He was trying to build his life in New York when a job offer came in August 2015 to move to Detroit. Ryan Eli Salter, a Harlem native was fixed to grow his culinary skills in a place he called home, but put it slightly on hold when he packed up his belongings and came to the Motor City. Rightfully so, an automotive opportunity drew him to town.
Salter was charged with creating a mobile app architecture for several vehicle brands, making it more user friendly for the consumers he and his former employer were marketing towards. Creating things is Ryan’s passion, whether it be in tech or in food.
During his work in the automotive sector, Salter would become reinspired by food again, becoming the head chef for Chene Park amphitheatre, now known as The Aretha.
Salter’s journey in Detroit came with a lot of moving parts. While working at the amphitheatre, he also headed up his catering company, Salt + Ko, to maintain business and his own livelihood. He was engaged on all these fronts while embarking a on new restaurant venture with partners as the co-founder of Breadless in 2019.
Breadless has become a staple in Detroit’s Rivertown community and now during Detroit Tigers games at Comerica Park. “I was burning candles on both ends,” Salter said. “It has been a great journey; it’s been inspiring to see the positive feedback related to the experience.”
Now he’s embarking on a brand new venture, his own restaurant with the namesake of his catering business which he founded in 2018. Salt + Ko restaurant is planned to open in Southfield by early July. For Ryan, he just keeps going.
“When people meet a true New Yorker, honestly we just don’t know how to stop,” Ryan says. “I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. My great grandfather was a sharecropper, my grandfather was one of the top mechanics in New Jersey. We didn’t grow up rich, we deserved better and to deserve better, we had to work for better.”
Salt + Ko will be housed on the ground level of the Radisson Hotel Southfield located on Telegraph Rd. Salter describes the menu as a blend of new American fare with a little gourmet.
“I want to strike a balance between casual and fine dining. We want to have sophisticated touches on our plates. We have elevated styles and that craftmanship that we exemplify in our background. We want to ensure we have a chic, modest and approachable atmosphere.”
The menu is set to have locally-sourced ingredients, some traditional comfort food items as well as a show-stopping and taste-buds-explosion of simmering drunken pig with a pulled pork that is slow roasted with barbeque sauce.
The new 3,200 square-foot restaurant will come with a full bar, live entertainment and brunch affairs.
The new restaurant for Ryan is a continuous combination of him tapping into his creative, culinary and entrepreneurial endeavors.
“The biggest thing is creation. Salt + Ko is a reflection of my vision. I’m much tuned in to the fine details. This is my personal stamp and I want to reflect my style, my creation and the food that I would want to eat if I want to go on a date, if I want to grab a drink.”
It’s been no easy climb for Ryan, but his journey and transition from New York has been seamless amongst the fellowship of other Black culinary chefs in the Detroit market.
“I look at Detroit as one of the cultural epicenters of the world. Detroit has a huge influence on different cultures. That’s something I’ve always been a fan of with this city and with the food itself.”
To that end, Ryan is enthusiastic on the idea his restaurant will be the only place in Detroit to offer lamb sliders along with waffle sliders serving red pickle, red onion and hummus dressing.
“I don’t think I could do that in New York, but in Detroit, I could have fun with that.”
As Ryan embarks on this new restaurant journey and making a name for himself in his relatively new home, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic had a lot of people questioning their career predicament and livelihoods. Ryan just kept hustling like Detroiters already knew how to do and for native New Yorkers, like him, have no choice but to do.
“It definitely was no booming time for Breadless or Salt + Ko, but it led us to pivot and I don’t think I would be where I am now if it wasn’t for the pandemic. It required a lot of inner reflection, isolation and honest conversations to figure out what you’re going to do.”
Ryan’s focus on pop-ups and catering between both businesses allowed him the space and time to grow to what would eventually lead to the opening of his new venture.
“For Salt + Ko, I do see it growing, because there is a market for what we’re doing. There’s something about sophisticated, casual fine dining.”
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