The Hummingbird brings fresh fare, frozen treats to Stadium District

Southfield native Roshan Ahadi began her career in food service while studying English literature at the University of Michigan in the late ‘90s.

“I was working at a busy place called Good Time Charley’s in Ann Arbor, and I started managing there at some point,” Ahadi, 48, said. “I found that I enjoyed my job more than the school process, so I just stayed with it.”

Since then, she’s worked at national restaurant chains like McAlister’s Deli as well as regional ones like Buddy’s Pizza. She moved to Lansing in 2014 and launched her own catering company, Building Blocks of Michigan, two years later.

Ahadi closed the business when the pandemic hit, but she kept an eye out for a new culinary opportunity in the years after. Earlier this year, she discovered a 578-square-foot space in the Stadium District between Lansing Brewing Co. and Jackson Field.

“For me, it was about finding the right fit in the right place. There are new apartments going up, and it’s in close proximity to the university, the state of Michigan buildings and nonprofits. It was just kind of ideal,” she said.

In August, after several months of renovation, The Hummingbird - Sundaes and Takeaway opened its doors. It serves house-made frozen custard, sundaes and floats, baked goods, coffee and other beverages as well as seasonally informed sandwiches, wraps, salads and soups. It also offers catering, which must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance by phone, email or through the ezCater app or website. Both the regular and catering menus are available on The Hummingbird’s website.

Popular sandwich orders include the caprese melt, pulled-pork grilled cheese and the restaurant’s signature street-corn sandwich, which contains braised pork, pepper jack cheese, a spicy corn-and-pepper spread and sliced avocado.

“We have several loyal customers already that seem to have found their favorites, and that feels really good,” Ahadi said.

In choosing a name for her new venture, Ahadi took inspiration from the space itself.

“It’s a small building that’s very much dwarfed by the stadium next door and Lansing Brewing Co., and we’re kind of tiny in comparison. In addition, our main focus is on sweets, so the name really just seemed to fit the space,” she said. “I like the idea of people being able to flit in and out of here and being able to be a part of the daily slice of our community.”

In an effort to give back to the community, Ahadi donates 10% of her catering profits to the Greater Lansing Food Bank — something she began doing under her former catering company — as well as $1 from every house-made ice cream sandwich sold at the eatery.