Roseville, MI — While food is often at the forefront of my mind and this blog, sometimes it takes a backseat when I discover a restaurant, company, or chef whose story is uplifting and incredibly beneficial for the community or the folks directly involved.

My buddy Alex Urban from Near Perfect Media contacted me in late January about one of his clients with such a story — a story that I am excited and grateful to be able to share with the world. This story combines several aspects of why I love operating this blog, but more importantly, it’s the kind of story that inspires and brings light to a sometimes seemingly dark world.

Alex gave me the rundown on a great partnership between his client, Detroit Wing Company, and Rising Stars Academy, a nonprofit organization for intellectually and developmentally disabled young adults. Rising Stars Academy’s mission is to provide a place of inclusivity and help develop skills for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they can participate at their full potential in their communities.

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Late in 2023, the Detroit Wing Company (DWC) gifted ownership of its Roseville location to Rising Stars Academy, allowing the school to integrate its students with the DWC staff in Roseville for hands-on learning in the workplace. This front and back of house exposure provides a range of work and social experience for the students, which they can use throughout life and in future jobs.

I was immediately captivated by this charitable endeavor by Detroit Wing Company and the inspiring mission of Rising Stars Academy. Alex arranged for me to meet with Detroit Wing Company Founder Gus Malliaras and Rising Stars Academy Co-Founders Deborah (Debbie) and Mark Prentiss at the Roseville store so I could learn more about this incredible story.

Truth be told, I’ve wanted to feature a blog post on Detroit Wing Company for several months. I love their wings and menu items. It’s a locally-based company, and I was eager to get my first wing adventure in the books for that series section of my blog. While I was happy to finally be out foodie adventuring to DWC, most of my joy for this adventure was looking forward to meeting the inspiring students and sharing the heartwarming mission of Rising Stars Academy and its partnership with Detroit Wing Company.

I enlisted the help of my co-worker and great friend Logan Tesmer, who helped me on the foodie adventure to Vigilante Kitchen in July, and we set out for Roseville on Friday morning, February 2nd. Since we both had to eventually head to work for our afternoon shift at CBS Detroit, we arrived early, around 11 a.m., to ensure we’d have enough time for the interviews and to capture enough video and photos for the story.

The 2024 James Beard Award semifinalists have been announced

Logan and I made quick work of the exterior video gathering between the two of us. We went inside and met with Alex, who introduced us to Gus, Debbie, and Mark. Logan and I set up our gear to conduct the interviews first before going on to meet the staff/students and gather the rest of our video.

We started by interviewing Gus Malliaras, the Founder and President of Detroit Wing Company. Gus walked me through his career and life in the food industry, which runs in his family. Gus’s great-grandparents owned a restaurant in downtown Detroit, which would go on to be inherited by his grandparents. Gus said he worked at the restaurant under the direction of his grandparents when he was a kid, and it’s where he fell in love with cooking and hospitality. He pursued his passion and opened his first restaurant when he was 22. Several years later and at a different stage in his life, Gus said he wanted to simplify his operations and cut down his menu, so he started testing various wing sauces and seasonings on his menus, laying the foundation for what would become the menu for his next endeavor: Detroit Wing Company.

After sampling the various flavors and sauces made from scratch as his restaurant neared the end of its lease, Gus shifted gears and launched the Detroit Wing Company in 2015 with its first location in Eastpointe. Over the years, the popular wing spot with its chef-driven sauces opened more locations across Metro Detroit and the state of Michigan, including out-of-state locations near Cleveland, Fort Wayne, and Tampa.

Gus explained that early on, a few years after establishing DWC, one of his goals was to be heavily involved in charity and the community.

“We’re here for the community. And so I’ve always had this desire, I wanted to open a location that was its own location, that was a charity-driven location,” Gus said.

Not too long after opening the Roseville location in 2022, Gus was introduced to Rising Stars Academy through a business partner who teamed up with the school for prep work at their juice shops. Gus met with Mark and Debbie Prentiss and visited the academy to learn more about the program. Initially, students started helping prep sauces and things off-premise, but as the partnership between Detroit Wing Company and Rising Stars Academy grew, everything fell into alignment for Gus’s first charity-driven location in Roseville. Rising Stars Academy took over the gifted location this past December.

“Rising Stars has been operating it. The sales, everything they do here benefits Rising Stars, it’s staffed by Rising Stars students. It’s just been really awesome to see the kids back there working and give them that purpose,” Gus said. “Everything that comes with the purpose of that program has been really rewarding for us.”

Gus said his partnership with Rising Stars Academy has been amazing and that he’s fortunate to be able to help expand Mark and Deborah’s program, praising the work that they do and the purpose the academy gives to the students. I was even more excited to talk with Mark and Debbie to learn more about their mission and Rising Stars Academy.

I first sat down with Mark Prentiss, Co-Founder/Director and Chef at Rising Stars Academy. Mark broke down some of what the school provides, including some of the different programs offered to students.

“Rising Stars Academy is a school for special needs young adults for ages 18 to 26. Our students leave high school with a certificate of completion. So, in the state of Michigan, we’re allowed to educate special needs individuals to the age of 26,” Mark explained. “In the school day, some of our students do math, reading, a lot of employability skills, money skills, and then the vocational skills inside the building.”

As Mark went on to explain how many partnerships the Academy had with local businesses and clients around Metro Detroit, I began feeling overwhelmed with joy and uplifted by what Rising Stars Academy and similar schools are doing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The number of opportunities, experiences, and doors being opened for these students is so important, and it makes me wish we had thousands of more folks like Mark and Deborah Prentiss and schools like Rising Stars Academy out there in the world.

According to a recent thesis I read on the National Library of Medicine, a group of researchers established a study to determine the types of barriers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities sometimes encounter when seeking employment. The study found that discrimination, stigma, employers’ attitudes, and management style were among the most common barriers. The researchers used a qualitative and quantitative research design to determine the study’s conclusion. Another similar study found that employers’ differentiated expectations and reservations towards hiring individuals with specific disabilities need to be taken into account and addressed to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Helping remove these stigmas and eliminating discrimination in the workplace is all the more reason why we need more institutions like Rising Stars Academy.

Mark discussed the school’s approach to removing stigmas and overcoming potential barriers through their education programs.

“It’s just the coolest thing in the world when these kids are out there in front of somebody. Most times, our kids, or anybody that has a disability or maybe is not the most productive-minded, are always stuck behind the dishwasher. But that’s not our mindset. Our mindset is to get them out, break apart those barriers and those mindsets so that they can compete and they can be productive citizens,” Mark said.

I also sat down with Debbie Prentiss, fellow Co-Founder of Rising Stars Academy and former Superintendent. She recalled that 12 years ago, when the academy opened, it only had 26 students, and no job sites had been arranged yet. The staff was smaller but determined, along with the students, to overcome any challenge faced by early institutions. For example, Debbie explained one of the school’s earliest major projects: planting a 2.5-acre garden for the culinary division on a Saturday afternoon. Albeit a massive undertaking, Debbie said the students and staff were able to accomplish the task. Fast forward to today, and Debbie says the school now has over 160 people in their building daily. The academy still has the garden and has since added some greenhouses, chickens, orchards, and even beehives over the years! She says seeing the growth in opportunities for the students has been amazing.

“Our motto in the school is that every student should have as many opportunities as they can, which is why when DWC came to us for this partnership, we said sure. We don’t usually say no to any partnership because it gives exposure for our kids to be in jobs they want,” Debbie said.

I genuinely enjoyed interviewing Gus, Mark, and Debbie. Seeing organizations and groups partner up to do something so supportive and beneficial for their communities and these students is the kind of hope we need in the world these days. I applaud Detroit Wing Company and Rising Stars Academy for all they do, but I especially applaud these students who now get to achieve their goals and pursue their dreams as a result of these partnerships.

The Food

It wouldn’t be a food blog without at least some mention of the food! Plus, these wings, sauces, and sides are top-tier, tasty, and always reliable for a satisfying meal. Since moving back to Michigan in Fall ’22, I’ve been a huge fan of DWC. I even attended the grand opening of the Ferndale location on November 18 (and proudly rock the limited-edition DWC beanie I received basically any day the temp falls below 50 degrees) back in 2022. I have always been impressed with the quality of the chicken, stand-out homemade sauce flavors, and consistency in exceptional meal delivery.

By the time we wrapped the shoot, neither Logan nor I had eaten yet for the day, so Alex graciously placed a food order for us so that we could sample several menu items and popular sauces. Logan and I took the food back to my residence to enjoy before heading to our job for the rest of the afternoon/evening. Get those forks and hand wipes ready — we’re going on our first wing adventure, foodies!

Whenever people try a new wing place, the move is to get wings drenched in your preferred or favorite sauces. I am a vehement believer that at least one of those first-try sauces should include buffalo. After all, it’s the tried and true sauce that popularized the wing phenomenon for pizza joints and eateries everywhere, beginning in the mid-60s at Anchor Bar in Buffalo. Sure enough, the standard buffalo sauce at Detroit Wing Company is one of their most popular — and after a few bites, it makes sense as to why. This is a stellar adaption, with a nice tingling heat that’s not overwhelming and excellent medium-level heat. The sauce covered every corner of the wings, with a peppery finish added to the flavor profile. Buffalo is a solid choice from DWC; Gus and the team have this staple sauce down!

Another popular sauce option, and one of my personal favorites, is the garlic parmesan! Whether you’re a garlic or parmesan/cheese enthusiast, these two flavors combine perfectly. The Detroit Wing Company keeps their garlic parm on the creamy side and slathered it across our wings (much to my delight). The freshness of the garlic is perfectly pungent, finely blended with copious parmesan cheese and spices. I typically select buffalo and garlic parm as the go-to sauces when determining if a wing place is good, and the garlic parm from Detroit Wing Company is hands down the best I’ve ever tried thus far in my travels! While this sauce doesn’t pack as much of a punch in the heat department, it more than delivers a sharp, zesty finish that would behoove any ardent cheese fan to order.

The Detroit Wing Company also currently features six dry rubs on their menu. I’ll switch it up once in a blue moon and weave in a dry rub on wings instead of a sauce when I’m in the mood for something different. After conferring with Logan, we decided on the Cajun dry rub, which was a pleasant middle-of-the-pack heat. I witnessed the students/staff tossing several dry rub wing orders when Logan and I gathered video elements in the kitchen. I really appreciate a staff who sauces/seasonings wings in the way they would want to eat them. Even as a dry rub, the staff did an excellent job ensuring it was heavily portioned to be included in every bite of those wings. Logan and I were huge fans, and the next time I go for a dry rub wing, I’ll kick up the heat a few notches with the Habanero ranch!

The DWC Fries were surprisingly far better than I expected. I suggested them, not realizing the menu item came smothered in melted cheddar (sorry, Logan’s food allergies!). Still, as an aforementioned and publicly known cheese enthusiast, I quickly fell in love with these crispy fries after just a couple of bites. The fries were all cooked for a perfect duration, not too hard nor too soft, and featured a light seasoning concoction that I couldn’t get enough of. For the amount of fries you get, also served with a sauce and dip, this shareable (or enjoy them all to yourself!) is a great addition to complement any order.

One of the menu items that particularly stood out to me was Pete’s Chili, formerly known as DWC Dad’s Chili. This chili was loaded with flavors that immediately grabbed my tastebud’s attention. A great background heat lingered, but it was careful enough not to overpower the seasonings and flavors emanating from the zesty chili. This was a hearty and delectable chili that would honestly crush any cook-off competition!

And to top it all off, this chili has quite the heartwarming origin story. The chili’s secret recipe began as a homemade chili made by Gus’s father. In his dad’s retirement era, he decided to stay active and brought his 15-year family recipe to Detroit Wing Company. Gus’s dad made every batch, portioned, froze, and shipped to each DWC location since he was the only person who knew the recipe for the chili. Sadly, Gus’s father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020 but remained dedicated to taking over the kitchen between treatments to continue making the latest batches or handing out samples in the lobby of the Eastpointe location.

Gus’s father passed away due to health complications before he could share his recipe with his loved ones, so Gus teamed up with an Eastpointe staff member, Bobby, who helped his father a lot in the kitchen to replicate his father’s famous chili. Gus and Bobby conducted countless taste tests and spent weeks at the stove cooking chili and making adjustments until they eventually were able to recreate the recipe. Now, Gus honors his father by sharing his recreated family recipe at every DWC location for all to enjoy.

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Whenever I order Detroit Wing Company, I really enjoy the food and consider it my go-to takeout place when I’m craving wings! While I’ve been eager to feature DWC on my blog for some time due to my sheer appreciation for the food, I’ve honestly been really moved after discovering how much more above and beyond this company is behind the scenes. The charitable endeavors of Gus and the Detroit Wing Company are inspiring, as are the goals and mission of Deborah and Mark Prentiss and Rising Stars Academy.

I chatted with some of the students here and there as I captured b-roll of their day-to-day work tasks, and I felt like I was back in my kitchen days when I worked at several restaurants and bars in my teens and early twenties. The students were so kind and welcoming and didn’t mind me maneuvering around them throughout the kitchen for different shots as they worked diligently during the lunch rush. Some students and staff worked the front (phones/registers) and line (making the food), while others did prep work and stocking. At one point, I interviewed one of the students, Joe Tancredi, who told me some of his favorite aspects about the job, which included brining, breading, and prepping the chicken to be cooked.

“Well, they got amazing chicken. Everybody around here works really, really hard to make sure that everything is up to par. The blue raspberry lemonade is delicious. Everything around here is delicious. The garlic parm sauce is amazing. Everybody should come down here because, you know, it’s an absolutely amazing place to work. And, you know, sometimes you get to see us, see what we do. It’s an absolutely amazing place to be,” Joe said. “And the job experience. You know, people with special needs don’t really get usually get opportunities like this, and it’s a tremendous experience.”

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If you have a Detroit Wing Company near you, trust me when I say it’s worth checking out if you haven’t yet. And even if it’s a bit of a drive, consider making the extra trek to the Roseville location! The food quality and flavors are reliably delicious, and you’re supporting a wonderful company that’s focused on giving back to and supporting its communities in a multitude of ways. Without DWC, I never would have learned about the wonderful program and mission of Rising Stars Academy.

After getting to hang out with some of the students, seeing the smiles and joy on their faces, and hearing some of the program’s success stories from Debbie, I couldn’t be more honored and elated to share this story. Rising Stars Academy and other schools for the intellectually and developmentally disabled are truly a blessing and provide wonderful programs that benefit the students, families, and our communities. Being able to experience these kinds of stories and share them with the world is what fuels my passion for this blog. I hope to continue highlighting great stories and institutions like these because I believe these are the stories that deserve to be told.

For more information on the Detroit Wing Company or to find a location near you, click here. For more information about Rising Stars Academy, click here.