James and April Forbes know their way around the food industry. James has 30 years of restaurant management experience, while April has 15 years as a trained pastry chef. The couple even competed and won a national reality show contest, having won the Food Network's Cupcake Wars in 2012. Most recently, the Forbes family has switched from selling their creations to helping other chefs sell their own.

James and April Forbes. Photo courtesy The Menagerie.In 2015, they opened the Menagerie, a food business incubator and pop-up kitchen. After a hiatus, they've moved from their first location to another downtown Pontiac location, operating out of Lafayette Market. It's there where they facilitate incubator kitchen and pop-up dining programs, helping foster the emerging food scene in downtown Pontiac.

This Sunday, April 2, the Menagerie at Lafayette Market will host Chef Layla Outita Siklawi and her five-course Moroccan dinner, A Taste of Marrakech. The couple says they plan on hosting pop-up events about every other Sunday.

"We're on the other end now, less hands-on in the kitchen," says April. "But now as hosts, by doing pop-ups, we've been able to taste the best food and share that with people, food that you wouldn't think you could get in your own backyard."

Pop-up dinners have a number of benefits, say the Forbes. They allow chefs at different career points to gain more exposure while also introducing new dining options to the community.

"Pop-ups are great for chefs," says James. "By selling tickets to the events, it allows chefs to know exactly how much to buy and prepare, eliminating risk."

James says Menagerie has an exciting year planned, including guest chefs from Ocean Prime in Troy and the Hell's Kitchen television show.

More information and tickets for the Menagerie at Lafayette Market pop-up dinners can be found online.

Menagerie at Lafayette Market is located at 154 N. Saginaw St. in Pontiac.

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