ROCHESTER, MI, October 04, 2008
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Mind Body & Spirits, 301 S. Main Street in the heart of downtown Rochester, opens this month to the anticipation of Metro Detroit's dining community. The latest venture from restaurateur Mike Plesz, CEO Pleszure Food Group (Rochester Mills Beer Co., Inspired Treats), Mind Body & Spirits is an extraordinary new dining concept offering great tasting healthy meals made with the highest quality natural, organic and local products available. All while minimizing the negative impact on our environment.
Patrons of the eco-conscious restaurant will delight in the diverse offering of food creations, beer, wine, spirits, specialty drinks and desserts that happen to be organic. Corporate Executive Chef Stewart McWilliams and his team have created a menu that can best be described as "Michigan Fusion", blending fresh local ingredients with modern international recipes to satisfy today's demanding palette. The menu is broken down into Preludes (soups, salads and appetizers), Season's Bounty (Chef Stewart's Main Entree Selections), Inspired by You! (create your own custom dish from a selection of seasonal produce, proteins and a choice of grains prepared in an induction wok or flat bread prepared in a wood burning hearth oven), and an exquisite dessert menu created by Organic Pastry Chef Colleen Serra of Inspired Treats.
The variety of selections range from the Brilliantly Braised Beef Short Rib (Prelude) - free-range and grass-fed organic braised beef short rib served with a rich Moroccan demi-glaze on pan seared polenta to the Winter White Bean Cassoulet (Season's Bounty) - a fresh combination of onions, celery, parsnips, Great Northern beans, pinto beans and herbs (from the MBS greenhouse, of course) slow-cooked in a hearty vegetable stock and served in a savory spiced delicato squash. Desserts feature the Michigan Apple Rose (Inspired Treats) - an elegant apple petal rose sits atop a fresh baked petite apple pie on a disk of vanilla infused custard surrounded by a caramelized cider sauce and paired with three scoops of handcrafted caramel ice cream.
"There is something for everyone at Mind Body & Spirits," says Chef Stewart. "Our menu will always change with the growing seasons to allow us to select the best local and organic ingredients at the peak of freshness. Partnering with our local farmers also reduces the distance your food has traveled from the fields to your plate, which follows our sustainable initiative as well."
Housed in a newly renovated century old two-story building on Main Street, Mind Body & Spirits is working to become Michigan's first sustainable restaurant and is expecting to receive Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. When designing the space, Plesz's team explored and implemented every feasible green option before completing the project. Upon entering the restaurant you are taken on a green-building journey. The fresh and airy interior is furnished with environmentally friendly materials from the bamboo and cork flooring to the VOC-free painted walls to the solar panels on the rooftop.
The main floor dining area seats 90 in an open casual atmosphere serving lunch and dinner daily. The second floor is home to the aptly named Higher Ground Lounge with soft comfortable seating that provides capacity for more than 50 and features expanded appetizer, dessert and drink menus. The outdoor rooftop garden adds an additional 45 seats overlooking an on-site greenhouse that produces fresh herbs and garnishes for the restaurant.
The numerous eco-conscious features that are prominent throughout the restaurant are equaled only by the ones that are seamlessly integrated behind the scenes. "We've done just about everything we could think of in renovating this space green," said Plesz. "You can't just build a health focused restaurant and not have it be eco-friendly. So we have gone to great lengths to manage our energy needs efficiently, conserve and recycle extensively, and create a healthy dining environment. But it was imperative for us to do all this without compromising the quality of your dining experience, if not enhancing it."
Mind Body & Spirits' commitment to environmental stewardship is also evident through its partnerships with certified organic local farmers and eco-conscious suppliers as well as a continual assessment of its own sustainable efforts. "We recognize that there will always be more things we can do," said Plesz. "We hope to create an environment that inspires our guests to learn about healthy options and sustainability as well as share their knowledge with us so that we can continue to grow in a responsible manner. Ultimately, by practicing sustainability, our goal is to leave the world in better condition than we found it."
The Mind Body & Spirits friendly and informed staff receives in-depth education and training on environmental sustainability and the use of local organic products in its healthful style of food preparation. "Our team has embraced the concept and is ready and willing to share what they have learned. Perhaps more importantly, they are all eager to learn and do more," continued Plesz. "Going green can be infectious."
Mind Body & Spirits is open seven days a week, with outdoor rooftop garden seating seasonally. Lunch is served daily between 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Tapas is served 3:00 p.m till close. Dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m. daily, and serves until 10:00 p.m. Sunday - Thursday, 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Higher Ground Lounge stays open until 12:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday, 1:00 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and until 10:00 p.m. on Sundays. For the enjoyment and good health of customers and staff, a smoke-free environment is maintained in the building and on the rooftop garden. Ample parking is available in the surrounding Rochester Downtown Development Authority District surface lots. For further information, please visit http://www.mindbodyspirits.com.
Media Contact:
David Youngman
Director of Marketing Communications
248.797.6012
youngman.david@gmail.com
Pleszure Food Group Corporate Profile
Pleszure Food Group (PFG) is a privately held corporation that owns and operates two unique restaurants (Mind Body & Spirits, Rochester Mills Beer Co.), both located in Rochester, Michigan and a line of dessert products (Inspired Treats) that is available at local markets or direct at our locations. Our business is focused on creating, developing, and operating best-in-class restaurants and products. For us, Best-in-class means that we strive to attract and retain the best people, offer the best food and service, and provide the best atmosphere at each of our restaurants. These values are shared company-wide and our passion for what we do is reflected in our guests' smiles . For further information, please contact David Youngman, Director of Marketing Communications at (248) 797-6012
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