Chef Michael Armstrong has spent 39 years making sure his clients enjoy their parties, but twice a year, he turns the tables and is the host with the most.
At his winter dinner party, held recently at St. Michael’s Centre on Navarre Avenue, it was obvious that the chef follows his own advice when he tells customers to relax and enjoy their guests. In other words, leave the cooking and worries to him and his staff and just have a good time.
Of course the veteran chef, at the helm of Michael’s Café and Bakery on Main Street in East Toledo, did his share of cooking, baking, and planning for the elaborate dinner party. But he also had a good time mingling with the 225 guests who had braved the bitter January night for the appetizer through dessert menu tasting.
The evening was a thank you to his 2018 customers as well as to clients planning special events in 2019. For those with a party behind them, like David and Rose Shenofsky, the abundance of food was part of a night out to remember their 50th wedding anniversary party held two weeks ago at Tremainsville Hall.
For Laraine Bunck and Alan Lehenbauer, who are planning a May 4 wedding at Whitehouse Stables, it was a chance to taste and select foods that will be appropriate for their big day before making final plans with Sue Wistinghausen, catering manager.
The two long hot-food buffets showcased various dishes to give couples like Ms. Bunck and Mr. Lehenbauer an extensive sampling.
Chef Michael gave guests a break from filling plates high with an assortment of appetizers and enjoying served salads while he introduced his staff and explained the culinary mission to which he has adhered since he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1976.
He is a scratch cook and baker, or as his handouts state, “Truly homemade foods. Preservatives are never used.” The salad dressings, sauces, myriad breads and rolls, and glorious cakes are prepared the old-fashioned way as they were before convenience products flooded the institutional market.
Chef Michael takes great pride in that as do each of the men and women who prepare food for catering jobs and for Michael’s café that shares space with the catering kitchen and bakery.
“Since 1980, we have made every item with flour, butter, sugar, sour cream, and all that good stuff,” he told the guests.
Chef Kyle Timofeev, executive chef, who is also a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, praised “the boss” for never bending from the scratch, home-cooking style that requires time and patience. As an example, he said, the staff followed 65 recipes preparing foods for the evening and that the bordelaise sauce ladled over roast sirloin was a 20-hour production.
All but one of the staff members who were introduced have been with the company 11 — or more — years. The youngest is Lily Armstrong, Chef Michael’s 16-year-old granddaughter. “Aren’t I lucky?” the chef asked as he stood next to Lily, who was serving in the buffet line. Michael and his wife, Laura, have four grandchildren.
Ordinarily, local charities including the soup kitchen at St. Louis Church are benefactors of leftover foods from catered events. “We don’t throw any food out,” he says. But, this time the charities didn’t score: Michael’s staff packed to-go boxes for guests to fill with leftovers.
Chef Michael and Ms. Wistinghausen have tips for those of us who have difficulty planning a menu.
“Plan the menu around what you like,” the chef says. “It doesn’t matter if your aunt or grandmother never liked a certain dish; if it’s a favorite of yours, serve it. The most important person to have a good time at your party is you.”
Even though several chicken and beef dishes were included, he says the menu doesn’t have to be built on either one. “If dumplings or noodles are a favorite, just tell us.” The staff, he stresses, is willing to customize menus. And menus are not written in stone.
As an example, he recalled a client who not only requested Greek moussaka but wanted it without meat for vegetarian guests. It required homework, but the Mediterranean dish made a hit at the party, Chef Michael said.
The chef admits to a lifetime passion for baking, but his yen to become a chef didn’t begin with cookies. He was 6 years old when he made bacon and eggs, his first cooking venture.
“I couldn’t see over the stove so my dad built a stool for me to stand on,” he recalls about his father, the late Bob Armstrong.
He says he uses the recipes of his late mother, Jerry Armstrong, in his catering business, including the pastry and custard in Michael’s famous éclairs.
After graduating from the culinary institute, Michael was a chef in the East before returning to Toledo.
When asked about retirement plans, Chef Michael says, “Why should I? I love to cook and bake so I see no reason to quit doing them.”
It’s not surprising to learn that he and his wife prefer home cooking. “I cook for the business and I cook at home. There is too much processed food out there.”
The café and bakery, at 101 Main Street, are open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The café menu lists salads, soups, and hot and cold sandwiches. Cakes Michael’s is known for include carrot, chocolate decadence, heavenly white, banana walnut, and Italian cream.
Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor. Contact her at poseypowell@aol.com.
First Published January 26, 2019, 2:55 p.m.
