Crispy Chicken Schnitzel in Suttons Bay

by Stacey Brugeman, Eater. October 7, 2024

Equal parts farm, winery, and restaurant, Gilchrist Farm opened its darling Suttons Bay tasting room in September 2023. But it wasn’t until this September that enthusiasm for the food reached a fever pitch as chefs Jennifer Jackson and Justin Tootla of the late Bunny Bunny in Detroit headed up north to join the Gilchrist team.

Crispy chicken schnitzel at Gilchrist Farm. Photo by Justin Tootla.

The crispy chicken schnitzel has me dreaming of seconds: Inspired by a schnitzel that Jackson made during her time as a line cook at Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune in New York City, it’s topped with a mound of creamy Caesar salad by Tootla — a self-proclaimed “Caesar salad connoisseur.” The co-chefs pound the chicken, from Anavery Fine Foods in Traverse City, and then soak it overnight in grass-fed, small herd buttermilk from Cream Cup Dairy in Manistee County. Breaded and fried before serving, it is seasoned with a chile oil made with shishito peppers grown on Gilchrist’s nearby land. The salad, piled high with parmesan, generous cranks of crushed black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon, features crispy romaine from MI Farm Co-op. “We love being in the area and working with the amazing product our farm produces, as well as all the other farmers and artisans in the area,” Tootla says of the move to northern Michigan. If the crowds on the Gilchrist patio are any indication, locals and visitors seem thrilled they came north. — Stacey Brugeman, Fresh Coast correspondent

Marc Huntoon