Join us at Willowbrook Mill in Northport for an evening of fabulous food and wine with celebrated chef and food scientist, Jimmy Schmidt! Delectable appetizers followed by a sumptuous, five course meal featuring the best of local, sustainable products paired with Black Star Farm wines. Food adventure and lively conversation with Chef Jimmy Schmidt and Lee Lutes, of Black Star Farm Winery.

SOLD OUT!

The Menu!

Jimmy Schmidt @ Willowbrook Mill Menu

August 16, 2018

TINY TASTES

Sweet Corn & Ginger Chowder Shooter

9 Bean Rows Charred Vegetables Dipped in Spicy Rouille & Pistachio Aioli

Idyll Farms Goat Cheese, Wild Mushroom & Rosemary Grilled Flat Bread

Red Spice Cold Cured Lake Trout on Sweet Garlic Chips

Crimson Beet Ravioli with Caramelized Cipollini & Bacon Marmalade

Black Star Farms Sparkling Riesling Coupe

Jelinek Honey & Honey Brandy

SEATED

Two Peach Salad with Salumi, Arugula, Pickled Sweet Onions & Peach Emulsion

Arcturos Sauvignon Blanc, Leelanau Peninsula, 2016

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Seared Coriander Dusted Walleye

Atop Roasted Fennel, Sweet Garlic, Capers & Picholine Olives, Fennel Basil Micros

Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay, Old Mission Peninsula, 2016

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Cherry Cured Rendered Breast of Peking Duck

Atop Cylinder of Blistered Golden, Bing & Montmorency Cherries, Spice Crusted Pecans, & Wilted Wild Biome Greens, Jus of Pinot & Herb Essential Oil

Arcturus Pinot Noir 2016

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Live Smoked Slow Cooked Wagyu Beef Short Ribs

Fire Roasted Corn, Sweet Chiles, & Beluga Lentils Laced with Sweet Garlic Gremolata

Leorie Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Old Mission Peninsula, 2013

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Saskatoon Crisp with White Chocolate Ice Cream,

Iron Fish Maple Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce

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About the chef...

Jimmy Schmidt

Chef, Food Researcher & Inventor

Celebrated chef, restaurateur, food scientist and innovator Jimmy Schmidt drew inspiration from the bounty of the American Larder and its local environs to create the contemporary American cuisine at his signature restaurants over time, principally in Detroit and Palm Springs. Sourcing the best local products grown and raised responsibly, he focused on traditional cooking methods – such as open grilling, slow roasting, braising, pickling and curing – to create deliciously intricate yet simple, rustic dishes, that are as nutritionally sound as they are tastefully stimulating.

He is following his culinary imagination to new projects with Lucky’s Wagyu Beef BBQ and SmartCookie Popups, opening late 2018.

Chef Schmidt is the recipient of three James Beard Foundation awards. He has been honored by the prestigious 5 Star Diamond Award for Rattlesnake Club, the Ivy Award, NRNews Dining Hall of Fame & many more. Schmidt has authored 4 cookbooks and 20+ years of food articles. Jimmy is the founder of Food Shed Exchange the pioneering connector of artisan foragers, fishers and farmers to sustaining Top Chefs.

Jimmy Schmidt Website

Jimmy Speaks out on Sustainable Food

Jimmy talks about the Food Shed Exchange

Jimmy's Cook Books on Amazon!

Jimmy on Gluten and this special menu:

"Gluten is a member of the Lectin family, primarily plant based proteins that in an effort to protect the plant negatively impact our digestive Biome and body functions. My approach to cooking for full decadent flavor in alignment with rich nutrition uses ingredients that do not fall in the lectin category or utilizes techniques that neutralize their effect. My Pop-Up menu for Willowbrook does not incorporate gluten in any of the dishes except perhaps a variety of bread for the table." Jimmy Schmidt

Lee Lutes

Joining the team in 1998, Lee, Head Winemaker, was an integral part of the development and construction of the Winery at Black Star Farms. Currently he oversees the wine making operations for two processing facilities on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas. He is the director of Black Star's distillation program that produces European style fruit brandies and dessert wines. Lee is a proud, self-taught winemaker with 25 years of experience making wine and time spent studying in various regions around the world. He served as an assistant winemaker at Abbazia di Valle Chiara in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy prior to moving back to his native Northern Michigan in 1993. Lee is a proud supporter of all things Michigan, and is most passionate about our Rieslings and Pinot Noirs. He brings his vast knowledge of growing and producing award winning wines to our first, Willowbrook Mill Pop-Up Dinner.

Black Star Farms

Facebook- @BlackStarFarms

Black Sheep Crossing Farm Animal Sanctuary-

Cherry and Marty Scott established the sanctuary in 1998. They applied for and received federal and state nonprofit status in 2007. They are a no-kill farm animal sanctuary dedicated to providing food, shelter, medical care, and love to unwanted, abused, ill, injured, and/or abandoned cats, dogs, birds, and farm animals for the remainder of their lives.

Unlike other animal rescue centers that attempt to find forever homes for their residents, Cherry & Marty have made this the forever home for the creatures they take in. Like Lucky, the nine year old Percheron Draft Horse that came to them as a yearling. Lucky (pictured below)suffers from a rare neurological disorder that causes abrupt and uncontrolled leg movement, rendering him unable to pull carts or be part of a horse team; a job he was born to do. His owner had no place for him as a pet and the options were bleak for his future until the Scott's welcomed this beautiful boy to their pastures where he now spends his days as the big man on campus (literally!).

The farm is 100 acres on a quiet country road and they have six fenced pastures for the larger farm animals. Pigs, dogs, and cats roam a four-acre fenced yard. Barns and shelters have been modified to accommodate different animals. Other amenities include companionship and lots of love and special attention.

Black Sheep Crossing Farm Animal Sanctuary

Facebook- @BlackSheepCrossing

Willowbrook Mill

This beautiful old building has graced the heart of the Village of Northport since 1879. Through it's many incarnations as a livery, a guest house, a tea room, a private residence, an antique store, a pizza parlor, an ice cream shop and finally, an event venue, it is one of those places that generations of visitors remember fondly. Joel & Mimi Heberlein purchased Willowbrook Mill in January 2016 and along with their two children, Samantha & Michael, have built a thriving wedding and event business that has earned them Traverse Magazine's coveted, Top Ten Wedding Venue in Northern Michigan in 2017 & 2018. With decades of event experience and Visiting Chef Series credentials that span more than 130 recognizable names, the Heberlein's felt it was time to bring the food party to Northport! This first in a new series of Willowbrook Mill Pop-Up Dinners brings two of their friends, Jimmy Schmidt and Lee Lutes together to do what they do best in their beautiful setting. Also a family with a special love for animal friends, meeting Cherry & Marty Scott and seeing what they have done at BSCFAS moved them deeply and they felt the best way they could help was to let more people know about the amazing and heartfelt work the Scott's do for gentle creatures every single day.

"We hope you'll join us for this very special dinner

at 'our house'!"

Cheers!

Mimi, Joel, Samantha & Mike Heberlein

Willowbrook Mill Website

Willowbrook Mill Facebook Page

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