In this episode of “Behind The Counter,” your host Andy Didorosi talks with Brooklyn Street Local Co-founder Deveri Gifford about how she and her partner made their way to Detroit, opened a restaurant in Corktown and became a part of the city’s locally-sourced food movement.
Deveri says when the restaurant first opened in 2012, “there were people walking in expecting it to be a Coney Island-type place.” And, while those Coney expectations were not met, she says there were many people who readily visited BSL, making her and her husband/business partner Jason Yates feel warmly welcome.
Deveri and Jason had spent time visiting the city of Detroit in the years leading up to their move. Originally from Toronto, Deveri says one of the biggest differences she and her husband noticed between there and Detroit is the support they’ve received from other businesses throughout the city. Citing Food Lab, Hostel Detroit and Eastern Market as some of the first places with which she became familiar, Deveri says “Detroit is a large city but it can also feel like a small town.”
In the future Brooklyn Street Local will likely expand their hours of operation and potentially their space. Other topics addressed throughout this conversation include urban farming, canadian culinary competition, green cards, crappy lawyers, breakfast quiche, wicked dinner game and neighborhood vibes.
Episode credits: Music by Broke For Free. Episode edited by Annamarie Sysling
