Ross Boissoneau | Author

Nittolo’s Pizza & Nittolo’s Seafood and Social

June 5, 2021

Think of Chef Eric Nittolo’s latest restaurant as a family affair. And not just because multiple members of his family are on staff. He believes it’s important to treat the customers as family, to the point of allowing — even encouraging them — to take their time and… Read More >>

Car Shows Approach the 2021 Starting Line

May 29, 2021

If summer 2020 was all about pumping the brakes, summer 2021 seems to be the season to hit the gas, squeal the tires, and barrel into at 100 miles per hour. One American summer staple in particular — car shows and cruises — are looking ready to roll Up North. Some, like the Nati… Read More >>

Running Down a Dream

May 22, 2021

Cory Wade
GR Auto, Traverse City
What TJ Maxx is for housewares and clothes hounds, the newly opened GR Auto of Traverse City is for classic car lovers. Whether you’re dying to buy or just want to ogle at an ever-changing inventory (pictured… Read More >>

U.S. v. China

May 15, 2021

The International Affairs Forum will welcome Lingling Wei, senior China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Thursday, May 20. The 5pm Zoom presentation will focus on the relationship between China and the U.S. and such issues as human rights, trade, intellectual disputes and… Read More >>

Vita Bella Italian Kitchen and Market

May 15, 2021

Maybe Ed Carella didn’t have a choice. After all, he’d basically been raised in a pizzeria. His parents, Tina and Angelo, were immigrants from Naples and had opened a pizza and pasta spot in Chicago. Ed spent much of his boyhood working there. “As a kid, I literally grew u… Read More >>

Servers Spill All

May 8, 2021

Few industries have been as decimated by the effects of the pandemic as the restaurant industry. As the world stumbles toward a new normal, we wondered what the last year has been like on the front lines as restaurants suddenly had to change their business model, many looking to takeout and… Read More >>

The Ultimate in Outdoor Dining

May 8, 2021

We love the variety of outstanding food and beverages available here in the North country, from our restaurants, markets, and roadside stands to our bakeries, breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries. But rather than praying for an open table while hungry tourists and pandemic restri… Read More >>

Live and In-Person Performances at GLCFA are Back — and Big

May 8, 2021

In the good old summertime, people used to gather, enjoy one another’s company, and do things. One of the things they’d do was go to concerts. Then 2020 happened, and everything changed.

At Great Lakes Center for the Arts, like every other venue, that meant the season&rs… Read More >>

(Does it buy anything anymore?)

May 1, 2021

Anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to real estate in the past year knows that since the opening of business last spring, sales have absolutely been on fire. 

That trend actually goes back a few years, with home sales rebounding since the end of the Great Recessi… Read More >>

The Other Market Shortage: Home Appraisers

May 1, 2021

What is a house worth? That’s an important question and, many times, a loaded one. The answer: It depends who’s asking. Is it the seller? The buyer? Is it part of a divorce settlement, or maybe part of a trust? And what about the size and condition of the house, its amenities, i… Read More >>

High School Fishing pals, Now Business Partners

April 24, 2021

UPDATE, May 2022: El Jigs is now closed.

For Jack Flynn (pictured above) and Ethan Stoops, fishing isn’t the only thing. There’s school, there’s family, there’s friends. But if fishing isn't the only thing, it’s certainly one of the big… Read More >>

Jr. Golf is Better Up North

April 24, 2021

Yeah, we’ve all seen Tiger Woods play. But maybe some of you caught sight of him playing alongside his 11-year-old son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship scramble in Orlando, Florida, back in December.

The Woods guys placed seventh overall (shooting 20 under) in the 36-hole eve… Read More >>

Rad.Ish

April 24, 2021

A family heritage, a profound change in diet, and a family tragedy together paved the way for Rad.Ish Street Food. Though Lisa Moberly grew up learning Mexican cooking from her grandparents and other relatives who wanted to be restaurateurs, it was her husband, Ryan, who became a chef.
Read More >>

Trends in Outdoor Living

April 10, 2021

After a year of near-confinement, our homes’ outdoor spaces have become sanctuaries of solace and sanity — and we’re investing a lot of time and money to make them beautiful, comfy, and ideally, available for more than just three or four months of the year. That trend is n… Read More >>

Salvage Stars

April 10, 2021

Reduce? Sure. Reuse? You betcha? Recycle? Only as a last resort. So how about rebuild? Or repaint, or refinish, or renovate?

If you’re like the legions of people who saw their increased stay-at-home time as an opportunity to redecorate, refresh, or renovate said home, you like… Read More >>

Wedding Rides

April 3, 2021

It’s the day you’ve been waiting for. Your prince has long since arrived on his white horse, and you’re finally making it official. So why not up the horsepower and ride to and from your nuptials in a style that suits this next milestone in your journey? Whether you want a… Read More >>

Trend Watch: Custom Wedding Rings

April 3, 2021

Custom doesn’t mean costly — at least not necessarily. For those looking to make a personal statement with an engagement or wedding ring, the options are endless. Using family heirlooms or even materials associated with the area will make it more personal and sometimes even less… Read More >>

Saving Manistee’s Guardian Angel

March 20, 2021

It’s always good to have a guardian angel. Even, or perhaps especially, if you are a church of the same name.

Last year, thanks to the efforts by the Guardian Angels Historic Preservation Project, Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Manistee was named to the National Register o… Read More >>

An American Tale of Irish Twins

March 13, 2021

Dennis and Shawn Spillane are Irish twins. For those unfamiliar with the term, it doesn’t mean that the siblings are Irish (though in this case, they are), nor does it mean they were born from the same mother on the same day (they weren’t).

The expression means siblings … Read More >>

An Esteemed Tile-making Duo’s leap North

Feb. 27, 2021

Moving to a new home and business location isn’t easy. Doing so months before a pandemic shuts everything down — that definitely doesn’t make for a smooth transition. But that’s just what Rick Pruckler and Tonya Lutz did, migrating from Ferndale to northern Michigan.… Read More >>