42 | NOVEMBER 10 • 2022 

NOSH
EATS | DRINKS | SWEETS
L

ongtime fans, and about-to-be fans, 
will have a chance to experience the 
delectable pizza magic of Chef Max 
Sussman this weekend at “PizzeriaVino: 
A Wood-Fired Pop-Up” at Cari and Joe 
Vaughn’s restaurant Frame. The self-de-
scribed “culinary space” in Hazel Park brings 
guests together for a variety of culinary 
delights from its changing lineup of chefs.
“Max Sussman is one of Metro Detroit’s 
brightest culinary stars, having made a 
name for himself working for the likes of 
April Bloomfield (founder of The Breslin in 
Manhattan’s Ace Hotel) and the renowned 
Brooklyn pizza joint, Roberta’s,
” said former 
Detroit Free Press restaurant critic Mark 
Kurlyandchik, editorial director at Frame. 
Sussman was also executive chef at The 
Cleveland in Manhattan, experimenting 
with Middle Eastern spices, before he and 
his younger brother, Eli, introduced their 
Middle Eastern restaurant, Samesa, in 
Brooklyn. They opened in 2015, five years 
after moving to New York City. 
The Sussman brothers say their flavorful 
restaurant — relocated in March 2021 to 30 
Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan 
— was inspired by the shawarma and other 
tastes of Middle Eastern cuisine they expe-
rienced at eateries in Dearborn and Metro 
Detroit. Eli has remained at the helm of 
Samesa since co-owner Max moved with 
his family to Dexter, Mich. During the 
pandemic, Max launched Pizza Replicator 
(www.pizzareplicator.com), a creative and 
popular Star Trek: The Next Generation-
themed roving pizzeria. He makes pies at 
Roos Roast Café in Ann Arbor while seek-
ing a permanent area location. Sussman 
also is culinary director at Bog & Thunder, 
his wife Kate McCabe’s Irish foodways and 
travel company.
During Chef Sussman’s weekend resi-
dency, Nov. 11-13, he’ll turn out red and 
white New York-style blistered pies made 
with organic flour and assembled with local 
topping ingredients. They will include such 
items as “hot honey, white truffle, hazelnut 
pesto, hot Italian sausage and caramelized 
onions.
” Diners will see Sussman “beauties, 
like roasted cabbage with salsa macha and a 
shared porchetta for two.
”
“My pizzas are very seasonal, so the top-
pings change a lot. This time of year, I love 
to use autumn ingredients,
” said Sussman, 
an early adopter of using organic and local 
food. He’s particularly excited about making 
his “butternut squash and sage pizza with 

Pizza
Pop-Up

Experience the magic of 
Chef Max Sussman at Frame.

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

