Dalenberg already looking ahead to next big venture

Justin Dalenberg, a Michelin starred chef-turned-builder, is owner of the Grand River Bakery and Butchery in the Manchester Market.

Several years ago, when Justin Dalenberg lived in Saline, he used to ride his bike to Manchester, and pick up a Gatorade at the old Manchester Market before his ride back. He has since moved to Adrian, but while driving through town on his way to his business in Jackson, he noticed his former stopping place had closed and the building was for sale.

Always thinking one step ahead is a talent that Justin seems to have. He had been thinking about developing a new building to house a bakery and butcher shop to supply his Grand River Brewery ventures, along with his Doll 'n Burger fast food restaurants in Tecumseh and Jackson. He pulled into the parking lot and called the realtor on the sign out front.

"That was a Thursday," he recalls. "I think we closed on the building the following Monday."

Now, he's partnered with several of Michigan’s leading food and beverage experts and Michelin-starred chefs to create a "new" Manchester Market — a culinary destination with multiple retailers under the same roof. Helmed by  Dalenberg and his business partner, Ken Heers, the 17,000-square-foot space is now home to a full-service grocery store, non-profit farmers’ market, butcher shop, bakery, gelateria, and coffee shop. Each retailer brings a passion for their craft, stellar products, and exceptional customer service to the new venture, which celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 16.

“What began as a search to find larger space for our commercial meat processing, bakery and commissary operations grew exponentially after we discovered this hidden gem in Manchester,” he explained. Dalenberg also had stints at Zingerman’s and the J.W. Marriott, part of the Amway Grand PlazaHotel Collection, before launching his own enterprises. "After (village manager) Jeff Wallace asked us to consider adding a full-service grocery store, since Manchester’s had been shuttered for year at that time, the Market idea blossomed from there."

The building includes a 3,500-square-foot meat processing facility and a3,500-square-foot commercial bakery on the property. The space will be used to provide custom beef and pork products as well as a host of baked goods for Dalenberg's restaurant ventures — Grand River Brewery, serving locally sourced food and hand-crafted beer and spirits in Marshall and Jackson, and Doll n’ Burgers fast-casual eateries in Jackson and Tecumseh. They also serve VERITAS seafood and steakhouse in Jackson, which is owned by Dalenberg’s wife, Roberta.

"We’ve been cutting our own beef for years, and our volume has really increased,” Dalenberg said in a press release. “We’ve also been making our own artisan breads, buns, and other baked goods because we can do that better than we can buy. We had outgrown our longtime facility in Jackson, so we began the hunt last year for a new location.“

Finding Manchester's former grocery store, Dalenberg and his team decided to locate their commercial operations here — and the idea just kept on growing. "Our vision is to have the coolest, most unique little market, with the highest-quality food, using the best ingredients.”

Justin formed partnerships with several former co-workers who he knew from Zingerman's and other local restaurants during his days as a chef.

Afrim Ramaxhiku, who worked in Michelin-rated restaurants as a chef, is originally from Kosovo, and leads the team who works directly with Michigan farmers to process whole cattle, pigs and sheep to provide Dalenberg’s restaurants and other retailers and restaurants with fresh, local meats. Sharyl Politi leads the commercial bakery operations, bringing talents honed while she was the director of the baking and pastry program at Washtenaw Community College and head baker at Zingerman’s. She is joined by Hannah Heers, daughter of Ken Heers, who trained at the French Culinary Institute and apprenticed at the Bouchon Bakery in New York. In addition to its retail location in Manchester, the bakery serves Dalenberg’s restaurants as well as other retailers and restaurants with custom desserts, breads, cakes and cookies.

Emmanuel Saintin, who spent 17 years working in several three-starred Michelin restaurants before working as the general manager of Restaurant Eve and Zingerman’s Restaurant, oversees all culinary activities at the Manchester Market, including the butcher shop, prepared meals in the Commissary, and the bakery. He is joined by Karl York, a longtime chef in multiple Ann Arbor restaurants, who serves as chef of the Commissary and oversees all prepared meals, soups, barbecue, and more.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.