Entertainment

HE

OF EVF R

N G

Meals And Wheels?

Automotive sales baron Mary Tamaroff flirted with restaurant biz.

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many food adventure specials
and first president of the Honda
for local and national televi-
Dealers Association, followed
sion, including the popular
by Nissan after buying the
Food Channel, gave localite
Leo Adler franchise on Grand
Keith Famie a rare insight
River and Marlowe in Detroit
into the many goodness fac-
in 1981 and moving it to the
ets of Metropolitan Detroit's
current Telegraph and 12 Mile,
ethnic dining cultures.
Southfield, location in 1991
His new documentary
... Dodge came to Telegraph
Danny Raskin
TV series, Our Story Of ...
in 1987, and in 1993, Tamaroff
Senior Columnist began this past December
became Michigan's largest
with "Our Italian Story" and
Dodge dealer.
captured four Emmy nominations ... Next
Mary has another couple of loves
will be "Our Polish Story" over WXYZ-TV,
besides Claire, their two children, Jeffrey
Saturday, June 16, 7 p.m.
and Karen, and five grandchildren ... He
A week prior, Sunday, June 10, 5 p.m.,
began collecting antique cars in 1957 after
will be his Flavors of Poland event pre-
buying a 1937 Horch, all spanking new
miering the documentary at the Diamond
in appearance and very drivable, which
Marvin keeps in a private garage ... along Center of Rock Financial Showplace,
Grand River, Novi.
with a beautiful ornament collection of
$150 tickets also include a gourmet
around 1,000 antique hood ornaments of
feast of traditional Polish cuisine, dance
every shape, form and style.
Even if he had become a restaurateur as performances, excellent Polish artwork,
well, there is no doubt that Mary Tamaroff etc. ... For ducats, call Keith's Visionalist
Entertainment Productions, (248) 869-
would also continue selling and servicing
0096.
Dodges, Hondas and Nissans ... and have
WINE TASTING AT Il Posto Ristorante,
dishes named after them, too.
Franklin Road east of Northwestern,
ITS CLOSING came as a major shock
Southfield, Friday, June 1, will feature a
to many who considered it among their
sumptuous Italian epicurean dinner with
favorite restaurants ... Elio's Bistro on
appropriate wines accompanying each
Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield,
course ... Also the opera styling of Pino
was a small place that seemed to do
Morelli ... $95 per person includes tax.
so much business, dinner reservations
WHEN HE LEFT the University of
were required ... Chefs like Elio's Bistro's
Michigan years ago to become a chef in
owner-chef Elio Petrovich and his excel-
New York, former localite David Raymer
lent ability to prepare food like yester-
probably never dreamed that he'd one day
years, don't stay away too long from the
own his own restaurant ... Proud Gita
restaurant action they love so much.
Raynor's son David's Strada 18 in South
BEING A HIGH CALIBER chef
Norwalk, Conn., recently celebrated its
throughout the years (Lark, Forte, Chez
first anniversary ... "It is an artisanal
Raphael, Les Auteurs), plus producer of

otpourri ...
Besides being a highly hon-
ored automotive dealer, Marvin
Tamaroff almost had a second career as
a restaurateur ... Back in the 1980s, he
and the late Gene Epstein were buying the
upscale Bijou Restaurant in Southfield,
but backed out with Gene getting together
with Walter Maeder ... Marv's wife, Claire,
said he would be "nuts" to put in so many
hours ... Mary had told her he would run
Tamaroff, as he still does today, during the
day and the restaurant at night.
Another time, he almost bought
Stafford's in Oak Park, from the Vaksis
family with longtime close friend Lou
Popper, boss gent at Empire Packing ...
The two also very nearly became owners
of Jakk's Lounge, owned by Dick and Aggie
LaCombe, on Greenfield in Oak Park,
and Manor Bar from Charlie Harrison on
Grand River in Detroit.
Had any of them panned out, you can
bet that Mary would have had at least
three of his favorite items on their menus
... Salami and eggs with sauteed onions
like those he gets at Steve's Deli, short ribs
on Tuesdays at Pepino's and its rainbow
trout on other days.
But outside of Claire, the Tamaroff
Group has always been, and continues to
be, Marvin's first true love ... as he con-
tinues to oversee the sales and service of
Honda, Nissan and Dodge, plus its huge
used car sales ... Mary recently gave up
the Buick franchise he had for 38 years,
with which he became the first new car
automotive dealership in Southfield,
and is devoting his energies to his pres-
ent three auto biggies ... Mary became
Honda's second Michigan dealer in 1971,

Italian restaurant with a focus on pizza
and wine, where we make everything
from scratch (meatballs, sausage, gelato,
desserts, mozzarella, everything):' says
David.
TO CELEBRATE THE birth of his and
wife Monique's daughter, Ayana, Derek
Blackstone, stepson of Hershal Gross,
head honcho at Clipper's Barber Salon in
Applegate Square, Southfield, did what
his stepdad has been trying to do for over
30 years ... Get his first hole-in-one ...
Hersh and wife, Gale, were in Los Angeles
for the birth of their granddaughter ...
Derek's ace was at the Rustic Canyon
Country Club outside of L.A.
FORMER LOCALITE, now living in
Sarasota, Fla., with husband, Dr. Harold
Roland, Les-Lee Roland was recently voted
No. 1 home-based travel agent for 2006,
and No. 3 travel agent overall for North
America ... The awards were given at a
luncheon at the Ft. Lauderdale Convention
Center, Fla., by leading cruise lines, with
votes sent to Travel Trade magazine from
travel agents across the United States
... Among the attendees, actor Gavin
MacLeod, who played Captain Stuben on
TV's Love Boat series, has perfected his
Jewish dialect, says Les-Lee, with hopes of
doing a one-man stage production about
movie producer Sam Goldwyn.
CONGRATS ... To Sally Kohlenberg on
her 70th birthday ... To Norman and Belle
Wauldron on their 60th anniversary.
GET WELL WISHES ... To Blanche
Duke at West Bloomfield Nursing and
Convalescent Center. II

-

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

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