More than a decade in the restaurant business has taught Andrew Sear a few things, and his first solo venture--Paladino's, in the basement of Peter White Public Library in Marquette--gives him a platform to share them with U.P. foodies.
Growing up in Mt. Clemens, near Detroit, Paladino's Cafe owner Andrew Sear had all the culinary resources of a major metropolitan area at his fingertips. He didn't--and still doesn't--hesitate to explore. "Coming from an urban environment," he says, "I long for things other than your standard fare."
But his biggest influence came from his childhood kitchen, and he's carried it with him to positions of increasing responsibility at Union Grill, the Wild Rover, and Capers, where he pushed a slow, authentic approach to cooking that didn't always resonate with his superiors.
"I would say my family...had the most influence on my "from scratch" approach," he says. "We were the kind of family that had to be home right at 5:30 for dinner, [which] was made from scratch by my loving mother. Her background growing up on a farm really influenced what we ate all the time."
Sear left southeast Michigan in 2005, to enroll in NMU's hospitality program, "and never looked back." He's lived in Marquette ever since, working (by his count) nine different restaurant jobs during his time here. After graduating, in 2010, he began a part-time master's degree in the psychology of training, development, and human performance improvement, which he should finish up later this year.
That hasn't stopped him from setting up shop in the basement of Peter White Public Library, formerly home to Tu Kaluthia--and setting out to make a big mark on the central U.P.'s culinary scene. With Paladino's, Sear looks to add to a growing crop of local restaurants, including Das Steinhaus and Root 41, that put a premium on scratch-made, locally sourced (to the extent possible) foods. But he's also genuinely committed to raising the profile of the local businesses that keep him afloat, and to educating the public about their cultural value.
And he works with plenty of local agricultural businesses, from Rock River Farms (which supplies fresh-cut basil for Paladino's, among other essential ingredients, during the summer) to Grand-Bees, a L'Anse-based honey producer. But he also understands the inherent challenge in sourcing local produce in a place like the U.P.
"I started this business with the understanding that we would not be able to source everything locally," he says, "but the USDA definition of locally sourced food is that it can come from within 400 miles of its origin…if we can expand to the 400 mile radius, we [will open] up many opportunities."
If things go well, Paladino's may turn out to be a mere stepping stone in Sear's quest to push the U.P.'s food scene forward. When he first hatched the idea for Paladino's, Sear had every intention of taking some time to build a name for himself as a proprietor, save up some cash, and open a full-service restaurant in the Marquette area. But recently, he's decided to put his talents and beliefs in the service of a more novel, and possibly more ambitious project: "an old school style delicatessen," in Sear's words, either in Marquette or Ishpeming.
"We originally were going to open a full brick and mortar restaurant, but feel there is a larger need in the county for local meat processing," he elaborates. "Currently we are working with the LSCP and a local architect to design the business plan."
The idea is to source meats from within Marquette County--an easier task, at present, than sourcing lots of produce here--and to process as much as possible on site. Beyond that, plans remain vague, but the coming months should bring more specifics.
For now, Sear is in the process of installing an espresso machine and "hunting for a kegerator" to hold cold-brewed coffee from Keweenaw Coffee Works. Find him in the basement of Peter White Library every day but Sunday.
Brian Martucci writes about business, finance, food, drink and anything else that catches his fancy. When he's not working out of his office on Marquette's East Side, you can find him stretching his legs on the trails or sampling local flavors at Blackrocks and the Ore Dock. You can find him on Twitter @Brian_Martucci
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