FERNDALE –
A touch of class is coming to fabulous downtown Ferndale June 14 when Chef Stef (Stephanie Y. Penn) offers a sneak peek of her Asiatic Acoustics Jazz Rhythm & Blues Supper Club that opens July 5 at Affirmations.
The goal of the weekly, Saturday night event, Chef Stef said, is to bring unity to the community through good food and quality entertainment. "Food can be a real icebreaker and help forge relationships."
The menu will consist of a three-course gourmet tapas (small plates) dinner that Chef Stef will design to compliment that week's entertainment. The meals, prepared fresh and on site, will reflect the chef's experiences living abroad and throughout the United States, first as an Army brat, and later as a Marine. "I got to see people (of all ethnicities) bring their own original ingredients to their cooking," she said. "And being of color, I believe it's important when you're cooking to respect other (cultures') food. So (the menu) is a fusion – trying to combine my (flair) with their original ingredients."
The supper club crosses all backgrounds, ages and sexual orientations, Chef Stef believes. "We're looking to open up not just a service or product, but a community wrapped around this concept."
That's why Chef Stef, who holds a master's degree from Western Michigan University, has spent considerable time introducing herself to straight-owned businesses in the area. Not only will heterosexuals be welcome as guests, four different businesses will be invited each week to exhibit their services at the supper club's small boutique. "Unity takes away ignorance, racism and bigotry," she said. "Money doesn't come in sexual orientations."
Collaborator Sky Covington of Sky Productions will manage hospitality and the decor. The local chanteuse will also provide some of the entertainment. "It's not locked down to just food and music," Chef Stef said. Instead, guests will be treated to local musicians and jazz artists the first Saturday of the month, while subsequent weeks will feature performance art (comedy, poetry, dance or theater), visual art and wellness (fashion, grooming, hair and cosmetics). Plus, a house band will play each week.
Ticket prices will vary ($20-$45 per person), depending on the entertainment and menu. A small number of discount tickets will also be available for young people and those with limited incomes. Alcoholic beverages will not be available.
Seating is limited to 60; reservations are recommended. Guests are welcome to come dressed in casual attire. Hours are 8 p.m. to midnight every Saturday beginning July 5.
"I really appreciate Affirmations for renting me space," Chef Stef concluded. "I'm from the southwest side of the state, and they really don't know me. It's a risk for everybody involved. But this building symbolizes what the rest of society does, but without the ignorance – it pulls everybody together collectively."
'2008 Little Taste of Summer'
A preview of the Asiatic Acoustics Jazz Rhythm & Blues Supper Club, 8-10 p.m. June 14 at Affirmations, 290 West Nine Mile Road, Ferndale. Tickets: $20. For tickets, call 248-398-7105.
