SHUN CUTLERY BLOG: BEHIND THE BLADE

From Upstate to the Motor City: A Culinary Conversation with Chef Mike Conrad

After two decades in kitchens, from mom-and-pop diners in upstate New York to running one of Detroit’s most thoughtful culinary spaces, Chef Mike Conrad has built a career on consistency, community, and care. Now at the helm of Leña in Detroit, he’s crafting food that reflects both his French heritage and global palate, all while creating a safe, collaborative space for his team. In this edition of Behind the Blade, Conrad shares how the tools of the trade, and the lessons learned along the way, shape not just his plates, but his entire approach to leadership and life.

Tell us about yourself.

Mike Conrad: I’m the chef here at Leña in Detroit, Michigan. I’ve been cooking for 22 years. I started when I was a kid at 14 years old, bussing tables and working the salad station.

 
What is your earliest food memory?

Mike Conrad: One of my earliest food memories would be the pig roasts my dad used to have. I was a restaurant brat; I grew up in restaurants, and my dad has owned one for 30 years. We’d have big staff and family parties up in upstate New York with pig roasts and clambakes.

 
How did you learn to cook?

Mike Conrad: Almost entirely on the job. I didn’t go to culinary school; I just started working in kitchens. They weren’t necessarily the best kitchens, either. I’m from cornfield New York (upstate) and I just kind of fell in love with it as a young guy. It was also a way to make a paycheck. I grew up playing in bands, and there’s a similar kind of camaraderie between music and kitchen work. I gravitated toward it.

 
What was the biggest influence on your decision to become a chef?

Mike Conrad: When I moved to Detroit in 2010, I worked at a few different spots, but one of the bigger influences was a chef I worked for named Brad Greenhill. He showed me that you didn’t need classical training. If you had a general proficiency in cooking, cared about the work, and communicated with your team, that could be enough. That really stuck with me.

 
What was one of the most valuable lessons you learned during your culinary training?

Mike Conrad: We make dinner. But what we’re really doing is creating experiences for people, and consistency is the key to that. It’s about delivering the best experience we can for every diner. I think that applies to life in general as well. Consistency creates freedom, both in your schedule and in the way you move through the world.

 
Tell us something you’re most proud of in your work.

Mike Conrad: Restaurant Leña. We’ve been open 18, going on 19 months, and I’ve kept the entire kitchen staff. It’s a small, tight-knit team and we work really hard. We focus on consistency and creating a work environment where people feel safe to express themselves.

 
How important are the tools you use in the kitchen and why?

Mike Conrad: We’re basically builders or contractors. We use knives, spoons, and all kinds of tools to create that consistency. Without great tools, without something you can trust and lean on, you can’t do your job well. A good tool can make a bad day better.

 
How has your relationship with knives evolved over time?

Mike Conrad: I started out in mom-and-pop diners, where knives were rented. But as I began taking cooking more seriously and working for better chefs, I realized tools are as important as showing up on time. I started investing in my own, learning how to sharpen and maintain them, and keeping them as pristine as I could.

 
What makes a great knife?

Mike Conrad: For me, it’s something I can use for multiple tasks. I like a larger handle and prefer stainless steel. It’s easier to sharpen and tends to hold its edge longer. We use a lot of fresh ingredients at Leña, so I need a knife that’s versatile. I also like the feel of using a whetstone. It’s important to have a tool that supports that.

 
What is your go-to knife?

Mike Conrad: An all-purpose kitchen knife or a petty knife. Something I can use for everything, from cutting chives to supreming citrus to processing fish.

What advice would you give to aspiring chefs?

Mike Conrad: Take it slow. Understand that trades like building houses or welding bridges have apprenticeships for a reason. This work takes time. It’s not all muscle memory, and you don’t get proficient overnight. A lot of young cooks come out of culinary school wanting to fast-track themselves into putting dishes on the menu. But it takes honest work and patience. And learn how to sharpen your knives!

 
Are there cuisines or traditions you feel especially connected to?

Mike Conrad: My family is French, from Alsace, so I feel connected to that cuisine. It’s country food, nothing fancy. I remember dishes like stuffed cabbage growing up. To an American diner, that might not read as “French,” but in the context of lineage and place, it makes sense. I also operated a Northern Thai restaurant for many years under my mentor Brad Greenhill. I love Thai food. It taught me how to taste. It flipped everything upside down for me.

 
What do you love about the Detroit culinary community?

Mike Conrad: Detroit is a melting pot. We’re the Blackest city in the United States, and the culinary influence reflects that. We’ve also got large Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese communities. It’s incredibly diverse. Detroit is a small city with a tight-knit culinary scene. We all know each other, and we help each other when we can. That sense of community is what makes this place special. If you can’t lean on your peers, who are you?

 
What was a pivotal moment in your career that helped shape your culinary identity?

Mike Conrad: The first COVID shutdown. I was operating a multi-concept space with my mentor Brad Greenhill, and we had to close, like everyone else. It was a restaurant I was very fond of and was the Chef De Cusine of. It made me realize that beyond food, beyond accolades, what we do is employ people. We give people a place to feel safe and to earn a living. When that was taken away, I saw just how important the human side of this work really is. We cook dinner, but first and foremost, we’re people.

 
What’s your go-to meal when you’re cooking just for yourself?

Mike Conrad: My fiancée and I try to eat healthy. I get home late, so we meal prep. We call it “turkey surprise.” Ground turkey, lots of alliums, mushrooms, rice, and whatever accoutrements we’ve got. Sometimes it’s Korean night with kimchi and gochujang. Other times it’s rice with potatoes, green beans, and French-fried onions, like her grandmother used to make.

 
If you could cook for anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Mike Conrad: My late grandmother. She lived in upstate New York and passed nearly 10 years ago. She was pretty picky and didn’t travel much. I’d love to cook for her now, show her what I’ve learned, and just have that moment together.

 
If you had to describe your culinary journey in one word, what would it be?

Mike Conrad: Long.