This week on One Detroit: 

The history of corned beef egg rolls, an iconic dish originating in Detroit 

Detroit journalist and Metro Times restaurant critic Tom Perkins knows Detroit-style egg rolls. As Perkins has reported, the root of it all was corned beef, made popular in Detroit a century ago. 

“There’s a big Jewish population in Detroit,” Perkins said. “They opened all these corned beef shops and then the Jewish folks left town, African American folks moved into the neighborhoods, enjoyed corned beef so some of the restaurants that were there that have been around for 60 years stayed in business.” 

In the late 1970s, a woman from Vietnam, Kim White, started putting corned beef into egg roll wrappers and fried them up. She called them Asian corned beef egg rolls and now has several stores around the city. She’s generally credited with inventing the dish. 

More recently, other corned beef egg rolls have popped up around metro Detroit. An Allen Park restaurant, Sista Roles Street Eats sells extra-large egg rolls full of different fillings served on a stick like a corndog, with varieties that include chicken broccoli alfredo, chicken and beef shawarma, chicken fajita, lamb, stuffed salmon and veggie hibachi. Food aficionados nationwide are taking note.

One Detroit Senior Producer Bill Kubota explores the history of the dish that has evolved into a deep-fried multicultural array of different food presentations across the Motor City – a story that’s Truly Detroit.

Keep Growing Detroit pursues food sovereignty with a focus on access to fresh produce 

Keep Growing Detroit is an organization that strives to cultivate food sovereignty for Detroit residents with a focus on providing access to locally grown fruits and vegetables from Detroit. In 2023, the organization hosted 128 volunteer events with 1,785 volunteers. It also hosted 80 classes and helped 44 new growers sell their goods at Eastern Market.

The organization’s partnerships with other food-based initiatives and programs have helped support better diets for more than 26,000 Detroiters by providing access to fresh produce, according to its website.

One Detroit’s Will Glover spoke with Keep Growing Detroit’s Engagement Manager Danielle Daguio who has been with the organization since 2012. She shares how her relationship with food and heritage deepened by learning more about growing her own food and expanding her role within the organization.

Working with other organizations to create opportunities for Black farmers, Daguio also talks about how Keep Growing Detroit supports farmers who are navigating how to acquire land and grow food in a sometimes challenging urban farming ecosystem. One Detroit’s Chris Jordan helped produce this story.

Downtown Boxing Gym’s culinary curriculum teaches children cooking skills and nutrition

Every day after school, hundreds of kids head to Downtown Boxing Gym on Detroit’s east side to shoot some hoops, get help with their homework or hit the boxing ring. They’re also having fun in the organization’s new commercial kitchen making nutritious meals with a well-known Detroit chef.   

Molly Mitchell, the former owner of Detroit diner Rose’s Fine Food, became Downtown Boxing Gym’s associate director of culinary arts in January. Mitchell’s role includes preparing fresh meals and snacks for students each night, totaling more than 1,000 meals per week. She’s also developing a culinary arts curriculum by teaching basic cooking skills and healthy meals that kids can make at home. The nonprofit offers free academic and athletic programs, electives and mentorship to youth ages 8-18, with continuing mentorship and support through 25. 

“My goal is to build out a program that is not only really informative, that if someone wanted to go get a job in a restaurant, they could after taking this program,” Mitchell said. “But really, I’m just trying to cement an excitement for food that can be a lifelong passion, whether you’re working in a restaurant or you just like learning how to cook amazing meals for yourself and your loved ones.”  

BridgeDetroit’s Micah Walker and One Detroit’s Chris Jordan stopped by the Downtown Boxing Gym to watch Mitchell teach students some new skills in the kitchen. Plus, Walker talked with Mitchell and Downtown Boxing Gym founder and CEO Khali Sweeney about the program and how it fits into the gym’s larger mission. 

Things to do around Detroit this weekend: November 28, 2024

The holidays are in full swing in and around Detroit this weekend with Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo, Detroit Public Theatre’s 2nd annual Holiday Cabaret and a Christmas Bakery Bus Tour hosted by Distinctively Detroit. Plus, Candlelight Concerts hosts a tribute to the pop artist Beyonce, Blippi brings his Join the Band Tour to the Fisher Theatre and the rink at Campus Martius has opened for the season. See what else is coming up around the region on “One Detroit Weekend.”