Two British content creators with millions of followers have made Detroit a key stop on their winter road trip across Michigan — complete with coney dogs, Detroit-style pizza with a new Jet’s Pizza collaboration, and a Ford Field visit.
Josh Cauldwell-Clarke and Jason “Jase” Riley, known online as Josh and Jase, are United Kingdom-based social media personalities currently documenting their travels across the Great Lakes state. The duo, which has more than 5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, arrived in the state earlier this month and reached metro Detroit this week.
While in Detroit, they stopped at Lafayette Coney Island and posted a video of themselves inside Ford Field, where they were greeted with a “Welcome to Ford Field Josh and Jase” sign inside the stadium.
On Jan. 28, the pair filmed at Jet’s Pizza on Harper Ave in St. Clair Shores, where they announced a limited-time collaboration with the Michigan-based chain.
Jet’s Pizza said it reached out to Josh and Jase after seeing that they were traveling through the state.”We’re huge fans of theirs and wanted to introduce them to true Detroit-style pizza,” said Mandy Holliday, Jet’s marketing specialist, in a statement to the Free Press. “After a few conversations, we realized there was a natural opportunity to partner — Josh & Jase share the same fun, friendly, and passionate spirit.”
The result is the Josh & Jase Special: an eight-corner ultimate pepperoni Detroit-style pizza paired with a bottle of ranch for $22.99.
“Together, we created a special that feels like a true slice of Michigan,” Holliday said.
The special is available for a limited time — until Feb. 5 — online and in-store at all Jet’s Pizza locations across Michigan. Metro Detroit marked the latest stop on a Michigan trip that began Jan. 10 and has leaned heavily on follower recommendations, a hallmark of the creators’ content.
In an announcement video revealing their destination after obtaining their U.S. visas, Jase told their audience, “There’s only one place it could’ve been,” before the duo revealed their University of Michigan hats and shouted, “Michigan!”
“It is freezing!” Josh added.
Their first stop was South Haven, followed by visits to Saugatuck, Holland and Grand Rapids. Along the way, they sampled local restaurants, climbed Mount Baldhead, and shared their enthusiastic, pleasant reactions to the food.
“We’re on a journey to try a lot of Midwestern food,” Josh said in one of their early Michigan videos.
The trip continued north to Traverse City, where they visited Sleder’s Family Tavern, Michigan’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, established in 1882. They also went sledding at Sleeping Bear Dunes before heading to Boyne Mountain for its winter activities.
The journey briefly paused Jan. 19, when Josh was hospitalized with a bulging disc and a ligament tear in his lower back.
“When I said I wanted to experience everything American, the health care system was not on my bucket list,” Josh wrote on Facebook. “Well, at least I can tick that one off now.”
After resting, the pair resumed their journey, heading to the Upper Peninsula. Stops included Marquette, Pictured Rocks, Copper Harbor and Mackinac Island, where they tried ice fishing and snowmobiling for the first time, according to their social media posts.
Fans also pushed them to try Vernors, a Michigan staple and the oldest continuously sold soda in the United States. So they did.
“That’s nice. Very sugary,” Josh said in reaction to the Vernors.
“I can feel my cold going,” Jase added. “Do people in Michigan have this on like an IV?”
“People have been saying in my comments that this could cure my back injury,” Josh said. “I don’t know what that means, but if it does, I’m going to keep drinking it.”
Beyond coney dogs, Detroit-style pizza and Vernors, the duo sampled onion rings with house-made ranch and perch at Clementine’s in South Haven, pasties at Homemade Pasties in St. Ignace, a Reuben sandwich and a burger at Sleder’s in Traverse City and much more.
Comments across their social media platforms have been filled with recommendations for restaurants to visit and things to do around Michigan.
Even Pure Michigan joined in, commenting on their announcement video: “Cold? Yes. Worth it? Always. Welcome to Michigan! Looks like the comments are full of good recs, but we’ve got more if you need them.”
The rest of Josh and Jase’s adventures can be followed on their socials, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U.K. influencers Josh and Jase visit Detroit, team up with Jet’s Pizza
Reporting by Nour Rahal, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
