West Bloomfield Readies
For Third Kosher Restaurant

SHELLI DORFMAN
Staff Writer

T

wo more kosher restaurants
are joining La Difference in
West Bloomfield, but each
will be distinctive in appeal.
Sperbers Gourmet Delights will open
Feb. 3 inside the Whole Foods Market
at Orchard Lake and 14 Mile roads.
Milk and Honey will begin serving
meals in the Jewish Community Center
in West Bloomfield later this year.

La Difference

Paul Kohn, owner of La
Difference, has seen business grow
steadily during his first year. "In
every single month we have been in
operation, volume has improved.
Now, into the first repetitive month,
we're already exceeding last January
"The trend looks good," he added,
"but the actual dollars are still not
there."
He declined to share figures, but said,
"The restaurant isn't self-supportive."
Still, he's very optimistic. He cited a
Detroit Free Press December critique giv-
ing the restaurant four out of four stars.
With pride, he said La Difference was
reviewed as a restaurant, not necessarily
a kosher one.
. 'Another terrific thing is that the
community, especially the organizations
and the rabbis — Reform, Conservative
and Orthodox — have been very sup-
portive of the restaurant, with some
using it as an off-site office to meet with
people," Kohn said.
Private parties, such as wedding
showers, baby namings, bar and bat -
mitzvah brunches, even weddings, have
been held during the midday hours
when the restaurant is closed to the pub-
lic. Kohn also opens early to accommo-
date meetings and lunch-and-learn ses-
sions.
"It's like Mars and Venus," said Kohn,
comparing the experience of 22 years of
kosher catering and running a restaurant.
"A large party in the restaurant is eight,
12, 16 people, while in the catering busi-
ness the large parties are 1,000 and over.
I learned the restaurant business is very,
very different, very gratifying, with a lot
of feedback, a lot faster."

Shelli Dorfman can be reached at (248)
354-6060, ext. 246 or by e-mail at
sdorfthan@thejewishnews.com

With seating for nearly 90, he says a
goal of filling the dining room one-
and-a-half times each night will make
La Difference self-sufficient.
Guests of La Difference can expect
to be greeted by John Wood, general
manager, and hostess Esther
Tuchklaper. Kohn's son, David, is the
restaurant's expediter, checking every
plate between the chef and the wait-
staff. The kitchen staff includes an
executive chef, executive sou _ s chef and
a pastry chef. There's a full bar.
The restaurant has been supportive
of charitable organizations, including
Yad Ezra and Camp Simcha. "Each
recently received . 5 percent of a seg-
ment of our business," Kohn said.
Each month, he still must add per-
sonal funds to the restaurant, but his
faith in its eventual success is unshaken.
"I believe we'll make it," he said. "I
have a very, very deep conviction — a
faith in the Jewish community and faith
in my staff that they will continue to
support the restaurant. We're definitely
not there yet, but we're committed."

afe Than Sorry!

Sperbers Gourmet Delights

Across the street from La Difference,
in a new Whole Foods Market, featur-
ing a cheese and olive bar, a wine cellar
and shelving of maple millwork, sits a
300-foot novelty in kosher carryout. In a
prime corner, just across from the front
doors, a man wearing a kippa can be
seen working 1pis newest endeavor.
Owner Alan Linker says Sperbers
Gourmet Delights will sell kosher veg-
etarian and meat entrees, appetizers
and side dishes as well as prepared
meals and frozen foods.
The site is in addition to the caterer's
established businesses within
Congregations Beth Ahm and B'nai
Moshe and an off-site event and party-
catering service. Last summer, Sperber's
North Inc. ended a 25-year relationship
with the West Bloomfield JCC.
With Linker's new venture, he hopes
to fill a need for "home replacement
meals." The new business will include a
fresh-food showcase with foods sold by
weight, constantly rotating 200 menu
items for thosewanting a carryout meal.
A "Grab and Go" section will offer
sealed kosher salads with dressings on
the side as well as pre-prepared sand-
wiches, with condiments available at his
counter, "sort of like fast-food," Linker
said. The addition of frozen-food items,

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