BEST OF EVERYTHING Plan the Perfect All-Occasion Party you can eat pizza, salad and pasta ❑ AU packages specially planned for your group of 15 or more. Or order from our full service menu. ❑ Carry out service for your in-office party Call for reservations today at one of ❑ these ........................ locations JN $ 00 OFF r--- --- ANY LARGE PIZZA Large Antipasto or Large Greek Salad when you present this coupon upon ordering Not to be used with any other discount ....... J ...................... LIVONIA • 261-3550 33605 Plymouth (W. of Farmington) FARMINGTON HILLS • 855-4600 31646 Northwestern Hwy. (W. of Middlebelt) WATERFORD • 683-3636 4300 Highland Rd. (M-59) (Corner of Pontiac Lake Rd.) ROYAL OAK • 549-8000 4264 N. Woodward (6 Blks. N. of 13 Mile) (carry out only) T I COUPON — $1 0 ° OFF N EM ANY OT • $5 Minimum • Pickup Only • 1 Coupon Per Customer • Expires 2-9-89 • Not Good With Any Other Coupon or Discount Let Us Plan Your Entire Event From Invitations To Catering At It's Finest DELIVERY AVAILABLE Also Featuring Specialty Appetizers For Carry-Out Custom Catering For All Occasions Custom Gift Baskets Full Service Carry-Out ... Hors D'oeuvres, Soups, Salads, Desserts and Complete Meals Formerly Bread Basket II Location Visa & Mastercard 32839 Northwestern Hwy. Tiffany Plaza, Bet. 14 & Middlebelt Farmington Hills 737,5190 THE BAR-B-Q HOUSE AND GRILL (Formerly The Rib Shack) PRESENTS OUR SUCCULENT CHAR-BROILED 1/2 CHICKEN With French Fries, Cole Slaw & Roll ALSO TRY OUR DELICIOUS RIBS, CHICKEN AND SHRIMP $399 WITH THIS COUPON Limit 4 Per Customer • Available on Charbroiled Chicken Dinner Only • Expires 2-5-89 • JN 1 35573480 24545 W. 12 MILE RD., Just West of Telegraph (Next to Star Deli) 62 FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1989 Builder's Boyhood Memory Becomes A Sweet Reality DANNY RASKIN Local Columnist airy tales do come true . . . it can happen to you . . . as the song goes . . . and it did to Ken Lenchner, one of Detroit's most prominent developers. His dream? . . . To have a restaurant noted for its sweets, homemade baked bread, chocolate-covered nuts . . . one that makes its own ice cream, cheesecake, brownies, etc. As a youngster, Ken accom- panied father Sidney to work Saturdays at the family- owned candy business, established in 1918 . . . Those hours at the successful United Confectionery Co., a specialty candy and packag- ing business in western Penn- sylvania, made a big impres- sion on young Ken . . . They were the times and flavors he never forgot. Ken's dream has come true . . . as he takes a deep, long breath and enjoys the aromas at his Sweet Cravings on Far- mington Road by Grand River in the downtown Farmington Shopping Center. The fresh, yeasty breads are there . . . baked just like grandma would, from private recipes and scratch . . . Sure, there's a tray of chocolate chunk cookies that competes shamelessly with plump oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chunks. For the customer, justice is heaven . . . choosing some of each is only fair to the taste buds . . . The story wasn't named Sweet Cravings on a whim. Fudge brownies lurk tempt- ingly . . . cheesecakes promise velvet creaminess and rich flavors . . . fresh coffee cakes seem to shout for a ride home with you. But in that delicious sniff, there's a whiff of fine chocolates . . . They wait behind their glassy counters, smooth and flawless in little paper cups after cooling on Sweet Cravings' gray marble counters. Sweet Cravings, with its 30 seats, is, in fact, a family- inspired and family-realized venture . . . A close-knit fami- ly, Ken and Barbara's sons, Les and Larry, as well as son- in-law Richard Rosenbaum, have joined his company, The Equitable Group . . . and the entire family is involved with Sweet Cravings. "I couldn't do this without my family," says Ken. "They keep it going, make it perfect every day, and help it grow. This is an idea that will go beyond one store. It will cer- tainly need more talent and effort than I alone could pro- vide." Ken's brainchild is what he always wanted . . . and those who know him are quite aware that he seems to get what he wants in life . . . His company, The Equitable Group, Inc., is listed among the top 10 Detroit-area developers, the nation's top 100 retail property developers and the nation's top 50 pro- perty management firms. So how does a real estate magnate get into the business of sweets? . . . Those days in Pennsylvania never left him . . . and he knew that one day his dream would come true. Adult life brought a career outside of confections for Ken . . . and although he strayed away, the dream never left him . . . Ken found success in construction, building more than 2,500 quality homes in the Detroit area. His talent is obvious at Sweet Cravings . . . with the Lechner meticulous eye for detail coupled with its Ron Rea-designed interior result- ing in an old-fashioned fan- tasy feeling, like being in Bloomingdale's at holiday time . . . The gift ideas are charming . . . The food is carefully prepared, appetiz- ingly presented and fairly priced. The long hours of planning, recipe-refining, testing and work are paying off . . . Sweet Cravings is on its way to becoming another Lenchner success. Morning crowds gather for muffins and steaming cups of Sweet Cravings' specially blended coffee . . . Lunch has croissants stuffed with one of a variety of fillings, a cup of homemade soup or chili plus sandwiches on fresh breads . . . Other lunch options in- clude a variety of pastas and salads. For treats or desserts, bulk candies beckon along an op- posite wall . . . Bin after bin hold goodies carefully selected for quality and freshness. Just as tempting are the gift ideas . . . Lovable, nearly irresistible stuffed toys wait near clever boxes and baskets, all packed with candies. The last surprise? . . . Rich Sweet Cravings' ice cream, to be scooped into sugar and waffle cones or the favorite of so many . . . Colombo Yogurt . . . Refreshing are the ice cream sodas, hot chocolate and teas . . . coupled with the knowledge that Sweet Crav- ings is making everything fresh, to the family's exacting recipes. Take one deep, sweet sniff at the Lenchner family's Sweet Cravings' Farmington store . . . You could become a believer . . . Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon- day through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Title of the song is "Young At Heart" . . . Sweet Cravings is the youthful Ken Lenchner who grew up to be a young < boy again. MICHIGAN INN has had ownership and management name changes (Western Inter- national, Westin, Servico, Wesley Group), but never one of its own. Now, around spring, it'll no longer be called Michigan Inn . . . New name will be Sheraton Southfield . . . not to be confused with the South- field Hilton on 9 Mile, which formerly also was a Sheraton Southfield. Michigan Inn's Sheraton franchise affiliation, with its 412 rooms at J.L. Hudson Drive, will undergo a $4 million renovation beginning late this month. It is presently owned by Equitable Life Assurance Society of America. CONGRATS ... to Rachel Goldfine in Margate, Fla. . . . on her 75th birthday. Rachel's hubby, Dave, was one of the two partners at the Clam Shop when it fed so many happy people on E. Grand Blvd. . . . The Clam Shop was another of those lit- tle restaurant gems that seemed to abound in Detroit's aging factory and warehouse district in that neighborhood near the railroad tracks. The building was an an- cient structure, originally put up by a well-known brewery way-back before prohibition . . . In those days, we were told, the bartenders and breweries all but dragged the customers in off the street to drink beer for a nickel and partake of the free lunch. The interior was plain and clean and the floor dipped gracefully here and there .. . The kitchen was very likely not as big as the one in your home or apartment, but the J