36 | DECEMBER 1 • 2022 

M

uch to the chagrin of his moth-
er — a very good Jewish cook 
— Mike Ran was a super picky 
eater as a kid and a real troublemaker in 
school. The middle child of three boys, Ran 
knew there had to be more 
to life than Domino’s pizza 
every weekend for his limited 
palate. So he started watching 
the cooking show Good Eats 
with Alton Brown on the Food 
Network.
“Sloppy Joes were the 
first thing I taught myself to 
make,
” said Ran, who grew up 
in Bloomfield Hills. “Potato latkes are my 
favorite food. I would make them for snacks 
after school. I have spent years trying to 
hone the perfect latke recipe.
”

Diners can taste-test for themselves on 
the first night of Chanukah, Sunday, Dec. 
18, this year. Special guest Chef Mike Ran 
will be cooking and serving up a modern 
Chanukah dinner with a twist, complete 
with dreidels, menorah lighting and more, 
for adults and children at Frame, a culinary 
stage and event space in Hazel Park.
“
As far as my relationship with food, 
there are always recipes or dishes that a 
chef inherently tries to keep perfecting and 
working on. Potato latkes are that for me,
” 
said Ran, who learned the inner workings of 
latkes when he trained under James Beard 
winner Israeli Chef Mike Solomonov at 
Philadelphia’s Zahav restaurant. “I’m also 
working on the perfect roast chicken. A 
good, salty, simple-skinned roast chicken 
with potato latkes is the ideal meal.
” 

And while that perfect roast chicken will 
not be on the menu this time around, Ran’s 
preparing a sumptuous Chanukah feast on 
Dec. 18. His savory menu includes a chicory 
salad with citrus vinaigrette, latkes in the 
style of Okonomiyaki Japanese pancakes, 
teriyaki-braised brisket, beef broth ramen 
noodle soup with ginger scallion matzah 
balls and, for dessert, sufganiyot (Israeli 
donuts) and chocolate gelt.
“It’s going to be traditional Chanukah food 
but prepared and presented in an unconven-
tional manor with a unique Japanese flavor,
” 
said Ran, who makes latkes every Sunday for 
his wife, Arielle, and their daughter, Harper, 
who turns 2 on Dec. 13.
Ran’s idea for the menu was sparked by 
Shalom Japan, a restaurant in Brooklyn, 
New York, that offers Jewish/Japanese fusion 
dishes.
“Jewish people have a weird, inherent love 
for Chinese and Asian food. I don’t know 
why that is, but the combination of infusing 
the flavors is a great way to have both,
” says 
Ran, who also created one Italian and two 
Israeli sold-out dinner experiences at Frame 
in the past year. “Frame is a cool place that 
lets me showcase a mixture of things and 
present these Japanese dishes with a Jewish 
twist and different flavor profile.
”
The upcoming Frame Chanukah dinner 
on Dec. 18 is temporarily bringing Ran out 
of chef retirement. After graduating from 
the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2011, 
Ran started working at a restaurant as a cook 
for fun. He came home to Michigan for a 
year where he worked as a prep cook for 
Bacco Ristorante in Southfield. He moved to 
New York where he was a sous chef at Eataly 

Latkes And Vodka 
with Chef Mike Ran
Save the date for the upcoming 
Frame Chanukah dinner on Dec. 18.

Julie Smith 
Yolles
Contributing 
Writer

NOSH
EATS | DRINKS | SWEETS

Ramen Matzah Ball Soup 
Brisket Broth, Ginger 
Scallion Matzah Balls, Bok 
Choy, Carrots, Mushrooms

Chef Mike Ran will 
serve up a Modern 
Family-Style Chanukah 
dinner with a twist 
on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 
Frame in Hazel Park.