About Mary
Award winning and culinary renowned Mary Brady has many accomplishments to her credit, most notably the long time ownership (30 + years) of Diamond Jim Brady’s Bistro-Bar, along with her late husband Tom Brady. The original Jim Brady’s was opened in 1954 by Tom’s father Jim. She has been a formidable figure in the Detroit restaurant scene and a staunch advocate of Michigan’s hospitality industry. In the fall of 2022 she sold the Novi Bistro to explore further culinary endeavors and begin new life adventures.
Looking Back
Food has been a tremendous part of my upbringing, with family get togethers much looked forward to. Holidays were often celebrated at my mom’s childhood home with Grandma and Grandpa Edick and dozens of cousins, aunts and uncles. A big prime rib roast and all the fixings for Christmas and golden roasted turkeys and pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. Or, Grandmother Smith’s hot German potato salad, coleslaw and cheese cakes brought on visits to our family cottage across the Peace Bridge in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Those, accompanied with ripe tomatoes simply dressed with olive oil and vinegar and grilled sausages or chicken, were a heavenly feast.
With a family of nine, Mom's specialties were falling-off-the-bone tender lamb shanks, delectable pot roasts with vegetables cooked in the pot full of meat juices and scalloped potatoes. Nothing fancy, just good. Food should evoke memories. For me, a lovely meal is hard to forget. It is exciting, exhilarating. Take a moment to enjoy the food you’re eating. Smell the aromas, taste and appreciate the layers of flavors and, most importantly, be thankful for those with whom you are sharing it.
Pictured from left to right, Grandpa and Grandma Smith, Aunt Ell and Grandma Edick.
Guiding Inspirations
Books have always played a significant role in my cooking journey, starting with flipping the pages of my mom’s Betty Crocker three-ring binder cookbook way back when. I love to read and re-read the cookbooks of Julia Child, James Beard, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart (instigating my first “serious” attempts at cooking for entertaining), Anne Somerville (inspirational vegetarian), Jacques Pepin, Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller and so many, many more.
Then, there are the books that were a component of my food education in a different way—they taught me “why this happens when you do that.” In college, I was privileged to have Dr. Louis Minor, professor at Michigan State and founder of a now huge company, Minor’s Food, as my professor for food service science. I still have his text and it is one of my most cherished references. As I was studying for my Certified Executive Chef (CEC) exam, I became enthralled with “The Professional Chef,” published by the Culinary Institute of America, and Shirley O. Corriher’s “CookWise.”
A large influence for really serious chefs is Escoffier, the “father chef” of all time, and his book “The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery,” considered the bible of cookbooks. It is formidable with its 3,000 recipes and hundreds of descriptions and instructions. I started my competition career with a five-course display of recipes from that book, a risk, as they had to be prepared absolutely correctly. There were endless possibilities to miss a minuscule detail. I practiced, studied, practiced more, and my efforts were rewarded with a Gold, Best of Show award in Baltimore. It was the start of four years and 10 demanding food competitions that taught me the importance of the people who believed in me—mentors, family and compatriots who would do anything to help “get the food on the table.” Although I was awarded the medals, I attribute my success to many. This readied me for my Certified Executive Chef studies.
Mary’s medals won in international and national culinary competitions.
Pen to Paper
I have always enjoyed expressing myself in words and for years wrote a weekly food column for the local hometown paper that included a recipe with each story. I spent hours editing and re-editing each one. That was part of the fun. My first major in college at Michigan State University was Journalism before moving onto Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, both complementary to each other. I penned a bistro newsletter religiously for 20 years. I also received, as a co-author, the Tabasco Regional Award for a cookbook, “Women Cook for a Cause,” that benefited Schoolcraft College’s Women’s Caring Program. It sold out!
The photo of Mary used in her co-authored "Women Cook For a Cause" cookbook.
Lessons to Learn From
Being an educator is an incredible tool for self-study. I first realized this while teaching at a very popular family-owned kitchen store that featured dozens of cooking demonstrations each week. I was given a topic and had to create and test three recipes before each presentation. I spent hours researching to be ready to get in front of 50 people and three classes a day. Then, another door opened—to be a part time instructor in the Culinary Arts Department at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan. Ironically, my role was to teach business classes versus working in the kitchen. After a few semesters I was assigned to be the maître of the gourmet restaurant, instructing the class on the importance of front-of the house systems, policies and principles. In my next position, I expounded upon a breakfast cookery class that developed into an incredibly popular morning buffet. And, as instructor for International Cuisine, I helped students design menus and recipes, and then prepared them for weekly dinners.
One of the educational achievements that I’m most proud of was being a mentor to five students over 15 years through an apprentice program designed by the Culinary Institute of America, and managed locally by the Culinary Arts program at Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Every three years, I was assigned a student who attended class once a week and was required to spend 6,000 hours working in my restaurant kitchen. We followed an intense study guide that started with basics and progressed to formidable culinary techniques. The time and effort the students put into their studies was impressive. Best of all, I was a student along with them.
Cooking Forward
Cooking, teaching and writing are common threads that have been extremely important in the inspiration of this book. Yes, I’m still cooking after all these years, but now I’m “cooking forward”—continuing to be creative and feed my desire to inspire other culinarians, and hopefully people who haven’t yet discovered a love of cookery. Without a doubt, preparing food is much more than just nourishing our bodies. Favorite dishes help us recreate good times with family and friends; when food is cooked from the heart, it is a true expression of love. This book is a collection of treasured dishes that bring cherished memories to mind. Some have been updated a little, but I’ve kept the original “bones” of the recipes. My goal in writing this has been the opposite of the old cliché we often heard as children, “Don’t play with your food.” It has been to create new, exciting dishes that are easy to prepare. Playing with food is fun!