From the pulled pork sandwich slathered in a red wine BBQ sauce to these scrumptious salmon sliders - the menu at Salt and Ko is designed to make your mouth water.
“The premise of Salt+Ko’s dinner menu and lunch menu was a bit gourmet. It’s an American gastropub, very American fare, but done with chef curated ingredients and craftsmanship,” explains Ryan Eli Salter, the owner.
Salter describes himself as a creative type and food has been one of the outlets for his creativity for a long time.
“I was studying abroad in Australia and things were kind of crazy expensive over there so I basically took the initiative to learn how to cook during that time,” recalls Salters. “So I found my favorite things I loved to eat and started recreating those favorite dishes, and started to cook for myself and my roommates. As luck would have it they started enjoying what I made, and started paying me for plates because they didn’t want to cook themselves.”
The New York native returned home and became a private chef before moving around the country pursuing his other career, media and marketing, and eventually landing in Detroit.
“While I was working at Chrysler I started my catering company Salt+Ko, and started to become the Executive Chef at Chene Park Amphitheater [now known as the Aretha Franklin Ampitheater],” says Salter.
That gave Salter the opportunity to cook for many celebrities including Jennifer Hudson, Gladys Knight, TLC, Nelly, and more.
From there he co-founded the popular gluten-free sandwich restaurant, Breadless, and then he got the chance to turn Salt and Ko into a full-fledged restaurant. While working to create a pop-up inside the Hotel St. Regis, he also partnered up with the Radisson Hotel in Southfield, and they asked him to take over their current restaurant and turn it into a Salt + Ko operation. In July of 2023, Salt+Ko opened inside the hotel.
The restaurant is very modern in design with lots of warm blues, oranges, and browns. A giant mural with the restaurant’s name adorns one wall, while Salter’s personal artwork adorns another. Salter says he wanted it to be a comfortable space that felt like his home.
For the full story and a longer look at the menu, watch the video above.
Salt+Ko is located at 26555 Telegraph Rd in Southfield, inside the Radisson Hotel.