Someone's in the 'Seasonings' Kitchen with Dinah

Dinah Brinson flutters around her café, carefully nudging colorful clay centerpieces into place, straightening pictures and positioning a collection of local syrups she plans to sell once the café opens, which will hopefully be some time next week.

"It’s the cleanest it’s ever been," Brinson says, pausing to admire the freshly painted walls and ceiling. "I like everything light and bright."

Brinson, who retired from GM three years ago after spending 30 years with the company, has worked as a waitress for almost a year now – first at the and then at , which were two of the three restaurants that .

"People say they think it’s jinxed," Brinson said, looking around the 14-chair dining area of Seasonings. "It’s not."

Brinson said the café, which is located in Goodison Station at Orion and Collins roads, just needed the right person to take over.

"I’m here to stay," she said. "People haven’t stayed, and that’s because it was waiting for me."

Chuckling, she added, "I’m just not ready to sit around at home and get fat and fade away."

From waitress to business owner

Brinson's road from retiree to waitress to restaurant owner hasn't been easy. During a routine physical a few years ago, Brinson's doctor found a tumor on her pancreas, but instead of accepting the diagnosis as a death sentence, she fought it.

And she won.

During her 17 months of treatment, Brinson – who is now cancer free – said she had time to think and reflect on her life.

"One of my regrets was that I didn’t get to open that café," she said. "That’s why I’m here."

She added, "I’m grateful for what I’ve been through and where I am now."

In a time when opening a new restaurant is risky at best, Brinson doesn't doubt that her restaurant will thrive in Oakland Township.

"It's like a dare," she said. "This is living to me."

The restaurant will feature homemade breakfast dishes, soups, salads, sandwiches and "sweet patooties," which Brinson describes as "a little morsel at the end of your meal." She also hand writes a "thought of the day" on a small piece of paper, which she gives to every customer at the end of their meal, along with a Hershey's kiss.

"It's all about the little touches," Brinson said.

"I like spices," she added. "I like things to be flavored well. I like everything fresh and delicious."

Brinson warned that she often cooks according to her mood, though she promised the food "will look good, taste good and be good for you." She also said that on "guinea pig days," customers can pay just $5 to try a brand-new dish.

Brinson said she will also sell sack lunches for folks who are short on time or who want to eat at their desks, as well as for parents of students at the nearby Baldwin Elementary School who may have forgotten to pack a lunch that day.

"My ideas are always flowing," she said.

Help wanted

Though Brinson is ready to hit the ground running, she can't open until she finds an employee to replace the one who unexpectedly recently quit.

Brinson said she is looking for a responsible full-time employee who can cook, try new recipes, bake, clean, do dishes, serve, have fun and "leave their ego at the door." Interested individuals are encouraged to call Dinah Brinson at 248-520-5419 or email her at dinahlee@att.net.

"I just can’t wait to get started," she said. "I can’t wait.”

A place to gather; a way to give back

Brinson, an Oxford resident who could have chosen any number of locations for her restaurant, specifically picked downtown Goodison because of its sense of community and natural beauty.

"I like the idea of being in this pretty community," she said. "I know who they are.”

Over the past ten months, Brinson said she has come to know many of the customers who frequented the InTown Café and Nice Day Café when she worked there, and she can't wait to see them again once Seasonings opens.

"The whole point is community," Brinson said. "This community needs a place to gather."

To Brinson, who also teaches literacy through the Oakland Literacy Council, part of being a member of this community is giving back to it.

Brinson, who was part of the at Nice Day Café this summer, also provides meals to those in need whenever she can through her Warm Bellies, Warm Hearts program.

"If we hear about it, we bring them dinner," she said. "And now that it’s my place, I’ll feed whomever I want."

Brinson said she also plans to display art by a different local artist every month with a portion of artwork sales possibly going toward a local animal shelter or other charity.

"The community has said, ‘you support us and we’ll support you,'" Brinson said. "We plan to continue that."

Seasonings will be open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

This story is part of a continuing series – – which chronicles how our community is dealing with these trying times. If you have a Dispatches story idea, please contact editor Jen Anesi at jen.anesi@patch.com.