Desmond Berry is chief executive officer of 7th Legacy, a Traverse City-based firm that offers its services to Native American-owned businesses and tribal governments, but some community members may know him better as co-owner of the restaurants Bay Burrito and Bay Pizzeria in Suttons Bay.
Berry explained that the name of 7th Legacy refers to the Anishinaabek belief that, prior to making an important decision, one should consider its potential impact seven generations down the line.
“We’re taught to look ahead for seven generations when we make decisions today. We’re also taught to remember that we were somebody’s seventh generation — they thought of us. So, the way you live your life is balancing between planning for seven generations in the future, but then honoring those ancestors who planned for you seven generations ago,” Berry said. “Everybody in society understands legacy,” Berry continued. “And that’s what we’re trying to create. We’re trying to create that for our children, our grandchildren, and our community.”
Berry said that 7th Legacy started as environmental consultants. He co-founded the organization with Kristine Ingrao, and both Berry and Ingrao previously worked in the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indian’s Natural Resources Department. Berry said their environmental background helped sovereign tribes that “weren’t as developed as the Grand Traverse Band.”
But Berry described 7th Legacy more broadly as “facilitators.” They bring together tribal units, citizens, and nonprofi t and for-profit organizations, which often have their own unique goals and objectives, and encourage collaboration between them.
Berry and Ingrao established 7th Legacy in 2018 and later entered the restaurant industry together with the purchase of Bay Burrito in Suttons Bay in 2021. Berry’s son, Caleb, was already working at Bay Burrito under different ownership, but the restaurant was struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seeing this, Berry got the idea to purchase the restaurant. He decided to pursue joint ownership with his long-term business partner, Ingrao. Many of the staff at Bay Burrito and Bay Pizzeria are Berry and Ingrao’s relatives, including Berry’s wife, Anita, and their two sons, as well as Ingrao’s daughter.
“I wanted to spend 7th Legacy money on Bay Burrito, and we agreed, when we went into business with each other, that whatever we did, we did as a partnership,” Berry said. “Her family and my family are close. We relate to each other as aunts and uncles, and our kids call each other cousins, because of that work relationship we’ve had, which is going on three decades now.”
When the neighboring pizzeria Premonitions went up for sale earlier this year, Berry and Ingrao purchased it in July and rebranded it to Bay Pizzeria, making it a sister shop to Bay Burrito. Berry said they plan to keep Bay Pizzeria open five days a week through the winter, unlike Bay Burrito, which closed in the fall.
Berry’s ownership of a business and environmental consulting firm and two small restaurants may seem like an odd combination. But Berry said all three things share a common thread in promoting community and synergizing with other local businesses.
“I love the way (food) brings people together and people can find some common ground — even people who are at odds with each other can sit down and have a meal, enjoy it, and find ways to connect,” Berry said.
Berry was born in the central part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Manistique, but his grandfather was a tribal citizen in Peshawbestown. Some items on Bay Pizzeria’s menu reveal Berry’s roots north of the Mackinac Bridge.
Berry said he started visiting the Leelanau Peninsula regularly to see his grandfather when he was 14 years old. He currently lives with his wife and two of his five children near Suttons Bay, with the other three having flown the coop.
