Rick Muschiana of Grand Rapids, MI has been looking for his home in the food and beverage industry for some time. It took him to places like Brewery Vivant where he helped lead sales and marketing, and then to Virtue Cider where he helped the cider company dig deeper into its home state of Michigan. But all the while, something that had inspired him long ago kept bouncing around in his brain: "I'd read the New Nordic Manifesto, and it really struck a chord with me. They way they talked about food, sourcing it, cooking it, and serving it. It became the way that I thought about, created, and consumed food and drink."
Now Rick is taking the bold step of creating his own concept, Søvengård, in that tradition. He aims to create a cozy cafe in an up-and-coming area of the city, and complete the picture with an outdoor beer garden under all those trees in the back. It'll be a format unlike anything in the city, but for anyone who's travelled in the smaller cities of Europe, it'll feel familiar. And with his beer and cider experience in Michigan, I can't wait to see how he rounds out the list.
Søvengård launched and Indiegogo, and there's a lot more to see from Rick and his team there.