Meet Josh Schaeding, chef and owner of The Maple Grille — a hands-on restaurateur whose work has helped shape one of Hemlock’s most distinctive gathering places.
Though his roots stretch just a few miles away in Shields, Josh’s story is deeply tied to Hemlock — the community where he built his life, his business, and a place that has become a destination for people across Michigan.
Long before formal culinary training, Josh grew up immersed in the rhythms of rural life: hunting, fishing, cooking with family, and learning where real food comes from.
“I was raised out in the garden,” he says. “That’s just what I grew up on.”
After studying culinary arts at Northern Michigan University and working in professional kitchens — including under French-trained chefs — Josh eventually returned to the Hemlock area, where a small maple syrup hobby on family property became the unexpected beginning of something much larger.
What started with tapping trees and producing syrup along Gratiot Road soon caught the attention of people driving through the Hemlock countryside. Steam rising from evaporators was often mistaken for barbecue smoke. But it sparked an idea.
When a job ended at the close of syrup season, that idea became action.
In 2011, The Maple Grille opened in Hemlock.
Built on six acres of former family property, the early days were entirely outdoors — cooking over wood-fired grills with no commercial kitchen, slowly shaping what would become one of Hemlock’s most recognizable restaurants.
“We just did it the hard way,” Josh says. “But it worked.”
That spirit still defines The Maple Grille today.
The restaurant is known throughout Hemlock and beyond for its rotating farm-to-table menu, where nearly everything is sourced locally — from whole animals prepared nose-to-tail, to vegetables grown onsite, to fish brought in from Michigan waters. The menu changes daily, guided entirely by what is fresh and available.
“If you start with the best food, it’s hard to mess it up,” he says.
But in Hemlock, The Maple Grille has become more than a restaurant. It’s a family effort and a community hub.
Josh’s wife and parents work alongside him daily, and his son attends Hemlock Middle School — part of a family whose life is firmly rooted in the community. Over the years, neighbors, friends, and local farmers have become part of the extended team, contributing produce, time, and support.
When asked to describe Hemlock in one word, he doesn’t hesitate: “Peaceful.”
After nearly 15 years of building The Maple Grille into a destination that draws guests from across Michigan, Josh is beginning to look toward a new season of life — one that includes more time outdoors, and more time on the water.
“I’m just kind of ready to pursue other interests and just get out more and enjoy it,” he says.
Even so, nothing about the present has slowed.
The Maple Grille remains fully open and actively operated by Josh and his family as the property is listed for sale in Hemlock. The goal is continuity — not disruption — ensuring what has been built continues to thrive.
“It’s just a good opportunity for somebody to take the reins,” Josh says. “And hopefully make it even bigger and better.”
In the end, The Maple Grille is more than a restaurant in Hemlock.
It is a reflection of Hemlock — built slowly, sustained by community, shaped by land, and carried by people who care deeply about both.
And at its center is someone who never set out to build a destination… just to cook good food, the right way, in the place he calls home.
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