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Five questions with Rick Halberg
Hiller's Markets director of culinary services

August 9, 2007

Longtime local chef Rick Halberg, 58, closed his highly regarded Emily's restaurant in Northville in 2006. It was a victim, after 12 years, of ""extenuating circumstances, the economy being the biggest one,"" he says. ""The fine-dining market seemed to have really dried up in this area."" The Culinary Institute of America graduate closed one chapter of his life and opened a new one: He became director of culinary services for Southfield-based Hiller's Markets, a new position for the local grocery chain. He's developing ready-to-go foods for Hiller's, which will open its seventh location in a few months in a remodeled Farmer Jack in Commerce Township.

QUESTION: How was it going from the high-end restaurant business to the mass market?

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ANSWER: It's not an easy transition. ... Certainly it's a much bigger challenge than I may have thought, but in today's economy, everything is. We are all fighting for a piece of the same pie.

Q: What's your biggest challenge?

A: Keeping it fresh and getting people to try new things.

Q: Got an example?

A: We do a really great farro salad. Farro is one of the ancient grains, an Italian grain. ... I think the taste is great -- nutty, chewy. ... I've had it made as a soup, like polenta, as a risotto -- very versatile and so good!

Q: What else are you doing?

A: We're using a lot of whole grains and fresh vegetables. Natural chicken. The best-quality, healthiest products that we can offer. Zero trans fats whenever possible. ... We have a pretty wide range of foods, from rotisserie chickens to more interesting things like ... Moroccan-inspired tofu salad, paella salad, wild rice salad.

Q: How can you compete with gourmet palaces like Papa Joe's?

It makes it very exciting and interesting. We don't have the facilities that Papa Joe's has. But we have some good, talented people, and we just keep pushing. ... Long-term, we are really trying to raise the bar with our prepared foods, to keep it fresh and keep it exciting.

By KATHLEEN O'GORMAN, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

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