I was born in Detroit. Nine months later, my brother was born (yeah...figure that one out). While my mom was in labor, she could hear gunfire. When she left the hospital, tanks occupied the streets. It was the 1967 riots. My parents and I were living with my grandparents in a 1906 town house on the corner of Scotten and Bagley in Mexican Village. Like so many other folks, my parents decided to move to the suburbs. But my grandparents remained in Mexican Village. For the next eighteen years, my brother and I would spend weeks at a time with them. We'd roam the alleys, explore abandoned structures, walk into bars, dumpster dive, play stickball with the local kids, and occasionally be challenged to a fight. We were easy targets. But we held our own. Kids fight in the suburbs too.

My grandparents came to Detroit in the early-fifties from Malta, a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea. They spoke Maltese mixed with some occasional broken-English to let us know it was time to eat or that we should eat more. My grandma cooked 24 hours a day. She made everything from scratch. My brother and I would play with the rabbits they raised in the basement. One day I happened to walk in on a bunny sacrifice. Until then, I hadn't connected these "pets" with my grandpa's famous Christmas stew. It was a bit shocking. I think I skipped the stew that year.

Their townhouse faced Clark Park. I have fond memories sitting on the front porch with my grandpa watching the tricked-out, bass-booming, low-riders, parading by, blaring salsa music, while my gramps smoked cigarettes and drank wine. Those were good times. All that remains today is a vacant lot and good memories. RIP grandma and grandpa.

This is why I was determined to get HFD into Honey Bee Market. Mexican Village is part of my history.

Honey Bee Market specializes in foods from Central America and has everything you need to please your taste buds. This is where I gathered all the chile peppers to develop the HFD recipes. I haven't found a better selection of chile peppers anywhere!

"The name Honey Bee La Colmena has a special meaning. Honey Bee represents the customers, and La Colmena is the hive (store) where the bees gather. From a secret family recipe, the store makes 30,000 pounds of chorizo (spicy Mexican sausage) a year, it's bestselling product."

You owe it to yourself to visit Honey Bee Market! It's an amazing store! Please tell them HELL FIRE DETROIT put the buzz in your ear.

Honey Bee Market
2443 Bagley Ave.
Detroit, MI 48216
313-237-0295
Map

Thanks for reading.
Don