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A Beautiful, 27-Year Success

Russian immigrant's hard work pays off at Maya Skin Care Center.

W

hen he told his wife that he
tology school, worked for Mira
needed the space next to his
Linder's Spa in the City, and
restaurant to open a banquet
helped Mike at his Sunrise and
room, the late Mike Kuchersky didn't real-
Fiddler locations.
ize that he might have done her a favor.
Maya's first job in America
Her Maya Skin Care Center, soon cel-
was gotten for her by the
ebrating its 27th anniversary, had been
Jewish Family Service, and
in a 3,500-square-foot space ... and Mike
she worked three days a week
found her a nearby empty place in the
at the Hadassah Thrift Center
West Bloomfield Plaza on Orchard Lake
... The other three days were
Road, between 14 and 15 Mile Roads,
attending cosmetology school
West Bloomfield, with only 1,400 square
to get her license ... Maya's
feet ... And what has since proved to be
mom also got her cosmetology
enough room for personal skin care in
license plus working, too, for
what has become one of the most talked-
Mira Linder before opening Maya Skin
about beauty operations in the area.
Center with her daughter.
Three rooms for facials and skin care,
Maya Skin Care Center in the West
four for manicures and pedicures, one wax Bloomfield Plaza has gained wide acclaim
room ... and space for more if needed ...
for its methods of making women look
But the advantage of being small is many
more attractive ... Numerous excellent
times much more important than a lot of
European touches go back centuries and
area and poor quality.
have always been considered many grades
Mike and Maya came to the United
above a number of other techniques.
States from Russia in 1976, where he was
The space that Mike Kuchersky had
general manager of one of Moscow's finest
found for his wife has turned out to be
restaurants ... coordinating the workings
one of his finest acts ... With tranquil-
for a more than 400-seat establishment.
ity, cleanliness, further privacy and total
At that time, with
professionalism, Maya
0—
the Soviet government
and her mother have
owning businesses,
been greatly welcomed
Maya's mother and
... Together with a fine
present co-partner,
highly qualified staff,
Anna Platner, could not
they have instilled a
operate her own beauty
family-like atmosphere
shop ... Maya worked
much to the apprecia-
with her mother and
tion of their numerous
attended college, getting
clients.
degrees as a librarian
Michael and Maya
,t. ,r t . 10 ;;, (
and speech therapist.
kp .,+.„, 1, „ ,,,,,
Kuchersky and her
A short while after
4,- :'1,1)<Oe 1 mother, Anna Platner,
A.
''' ‘ ' N.: are among the stories
they arrived here, Mike
gil t )'
a4':
44-...11qC..,
opened his first Sunrise Anna Platner and Maya Kuchersky of many immigrants
Cafe ... And follow-
who once had held
ing his owning six breakfast and lunch
onto what seemed just a fantasy ... some-
spots, Mike ironically opened his Fiddler
day going to America ... and have happily
International Restaurant in the space next
realized that dream.
IT HAD BEEN IN business only two
to Mike's first Sunrise Cafe restaurant.
In the meantime, Maya went to cosme-
years when Ken Smith bought it and

changed things around.
The added dining concepts
became such a big hit that
Smith is celebrating a 10-year
anniversary instead of the
eight years since he purchased
his kosher Dunkin Donuts on
Greenfield Avenue, north of 10
Mile, Oak Park ... It is unlike
any of the other DD franchises
in the entire huge chain.
Other than the wonderful
kosher doughnuts, Smith's
26-seater carryout and eat-in
restaurant also has kosher bagels, lox,
cream cheese, chipotle black bean burgers,
veggie bacon and sausage, etc. ... Many
people also take their kosher doughnuts
and menu items with them when visiting
other cities where they are not available.
It is a 24-hour operation, Mondays-
Sundays ... Biggest seller is still its glazed
donut ... And, all-year-long, soft-serve ice
cream cones from the next-store Baskin-
Robbins are 88 cents.
Much of the bakery sandwiches, break-
fast sandwiches, ice-drinks, frozen bever-
ages, nutritional items, etc. that the Dunkin
Donuts chain sells are also available ... But
only Vic's are kosher, under supervision of
the Council of Orthodox Rabbis.
MAIL DEPT.... "My husband, Jordan,
myself and a friend of ours had a very nice
dinner at Key Largo on Cass-Elizabeth
Road in Waterford, where Mitch's Tavern
used to be located. We started out with an
appetizer of hummus and tabouli, which
was very good and very ample. Jordan had
what he said was a wonderful onion soup
and pizza, and our friend and I had the
fish and chips made with salmon. I substi-
tuted the chips for green beans that I could
tell were very fresh. We will certainly go
back:' ... Rhoda Raider.
CORRECTION DEPT. ... In the recent
item on Noah Dorfman, owner of Torino
restaurant, it should have read grandpar-
ents, Mala Dorfman, living in Florida, and

the late Henry Dorfman.
THE SHIP'S GUESTS couldn't get
enough of the apple strudel made by
Sandy Hermanoff and Chef Stefan Lorenz
aboard the Viking Line she and Michael
recently took around Europe ... Sandy
made the apple filling and worked with
Chef Stefan on the dough to prepare
enough strudel for the more than 100
cruising funsters who wished there was
more strudel to go around.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE DEPT. ... In a
conservative synagogue, its president was
a good businessman but, Jewishly, he was
ritually challenged.
When the rabbi offered him an aliyah,
he panicked and said, "No, no, no. I can't
read the Hebrew blessings. I'll embarrass
myself:'
The rabbi said, "You have to take some
honor; you're the president!"
"Isn't there anything where I don't have
to talk?" asked the president.
The rabbi thought for a minute and sug-
gested, "How about the Gelilah?"
"What's a Gelilah?" asked the president.
"You just come up after the Torah is
lifted," replied the rabbi, "and when the
cover is put on, you put on the breastplate
and the crown and then sit down:'
The president was relieved. Right after
the Hagbah (lifting), the president came
up, put on the breastplate and the crown
and went back to his seat.
The rabbi came running over and said,
"On the Torah! On the Torah!"
CONGRATS DEPT. ... To Pamela "Pam"
Turner on her birthday ... To Michael
"Doctor" Fleischer on his 40th birthday
... To Daniel Lublin on his 85th birthday
... To David Matz on his 88th birthday ...
To Howard and Susan Levin on their 50th
anniversary ... To Seymour and Irene Burg
on their 65th anniversary ... (Correction, it
is Norman and Belle Wauldron, not Waldron,
on their 67th anniversary).

❑

Danny's email is dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

Reservation
248-288-022

due veDtt

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