Grand Staff
Living the Island Life
Most visitors come to Mackinac Island to leave behind the fast pace of daily life, drawn to a summer haven where cars are absent and time slows to the gentle rhythm of horse-drawn carriages and the carefree hum of bicycles gliding along tree-lined streets.
But for a handful of Grand Hotel staff members, the island is far more than a seasonal paradise. It’s home. It’s the place where they fell in love, raised children, built careers, formed heartfelt community bonds, and came to know both the beauty and the challenges woven into island life.
Where Their Stories Began
While some permanent resident staff members arrived on the island with anticipation of starting a new summer job, others have family ties to the island that date back to the 1800s. And whether life on the island began with a summer job or an unexpected love story, each staff member found something on Mackinac Island that called them to stay year round.
Holly Nitzschke, Director of Event Services at Grand Hotel, arrived on Mackinac Island to work a summer job as a server at The Jockey Club restaurant in 1997 right after graduating from college.
“I was asked to stay on in the Grand Hotel Convention department that fall, and the rest is history,” she says.
That one season turned into something much bigger, including a long-time career at Grand Hotel, a love story, and a life rooted in the charm of the island.
She met her husband Kyle on the island in 2001 and six years later they said “I do” on the hotel’s iconic West Front Porch. In 2019, they made the leap from commuting to the island from Howell, Mich., to live on the island full time, both working at Grand Hotel and raising their daughter Izzy in a world where bikes and snowmobiles replace cars, neighbors feel like family, and the rhythm of life is set by the seasons.
Some of Nitzschke’s most treasured memories on the island are the quiet, everyday moments like Izzy riding her bike down the street when the island was calm, swimming at Grand Hotel’s Esther Williams Swimming Pool, kayaking to Round Island to explore the light house, and riding by the town Christmas tree on Main Street to and from work.
“It is idyllic,” Nitzschke says.
Izzy’s school experience was just as personal. With small classes and a tight-knit community, Nitzschke says her daughter was never just a number. She was known, supported, and involved in everything from sports to clubs. Students often play on teams with kids from seventh to twelfth grade, travel to games by ferry or airplane, and are cheered on at home by local islanders.
“The most special thing about island life is the community that you become part of here,” she says. “Also watching the students grow up and succeed in school and sports. There is a community approach with each other and the students. It is really nice to be part of it.”
She says the Mackinac Island Community Foundation offers scholarships to graduating seniors who excel academically, helping them with college expenses. To encourage giving back, the foundation supports the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), made up of students and adult mentors. YAC helps with community projects, grant decisions, and other initiatives benefitting island youth. They also use community surveys to guide their grantmaking and address local youth needs.
Trish Knutson’s connection to the island is just as serendipitous. Now Grand Hotel’s Senior Director of Team Member Experience, Knutson arrived on the island as a seasonal worker in 2007.
“That summer, I met a boy sitting on a park bench downtown who was also here for his first season,” she says. “We quickly fell in love and just a year later we were married on the beach across from Grand Hotel.”
After spending time off the island and welcoming two children into their lives, Knutson and her husband felt the quiet pull of the place where their story first began. A few years ago, they returned to Mackinac Island for a simple family vacation to show their kids where they had met and married. But what started as a sentimental trip quickly became something more. Reconnecting with old friends and colleagues reminded them of the deep sense of community they had once been a part of. With the support of those longtime islanders, they began to imagine a new chapter and made the leap to move back, this time as year-round residents.
“One of the things I treasure most is how close-knit the island feels, especially for our children,” Knutson says. “Everyone knows each other’s kids. They move freely from house to house, and they’re comfortable asking any island parent for help or advice. It truly takes a village here and we’re lucky to be part of one.”
For Richard Chambers, Director of Capital Projects at Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island is legacy. His family arrived from Ireland in the 1850s and supported the growing interest in the island as a summer destination.
“My family ran retail stores during the summer season and lived in Chicago in the off-season,” Chambers says. “Around the 1920s, there was a need for a family to reside on the island year-round to care for the properties and my family has made Mackinac Island home ever since.”
One of Chambers’ fondest memories of growing up on the island was the independence he felt after learning to ride a bike to visit family and friends. He spent his summers on the lake and worked summer jobs at the Mackinac Dog House, painting houses, and bartending at the Pink Pony. Now, he shares his life with his wife Kate and their dog Bindi, serving the community through his work at Grand Hotel, the City Council, and the fire department.
Winters bring peace, connection, and the quiet magic of snow-covered trails and small-town gatherings for bingo, euchre, trivia, school sporting events, and local theatre.
“The island community is one of the most welcoming and caring,” he says.
Dustin Coleman came to the island in the summer of 2007 to work in maintenance at a local hotel and then began working at Grand Hotel that winter. In 2012, he met Chelsea, whose family has lived on the island for over 100 years. They fell in love, married in 2016, and have made a home on the island with their three children. Now, Coleman is the Senior Director of Engineering at Grand Hotel, where he says the highlights have been growing within the company and the colleagues he has met over the years who have become lifelong friends.
Though summers are demanding with seasonal work, Coleman finds peace in the little moments by golfing, biking, and spending time with family. He enjoys bowhunting whitetail deer and fishing for walleye when time allows in the fall. During winter, he coaches the island’s high school boys’ basketball team.
“One of my favorite parts of the island is how close the community is and how great of an area it is to raise our children,” Coleman said. “It is truly a small-town feel.”
For many, Mackinac Island is a peaceful summer escape. But for these dedicated longtime Grand Hotel team members, it’s much more than that. Through seasonal jobs that turned into lifelong careers, chance encounters that sparked love stories, and family ties that span generations, these individuals chose to make the island their permanent home. They’ve raised children where bikes and snowmobiles are part of everyday life, where schools are small and personal, and where the community acts as an extended family. Whether drawn by history, career, or a deep sense of belonging, they’ve found something lasting on the island through a close-knit, supportive community where life is shaped by seasons, shared traditions, and strong relationships.
Navigating Island Life
Living year-round on Mackinac Island means adapting to a rhythm that’s dictated as much by nature as by necessity. Without cars, big-box stores, or immediate access to the mainland, islanders have developed a unique blend of planning, patience, and resilience when it comes to everyday logistics.
Whether it’s stocking up on groceries, heading to a doctor’s appointment, or simply getting to work during a snowstorm, island life demands foresight.
“It all takes so much time to do anything,” Coleman says. “A 20-minute doctor’s appointment is pretty much an eight-hour day, from leaving the island to coming back. Especially in the winter.”
Nitzschke says that preparation is everything, especially in the transitional seasons.
“We are used to how we need to shop, bike our items to and from the dock, and prepare for the winter, but for someone else it might be odd,” she says. “When we shop, we put everything in tubs in the car, then move them to the island via the ferry and into our bike baskets. Or when we have good snow, pull them in the snowmobile.”
The weather is both a challenge and a defining part of the experience. As the ferry schedule shrinks and snow begins to fall, residents adjust their transportation plans.
“Everything takes longer depending on the weather,” she says. “Therefore, you need to be patient, flexible and prepared. Always dress for the weather, bring a book, snacks, and an extra charger.”
As Chambers puts it: “The transportation logistics of the island can be challenging at times. Either through the busy summer season or the winter where you may need to walk, bike, or snowmobile on any given day to get to your destination.”
Knutson says that careful choreography is required for island errands.
“Simple errands like going to the doctor or grocery shopping require extra planning,” she says. “Every off-island trip starts with a few key questions: What’s the boat schedule? Will we need to stay overnight for an early appointment? Do I have enough totes for groceries? And how are we getting everything home, by bike or dray?”
Over time, those questions become second nature. It’s part of a lifestyle that blends tradition with tenacity. And while it may not be convenient, many residents find deep satisfaction in the pace and intention of island living.
That adaptability is also a point of pride. Islanders aren’t just survivors of their environment, they’re stewards of it. Each snowmobile ride, bike haul, or bundled-up walk is a reminder of the beauty and resilience that come with calling Mackinac Island home.
Grand Rituals
The Enduring Elegance of Dressing for Dinner
At Grand Hotel, we say, “Every evening is a celebration,” and it is not just a sentiment, it is a way of life. As the sun begins to lower over Mackinac Island, the atmosphere within the hotel gently shifts. Guests begin to emerge from their rooms, transformed not just by their attire, but by a shared understanding that they are stepping into something greater than a dinner reservation. They are stepping into tradition. Grand Hotel’s Dress Guide is more than a guideline. It is a thoughtful nod to over a century of ritual, grace, and celebration. It is a bridge that connects us to 139 seasons of timeless elegance, when ladies and gentlemen gathered in The Parlor, the Main Dining Room, and the Terrace Room not only to dine and dance, but to be part of something meaningful.
These spaces are far more than rooms. They are living chapters of history and joy. In the glimmer of chandeliers and the gentle reflections of vintage mirrors, you can almost see the memories that have unfolded within them. A couple celebrating their anniversary in the 1920s. A family reunion in the 1960s. Young couples sharing their first dance in the Terrace Room. Tonight, just as in years past, new memories are being made.
To dress for dinner at Grand Hotel is to take a moment to pause and prepare. It is a simple yet profound gesture that honors the experience to come. In a world where casualness has become common in nearly every setting, from offices to churches and restaurants, there is a deep beauty in the intentional act of dressing up. Here, formality is not about fashion or status. It is about respect: For the evening, for the company, and for the legacy of the hotel.
Dinner in the Main Dining Room is more than a meal. It is a curated experience designed to be savored. Whether dining as a couple, a family, or a group of friends, the five-course dinner is a celebration of time well spent. Each course is thoughtfully prepared by Grand Hotel’s culinary team and complemented by wines selected by our Master Sommelier. The experience invites guests to slow down, to enjoy each other’s company, and to delight in the pleasures of great food and great conversation.
After dinner, the evening continues with grace and ease. Guests may retire to the Parlor for a cordial or a demitasse of coffee. Soon, the music begins in the Terrace Room, and guests are invited to dance the night away to the sounds of the Grand Hotel Orchestra. This rhythm of the evening has played out hundreds of evenings each season for 139 seasons.
Throughout these many decades, fashion has changed in dramatic ways. Styles have shifted, trends have come and gone, and the world has grown more informal. Yet the spirit of evening elegance has remained at Grand Hotel. The dress guide has endured because it still speaks to something people long for, including beauty, grace, and the chance to be part of something meaningful.
Families often share how much they look forward to dressing up for dinner. Guests take photos that become cherished keepsakes. Children proudly wear suits and dresses they might never have worn elsewhere.
“Some may ask why we still require formal attire,” says President of Grand Hotel David Jurcak. “The answer is simple. Just look into the Main Dining Room on any evening, where any night of the year there are 600 to 800 guests dressed with care and intention. The tradition is alive, and it is deeply loved.”
When guests choose to honor the dress code, they are doing more than following a rule. They are participating in a living tradition. They are continuing a ritual that has been passed from generation to generation. They are helping preserve a rare place in America where formality still matters, where good manners are expected, and where dressing for dinner is still part of the experience.
“In the end, the dress code is not about what we wear,” says Jurcak. “It is about what we value. At Grand Hotel, it is a way to show that the evening matters, that celebration matters, and that our time together is worth elevating. Here, every evening truly is a celebration. And celebrations deserve to be honored with intention, with tradition, and with elegance.”
Grand History
Chef Taylor Mayo Brings Historic Culinary Glamour to Life at Baroque
With this year’s debut of Baroque, a stunning new bar and small plates dining concept at Grand Hotel reimagined in classic Baroque style by Dorothy Draper & Company, a bold and glamorous new era has begun where vintage sophistication meets modern luxury. At the heart of this transformation is the culinary vision of Executive Sous Chef Taylor Mayo, whose thoughtful, historically inspired creations bring the spirit of Baroque to life one exquisitely crafted dish at a time.
A seasoned culinary professional, Mayo has spent most of his career at hotels, from luxury city-center properties to independent and boutique hotels, as well as restaurants, catering, and working as a private chef. He joined Grand Hotel in 2024 as Banquet Chef and is now in his second season. His inspiration for the Baroque menu stems from the ornate, opulent style of 20th-century Modern Baroque style, drawing on the elegance of a bygone era to shape his contemporary interpretations. Through Mayo’s culinary vision, Baroque is more than a beautifully reimagined space. It becomes a sensorial journey into the past, elevated by the techniques and tastes of today.
“I wanted to convey a classic idea with modern approaches to the food being served at Baroque,” Mayo says. “When guests dine at Baroque, we hope they feel transported to a time when hotel elegance met modern sophistication.”
Baroque’s menu is a journey through refinement, designed to mirror the bar’s elevated spirit program and theatrical approach to mixology. Every dish is intentional, crafted not only to complement rare whiskies, Champagne, and craft cocktails, but to elevate the entire sensory experience.
With dishes like butter-poached lobster bruschetta adorned with flaked gold, the small plates and salads are both luxurious and approachable. The chef’s Grand Waldorf Salad was inspired by the original dish served at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and embodies the ethos through a classic recreation with subtle changes in ingredients and an elegant, contemporary presentation.
“My inspiration for the Grand Waldorf Salad comes from Waldorf Astoria, the iconic art deco hotel in New York City that created the Waldorf Salad, with a slight change in the ingredients and presentation to make it ‘Grand’, ” Mayo says.
Now, guests can bring a taste of Baroque home with Chef Taylor Mayo’s inspired take on this iconic dish with his recipe below, featuring a refined blend of classic flavors and modern elegance that capture the spirit of Grand Hotel’s newest culinary experience.
Grand Waldorf Salad
Ingredients:
3 oz. Lola Rosa Lettuce, washed and dried
1 oz. honey crisp apple, diced
1 oz. Granny Smith apple, diced
1 oz. red seedless grapes, cut in half
1 oz. green seedless grapes, cut in half
1 oz. toasted black walnuts, lightly crumbled
2 oz. buttermilk chive dressing, separated
2 oz. cranberry walnut toast (or bread of choice), toasted and cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
Buttermilk Chive Dressing
Ingredients:
1 cup ranch dressing of choice
1 tbsp. chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix ingredients together, adjust seasoning if needed.
Steps:
1. In a mixing bowl, gently toss lettuce in 1 oz. of buttermilk chive dressing, adjust seasoning if needed
2. Arrange lettuce in salad bowl or plate
3. Toss grapes and apples in remaining 1 oz. of buttermilk chive dressing and arrange next to lettuce but not on top
4. Sprinkle toasted black walnuts on top of grape and apple mixture
5. Serve with cranberry walnut toast (or bread of choice).
