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ENTERTAINMENT TRY OUR SUNDAY BRUNCH FRIDAY & SATURDAY NOW APPEARING — 1 0:30-2:30 BILL STREET 2555 W. 12 MILE AT COOLIDGE U (810) 399-6750 Lunch ■ Dinner ■ Cocktails Banquets ■ Open Sundays 6 8 0 0 0 6 6 \... :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.