Insider Profile: Leah Zuber

"It's growing so much and there's so much character," Leah Zuber says. This Howell native has made Grand Rapids her home since graduating from Grand Valley State University last May. Zuber says that after falling in love with Mid-Michigan living in nearby Allendale, she sought to continue her time in the city. Now a part of Grand Valley's staff, Zuber helps handle media relations, while also writing for Grand Valley's publications and newsletters.

Since work in Allendale is just a short commute from Grand Rapids, you can bet that Zuber spends plenty of time exploring the art, food and culture offered in the city. "For the most part, the entire city is pretty urban, but there are definitely areas that are distinct and different," Zuber says. One example is Wealthy Street; which she describes as "kind of similar to Ann Arbor, with a lot of local businesses and restaurants."

On Wealthy Street, you'll find one of Zuber's favorite brunch spots, the quirky yet gourmet Cherie Inn. A must for crepe aficionados and anyone who appreciates creative cooking; Zuber talks up one recent dish, the lobster crepes. For a more traditional breakfast, Zuber heads to The Omelet Shoppe, where the egg dishes are the stuff of legend and the "cinnamon rolls and coffee are both amazing."

For lunch, it's back to the Wealthy Street district for a table at the Electric Cheetah, which prides itself on using only locally-sourced products. The menu changes with the season, and the restaurant mascot (really)? A regal and mustachioed cheetah. 

When the sun goes down, and it's time for dinner and drinks, Zuber recommends another locale that utilizes Grand Rapid's burgeoning urban farmers, The Winchester. "The fish tacos are great and there's a lot of Michigan beer and wine offered," says Zuber, a self-proclaimed light beer connoisseur. On the subject of spirits, Zuber also recommends the HopCat. This establishment focuses on spotlighting Michigan brews, but they also offer a huge array of beers from all over the world -- maybe that's why the HopCat was voted the 3rd Best Beer Bar in the world by Beer Advocate.

Also in Grand Rapids is The B.O.B. (Big Old Building), a four-story restaurant and entertainment pantheon complete with two night clubs and a comedy club. Similar to the city itself, Zuber says she digs the BOB because, "there's just such a variety and the style is so varied in each place, it attracts a lot of different people."

While she yearns for more "centrally-located downtown shopping," Zuber cannot help but to exude a pride and passion for her city. She says that Grand Rapids "has a big city feel but also feels like small town; there's just such a sense of community that is so full of ideas and creativity." The embodiment of the city's artistic creativity is the annual ArtPrize, an open art competition and festival that allows the public to pick a grand prize winner from hundreds of entrants. Through the streets of Grand Rapids, the art is displayed and open to the public, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city Leah Zuber is proud to call home.

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