The Salt & Sugar Co. Has a Newly Opened Restaurant in Clawson, a Food Truck and Catering Services

24

SEPTEMBER 2018

BY REBECCA CALAPPI

LBN Community Series
Clawson

For Alisha and Jesse Nemeth, the Salt & Sugar Co. is a way to balance careers, faith and family.

“Our goals are to have a healthy family life and people don’t always get that,” said Alisha Nemeth, 36. “The goal for us is to prioritize our personal lifestyle and the business is there to support that. It’s about our family and our faith. This is a totally family-friendly environment. That’s what we’re trying to bring in for our customers.”

Before the Salt & Sugar Co. came to be, the Nemeths had a catering and private chef business in addition to Jesse, now 34, working as executive chef at Morton’s in Troy. But after putting in 80 hours a week, starting a family and having a side business, the couple wanted a better quality of life.

JESSE AND ALISHA NEMETH

OWNERS OF THE SALT & SUGAR CO.

They started the Salt & Sugar Co. out of a shared commissary kitchen in Southfield.

“You don’t have a lot of start-up costs because you pay by the hour,” said Alisha Nemeth. “We were there not even a year, because we were doing farmers markets and the market manager there really supported our mission, she invited us to use the city kitchen. We were there barely a year. It really gave us the start we needed.”

Now, the Salt & Sugar Co. has a newly opened restaurant with patio in Clawson in addition to a food truck and catering services.

“We wanted to be in a space that was ours and not relocate every year,” said Alisha Nemeth.

Finding the building they just opened as a restaurant was a total accident. Alisha Nemeth happened upon it, and luckily, it’s just a mile and a half from their Troy home. They love the quaintness of downtown Clawson, so the new location is a perfect fit.

After giving the building a total facelift, including painting the exterior cement wall, the Salt & Sugar Co. opened this summer.

“Not only was the food amazing, but also the pre-planning was a breeze. Everybody I talked to was amazed. They were wide-eyed, ‘Oh my goodness was that good.’”

“We’re an organic, natural food business. Our main priority is organic food. Unlike most restaurants, nearly 75 percent of our food is organic,” said Alisha Nemeth. “We don’t compromise. It’s always something we’d feed our family. If it’s not something we can make that way, we won’t make it.”

Douglas Shaible of Grosse Pointe Woods is a client of the Salt & Sugar Co. Alisha Nemeth is an acquaintance of his, and after hearing she and her husband started a business, he gave her a call when he needed a funeral catered.

“Instead of inviting everybody to a lunch in a restaurant, we just had the food brought to the location. They brought the food in prepped and ready to go,” said Shaible. “We had shrimp, asparagus wraps, roast beef and barbecue-sauced meatballs. There were a couple other plates such as cheese and fruit and crostini that they also supplied.”

Shaible and the 225 funeral guests were blown away by the food.

“It was tremendous,” said Shaible. “Not only was the food amazing, but also the pre-planning was a breeze. Everybody I talked to was amazed. They were wide-eyed, ‘Oh my goodness was that good.’”

The restaurant features a cozy eating area with order-at-the-counter casualness. “The menu took shape because we’d go to farmers markets and be hungry, we tried to create a menu for people who want coffee, lunch and a dessert,” said Alisha Nemeth.

Jesse Nemeth is famous for his salad dressings, so the salad options are a popular item on the menu. The orzo, chickpea, marinated artichoke, tomato and feta salad tossed with the lemon basil dressing is a staple. The pulled pork has been on the menu since day one. The spinach and artichoke chicken nacho have a huge fan base, while the double chocolate cold brew coffee retains its best-seller spot.

“That’s the thing with this storefront. We can offer all our favorites,” said Alisha Nemeth. “We’re trying to attract moms who want to eat this way and go out for lunch.”

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Popping by the Salt & Sugar Co. for a drink is also rewarding. From locally roasted coffee and teas to organic soda, the Nemeths take great pride in what they offer customers.

“We want to make sure we have the best drink menu. All of the stuff on our menu except two items are local,” said Alisha Nemeth. “Our coffee is Mason Jar Coffee Co. and Thumb Roast Coffee. They made us our own house blend. All of them are clean organic, but not certified. Even our shirts are printed by a local Clawson company. We’re trying to use local as much as we can because we know how difficult it is to have a small local business.”