Reflections Magazine Issue #83 - Fall 2015 | Page 17

Feature Article

Rewriting the Menu
Jackie Corser Helps Open Farm-to-Table Restaurant in Monroe

A

fter owning two Big Boy restaurants in the Monroe,
Mich., area for many years, Jackie Corser ’14 and her husband,
Fred, decided it was time to “rewrite the menu” of their business.
“We knew two years before (making a change) that we were
going to change the concept into a more personalized ownership
without a franchise,” Corser said.
Before that change happened, however, she went back to
school. She completed her associate’s degree from the culinary
program at Monroe County Community College, then went on to
earn a bachelor’s degree from Siena Heights University’s MCCC
campus. The Corsers sold one Big Boy franchise, remodeled the
other, and partnered with George and Maria Darany to open the
Public House Food & Drink in downtown Monroe. The revamped
Big Boy is now a farm-to-table restaurant and bar that serves
locally grown and sourced food.
“The concept was well-accepted by our community, as well
as the outside community,” said Corser, who serves as chef as well
as co-owner of Public House. “It was something in our hearts that
we wanted to do, and so we were going to try it. … Because of all
our experiences, we have the ability and all the restaurant experience to do something cool and creative. That’s how Public House
was conceived.”
Borrowing from the British concept of a “public house” where
people gather and socialize, the restaurant that opened in July
2014 features made-from-scratch dishes that have “a Southern
flair” with an American comfort food focus, Corser said.
The farm-to-table approach reflects Corser’s focus on the environment, which she said is very important to her.
“I’m really in touch with the earth,” she said. “I think it’s really
important we keep it safe. We try to buy local and try to keep
everything in the community as much as we can.”
However, melding that philosophy with a business concept
presents some potential concerns.
“One of the challenges you are up against is finding the right
purveyors to supply food that you know is local,” Corser said.
“We have to know that it gets passed on as we eat it.”
Corser said she used her culinary education to help shape the
menu. However, she said the operation of the restaurant is a “team
effort.” She said each co-owner can step in and help in almost any
area of the restaurant when needed. That cross-training approach
is ingrained in their employees as well.

“If you know how to do everything, you can jump in,” she said.
Community involvement is another ingredient to the restaurant’s
success. Being able to seat up to 100 or so people, Public House
hosts many community events and groups, including the popular
Thursday night jazz series.
“We try to draw to community,” Corser said. “That’s been real
good for us. … Being involved in groups helps gene