Mel and Fell cooks, caters and delivers

By Ross Boissoneau

Sun contributor

For Melanie and Tim Griffith, the past few years have seen growth in their catering and meal prep/delivery service Mel and Fell. The COVID-19 pandemic helped spur the food delivery side even as it devastated their event catering business. But just as they were hitting their stride, Tim suffered an injury, which they are now recovering from.

“I banged my head and got a brain bleed,” he says. The injury, compounded with the stress of working hard, took a toll on him and thus on their business. “I was out of commission for a while. I was working too hard,” he says. “I’ve had to learn how to say no – that’s an okay answer.”

As a result, they cut back on some of their larger events to concentrate on their meal preparation business. And as their business continues to grow, they are working with a renewed appreciation for what they have and what they can bring to the table. “We’re doing good,” says Mel.

The two met when their culinary careers coincided at Beverly Hills Grill in Beverly Hills outside Detroit. The restaurant was named “Restaurant of the Year” by the Detroit Free Press in 2007. Melanie ran the front of the house while Tim was in the kitchen. The twosome – Mel and the Big Fella – ran the operations until they decamped for the north country in 2010. They both found jobs in the restaurant industry at places like Trattoria Stella, Amical and Stormcloud, though Mel also worked in the fields as befits a certified Master Gardener.

Mel and Fell debuted in 2018 at the Empire Asparagus Festival. Empire became their home base as they took on upgrades to Mel’s grandparents’ cabin. That same year, they started to do some small catering gigs as well as the Northport Uncaged Festival and the Empire Hops Festival.

The pandemic struck just as they were getting underway. While it meant the end of any large catering jobs, the closure of restaurants and concerns many had about even going to the grocery store spurred the food prep and delivery side of Mel and Fell. “We started the business just before,” says Tim.

Rather than bemoan the inability to eat out, clients ordered meals and the meal prep business began to build. “During the pandemic, we had a lot of seniors,” says Mel. “They’re still a large percentage” of their business, though they are reaching out to younger people as well. For example, she says, people order meals for friends with a new baby.

They also target vacationers in the area. “We see an uptick in the summer,” says Mel. That includes one of their newest endeavors, preparing a series of Sunday brunches at Glen Arbor Wines, which they say is a great way to showcase their culinary prowess. “We can get ourselves in front of people,” says Mel. “When we do, they ask, ‘What restaurant are you with?’”

Tim and Mel say that’s one of the best ways to generate more business. “Lots of good word of mouth,” agrees Tim. Plus, if a client refers a new client to them, they get a free meal. Upcoming dates for the brunch are July 23, Aug. 6 and 27, and Sept. 3.

They post their menu on Fridays. It always includes three entrée choices, a vegetable, salad, soup and a baked good. The meal comes in a foil pan ready to pop in the oven. They say their clients appreciate the quality and ease of the meals.

The duo credit their success to using the best, freshest ingredients and always looking for something new. They are dedicated to using local, seasonal produce from their own garden as well as area farms such as Lost Lake, Lakeview Hills and Lively Farm.

What are their best dishes? “Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my favorites. Bread is fun and a challenge,” says Mel. She also points to Tim’s mastery of Asian cuisine as a favorite among customers. “Tim is really talented with Asian dishes, (like) Vietnamese peanut satay. Risotto is always popular. It’s a dish people aren’t always going to want to tackle.”

For his part, Tim doesn’t hesitate when asked the question. “The best is (Mel’s take) on the Little Debbie oatmeal sandwiches,” he says.

There are more changes in the air. Mel and Fell have been working out of the commercial kitchen at Grow Benzie since they started the business in 2020, but are looking at moving their operation to a new commercial kitchen at Backyard Burdickville, home of The Lively Farm and the Lively Lands music festival.

“We’ll have our own space, do some retail sales, help Jane (the fulltime farmer at the site), use their products,” says Tim. They say they are in the planning stage and still figuring things out.

As they work to do that, they continue to build their food delivery service and do catering for groups of up to 30 people. “We’ve cut back on the size. Our favorite is small dinner parties,” Tim says.