Jillian Manning | Author
Michigan Magic
Feb. 26, 2022
Retired elementary school teacher Debbie Watson sat down at her desk in May 2020 and began to write. It was early morning, and she’d just woken from a dream about a girl and a polar bear and a dragon on the shores of Lake Superior. She knew there was something magical brewing in her...
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Therapy Hits the Road
Feb. 26, 2022
Back in November of 2021, Northern Express reported on the growing mental health crisis in northern Michigan. From the stress of the pandemic to bullying on social media, a variety of factors are causing the need for mental health services to skyrocket among children and adults. ...
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Breaking the Ice
Feb. 26, 2022
For 47 years, the Traverse City Figure Skating Club (formerly known as Twin Bays Skating Club) has been producing athletes bound for college teams, national-level competitions, and even the much-beloved “Disney on Ice” show. TCFSC is also the driving force behind the Northern ...
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Carrying on the Tradition
Feb. 12, 2022
What do Double Frosted Bourbon Brownies, Mock Apple Pie, and Prince of Wales Cake have in common? (Besides sugar and appearing together in the sidebar, you clever reader.) They're all recipes from Michigan author Carole Eberly’s cookbooks, which date back to 1977 and have all the no...
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"Steaking" its Claim
Feb. 12, 2022
The No. 1 steakhouse in Michigan — according to MLive (and a vocal cadre of Northern Express readers who named its Tomahawk Ribeye to our first Iconic Eats list — is nestled in Harbor Springs, serving up award-winning Wagyu beef just past the intersection of M-119 and Powell R...
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If You CAN Do, Teach
Feb. 12, 2022
For almost 20 years, Joel Papcun has been preparing the next generation of chefs at Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute. He has not only trained and graduated hundreds of students into the culinary industry but also opened the institute’s teaching re...
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Great Meals, Hot Deals
Feb. 12, 2022
One of the biggest perks of enduring the colder months in northern Michigan is that we locals can finally get into our favorite restaurants without a wait. Even better, our foodie friends are ea...
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It's a Date: Three Fresh Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Feb. 5, 2022
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Northern Express set out to find some creative new ways to observe the holiday. Say so long to flowers and dinner — from breaking glass to getting sweaty with your partner to catching the performance of the season, here are our top three...
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Green Girl: Kelly Young of Torch Cannabis Co.
Jan. 29, 2022
Kelly Young owns a dispensary, but her goal isn’t to get you high. Instead, at Torch Cannabis Co. in Central Lake, Young promotes a holistic approach to self-care.
“My whole passion has been around helping people get access to [cannabis],” she says. “To lea...
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The Old Mission General Store's Pizza
Jan. 8, 2022
The Old Mission General Store cooks up some of the tastiest pizza in town … 15 miles out of town, on Old Mission Peninsula. (Trust us — it is well worth the drive!) Their New York-style pies have a perfect blend of cheese, sauce, and thin, crispy crust that can be finished wi...
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Right Brain Brewery to Host NM E3 Book Fair
Jan. 8, 2022
There’s nothing we love more than a great team-up. Northern Michigan E3, the Traverse City region’s antiracism taskforce, has partnered up with Right Brain Brewery to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend with good books, good cheer, and good changes for our community. On...
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Cider Centerpieces
Nov. 14, 2020
Hold my beer (and my wine) because autumn is cider time. Truly, could there be a better place to enjoy cider than the apple Mecca of northern Michigan? You probably know one of the farmers whose apples made it into your glass. You get all the inside jokes that cider makers include when na...
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Flying Noodle: Launched In A Pandemic, And Going Strong With Gusto
Sept. 19, 2020
Is it a bird? A plane? No — it’s a flying noodle! And it landed in downtown Traverse City this summer, at 136 E. Front St., the space formerly occupied by eateries like Gaijin and, before that, Harvest). The aptly titled “Italian Pasta House” offers a delightful ar...
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The Dish's "Heat At Home" Meals
Sept. 19, 2020
The convenience of takeout and the comfort of a home-cooked meal meet at The Dish Café in Traverse City, now offering “Heat at Home” meals Monday through Friday. Intended for two — with the promise of yummy lunchtime leftovers — these hearty dishes include an entré...
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No Barriers
Sept. 12, 2020
Since 2017, Wells Fargo bank and No Barriers — a nonprofit whose goal is “to fully unleash the potential of the human spirit” — have teamed up to offer a unique program: the Global Impact Challenge. The program is focused on diversity and inclusion and is open to e...
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The Den
Sept. 5, 2020
Axe throwing. An escape room. Mini-bowling. An upscale bar. It’s all at The Den — located inside Grand Traverse Resort and Spa — a petite entertainment center-slash-eatery that packs a grizzly-sized punch.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE BEAR
Golfers will ...
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The Couple who Turned One Hotel into an Up North Hospitality Dynasty.
July 11, 2020
Stafford Smith is known as one of the region’s foremost hospitality professionals, with iconic Northern Michigan properties like the Bay View Inn, the Perry Hotel, and the Weathervane Restaurant under his umbrella. But his nearly six-decade career wasn’t planned; it was built ...
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Designer Christopher Ciccone
July 11, 2020
In Northern Michigan, the last name Ciccone usually brings to mind a famous pop singer or a Suttons Bay winery. But in 2019, another Ciccone arrived to make his mark Up North.
Christopher Ciccone, younger brother of Madonna and son of Tony, proprietor of Ciccone Vineyards in Sutto...
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Opa! Grill & Taproom in Traverse City
July 4, 2020
Opa! Grill & Taproom — it’s impossible to say the name without the exclamation mark, or without imagining the savory taste of fresh tzatziki sauce. One of the few Greek-inspired restaurants in northern Michigan, Opa! has been serving up authentic gyros, spanakopita, falafe...
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Drive It Like You Stole It — er, Rented It
July 4, 2020
’Tis the season for summer cruisin’. With gas prices still hovering around $2 in most of Northern Michigan, there’s never been a better time to go for a drive … especially if you’re taking a trip back in time.
No, we’re not taking a DeLorean, b... Read More >>