Denise Ilitch truly sets the standard for what it means to be a female entrepreneur!
Personally, I have been blessed to have her as a mentor in my life! She graciously took a few minutes to share the inside scoop on one of her newest ventures. Read below as this #GIRLBOSS shares advice on style, career and more!
{SS}: Congratulations on your newest venture, 220 Merrill Restaurant. Can you tell us a bit about your inspiration behind the inception of the restaurant?
{DI}: 220 Merrill is a historic building. It was built in 1932 and it is the old Detroit Edison building. It is rich in history and many people have a lot of memories around the building. I fell in love with it! When my partner and I decided to purchase it, there was a restaurant that was part of the building. Instead of leasing it to a third party, we decided to renovate the restaurant and reopen it as 220 Merrill. Both of us are in the restaurant business, so it was natural to recreate 220 to 2014 standards.
Our vision was to create a state of the art restaurant that had a sophisticated feel. We wanted our guests to feel inspired and lifted when they spent time there. So we hired a Chicago architect to bring our vision to a reality.
{SS}: In your opinion what are the must order items from the menu? {DI}: Must orders are the heirloom tomatoes with burrata cheese and lobster. The short rib is phenomenal. I love the fresh pea salad with creme fraiche. The fresh warm baguette of bread with Parmesan and butter is wonderful. It is complimentary! And the flat bread with farm egg and ricotta is another of my favorites.
{SS}: Your current favorite dish? {DI}: My favorite dish is the Chicken in a Pot.
{SS}: What does it take to be a "leading lady" in Business? 
{DI}: My 3 favorite tips are - confidence, courage and a can do attitude. My tip on balancing, is to not be hard on oneself. We are all doing the best we can.
Now onto a few fashion & lifestyle questions! …
{SS}: In regards to your personal style, do you have a signature accessory? {DI}: A signature accessory for me would be my diamond stud earrings…they go with everything.{SS}: A few items in your "Styleshack" A.K.A closet that you can't live without? {DI} I love accessories so it would be my collection of shoes and purses. I like to dress classic and then push the envelope with bright exciting accessories.
{SS}: Who inspires your style? Favorite Style Icon? {
DI}: One of my favorite lines is Vince. Coco Chanel is my favorite style icon. Kate Spade is fresh and fun.
{SS}: Favorite Blog? {DI}: Huffington Post 
{SS}: Currently, what is your favorite go-to mobile App?{DI}: Instagram! 
{SS}: Favorite local Boutique?{DI}: Lori Karbal
{SS}: Currently listening to… (music, audio book… anything) {DI}: I love all music. Maroon 5 and Rhianna are my fav!
{SS}: Summer read? {DI}: "What Alice Forgot" by Liane Moriarty
{SS}: Words to Live by?
{DI}: "When a door shuts, a window opens"
…also, The Golden Rule- Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.