FROM OUR KITCHENSAMERICAN DREAM COME TRUESchooled at GLCI, French native brings crêpes to TCTraverse City’s water and woods fed Vanessa Grasset’s soul. Now the native of Poitiers, France feeds Traverse City.
Grasset, a 2015 Great Lakes Culinary Institute graduate, opened Crêpes & Co., a traditional French creperie, in the State Street Marketplace in 2018.
“I wanted to do something French, but not fancy,” she said. Her most popular item, the ham, egg and cheese crêpe, is exactly that.
BUCKWHEAT DOUGH16 oz buckwheat flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 teaspoon honey (liquid)
1 cup water
2 cups water, as needed
In a bowl, combine flour, egg, salt and honey. Add 2 cups of water. Mix until smooth by hand making sure the flour is all dissolved (no lumps). Add 1 cup water and mix again, making sure there are no lumps. Tap dough with the flat of your hand until it makes bubbles (or beat with paddle on speed 6 if you use a mixer).

Let the dough rise for at least 2 hours. At this stage the dough can be kept in a closed container up to 3 days in a refrigerator. When ready, add remaining water to thin to the desired consistency.

For a 16" cast iron, use a 4 fl. oz. ladle for 1 galette (buckwheat crêpe).

The restaurant is the culmination of a nearly decadelong dream to live in northern Michigan. A former exchange student downstate, Grasset visited her host mother up north in 2006 and had decided to live here by 2011. A student visa made it possible, and she enrolled in GLCI, which became her second home.
“Great program, great teachers,” said Grasset, 46. “It’s because of the restaurant classes that I got comfortable being in a professional kitchen.”
Grasset’s buckwheat crêpe dough recipe may be filled with the sweet or savory fillings of your choice. N
READ MORE LIKE THIS
TRENDING ARTICLES
1

SETTING A COURSE FOR COLLEGE

Fifth graders learn about potential career paths.

2

SOLVING THE WORKFORCE PUZZLE

NMC is working with other regional leaders to solve the workforce puzzle, but it’s proving tricky. Complex, interlocking factors including a skills gap, a lack of child care and attainable housing, transportation issues, broadband internet gaps and an aging population, all exacerbated by COVID-19, have created structural instability that threatens economic growth and quality of life.

3

DEEP WATER EXPLORER

Adult student finds success after second plunge into college

4

MOMENTUM OF THE MOMENT

5

DRAKE'S DISCIPLES

Steve Drake has taught at Northwestern Michigan College for over 50 years, instructing multiple fellow NMC faculty members during his tenure.

6

2021 OUTSTANDING ALUMNI SELECTED

The 2021 selection features alumni who have been chosen for their professional achievements and/or leadership in the local or global community.