As the seasons change, so, too, does the menu at the recently opened GreenSpace Cafe in downtown Ferndale. That's because the restaurant and bar features non-GMO and organic ingredients in the foods and drinks it serves, ingredients bought fresh at venues like local farmers markets. The items are fresh and healthy, yes, but perhaps most important of all, they're delicious. So says Joel Kahn, who opened the Cafe with his co-owner son, Daniel Kahn, in December 2015.
Health is an underlying current throughout GreenSpace Cafe. This should be no surprise for those familiar with Dr. Joel Kahn, a cardiologist and long-time vegan who has focused many a public speaking engagement around the benefits of healthy eating. Absent are the excessive amounts of salts, oils, and sugars. Gone are the fryers and microwaves. Fresh ingredients purchased from places like the Royal Oak Farmers Market and Eastern Market are combined with healthy spices to create the menu.
Even the cocktails are healthier at GreenSpace. That's because the bartenders utilize the Michigan-based Drought juice brand in their craft cocktail mixes. Drought is organic, cold-pressed, raw juice, adding a dose of nutrition to the margaritas, Manhattans, and cosmopolitans that the restaurant serves. Drought also runs a retail space in the cafe storefront, complete with its own independent set of hours. For Dr. Kahn, having Drought on board is an asset. The pairing is, as he says, "a wonderful synergy of talent."
The space itself takes up two old storefronts, the locations of the now-closed Maria's Front Room and Just 4 Us. The GreenSpace team knocked down the wall between the two storefronts to create one continuous 4,000-square-foot space that seats about 100. Having torn out the drywall and drop ceilings, the Kahns describe the new space as having an urban loft feel, with brand new state-of-the-art equipment, to boot.
GreenSpace Cafe is located at 215 W. Nine Mile Rd. in Ferndale, Michigan.
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