March 21, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode of Total Michigan, we dive into the story of Lonnie Paser, owner of Artisan Urban Bistro in Saginaw. With a deep love for food and community, Lonnie transformed her restaurant into more than just a place to eat—it’s a movement. From using locally sourced ingredients to launching a weekly ‘Grateful Pasta’ night that raises funds for nonprofits, Lonnie shares how small businesses can create a huge impact. Tune in to hear how this world-traveling chef turned entrepreneur is feeding both stomachs and souls.
- How Lonnie transitioned from retail and travel to restaurant ownership.
- The importance of sourcing locally and how it strengthens communities.
- How ‘Grateful Pasta’ nights have raised funds for nonprofits for over three years.
Links & Resources:
- Visit Artisan Urban Bistro: Facebook Page
- Address: 417 Hancock Street, Saginaw, MI
- Phone: (989) 401-6019
- Support the Grateful Pasta Nights: Follow their Facebook for updates
Subscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://totalmichigan.com/join/
Find us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/totalmichigan
Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@totalmichigan
Show Notes:
01:00 - Introduction
04:00 - Lonnie’s journey: from world traveler to small business owner
:07:00 - Reinventing herself and entering the restaurant industry
:14:00 - How sourcing locally builds a stronger community
20:00 - What inspired ‘Grateful Pasta’ nights and how they help nonprofits
23:00 - The impact of giving back and how small efforts make a big difference
25:00 - How to support Artisan Urban Bistro and visit the restaurant
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lonnie Paser (00:00):
So trying to support this business by supporting my
(00:04):
community helps all of us survive.
Because if we can get people to cutback on the commercial restaurants,
even though they employ localpeople who need to survive, We could
change our habits once or twice aweek to support a small business.
We can save communities Withoutus, things start to fail.
(00:27):
And we can't have that happening.
Cliff Duvernois (00:30):
Hello, everyone.
And welcome to Total Michigan, wherewe interview ordinary Michiganders
doing some extraordinary things.
I'm your host Cliff at DuVernois.
There's just something about smallrestaurants, the kind that you stumble
upon by accident and you never forget.
The kind where the scent ofsimmering garlic lingers in the
air and every plate tells a story.
(00:53):
In Old Town Saginaw,there's one such place.
Artisan Urban Bistro, 10 tables, amenu that shifts with the seasons,
a chef who's lived a dozen lives.
At its helm is Lonnie Paser, a worldtraveler, a chef, a fixer, a woman
who doesn't believe in failure.
And now she's here, with herstaff, crafting something
(01:15):
far bigger than just food.
But here's the thing, this placeisn't just about what's on the plate.
On Wednesday nights, somethingspecial happens, something unexpected.
A meal becomes more than just a meal.
A small act ripples through a communityin ways that you just wouldn't believe.
(01:35):
How does a restaurant becomethe beating heart of a city?
Why would someone trade stability forthe chaos of restaurant ownership?
And what is it about food that bringspeople together, that brings community
together and even changes lives?
Well, that's what we'rehere to find out today.
Joining us is Lonnie Paser, theowner of Artisan Urban Bistro.
(01:59):
Lonnie, how are you?
Lonnie Paser (02:00):
I am great.
Thank you for coming to hangout with me this afternoon.
Cliff Duvernois (02:04):
And I'm looking forward to it.
I love restaurant stories.
They're my favorite.
Okay, so talk to us.
What is Artisan Urban Bistro?
Lonnie Paser (02:12):
We're a cute little 10 table restaurant bistro
that everybody is welcome to.
We do things from scratch.
We are involved in our community, likeshopping and buying local as best as
possible to provide for this restaurant.
It's a.
(02:32):
Good vibe.
Cliff Duvernois (02:34):
What kind of food do you
Lonnie Paser (02:35):
Sure it's a limited menu.
It's a small menu, which wechange three times a year.
So I always have a beef dish.
I always have a chicken, or two orthree chicken dish, dish options.
A couple of seafood options,salads, soups, great appetizers.
And I try to come up with a superdessert called Lonnie's Whimsy.
Cliff Duvernois (02:57):
All right.
We'll have to explore that a little bit.
So Lonnie, if you would, whydon't you tell us a little
bit about where are you from?
Where did you grow up?
Lonnie Paser (03:04):
Oh, gosh, that's a long story.
I'm a world traveler.
I've been really lucky to havelived a lot of different places.
The normal dysfunctional family,father in Florida, mother remarried
a railroader who moved around a lot.
And that.
Got me to experience all differentkinds of people and cultures.
(03:26):
And I've been truly, trulyblessed because of that.
Cliff Duvernois (03:30):
So you wouldn't call one state in particular home.
Lonnie Paser (03:33):
No, that's New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Florida, Texas,
California, Alabama, South Carolina,Europe for years with the U S army.
I spent five years in the armyand I had a wonderful gig with
them and got out in April of 90.
So I can't believe it'sbeen that long already.
I've traveled to 14 countries, andthen I came back to the States and I
(03:56):
needed to reinvent myself and I did a24 year in the retail business being
a store managers of all differentkinds of businesses and they used to
move me around, so I've never stopped.
Cliff Duvernois (04:09):
That's amazing.
So let's take a stepback here for a second.
So when you talk aboutreinventing yourself, where did
that itch to do that come from?
Lonnie Paser (04:19):
kind of hard to explain in the sense of what do I like to do?
retail was a very successful businessfor me and people used to move me
around because I used to be the fixer.
So when there were, whenThere were issues, Senlani.
If it was a great location andI didn't have myself keeping
me in one particular spot.
(04:41):
Say like Santa Monica, California.
I'm gone if they were moving meand, taking care of what I needed
to be, help them be successful,then that's what I would do.
Yeah.
I came back to Michigan in2010 to help an ailing parent.
And that was probably the bestmove I've ever made because, I
(05:03):
got to spend my mom with my mom,her last four months of her life.
And, opened up opportunities forme to explore what was going to
be the next thing for Lonnie.
And that was the pie baking business.
And I got up to 85 pies in threedifferent farmer's markets.
And after the summers were over, Ineeded to figure out what the heck
(05:27):
I was going to do in the wintertime.
And I got Recruited by a gal Diana fromthe World Cafe in Bay City, and That
started me back workingin the kitchen full time.
and from there I got recruited by theseguys, Jason and Joel Curran, who own
a local bar restaurant here, and I
(05:48):
came working in their restaurantand, four restaurants later.
I own my own.
I'm very lucky and I'm blessed tohave been around a lot of great
people that wanted me to be.
Cliff Duvernois (06:03):
So let's take a, I want to take a couple steps back here and
explore some things because you made acomment before about how she got you back.
Kitchen.
Kitchen.
So before you decided to reinventyourself, was that part of that
kitchen experience too cooking
Lonnie Paser (06:18):
probably since I was 14 years old and my summer jobs
were working for other people and itwas what I did through high school.
And then when I was in themilitary, I worked in one of the PX,
short order type cook
thing.
Um, when I was in retail in SantaMonica, my goal, my, what I thought
(06:42):
was my goal was to own a food truckand I wanted to make pies and sell good
coffee at two o'clock in the morning.
And that didn't happen.
So the transition tomove back to Michigan.
And reinvent myself, retail had taken adrastic change in 2010 with the recession
(07:04):
a 2008 to 2010 and I came back and.
Retail was not on my radar anymore.
I needed to come up with something else.
And baking pies out of my mom's church,85 pies I got up to, and probably 12
to 14 cases of my pepper jam that Iwould sell at the farmer's markets.
(07:27):
That's how I made a living.
And winters are tough here.
If you don't do well in the summertime,then you can't support yourself.
I was really lucky towork for some nice people.
Cliff Duvernois (07:37):
Now, the, so the question I got for you is because you
were talking before, you bounced aroundquite a bit, not only between the
states, but across the pond, you seemto have this personality that you could
just thrive no matter where you went.
What was it about Michiganthat you said, you know what,
I'm going to hang my hat here?
Lonnie Paser (07:55):
it still is never a permanent thing for me in my head.
The reason I stay isbecause it's beautiful.
People are
friendly and kind and theywant you to be successful.
I didn't think I'd end up back inMichigan, to be honest with you.
I never.
(08:15):
I was really happy out on the West coast.
it's the weather and everythingthat goes along with it.
Cliff Duvernois (08:21):
You can't beat that California
Lonnie Paser (08:23):
Oh, it's perfect.
And Southern California was really,was wonderful, but I didn't ever think
that I was going to be doing whatI'm doing out there, so I don't know
where the turn would have been if,if my mother's health wasn't failing.
it was the best choice.
Cliff Duvernois (08:38):
Now that you, you had the job working in Bay city and at some
point in time, you went out, startedsearching for found a place where
you could have your own restaurant.
My question to you is whywould any sane person want to
open up their own restaurant?
Lonnie Paser (08:57):
When I first opened up Artisan, I did have a business partner.
He chose to leave during COVID andI'm not a failure kind of person.
I'm not, that isn'tpart of my whole being.
It's you just keep on goingand you keep on striving for.
(09:19):
What's going to make peoplehappy and keep them coming back?
I also have an outstanding staff thatcare about what I'm trying to do and
understand what the mission is here,which is supporting their livelihoods
and trying to make something morethan just a, just a, restaurant.
(09:41):
I don't know how to explain it.
I'm going to survive no matterwhat, but I need to make sure
that my community knows that.
We're going to be there tostand by them and support them
any way that we can possible.
Cliff Duvernois (09:55):
And that's beautiful.
We're going to unpack a, uh,little bit more about that.
What I would like to do beforethen is when you decided to get a
restaurant and you open this place,a lot of people sit there and
say, Oh, I'd love to open, and I.
Italian restaurant, or I want to, open,you know, an Asian restaurant or, or
whatever it is, but with your bistrohere, it seems like a very eclectic mix.
Lonnie Paser (10:18):
okay.
So I must not forget that thisrestaurant was here a year before me.
A year under a different chef.
The owners of the building, of theGarbner building, Donna and Larson
Cottrell, opened this beautiful restaurantup for a, a different chef that he
(10:39):
lasted a year and worked really hard.
Buddy.
I don't know all the reasons whyhe left, but there was a post out
on Facebook saying that Artisan wasclosed, and I knew the owners and my
business partner at the time, and Iboth said, we got to do something.
We were both working at twodifferent restaurants and both
(11:00):
unhappy with where we were
and knew that maybe it'stime to join forces.
So we did.
A month later, after thisplace was closed, we were open.
It's kind of like turnkey.
We were really lucky.
Beautiful artwork.
The floors were great.
All the equipment was working.
So we really didn't have the investment tohave to put in that new restaurant owners.
(11:27):
Needed because the owners of the buildinghad trust in us and let us take over
from where, the former chef left.
Cliff Duvernois (11:36):
So when you talk about being turnkey, cause like you said
before, you came in here, the tablesare here, the floor is already clean.
You've got all thekitchen equipment there.
You don't have to go through that,lack of a term birthing process to
coordinate getting equipment in here,get it installed, get it inspectors
and doing that whole go rodeo
Lonnie Paser (11:54):
Kind of like a hundred thousand dollars compared to everybody
else what they have to walk in minimum
to Open
up a restaurant, and because we were solucky to have it ready And they needed
the spot filled and they had trust in us.
that's what made it work.
Cliff Duvernois (12:10):
And then from there, you just adopted the menu
that they had and just kept going.
Lonnie Paser (12:13):
No, we changed the menu.
Um, it was, he was trying to, elevate theSaginaw community with a higher end menu.
We also kept a higher end menu,but I didn't try to introduce
things that were too far offfrom delicious home cooked food.
in the sense of we weren't trying tochange what Saginaw wanted to eat.
(12:37):
We just made it a little better.
Cliff Duvernois (12:40):
Kept it more of the, uh, how could I say
this, like the home style food?
Lonnie Paser (12:43):
Yeah, I would say home style, Comfort but really good quality.
ingredients and that we shop localto try to get as best as possible.
Cliff Duvernois (12:53):
For our audience, we're going to take a quick
break and thank our sponsors.
Once again, this is Cliff with TotalMichigan, and I am talking with
Lonnie Paser of the Artisan UrbanBistro located in Saginaw, Michigan.
And we will be back after the break.
Are you enjoying this episode?
Well, I can tell youthere's a lot more to come.
Jump over to TotalMichigan.
com, enter your email address,and get on our mailing list.
(13:16):
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Hello everyone.
Welcome back to total Michigan, wherewe interview ordinary Michiganders
doing some pretty extraordinary things.
I am your host, Cliff DuVernois.
(13:36):
Today, we're talking to Lonnie.
Pacer of the Artisan Urban Bistrolocated in Saginaw, Michigan.
Lonnie, before the break, we weredoing a discussion where you talked
about, the community and how thecommunity is, is important to you.
So at this point in time, you'vecome here, you've opened up,
(13:56):
you've reopened the bistro, andit's been a turnkey solution and
things are starting to hum for you.
Okay.
Why is that community?
A part of, for lack of a better term,your, your business model, what it
is that you do, why is it important?
Lonnie Paser (14:12):
on March 1st, we started our seventh year for any restaurant to make
a past five years being a small business.
That's not corporate owned wherethey're getting all the supplies
from wherever it's coming from.
I try to shop.
So I use Wreggie's for our seafood.
I use the Bread Gal forour breakfast brunch bread.
(14:35):
I use Hemlock Distributors, Stapleton's,and I use our local Jack's for most of our
Meat products and a lot of our produce.
So trying to support thisbusiness by supporting my
community helps all of us survive.
Because if we can get people to cutback on the commercial restaurants,
(15:01):
even though they employ local people whoneed to survive, and I catch myself at
some of those every now and then too,we could change our habits once or twice
a week to support a small business.
We can save communities withoutus, things start to fail and
we can't have that happening.
Cliff Duvernois (15:21):
cause what you're talking about there is if somebody
came in here and ate a meal,
not only is it they're buying a mealfrom you, but because you're sourcing
the ingredients all locally, you'realso supporting that local farmer.
Lonnie Paser (15:33):
correct?
Your farmers markets coming up real soon.
June, it's gonna be isright around the corner.
We'll have a new menuout in June, which will.
Be filled with a lot of local produceand hopefully some of the livestock
that some of these farmers, willprovide for me, which is great.
Cliff Duvernois (15:55):
And when you were talking before about changing your menu,
I think you said three times a year
Lonnie Paser (16:02):
times a year
October, February, and June.
Cliff Duvernois (16:05):
Oh, interesting.
So this is all part, then it mustbe part of a seasonal type menu.
You're not going to offerstrawberries in the middle of
Lonnie Paser (16:13):
Well, it would cost effective.
It's not worth it.
they're also prettycrappy tasting right now.
So we got to wait until it's, youknow, a seasonal, like I'll give
you an example on our brunch menu.
We do, The ricotta toast.
And right now, I'm doing driedblueberries, dried cranberries, dried
cherries to, go over our sweetenedricotta and drizzled with honey.
(16:36):
In the summertime, it's goingto be fresh strawberries, fresh
blueberries, locally sourced cherriesor peaches that grow in Michigan.
Which, changes it not just for us,but also the consumer that keeps on
coming back and getting a new treat.
So, they think it's new,and we're just updating it.
Cliff Duvernois (16:54):
Now, as far as the recipes go on the menu, is that
something that your chef comes up with?
Lonnie Paser (16:59):
I happen to have Blake Yates as my head chef, and
he's really good at understandingwhat I want to do and can implement
pretty much anything that I want.
But overall, it's my input.
I decide what goes on the menu.
If they I my chef and Sue have an idea.
(17:21):
I'm like, do it.
Try it.
Let's taste it.
Let's put it on the next menu.
So I don't see why not.
as I was chefing here, for the first sixand a half years, while doing many hats.
And in the six and a halfyear, I was able to step away.
So now I'm able to help, more with.
(17:43):
How the menu is going to be designed,how it's going to be put out there,
Because I have a great staff thathelps me with all my many jobs.
but it's always going to be my choice.
Until they start puttingthem, I don't know.
I, you know, I, I don't know how toexplain that, but yeah, the menus from me.
Cliff Duvernois (18:02):
Because I'm looking, I'm thinking back to some of the books
that I've read with regards to likeother chefs out there talking about how
there's this, usually there's this cleardelineation between the owner of the
restaurant and then you have the chef.
That pretty much runs like the back of thehouse, the kitchen and everything else.
It almost sounds like for what you havehere, you having that background in
(18:26):
being a chef allows you to step backand forth, to work with the chefs, to
make sure that the menu that you'recoming up with fits the style of this,
bohemian style restaurant, so to speak.
Lonnie Paser (18:40):
when you come from the restaurant business overall
slash retail business, you havemany hats and you have to be able
to multitask and do many things.
Now that I'm not cooking other thanwhen they need an extra day off
or somebody gets sick or whatever,
I'm able to step back in the kitchenand be able to do the job that they
(19:04):
do, but now I allow my chefs to comeup with some more ideas, and I say,
do it, let's try it, see if it works.
Like our grandma's deviledeggs, they're deep fried,
they're filled, and then they'retopped, and they're delicious,
and I had nothing to do with it.
Or I can say to my head chef Blake,hey, I want a seafood bisque.
(19:28):
This is our ingredients.
This is what we have.
You do it.
And it has been the best seafood bisque.
I've ever had in my life.
Could I have done it just as well?
Sure.
I don't have to.
I can let that stress off of myhead because I know he's doing
something that I would love.
(19:49):
So I'm grateful.
Cliff Duvernois (19:51):
what I would like to do is I'd like to spend a couple
minutes because this is this is theprimary reason that I reached out to
you and said, hey, I would love tohave you on the show Wednesday nights
you have dedicated to helping out.
to helping out local nonprofitsthat are in the area.
Talk to us about that.
Lonnie Paser (20:12):
that.
When we needed to expand our hours,after COVID allowed us to be able to
be open more, we needed to come up withan idea that was going to support us
and not just try to serve three tables.
And I can't run abusiness on three tables.
So, One of my staff members said,Hey, let's do the Grateful Pasta.
You used to do it over at one ofthese other restaurants you worked
(20:33):
at, but I never gave any moneyout in that other restaurant.
now we have serviced three years ofWednesdays where a non profit here in
Saginaw promotes it on their social media.
We promote it on our social media.
We try to get All of their fans,all of our fans in here eating a
(20:54):
couple big bowls of pasta, whichis you pick your pasta, you pick
your sauce, you pick your add ons.
So basically building your own pastaand we offer salads, garlic, nuts,
whatever, is available per season.
And then they get 10 percent of our sales.
And we've helped people like MustardSeed, East Side Soup Kitchen, Maison
(21:15):
Grace Animal Shelter, Saginaw HumaneSociety, Gosh, there's so many that
I can just.
If I could remember at the top of my head,I'd say them all, but the CAN Council,
United Way of Saginaw, it'sjust a blessing to be able, no
matter what you can do, do it.
(21:37):
It doesn't mean it hasto be a lot of money.
It's just being consistentand being a good neighbor.
And it's 10 percent of our sales.
Some nonprofits do better than others.
They have more fans or moreenergy on the internet that gets,
get it, gets it more promoted.
And we're grateful for everysingle one of them that can come
(21:58):
here and then they get a payout.
at the end of the week.
Cliff Duvernois (22:01):
And this has been going on for how long
Lonnie Paser (22:02):
Over three years now?
Cliff Duvernois (22:03):
It's amazing.
Every Wednesday night now for three years.
Lonnie Paser (22:06):
unless it's a holiday or.
That's the only reason, or somebodywants to buy out the restaurant, which
doesn't happen, and we do it fromFebruary through November, and then we
stop in December and January becausea lot of corporate holiday parties.
Cliff Duvernois (22:21):
Now, when you're doing this, has there any been,
has there anyone ever come back toyou and said, what this has done is
Lonnie Paser (22:29):
Oh, yeah.
Every week, I get a thank you.
Cliff Duvernois (22:33):
Tell us about one of those.
Lonnie Paser (22:34):
you know, it's, if it's not for the non profits, it's bringing
back the memories of when their,their mother or grandmother used to
make homemade meatballs, or, oh mygosh, that's the best Chicago style,
it's spicy Italian sausage that I'veever had, or, it's the, you those.
little things that you do, and that'swhy we come back on Wednesdays.
(22:57):
It's the, I'm grateful for everythingthat anybody can do, just to step up
and not think about just themselves.
Thinking of the bigger picture
just warms my heart to be able toknow that we can still do this.
I don't know how long we'll be ableto do this, but right now we're in
our seventh year, and three of it.
(23:18):
Supporting nonprofits here in Saginaw.
What would make a big difference isif I can get my community sister towns
to be able to do this too, because Ihave nonprofits calling from Midland,
from Bay city, from, from Flint, seeingif they can get in for a grateful
pasta and I have to apologize and sayno, because I think it's everybody's
(23:42):
responsibility to do their little part.
Cliff Duvernois (23:44):
And then plus there's so many organizations here in Saginaw.
Lonnie Paser (23:47):
Oh yeah, I mean, I haven't even touched base.
I mean, we have a whole slewof church based organizations.
I wish I could, I wish I could helpbut I don't see why we can't do, uh,
maybe get three churches togetherto try to do some Grateful Pasta.
I mean, heck, if somebody wantsto reach out and do something on a
Sunday afternoon, we just have to do
(24:08):
it.
So everything's possible.
Cliff Duvernois (24:11):
Lonnie, if somebody is listening to this episode
and they want to come and checkout the Artisan Urban Bistro, maybe
come here on one of their GratefulPasta nights on a Wednesday how
can people connect you with you?
Where can they find you?
Lonnie Paser (24:23):
Well, I'd say the best bet is Look us up on Facebook is probably
the best way for us, because that'swhere I do most of our promoting.
WSGW, uh, News Radio also does buybackcoupons for us a couple times a year.
So keep your eye out for that.
Our address is 417 Hancock Street.
(24:46):
That's just one block north of CourtStreet, in between Michigan and Hamilton.
phone number is 989 401 6019
Our hours are Wednesdayand Thursday, 5 to 8 p.
m.,
Friday and Saturday, 5 to 9 p.
m.,
and we have an outstanding brunchfrom 10 to 2 on Saturday and Sunday.
(25:09):
I do recommend reservations.
I have 10 tables.
I'm also connected to Oracle Brewing,which allows us to serve people over
there when they don't have anything funfunctions going on, they allow us to
have the best neighbors in the world.
I really believe that our little.
area here in Old Town with Fraglia's,Old World Pizza, Basong's, The
(25:32):
Bread Gal, are just trying to dosomething to bring people back to the
Old Town area because it's a greatplace to eat and have a good time.
Cliff Duvernois (25:41):
That it is.
Lonnie, thank you so much fortaking time to chat with us today.
Really do appreciate it.
And for audience, you can alwaysroll on over TotalMichigan.
com and click on Lonnie's interviewand get the links and the information
that she just shared with us.
We'll see you next time.
When we talk to another Michiganderdoing some pretty extraordinary things.
We'll see you then.
So trying to support this business by supporting my
(00:04):
community helps all of us survive.
Because if we can get people to cutback on the commercial restaurants,
even though they employ localpeople who need to survive, We could
change our habits once or twice aweek to support a small business.
We can save communities Withoutus, things start to fail.
(00:27):
And we can't have that happening.
Cliff Duvernois (00:30):
Hello, everyone.
And welcome to Total Michigan, wherewe interview ordinary Michiganders
doing some extraordinary things.
I'm your host Cliff at DuVernois.
There's just something about smallrestaurants, the kind that you stumble
upon by accident and you never forget.
The kind where the scent ofsimmering garlic lingers in the
air and every plate tells a story.
(00:53):
In Old Town Saginaw,there's one such place.
Artisan Urban Bistro, 10 tables, amenu that shifts with the seasons,
a chef who's lived a dozen lives.
At its helm is Lonnie Paser, a worldtraveler, a chef, a fixer, a woman
who doesn't believe in failure.
And now she's here, with herstaff, crafting something
(01:15):
far bigger than just food.
But here's the thing, this placeisn't just about what's on the plate.
On Wednesday nights, somethingspecial happens, something unexpected.
A meal becomes more than just a meal.
A small act ripples through a communityin ways that you just wouldn't believe.
(01:35):
How does a restaurant becomethe beating heart of a city?
Why would someone trade stability forthe chaos of restaurant ownership?
And what is it about food that bringspeople together, that brings community
together and even changes lives?
Well, that's what we'rehere to find out today.
Joining us is Lonnie Paser, theowner of Artisan Urban Bistro.
(01:59):
Lonnie, how are you?
Lonnie Paser (02:00):
I am great.
Thank you for coming to hangout with me this afternoon.
Cliff Duvernois (02:04):
And I'm looking forward to it.
I love restaurant stories.
They're my favorite.
Okay, so talk to us.
What is Artisan Urban Bistro?
Lonnie Paser (02:12):
We're a cute little 10 table restaurant bistro
that everybody is welcome to.
We do things from scratch.
We are involved in our community, likeshopping and buying local as best as
possible to provide for this restaurant.
It's a.
(02:32):
Good vibe.
Cliff Duvernois (02:34):
What kind of food do you
Lonnie Paser (02:35):
Sure it's a limited menu.
It's a small menu, which wechange three times a year.
So I always have a beef dish.
I always have a chicken, or two orthree chicken dish, dish options.
A couple of seafood options,salads, soups, great appetizers.
And I try to come up with a superdessert called Lonnie's Whimsy.
Cliff Duvernois (02:57):
All right.
We'll have to explore that a little bit.
So Lonnie, if you would, whydon't you tell us a little
bit about where are you from?
Where did you grow up?
Lonnie Paser (03:04):
Oh, gosh, that's a long story.
I'm a world traveler.
I've been really lucky to havelived a lot of different places.
The normal dysfunctional family,father in Florida, mother remarried
a railroader who moved around a lot.
And that.
Got me to experience all differentkinds of people and cultures.
(03:26):
And I've been truly, trulyblessed because of that.
Cliff Duvernois (03:30):
So you wouldn't call one state in particular home.
Lonnie Paser (03:33):
No, that's New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Florida, Texas,
California, Alabama, South Carolina,Europe for years with the U S army.
I spent five years in the armyand I had a wonderful gig with
them and got out in April of 90.
So I can't believe it'sbeen that long already.
I've traveled to 14 countries, andthen I came back to the States and I
(03:56):
needed to reinvent myself and I did a24 year in the retail business being
a store managers of all differentkinds of businesses and they used to
move me around, so I've never stopped.
Cliff Duvernois (04:09):
That's amazing.
So let's take a stepback here for a second.
So when you talk aboutreinventing yourself, where did
that itch to do that come from?
Lonnie Paser (04:19):
kind of hard to explain in the sense of what do I like to do?
retail was a very successful businessfor me and people used to move me
around because I used to be the fixer.
So when there were, whenThere were issues, Senlani.
If it was a great location andI didn't have myself keeping
me in one particular spot.
(04:41):
Say like Santa Monica, California.
I'm gone if they were moving meand, taking care of what I needed
to be, help them be successful,then that's what I would do.
Yeah.
I came back to Michigan in2010 to help an ailing parent.
And that was probably the bestmove I've ever made because, I
(05:03):
got to spend my mom with my mom,her last four months of her life.
And, opened up opportunities forme to explore what was going to
be the next thing for Lonnie.
And that was the pie baking business.
And I got up to 85 pies in threedifferent farmer's markets.
And after the summers were over, Ineeded to figure out what the heck
(05:27):
I was going to do in the wintertime.
And I got Recruited by a gal Diana fromthe World Cafe in Bay City, and That
started me back workingin the kitchen full time.
and from there I got recruited by theseguys, Jason and Joel Curran, who own
a local bar restaurant here, and I
(05:48):
came working in their restaurantand, four restaurants later.
I own my own.
I'm very lucky and I'm blessed tohave been around a lot of great
people that wanted me to be.
Cliff Duvernois (06:03):
So let's take a, I want to take a couple steps back here and
explore some things because you made acomment before about how she got you back.
Kitchen.
Kitchen.
So before you decided to reinventyourself, was that part of that
kitchen experience too cooking
Lonnie Paser (06:18):
probably since I was 14 years old and my summer jobs
were working for other people and itwas what I did through high school.
And then when I was in themilitary, I worked in one of the PX,
short order type cook
thing.
Um, when I was in retail in SantaMonica, my goal, my, what I thought
(06:42):
was my goal was to own a food truckand I wanted to make pies and sell good
coffee at two o'clock in the morning.
And that didn't happen.
So the transition tomove back to Michigan.
And reinvent myself, retail had taken adrastic change in 2010 with the recession
(07:04):
a 2008 to 2010 and I came back and.
Retail was not on my radar anymore.
I needed to come up with something else.
And baking pies out of my mom's church,85 pies I got up to, and probably 12
to 14 cases of my pepper jam that Iwould sell at the farmer's markets.
(07:27):
That's how I made a living.
And winters are tough here.
If you don't do well in the summertime,then you can't support yourself.
I was really lucky towork for some nice people.
Cliff Duvernois (07:37):
Now, the, so the question I got for you is because you
were talking before, you bounced aroundquite a bit, not only between the
states, but across the pond, you seemto have this personality that you could
just thrive no matter where you went.
What was it about Michiganthat you said, you know what,
I'm going to hang my hat here?
Lonnie Paser (07:55):
it still is never a permanent thing for me in my head.
The reason I stay isbecause it's beautiful.
People are
friendly and kind and theywant you to be successful.
I didn't think I'd end up back inMichigan, to be honest with you.
I never.
(08:15):
I was really happy out on the West coast.
it's the weather and everythingthat goes along with it.
Cliff Duvernois (08:21):
You can't beat that California
Lonnie Paser (08:23):
Oh, it's perfect.
And Southern California was really,was wonderful, but I didn't ever think
that I was going to be doing whatI'm doing out there, so I don't know
where the turn would have been if,if my mother's health wasn't failing.
it was the best choice.
Cliff Duvernois (08:38):
Now that you, you had the job working in Bay city and at some
point in time, you went out, startedsearching for found a place where
you could have your own restaurant.
My question to you is whywould any sane person want to
open up their own restaurant?
Lonnie Paser (08:57):
When I first opened up Artisan, I did have a business partner.
He chose to leave during COVID andI'm not a failure kind of person.
I'm not, that isn'tpart of my whole being.
It's you just keep on goingand you keep on striving for.
(09:19):
What's going to make peoplehappy and keep them coming back?
I also have an outstanding staff thatcare about what I'm trying to do and
understand what the mission is here,which is supporting their livelihoods
and trying to make something morethan just a, just a, restaurant.
(09:41):
I don't know how to explain it.
I'm going to survive no matterwhat, but I need to make sure
that my community knows that.
We're going to be there tostand by them and support them
any way that we can possible.
Cliff Duvernois (09:55):
And that's beautiful.
We're going to unpack a, uh,little bit more about that.
What I would like to do beforethen is when you decided to get a
restaurant and you open this place,a lot of people sit there and
say, Oh, I'd love to open, and I.
Italian restaurant, or I want to, open,you know, an Asian restaurant or, or
whatever it is, but with your bistrohere, it seems like a very eclectic mix.
Lonnie Paser (10:18):
okay.
So I must not forget that thisrestaurant was here a year before me.
A year under a different chef.
The owners of the building, of theGarbner building, Donna and Larson
Cottrell, opened this beautiful restaurantup for a, a different chef that he
(10:39):
lasted a year and worked really hard.
Buddy.
I don't know all the reasons whyhe left, but there was a post out
on Facebook saying that Artisan wasclosed, and I knew the owners and my
business partner at the time, and Iboth said, we got to do something.
We were both working at twodifferent restaurants and both
(11:00):
unhappy with where we were
and knew that maybe it'stime to join forces.
So we did.
A month later, after thisplace was closed, we were open.
It's kind of like turnkey.
We were really lucky.
Beautiful artwork.
The floors were great.
All the equipment was working.
So we really didn't have the investment tohave to put in that new restaurant owners.
(11:27):
Needed because the owners of the buildinghad trust in us and let us take over
from where, the former chef left.
Cliff Duvernois (11:36):
So when you talk about being turnkey, cause like you said
before, you came in here, the tablesare here, the floor is already clean.
You've got all thekitchen equipment there.
You don't have to go through that,lack of a term birthing process to
coordinate getting equipment in here,get it installed, get it inspectors
and doing that whole go rodeo
Lonnie Paser (11:54):
Kind of like a hundred thousand dollars compared to everybody
else what they have to walk in minimum
to Open
up a restaurant, and because we were solucky to have it ready And they needed
the spot filled and they had trust in us.
that's what made it work.
Cliff Duvernois (12:10):
And then from there, you just adopted the menu
that they had and just kept going.
Lonnie Paser (12:13):
No, we changed the menu.
Um, it was, he was trying to, elevate theSaginaw community with a higher end menu.
We also kept a higher end menu,but I didn't try to introduce
things that were too far offfrom delicious home cooked food.
in the sense of we weren't trying tochange what Saginaw wanted to eat.
(12:37):
We just made it a little better.
Cliff Duvernois (12:40):
Kept it more of the, uh, how could I say
this, like the home style food?
Lonnie Paser (12:43):
Yeah, I would say home style, Comfort but really good quality.
ingredients and that we shop localto try to get as best as possible.
Cliff Duvernois (12:53):
For our audience, we're going to take a quick
break and thank our sponsors.
Once again, this is Cliff with TotalMichigan, and I am talking with
Lonnie Paser of the Artisan UrbanBistro located in Saginaw, Michigan.
And we will be back after the break.
Are you enjoying this episode?
Well, I can tell youthere's a lot more to come.
Jump over to TotalMichigan.
com, enter your email address,and get on our mailing list.
(13:16):
You'll get a list of the topfive episodes for the show.
Along with that, you'll getall kinds of behind the scenes
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Just go over to TotalMichigan.
com, enter your email address today.
Hello everyone.
Welcome back to total Michigan, wherewe interview ordinary Michiganders
doing some pretty extraordinary things.
I am your host, Cliff DuVernois.
(13:36):
Today, we're talking to Lonnie.
Pacer of the Artisan Urban Bistrolocated in Saginaw, Michigan.
Lonnie, before the break, we weredoing a discussion where you talked
about, the community and how thecommunity is, is important to you.
So at this point in time, you'vecome here, you've opened up,
(13:56):
you've reopened the bistro, andit's been a turnkey solution and
things are starting to hum for you.
Okay.
Why is that community?
A part of, for lack of a better term,your, your business model, what it
is that you do, why is it important?
Lonnie Paser (14:12):
on March 1st, we started our seventh year for any restaurant to make
a past five years being a small business.
That's not corporate owned wherethey're getting all the supplies
from wherever it's coming from.
I try to shop.
So I use Wreggie's for our seafood.
I use the Bread Gal forour breakfast brunch bread.
(14:35):
I use Hemlock Distributors, Stapleton's,and I use our local Jack's for most of our
Meat products and a lot of our produce.
So trying to support thisbusiness by supporting my
community helps all of us survive.
Because if we can get people to cutback on the commercial restaurants,
(15:01):
even though they employ local people whoneed to survive, and I catch myself at
some of those every now and then too,we could change our habits once or twice
a week to support a small business.
We can save communities withoutus, things start to fail and
we can't have that happening.
Cliff Duvernois (15:21):
cause what you're talking about there is if somebody
came in here and ate a meal,
not only is it they're buying a mealfrom you, but because you're sourcing
the ingredients all locally, you'realso supporting that local farmer.
Lonnie Paser (15:33):
correct?
Your farmers markets coming up real soon.
June, it's gonna be isright around the corner.
We'll have a new menuout in June, which will.
Be filled with a lot of local produceand hopefully some of the livestock
that some of these farmers, willprovide for me, which is great.
Cliff Duvernois (15:55):
And when you were talking before about changing your menu,
I think you said three times a year
Lonnie Paser (16:02):
times a year
October, February, and June.
Cliff Duvernois (16:05):
Oh, interesting.
So this is all part, then it mustbe part of a seasonal type menu.
You're not going to offerstrawberries in the middle of
Lonnie Paser (16:13):
Well, it would cost effective.
It's not worth it.
they're also prettycrappy tasting right now.
So we got to wait until it's, youknow, a seasonal, like I'll give
you an example on our brunch menu.
We do, The ricotta toast.
And right now, I'm doing driedblueberries, dried cranberries, dried
cherries to, go over our sweetenedricotta and drizzled with honey.
(16:36):
In the summertime, it's goingto be fresh strawberries, fresh
blueberries, locally sourced cherriesor peaches that grow in Michigan.
Which, changes it not just for us,but also the consumer that keeps on
coming back and getting a new treat.
So, they think it's new,and we're just updating it.
Cliff Duvernois (16:54):
Now, as far as the recipes go on the menu, is that
something that your chef comes up with?
Lonnie Paser (16:59):
I happen to have Blake Yates as my head chef, and
he's really good at understandingwhat I want to do and can implement
pretty much anything that I want.
But overall, it's my input.
I decide what goes on the menu.
If they I my chef and Sue have an idea.
(17:21):
I'm like, do it.
Try it.
Let's taste it.
Let's put it on the next menu.
So I don't see why not.
as I was chefing here, for the first sixand a half years, while doing many hats.
And in the six and a halfyear, I was able to step away.
So now I'm able to help, more with.
(17:43):
How the menu is going to be designed,how it's going to be put out there,
Because I have a great staff thathelps me with all my many jobs.
but it's always going to be my choice.
Until they start puttingthem, I don't know.
I, you know, I, I don't know how toexplain that, but yeah, the menus from me.
Cliff Duvernois (18:02):
Because I'm looking, I'm thinking back to some of the books
that I've read with regards to likeother chefs out there talking about how
there's this, usually there's this cleardelineation between the owner of the
restaurant and then you have the chef.
That pretty much runs like the back of thehouse, the kitchen and everything else.
It almost sounds like for what you havehere, you having that background in
(18:26):
being a chef allows you to step backand forth, to work with the chefs, to
make sure that the menu that you'recoming up with fits the style of this,
bohemian style restaurant, so to speak.
Lonnie Paser (18:40):
when you come from the restaurant business overall
slash retail business, you havemany hats and you have to be able
to multitask and do many things.
Now that I'm not cooking other thanwhen they need an extra day off
or somebody gets sick or whatever,
I'm able to step back in the kitchenand be able to do the job that they
(19:04):
do, but now I allow my chefs to comeup with some more ideas, and I say,
do it, let's try it, see if it works.
Like our grandma's deviledeggs, they're deep fried,
they're filled, and then they'retopped, and they're delicious,
and I had nothing to do with it.
Or I can say to my head chef Blake,hey, I want a seafood bisque.
(19:28):
This is our ingredients.
This is what we have.
You do it.
And it has been the best seafood bisque.
I've ever had in my life.
Could I have done it just as well?
Sure.
I don't have to.
I can let that stress off of myhead because I know he's doing
something that I would love.
(19:49):
So I'm grateful.
Cliff Duvernois (19:51):
what I would like to do is I'd like to spend a couple
minutes because this is this is theprimary reason that I reached out to
you and said, hey, I would love tohave you on the show Wednesday nights
you have dedicated to helping out.
to helping out local nonprofitsthat are in the area.
Talk to us about that.
Lonnie Paser (20:12):
that.
When we needed to expand our hours,after COVID allowed us to be able to
be open more, we needed to come up withan idea that was going to support us
and not just try to serve three tables.
And I can't run abusiness on three tables.
So, One of my staff members said,Hey, let's do the Grateful Pasta.
You used to do it over at one ofthese other restaurants you worked
(20:33):
at, but I never gave any moneyout in that other restaurant.
now we have serviced three years ofWednesdays where a non profit here in
Saginaw promotes it on their social media.
We promote it on our social media.
We try to get All of their fans,all of our fans in here eating a
(20:54):
couple big bowls of pasta, whichis you pick your pasta, you pick
your sauce, you pick your add ons.
So basically building your own pastaand we offer salads, garlic, nuts,
whatever, is available per season.
And then they get 10 percent of our sales.
And we've helped people like MustardSeed, East Side Soup Kitchen, Maison
(21:15):
Grace Animal Shelter, Saginaw HumaneSociety, Gosh, there's so many that
I can just.
If I could remember at the top of my head,I'd say them all, but the CAN Council,
United Way of Saginaw, it'sjust a blessing to be able, no
matter what you can do, do it.
(21:37):
It doesn't mean it hasto be a lot of money.
It's just being consistentand being a good neighbor.
And it's 10 percent of our sales.
Some nonprofits do better than others.
They have more fans or moreenergy on the internet that gets,
get it, gets it more promoted.
And we're grateful for everysingle one of them that can come
(21:58):
here and then they get a payout.
at the end of the week.
Cliff Duvernois (22:01):
And this has been going on for how long
Lonnie Paser (22:02):
Over three years now?
Cliff Duvernois (22:03):
It's amazing.
Every Wednesday night now for three years.
Lonnie Paser (22:06):
unless it's a holiday or.
That's the only reason, or somebodywants to buy out the restaurant, which
doesn't happen, and we do it fromFebruary through November, and then we
stop in December and January becausea lot of corporate holiday parties.
Cliff Duvernois (22:21):
Now, when you're doing this, has there any been,
has there anyone ever come back toyou and said, what this has done is
Lonnie Paser (22:29):
Oh, yeah.
Every week, I get a thank you.
Cliff Duvernois (22:33):
Tell us about one of those.
Lonnie Paser (22:34):
you know, it's, if it's not for the non profits, it's bringing
back the memories of when their,their mother or grandmother used to
make homemade meatballs, or, oh mygosh, that's the best Chicago style,
it's spicy Italian sausage that I'veever had, or, it's the, you those.
little things that you do, and that'swhy we come back on Wednesdays.
(22:57):
It's the, I'm grateful for everythingthat anybody can do, just to step up
and not think about just themselves.
Thinking of the bigger picture
just warms my heart to be able toknow that we can still do this.
I don't know how long we'll be ableto do this, but right now we're in
our seventh year, and three of it.
(23:18):
Supporting nonprofits here in Saginaw.
What would make a big difference isif I can get my community sister towns
to be able to do this too, because Ihave nonprofits calling from Midland,
from Bay city, from, from Flint, seeingif they can get in for a grateful
pasta and I have to apologize and sayno, because I think it's everybody's
(23:42):
responsibility to do their little part.
Cliff Duvernois (23:44):
And then plus there's so many organizations here in Saginaw.
Lonnie Paser (23:47):
Oh yeah, I mean, I haven't even touched base.
I mean, we have a whole slewof church based organizations.
I wish I could, I wish I could helpbut I don't see why we can't do, uh,
maybe get three churches togetherto try to do some Grateful Pasta.
I mean, heck, if somebody wantsto reach out and do something on a
Sunday afternoon, we just have to do
(24:08):
it.
So everything's possible.
Cliff Duvernois (24:11):
Lonnie, if somebody is listening to this episode
and they want to come and checkout the Artisan Urban Bistro, maybe
come here on one of their GratefulPasta nights on a Wednesday how
can people connect you with you?
Where can they find you?
Lonnie Paser (24:23):
Well, I'd say the best bet is Look us up on Facebook is probably
the best way for us, because that'swhere I do most of our promoting.
WSGW, uh, News Radio also does buybackcoupons for us a couple times a year.
So keep your eye out for that.
Our address is 417 Hancock Street.
(24:46):
That's just one block north of CourtStreet, in between Michigan and Hamilton.
phone number is 989 401 6019
Our hours are Wednesdayand Thursday, 5 to 8 p.
m.,
Friday and Saturday, 5 to 9 p.
m.,
and we have an outstanding brunchfrom 10 to 2 on Saturday and Sunday.
(25:09):
I do recommend reservations.
I have 10 tables.
I'm also connected to Oracle Brewing,which allows us to serve people over
there when they don't have anything funfunctions going on, they allow us to
have the best neighbors in the world.
I really believe that our little.
area here in Old Town with Fraglia's,Old World Pizza, Basong's, The
(25:32):
Bread Gal, are just trying to dosomething to bring people back to the
Old Town area because it's a greatplace to eat and have a good time.
Cliff Duvernois (25:41):
That it is.
Lonnie, thank you so much fortaking time to chat with us today.
Really do appreciate it.
And for audience, you can alwaysroll on over TotalMichigan.
com and click on Lonnie's interviewand get the links and the information
that she just shared with us.
We'll see you next time.
When we talk to another Michiganderdoing some pretty extraordinary things.
We'll see you then.
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