If you’re looking for the Loomi Cart on (most) Thursdays at Bumbo’s Bar in Hamtramck, it’s not hard to miss. Just walk outside to the patio where chef Andrew Stevick is getting the coals hot inside of a shopping cart that he’s rigged into a grill. 

It’s one of the most bizarre set-ups I’ve seen, but instantly makes Stevick’s pop-up a visually intriguing one. 

The food follows suit. 

Stevick’s cooking is colorful and rustic. His al pastor tostada offers big slabs of marinated meat and chunks of pineapple all splayed over a massive fried chip. It’s a meaty portion, essentially spilling over the plate and feels like something you’d get at a friend’s holiday barbecue (if your friend was as good a chef as Stevick).

Or how about a watermelon salad that’s served like a steak and just as satisfying to cut into? This is a surprising, beautifully bright dish with the fresh watermelon activated by lime juice and tajin, covered in a chipotle vinaigrette, jellied and pickled jalapeños on top, and a sprinkle of queso fresco. It’s a full-on sensory display: the satisfying feel of cutting into it, the flavor itself, and the humble presentation — a paper plate in the bar’s backyard, smoke from the shopping cart grill filling the air.

Open late

“We usually sell 80% of our food by 9 p.m. and then I like to stick around for the industry people. It picks up with all the late-nighters,” says Stevick. “That’s what people want in Detroit. There’s not enough good late-night food. I can only go to Grandy’s Coney Island so many times.”

Stevick’s ethos of serving service industry folks and staying open late adds another layer of flavor and character to Loomi Cart, which is undoubtedly the best food I’ve had in the city this year. 

To boot, the energy his pop-up brings to Bumbo’s on a Thursday night truly feels like a thriving nightlife scene you’d expect in cities and countries overseas with a more robust embrace of nighttime economy and culture.

Worldly flavors

Stevick’s perspective and flavor profile are both from his own background and travels.

After closing the brick-and-mortar version of Loomi in Ann Arbor in 2022, Stevick took a sabbatical and headed to South America, traveling and cooking through Peru, Argentina (where he says he got the idea for the mobile shopping cart grill), and Mexico. Stevick took those experiences and blended them with his family’s Palestinian roots to mix Middle Eastern influence with South American cooking with a sprinkle of his time living in Arizona in a Mexican neighborhood.

All of that experience and flavor shows up on every plate from Loomi Cart, one of the most exciting and visually stunning culinary experiences in the city right now.

This story was originally published on Midbrow.

In America, the “amber waves of grain” have come to represent the strength of American agriculture. But not all Americans are included in this idyllic picture. Those same waves of grain contain wheat, a crop that can pose serious health risks for people with celiac disease.  

Raleigh Minning, a cancer survivor, is the owner of a gluten-free bakery: Made With Love Donuts. Through her work, she said she has come to understand some of the harmful symptoms her customers experience.  

“Some people have rashes, they’ll get indigestion issues, all of these things, and I think that the community that is not celiac, or maybe they just want a couple of dollars out of it, don’t understand how serious it is,” Minning said.  

Minning’s son was diagnosed with celiac seven years ago, and she wasn’t happy with how most restaurants handled his food.  

“They would just push things to the side, or we would notice that they weren’t changing gloves, they weren’t using different utensils, and that made a mama bear very nervous,” Minning said.  

Celiac causes servere reactions to gluten

Lana Scales is a clinical dietician who also has celiac disease. She explained that gluten is a protein that comes from wheat, a grain that can be found in bread, pasta and pastries. Even ordinary items like some brands of lip balm have trace amounts of gluten. 

“When you eat gluten and your body considers it an invader, an enemy, and when it attacks it, it elicits this huge immune response that can cause a myriad of conditions,” Scales said.  

Celiac disease is different than gluten intolerance, Scales said. The biggest difference between the two is that celiac is an autoimmune condition, while gluten intolerance creates a less impactful inflammatory response.  

Amy Rosenberg, an optician with celiac, understands this all too well. 

“My doctor told me I was going to get cancer, and at some point, die,” Rosenberg said. “So I think it flipped a switch in my head, and I was like, I should probably do something about this.” 

Eating with Celiac poses obstacles

Rosenberg has been on a gluten-free diet for 31 years. Along the way, she found friends who faced the same challenges as she did. I joined her, Kaylene Whitaker and Margaret Clegg at a restaurant in Novi that offered a variety of gluten-free options.  

Whitaker, who had intense symptoms for two years before her diagnosis, struggled with being understood.  

“It’s frustrating when people just assume it’s something I choose, and they think I’m being picky,” Whitaker said. “We get to have food preferences just like everybody else, on top of also having to accommodate for celiac.” 

Rosenberg agreed, adding that even family members have a hard time understanding her dietary needs.  

“A lot of people were like, ‘oh, I’m sorry,’ but I’ve been gluten-free for 31 years, so it’s what I know. But I do have some family members that are still confused by it, and it’s kind of offensive,” Rosenberg said.  

After the food arrived, Clegg brought out her phone to take photos for her blog, MI Gluten-Free Gal. She was working on a post about the restaurant’s gluten-free items. 

She talked about how her father’s celiac journey led her to helping people across Michigan find safe, reliable restaurants to enjoy.  

“I have a whole blog post on my website telling the story about me and my dad, and all of that, and how after I was diagnosed, that helped him to pay attention to the diet and do what he needed to do to make himself better,” Clegg said. 

Gluten-free restaurants can minimize risk, create comfort

One restaurant Clegg highlights on her blog is Tru Pizza Co. in Wyandotte. They have a completely gluten-free menu, and Anthony Cipolla is the owner. He said he was inspired to join the business because his wife has celiac. 

From there, he made it his mission to be a place that truly has food for everyone.   

However, Cipolla said he sees a stigma surrounding a completely gluten-free restaurant. He points towards celebrities glamorizing the diet and comedians making it the butt of their jokes.  

“When I was a kid, peanut allergies were so much more common,” Cipolla said. “That was the only allergy that anyone really cared about in the field. If everybody treated every allergy like that, it would make this a lot easier.”  

Scales, the dietician, spoke about the dangers of cross contamination that can result from restaurants not taking proper precautions.  

“The amount of gluten that can fit on the head of a writing pen; you might not be able to see that, but it’s enough to cause a reaction,” Scales said.  

But at places like Tru Pizza or Minning’s bakery, the fear of cross contamination is nearly eliminated. Minning said she finds fulfillment in being able to give back to her community and hopes to see more gluten-free establishments in the future.  

“I love the people who come in here, the stories that we’re able to share,” Minning said, “we’re able to hug, cry, laugh, smile, all of the things that I definitely don’t think that I would be getting out of it if I was doing regular food.”   

Minning said she understands why most restaurants don’t take the risk of trying to accommodate celiac, but she sees a huge reward in it for those who do.  

Higher prices at the store are affecting the pocketbooks of people across an array of backgrounds.

Adrian Matti, founder of Marcus Market said rising cost have changed the way customers shop. While maintaining a stable customer base, Matti says they’ve seen a slight decrease in sales. Matti said more customers are swiping the credit card and opting for the generic brands as opposed to their name brand counterparts.

“For example Jiff peanut butter, it could be like a generic peanut butter next to it and there’ll be like 50 cents difference. They’ll go for the generic.”

For his business, however, fuel surcharges pose the biggest challenge. Despite the increased cost to do business, Matti has said the store has been able to maintain their product selection and availability.

Across town in southwest Detroit, Honeybee Market has found itself dealing with similar challenges. In addition with fuel surcharges, Honey bee also is battling supply chain and sourcing issues.

Tammy Alfaro Koehler, owner of Honeybee Market said certain products have been more difficult to obtain. Pointing to crop losses in Mexico that have affected the availability of jalapeños and tomatillos. While shortages may not be noticeable right away it could take months for the impacts to reach store shelves.

Koehler also mentioned that shortages can create difficulties not only for grocery stores but also for people who rely on consistent access to ingredients for their work such as restaurants that source their produce from stores like Honeybee Market and small business owners as well.

Shifting the business model 

Angela Davis, a recipe developer, digital content creator, and freelance chef who goes by Thekitchenista on Instagram said both items not being available and cost have affected her business.

Davis has scaled back some services, and eliminated others like her  pop-up events due to uncertainty around cost and customer turnout.

“Actually, I just eliminated popups right now. I was doing popups through the winter, and it got too expensive because it is a lot of guesswork, not knowing what foot traffic will be like for events where you can’t sell tickets.”

To adapt, Davis has looked at what ways she can maximize the ingredients she purchases. One strategy that has proven beneficial is buying whole ducks. By buying the whole duck, she’s supplied with multiple parts allowing for many different dishes at a lower price point thus reducing waste.

Careful spending and creative solutions

As food prices continue to affect households and businesses, flexibility is becoming increasingly important.

Retailers, food professionals and consumers alike are finding ways to adapt to rising costs.

A survey of consumers revealed several strategies being used to stretch their grocery budgets. Participants noted finding themselves at the store less often all the way to the types of stores they shop at, with a majority saying they have changed what stores they visit.

One respondent mentioned comparing prices between big box retailers and smaller local businesses for the best quality and value. Cross shopping between various stores, cutting back on snacks and novelty items, and preparation methods have all been areas consumers mentioned where they’ve made changes.

“We’re buying less meat like chicken and turkey, since prices for those have skyrocketed. And switched to buying more canned and dry goods that are more rich in protein. We’ve also stopped trying new brands for things like snacks out of fear we’d waste money on something we end up not liking.” one respondent said. 

Another shopper shared that they were buying family-sized packs in order to prepare meals and make it last 2-3 days depending on the household size. Others brought up buying less juice and coffee creamer. 

Another participant noted going to farmer markets to source produce. “The produce is often fresher, locally grown, and cheaper. It might be easier than you think to cook a meal you love if you get creative.”

While there’s no one single solution to rising food costs, many are finding that with careful planning, reducing waste, and remaining flexible, one’s budget can go a little bit further.

Restaurants in Detroit are now eligible to receive a Michelin star rating. That’s 20 years after the Michelin Group awarded its first star to restaurants in the United States.

The designation was born from the French tire company’s efforts over a century ago to recommend places for drivers to stop. It has since become an authority on where to eat worldwide.

Detroit is one of six cities being scouted to identify Michelin Star caliber restaurants for the American Great Lakes guide that is expected to publish in 2027. Currently, Chicago is the only Midwestern city with a restaurant that has secured a Michelin star.

Detroit Free Press dining and restaurant critic Lyndsay Green joined The Metro to explain what the Michelin star designation means, why Detroit is being considered, and if a metro Detroit food spot has a real shot at receiving a star rating.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

Iron Chef Detroit is an annual fundraiser that supports Cass Community Social Services. It returns for a third year at Eastern Market in Shed 5 There will be a contest where two Detroit chefs, Chef John Vermiglio and Chef Andy Hollyday, race against time for their dish to win the favor of the follow judges:

– Mamba Hamissi (Baobab Fare Chef)
– Anthony Lombardo (SheWolf and Medusa Chef)
– Jessica Care Moore (Detroit Poet Laureate, Author, Director, and Activist)

Carlos Parisi is the owner of Aunt Nee’s, an editorial contributor to Hour Detroit, as well as a TV and podcast host.

He will be hosting the event beside Jon Kung, a Chinese American chef, podcast host, content creator, and author of “Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third Culture Kitchen.”

They joined The Metro to talk about their love for food  and the importance of culinary arts leading up to the event.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand.

Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

Since we last spoke to food critic Melody Baetens, new restaurants have opened, Detroit’s culinary scene has the opportunity to gain national and international attention, and the summer food festival calendar has rounded into shape. 

Melody is a restaurant critic and dining reporter at the Detroit News. She joined the show to catch us up. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

On October 24, 2025, Ann Delisi was invited by her friend and collaborator, Chef James Rigato, to interview 4-time Grammy Award-winning musician, songwriter and producer Tony Rich in the intimate setting of Chef Rigato’s award-winning restaurant, Mabel Gray.

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of his album “Words”, Rich came to Mabel Gray to perform songs from the album and talk with Ann about the importance of his relationship with his father, living in Detroit and fascinating stories about his life in the music business.

They talked in front of an enthusiastic audience of friends, family and fans.