“I’m an Obnoxious Outdoor Hunter.”
Chef Hollingsworth honors Michigan tradition with American Heartland Cuisine at Loon River Café.
By Nicole Rupersburg / Photography by Garrett MacLeanWhen
Executive Chef Ray Hollingsworth first started his culinary career people said he was crazy. This was before the days of Food Network and before the cult followings of celebrity chefs, back when saying “I want to be a chef when I grow up,” was akin to saying, “I want to be a famous painter like Picasso.”
“I started cooking when I was 15,” Hollingsworth says. “Oakland Community College was the only school that had any kind of culinary program at the time; they were ahead of everybody.” He went through their program then spent three years training under American Culinary Federation (ACF) Certified Master Chef Jeffrey Gabriel at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. “Most of the chefs in the metro area were of European descent — like Master Chef Milos Cihelka of the Golden Mushroom. They were hardcore chefs; it was a harsh upbringing for awhile!” he laughs.
And then came Food Network and, with it, “foodie” culture. The average restaurant patron is much more savvy and educated when it comes to food now, and that knows no boundaries — unless, of course, you’re talking about the invisible line along I-75 that divides the culinary illuminati of Oakland County from the perceived plebian tastes of Macomb. That very same line also prevents the self-proclaimed “foodies” of Oakland County from stepping into eastern territory, convinced that there is no worthwhile culinary landscape to explore here.
At the Loon River Café inside the Best Western of Sterling Heights, a Michigan-themed lodge with emphasis on Michigan products, Hollingsworth tries to educate the eating public by using only the highest-quality ingredients and top talent. “In the early days we put a lot of emphasis in the quality of the product and employees; we hire local culinary students and ACF-certified chefs,” he explains. “We still do to this day, even with budget cuts. We’re not substituting for lower quality ingredients.”
Since they opened 28 years ago, Hollingsworth has been with Loon River and the Best Western and has been instrumental in building and expanding the operation over the years. He now oversees the hotel’s entire food operation, from the restaurant to the 1200-person banquet facility to the 248 guest rooms. This is the largest full-service hotel banquet operation in Macomb County, and one of the top 5 in metro Detroit.
Hollingsworth has also done a lot of culinary competitions and charity events; he’s been on culinary advisory boards; he’s even had his own popular cooking show on public access for five years called One Pan Madness (in which he made every dish using only one pan in an attempt to show people that cooking doesn’t have to be intimidating). He now teaches part-time as a culinary instructor at Macomb Community College where he takes what he has learned and “gives back” in what he describes as a lifelong cycle of learning and teaching. It also allows him to give students an opportunity to come to his restaurant and work. “I’ve had numerous students that have come through here and gone on to be very successful all over,” he states. “There’s something like [professional] chefs in 30 different states now who did their training here.”
The one thing Hollingsworth emphasizes above all else is passion. “I’ve always had passion for food and for customers. Obviously Food Network has made the job more popular but when you look at the hours, there’s got to be more to it than that. When people want to meet you because you did such a great job, that’s what it’s about. You’ve got to have that wow factor.”
What has kept Hollingsworth in the same place for 28 years is the creative freedom he has here. “Corporate America does a good job, they’re consistent in what they do, but they’re limited in creativity,” he explains. “Here we’re a standalone restaurant that has a lot of creativity and puts a lot of passion and creativity into what we do. When we put a dish out it’s not just a steak on a plate, there are 4-5 different components on that plate with different flavor profiles. It’s Food Network at a local level; what they practice with their creativity is what we do on a daily basis.”
They braise and smoke their own meats, they make everything, from the soups to the sauces, from scratch; they still use creams and butters to finish sauces and they still give big portions. Basically, it’s Food Network caliber with a Midwestern American heartland sensibility (i.e. large plates and affordable). Their philosophy of using the finest ingredients hasn’t changed over the years either. “[Items] like our shrimp is true Gulf shrimp. Sustainability is important to us; we like to stay with a lot of legit stuff. This is not farm-raised, dog food-fed shrimp from Taiwan, it’s a true wild shrimp from the Gulf.”
Their creative freedom also allows them to serve items on their daily menus, items most other restaurants wouldn’t serve, like wild game. “[The food is] not so funky that people don’t understand it,” Hollingsworth assures. Supporting local farmers and vendors is a huge trend right now in the culinary world, but the richest irony here in Michigan is that as people happily consume their Michigan grass-fed beef and pork, they shy away from the one animal most indigenous to this state: deer.
Deer hunting in Michigan is big business. There are estimated to be more than 2 million deer in the state as of 2010 with half a million harvested and more than half a billion dollars spent on food, lodging, transportation and equipment to pursue deer in Michigan annually, more than any other state or Canadian province. Now, we love cows, but nothing says Michigan quite like venison.
“People are intimidated by wild game,” Hollingsworth points out. “Some people have had bad experiences with it, but it’s healthier for you and when it’s prepared right it’s really mild.” On their regular menu they offer venison fritters, tender venison cutlets, and juicy venison burgers. Through the fall and winter they also host a once-monthly wild game dinner and beer tasting: five courses with beer pairings for only $28 per person (a comparable dinner in Oakland County would probably cost $48).
“[I do this] because I’m an obnoxious outdoor hunter,” he exclaims. “I’ve been an outdoor person my whole life, I’ve loved hunting since I was 10, and I’ve done a lot of recipes with that stuff over the years that just fit right in.” He mentions that some people are “appalled we still got some critters hanging on the walls; these are the same people who think steaks come on Styrofoam. Michigan has such a big hunting heritage … I think it’s interesting and intriguing to some people, but some need to be more open-minded then make the decision. You’ll be amazed by the flavor!”
At Loon River Café, “You’ve got a chef that practices this and lives this all the time, not just someone who pulls it from a recipe book. You’ve got to understand the product and know what to do with it; that makes all the difference.” N
