Johnny Prepolec Takes Diners on a Global Journey

The chef at Alchemi in Royal Oak puts his own creative spin on international foods with artistic flair.

JOHNNY PREPOLEC finds inspiration in the internationally eclectic cuisine of his travels.

“Every trip that I take, I come back with more cooking ideas that I am happy to share with people,” Prepolec says. “My wife and I are very passionate about travel and food.”

Not only does he put his own spin on international foods, but he also creates an artistic ambiance with modern American decor. The classically trained, award-winning executive chef and founder of Alchemi, a farm-to-table restaurant in downtown Royal Oak, created a vibrant space for celebrations and conversations.

The establishment is in one of metro Detroit’s most vibrant neighborhoods for food and drink, becoming a date-night destination or weekend gathering spot for residents and visitors alike since opening in 2020. Prepolec says customers love the restaurant’s cozy concept, intimate vibe, friendly atmosphere and innovative, wide-ranging menu.

“Our team’s core mission is to create a unique, cool environment and a fun, high-quality experience for our customers,” Prepolec says. “Our guests love how we even grow and harvest some of our own produce in-house and make our own cheese.”

Prepolec began experimenting in the kitchen at a young age, with his mom inspiring his future recipes. He’s loved and enjoyed cooking for as long as he can remember, but he didn’t originally set out to be a chef and restaurateur.

After playing football for the University of Michigan, Prepolec began his engineering career in the automotive supply industry, traveling the world extensively.

During that time, he followed his passion for cooking by taking on more culinary hobbies, leading him to attend culinary school at Schoolcraft College in 2011. “The kitchen has always been my special creative outlet,” says Prepolec. “The certified master chefs who taught me at Schoolcraft College were very knowledgeable, and they inspired me to get into the culinary business.”

In 2014, he bought longtime Royal Oak staple Mr. B’s, revamping the sports bar menu. After several years he reinvented the downtown hot spot once again into Alchemi.

“Alchemi is now exactly what I want it to be,” says Prepolec. “We serve the food that I like to eat.”

The internationally eclectic food menu at Alchemi reflects Prepolec’s travels through such culinary destinations as France, Italy, Croatia, India and Thailand.

Diners will find handmade pasta such as lamb ragu and lobster and shrimp pad Thai, and both small and large plates such as Thai street ribs, cast-iron-seared prime New York strip and Medjool dates stuffed with fresh chèvre.

He also appreciates how customers get to know his personality and, for him, get a sense of the love and passion that he puts behind every bite of food that he makes.

Prepolec redefines customers’ mind sets with creative dishes like New York strip with chimichurri sauce, red skin mash and Swiss chard.

The Alchemi salad is made with a mix of lettuce cut from their house garden, tossed with fresh herbs, goat cheese, corn, tomatoes, black beans and house-made vinaigrette.

Prepolec says the vibrantly grilled chicken tikka is a popular dish. Other popular dishes include his takes on Chu Chee Salmon, lemon honey curried black beluga lentils with fresh garlic cilantro flatbread, and cherry Creme Brulee. In the end, he says, it’s rewarding just being able to provide delicious food.

“I am very passionate about cooking, hospitality, teaching and training. This is it. I am doing what I want to do,” he says. He loves the opportunity to play with locally sourced food and experiment with unique, local ingredients.

That respect for ingredients goes beyond cooking with them. Alchemi was one of a few regional eateries recently awarded a global silver level certification in The PLEDGE on Food Waste, an international sustainability program.

Prepolec says his staff no longer sends food waste to landfills and, instead, measures and documents all scraps before repurposing or composting them. The compost is then used to grow the restaurant’s vegetables.

Being internationally eclectic allows him to fuse different cuisines and round them all together.

Prepolec created a visually stunning, flavorfully complex menu. He also appreciates how customers get to know his personality and, for him, get a sense of the love and passion that he puts behind every bite of food that he makes.

“When I have a customer tell me that this is the best thing they have ever tasted or this is amazing, it really brightens my day,” says Prepolec. “I am blessed because this happens a lot.”

Alchemi
215 S. Main St., downtown Royal Oak
lchemiroyaloak.com

Mike Lerchenfeldt is a Metro Detroit–based freelance writer and English / language arts teacher. Find him at muckrack.com/ml.