On the shores of Grand Lake, Sand Bay Trading Post Co. grocery and Woody’s Grand Lake restaurant are a labor of love for owners Gary Plankell and Todd Chase. When I first met them about four years ago, this project seemed daunting. Even then, it took so much work to get a restaurant and local […]
Marine Meat Market is one of seven main chandlers on the Great Lakes. This means they provide two weeks of groceries for 13-25 sailors on each ship that they service, year round. Their territory goes from the UP down to Toledo and Lake Eerie, and they even provide to Chicago once in a while. This […]
M-211 Mercantile Co. is just south of Onaway State Park at the Allis Hwy and 4-Mile corner. This delightful little purple shop houses a gourmet bakery, specialty beer & wine, and a unique art stop. Owner Julie Schaedig wasn’t certain what to expect when she and her husband, Kenneth, bought the retail store seven years […]
Male’s Grocery is located in the old North Branch House which is celebrating its 150 year anniversary. Established in 1870 by William Faught, the North Branch House is one of the oldest buildings in Alpena, and got its name because it was located on the North Branch of the Thunder Bay River. Travelers also referred to it as the Ten Mile House […]
For the past 9 months, Taste the Local Difference has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to implement the Building Healthy Places (BHP) Program. Through this program, the TLD team has connected 22 businesses and community organizations in Northeast and Southeast Michigan to funding and technical assistance for healthy food […]
Every morning I wince at the new headlines: “Smithfield shutting U.S. pork plant indefinitely, warns of meat shortages during pandemic;” “Dumped Milk, Smashed Eggs, Plowed Vegetables: Food Waste of the Pandemic;” and “White House Seeks To Lower Farmworker Pay To Help Agriculture Industry;” just to name a few. With all the market instability, the unfolding […]
Wendy and Dan Babcock’s passion for growing healthy food has been fueled by personal experience and life lessons. When Wendy’s mother passed away in her arms over a decade ago, Wendy knew she would put her everything into building the farm into what her mom hoped it would become. Today, when folks who knew Wendy’s […]
Farm to Fork Alcona is excited to bring Amy Emberling, Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Bakehouse, to Lincoln, Michigan! She will be the keynote speaker for the 2020 Annual Alcona Small Farm Conference: “Big Dreams, Small Towns” on Saturday, February 29, 2020. This regional event will take place at Lost Lake Woods Club from 9am to […]
Local food councils bring the community together to promote the well-being of their local food system. The newly formed Northeast Michigan Food & Farming Network (NEMFFN) envisions a future where all people in the area have access to food that is fresh and regionally grown, priced fairly for the farmer, and produced in a way which […]
Farm to Fork Alcona wants to attract more young farmers to Alcona! As recipients of Giving Tuesday, a fundraiser on Dec. 3rd organized by the Community Foundation of Northeast Michigan, they are raising funds to pay for a targeted marketing campaign to bring 5 millennial farming families to Alcona in 2020.