Happy 5th Anniversary To CulinaryWoman! Moving Forward, An Updated Focus

Ann Arbor is a microcosm of the food world, and we're in step with global trends

Welcome to the CulinaryWoman Newsletter, and please share in our celebration! This marks CW’s fifth anniversary, and I’m so grateful that you’re here.

For those of you who are brand new readers, and as a refresher in case you don’t remember, CulinaryWoman began in 2020 as a pandemic project. I shifted the food and business stories I was writing for Forbes.com over to .my own publication.

I love the ability to connect with you directly, and share stories and observations that I hope help your understand of food trends.. My stories here often lead to ideas for Food & Wine and in the Ann Arbor Observer.

Now, as CW moves into its sixth year, I’m making an adjustment in our focus.

Ann Arbor: A Diverse Community

Ann Arbor, Mich., where I was born, and have lived off and on since the late 1980s, is a city of 125,000 people.

That might sound small, compared with places like Chicago and New York, but doesn’t include the 50,000 students — undergraduate, graduate, and those studying professions — who become temporary residents every year, some of whom stay for good.

In addition, about 80,000 people commute into Ann Arbor every day for their jobs, which leads us locals to maneuver around traffic during rush hour.

We have become one of the country’s top college towns to visit. Each summer, 500,000 people attend the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Summer abounds with conventions, like the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, and numerous music and soccer camps at the University of Michigan.

We have two independent movie theaters, more than 160 parks including two skate parks, 2,000 acres of public land and a library system that’s one of the best in the country.

We also are blessed with a multi-cultural population.

• White (Non-Hispanic): Approximately 66.7% .

• Asian (Non-Hispanic): Around 15.1%

• Black or African American (Non-Hispanic): Roughly 7%.

• Hispanic or Latino: Around 5.4%.

• Biracial: Around 5%

This mix all adds up to a rich food culture, and it’s a place where entrepreneurs are encouraged to give their ideas a try.

During the pandemic, pop ups became a vibrant part of the local food scene, with support from businesses that shared their kitchens, electrical connections and their audiences.

A number of those fledglings have become brick and mortar businesses, including Bev’s Bagels in Detroit, Side Biscuit in Ann Arbor and Basil Babe in Ypsilanti.

Others have created enterprises that are scheduling everything from events at our farmer’s market to weekly food boxes, stocked with both vegetables and fruit, and prepared dishes from area chefs. (More on both soon.)

Providing a spotlight

However, it can be a challenge to find information about everything that’s happening here. Since we no longer have a daily print newspaper, food lovers have to rely on publications like the Observer, social media posts on Reddit, Tik Tok and Instagram, and emails from farms and proprietors.

Going forward, I want to give our local community more attention. CulinaryWoman plans to focus more on what’s happening around Ann Arbor, and relate what we see here to what is happening nationally and globally. (Thank you to my pal

Michael Nagrant

for putting this idea into motion. I hope you’re subscribing to The Hunger.)

I’ve got a list of people I want to speak with, and I’ll be on the lookout for new developments to bring you.

Don’t worry if you’ve never been to Ann Arbor, or don’t plan to be here soon: I promise that CulinaryWoman will still be useful, no matter where you live. Hopefully, I can alert you to trends that you’ll spot where you are.

Thanks again for subscribing, and special thanks to our paid subscribers who keep the newsletter running. You can also Buy Me A Coffee to celebrate CulinaryWoman’s fifth anniversary.

Ikea Is Offering Food Deals This Summer

I live about 20 minutes from an Ikea. It’s located in Canton, Mich., near the intersections of Interstates 94 and 275. Some people go there only to eat upstairs in the restaurant.

I almost always make a stop, in part to get a break from the busy shopping floors, and because there’s a nice seating area for remote work.

This summer, Ikea is offering deals on the food sold in its restaurants. The offers are taking place worldwide. Here’s what we’ll see in the U.S. and Canada.

IKEA US:

• Kids Eat Free (Monday – Friday) is active now.

• IKEA US restaurants will have 50% off on weekends in July.

• In August, U.S. restaurants will offer 50% off Monday through Friday.

IKEA Canada:

From July 10 – August 31:

• 50% Off select main dishes for IKEA Family members at IKEA Restaurant locations across Canada. Offers vary by location and are available while supplies last.

• Kids Eat Free every Wednesday with the purchase of an adult meal.

• More details and terms will be available on IKEA.ca starting July 10.

So, if you like Ikea’s food, make a point to get a deal this summer. I’m a fan of the salmon and the veggie meatballs.

In Japan, Let Them Eat Noodles

I’ve reported to you a couple of times about the rice shortage in Japan. The government has loosened its rice stockpile, some companies are selling discounted rice from past harvests, and there are special dishes to promote this vintage rice.

Now, consumers are choosing another option: noodles.

According to Japan Today, sales of noodles and noodle based dishes have gone up as the rice crisis has deepened.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries says rice prices have doubled from a year earlier, due to a poor harvest.

Antworks, which runs the Densetsu no Sutadonya eateries. opened its first ramen noodle restaurant in Tokyo in May and plans another three by next February to diversify its operations. It says the price of a noodle bowl is 100 to 150 yen cheaper (70 cents to $1) than the price of a rice bowl.

Sales of Tablemark frozen udon noodles grew around 10% in revenue in April and May from a year earlier, while sales of Kikkoman’s packaged udon noodle soup and ingredients rose 10% this spring, compared with the same period last year.

Meanwhile, some consumers are avoiding starches completely. Sales of Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt products have been growing 10% a month since April 2024.

"Western-style breakfast foods such as bread and cereal have become more popular" amid the increase in rice prices, a Meji Holdings official told Japan Today.

Farewell to the Violet Hour

The door is closed on Chicago’s most elegant craft cocktail bar, The Violet Hour. On Friday, One Off Hospitality shared the sad news that the bar had closed, after 18 years in business.

The reason wasn’t a lack or awards or customers. About six weeks ago, The Violet Hour shut unexpectedly. Its building had issues that required extensive repairs. “Despite extensive efforts and negotiations, we were regretfully unable to reach a resolution with our landlord,” One Off Hospitality wrote on Instagram.

Long before craft cocktail bars were an element in almost every big global city, The Violet Hour was among the pioneers. It opened in 2007, in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood north of the Magnificent Mile.

“What began as a gamble - a hidden, candlelit space devoted to serious cocktails - helped shape what has become one of the most dynamic drinking cities in the world,” the Instagram post said

I remember the first time I walked through its heavy velvet curtains and into a space that seemed straight out of a 1940s movie. My mother had told me many stories of living in Chicago during World War II and after, and The Violet Hour seemed to evoke them.

Whether you sat at the bar, or one of the banquettes around the room, you were in a spot where you wanted to dress up to match the surroundings. It was a place to come before an important dinner date, the theater or late in the evening to continue your fun night out.

For me, The Velvet Hour was in a league with Cure in New Orleans, the Bemelmans Bar in New York City or Bar Chef in Toronto. You would be waited on by bartenders who served innovative drinks and who were willing to adapt one to your personal preference.

Even though I no longer drink alcohol, I’m sure the bartenders could come up with something special for me, as the staff at Cure and Bar chef have done.

One Off Hospitality says this isn’t the end of The Violet Hour brand, and I could easily see it making a special event return at one of its restaurants such as Avec, the Publican or one of Chicago’s beautiful events spaces.

So, farewell to a piece of my Chicago. I now know how my mother felt when she would visit with me, and we’d drive around the city looking up the places that were there when she was a young woman.

Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman

I reported for Food & Wine on the challenges that food charities are facing in the wake of White House cuts to several key programs.

This is causing stress for organizations such as Food Gatherers in Ann Arbor, and food banks such as Swoop’s at Eastern Michigan University, which depend on Food Gatherers to fill their shelves.

I wrote about the White House efforts to dismantle the electric vehicle industry for the Boston Globe. The situation may be worsened if oil prices spike.

Lions, Towers & Shields continues the Summer of Stanwyck. This week’s podcast episode focuses on Golden Boy, the movie about a young violinist who becomes a champion boxer. She’s great, but does she have chemistry with William Holden, in his first film?

You’re welcome to get in touch and follow me on social media. Here’s where you can find me.

Website: www.michelinemaynard.com

• Email: culinarywoman (@) gmail dot com

• Threads and Instagram: (@) michelinemaynard

• Bluesky: mickimaynard.bsky.social

• TikTok: CulinaryWoman

I’ll be back tomorrow for paid subscribers with Red Beans & Advice. A cool and colorful drink seems to have suddenly appeared in coffee and boba tea shops everywhere. I’ll explain why it’s spreading.

Have a good week, a great holiday and see you on July 13.

Order Satisfaction Guaranteed in my shop at Bookshop.org.