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carryout-only delicatessens!
Star’s reputation
has never wavered!”

nosh

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MEAT TRAY

DAIRY TRAY

SALAD TRAY

per
$11.49 per
$12.99 per
person $22.99 person
person

SALAD TRAY W/ LOX
& CREAM CHEESE

person
$16.99 per

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Chopped Liver and
Veggie Chopped Liver
Gefilte Fish &
Matzo Ball Soup
Also Available

)0634.0/4"5".1.t46/".1.

24555 W. 12 MILE ROAD

+VTUXFTUPG5FMFHSBQI3PBEt4PVUIGJFME

248-352-7377

www.stardeli.net

5 OFF

$

On Star’s beautiful already
low-priced trays

Expires 10/07/17. One Per Order. Not Good Holidays.
10 Person Minimum. With this coupon.

Prices subject to change

DELIVERY AVAILABLE

WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

4BU4VO#SVODI
".UP1.

Catering All Occasions. Banquet Room For Up to 200 People
(SBOE3JWFSt/PWJtt#JHUPNNZTDPN

Between Haggerty & Meadowbrook on the north side
01&/%":4"8&&,

bigtommys.com

106

September 14 • 2017

jn

2031540

Tomatoes Apizza

GENIA GAZMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

H

ow do you measure pizza pie
perfection? Are you seduced
by just the right shade of
sauce? Are you seeking a bounty of
toppings? Are you incorrigible in
your quest for the ideal curl to your
pepperoni? No matter your answer,
chances are you judge your pizza pie
from above, at face value.
Not Michael Weinstein. The founder
and owner of Tomatoes Apizza,
Weinstein cuts through the pie with
seasoned dexterity. He lifts the piece
up above eye level so he can see
the bottom of the crust. With great
pride, he points out the execution
of a near-impossible feat. A balance
of colors and textures. He is looking
for a drama, a dance, a complexity
that will deliver the Tomatoes Apizza
difference directly to his customers’
mouths.
Yes, the bottom of the pizza pie
matters to Weinstein, but so does the
side view. When is the last time you
sliced a pizza pie and stared at the
unique layers of the slice like a geolo-
gist examining ancient rock? Again,
Weinstein’s eye is on the lookout for
that drama, that dance, that complex-
ity. He wants to see changes in colors,
unexpected elevation and a certain
motion that sparked his passion for
pizza-making as a child.
Weinstein pursued his culinary
career and pizza pie focus with laser
determination. It is a career path he
chose and continues to sculpt to a
masterpiece. He attended culinary
school and then studied the art of
pizza in New Haven, Conn., under Lou
Abate. To this day, Weinstein looks at
Abate as a formative mentor. When
Weinstein returned to Michigan, he
learned the corporate side of culinary
art by working for Little Caesars.
The first Tomatoes Apizza loca-

tion was opened in 1999 at Halstead
and Grand River. It was opened in the
spot where four pizza business prior
to it failed. What was different about
Weinstein’s approach?
For one, Weinstein obsesses over
every single ingredient he incorpo-
rates into his pizza pies and other
dishes. He explains that any time
he considers a change to any item,
whether a tomato or a flour, he is
meticulous about testing and tasting
and thinking of whether the change
will benefit his customers.
No story is complete about
Tomatoes Apizza without mention
of the famous lunch buffet ($9.99).
In response to where the idea came
from, Weinstein said business was
slow during the middle of the day. So,
as a solution to draw lunchtime cus-
tomers, he set up a daily lunch buffet.
Customers are welcome to dine on all-
you-can eat fresh salad, gourmet pizza
pies, chocolate piodina and fountain
drinks. And if you like some ancho-
vies for your salad or fresh-cut lemon
wedges for your drink, just ask.
Now there are two locations of
Tomatoes Apizza. Three and half
years after opening Tomatoes Apizza’s
anchor location, Weinstein opened
its second space at 14 Mile and
Middlebelt. Weinstein says he is far
from satisfied. He looks to grow and
keep improving Tomatoes Apizza.
He said he’s grateful for his staff,
customers and family for sticking with
him through the nearly two decades of
pizza pies. •

TOMATOES APIZZA

29275 W. 14 Mile Road
(248) 855-3555
or
24369 Halsted Road
(248) 888-4888