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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