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46 | APRIL 15 • 2021 

OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

M

att Prentice, a renowned local 
chef and restaurant entrepre-
neur, died April 8, 2021, after 
a short illness not related to COVID. He 
was 62.
Although not Jewish, Matt “catered” 
extensively to the Jewish community. At 
various times, he was the in-house caterer 
at several synagogues, including Temple 
Israel, Temple Shir Shalom, Temple 
Emanu-El and Adat Shalom Synagogue. 
He founded Milk & Honey, a former 
dairy restaurant located at the Jewish 
Community Center in West Bloomfield 
and handled catering at the JCC.
Columnist Danny Raskin reported in 
the Jewish News in 2006 that Matt said 
he opened the kosher Milk & Honey 
restaurant to give back to the Jewish 
community that had been so good to 
him throughout his career.
Matt’s career began in the deli busi-
ness. His first restaurant was Deli Unique 
in Oak Park in 1980; he later owned Deli 
Unique offshoots in West Bloomfield, 
Bingham Farms and Bloomfield Hills. 
He often enjoyed working behind the 
counter at his Plaza Deli in Southfield.
Matt opened and closed restaurants 
as people’s tastes and the economy 
changed. Some of these included 
Sebastian’s, Portabella and Café Jardin 
at Somerset Mall in Troy, Tavern on 13 
and Flying Fish in Beverly Hills, Relish 
and Fusion in Farmington Hills, Morels 
and Shiraz in Bingham Farms, Coach 
Insignia at the Renaissance Center, 
Northern Lakes Seafood in Bloomfield 
Hills, Duet in Detroit and No. VI 
Chophouse in Novi among others.
“Matt was a tremendous guy,” said 
Larry Jacobs, a retired social worker 
from Farmington Hills and a longtime 
culinary fan. “Matt catered the wedding 
of Jan and me at Temple Emanu-El and, 
years later, our son Marc’s bar mitzvah 
dinner at Morels.
“Matt also volunteered to do a cooking 
demonstration for my patients at Easter 
Seals. He helped them prepare a meal 

and they enjoyed eating it. He was very 
generous.”

AIDING THE CASS COMMUNITY
Matt volunteered his services to local 
charities including the Karmanos Cancer 
Institute and a myriad of others. His lat-
est efforts were with the Rev. Faith Fowler 
and Cass Community Social Services, 
a Detroit-based nonprofit that provides 
housing, food, health services and job 
training, and under his direction, the 
kitchen he created there serves more than 
700,000 meals per year. He continued the 
partnership until his death.
“Matt taught our staff to cook from 
scratch,” said Rev. Fowler. “He taught me 
how to recognize hospitality and practice 
generosity. We are heartbroken by this 
news, and we will always be grateful to 
Matt for his friendship and talents.”
In 2019, Matt opened Three Cats in 
Clawson, a Michigan-centric restaurant. 
“There is an enormous empty spot at 
Three Cats,” said his business partner, 
Mary Liz Curtin. “Matt was a big man 
with an enormous heart, a loud laugh 
and a generous spirit. He was a wonder-
ful teacher, a great mentor and an unbe-
lievable cook. 
“
All of us at Three Cats thank him and 
are proud to be a Matt Prentice restau-
rant. We will always serve his favorite 
recipes, and there will always be mush-
rooms on the menu.”

A native of Detroit, Matt attended the 
prestigious Culinary Institute of America 
in Hyde Park, N.Y. But on Mother’s Day 
2009, Danny Raskin reported that Matt 
modestly credited his mom Margaret 
Prentice’s sour cream coffee cake at the 
original Deli Unique in Oak Park for 
putting him on the map. She used to 
bake about 300 a week in her home and 
bring them daily to the deli.
Matt also credited Raskin for giving 
Deli Unique needed publicity in his 
weekly “The Best of Everything” column. 
When it first opened, the deli was strug-
gling. “The Friday the article came out in 
the Jewish News, we had people lined up 
outside the door,” Matt said. “We cut up 
vegetables for the people in line.
“[Danny] introduced me to the Jewish 
community and that community has 
embraced me, and I them,” Matt said.
Business partner Mary Liz Curtin and 
Rev. Fowler have set up a fundraising site 
Prentice Place to carry on Matt’s efforts 
to serve people in Detroit’s Cass Avenue 
area and as a tribute to Matt’s lifetime of 
charitable efforts.
“You’d have a hard time finding a 
restaurateur who gave so much to so many 
people,” said Curtin. “He was generous 
with his knowledge as well as his money 
— teaching his skills to many young chefs.
“Matt was larger than life.”
Matt Prentice is survived by his daugh-
ters and sons, Rachael Gerstein, Michael 
Prentice, Jessica Prentice and Amanda 
Prentice; former wife, Alicia Prentice; 
grandchild, Madison Gerstein; siblings, 
Gregory Prentice, Andrew Prentice, Glenn 
Prentice and Megan Prentice Kler; and 
many nieces and nephews. An outdoor 
memorial service will be planned for this 
summer. 
To donate to Prentice Place, go to 
justgiving.com/campaign/MattPrentice.
Donations may also be made to Cass 
Community Social Services, 11745 Rosa 
Parks Blvd., Attn: CR, Detroit, MI 48206, 
or atcasscommunity.org/donate, or 
(313) 883-2277 ext. 225. 

Famed Restaurateur Served Kindness

DAVID SACHS COPY EDITOR

Matt Prentice

