9 Bean Rows wood-fired pizza returns

By Madeleine Hill Vedel

Sun contributor

On June 12, a quiet opening took place. But it didn’t take long for passersby on M-204, as well as many a regular croissant purchaser, to notice. Beneath its solid wood beams, the curious discovered 9 Bean Rows’ outdoor, wood-fired pizza house/café, open and serving out a medley of hand-crafted pizzas, their classic sandwiches and pastries. Salads tossed with the abundance of fresh produce from the fields alongside are soon to follow. Many have watched the construction, begun with the mounting of the golden trusses and the pouring of the concrete floor, just one year ago

“I’ve been wanting to make pizzas forever.” says Jen Welty, baker and chef, as she slides her long-handled pizza peel into the oven, shifting the positions of three pizzas baking beside the red-hot coals. This project has a multi-chaptered history beginning in 2007 when Jen and Nic Welty, her farmer/builder/business partner husband, were working at Black Star Farms. She persuaded then co-owner Don Coe, to purchase a pizza oven for the farm café Hearth and Vine. In that oven Jen started making wood-fired pizzas with all local ingredients. However, the economic crash of 2008 came tumbling in the door and with regret, Coe informed Jen and Nic that the cafe wasn’t viable and as such they would need to be let go. The ever-resourceful Weltys, on unemployment barely a week, decided to re-organize and start 9 Bean Rows CSA [community supported agriculture], focusing on their vegetables, giving up the status of employee forever. Taking up Coe on his offer to rent space from Black Star, Jen was able to make use of ‘her’ oven, an integral element of the Hearth and Vine cafe, to bake her bread when it wasn’t in use by the restaurant. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Twelve years later, their own pizza oven, (pizza oven number two) with its red brick arch and pale gray dome, is embedded in the outside wall of their M-204 bakery. Originally purchased seven years ago for their Suttons Bay restaurant — now known as Wren and under new ownership — it was evicted when a neighbor complained of the wood smoke. From that time it was in storage, an itch tickling the back of the Weltys’ minds; it needed a new home, Jen wanted to take her turn at crafting a hub of great food, over and beyond her bakery talents, and Nic wanted to see his produce once again transformed in a business of his own.

“When 9 Bean Rows restaurant didn’t work out, I realized I still wanted to prepare food.” Jen tells me, looking around the Suttons Bay farm and bakery compound that she has built with Nic. “This is what we need here, people to see good food coming directly from the farm. You can pull something out of the ground and lay it on a pie and 30 seconds later it is done.” And so it is I think, as I dig into a fresh herb and fennel topped white pizza.

“I can finally do what I want.” Jen continues, “People can come in the morning [7 a.m.] to get quiches or croissants, or at noon till closing [at 3 p.m.] for a pizza or sandwich [plus all those pastries, and Nic’s produce].” For the time being, it is suggested that clients bring their own coffee; however, there is a wide selection of cold beverages in the shop for purchase.

The pizzeria café had only been open a week when I visited and sampled three different options: an all meat with sausage and salamis on a tomato base, a mushroom pesto with three mushrooms (Jen topped it with bacon for me), and a mixed fennel/prosciutto with ricotta cheese. The standard margherita is also available, as well as the vegetarian option artichoke and sun-dried tomatoes. A definitive list is not possible at this point, as the produce from Nic’s fields will inspire new combinations throughout the seasons. All pizzas are made to order.

The structure is beautiful and welcoming, its design offering shade and protection from inclement weather, and wide open views of the multi-colored rows of vegetables growing beside it. A spacious, pale wood counter surrounds the oven and pizza preparation, front row seating to the culinary dance, easily spaced out to accommodate current pandemic requirements. A couple of picnic tables offer additional seating for small groups.

“I had plans to put in a long communal table,” Nic tells me, but for the moment, this option is on hold.

Pizzas can be ordered by phone or in person inside the shop (where only two customers are allowed in at a time, masks required), with contactless pick-up available at a designated spot outside on the counter. Jen, aware that time and cooling affect the texture of her pizza crust, feels strongly that they are best enjoyed right away, but will happily make them to go upon request. The café is open Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Sunday, 8-4. To order ahead, call 231-271-6658 or email bakery@9beanrows.com.