Farmington Hills native Garri Madera is the first to admit that he is not always the funniest guy in the room. But he still found his way last month to the stage at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, a Royal Oak club that draws nationally-known talent. "Family-wise, I think I was definitely one of the funnier, goofier people," said Madera, who works at Starbucks in Farmington Hills. "But when it comes to friends, I am by no means the funniest one."  A graduate of University of Detroit Jesuit High School (after attending St. Fabian and Dunckel Middle School), Madera describes his humor as "…

Farmington Hills native Laura Labovich readily admits she has "pixie dust" in her blood.  The North Farmington High alum, who now lives in the Washington, D.C. area, has followed a career path that began with a Disney internship and now has her working with job seekers all around the country. Founder and president of The Career Strategy Group, Labovich recently released her first book — 100 Conversations for Career Success — which received the 2012 Career Innovator Award from Career Directors International.  Written with co-author Miriam Salpeter, the book helps navigate "those awkward …

This weekend, 2011 Farmington High School graduate Kimmy Hay will light up the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre stage in a production of "Legally Blonde: The Musical".  Hay plays the "pink-loving, perky sorority girl Elle Woods, who chases her ex-boyfriend, Warner, from undergraduate school to Harvard Law in hopes of proving herself worthy of being taken seriously," AnnArbor.com reports.  In 2011, Hay starred in Farmington High's production of "Urinetown", an off-beat musical about greed, corruption, love and revolution set in a fictional land that has experienced a 20-year drought. She said the …

Farmington Hills resident Julie Feldman says there's an easy way to cut through all the conflicting and confounding advice about how to maintain a healthy weight.  "I'm a strong believer in education," the North Farmington graduate says. "I think it's empowering."  A registered dietitian since 2000, Feldman went into private practice after having her second daughter eight years ago. Since then, she has used a combination of education and her own personal experience to help clients with problems ranging from celiac disease to eating disorders.  She is the author of Food News You Can Use and …

From the time he was a student at Wooddale Elementary School in Farmington Hills, Craig Hearn dreamed about being in business. Now the 1999 graduate of North Farmington High works on Hills Tech Dr. with Sector 7 Design Studio, a company he founded with partner and tech guru Brian Hernandez. Both are Novi residents, but chose to locate in Farmington Hills after speaking with  economic development director Teri Arbenowske who "had nothing but good things to say" about the area.  Hearn graduated from Michigan State and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on graphic design. But …

Ever pull up a web page and feel worse after spending time on it? Farmington Hills native Mark Ostach has, and that realization spawned the idea for mymentalspace.com, a website he hopes will soon be in use every day on college campuses, in workplaces and homes. He made the connection between mood and web browsing as he watched friends become sad while looking at an ex-girlfriend's Facebook page. Ostach knew his own mental space was affected when he would purchase something on eBay, and then have the expenditure lead to financial issues down the road.  "People don't realize those things …

There's having a passion for something ... and then there's the Ziggy mold. "As a kid, instead of bringing in cupcakes to school as my birthday treat, I would home-make and bring in chocolate suckers," said Lori Capitani, a 1990 North Farmington High graduate and co-owner of the new Capies Candies in downtown Rochester. "In fact, I still have my Ziggy mold." While Ziggy may still hold a soft spot in Lori's heart, the small, bald and trouserless comic strip icon hasn't made an appearance on the shelves of the new Capies Candies location on East Street — yet. The store prides itself in …

Cliff Donovan didn’t think twice about where he wanted to open his catering business, Grand Celebrations.  Farmington was his choice, and not only because his family had a business in the area for 40 years. This is also where he grew up. A 1977 graduate of Farmington High School, Donovan followed in his family’s footsteps because catering was “something born in to, something I know.” He is the manager and executive chef at his banquet and full service catering company, located on Grand River Ave. With room for up to 200 people, Grand Celebrations provides a fine dining and entertainment …

Jolie Skwiercz has qualified for a U.S. Olympic team, but not in a way you might expect. A 2001 Farmington High graduate, Skwiercz is part of a team that will prepare pastry and hot food for athletes and others in the organization. She earned her spot with five other chefs after preparing several desserts for judges in North Carolina. Preparing food for Olympians is not something Skwiercz ever expected to be doing. "My boss was on the website for the American Culinary Federation, and he saw there was a pastry opening (on the Olympic team)," she said. Michael Herr, who is no longer with …

Tom Mattison is following his heart, and he wants others to join him.  Mattison, the musical director and founder of Farmington-based Following your Heart Players, is hosting auditions for the new theater's first production, Jack and the Beanstalk.  Auditions will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Cheryl's School of Dance, 40500 Grand River in Novi, with call backs later that afternoon.  Hosting auditions for a show that will open Nov. 5 is just one of the first steps for the budding company's debut production. Mattison hopes that the company will grow to embody it's name.  "I was …

Steven Hartman left Michigan in 1999, headed for Los Angeles and a career in the entertainment industry. Today, he'll host a meet and greet for his first novel The Ten-Day Forecast at Biggby Coffee in at Grand River Ave. and Novi Rd. in Novi, between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. His journey from Michigan to the west coast and back started right after he graduated from North Farmington High School. Hartman attended Columbia College in Los Angeles and delved into writing scripts, but after eight years in California, he said, "I was getting frustrated with the people and the environment." At the nine-year…

Farmington High graduate Ann Elkina started blogging about food last year because she loves to cook. That passion has earned her the grand prize in Spartan Stores' and Tender Ridge Angus beef's Share and Tell recipe contest, a statewide competition held in February. Elkina's recipe for Braised Beef in Red Wine won top honors; the dish is slow-cooked, with the beef braised in Spanish red wine. "Ann's special preparation of top blade steak set her recipe apart as one that I would enjoy making and, hopefully, one that many Michigan families can enjoy eating," said Chad Schafer, Tender Ridge …

As a student at North Farmington High, Kelly Brickner never imagined she could make a living editing film. But that's exactly what the 29-year-old New York, NY resident is doing. It's a long way from the stop-action videos she made with her sister Shawn, as the two were growing up in Farmington Hills. "I was in the (North Farmington) TV-10 program," Brickner said in a phone interview while she walked to – of all things – a trapeze class. "In my senior year, I took independent study with Mr. Cobb." Teacher Dean Cobb, who is retiring this year, told Brickner she could make a living in film, …

Even though his offseason rehabilitation prevented him from experiencing the National Football League Combine fully, Farmington Hills native Mark Dell took advantage of the opportunity. After being a key figure in the Michigan State University offense since his freshman season, the former Harrison High School star aims for an NFL career. Today, that future seems in doubt, as the League early Saturday reportedly "locked out" players over a labor dispute that is now headed to U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. "I think about it all the time,” Dell said of the conflict. “I don't want it to be a…