Notables Coffee, Tea & More
YORK
When Tommy York grew up, food was basically just fuel, he says.
“It wasn’t celebrated,” says York, co-owner of Ann Arbor’s YORK, formerly Morgan & York, the specialty food and wine shop. “Now we use it to celebrate every day if we can, especially now.”
After co-owner Matt Morgan amicably left the business in 2017, York took some time to consider the future. He added new partners Sarah Okin, Elan Ruggill and Ethan Kaplan, ultimately creating the conveniently acronymic YORK. The team scaled down the wine retail business, kept the deli and redesigned the space into a European-style café with a full bar.
“The writing was on the wall,” York explains. “It became pretty obvious what we should do. Ten years ago Costco didn’t have manchego cheese; now they do. Grocery stores didn’t sell craft beer; now they do. It means we all did our jobs and brought higher-quality foods to the marketplace.”
The redesign also moved barbecue purveyors Ricewood out of their food truck and into the building, allowing the recently named Food & Wine’s 2020 Best Barbecue in Michigan to expand its capacity. Because of COVID-19 social distancing, many customers now order online and make use of YORK’s patio, which he hopes to stretch into the colder months with heaters and fire pits.
“It’s not ideal, but at least we have the space to do it so we feel fortunate,” he says, adding that the Bao Boys food truck contributes to its positive atmosphere. “This town has an amazing respect for its local institutions.”
YORK, 1928 Packard St., Ann Arbor; Yorka2.com; 734-662-0798
YELLOW LIGHT
Yellow Light, a new coffee-and-donut spot in Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood, was slated to open the week COVID-19 shut down Michigan.
That wasn’t the start co-owner Niko Dimitrijevic imagined, but he instead gradually offered contact-free pickups of house-roasted coffee and eventually scratch-made donuts and breakfast sandwiches.
“It was a process. It still kind of feels like we’re in that soft opening stage, having to respond to new circumstances,” says Dimitrijevic, adding that fortunately the business already was built around being a drive-through.
Dimitrijevic long eyed opening a place with childhood friend Jacques Driscoll and his wife, Christine, co-owners of Green Dot Stables and Johnny Noodle King. Then the Driscolls purchased the former Krispy Krunchy Chicken building on East Jefferson.
“This project presented itself at the right time in our lives,” says Dimitrijevic, who fell in love with coffee while living in Seattle. He now roasts three blends and a decaf in-house.
For donuts, the trio wanted several standards, plus atypical options like hibiscus lime. They’ve also collaborated with nearby businesses like Lost River, for the cherry almond glaze, and Lester Gouvia of Norma G’s to get the brown butter plantain, not to mention their decaf “Lester’s coffee.”
Rising Stars Academy makes all the breakfast biscuits used in the biscuit sandwiches, which include chicken options—sausage, fried with maple or hot, and even a soy sausage version.
The name Yellow Light touches upon a flurry of connections for the three owners, from the earliest hues of morning light, to the middle traffic signal color which aligns with their middle-of-the-road price point, to having a loose color association with Green Dot and with Dimitrijevic’s previous career as a glass blower. Take note of the antique donut-hoppers- turned-lights inside.
Yellow Light, 14447 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; YellowLightDetroit.com
NIKKI’S GINGER TEA
When production of Nikki’s Ginger Tea started to slow due to COVID-19 manufacturing restrictions, CEO Andrena Sasser went to work helping Eden Gives feed the community.
Founded in 1997, Nikki’s Ginger Teas operates out of a commercial kitchen at the Church of the Messiah in Detroit, selling multiple flavors to around 30 stores— down from 80 pre-COVID—throughout Metro Detroit, including Whole Foods, Lafayette Foods and Honey Bee Market.
While Sasser awaits word on several grants and being able to ramp back up to full speed, she focuses on her work with Eden Gives, delivering organic produce, bread and other food donated weekly by Trader Joes for families in need.
For more than a decade, Eden Gives has given back to the community by providing nourishment for the mind, body and soul, explains Shonda Peterson, recently named CEO.
“It helps us get through all this, but it also helps us do the community work that we love and that has always been affiliated with Nikki’s Ginger Tea. It helps fill the void of being able to connect with our customers in a different way,” says Sasser, whose deliveries alone feed 150 families.
“It’s all about food security and food justice. Everybody should have access to healthy organic food and there’s such a lack in the city and the places where it is it isn’t always affordable,” she says.
Nikki’s Ginger Tea, 313-231-8378; @nikkisgingertea on Facebook and Instagram Eden Gives, 313-288-8866; EdenGives.org
