DECEMBER 31 • 2020 | 35

L

et us hope and pray for 
a 2021 that will help us 
smile again as we look 
upon some of the happenings 
of 2020. 
JANUARY … Dr. Joel Kahn 
and family cele-
brate the fourth 
year of their 
GreenSpace Cafe 
in Ferndale … 
Former Detroiter 
brothers Derek 
and Greg Stevens 
to open the Circa 
Resort and Casino in Las Vegas 
… Big Tommy’s Parthenon 
has eighth anniversary … 
Station Square name in Troy is 
changed to Grand Tavern Troy 
… Patrick Coleman’s Beans & 

Cornbread in its 23rd years is 
acclaimed by GQ Magazine as 
one of Michigan’s top soul food 
restaurants … New restaurant 
by Joe Vicari to be named 
Statler Bistro in Jonathan 
Holtzman’s new City Club 
Apartments on Washington 
Blvd. and Grand Circus Park, 
Detroit … Jerry Naftaly, former 
Oak Park mayor, finishes new 
version of his The Hill That 
Grew book … GreenSpace Cafe 
closes.
FEBRUARY … Fifth Tavern 
honors fifth birthday … 
C.A.Y.A. (Come As You Are) 
has new owners … Dr. Steve 
Hutchinson, third partner in 
Pepino’s Restaurant, is induct-
ed into the NFL Hall of Fame 
… Top executive chef Peter 
Loren is now at Nino Salvaggio 
International Marketplace on 
its 40th anniversary … Nino 
and Liz Cutraro, owners of 
Bella Piatti wonderful Italian 

restaurant in Birmingham, also 
partner with movie star Mark 
Wahlberg on his burgers, cele-
brate seventh anniversary at this 
locale.
MARCH … Norm and 
Bonnie LePage and family 
picked after nationwide search 
to operate DTE Energy’s new 
Lumen Detroit … George 
Lucaj’s five restaurants honored 
for their carrot cake … Second 
annual Greek Night is a crowd-
ed success by New Parthenon. 
APRIL … Darbys 
Remembered … Little Caesar’s 
Pizza celebrates anniversary 
from 1959 … Pepino’s celebrates 
36 years as a huge dining favor-
ite by many.
MAY … New Caucus Club 
enjoys third anniversary 
… Mike Abrams and Brian 
Adelman have second year of 
their Empire Kitchen … Golden 
Mushroom remembered.
JUNE … Giovanni’s 

Ristorante celebrates its 52nd 
year … Original London Chop 
House is remembered … 
Raleigh House is remembered 
…Ban on sit-down restaurants 
is reduced to 50 percent capaci-
ty … Jerry Naftaly’s fourth book 
is about Farrell’s Ice Cream 
Parlour.
JULY … Yakov Fleysher 
marks second anniversary of 
his Bistro Le Bliss restaurant 
… Remembering Carl’s Chop 
House … Ellie’s Restaurant 
in Birmingham adds more 
“Impossible” items to its 
menu … Remembering the 
Mushroom Cellar.
AUGUST … Detroit Eats 
restaurant is opened in Boynton 
Beach, Fla. … Van Dyke Place 
is recalled as having a Jewish 
menu also.
SEPTEMBER … Gold 
Cup Room is remembered … 
Football is canceled and then 
played by teams of University of 

RASKIN
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

Danny Raskin
Senior Columnist

2020 
 Recap

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APRIL: 

Pepino’s

JULY: 

Bistro le Bliss

JANUARY: 

Big Tommy’s 

Parthenon

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