Vinsetta Garage – serving up classic American comfort food on America’s first paved road
In 2010, the oil and grease were wiped up and the jacks and drill bits were put away as the oldest operating garage east of the Mississippi, Vinsetta Garage, shut its doors after 91years of service. It remained vacant for two years before husband and wife team Curt Catallo and Ann Stevenson added it to their fleet of six restored buildings-turned-restaurants. Just like any true hot rod repair work, its body stayed the same, but its interior received a time-honored upgrade into a garage-themed restaurant under the same name.
“The buildings that interest us are the ones that were built to serve a purpose – like a firehouse, radio station, or church,” says Ann, co-owner and interior decorator to all the Union Joint establishments. “It’s our honor to restore them to serve another purpose, and Vinsetta Garage is no exception.”
When the couple first drove 20 minutes out of the city to check out the boarded-up service garage, they were given a history from the founder’s son and former owner, Mike Kurta Jr., who gave them a history lesson interesting enough to get any car enthusiast’s engine running.
Ann retells the story of how Vinsetta Garage was founded in 1919 by Mike Kurta Sr, a Hungarian immigrant who moved to America, to work in the Ford Factory in Highland Park, Michigan. The young Kurta realized these cars rolling off the country’s first assembly line would eventually need repair work, so he sent himself to mechanic school then opened his garage on the well-traveled Woodward Avenue, which eventually became the first paved road in America.
“Listening to Mike Jr. tell stories about his dad made us fall more in love with the building,” says Ann. “The way he reminisced about his shop days as a kid and watching his dad bounce from car to car with his famous leather tool satchel made it easy to look around the empty space and imagine its potential to once again be filled with family, neighbors, and visitors.”
Seeing the reflective look on Mike Jr.’s face as he unloaded his garage memories, Ann knew exactly how she wanted to honor the space. After all, both her husband and business partner K.C. Crain have a little motor oil in their blood, too.
“My father-in-law created the Deuce Coupe and K.C. is a hot-rod obsessed man,” explained Ann. “So when the opportunity came to restore the garage, we couldn’t pass it up. In a town where ‘the car’ is king – Vinsetta, in its epic heyday as a working garage, was a castle. We set out to keep the garage as purely intact as we could while preserving and honoring the well-worn patina of its Motor City lineage.”
Ann’s Vinsetta vision was to cover every interior inch of the garage with the Kurta’s memories while bringing some contemporary style forward. When you walk in, before you’re seated you’ll be welcomed in the foyer, once the garage manager’s office and still complete with a vintage desk and chairs. Look around you and you’ll find family photos on the walls and old service tickets used as DIY wallpaper in all their grease-marked and pen-scratched glory. When you look up over the pizza oven you’ll see the safety glass from the original skylights repurposed as a floating awning. Corners of the garage are illuminated by locally-made carburetor lights to enhance the automotive theme. Grab a seat at the bar in tufted leather chairs, wide and comfy enough to make you daydream about sitting shotgun in a classic ride. If you can’t picture it, take this video tour with the head chef, Aaron Cozzad.
“Another story Mike Jr. told us was how he and his family lived in the apartment next to the garage, which is now the banquet room,” says Ann. “In fact, the basement below the room is our liquor cellar! It’s amazing that what used to house a family now feeds many families.”
And those families come hungry seven days a week! Cozzad and his team of mechanic shirt-wearing cooks, pay extra special attention to the classic American comfort food they dish up like coal-fired pies, burgers, and pasta with extra special attention. The idea is to serve food that the mechanics would have enjoyed after a shift at the garage. Those hungry mechanics knew good food, so don’t be the fool who passes on the most popular dish, Union Mac&Cheese! The food is so authentic it’s even prepared in the two-car garage behind the building that Mike Jr.’s sister and her husband built for their own use during their garage days.
How does Mike Jr. feel about seeing his family business in its new form?
“We always get the glad hand when we walk in. I thought this place was destined for the wrecking ball until I met Curt and Ann. They were the angels who saved my father’s legacy and the history of our family.”
Vinsetta Garage is open Monday-Sunday on a first-come, first-serve basis. Click here for hours of operation.
Have you ever had a meal at Vinsetta or know of another restored restaurant like it? Tell us about it in the comments below.
These custom Antique Archaeology shop rags are sold in a set of 3. This blue set features a motorcycle service-inspired design printed in white on each rag. Perfect for drying, wiping, and cleaning any and all of your favorite finds. SHOP NOW!
I’ve lived in the neighborhood behind Vinsetta garage for 30 years, and was a little surprised when they converted.
If your in Detroit make sure to check this place out! Food is amazing,cheese curds are the best anywhere!
I visited there last summer and will visit again soon i live about 4 hours away but as soon as the Northern Indiana waves good by to winter I’ll visit again
A dream come true for all us Car Guy’s! Come for the Woodward Dream Cruise in August & cruise US1 where Vinsetta Garage is located right on the Route. The World’s largest Cruise! Fantastic hand packed 2 fisted burgers, fire oven pizzas & make sure to check out the MI.
micro brewery beer list as it changes all the Time!
I live not far away, and Vincent Garage is hands-down one of my favorite restaurants! The food is amazing and the atmosphere is great, friendly staff and tons of automobilia everywhere, which is perfect for this “car guy” (ahem – we’re not all guys!). It’s always a little busy, so I wouldn’t even TRY to come in during the Dream Cruise, and parking is limited. But I remember well when the place was a garage, and although I never went there then, I’m grateful it has been repurposed in such an amazing – and delicious – way.
Oops- autocorrect wants it to be Vincent Garage, apparently.
Another former garage…a motorcycle repair garage…turned-restaurant is Shakespeare Pizza in downtown Columbia, MO.
It has been 20 years since I was there (and I sure hope they are still open), but I remember the smell of fresh pizza; the decor was motorcycles and everything related to a cycle repair shop; and you could watch your pizza being made from the tossing of dough to watching it cook in a brick fire oven (can’t remember if it was wood or coal-fired).
I know Mike & Frank will love it if they haven’t been there yet.
Not sure where you live, but they do ship them. http://shakespeares.com/pizza/frozen/. I also included a link for a story that channel 5 did on them. The original place is no longer there, but they did reopen pretty much in the same spot.
Just got to say Thank You for this article. Very interesting and I am so glad they saved the building! Wish I was closer. California is a bit away, but someday I’d love to visit!
We love it there! We were there just last week! The burgers are so good no mustard or ketchup is needed!
I live 4 hours away from Detroit and make the trek there once or twice a year when I’m in the area. I was so glad to see the old garage saved from the wrecking ball too. It is a very special place on Woodward Ave. Vinsetta garage is usually very busy so make sure you have plenty of time when you stop. Often in the summer there will be classic cars parked in front – and the valets may just park your ride in front if its an eye catcher. The food is well worth it and very reasonably priced with large portions. Their coal fired pizza pies are excellent, the burgers are the best you will find and come with homemade chips, and the Union Mac&Cheese is a must have side. Top your meal off with a homemade Faygo Ice Cream.
We have eaten at the Vinsetta Garage on several occasions. There food is really good, awesome selection of burger’s and main entree’s. I have also had one of my cars there when it was a garage. All of Curt’s restaurants are always busy, which is a testament to his enthusiasm and his eclectic selection on his menu’s. The bathroom floors are covered in pennies and sealed in with a clear epoxy.
He also bought the old Clarkston cafe (we live in Clarkston) in 20 + years never ate there, he completely re-did the inside giving it a wood theme to it, hence calling it the Union Woodshop, a top barbecue restaurant.
Thank you
Mark
If you’re traveling through the Clarkston, MI area make it a point to check out the Woodshop or the Union Bar & Kitchen – a renovated church complete with pew seating. If you’re a fan of comfort food, don’t leave without trying the mac & cheese! Just be sure to get there early as long wait times are the norm for “high-traffic” hours.
I just love this story. I love the building and so happy they restored it into a restaurant while keeping the charm of the garage. In one of the pictures there is a man gazing up at the vintage artifacts on the wall and he is probably reminiscing when he was younger. It is so important and I believe vital to keep all of these memories alive. Great story and thank you for bringing it to light.
It was an honor to interview Mike Jr. and the current owners. The story was too incredible to not tell! You’ve got to go see it in person…
I’ve been to Vinsetta’s Garage, fabulous, I got chills just being surrounded by so much history!!! Kudos to the architect, interior Designer, Chef and staff. So wonderful to have the input and history from the family to share with all of us! A must do when in the area!
Agreed, Janet! Yes.
I can remember this place as a garage. My mom worked nearby and we drove past it my entire life. Now my daughter and I dine there and its wonderful. Great food awesome venue. Love seeing history saved!
Us too! Go back often for us… there’s too much distance between us and that Union Mac! Yum.
We love the history of Detroit, in fact, we have been there twice, and undoubtedly go back again. We discovered the vinsetta garage restaurant the last time we were there. The food is great, and we loved the atmosphere! We would tell everyone it is full of local food, and charm.
We’re so happy to hear y’all had a great time!
My father is Larry Taylor, who worked at the garage for years. He is in the picture, behind Mike Kurta’s left shoulder. I remember visiting my Dad as a kid at work and walking around the shop. Looks like a great restaurant, but it is a shame the last owner of the garage allowed it to close. Lots of history lost!
I WORKED WITH YOUR FATHER 1984-1985 LEARNED ALOT FROM HIM AND MIKE, THE GUYS IN PICTURE ARE MATT AND RICHARD
Wonderful. Better yet, take old cars cut them in half remove the top and turn them into love seats.
Do they use old hub caps for bowls, dishes, and plates?
I am glad they have found a way to keep this historic building intact and help preserve some of its history while having a viable use for it. Sadly to many wonderful historic treasures have been lost. Hope this becomes a trend and we manage to save more of our collective heritage.
We love going to Detroit, the history as well as the people, are amazing! We were told about Vinsetta by a local photographer. The best pick for good local food. We thought it was an awesome place. We are thankful to have been told about it.
this repurposed building has retained a lot of the character of the garage, and is definitely worth visiting. The food is fantastic, the wait staff is also a good part of the local charm. The pennies on the floor in the bathroom is really a cool touch to this place. We look forward to visiting this place in the future.
We have been there a couple of times now and it is always fun. I remember passing the shop a few times as a kid many years ago.
nice to see it being put to good use. after all, this IS Motown !
Our car was actually one of the last at Vinsetta. it had to be towed to another facility the day Vinsetta closed. We drove that car to the restaurant after it opened. I remember two times when I’d pick up or drop off one of our cars and the owner would ask me if I recognized the guy ahead of me. It turns out that Detroit Red Wings, during their Stanley Cup era, took their cars to Vinsetta, too.
Nice article, but nowhere does it tell me what town this is in.
Berkley, Michigan 🙂
Thanks!
My kids love the literal penny tile in the bathrooms.
So happy we have this time machine in our town.
Vinsetta Garage had an excellent reputation with the old car community, especially in summer when everyone was getting ready for the Dream Cruise- it became my go-to garage when an ’86 Jeep Comanche pickup became my daily driver in 2009; they even did an engine rebuild on it back where the kitchen area is now. When the garage closed, ia developer considered tearing it down and building a strip mall; Woodward Avenue already has plenty of those, It brings back nice memories to go in and have a meal where I used to get my Jeep worked on.
I WORKED THERE AS A MECHANIC FROM 1984-1985 LEARNED A LOT FROM MIKE, AND LARRY HE IS PICTURED IN PHOTOS, ALONG WITH RICHARD AND MATT. HAVE BEEN LIVING IN FLORIDA FOR 32 YEARS AND HAVE MY OWN AUTO REPAIR SHOP. I WONDER IF MY NAME IS ON ONE OF THE WORK ORDERS ON THE WALL? WOULD STOP BY WHEN IN MICH. FOUND OUT 5 YEARS AGO ABOUT THE RESTURANT I THINK ITS GREAT KEPT THE OLD BUILDING. WHEN IS THE OLD EMPLOYEE GET TOGETHER?
Sounds like you are due for a visit! Road trip! Bet you have some cool shop stories…
This is hands down our favorite restaurant to go to on the weekends.
Vinsetta Garage offers delicious food, great service, and an opportunity to dine with history. I travel to Detroit almost every week for work and even though Vinsetta is about a half hour from where I stay/work, I make the drive for a great meal quite frequently.
EVERYTHING ON THE MENU IS DELICIOUS!
Hi!
Thank you for your article!
Steve
Its so cool how people keep these historic places alive!
Canadians absolutely love Vinsetta Garage! Upscale pub food, fun atmosphere – definitely a Metro Detroit gem everyone should check out!