Michigan Made: Fine dining in Detroit's Greektown
(CBS DETROIT) - It's dining at its finest, and it's right in Detroit's Greektown.
This week's Michigan Made takes us to Table No. 2, a worldly dining experience created by a master chef from the east side of Detroit.
Sticking together no matter what means a lot to Chef Omar Mitchell. It's a lesson of sorts taught to him by his hometown.
"I remember when Detroit went through the bankruptcy procedure, and the word around was just Detroit is a hard city. We're going to fight back, and we're going to come out of it, and we did," Mitchell said. "That's my outlook on life and fighting back and keep going."
Mitchell grew up on Detroit's east side.
"It taught me how to defend myself and be an independent, responsible person, but also taught me what not to do and what not to come back to," he said.
It taught Mitchell to dream bigger.
"After attending culinary school in Providence, Rhode Island, I was doing some small catering jobs and decided that I wanted to grow and be something more than just hired help," he said.
From hired help to reservations required, the fine dining chef still stands firm in his sense of community.
"I always give credit to the urban community because it's what started me is what taught me. I believe that everyone should go through that process - the good and the bad - and that's what teaches you to become a great adult."
Mitchell is pushing for the next generation to dream bigger, too.
"To this date, I'm still the highest volume. Pusher would be pushing more students through DPS with internships and practicums. I'm excited about that, and I'll continue to do my part with that," he said. "I'm currently the culinary board president for Bright Application Center, so it's my obligation to give back."