Bacon and Apple Jam
This is a savory jam that’s great on everything from biscuits to burgers and fried chicken sandwiches.
IN THE KITCHEN
RESPECT: Slow’s Bar BQ’s Michael Metevia Gives Back What He Earns
If Michael Metevia’s life story could have a theme song, it would be Aretha Franklin’s classic “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” pulsing through every thread of his journey from country kid to partner in Slow’s Bar BQ, Detroit’s iconic hometown eatery. Respect for the land and its bounty, for hard work and an honest living, for family and for friends.
Born in Saginaw in 1974, Michael spent his first seven years in the small Northern Michigan village of Birch Run, accompanying his grandfather trapping muskrat in the Shiawassee Refuge. “I guess those early times are what had me already concerned about the planet, the environment,” he says.
His grandparents also gi ed him a lifelong love of sharing food. “My grandmother has always brought us together with food,” Michael says. “As time went by, I was more drawn to her kitchen and brought dishes to the holiday table. It felt good to be doing something for family.” He tells of making his grandfather’s last real meal before he died—and still has an emotional connection to split pea and ham soup.
After considering careers in journalism and law, Michael found himself working in a restaurant and came to the proverbial crossroads. He took some time away from school and just never went back. “I’ve been in restaurants my whole adult life now.” Moving to Detroit when he was 20, Michael got a job at Union Street as a server before transitioning to the kitchen, cementing the idea that there was a career to be had doing something he loved. e two chefs there instilled in him the joy of food service.
“If you’re not having fun doing this you shouldn’t be doing it,” Michael explains. “And if you’re not having fun, or your staff isn’t, then the customers aren’t going to have fun. Those guys really put that attitude into me.”
Michael’s intersection with Slow’s Bar BQ came in the early 2000s while working at Atlas Cuisine, where he met Executive Chef Brian Perrone. Brian was working on a game plan for Slow’s with his friend and business partner, Phil Cooley, including setting their sights on a building in a mostly abandoned block of Michigan Avenue. In the summer of 2005, Michael joined Brian developing recipes on a Weber grill on the roof of that building while demolition and renovation was happening below.
Slow’s Bar BQ opened that fall with strong neighborhood support followed by an explosion of business fueled by kudos in the Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit and the Travel Channel, among others. Taken by surprise and concerned about long lines and daily two-hour waits, the Slow’s team went into expansion mode— building out a patio and then moving into the adjacent space on Michigan Avenue. More expansion followed: the To Go commissary at Wayne State, multiple stands at Ford Field and, most recently, a counter in the Downtown Market in Grand Rapids.
Michael’s partnership in the business has come from sweat equity during those formative years. “Slow’s is home and I’ll do whatever I have to do to help it grow.” He feels their success is rooted in their connection to and respect for community, starting before they even opened their doors. rough donations to school fundraisers and charity events, Slow’s has become part of the local fabric and attracts a wide range of customers.
“On any given night you might see a couple in a suit and gown having a martini before the theater, and then someone in a Tigers jersey, hat on backwards, sitting next to them doing a shot,” he says. “It’s a huge cross section. Every type of character who lives in Michigan—and beyond—ends up in here.”
But the main attraction for him has always been the food, including a personal history and love for barbecue. As a 20-something living in the Woodbridge neighborhood in Detroit, Michael would come home late from work and smoke some ribs, becoming, as he says, “the guy on the second-floor balcony at 3 in the morning with a bunch of smoke pouring out.”
Slow’s draws inspiration from all the barbecue styles around the country but creates its special brand of “Q.” Michael says it’s all in the process. “You’re getting a great cut of meat, you’re smoking it with hardwood—you’re barbecuing. It’s a patience game.”
CHEF/OWNER MICHAEL M
And that great cut of meat must come with respect for the animal and how it’s raised, Michael believes. Slow’s sources local meats and ingredients, like lamb from Full Circle Lamb and produce from Greg Willerer at Brother Nature, primarily for seasonal and daily specials and also for special dinner events, such as their popular Bourbon and Cider Dinners, The work that goes into careful raising of animals deserves respect the rest of the way. “You have to cook it properly. Cut it right. Season it right. Respect the product.”
The Slow’s brand name is inspired by the Slow Food movement, which started in Italy to protest the concept of fast food. “Your meals aren’t meant to be eaten through a car window, zipping down the highway,” Michael says. “Sit down with your kids or whoever you’re with, or just sit down alone and enjoy. Appreciate the food and the time.”
Michael’s focus on family includes his two children and extends to the Slow’s staff as well. He laughs that 10-year-old son Emmet's first solid food was pulled pork, fed to him in a little Bumbo seat set up next to the smoker at the restaurant one night. Michael says Emmet has taken a more active role in smoking whole hogs than anyone on staff, even writing a “How To” guide for a school project last year. His daughter, Eloise, 7, can be found helping bake the cakes or mixing up macaroni noodles. And as a result of growing up in the restaurant culture, both kids have learned respect for the hardworking servers and kitchen staff that shows when they go out to eat in restaurants, rolling their eyes at those less aware.
Michael says of the Slow’s team, “I love our staff. I’ve been really proud over the years to watch people grow and develop.” He points out that several have been there since day one, including bartender Molly East, who credits the people she works with and for—and the customers.
“I love my customers. I’ve had quite a few regulars since the day we opened. It feels great.” Server Sam Lo us says, “It’s the people who work here. It's different. It’s like a family.”
What’s ahead for Slow’s? There’s already a new mobile food truck and heightened social media for specials and events. But the biggest challenge is keeping up with a quickly growing Detroit.
“We’re like the granddads around here, all proud of the restaurants coming up around us. It’s a challenge to stay relevant in that landscape, but you’ve just got to keep pushing.” Pushing and moving on with a healthy respect for where you live, the food you make, who you serve and, most of all, continuing to have fun in the process.
- Slow’s signature sauces are available at its restaurant locations and at Plum Markets (in Bloomfield, West Bloomfield, Chicago and Ann Arbor).
SLOWS BAR BQ
2138 Michigan Ave., Detroit
313-962-9828
435 Ionia Ave. SW, Grand Rapids
616-454-1588
To Go: 4107 Cass Ave., Detroit
313-309-7560
SlowsBarBQ.com
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