Hey friends, Jer here. Seven things for you tonight.
Award-winning restaurateur and TV personality Billy Dec is bringing his restaurant concept, Sunda New Asian, to downtown Detroit next month.
The new location opens in late February at 33 W. Columbia Street in The District Detroit. It marks Sunda’s fifth nationwide and first in Michigan.
Founded in Chicago in 2009, Sunda says they take inspiration from cuisines across Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, blending them with modern techniques and premium ingredients.
The result has earned national acclaim — and a fan list that includes Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, and Michael Jordan.
Sunda Detroit will feature many of the restaurant’s signature dishes like Pork Belly Bao Buns, Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, Oxtail Potstickers, and Miso Glazed Sea Bass, alongside an extensive bar program of craft cocktails, sake, Japanese whiskies, and Asian beers.
I've never been to Sunda before, so I'm looking forward to putting it through the paces. There are locations in the River North and Fulton Market neighborhoods in Chicago; plus Nashville and Tampa.
In a release, Dec said Detroit’s energy and pride inspired the expansion.
“We see Detroit not only as a city on the rise but as a place ready to set the tone nationally. We’re proud to grow with it, contribute to it, and be inspired by it.”
The 6,000-square-foot space, designed by Studio K with local partners McIntosh Poris Associates and Sachse Construction, looks to blend Tokyo street inspiration with Southeast Asian warmth.
Expect bold lighting, intricate woodwork, and a 1,400-square-foot patio in Columbia Street’s pedestrian corridor.
Columbia Street is one of Detroit's neatest photo spots, with Comerica Park on one end and the new University of Michigan Center for Innovation rising on the other.
I know a lot of folks are looking for jobs, and Sunda is hosting five hiring open calls to fill positions in culinary, service, and management teams.
Those events run January 8–10 and January 14–15, from 9a to 6p at the restaurant.
Reservations for Sunda Detroit’s first two months are now live on OpenTable.
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On The Podcast
🧥 Founder and CEO Veronika Scott turned a college class project into The Empowerment Plan. That's a Detroit nonprofit that hires people experiencing homelessness to sew coats that turn into sleeping bags — and are distributed to unhoused people across the world.
They've made 100,000 of these over the last 13 years.
In our conversation on our Daily Detroit podcast, she talks candidly about growing up in poverty, why a job is more powerful than a jacket, and what it takes to actually break a generational cycle instead of just managing from crisis to crisis.
One big takeaway? If you design with people most affected by a problem, not for them, you end up changing systems and building something sustainable.
Have a listen on [Apple Podcasts] [Daily Detroit]
🗞️ Out-of-state investors bought up a slice of one of Detroit’s most distinctive apartment districts, Palmer Park — and then let it rot. [Outlier Media]
This in-depth reporting just gets me hot under the collar, as this should be one of the city's shining and signature neighborhoods with architecture you can't find anywhere else in the region — as well as a unique sense of urban density and place by a revitalized park.
⚕️ BAMF Health and Henry Ford Health are teaming up on a new precision medicine hub in downtown Detroit. [RELEASE]
In a joint venture announced today, the two organizations said they will open a 45,000-square-foot Comprehensive Theranostics Center on the first floor of Bedrock’s planned two-story Life Sciences Building at the Gratiot site, bringing advanced molecular imaging, radiopharmaceutical therapy, and research under one roof.
The facility will be BAMF Health’s second such center after its 2022 Grand Rapids flagship. It's pitched as a way to expand access to highly targeted cancer diagnostics and treatments while positioning Detroit as a destination for medical innovation and tourism.
I'll be honest, I didn't know what Theranostics was. I'm guessing you don't either. Here's what the University of Chicago has to say:
Theranostics is a one-two punch against cancer that involves finding cancer cells anywhere in the body and delivering targeted radiation to kill those cells. Positron emission tomography (PET) is used to locate the cancer, followed by an infusion of medicine to destroy it. Because of its precision, theranostics reduces the risk of harming nearby healthy tissues.
🚉 Are you interested in better transit connections in Metro Detroit? The annual State of Transit event by Transportation Riders United will bring together advocates, policy makers, transit agency leaders, and elected officials on Tuesday, January 27 at 5pm.
This year's event is at the Marygrove Conservancy. Meet people who are passionate about connecting others and making services across Metro Detroit work better for you! [Tickets]
🎶 It's Last Call for Motown Museum tours until the Spring of 2027. The Motown Museum has a final week of tours at Hitsville U.S.A. from January 12-19, 2026, before temporarily pausing to complete construction for the Museum's expansion project.
This weeklong celebration will have artist-themed days with docent-led tour highlights, specially curated playlists, commemorative giveaways, and opportunities to win special Motown Museum memorabilia.
Motown Artist Spotlight Theme Days:
- Monday, Jan. 12 – Marvelettes Monday (Hospitality Industry Day with discounted admission)
- Tuesday, Jan. 13 – Teena Marie Tuesday
- Wednesday, Jan. 14 – Stevie Wonder Wednesday
- Thursday, Jan. 15 – The Temptations Thursday
- Friday, Jan. 16 – Four Tops Friday
- Saturday, Jan. 17 – Diana Ross & The Supremes Saturday
- Sunday, Jan. 18 – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles Sunday (Detroit Day with discounted admission)
- Monday, Jan. 19 – MLK Day (Featuring immersive tours)
Elle Simone Scott, a Detroit-born chef and food stylist who became a trailblazing face of America’s Test Kitchen, has died at 49.​ [WBUR]
Scott, who was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2016, was a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and food access in Black and brown communities.
"No more Black and brown girls — or any girls of color — will have to search for an image that makes them feel encouraged toward their cooking or TV dreams,” Scott said in an interview with Food & Wine. “There’s no work if you’re not leaving a legacy. Otherwise it’s self-serving, and once you’re gone, it’s gone."
Housekeeping
- Our most-clicked link of the last edition was that video condo tour of that east side Detroit high rise.
- We have a free coffee, conversation, and community studio open house on Saturday, January 17 from 10a-1p. You can feel free drop in our pop out when you need to. Here's a link to the Facebook event.
With all the national news that's real heavy on my heart, one of the things I know as a Detroiter is we don't stop moving. We can't afford to, TBH.
In fact, in these times.. when some want us to live in fear.. to act as if there's no point in resisting and pushing for peace.. this is when we must carry on.
So for my first track of 2026, I'm going for some joyful deep house music. Whatever you believe in faith, there's something about gospel house that just hits different.
LesInFocus is a DJ and model out the UK, and sometimes you need something to get you back up again. See if you can pick out the Detroit-related sample in one of the tracks of the set later.
As always, feedback dailydetroit - at- gmail - dot com.
Remember that you are somebody,
-Jer
