When Café Cortina first opened the doors of its Italian eatery in the suburbs of Metro Detroit in 1976, it was with a sense of family tradition and community responsibility inspired by old world philosophies. Now, more than 35 years later, and under the direction of its second generation, Café Cortina retains its presence as one the country’s leading culinary destinations.

With all the craziness of the holidays – the hours spent shopping, wrapping, baking and cleaning – one must simply find time to spend relaxing and rejuvenating. So when an email came through for the Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh holiday packages at Vasaio Life Spa in Grand Rapids, it was like a gift from Santa himself!

The Turkeyville story began in 1943 in Marshall, Michigan. Grandpa (Wayne) Cornwell was from the city and when he married Grandma (Marjorie), he decided to try his hand at farming. They decided to raise cows, but 1943 was a difficult year – things weren’t going very well and the cows got sick and many died. A neighbor then gave Wayne12 turkeys to try and raise, and he was successful with all of them. In the early 60s, the Cornwell’s joined together with a group from the church and went to the county fair to sell their fresh-made, local turkey sandwiches.

More than 60 West Michigan artist studios, galleries, farms and restaurants – nearly double the number from last year – are participating in the 2nd Annual Arts & Eats weekend, Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21, throughout portions of Allegan, Barry and surrounding counties. The tour is made possible with support from Hastings Mutual Insurance Company.