metro >>

ME WON
AROUND.

Familiar Face

Jerry Denha plans to open new
kosher-friendly grocery.

OFRENDA ARTIST TALK

Members of the Mexican Consulate explore the rich history of
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and the tradition of ofrenda
altars. Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall; Sunday, 3 p.m.

NOW OPEN

The newly reinstalled Ancient Middle East Gallery
Free with general museum admission.

ON VIEW

Guest of Honor:

Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes
Through December 13

eneral museum admission to the Detroit Institute of Arts is free
for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS

5200 WOODWARD AVE.

313.833.7900 I DIA.ORG

GET READY FOR FALL
For The Best Service Go

m
einf

r
AREA
LII)
AL EXPERTS

MUFFLERS and MORE is now Kenny's Lakes Area Auto Experts!

We've evolved: more training, more services, everything you need!
We're changing our name to reflect the direction we've been moving in for years.
The name is changing, but our hearts and commitment are the same.

enn

~ ,

LAKES l IA
AUTO VoNVES

aura

.2, ==

Kenny"the Car Guy"Walters, owns
the award-winning auto shop
and is a member of Temple Israel

Lakes Area Auto Experts

at 490 N. Pontiac Trail
in Walled Lake

248.668.1200

www.lakesareaauto.com

SEEN MONTHLY ON
FOX 2 NEWS DETROIT

Email Kenny the Car Guy at
kenny@lakesareaauto.com

SERVICE DISCOUNT

(labor only)
For years, Lakes Area
Auto Experts has
provided neighbors with I
HONEST, DEPENDABLE,
$10 OFF $50
QUALITY information,
$20 OFF sioo
repair and service! They
live here and it shows! $30 OFF $250 or more

18 October 29 2015

Esther Allweiss Ingber I Contributing Writer

A

bout two years after a glow-
ing Jewish News article [Oct.
6, 2011] focused on Farm
Fresh supermarket in Oak Park, Jewish
customers were disappointed and even
distraught to lose their favorite place for
kosher needs.
Farm Fresh on 10 Mile Road at
Coolidge, succes-
sor to Farmer Jack
and Dexter-Davison
supermarkets, did
not sell kosher food
exclusively, but
brought convenience
to that segment of
the Jewish com-
munity.
In 2011, Jerry
Denha, Farm
Fresh's personable
Chaldean owner,
a :' '
estimated his store's Jerry Denha
Jewish clientele at
25-30 percent. His
store's 6,000-square-foot kosher food
section was under Council of Orthodox
Rabbis' supervision. Along with the deep
inventory of products, Chef Can's Kosher
Catering provided take-out dining.
Two years have passed since Farm
Fresh closed in October 2013. The
building remains empty — but Denha
is coming back. News began circulat-
ing recently that he would be opening
another supermarket only a few miles
from his old location.
"It's true' Denha said. "Our store will
be in the old Farmer Jack on 11 Mile and
Lahser in Southfield."
He and business partner Sam Ayar,
another veteran grocer, are renovating
the 37,000-square-foot space in Harvard
Row shopping center.
"My plan is to open in mid-January,
God willing:' Denha said.
"There is much to do, including fig-
uring out the kosher side of things," he
said. "Chef Cari is gone to Congregation
B'nai Moshe in West Bloomfield. The
Southfield store will offer kosher meat,
dairy, wine, seafood, maybe a deli and a
separate kosher bakery"
A native of Iraq, Denha feels an affin-
ity with Jews and knows the Jewish holi-
days and customs.
"It was really a lot of fun working with
the Jewish community, and that's why
I want to get back and have a kosher

market," he said. "I think the community
wants another kosher store'
Nacha Sara Leaf of Oak Park said,
"Jerry ran a very efficient and user-
friendly enterprise at Farm Fresh. He
was a friendly, smiling entrepreneur who
created a very welcoming environment,
showing respect for his Jewish custom-
ers:"
The store's stamp
loyalty program led
to quarterly checks
for customer-desig-
nated organizations,
including Yeshiva
Beth Yehudah,
Congregation Beth
Shalom and Temple
Emanu-El.
Denha worked
at his own Pontiac
Foodland supermar-
ket after Farm Fresh
closed. He'll keep his
brother and nephew
managing in Pontiac.
Some Farm Fresh employees should
be coming to Southfield, along with
partners' family members including Rita,
Denha's wife. He typically works 60-70
hours weekly.
Lana Sherman of Oak Park said she's
"ecstatic" about the new grocery store.
"I have always been treated wonderfully
by Jerry and his entire staff every time I
shopped at Farm Fresh:'
Why didn't Denha return to Oak Park?
"I got a better deal with the land-
lord over here [Southfield]," he said.
"I also want to be closer to the West
Bloomfield area, to bring in more cus-
tomers from the west. But I'm still only a
couple of miles away from Oak Park and
Huntington Woods:'
Leaf finds the Southfield location off-
putting, noting that "when you are very
busy, even a couple of miles makes a
difference. However, when the holidays
roll around, if there are good deals on
roasts and wine, and they are advertised,
it would be worth the trip:'
No such hesitation for Sherman, who
said, "I look forward to frequenting
Jerry's new store, even though it is far-
ther from my home. I hope the kosher
section will be great like before:'
It won't be called Farm Fresh, by
the way. Denha is thinking up a new
name. *