New for 2016 is American Girl Doll Melody Ellison, who hails from Deeeetroit City!


From American Girl's Website:

Melody Ellison is an optimistic, enthusiastic girl growing up in Detroit, Michigan during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Because February is Black History Month, your daughter may be learning about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights movement in school. But even in our own changing times, civil rights issues and the social climate of the 1960s may be difficult for her to fully understand. That is why we are so proud to introduce our compelling new BeForever™ character, Melody, whose story reflects the changing face and history of the nation during that important era.

Nine-year-old Melody is growing up in Detroit in the mid-1960s, a time of great energy, optimism, and change for the African American community. She is a singer and loves to perform in church, with her family, and in her community. Her stories are set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, which was gathering momentum, and the music scene, including the success and popularity of Motown Records and its artists.

As Melody gains more awareness of racial inequality and her sense of community grows from her extended family to include her neighborhood and, ultimately, all African Americans, she is inspired by Dr. King to have a dream of her own: to lift her voice for fairness and equality.

Because many girls are interested in music and performing, as well as starting to find their own "voice" and express their opinions, they'll find Melody's stories engaging and entertaining. You'll love that they're educational, too, helping your girl connect with the past on a more personal level. Come meet Melody Ellison and introduce her to your girl today!




IMAGE: Getty Images

More women equals better pay. For proof, check out Detroit.

That's one of the findings from a new study by SmartAsset, which analyzed Census Bureau data for insights about women in technology.

Overall, says the study, women who work in technology earn 75 percent of what men do. And nationally, the tech workforce is 75 percent male. But in cities with a higher proportion of women in the tech community, women's pay tends to be higher as a percentage of men's.

"There is significant positive correlation (49 percent) between tech industry representation for women and pay equity in the 58 cities SmartAsset analyzed," says the study. "While it is impossible to say what exactly causes this this relationship, it is clear that some cities have a better overall culture for women in technology."

Exactly which cities, though, might surprise you. In this year's survey, SmartAsset found that when it comes to pay, the best city for women in technology is far and away Detroit. Women working in Detroit's tech sector actually get paid significantly more than men--122.8 percent of men's pay. Relative to other cities, Detroit’s tech sector has a lot of women, with 44.5 percent of all tech jobs in the city filled by women. Detroit also has extremely high growth in the tech sector, with three-year tech employment growth reaching 32 percent.

In the overall rankings, which include job growth, cost of living, and other factors, Washington, D.C., comes in first, followed by Kansas City and Detroit.

Click HERE For The Full Article!
CARLA J./YELP
Photo: Yelp


The James Beard Foundation announced the five recipients of its 2016 America’s Classics Award.

The America’s Classics Award is given to restaurants that have timeless appeal and are
cherished for quality food that reflects the character of their community. The 2016 honorees join the ranks of nearly100 restaurants that have received the award since the category was introduced in 1998.

This year’s winners will be celebrated at the 26th annual James Beard Foundation Awards, taking place on Monday, May 2, 2016, at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

“James Beard would have loved these restaurants; they represent how America eats,” says Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “Each has played a role in bringing their communities together, representing the heart and soul of our national culinary landscape—we’re proud to honor them as classics!”

The 2016 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award winners are:

Al Ameer Restaurant
12710 W. Warren Ave
Dearborn, MI

Owners: Khalil Ammar and Zaki Hashem

This restaurant, with its rows of floral print booths, is a bedrock institution in Dearborn, Michigan, and one of the nation’s most welcoming introductions to the pleasures of Lebanese cuisine.

Khalil Ammar, Zaki Hashem, and their families started this community-minded spot in 1989.

Unfailingly warm servers explain the fine points of maza (a spread of dishes that might include falafel and hummus) and define the differences between fattoush and Lebanese salad. The owners also run a halal butcher nearby. Accordingly, Al Ameer is the place to savor sujuk sausage, vivid with paprikaand cumin, or a feast of tender shredded lamb rich with almonds, yogurt, and rice.


Click HERE For The Full List Of Winners! 



Detroit Passport to the Arts is rolling out the red carpet for a one-of-a-kind evening of film, glamour and Academy Award-inspired festivities. “Hollywood in Detroit” will take place on Thursday, March 3 at the Detroit Film Theatre. Attendees will view Oscar-nominated short films before heading to the Detroit Historical Museum for an after-party featuring food, drinks and live entertainment.

“Hollywood in Detroit is an entire evening of fun that is accessible to everyone,” Strebig said. “There are so many different elements of the event, that it attracts people with multiple interests, and we want everyone to be able to participate.”

 DP2A Director Margo Strebig said “Hollywood in Detroit” has been the program’s most popular event since its inception in 2009, attracting hundreds of young professionals to the heart of the city each year. Founding board member Natalie Bruno said she has enjoyed seeing the audience-favorite evolve over the years.

“We had no idea that the DFT destination would become the signature event for DP2A,” Bruno said. “The only thing we knew was that he had the chance to create a ‘red carpet’ experience,

Hollywood-style, which we thought would be fun.”

 DP2A is a nonprofit program designed to engage the next generation of arts patrons in Detroit arts and culture. The program offers an all-inclusive package of up to six cultural events—each with an after-party—all bundled together at an affordable cost. So far this season, passport holders have visited arts partners Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, the Detroit Institute of Art and the Detroit Repertory Theatre.

 While most DP2A events are reserved for passport holders, “Hollywood in Detroit” is open to the public. Organizers say the event is intended to be a gateway to the thriving arts and culture environment in the city.

 “The goal of DP2A is to expose people to the cultural scene in Detroit, and this event is a great way to get people into two of our major cultural institutions,” Strebig said. “We also hope that people will want to learn more about DP2A and how they can be part of the program in the future. Overall, I just want people to have fun!”

 Tickets for “Hollywood in Detroit” are $29, including admission to the Detroit Film Theatre and the after-party at the Detroit Historical Museum. The price will increase to $40 on Feb. 29. Tickets can be purchased by calling 248-559-2095 or visiting dp2a.org. The red carpet opens at 6 p.m., and films begin at 7 p.m.


Mark Wahlberg and Michael Bay on set in Detroit in 2013.  AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Andrew Cooper

Paramount Pictures is producing the 5th "Transformers" movie and filming will begin in June 2016 in Detroit.

Casting:
All talent are legally required to work in London and Detroit. Casting for extras, stand-ins and photo doubles will take place closer to the start of production this summer.

For starring and supporting roles, submit your resumes and headshots to:

Denise Chamian
"Transformers 5"
606 N. Larchmont Blvd. Suite 202
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Film crew:

Experienced film crew members, production staff and vendors can submit resumes online to: e75resumes@gmail.com. Enter the specific crew member position that you are submitting for in the subject line of your email.


Click HERE for full casting information! 


Start(ing) from Detroit is a 4-month campaign to raise awareness and propel change on the issue of youth homelessness.  The campaign will raise funds for a coalition of organizations working at the front lines; these organizations collectively serve thousands of young people every day; our goal is to empower them to serve significantly more, with the greatest impact, until the point where we’ve provided the necessary opportunities for every youth in need.

Join Start(ing) from Detroit for this special one-night-only event, designed to bring together the Detroit community to combat youth homelessness at DIME Detroit (Detroit Institute Of Music Education).

Proceeds from ticket sales go towards leading frontlines non-profit organizations; our partner in Detroit is the Ruth Ellis Center.

Monday, February 1 @ 7pm EST
DIME
1265 Griswold Street
Detroit, MI

Click HERE To Reserve Your Tickets! 



Philly takes the top spot, 3 Florida cities are featured and Detroit's comeback continues. . .
  1. Philadelphia, PA Time for an authentic Philly cheesesteak and a visit to the City of Brotherly Love as Franklin Square turns 10 and the National Constitution Center hosts Headed to the White House this election year. Kimpton, Omni and Loews Hotels love families. Best ice cream parlor is The Franklin Fountain.
  2. Chicago, IL The Cubs are going to win the World Series in 2016 and Chicago's Museums, Lincoln Park Zoo and the Art Instituteall remain among our nation's best.  Stay at Residence Inn's 700th hotel or the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel.
  3. Orlando, FL More than just the theme park capital of the world, Disney Springs and nearby Kennedy Space Center's Heroes and Legends attraction features the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.  Stay at The Hard Rock Hotel.
  4. St. Petersburg, FL Take a "Bird Quest" through the areas museums, parks and hotels and let your senses go wild at the hands-on exhibits at Great Explorations, Sunken Gardens and Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club is a great choice for families.
  5. Detroit, MI  Only in Motor City can you visit the largest penguin facility in the world; stop at a LEGOLAND® Discovery Center and enjoy an afternoon of Beatles at The Magical History Tour at The Henry Ford.  For dinner kids will love the iconic Buddy's Pizza.  Hyatt Place Detroit/Auburn Hills or Hyatt Place Detroit/Utica are great options for families.
  6. Miami, FL  A Miami Culinary Tour in Little Havana is life changing and GameTime Miami, Jungle Island, Coral Gables Venetian Pool and Lincoln Road provide unique experiences for everyone.  The Pizza Bar and Bodega are fun.  The Palms Hotel & Spa is incredible for families.
  7. Hilton Head, SC Beaches, bike trails, kayaking and water sports, horseback riding and we're just getting warmed up. Families will think they are in the Caribbean at Omni's Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort.
Check out ABC Travel Guides HERE!




After a year of historic announcements, surprising discoveries and unexpected natural phenomena in 2015, it's hard to say what 2016 will hold for travelers. But we do know that the year ahead will be one of technological innovations and historical significance in many American destinations. Here are the places across the U.S. to keep on your travel radar in 2016.

Detroit

Detroit is a rapidly changing city. In 2016, it's all about learning and family fun with the opening of a new Legoland, a comprehensive Beatles exhibit, and an expansion to the Sea Life Michigan Aquarium.

Also set to open early in 2016, the Polk Penguin Conservation Center will be the largest penguin facility in the world. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe four different species of penguin play, dive, and fish in their aquatic habitat.

Click HERE For The Full Article! 

Photo: Freep.com

Alexandra Clark, 27
Founding Chocolatier, Bon Bon Bon


Clark, who has been working in the confectionery industry since she was 14 years old, studied the art of chocolate-making by crisscrossing the globe. When it came time to open her own shop, she wanted it in no place other than Detroit, her hometown.  Bon Bon Bon, which now has three locations across the city, is the first artisan chocolatier to come to Motor City in 40 years.


Location Information:

HAMTRAMCK MANUFACTORY
2756 Evaline St., Hamtramck, MI 48212
Saturdays 10AM-6PM
313-236-5581

DETROIT SHOWROOM
719 Griswold St., Suite 100, Detroit, MI 48226
Monday-Friday 10AM-6PM
Saturdays & Sundays 10AM-3PM
313-316-1430

POP-UP
From Philly to New York City, Ann Arbor & on!
Currently getting fly new wheels.

Click HERE For The Full List of  2016 30 Under 30 Honorees! 
Antietam - Detroit, MI, United States. Enrtecote de Boeuf 
<br>duck far potato, pepper & onion jam, porcini
Photo: Yelp, Antietam's Enrtecote de Boeuf 



Veteran Detroiters always knew their city was a meat-and-potatoes town. To find more-eclectic cuisine meant doing what most people downtown did after work: Leave.

No more. Detroit is in the midst of a culinary transformation. Rock-bottom housing stock and an emerging generation of young restaurateurs and chefs settling in to experiment have brought new restaurants, breweries, tasting rooms, cocktail bars, pop-up events and quirky lunch spots promising nutritious food — in neighborhoods where the only option to eat had previously been fast food. Keeping up with launches is now a sport in this rebounding city, which over the past decade survived a government bailout of two of its three major car companies, the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history and the shuttling of a recent mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, to federal prison.

Many of the new restaurants feature chefs lured away from other cities to jump-start new ventures. They include Brion Wong and Jestin James Feggan, recruited from New York to create the modern French cuisine at Antietam, and John Vermiglio and Josef Giacomino, Detroit natives who created flagships in Chicago before returning home this past fall to start work on Grey Ghost Detroit in the Midtown neighborhood; it will open in the spring.

They join a rapidly growing crop of restaurants that opened in the past two years, including Selden Standard, featuring small plates and craft cocktails in Midtown; Gold Cash Gold, old-school Southern cuisine in a refurbished Corktown pawnshop; Parks and Rec Diner, a retro breakfast stop downton; Wright & Company, a posh second-floor dining experience downtown; and Standby, a late-night spot in the Belt Alley art district featuring a menu of traditional bar foods with a twist, such as duck-fat-fried almonds, and horchata and shrimp rice cakes topped with cilantro and avocado. They all are taking part in reshaping Detroit’s reputation as a culinary destination, branching out beyond its tradition of reliable ethnic and steakhouse fare.

Filling those booths and tables are not just people flocking into the city on nights and weekends but also employees of such companies as Nike, Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Amazon, Lear, Quicken Loans and other mega-nationals that are revitalizing the downtown business core. By filling previously vacant high-rise residential buildings, they are creating a lively after-hours scene, both in the immediate area and in inner-circle neighborhoods such as Corktown, Midtown, Capital Park and the Eastern Market.

Click HERE For The Full Article! 
Photo: http://motorcitymuckraker.com/


There are many ways to take stock of influence in the art world—critical reception, popularity, and market prowess are among them. As the art world continues to expand, that becomes all the more difficult. We’re in a moment of regionalization—with art scenes thriving in São Paulo, Singapore, and Istanbul—as much as we are in one of consolidation around the global financial capitals of New York and London, with a core contingent of the art world making a yearly migration, crisscrossing the globe to visit them all. (Click through the map below to watch.) Here, we’ve crunched Planet Art’s data on contemporary art’s most mentioned cities in the media in 2015, pulled figures on fairs, museums, and galleries, and racked our editors’ brains to rank the art world capitals of 2015.

15 Detroit
20+ GALLERIES IN 2015
2+ ART MUSEUMS AND INSTITUTIONS
0 ART FAIRS IN 2015

Detroit has been lauded as America’s Berlin for the past several years. And despite the fact that L.A. likely has great claim to that title, the Motor City continues to attract alternative spaces looking to jump the coasts’ hustle (and steep rents). Most notably, Galapagos Art Space set down in Motown this year after ditching their Brooklyn digs. (In 2016, they’ll launch Detroit’s first-ever biennial.) Detroit also serves as a stand-in on this list for the many emerging art capitals worldwide, from Mexico City to Mumbai, Bogotá to Beirut, and beyond that are in the midst of explosions of artistic activity and may well break into this list in 2016.

Click HERE For The Full Article!
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