| By MIKE NORTON
TRAVERSE CITY, MI – It’s no secret that this little Northern Michigan resort town has become a paradise for foodies.
Over the past few years, Traverse City’s innovative chefs and imaginative farm-to-table cookery have carved out an impressive national reputation for themselves. Bon Appetit calls this one of America’s top five Foodie Towns, last summer Zagat.com named it one of Six Hot Food Destinations to Visit, and just this month, the New York Times mentioned it as one of a handful of places foodies should visit in 2016.
But it takes more than a talented chef to create a successful restaurant. It requires a small army of well-trained, committed professionals — in the kitchen and at the front of the house. And where is all that culinary talent coming from?
The answer can be found just east of downtown Traverse City, in a sleek glass building at the edge of West Grand Traverse Bay. It’s the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, whose facilities include four culinary labs — a bakery, an introductory and food skills kitchen, an advanced cooking kitchen, and a garde manger kitchen – as well as a beverage management outlet (fancy talk for a fine bar) and a student-run training restaurant called Lobdell’s, where the view is nearly as tantalizing as the food.
Administered by Northwestern Michigan College, the Institute has an annual enrollment of some 150 students. Over the past 25 years it has graduated over 1,500 culinary professionals.
“Our graduates are all over the US, and they’ve walked into sophisticated food markets like San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Chicago – but the majority have been able to stay right here in the area,” said GLCI Director Fred Laughlin. “For some, this is where they want to stay. Others know that thanks to its reputation, this town is a good place to cut your teeth before you go on to other opportunities.”
Beginning in the early 1990s, Laughlin and his colleagues transformed the Institute from a nuts-and-bolts vocational program into a cutting-edge culinary school with an “exemplary program” rating from the American Culinary Federation and an almost fanatical emphasis on “cooking local, cooking fresh and cooking scratch.”
The Institute’s impact on the Traverse City culinary scene has been profound; Laughlin says he can’t go out for dinner without encountering former students – and that includes some of the town’s most enterprising new chefs, like Jim Morse of The Boathouse, Nick Battista of Aerie and Towne Plaza chef/owner Chris Hoffman. As a result, the program has a strong working relationship with most local restaurants.
Its crowning glory, though, is the 90-seat waterfront restaurant, Lobdell’s, which opened in 2004. It’s run by students, who create each day’s menu and make everything from scratch. It’s open for lunch on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the spring and fall semesters. Unsurprisingly, it’s usually packed — but you can always try. For reservations call (231) 995-3120.
Another way to experience the talents of these young virtuosi is to attend the school’s annual winter strolling dinner, A Taste of Success, which is held each February. Over the years, the dinner has become a popular feature of Traverse City’s gastronomic scene, while raising money for student scholarships; last year, it garnered $81,500 – enough for 29 scholarships. This year’s dinner is Feb. 19.
For those who might be daunted by the dinner’s $100-a-plate cost, there’s an even more thrifty February event in the Traverse City culinary scene. It’s the fifth annual Traverse City Restaurant Week, Feb. 22-28. Restaurant Week offers a chance to experience Traverse City’s culinary wonders at a price that fits most budgets, since the nearly 40 participating restaurants have assembled special prix fixe menus featuring a three-course meal for $25 per person.
Want more information about Traverse City’s culinary scene, lodging choices and other attractions and activities? Go to www.traversecity.com.
This is a press-ready feature from Traverse City Tourism. Please feel free to use it in any way you like. You may run it in part or in its entirety — with or without byline — or use it as a source for stories of your own. And if I can be of any additional help (photos, for instance) please don’t hesitate to contact me. |
Maralyn D. Hill, M.Ed., The Epicurean Explorer
