When SOPHY® Hyde Park opened in 2018, it welcomed residents and visitors alike as a 98-room, boutique destination that quietly invited the exploration of music, literature, science, and art across its richly appointed interior spaces. Both muse and respectful ode as a song that continues to be written, SOPHY Hyde Park celebrates and embraces the creativity, the innovation, the inspiration,…
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The Aquifer
To the Scots, whisky, “uisge beatha” or “usquebaugh,” means “water of life.” Derived from Scottish Gaelic, the word—and spirit—has since traveled the world, taking on new flavor profiles, processes, names, and styles, pairing heritage, history, and cultures. In the United States, where whiskey has become the distinctly American product known as Bourbon and thrives as a tradition of sour-mash, whiskey…
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Detroit Ni Nyumbani
For the 2024 Outstanding Restaurateur nominees, Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare in Detroit, Michigan is more than just a restaurant. Founded by the husband-and-wife team, who are refugees from Burundi, East Africa, Baobab Fare is a celebration of vibrant flavors and simple ingredients, authentic dishes and rich culture, and a destination in which community, connection, and conversation intersect…
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A Bar of Their Own
Sports fans often recognize the powerful potential of a great moment. It is at times in a play, a strategy, or a gravity-defying move so memorable and so riveting that it is fixed in time as an iconic moment in athletics history. From the rush of adrenaline, and the recognition of resilience as a player or team weathers injuries and…
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Raquel Guzman Geara, AIA
Associate Architect, Interior Architect SmithGroup | Chicago, Illinois The pursuit of happiness has become a familiar phrase for many. Yet, its philosophical roots took hold long before it became embedded into documents and local vernacular. For Raquel Guzman Geara, AIA, that pursuit in terms of architecture can help facilitate and enhance the human experience. When rooted in key principles…
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Mezkla
Tucked into the brick façade of downtown Holland, Michigan’s W. 8th Street, where Late Victorian architecture meets contemporary, mixed-use development inspired by the style, Mezkla Taqueria & Fruteria is bringing a fresh, bold flavor to the vernacular palate. While modest in footprint, the brick-and-mortar storefront is just one chapter of a much larger story for Founder and Owner Patricia Vasquez,…
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Ben Franceschi, AIA
Principal Mathison | Mathison Architects | Grand Rapids, Michigan To Ben Franceschi, AIA, architecture is a fundamental tool for making decisions that can impact the lives of those who inhabit designed spaces. It is in the details, the poetic moments, and appreciation of site that can lead to thoughtful solutions that inspire—and it is the social architectural element, or…
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Daisies: from seed to radical taproot
For Joe Frillman, executive chef and owner of Daisies in Chicago, Illinois, food is a deeply personal act that often evokes memory and nostalgia—for better or for worse. It is an experience that invites diners to participate in a journey that can delight the palate, tie generations, and expand horizons, and it is also one that seeks a certain level…
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Shannon Easter White, AIA, NCARB
Founding Principal, Owner FUNchitecture LLC | Flint, Michigan While considered simple in her own words, Shannon Easter White, owner and founding principal of FUNchitecture LLC of Flint, Michigan, is driven by an architectural philosophy that embraces an authenticity, a permanence, and an element of joy in both the process and the end result. Defined by a commitment to fun,…
