Owners of Steve's Backroom Honored

Charlie and Bouchra Raffoul of  have been having a great year.

Their restaurant has been doing well, their new bar area and bread oven are about to be completed to add to the venue's offerings, and they recently received the Small Business Award for Development and Technology of the State of Michigan 2010.

Thousands were nominated, and only one winner in each of 12 regions across Michigan were chosen. The Raffouls are representing the Macomb/St. Clair region.

A panel of experts selected their winners from prospective candidates and chose a winner dependant on the number of people who successfully negotiated a small business loan, and who show they are true motivators in trying to improve Michigan's economy.

"We were very fortunate to have a great team for the negotiation process and making the right deal," states Charlie Raffoul. "It was a seven month process, but we stayed patient and presented them with whatever information was desired."

The Raffouls have been in the food industry for over 23 years, with the location on Jefferson open for the last four--doing well chiefly due to Bouchra's old world recipes.

They feel the has a lot of potential, and Raffoul truly respects the cohesiveness that the other restaurant owners on Jefferson have.

"We all have a vision and believe in this area. We truly want to improve the area and are trying to work together to create a wonderful district," he said.