Chuck Hughes, the Cooking Channel chef's who's show aired a Detroit episode Thursday night, thinks Detroit has "a spirit of not just rejuvenation, but something completely new in music, art, food...."
Hughes spoke with Eater Detroit about his experience filming an episode of "Chuch Eats The Streets" in the Motor City.
Hughes, who is Canadian, says "Detroit played a big part in my childhood," because his father played for the Detroit Tigers farm team.
I went to Detroit the week they declared bankruptcy. It was one of the most real and eye-opening experiences I've had in a long time. The visuals of a city like that stay with you, and the whole adventure was life changing. I was only there for a week but the people I met …that's the reality of food, it's that ultimate connector to everybody, because you all need to eat to survive. It was truly a unique experience.
I believe in being honest and giving people an authentic experience. The places I went to in Detroit were more blue collar than anything else. In the auto days it was probably jam packed with guys going in for a sandwich, no compromise for taste or flavor, but very simple. It's the kind of food I like to eat, and the kind of meal I was expecting and wanted to have in Detroit. In a certain environment you're not looking for the next food trend, you're looking for what's been the same for 60 years. There's a lot of new and old, a cross section of what Detroit has to offer, and the show stayed with the theme of working man's food, like diners and delis.
