News FIle Photo Chef Eric Peterson, owner of the Fresh Palate and Nucleus Lounge, talks about the future of Alpena in this 2022 News archive photo.

ALPENA — A leader in optimism and positivity, Eric Peterson has worked hard to make things happen in Alpena.

From expanding the Fresh Palate to adding the Nucleus Lounge in the Center Building to heading up the Sunrise Suds Tap Takeover beer festival and partnering with the Alpena Blues Coalition to host the Alpena Blues Festival, Peterson is a big part of why downtown Alpena thrives.

On top of the events he organizes, Peterson also is a social justice champion and inspires others to be kind by volunteering his time and food to organizations such as the United Way.

But he really doesn’t like to toot his own horn. He just cares about his hometown and wants others to care about it, too.

Peterson grew up in Presque Isle and graduated from Alpena High School in 1997. Like many, he left Alpena as a young man but came back after realizing the potential of this town and the beauty of the area. He attended culinary school in Portland, Oregon, then did an apprenticeship in San Francisco, lived there for a while, and worked for a five-star restaurant there.

He also spent some time in Hawaii, but decided he wanted to move back to Michigan, where his whole family lived.

He knew Alpena was a great place to raise a family, so he moved back.

In a December interview, Peterson called Alpena “a community that sticks together and really thrives together.

“It’s really hard to find that in big cities, and any other city that’s not your hometown,” he said.

He moved back in 2002 and worked at the Court Yard Ristorante, a staple of fine dining in Alpena, and then opened a catering company.

In March 2009, he opened the Fresh Palate, a farm-to-table restaurant that serves a variety of lunch and dinner options using fresh, local, organic ingredients.

“I knew I’d be ahead of the game,” he said of his restaurant concept, which was new to Alpena at the time. “In two weeks, I renovated the whole thing and put a menu together that I still use today.”

In true Alpena style, some of his patrons have ordered the same thing for the past 12 years, he said, which blows his mind. But Alpena likes sameness, and progress requires change.

Peterson sees a bright future for Alpena.

“I really think it’s shaping up the way that it needs to,” he said. “I feel that there’s a new vibration, a new energy, especially here, that started in the downtown area, that is expanding all the way to the hospital to almost to the south side now.”

He said the new city manager, hired in December 2019, and city council members contribute to the positive direction Alpena is headed.

“This new young blood coming in, I think they have a more broad view of what it takes to make a community flip from an industrial community to a tourist community,” Peterson said. “We need some of that outside blood … So, I think the new blood in the administration and the council, some of these people are coming from out of town, from towns that have already converted themselves, so they have fresh ideas.”

He added that “having Anne Gentry on the (Alpena Downtown Development Authority) is so helpful. And Mary Beth (Stutzman) with the (Alpena Area Convention and Visitors Bureau) does amazing work for Alpena.”

Peterson gets out and about to see what other cities are doing, too.

“I travel often, to just check myself and make sure I’m keeping up with what the new trends are,” Peterson said. “Keeping that creative juice flowing keeps that energy of the Alpena vibe alive and pushes new things to happen, like my brother.”

His brother, Kevin Peterson, opened Red Brick Tap and Barrel around the corner from the Fresh Palate, where the old Dry Dock bar used to be. Now, instead of a dive bar, locals and visitors enjoy a unique, upscale dinner and a wide variety of craft brews and signature cocktails at the Red Brick, owned by Kevin Peterson and Corey Canute.

Eric Peterson said his brother’s restaurant is “only a year old, and he’s already got new projects on the horizon.”

For one, Red Brick purchased from The News the lot next to the Red Brick on River Street for use during the warmer months. It may be a coincidence, but the brothers also share the same numbers in their restaurant addresses, at 109 River St. and 109 N. 2nd Ave.

“I think we’re all on the right path,” Eric Peterson said. “It’s just, Alpena takes its time. And it’s not for lack of trying. It’s a little bit of pushback, along with a little bit of hesitation, and a little bit of ‘Eh, it’ll get here when it gets here.’ We’re pretty laid-back people, which I think is part of the sell of Alpena.”

Alpena is known as “the Sanctuary of the Great Lakes,” which implies a relaxed tone, but a lot of energy has been brewing lately, including the new downtown brewery, Hopside, on Chisholm Street.

“We also have, potentially, another hotel coming in downtown, and that’s going to really vibe it up,” Eric Peterson said. “The north side is getting bought up, and buildings are being improved, so that’s helpful, too.”

Overall, Eric Peterson is glad to be in Alpena, and he knows it’s going to keep progressing.

“I just think it needs to go towards tourism,” he added. “We need to really highlight the natural features we have around here. With that being said, Alpena needs more restaurants, more shops, more things to do, more rainy-day stuff. A lot of people come up here and they go to their cottage, and they’re fine, because they’re hibernating from downstate, where it’s just crazy busy, so they’re fine with just staying at the cottage. But, on those rainy days, when they come into town, they want things to do … We just need to fill that void.”

He said it’s not easy to run your own business, but it’s worth it to him.

“The determinism comes from wanting the chaos over the comfort,” Eric Peterson said.

Darby Hinkley is Lifestyles editor. She can be reached at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@thealpenanews.com.