Apr 10, 2018
Here are some highlights:
Michael grow up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and used to watch Justin Wilson talk about Louisiana cooking on PBS. He’s loved the big flavors of the Big Easy ever since.
Michael moved to Bloomington in the 1960’s to study political science. The whole time he was in school, he was cooking. He spent time at The Office Lounge, The TOA, The New Age Deli, The Vienna Doghouse, The Gables, and lots of other places.
He finally decided to buy his own placer and start a diner. He modeled it after The Empire Diner in New York City and fashioned the cooking style after Paul Prudhomme.
When Michael started, there really wasn’t a whole lot as far as good cuisine. Even yogurt was seen as a left wing food. American food has come a long way since then.
It’s not something Michael does a lot. He lives in the county and generally doesn’t want to go out once he gets home.
When he does go out, he generally goes to places where he loves the chef like C3, Feast, Finchs, & NOCO. His buddy owns Mother Bears Pizza so that’s on his list too.
Keep it simple.
Hire smart.
Always have a group of trusted advisors.
Michael is 68 years old and he know that The Uptown will need new leadership soon. He’s hoping he can hand the operations down to one of his sons or create another plan that keeps it in the family.
The show was produced and edited by me Jeremy Goodrich.
The music is by my high school buddy Mark VInten. In high school, we played a lot of soccer together. I was the goalie and he was the sweeper. For anyone who understands that relationship, it makes total sense why we’re still friends 25 years later.
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