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Southfield. He still takes pride in his strict rep-
utation.
“Milos is brilliant and has his stamp on so
many in the master chef class,” Schmidt said.
The film explores the lives of Chefs Milos,
Duglass (Douglas Grech) of Restaurant Duglass
in Southfield and the late Yvonne Gill of the
Money Tree in Downtown Detroit.
In the documentary, “We hear from chefs
who worked for these early, very complicated,
and often off-the-rails, leaders in the kitchen,”
Famie said. Besides teaching them cooking, the
students of these masters learned the impor-
tance of a strong work ethic and striving for
excellence.
Young cooks working in the 1970s for these
European chefs knew to “’keep your head down,
mouth shut and station clean,’” Famie said. “If
you were scheduled at 3 o’clock, you knew you’d
better be there at 2:30. If your shifts ended at
11 p.m., you knew to plan on staying until mid-
night (and off the clock) to clean.”
Famie learned that ADD (attention-deficit
disorder) “runs through the veins of so many
people who work in the kitchen. You will hear

chefs refer to this as their superpower.” Having
ADD apparently helps them perform at the
highest level of achievement during their typi-
cally demanding days.
“Back in the 1970s, ADD was not under-
stood, and that was mixed with a hard-par-
tying lifestyle,” Famie said. “I never went to
college and can only imagine where I’d be if I
had not found a passion for cooking with Chef
Duglass when I was 17.”
Turning to the alcohol side of the business,
the film features Master Sommelier Madeline
Triffon, long known as “Detroit’s first lady of
wine,” from the London Chop House, and Ed
Jonna, founder of the Merchant of Vino wine
stores. They, along with chefs, talk about wine
dinners and how Jonna brought wine makers
from around the world to eat in Detroit restau-
rants.
“In many ways, Jonna’s ambassadorship
helped build a reputation for the Detroit chefs
through these chef/wine dinners,” Famie said.

STOP-MOTION ANIMATION
The documentary also features stop-mo-

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

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How to Purchase Tickets General admission tickets ($20) remain for the premiere of Visionalist Entertainment Production’s
new documentary, Detroit: The City of Chefs (1 hour, 35 mins). The oral and visual history of iconic Detroit restaurants, drawing upon the
remembrances of celebrated chefs, will be shown at staggered times — 7:15, 7:30 and 7:45 p.m. — on Monday, Dec. 9, at Emagine Novi movie
theater, 44425 W. 12 Mile Road in Novi.
For tickets, visit www.emagine-entertainment.com/movies/detroit-the-city-of-chefs. Theater information: (248) 468-2990.