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\... :625 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy)
A Third Anniversary
Success Story In The Basket
DANNY RASKIN LOCAL COLUMNIST
n baseball, for those who re- ple all over the country.
member this game, an old
Igloo was just a few blocks
cliche tells of the best trades from the Vernor's plant on Wood-
being those that were never ward ... and sold the locally-pop-
made.
ular ginger ale in the restaurant
This is about someone who ... However, not even close to
wanted to open a restaurant and what American Gourmet will go
is successful beyond his wildest through this year ... over 10,000
dreams because he never did cans ... Many are sent in gift bas-
open one.
kets to former Detroiters around
Before going off to college, Mar- the nation.
ty Benson, owner of American
A 50th wedding anniversary
Gourmet in West Bloomfield was celebrated by a couple who
Plaza on Orchard Lake Road, met at his father's restaurant ...
worked six years at his fa-
ther's Igloo Restaurant next
to Greenfield's in the Michi-
gan Theatre Building on
Woodward ... He started as
a 12-year-old at Alex Belin-
sky's full-service restaurant
that in the evening was a
hangout for theater-goers
and show biz folks who
went there for the waffles,
donuts, sandwiches, eggs,
roast turkey, hot fudge sun-
daes, etc.
Young Marty learned a
lot about what Alex hoped
would be his son's future ...
He watched as most of
the food was made fresh
in the restaurant, every-
thing baked there, nothing
bought outside.
But when Marty turned
18, he went off to college to
become a pharmacist ...
Dad gave his blessings if Marty and Sandy Benson of American Gourmet.
Marty would maintain the
learnings from Ferris Col-
lege of Pharmacy and become a They called Marty and Sandy
food chemist ... While in phar- from Boynton Beach, Fla., to send
macy school, he also took up food them a Michigan basket that con-
chemistry.
tains Vernor's Ginger Ale and
When Marty opened American Sander's Hot Fudge.
Bulk Food seven years ago, the
Nov. 16 was the third an-
teachings clung close to him as niversary of American. Gourmet.
he began making the many cre-
The first basket they ever sold
ative flavors and ice cream sta- was purchased by Lucille Weis-
bilizers and formulations of berg, who bought three because
numerous fat-free and sugar-free they were kosher ... Since then,
items ... A year later, opening in Marty and Sandy have sold an
West Bloomfield, he brought unbelievable amount of gift bas-
countless more innovations in the kets and gift trays.
creation of healthy items.
Also in the first year, about 600
Marty still had the "mstaurant pounds of Michigan dried cher-
bug" and it was because of this ries were sold ... By the end of
that in 1991 he and wife Sandy this year, American Gourmet will
opened American Gourmet in the sell over 12,000 pounds ... The
West Bloomfield Plaza ... mak- first year's 60 pounds of blueber-
ing their own kosher rugelach, ries grew to 1,400 pounds the sec-
regular and sugar-free pastries ond year and now outsells dried
and much more.
cherries with over 20,000 pounds
When Marty's dad had his of Michigan blueberries ... Both
restaurant, the most people he items are also sold chocolate-cov-
would serve in a day was 350 ... ered.
That restaurant blood never
American Gourmet sees more
than double ... and since opening did leave Marty ... American
have serviced over a million peo- Gourmet even has an extensive
wine list, the likes of which many
restaurants would be proud to
own ... It has a printed menu
with about 60 specialty wines
from the United States, France,
Italy, Australia and Chile, plus
champagnes and other sparkling
favorites.
No matter where former lo-
calites move, they still want the
fat-free muffins sent to them by
American Gourmet ... One lady
called for fat-free muffins with
chocolate chips ... Marty told her
they then wouldn't be fat-free
..."So," said the woman, "I'll cheat
a little."
The 28,000 jars of kosher
Michigan strawberry preserves
at American Gourmet are 10
times what Marty's father used
to make in his Igloo Restaurant.
When making a basket, the
feeling to him is like preparing a
meal for someone ... In the first
year, 24 bottles of wine were sold
... This year, the count will be
over 5,000, of which 4,000 are
kosher.
In New York, Nathan Herzog,
owner of Kedem Wines, has
American Gourmet wine baskets
with goodies shipped to clients
and friends around the country.
The 1991 opening was in 1,500
square feet ... American
Gourmet in the three years has
grown to 4,000 square feet in-
cluding the expansion of a food
preparation area and the addi-
tion of a kosher pareve kitchen
... again the restaurant influence
of Marty.