n osh

Novi’s
First Rolled
Ice Cream!

ROBIN SCHWARTZ

GRAND
OPENING

Dinner With Soul

Don’t forget about Valentine’s Day 2.14.18
and Chinese New Year 2.16.18

Soul Café unveils new Sunday dinner
hours and menu by popular demand.

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

248-859-3888

A

www.sizzleitnovi.com
We Deliver

31194 Novi Rd.
Novi, MI 48377

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 11:00am -9:30pm
Fri & Sat 11:00am – 10:30pm
Sunday 12:00pm – 9:00pm

Make Your
Valentine’s
Reservations
Today

Extraordinary Events Call
For Extraordinary Places!

Make your private event bookings for any day
of the week.Whether it be a holiday event,
business dinner, birthday, wedding,
rehearsal dinner, bar or bat mitzvah,
Client entertainment, wine dinner
or a family celebration; we will treat you
and your guests to the highest quality of
service and incredible food that will
be remembered for years to come.

LOCATED IN
Farmington Hills at Copper Creek Golf Course
27925 Golf Pointe Boulevard
(12 Mile just west of Halsted)

RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED
For all your lunch, dinner
and party/banquet needs
248-994-1111
www.lellisinn.com

HOURS
Mon Closed
Tues - Thurs: 11am - 10pm
Fri: 11am - 11pm
Sat: 4pm - 11p m

Sun: 4pm - 9pm

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46

January 25 • 2018

jn

sold-out crowd filled the
opening night was ‘comfort food.’”
dining room of Soul Café
Soul Café has been building a
inside the Friendship Circle
loyal following since it opened in
Farber Center in West Bloomfield
2016 — for its food and its mis-
Jan. 14 for the café’s first-ever
sion. The café is part of Friendship
Sunday dinner. It was an exciting
Circle’s Soul Projects, which focus
start to a new tradition
on providing vocational
ABOVE:
that diners have been wait- Joan Smith of opportunities for adults with
Bloomfield Hills, special needs. Trainees learn
ing for.
Raffi Levi of
Soul Café is the only
the skills of food prep, dish-
Southfield, and
dairy, full-service kosher
washing, assisting hosts and
Daphne, Chloe and servers, plus teamwork and
restaurant in Michigan.
Debbie Logan, all
Several pop-up dinners
communication.
of Bloomfield Hills,
were wildly successful and
Sean Ropp, 25, of West
in the Soul Cafe
staff members decided the
Bloomfield
is one of Soul
dining room.
time was right to extend
Café’s success stories. He
Sunday hours and serve
joined the team in 2017 and
dinner from 5-8 p.m. each week.
was recently hired fulltime by the
“We have a lot of people who
Epicurean Group.
can’t make it to breakfast and lunch
“I thought the job training was
and wanted to come to the Soul
really fun and challenging,” Sean
Café,” says Shalom Shomer, direc-
says. “It was the kind of challenge
tor of Kosher Operations for the
that made me want to prove myself
Epicurean Group, which runs the
— that I can do this. I definitely
café. “We saw that dinner was a
liked how easygoing people were in
great opportunity. We are a very
helping. I could rely on them when
family-oriented restaurant and
things got tough.”
Sunday night was the perfect fit.”
Sean says he can’t believe how
Located at 5586 Drake Road,
much he’s grown and learned in one
Soul Café offers an extensive menu
short year. Kim Kaplan, Soul Café’s
that includes gourmet soups and
trainee supervisor, says Sean’s com-
salads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas,
mitment to the job and desire to
Starbuck’s coffee, desserts and more learn and improve served him well.
in a bright, open setting with a large
“We worked with Sean to build
community table, fireplace and out- strategies that would help him
door seating.
remember how to do a variety of
The Sunday dinner menu
tasks and also communicate well
includes an ancient grain salad
with the team,” Kaplan says. “The
with sweet potato, caramelized
job skills we teach are transferrable
onions, green apple, seeds, dates,
to many different work settings.
greens and silan vinaigrette, wild
Our goal is to provide a wonderful
mushroom and roasted garlic pizza, dining experience and life-changing
winter squash lasagna, house veggie learning opportunities. Breaking
burger, dulce de leche cheesecake
bread with us is good for the body
and more. Items range from $5-$25.
and the soul.” •
“We have standard items that
will be seen on each menu,” Shomer Soul Café is open Sunday through Friday at
5586 Drake Road, West Bloomfield. To learn
explains. “Each week, we’ll also
more, visit friendshipcircle.org/soul/café or
feature five different dishes that
call (248) 788-7400.
will reflect a theme. Our theme for