Description:

Bee Roll,  Canada-born and Michigan-made, is the owner of the  Ypsilanti restaurant, Beezy’s cafe, which  pays homage to the simple and honest via a menu of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.   

Not one of Bee’s dishes has more than 10 ingredients. She attributes this minimalistic approach to cooking to her childhood, which found her  living in Quebec, California, Oregon, Maine, Iowa and Michigan. In between the more moves between cities, she became quite good at adapting  her cooking to the ingredients that were available — particularly those  in Southern California. When she moved to this area, she looked for a locale that met her high standards and Ypsilanti  needed Bee and her fresh food just as much as she needed a fresh start.

In 2008, just three months shy of her 31st birthday, she found the location for her restaurant on North Washington Street in Downtown Ypsilanti.  This tree-lined street also has large planters filled with flowers, a mix of business and is  near Eastern Michigan University’s college of business. Simple and honest food is a welcomed fit. “I fell in love with Ypsilanti. Having moved around so much — something about setting foot here and wandering around made me comfortable. It made me feel at home,” said Bee.