| The
Cookery (continued)
After casually conversing with the owner about their dreams to own a
restaurant in Minneapolis, Hazel convinced the Skares to investigate the
purchase of a local business – the 1,000-square foot Blue Willow
Café.
“We tend to do things impulsively,” Carol says. “It
just felt right, so we put in an offer during our honeymoon.” The
Blue Willow was soon renamed The Cookery. And, after 30 years, the love
of the restaurant business hasn’t diminished. “I read, eat
and sleep it,” Carol says. “It’s in my blood. It’s
a fun passion – I think that it’s exciting.”
The restaurant’s square footage is now over three times the size
of the Blue Willow, with seating for 85. From three spacious bay windows,
the restaurant’s above-the-street view takes in a handful of cottages
and a glimpse of the water beyond. Booths lining the length of one side,
walls painted a deep gold and a highly-polished hardwood floor underfoot
make for a homey, cozy atmosphere.
That atmosphere also reflects the relationships of the employees. The
Skare’s daughters, Courtney, 25 and Karin, 22, grew up in the business,
with the younger waiting tables again this summer. Carol’s sister,
Diana Shay, is general manager and has been with the Skares since their
second season. Many of the employees, who now number about 45, have been
with The Cookery for over 20 years.
Jan and Andy Coulson, owners of The White Gull Inn, were there to welcome
the new restaurateurs to Fish Creek’s business district. The Coulsons
had preceded the Skares to the area by five years. Andy says despite any
physical changes the Skares have made to the restaurant, the couple continues
to maintain its personal touch.
“Like a lot of businesses owned by young people in the 1970s –
the season was very short and owners operated on a shoestring by doing
everything themselves to create an atmosphere of quality for people coming
here,” Coulson says. “That quality of their early success
stayed with them. They were able to expand and stay open for more of the
year, but they never lost that hands-on approach.”
Dick and Carol have separate areas of expertise. He manages the kitchen
while she oversees the dining area and researches recipes. In the early
days, Dick worked as cook while Carol waited on tables and baked –
every morning.
Coming from a large family of dairy farmers from Albany, Minnesota, Carol
says baking is a much-loved family tradition that she has passed on to
her daughters. “Every Saturday was my baking day with Mom and I
tried to continue it with my girls,” she says. “They’re
both great cooks.”
With her background, it may come as a surprise that until Hazel provided
a cherry pie recipe, Carol had never made one. “Hazel came over
with a fresh-baked cherry pie one day and told us, ‘You’ve
got to have this on your menu,’” Carol says. “We always
listened to her – cherry pie was our first item.”
With high demand to share her original-recipe caramel rolls, coffee cake
and other bakery items, Carol is no longer able to do all the baking herself.
She relies on her staff to make these treats to her specifications.
The Skares also have a website, www.cookeryfishcreek.com, which offers
Carol’s original recipe jams, chutneys and sauces, many featuring
Door County cherries as an ingredient.
Today’s restaurant menu follows the same customer-friendly principles
of the early years. “We built the restaurant on our customers’
needs and how they wanted their food prepared,” says Carol. In fact,
The Cookery chefs are trained to expect any number of substitutions for
special dietary requests.
Open year round, The Cookery offers a full menu for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. At lunch, hot open-faced crescent crust sandwiches, salads and
soups are featured. At dinner, tried-and-true family recipes for meatloaf
and pork tenderloin are favorites. Carol’s cherry crisp is considered
the “number one selling dessert.”
In 1995, in keeping with a concern for healthy eating, Carol enlisted
the expertise of a dietician from Door County Hospital to review The Cookery’s
recipes for heart health. This included the house dressing and pancakes.
Most of the menu, including the pancakes, passed the test. The menu makes
note of these offerings. Today’s menu also instructs guests in the
substitution of ingredients or side dishes to make a meal healthier with
“low carb” or “low fat” items.
The Cookery also serves wine and bottled beer, including Lake Front Cherry
Lager, brewed with – you guessed it – Door County cherries.
Judging from the way the Skares speak of their business, their commitment
to operating The Cookery won’t end any time soon. “We’re
here and active in the business and we care about our customers –
that’s our personal focus,” Dick says.
Carol agrees – this is a love that lasts. “If the place were
to sell, I’d come with it part time and be part of the sale,”
she says. “I’ll be the gray-haired old lady bussing tables.
I can’t imagine not being here.”
Information:
Address:
3142 Main St., Fish Creek
Phone:
(920) 868-3634
Website:
www.cookeryfishcreek.com
Hours:
7:00 am to 9:00 pm Memorial Day through October; closed December and March;
and otherwise open Friday - Sunday 7:00 am – 8:00 pm.
|
