‘The Bear’s’ Matty Matheson Give Detroiters an Italian Beef We Can Call Our Own #DetroitFood

The Skip

Plus, the chefs from Bunny Bunny have moved on Up North

Matty Matheson — chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, cooking show host, and star/executive producer of the hit series The Bear — is continuing to deepen his presence in Detroit by offering up his take on the classic Italian beef. Head over to the Skip bar, tucked into the art-filled Belt alley, to find an old-school food cart serving a Detroit-style rendition on classic Italian beef sandwiches now through the end of October. The cart is expected to return seasonally, returning in time for the 2025 Detroit Tigers Opening Day.

The iconic sandwich played a key role in the award-winning, Chicago-based series as the staple dish of the Berzatto family restaurant. Much of the show was filmed inside the real-life Mr. Beef in Chicago’s River North neighborhood owned by Chris Zucchero, a childhood friend of the Bear creator Christopher Storer. Matheson’s rendition features braised chuck simmered in beef jus served with mild or hot giardiniera on a soft Italian roll ready for dipping. Additionally, he’ll serve a meat-free eggplant edition with red sauce and mozzarella. The cart was formerly used for Italian beef and sausage vending in the Windy City before the Skip team refurbished it and brought it to the Motor City, according to a media release.

Over the summer, Matheson — under his Ontario, Canada-based Our House Hospitality Company — launched a new menu at the Skip’s sister restaurant, Standby. In collaboration with the Library Street Collective founder and Standby partner Anthony Curis, the chef has also played a role in the establishment of a skate park, as part of the 3.5-acre Little Village and the Shepherd cultural corridor in Detroit’s East Village neighborhood. The park sits one block away from Matheson Cookware.

Bunny Bunny chefs move up north

Gilchrist Farm Winery and Restaurant

Chefs Jennifer Jackson and Justin Tootla recently relocated Up North to collaborate with Gilchrist Farm Winery and Restaurant in Suttons Bay.

After closing their restaurant over the summer, the chefs from Bunny Bunny — the genre-bending restaurant known for its creative takes on South African, Indian, and American Southern cuisine in Eastern Market — have moved on far from the boundaries of metro Detroit. Husband-and-wife chef duo Justin Tootla and Jennifer Jackson are now helming the kitchen at Gilchrist Farm Winery and Restaurant in Suttons Bay, where they initially came on board this summer as consultants for the year-old establishment. Retired doctors Elizabeth and Marc Huntoon opened Gilchrist in September 2023 within a renovated, century-old home not far from the founders’ 85-acre farm, where much of the land is used to grow grapes from wine-making regions across the globe.

The gig has evolved into a permanent position, Gilchrist business manager George Brittain confirmed with Eater. In the few months since joining, Tootla and Jackson have given the destination’s menu a refresh. Dishes include a chopped salad utilizing seasonal vegetables grown on the Gilchrist farm, burgers made only with ingredients from Leelanau County, and a crispy chicken schnitzel topped with a mound of creamy Caesar salad — which has already garnered praise.

from Eater Detroit - All