HICKORY CORNERS, MI — “If we had a potbellied wooden range right here, we’d collect round and chitchat,” stated Sandra Kiger of her “loyal locals” who frequent Dandelion Café & Bakery, situated east of Gull Lake only a block from lakefront properties.
Kiger is aware of lots of her visitors by title, however nonetheless has new folks coming in each day to strive her hippie hash, stuffed French toast and her three-egg omelets.
The home specialty omelet, the Dandelion, overflows with house-made corned beef hash, onions, mushrooms, sausage, roasted crimson peppers and cheddar cheese. The French toast is made with home brioche, full of cream cheese, raspberry filling and topped with recent berries and powdered sugar. The hippie hash? It simply must be tried.
Every part served on the café is comprised of scratch utilizing as a lot natural and non-GMO components as attainable and crafted in small batches, stated Kiger, who prides herself on being farm-to-table and utilizing Michigan meats, produce, fruits, honey and maple syrup.
Along with sourcing meals from native farms, she retailers independently for her fruits and avocados and affords house-made jam, at the moment strawberry, with no matter is in season, she stated.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I used to be retired,” stated Kiger, 76. “I didn’t know if we’d make it via COVID.”
Since popping out the opposite aspect, she’s minimize the dimensions of the restaurant in half (increasing the dimensions of the adjoining condo which she lives in consequently). The café seats 22 comfortably inside and has two out of doors eating areas as properly. Kiger has additionally shortened the times she is open to simply Monday-Friday.
“A few of our prospects weren’t joyful about us being closed on weekends, however I feel they’re simply joyful we’re nonetheless right here,” she stated.
Kiger, who used to function a mattress and breakfast at Stoney Hill Farm, south of Vermontville, purchased the 100-year-old constructing that’s dwelling to Dandelion Café & Bakery together with her then-husband 20 years in the past. The constructing, vacant on the time, had beforehand served as a gasoline station, liquor/celebration retailer, film rental enterprise and ice cream parlor — on the similar time.
She had plans to show it right into a small condo constructing, however stopped at two flats and opened what’s now the café. For the primary couple years it served as a deli/bakery/ice cream parlor and small grocery, however as issues developed, “the grocery aisles light away and extra tables got here in,” and it turned a full-fledged café by 2006.
And whereas Kiger does an even bigger breakfast than lunch on a day-to-day foundation, the wholesome parts, healthiness of them and pleasant service have folks clamoring for Reubens and membership sandwiches each day — and coming in for lunch specials resembling Kiger’s mac and cheese and meat loaf and her Walleye Burgers.
Kiger does all of the baking every morning herself and likewise prepares the lunch specials each day, she stated.
She sources her meats and greens regionally from Otto’s Turkey Farm in Middleville, Inexperienced Goddess Farms in Hickory Corners and Inexperienced Gardens in Battle Creek and likewise will get her brisket from Grobbel’s Gourmand Deli in Detroit. The brisket and the turkey, each, she stated, are thick and hand-sliced — one thing prospects love when coming to the café for lunch.
“I don’t even personal a slicer right here,” Kiger stated.
It’s Kiger’s persona and her touches on the café, which have stored her “loyal locals,” simply that — loyal.
Bruce and Lisa Scott, who stopped in for lunch on Oct. 1, have been coming to the café because it opened.
The café is “all the time clear, with lovely recent flowers,” Lisa Scott stated. “Identical to a neighborhood café must be, one you’d see within the films.”
For extra info, go to the Dandelion Café on Facebook or name 269-731-2005. The café, at 1396 E. Gull Lake Drive, is open from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday-Friday and breakfast is served till midday each day.
Kiger additionally hosts a Bible examine on the café each Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. And, similar to for breakfast and lunch, everyone seems to be welcome.
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