big Bucks
at the Box Office
Michael Moore’s new documentary film Capitalism:
A Love Story makes its North American debut in Bellaire

By Rick Coates 9/14/09

The much-anticipated film by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore will make its North American debut in Bellaire on Saturday, September 19. The Bellaire premier of Capitalism: A Love Story will serve as a benefit for the Antrim County Democratic Party with a 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. showing at the Bellaire Theater on Bridge Street.
In his new film, which will be released nationally on October 2, Moore focuses on “the disastrous impact that corporate dominance and out-of-control profit motives have on the lives of Americans and citizens of the world,” according to a release from the film’s distributor Overture Films.

Dining Rick Coates Tastemakers
Rick Coates 9/7/09
Two Weekends
Two Great Festivals
There were skeptics that back-to-back weekends featuring a major wine festival and a beer festival with music and food both weekends would not work in Northern Michigan. After all, these weekends have always been a challenge in the tourism industry as college students are gone, families are preparing for the start of school, and several fall school sports and activities are well underway. Throw in a lagging economy and these events surely were doomed. But organizers of the Traverse City Wine and Art Festival and the Traverse City Microbrew and Music Festival proved all doubters wrong. Both weekends were “home runs” as thousands came out for both festivals.

Features Rick Coates Setting Sail with the
Michigan Schooner Festival

By Rick Coates 9/7/09

The first ever Michigan Schooner Festival sets sail this weekend along the shores of West Grand Traverse Bay. The three-day celebration of the Great Lakes maritime legacy is hosted by the Maritime Heritage Alliance and will feature at least eight schooners, tours, sailing excursions, food, music, races and even a tall ship parade.
For festival organizers this event has been a long time in the making. It epitomizes the work that the Maritime Heritage Alliance has been doing since its inception in 1982 to promote and preserve the history of wooden boats in the Great Lakes.

Music Rick Coates Dr. Duke Tumatoe
Finds the Funny Side of the Blues

By Rick Coates 8/31/09

If you think blues songs are all about being down and out, just spend some time with Bill Fiorio, a.k.a. Dr. Duke Tumatoe, and he will convince you otherwise. Duke Tumatoe has enjoyed a 40-year career performing the blues, in particular humorous and raunchy blues tunes throughout the Midwest. His audience has expanded over the years after making regular appearances on the Bob and Tom radio show.
He will make a return visit to Northern Michigan this Labor Day weekend with three performances (Friday-Sunday) at the Little River Casino in Manistee.
“If you dig into the songbooks of blues legends, you will find that most of their songs are funny,” said Tumatoe. “I think that there is this big misconception out there as to what blues is all about, primarily by people who do not listen, but at the end of the day this music is about looking at life’s hardships with a sense of humor. This music is all about relieving the stresses of life.
With song titles like “It’s Christmas (Let’s Have Sex)” and numerous others such as the “NFL Song” and “Lord Help Our Colts” airing on the Bob & Tom Show, Tumatoe has built his career on humorous songs.

Music Rick Coates Rockin’
For A Reason
14 bands stage a charity jam at The Terminal

By Rick Coates 8/31/09
Ida Reed, lead singer of Northern Michigan based rockers Callous, is “Rockin’ For A Reason” this weekend. Actually, Rose has several reasons to rock.
“We are raising money for two worthwhile charities with an all-day music event featuring 14 bands at The Terminal,” said Reed. “But I want this to go beyond the charities; I want to help put rock and roll back into the live music scene in Northern Michigan.”
Rockin’ For A Reason takes place Sunday, September 6 at The Terminal in Traverse City. Doors open at Noon and the $10 ticket price will go to benefit The American Red Cross of Northwest Michigan and The Veterans of Foreign Wars of Traverse City.
“When I was looking at charities for this first event I wanted to be sure that the money raised would stay here in Northern Michigan,” said Reed. “My goal with my production company R.I.P.-Rhoda Inc. Productions is to host six events of this nature a year. I have a three-event deal with The Terminal and I am looking at other venues for the other events. Each event we will designate two charities.”

Dining Rick Coates Tastemakers
Rick Coates 8/31/09
Michigan Potatoes
In part due to several diet fades in recent years, the potato has received a bad rap. But that has not kept the Michigan potato industry from thriving. In fact, in volume and sales dollars potatoes are Michigan’s leading produce commodity. Michigan leads the nation in potatoes raised for potato chip production.
Despite the negative publicity, potatoes remain popular and are a staple item at all three meals a day. The Michigan Department of Agriculture reports that potatoes are a great source of nutrition too. A medium potato, weighing between 5 and 10 ounces, has 76 calories—no more than an apple. Potatoes are fat-free, rich in potassium and an excellent source of fiber. A potato contains one-half the daily requirement of vitamin C, 15 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin B6, and 10 percent of the niacin requirements.
Worldwide, potatoes are the fourth most important agricultural crop and are grown in 130 countries. The average American eats about 124 pounds of potatoes per year while Germans eat about twice as much. Thomas Jefferson gets the credit for introducing “french fries” to America when he served them at a White House dinner. Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on American television and is now 60 years old, (he made a cameo in the Toy Story movies).

Music Rick Coates Let it Flow
TC’s new Microbrew & Music Festival
By Rick Coates 8/24/09

Okay, now that summer weather has finally arrived, it is time to crack a cold one. This weekend marks the first of what organizers hope will be an annual celebration of craftbrews and music. The Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festival will take place Saturday on the front lawn of the Village at Grand Traverse Commons.
The evening will feature more than 30 craftbrewers; food from local farms, chefs and restaurants; and an eclectic line-up of music featuring Grammy winner Buckwheat Zydeco Band, Clumsy Lovers, Caravan of Thieves, Mike Moran & Levi Britton, Delilah DeWylde & The Lost Boys, Luke Winslow-King and GT Scottish Bagpipe and Drums.
“Our goal is to establish a long-standing tradition that celebrates great beer, music, culture, local food and sustainable practices with Northern Michigan patrons and vendors,” said festival creator and owner of Porterhouse Productions, Sam Porter. “The long-term vision is to create a nationally recognized craft beer festival as well as an anchor event with the Microbrew and Music Festival to support a community non-profit week-long annual Epicurean Harvest Festival celebrating food and craft beverage as well as arts and culture for all ages. We also aim to raise funds to support local youth empowerment programs through the Good Work Collective (GWC) and Little Artshram.”

Dining Rick Coates Tastemakers
Rick Coates 8/24/09
You Don’t Have to
Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook

Chef and New York restaurateur Tom Valenti will be in Northern Michigan this week at several locations signing copies of his new book “You Don’t Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook.” Valenti was diagnosed with diabetes over 15 years ago and started creating diabetic cuisine that doesn’t skimp on flavor and he has been showcasing those recipes at his acclaimed restaurant, Ouest, and the recently opened West Branch both, in New York City. His new book features 250 of his favorite recipes and as the title suggests you don’t have to be diabetic to appreciate this cookbook.
“People with diabetes and anyone looking for a healthy lifestyle will rejoice in Valenti’s signature cuisine,” said Mario Batali. “This book he has written and the recipes have made me one of his biggest fans.”
While this cookbook is a blessing for the more than 23 million Americans with diabetes, Valenti also intended it for everyone. “You know that a simple lifestyle intervention can reduce the development of diabetes in high-risk cases 58 percent of the time,” said Valenti. “When I was first diagnosed I thought my good-eating days were over, what I found out was they were just beginning.”

Music Rick Coates Hoxeyville Music Festival
Takes a Giant Leap Forward
By Rick Coates 8/17/09

In a year that has seen a record number of music festivals in Northern Michigan, the Hoxeyville Music Festival, located near Wellston (between Cadillac and Ludington), hopes to stand out by blending international superstars with regional favorites to attract a couple of thousand festival goers.
The growing music festival scene in Northern Michigan has become very competitive over the years since Blissfest paved the way 30 years ago. From Memorial Day to Labor Day more than 40 music festivals will take place. Attendance has been light at some, as many festivals offer the same musicians and bands.
“I looked at a lot of these music festivals and my wife and I usually go to one every weekend, but I noticed they were all having the same bands,” said Paul Caruthers of Honor. “I like a lot of these local bands, but I do not need to see the same bands every weekend.”