It's a great day for a lunch date with Mari! Marisela Sierra is the owner of Navarro's Mexican Take out in Muskegon Heights and she's also and amazing advocate for all things foodie in Muskegon. She and the rest of the culinary community are forming a culture around the food service industry that is tight, together and beneficial to each other by creating unique ways to cross promote their flavors and brands. It's mutual assist we could all take a lesson from.
This week, Mari is swinging by one of our long time favorite places, The Only Cannoli on 3rd Street in Midtown Muskegon. Bethany Bauer and crew have been sharing their story all the way back to the very beginning when they were working out of Muskegon's incubator kitchen at the Muskegon Farmers Market, Kitchen 242. The focus has always been on the original cannoli with the delicious variations of filling they can come up with. The humble beginnings of Kitchen 242 and the Farmers Market led to a small shop in Lakeside and the eventual move to their location on the very charming 3rd Street corridor. You'll find them among neighbors like Curry Kitchen, Hamburger Mikey, Third Coast Vinyl and more!
At the Only Cannoli Bethany and her team have expanded the offerings. The exquisite cookies, the delightful cakes and the café atmosphere add the charm. The catering possibilities are endless and shipping? Yep, they do that. There's more to the story here though. The idea of Lunch Date with Mari is to help you understand what goes into making a food industry business work. What are the triumphs and tragedies? What are some of the things that restaurateurs want their customers to know? How is their social conscious? What steps are taken for recycling and repurposing things like endless tubs from Ricotta Cheese? Vegan recipes! All discussed and incredibly informative on what goes into the day in and day out of a small business like this.
Enjoy the talk, enjoy the spark. These are a couple of determined and strong women who's ability to work together and share experiences that are great thoughts for anyone.
Honest. Open. Sincere. The food scene in Muskegon is growing. It's growing quickly and it's also growing a foundation that fosters "friendly competition" among those in the game. Think of it almost like team mates on a race track. Everyone out there on the track wants the win. Back in the garage where no one else can see? There's an awful lot of shared know how being passed around so getting to that win is possible for almost any competitor. This is the building that's going on in the Muskegon food scene. Take some notes.
