Americans love going out for breakfast, and restaurants that cater to their passion are sure to gain lifelong patrons.

That would be the hope of Val Tinaj.

Tinaj (pronounced tin-EYE) and Chef Israel Lona are co-owners of Bread & Roses, a new restaurant in Shelby Township that not only serves up a hearty breakfast and lunch -- featuring farm-to-table ingredients such as greenhouse tomatoes and fresh strawberries -- but several dishes that are sure to become house favorites.

Their house-made bread and strawberry jam are only side dishes and already something people ask for.

“I wanted to do something different,” said Tinaj, who was working on his master’s degree in financing and headed for a career on Wall Street when he realized that the confines of an office life and its lack of interaction with people were not to his liking.

“I have to love what I do and I enjoy greeting people and talking to people,” said Tinaj.

So, he left school and after deciding that the hospitality industry would be more to his liking purchased a small delicatessen in Warren. His family and friends warned him not to buy it. After all – it was 2008 – and the economy during the Great Recession had hit rock bottom. However, he was determined to make a go of it and within two years was not only still in business but doing very well.

“I was returning a profit that was unbelievable,” Tinaj said.

After several years of operating the business, Tinaj heard about a piece of commercial property being developed near his home in Shelby Township and asked the developer to keep him in mind, that he was interested in opening a new restaurant.

“I told him when it happens I want to be in there,” Tinaj said.

A year before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered restaurants to be closed in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Tinaj signed a lease for 2,800 square feet of space. Then he went to work preparing for the eventual opening of his new eatery, including coming up with a menu and finding farmers that could provide him with fresh ingredients.

As it turned out – that was the easy part.

“When I talked to the farmers they were like, ‘Wow, this is awesome. We’ve never had anyone approach us before. We want to see more people like you out here,’” Tinaj said.

As for the menu – it includes everything from traditional bacon and eggs to lemon ricotta pancakes with house-made strawberry coulis (fruit sauce) or smoked salmon served on multigrain artisan bread to house made soups and fresh salads – Tinaj and Chef Lona worked together to come up with wholesome variety for everyone. There’s even a children’s menu.

“The French toast and homemade jams are amazing,” said Martha Norkus, who attended the restaurant with her friend Kathie Horn. “The sandwiches are very good, too, and the portions are large.”

Both Norkus and Horn also liked the decor of the upscale but cozy eatery with haute cuisine that derives its name from the American women’s suffrage movement and a speech given by activist Helen Todd about “bread for all, and roses, too.”

“That was my wife’s idea,” Tinaj said, of his wife and partner for 12 years, Arsilda Tinaj.

Bread & Roses is at 56258 Van Dyke, just south of 26 Mile Road in Shelby Township.

Hours: Monday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information visit breadandroses.restaurant or call 586-697-5781.