arts & life >> Out To Eat
Eli Boy
s a new restaurant
concept in Corktown.
Adam Finkel
Special to the Jewish News
reating a successful restau-
rant is a tough nut to crack
Eli Boyer knows it. Like
the growing landscape of restaurant
entrepreneurs in Detroit, he relishes
the opportunity to cook up a new res-
taurant concept that can raise the bar
in his hometown.
In December 2014, the 20-some-
thing entrepreneur opened Gold
Cash Gold in Detroit's Corktown
neighborhood alongside sev-
eral other partners, including Phil
Cooley, founder of the famous
Slow's Bar BQ in Corktown. Gold
Cash Gold's vision is distinctly
Detroit: "Conscientiously sourced,
carefully crafted, uniquely Detroit
farmstead fine food with a nod
to the South, rooted in old world
tradition:
Each month, the restaurant
partners with a charity focused on
improving the education and wel-
fare of Detroiters.
We caught up with the grandson
of the late Jewish News writer Bill
Carroll to get inside the mind of
today's millennial entrepreneur,
part of a growing group of young
adults bringing the skills they
honed in cities like Chicago and
New York City back to their home-
town.
DJN: How were you involved
with the community growing up?
EB: My family are longtime
members of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek in Southfield, where I
attended Sunday/weeknight reli-
gious school through high school
graduation. I was also a longtime
camper and staff member at Camp
Tamarack, as well as a member of
BBYO/AZA in high school. I was
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February 5 • 2015
also a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi
(a Jewish fraternity) at University of
Michigan.
DIN: How do you see yourself as
a part of the new energy of young
people returning home and contrib-
uting to the city?
EB: I hope I can be an operator
that delivers the kind of restaurant
concepts that Detroiters are able
to enjoy in NYC, Chicago, San
Francisco, etc., but in their own
backyard. I want people to visit for
the holidays, come to Gold Cash
Gold and beg for that kind of res-
taurant in Williamsburg, the Gold
Coast or the Mission District.
DIN: What led you to move back
to Detroit and pursue Gold Cash
Gold in your hometown?
EB: The day I left for Chicago
— where I learned everything I
know about restaurants — I made
a commitment to return and share
what I learned, when I was ready, in
the city of Detroit. Like many other
young people who've returned in
recent years, I went to a city that
was well-established in my disci-
pline so I could hone my skills and
eventually seize the great oppor-
tunities we have here in Detroit.
There are still plenty of unexplored
niches in the food and beverage
industry here.
DIN: What led you to pursue a
career in the restaurant industry?
EB: I've known for a long time
that I wanted to do something
entrepreneurial. I just didn't know
what. I've also had a deep love of
food/cooking for as long as I can
remember, so it intrigued me. In
college, I landed a management
internship with Myriad Restaurant
Group in NYC (Nobu, Tribeca Grill)
that really cultivated my love for
restaurants.
DJN: How long have you been
interested in the restaurant indus-
try?
EB: 15 years or so? I'm currently
29.
DJN: How did you choose the
location for Gold Cash Gold?
EB: A few of my partners chose
the location. They're heavily
invested in Corktown, owning sev-
eral other businesses on the same
block The building is large and was
empty for a long time, making it a
magnet for crime/blight. They saw
an opportunity to not only revamp
an iconic building that was priced
to sell with retail and residential,
but also improve the comfort and
security of our growing community
at the same time.
DJN: How did you come up with
the name Gold Cash Gold?
EB: The name speaks to the
gigantic signage that used to front
Michigan Avenue, which was an
advertisement for the pawn shop
(Sam's Loans) that was here for so
long.
DJN: What is your current
role with the restaurant? Are you
focused on the day-to-day opera-
tions?
EB: I'm the managing partner.
Along with Chef Josh (Stockton),
who's also a partner, I provide a
daily ownership presence in the
restaurant, which manifests as a
combination of high-level/long-
term planning and attention to
the details that make this place so
special.
DJN: What is a typical day like
for you now that Gold Cash Cold
has opened?
EB: I try to "touch" as many
guests as possible on a daily basis.
I'm usually here an hour before we
open for lunch and stay well into
dinner so I can observe and interact
with staff and guests on both shifts.
Like any new small business owner,
my day is consumed by making
tweaks, putting out fires, mak-
ing sure my staff is prepared (and
happy!) and getting the word out as
much as possible.
DJN: How did you become
affiliated with the other partners
involved with the restaurant?
EB: I first called Ryan Cooley
(one of the partners who is also an
owner of Slows BBQ and O'Connor
Realty) when I was still living in
Chicago to talk about available real
estate for a restaurant in Detroit.
We began talking in-depth about
the business, and our philosophies
and goals meshed very well. He was
looking for someone of my back-
ground to join the project, which
was still very much in its infancy at
the time, and I was happy to be that
guy. We hope to do a lot of projects
together in the future.
DJN: What has been your
impression since the restaurant
opened last month?
EB: We expected to be busy
from day one, but the outpouring
of support from the neighborhood
and greater community has been
overwhelming. This is my seventh
restaurant opening in five years,
and ifs been the smoothest one yet.
I have to give credit to our staff.
Everyone told us it would be diffi-
cult to find good people, but I guess
we lucked out.