Maxcel Hardy (website photo)
Maxcel Hardy (website photo)
Talk about ambitious: Maxcel Hardy of Detroit, who spent five years as former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire’s personal chef, plans to open three restaurants in Detroit in the next year.
After two decades in New York and Miami, the Detroit native comes home, Mark Kurlyandchik of the Detroit Free Press reports.
“One of the reasons for me to move back home is to show that black chefs are here,” says Hardy, 33.
“There are black chefs out there that are just as good as any other chefs, but we get fewer opportunities,” he continued. “What I wanna do in the city is open the doors to these chefs that didn’t have the opportunities I did.”
The first of three restaurants, a small Caribbean-Soul spot called River Bistro at 18456 Grand River in the Rosedale Park area is slated for an Aug. 1 debut. That comes just a few weeks before the publication of his latest cookbook, a collaboration with Bob Marley's son Rohan on coffee-based cuisine.
Coop, his Caribbean-Asian rotisserie chicken restaurant in a shipping container food hall in the Cass Corridor, was supposed to come first, but there have been delays in the project.. The chef's flagship restaurant, Honey, full-service and African-inspired, is slated to open next year in The District, in the new arena area.
Besides working for NBA star Stoudemire, his clients have included award winning hip hop and R&B artists, actors, professional athletes and dignitaries like the Prince of Dubai and Prime Minister of Turks and Caicos.
In 2014, he co-authored a cookbook with Stoudemire "Cooking with Amar’e – 100 Easy Recipes for Pros and Rookies in the Kitchen."