Marrow Co-Founder Sarah Welch Is Leaving Detroit for Traverse City

Chef Sarah Welch is leaving Eater Award-winning Marrow restaurant and butcher shop to move to Northern Michigan. Welch, who in 2018 helped launch Marrow, is opening a restaurant in Traverse City with her husband Cameron Rolka. Welch’s last day at Marrow will be on Wednesday, April 30. Even after her departure, she’ll retain a small ownership share. She’ll continue to co-own the seafood-centric tasting menu eatery Mink in Corktown, where her husband is the chef. The Traverse City project will be independent of Marrow. Welch tells Eater she yearned for the days when she had more control of the restaurant. In an Instagram post, Welch says that while she’s appreciative of the Marrow team, she bluntly writes that Marrow “has become something I no longer want to be at the helm of.” “I feel like the bigger it grows, the less control I have over it. I just wanted to reinvest myself in something that I have full control over because I feel like we’ve just done so much at Marrow, and I am really proud of it, and I kind of want to just leave on a high note,” Welch says in an interview with Eater. [Media: https://www.instagram.com/p/DIed7Xrvhfz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link%5Cu0026igsh%3DMzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D] Details about the Traverse City restaurant are scarce, but in the same social media post, Welch writes that they’ve signed a purchase agreement and received pre-approval on a loan. They join an increasing number of restaurateurs opening spaces in Traverse City, including the ownership of Cook’s House. Chefs Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson are Michigan’s only 2025 James Beard Award finalists. Welch mentioned the restaurant in her social media post. Welch was in 2022 was a contestant on the 19th season of the cooking reality show Top Chef in Houston. She hopes to be able to introduce Traverse City diners to a new option for intentionally-sourced oysters — a staple of the menu at Mink. Welch says she gave notice to her team in October. Chefs Eddie Moreau and Emily Katz will continue to lead Marrow’s West Village kitchen, according to a statement from Marrow co-owner Ping Ho. Moreau and Katz have been driving menu development and execution since last year, while Welch focused on the December launch of the brand’s new casual restaurant in Birmingham. Ownership also plans to add a group culinary director position and other roles to oversee operations. As Welch alluded to, Marrow is in the midst of major growth, thanks in large part to an increased demand for ethically sourced and locally raised meat, a market it accelerated when it first opened. Another avenue for growth: retail sales of Marrow’s line of packaged sausages available in 54 grocery stores and specialty markets across Michigan. “I think that the goal is to grow because we’re growing the supply chain,” Welch says. “It’s like, if you grow the supply chain, you need outlets to move [the meat].” Then, there’s the ambitious renovation of the 14,000-square-foot former Capital Poultry building at 2442 Riopelle Street that Marrow purchased in 2021 that, when it opens in the fall, will become Marrow in the Market and include a restaurant and bar with patio seating, a butcher shop, and a USDA-inspected meat processing facility. Ho, a former music exec, continues to maintain ownership of Marrow, along with investors, the founders of Brand:Detroit — Roger Ehrenberg, Andrew Ehrenberg, and Jon Opdkye. “Having our own processing facility and hub will allow us to ‘show how the sausage is made’ and ramp up our production and growth. This is a long-term investment in supporting and growing the local ‘good meat’ food movement across the entire supply chain,” said Ho in a statement. Welch wants to take a different direction. “I don’t want to be a sausage girl or a burger girl, no shade to burgers and sausage,” says Welch. For Detroiters wanting a chance to say goodbye before the move, Welch and Rolka are planning a multi-course pop-up dining event with two seatings on Sunday, April 27, at the Marrow’s suburban location and the Host Utica event space.