Prime + Proper

Chef Ryan Prentiss started his culinary career as a dishwasher at the young age of 15 in New Baltimore, MI and hasn't left the kitchen since. He attended culinary school at Macomb Community College immediately after high school, balancing a full-time job within the culinary industry during his studies. Prentiss joined the team at Townhouse Birmingham (the original Sasson entity) in 2014 as a line cook, after leaving his role as Pastry Chef at Marais in 2014. At Townhouse Birmingham, Prentiss was quickly promoted to Sous Chef in early 2015, then Chef de Cuisine in 2016, and is now the Executive Chef at Prime + Proper, which is one of his biggest career accomplishments. Prentiss feels very strongly about treating ingredients with respect and letting the product speak for itself with the appropriate technique. In his spare time, he enjoys driving his 1978 GMC Pickup and working in his garden of eclectic produce.

Walter Apfelbaum relishes his position at Prime + Proper, which showcases his butchery and allows him to educate chefs, servers, and guests on the best cuts for each dish and preference. “There’s nothing I want to do more than continue to learn, and educate others, about butchery,” he says, constantly up-to-date on his purveyors and how they feed, treat, and slaughter their animals to maintain only a premium selection. He focuses each and every day on passion, purpose, and progress, as it relates to cuisine and butchery, as well as staff management. When he hangs up his cleaver, the butcher enjoys heading home to Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood, and spending time with his wife, Brittany.

Sharyn Harding comes to Detroit all the way from Las Vegas, where she was the Assistant Executive Pastry Chef of Restaurants for Wynn Resorts for four and a half years. Starting her pastry career with training at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, she gained invaluable experience at Restaurant Budo in Napa and later at Bouchon Bakery before deciding to move to Las Vegas to further develop her love and passion for pastries. Sharyn worked her way up the ranks of Vegas’s restaurants including; Alex, a two Michelin starred restaurant, LAVO and Fleur de Lys. She later managed the dessert program at Sage in Aria Resort before taking her position at the Wynn. Sharyn loves experiencing all of Detroit and looks forward to the experience she will gain in this great city at Prime + Proper.

Living out her dream of working in hospitality and wine, our Wine Director and Sommelier Liz Martinez pulls from extensive experience in renowned restaurants around the country to develop a program for Heirloom Hospitality’s Capitol Park Steakhouse. While maintaining accessibility, Martinez encourages adventurous selections and educates her staff on every aspect of the program, defining a humble, genuine, and anticipatory service culture to guide exploratory and traditional imbibers alike. Raised in Denver as the eldest of four children in a Mexican-American family, Martinez began working in restaurants and gained experience that propelled her through the industry. A lover of music and dancing, she also spent time as a house music DJ and a Brazilian dancer. In her free time, Martinez enjoys socializing with her new friends in Detroit, often heading to a local wine bar to dance to house music on Saturday nights.