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Brandon Chamberlain heralds a new generation at Blu

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The Chamberlains knew change was in the air. After owning and operating the fine dining restaurant Blu on the shore of Lake Michigan in Glen Arbor for 16 years, Randy and Mari Chamberlain decided the time was right, and last spring they turned the business over to son Brandon. He was ready, though a bit surprised at the timing. “I thought they were going to be here longer,” Brandon says. A 20-year veteran of the restaurant industry, he had worked his way up from busing tables at age 16 to now taking over the flagship restaurant Randy and Mari had made into a local institution.

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Glen Lake Restaurant Week celebrates 10 years: founders Randy and Mari Chamberlain announce retirement from Blu

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Glen Lake Restaurant Week, which runs April 26-May 4 and offers diverse culinary options and special prices at restaurants throughout the Glen Arbor region, started with a simple idea proposed by Blu owners Randy and Mari Chamberlain more than a decade ago: why not hold an event in the spring that brings more commerce to the region during the off-season? “I raised my hand, suggested a restaurant week for Glen Arbor, and they nominated me as chairman,” said Randy. “It’s been a nice springboard for us every year. Now we’re nearly fully staffed from Restaurant week through October. It’s been fun to watch the success.” The Chamberlains recently announced their retirement from Blu, effective April 1, with son Brandon taking over as the new owner. Chef Todd M Thompson will manage the kitchen. Thompson and Randy have worked together since the 1990s. Blu reopened for the season on April 12.

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Blu’s Little Free Library

Check out the Little Free Library that Blu owner and chef Randy Chamberlain installed in front of his restaurant at the end of Lake Street in Glen Arbor early this summer, as a way to share his abundance of worldly cookbooks and travel books with other readers. Be careful. Open a page, and you might be tempted into Blu for a delicious meal.

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