Chef Luciano DelSignore
Owner of Bacco, Bigalora and Casa Pernoi
If you’re a native Detroiter, you already know about Chef Luciano DelSignore. With successful restaurants such as Bacco and Bigalora under his belt, his next natural step was to open Pernoi, a fine-dining establishment in Birmingham. This white-tablecloth gormandize, along with its strict dress code, was intended to bring gourmet dining to a whole new level.
Though it opened to rave reviews and made a strong impression on the restaurant industry, Pernoi was forced to evolve once COVID-19 hit. To survive, DelSignore made a quick decision to provide carry-out with more comfort-type foods. His once super-fine dining pivoted into a pop-up trattoria with homemade pastas, flat breads and chicken parmesan. Now rebranded as Casa Pernoi, diners can eat inside or out and dress however they like. Carry-out is still offered — and in that case, you can just wear pajamas.
Visit Casa Pernoi at 310 E. Maple Road, casapernoi.com or give them a call at 248-940-0000.
Chef Garrison Price
Executive Chef at Madam
If you haven’t already seen him at the Daxton Hotel, meet Chef Garrison Price, the new executive chef at Madam. I had the privilege of interviewing Chef Price on his seventh day of opening. I was very interested in getting to know the new guy in town. What I didn’t know is that he is a Midwest native who spent his summers in Michigan and became interested in cooking early on in his childhood. As he noted, he had to peel a lot of potatoes to get where he is now. Meaning, repetition is the key to expertise.
With 20 years of culinary experience and having helmed the kitchens of some of the country’s leading restaurants, Chef Price has created a California cuisine philosophy for Madam’s menu, which he changes up six times a year. His favorite dish? Forbidden rice, a spicy concoction of pork sausage, wild shrimp, leeks, egg yolk and chives.
Visit Madam at 298 S. Old Woodward Ave. or give them a call at 248-283-4200.