Tastemakers: Savoir Michigan Cookbook/Too many beers...too little time

Aug. 8, 2007

Savor Michigan Cookbook

Epicurean Classic guru and Traverse City based “foodie” Matt Sutherland had a big task on his hands a year ago: trying to select 35 of the best dining establishments in Michigan for the “Savor Michigan Cookbook” that he was coauthoring. The challenge had to have been tough, as I know of at least 35 restaurants in Northern Michigan alone that are worthy of acclaim. Sutherland even apologizes in the introduction for “leaving out several very worthy establishments (due to space limitations).”
To Sutherland’s credit, he succeeded in seeking out several of the most innovative restaurants in the state, including 11 from Northern Michigan. Those of us who live up here know that the culinary bar has been raised in recent years. The culinary program at TBA in Traverse City, the Great Lakes Culinary Institute at Northwestern Michigan College, the recent onslaught of new restaurants up north, and the Epicurean Classichave turned Northern Michigan into the culinary capital of the Midwest. Okay, that might be a stretch, but it sure seems that we’re on our way.
In “Savor Michigan,” Sutherland has compiled a collection of recipes from the featured eateries, as well as a brief look at each restaurant’s menu philosophy. Culinary tourism is growing in popularity and this book will serve as a great guide to pursuing good eats while traveling around Michigan.
Kudos to Sutherland for his work in celebrating the Michigan culinary scene with this book, as well as for partnering with Mark Dresseler and bringing the Epicurean Classic to Traverse City. To read more about the “Savor Michigan Cookbook,” visit wildadvpress.com. The Epicurean Classic is coming September 12 (look for more information in the coming week’s Tastemakers column). Info on the classes, as well as the participating chefs and cookbook authors, may be found at epicureanclassic.com.



“Too many beers…too little time.”
There is this great saying, “Too many beers, too little time.” Okay, I know “beers” can be replaced with “books” and a lot of other things one is avid about.According to photographic evidence, my first beer was when I was a year old, and by the look on my face it wasn’t an import or craftbrew that my palate is now accustomed to. My passionate pursuit of beer began on Sunday afternoons as a kid, when I would race my brothers to the kitchen to get my dad a beer while we watched the Lions lose another one. Whoever grabbed the beer “got the first sip.”
I remember my dad telling me more than once, “That’s more than a sip,” as about a quarter of the can would be gone before I handed it to him. I just responded, “Let me know when you’re ready for another one.” On family vacations my brothers would sing the song “99 bottles of beer on the wall,” all the way from Lansing to Traverse City.
While I developed my taste for beer with sips of Pabst, Hamn’s and Stroh’s, my quest turned towards imports and the emerging American craftbrew industry when I turned of age. At 18 I bought my first homebrew kit in protest of filing my registration for the selective service (“Old enough to fight for this country, old enough to have beer in this country” was my motto).
Most beers drinkers are brand loyal; in America a majority of beer drinkers reach for something in the Anheuser-Bush, Miller or Coors portfolio (about 80% of all beer consumed in America is brewed by the big three.) I am not brand loyal - I tend to pursue beers in the other 20%. It’s not that American macrobrews are bad (I have had my share and still drink them on occasion), or craftebrews and imports are better; it’s about personal preference. No one can choose the best beer(s) for you, but in the coming weeks BottomsUp will profile beers, looking at what’s new and revisiting some old standbys. We will continue our pursuit right through Octoberfest and the Great American Beer Festival this fall.