Kate Williams’ Lady of the House Lands in North Corktown Auto Shop

When Kate William left Republic last spring just a few months after its opening, many diners were left scratching their heads. The chef's involvement in two high-profile G.A.R. Castle projects had been hotly anticipated and early reviews of Republic were positive. Williams assured reporters that she left on good terms to pursue a new project in the Detroit area, but played coy about the details until August when Lady of the House officially received its name. Now, in an interview with The Detroit Free Press, Williams' reveals that Lady of the House will take up residence in a former auto shop building near 14th and Perry in North Corktown.

Williams, who lives in the Corktown neighborhood, tells Sylvia Rector that the location caught her eye about seven month before Republic debuted: "I said, ‘That's my restaurant. That's what I want to be in,'" The 4,000-square-foot building will seat around 40 diners, with a bar and café that's tucked into the curved corner of the building. Williams says the design will include an open kitchen and a garage door connecting to a patio.

The chef says she plans to offer her rustic food that's well made — neither casual nor white tablecloth. She recently launched a national pop-up tour, and says she hopes to see Lady of the House open by July if rezoning, permitting, construction, and inspections go smoothly.

Correction: A caption previously identified the auto shop as "vacant." A reader has pointed out that it was in fact previously occupied by Practice-Space. We regret the error and have updated it.