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Soul Food Heaven
Beans & Cornbread's acclaimed cooking was inspired by Grandma.
A
s he sat with eyes partly closed
cherishing every bite of the
holiday dinners he enjoyed so
much at the home of his grandmother, the
youngster may not have realized it then,
but it was to be the beginning of a cher-
ished career as a restaurant owner.
Winning an award recently as one of
America's best soul food restaurants has
placed Beans & Cornbread in the top
echelon position it deserves with south-
ern dishes that owner Patrick Coleman
remembers served on Whitney near
Dexter Boulevard by
Grandma June Cooper
who today lives with
his mother, Yvonne
Coleman, in Arizona.
The Southfield restau-
rant on Northwestern
Highway between 12
Patrick
and Inkster recently
Coleman
celebrated anniversary
No. 14, amazing patrons
with its consistency of
soul food varieties.
From the day it first opened its doors,
customers knew that they were in the
midst of something different as they
perused the menu and selected choice
items like the prize-winning gumbo, salm-
on croquettes, macaroni and cheese, etc.
... But also discovering that items not on
the menu included something they can-
not get at too many soul food operations
... Like Swamp Thing, catfish filet on a
bed of rice smothered in Louisiana-style
gumbo and topped with collard greens
and shrimp ... Along with orders for
Louisiana crab cakes, fried lobster tails,
etc.
Patrick has combined his experience
in fine dining with authentic soul food
presentations of items like portobello
mushrooms and French-style sauces with
linen tablecloths ... Another
huge asset that makes B&C
much different from other soul
food restaurants is more health-
conscious food with no lard or
trans-fat content ... In all the
food preparation at Beans &
Cornbread absolute attention is
given to the accommodation of
every restricted dietary need ...
Also daily features that include
fresh fish specials.
In the 14 years since opening,
it is estimated that Beans & Cornbread
has seen more than a million people come
through its doors to eat almost 180,000
pounds of baby back ribs, about 650,000
pounds of chicken, around 300,000
pounds of salmon and almost 7 million
authentic cornbread muffins, of which
B&C is one of the few soul food restau-
rants in America that uses real corn bread.
Beans & Cornbread is noted, too, as the
nation's only restaurant to have the popu-
lar and delicious Sweet Potato Muffins ...
When B&C first opened, they were created
by Patrick's executive chef then and today
have resulted in almost 9 million gobbled
up for dining-in or carryout, and around
190,000 gallons of gumbo ... Plus, the
restaurant's luscious Sweet Potato Muffins
are also available now at Hiller's in
Commerce Township and West Bloomfield,
Plum in West Bloomfield and Bloomfield
Township.
Big sellers at B&C continue as fried
chicken, catfish over rice smothered in
gumbo and topped with shrimp and
collard greens, and delicious salmon cro-
quettes.
Taking off big has been the new Sunday
brunch 11-2 with live entertainment and
the abutting Red Velvet Lounge with seat-
ing for 60 that includes four two-person
high-top tables and a well-stocked bar ...
The main dining room seats
80 more.
B&C is a seven-day-a-week
operation ... Mon.-Thurs.,
11 - 9:30; Friday, 11-10:30;
Saturday, noon-10:30;
Sunday, 11-9:30.
Yes, in celebrating its
14th anniversary, Beans &
Cornbread has made an
indelible mark in the world
of dining ... And, certainly, is
highly deserving of the many
accolades it has received and is still receiv-
ing as one of American's finest soul food
restaurants.
READER MINI REVIEW ... "I recently
returned from a business trip to Chicago
and enjoyed dinner at what is prob-
ably one of the best-kept secrets among
Windy City visitors. It is the Half Shell
on Diversey Street, an incredible seafood
restaurant that features some of the best
Alaskan king crab legs anywhere, with
almost two pounds of crab legs cooked
to perfection for under $35. Its Mulligan
stew is magnificently chocked full of sea-
food and fish in a delightful assortment
that combines to present a delicious taste.
The Half Shell's shrimp selection is one
of the largest you'll see anywhere as are
the Dungeness crab. This is truly a dining
favorite of seafood aficionados."
REMEMBERING WHEN Dept. ...
From Norman Prady "I received a
phone call from the Jewish News some
years ago. It seems that my ad agency
had run an ad for a client, a chain of shoe
stores, urging folks to consider new foot-
wear when they dressed for the upcoming
High Holy Days. The ad featured a full-
page photo of a man walking to services,
carrying his prayer shawl in a beautifully
embroidered velvet bag.
"'We've got a problem with the shoe
ad, said the Jewish News caller. `People are
calling and saying it was sacrilegious to
use the Star of David in an advertisement:
"(Is that in the Torah?' I asked. `Are there
religious laws about advertising? It's hard
to imagine anyone got to that thousands
of years ago:
"'I don't know, said the Jewish News
caller, 'but they are very upset. What shall I
say to them about the Star of David in this
ad?' I remember asking him how they feel
about it on a salami.
"The ad ran."
MICHIGAN JEWISH Sports
Foundation's 22nd annual Hank
Greenberg Memorial Invitational will be
Monday, June 4, at Franklin Hills Country
Club ... 10th annual William J. & Lillian
Kemler Walk of Ages at the Eugene
and Marcia Applebaum Campus, West
Bloomfield Jewish Community Center, is
set for Sunday, Aug. 26.
THE LARGE ATTENDANCE at the
recent Chicken Soup Contest by Temple
Shir Shalom at its nearby religious school
made it a three-way tie with their People's
Choice votes from attendees ... Steve's
Deli, Sherry Fealk and Amy Gers
Judge's selections were Steve's Deli for best
matzah ball soup, Tony's Deli for best noo-
dle soup and Zoup for best contemporary
chicken soup ... Other winners were Vicki
Goldsmith, Stacey Shimones, Jan Jacobs-
Walt and Amy Gers, again.
CONGRATS ... To Sy Manello on
his 75th birthday ... To Paula Weiser
on her birthday ... To Mark Sherbow
on his 66th birthday ... To Stephanie
Freedman on her birthday ... To Betty
Benson on her 92nd birthday ... To
Rhonda Ginsburg on her birthday ... To
Rudi Straus on his 85th birthday.
❑
Danny's email address is
dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.
d Vienna Hot Dogs with purchase of same
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