Dixboro Project restaurant to welcome Garrett Lipar as executive chef, partner

After announcing his highly lauded Detroit restaurant would close, Albena chef and owner Garrett Lipar is moving on.

He's heading to the Dixboro Project in the Village of Dixboro in Washtenaw County.

Lipar officially joins the Dixboro Project on April 1 as executive chef and partner.

Earlier this month, Lipar and his wife, Tiffany, announced that Albena will close on March 16 after a six-year run tucked inside downtown Detroit's Siren Hotel. Albena is known for its distinctive multicourse chef's tasting-style menu.

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Long-time Ann Arbor restaurateur Sava Farah owns and operates The Dixboro Project on Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor.

Farah is the CEO and founder of the Pulpo Group, which also owns and operates Sava's and Aventura restaurants, both in Ann Arbor. (The name "Pulpo" is Spanish for octopus.)

The Dixboro Project restaurant and property encompass two dining concepts in converted old barns and cover more than 12 acres of land. In 2022, the Dixboro Project was named to the Detroit Free Press list of Best New Restaurants, coming in at No. 3.

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There is the upscale Dixboro House and the Boro wood-fired pizzeria, take-out and bakery, and other projects spanning the property. Here a primary focus is on the restaurants but also on maintaining the agriculture, land, and plethora of nature.

“I am very inspired by what Sava has created, and the magic of this land. I see so much potential by this connection of place and people," Lipar said. “We both have a strong drive for excellence in hospitality and that is a natural fit.”

Amid its dining concept, the Dixboro Project, according to the Pulpo Group, aims to be a modern dining and recreational retreat for the community and visitors. Farah’s vision is all about providing the “highest quality food and services” with an overall commitment to the land. Many of the seasonal dishes served include herbs and vegetables from on-site gardens.

“And that’s exactly what he's (Lipar) all about,” Farah said. “He's all about growing your own food and he's a big hunter. He cares so much about Michigan and in Michigan products and he cares so much about the Great Lakes and putting the Great Lakes on the map.”

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What’s unique about and the attraction to the Dixboro Project is that it is situated in an idyllic setting of woodlands including the Fleming Creek running through the property, which diners can see from the Dixboro House dining room.

The Dixboro Project, Lipar said, allows him to connect with the land and his roots.

"As curators of the land, we can just have a greater impact of regenerative agriculture and implementing that into a menu that has something for everybody. And to tell a greater story to a much larger audience," he said.

Diners will experience the thought process, technique, and intention he delivered over the years at Albena. Lipar is well-known and accomplished in the industry. He's a two-time semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the Rising Star category.

The property is rooted in a long restaurant history. Up until 2016, the place was Roger Monks, a neighborhood eatery, and before that, Lord Fox for more than 50 years, which replaced the Farm Cupboard, a roadside restaurant.

Farah's vision and intent all along for the Dixboro Project, which opened in 2021, she said, was to have a chef partner. Louis Maldonado along with his wife, Annmarie, were the restaurant's original chef partners and parted ways some time ago. In the interim, several executive chefs oversaw the operations, including Joe VanWagner who left last summer, and Max Sussman, who remains in a consultancy capacity.

Farah called Lipar the “missing link” for the restaurant and its vision.

"Somebody to lead the kitchen operations and tie it to the land and the farm. And that's exactly what he's (Lipar) all about."

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Garrett Lipar to be executive chef, partner at Dixboro Project