Terri’s Detroit: Making Room for More at the Table
Food has a way of bringing people to the table. A birthday, a baby shower, a night out with friends. We may come for different reasons, but there is usually something familiar being served that makes us feel at home. For Garnet Terri, that connection is the foundation of Terri’s and the experiences she is inviting people to share.
“Food is our love language,” she says. Terri’s Detroit, located at 16311 E Warren Ave, is the frosting on a cake-making story that began in 1977, when Garnet’s mother, Terri, baked for people she knew. Those connections grew into wedding planning, consulting and catering. In 2014, Garnet took up that work, formally establishing Terri’s Cakes Detroit and carrying her mother’s baking tradition forward.
Yet, there was more to her mother’s vision than what came out of the oven.
Mama Terri had imagined a place called “The Kitchen,” where chefs could prepare what they wanted to cook that day and guests could come in to discover what was being served. At home, she also made room for entrepreneurs. Jewelry makers, artists and others brought their work into her living room, dining room or wherever there was space.
Garnet remembers those gatherings. Now, she is carrying that welcome into the business on East Warren, describing Terri’s as “a space that we’re cultivating experiences in.” Some begin with her own interests. Others can come from the people who walk through the door.
One example is the literary dinner series. With an author at the table and seating for up to 20 guests, readers have an opportunity to talk directly with the person behind the book. Both the meal and the décor are curated around its theme, giving guests a taste of the story as well as a conversation about it. The invitation to authors brought an enthusiastic response and left Garnet with plenty of reading to do.
Then there are the puzzles. Garnet enjoys putting them together, and a conversation with friends became the idea for a puzzle party. Guests could work on shared puzzles, enjoy food and conversation, and add their signatures to the surrounding mats. It is the kind of gathering she would enjoy herself. Her mother’s example stays with her: bring people together around something you love to do and you'll connect with others interested in doing the same.
That welcome also extends to other food entrepreneurs. Garnet invites culinary professionals to host pop-ups and works with them to make using the space feasible for their businesses. In September, that approach opened the door to a coffee and co-working partnership with José Robinson, Managing Director of COMSA Coffee. José saw both the hospitality of Terri’s and an opportunity to introduce more people to his family’s coffee brand from Honduras.
“We want to collaborate. We want to work together,” he says.
For Garnet, the possibilities for collabs and gathering at Terri’s extend as far as the imagination. A book and a dinner. A puzzle and a conversation. A cup of coffee and somewhere to settle in and get some work done. A thoughtfully curated special occasion that needs just the right space.
“If people come in here and utilize the space, it will continue to grow,” Garnet says.
What many first knew as a bakery is becoming the gathering space envisioned from the beginning, with sweets and experiences made to order. Terri’s has long had a place in people’s celebrations, and Garnet is making room for the moments in between. Food is still at the center of it all. There are simply more ways to come to the table.
Connect with Terri's
16311 East Warren Avenue, Detroit, MI 48224
Phone: (313) 600-3799
Email: info@terrisdetroit.com
Website: terrisdetroit.com
Instagram: @terrisdetroit
Facebook: Terri’s Cakes Detroit
Visit the website for upcoming events, cake orders and space rental inquiries.