Saffron de Twah is closing temporarily | Eater Detroit

"I learned that one of Detroit’s most celebrated restaurants will close for six months beginning Friday, August 25 (with last service on August 21) and is expected to resume March 15, 2024, as chef Omar Anani steps back to focus on his physical and mental well-being, family, and community outreach. During the hiatus, the team will continue catering private events, hosting ticketed pop-ups, and preparing meals for the Saffron Community Kitchen, which has been providing meals to residents experiencing food insecurity since the pandemic (this summer nearly 1,000 meals for school-aged youth); Anani is also raising $18,000 to build a permanent private space for the restaurant’s community fridge and to feed roughly 935 students. Opened in August 2019 on Detroit’s eastside as an all-halal carryout and delivery spot specializing in modern Moroccan cuisine, the restaurant quickly earned an Eater Award and helped earn Anani James Beard finalist nods in 2022 and 2023, and he recently won an episode of Chopped. I note the spot is praised for its flavorful tomato and carrot dips, harissa potatoes, a wildly popular Moroccan-style hot chicken sandwich, and a creative dry cocktail menu, but Anani says the toll of the industry and recent injuries (he pulled a hamstring that may require surgery or therapy) made a temporary closure necessary—"I’ve been doing this since I was 11, 12 years old... and I’m tired," he says." - Serena Maria Daniels