Waffles on a stick? A social club without alcohol? All based around a small-town coffee shop? Welcome to Hive, the Suttons Bay coffee shop that’s long on service, special events and community. And coffee, of course. After all, that’s what enticed Landon McDaid to open the Suttons Bay business at the location previously occupied by Mundos Roasters. It still serves Mundos coffee, with specialties including blueberry lemon latte, flavored espresso tonic and other specialty drinks.
“Shooting the tube” through the Crystal River culverts under County Road 675 is now an experience of the past. This month the Grand Traverse Engineering & Construction will remove the three culverts and replace the road above them with an 80-foot timber bridge. The work should be complete by the end of November, according to GTEC construction manager Ken Ockert. S. Dunns Farm Road will be closed to thru traffic and rerouted around Big Glen Lake for the duration of the project. Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2, was the last day for kayakers, canoers and paddleboarders to float through the culverts. Their removal is bittersweet for the staff at Crystal River Outfitters, which has sent thousands of people down the river in the past three decades. “It’s fun to look back at the last 30 years and think that the term ‘shoot the tube’ has become synonymous with Crystal River Outfitters kayak trips down the Crystal River,” said Katy Wiesen, who co-owns the business together with her husband Matt. “Shooting the tube became not only an annual family tradition but also led to many variations on stickers, hats, t-shirts and more that are soon to be a piece of history.”
Farming is tough, and the margins are small. The same is true for grocery stores and for restaurants. So, of course, Jen and Nic Welty decided to combine all three. They say it’s worth all the work, and judging by the crowds at their farm/café/retail bakery, so too do those enjoying the fruits of their labors. “It’s been pandemonium. We’re taking the winter to regroup,” says Jen. The latest iteration of 9 Bean Rows includes indoor seating as well as the outdoor pizza oven and outdoor seating. Lines for the bread and pastries frequently extend out the door, while diners navigate the ordering process through QR codes at their tables. Part of our series on agritourism and solutions to the farming crisis.
William Shakespeare poignantly captured a sentiment that remains deeply resonating, particularly up here in Glen Arbor’s August: “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” While it is difficult to witness the inevitability of yet another summer season passing, there is an upside worth acknowledging—those proverbial “silver linings.” Suddenly, the self-checkout line at Anderson’s Market is no longer a desperate option; one can actually find a table for four at Funistrada on a Thursday evening; similarly, at the iconic Mill, getting a much-coveted reservation at the bar is now a reality; Inn & Trail Gourmet’s Julie Zapoli and Liz Erdmann are back at stocking their freezer with culinary delights like homemade Beef Bourguignon and Coq au Vin; and happily, tee times are freeing up at River Club. Although the summer season of weekly art openings at Lake Street Studios Center Gallery is rapidly coming to a close, there is hope on the horizon with a new program: a special exhibit that will keep the gallery open through September. Christine Deucher, gallery manager, conceived the idea with Center Gallery co-owner Allison Stupka’s input and blessing. The exhibit is titled “See You in September,” and the format is unique for Center Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of one opening—on Saturday, Aug. 31—and it will remain on display for the succeeding three weeks.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, there are three key indicators that sweet corn is ready for harvest: “kernels fill the ear,” “silks turn brown,” and “ears begin to angle.” Driving around the peninsula these past couple of weeks, the farm stands are stacked with freshly picked sweet corn on the cob. Some varieties are golden yellow and others are a bi-colored “peaches and cream,” both are sweet, tender, and delicious. “Requiring a delicate balance of timing and technique,” the sweet corn season lasts only a nanosecond, so it is one to savor and appreciate. As the summer crop season comes to a close, these crops could be thought of as meal courses. The bookends of the summer crop season are strawberries, the appetizer course of summer, and sweet corn, the dessert course. The magic of sweet corn is in the first bite. Aside from burning mouths due to impatience waiting for the sweet corn harvest, the initial bite releases a snap of the corn kernels and the sweetness of the juice. Heavenly. Fourth generation Leelanau Peninsula farmer and sweet corn magician Curtis Kelenske and I walked through the 10-acre sweet corn field located off French Road as he offered his favorite recipe for sweet corn: boiled+salt+butter. Simple is better when eating freshly harvested sweet corn.
Thanks to the U.S. Department of State’s J-1 visa Cultural Exchange program, Empire and Glen Arbor businesses have a rich diversity of young folks from all over the world working here through the busy summer season. Cherry Republic and Anderson’s Market in Glen Arbor have staff from countries including Turkey, Jordan, and China working through August and into the fall. So do smaller businesses including Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire and Laker Shakes in Burdickville. In honor of Labor Day, we profiled a few of those J-1 workers.
Northwoods Hardware, Home, Garden & Nursery has hired Chad Borodychuk as its new general manager. He will assume the leadership reins from current owner Jeff Gietzen. “He has a clear understanding of what it takes to run a successful retail business,” said Gietzen. “It’s all about the people, product, and community you are serving, and I could not be more pleased to hand the leadership mantle over to him and see where he takes Northwoods in the future.”
Leelanau’s iconic Bicentennial Barn is for sale once again. The 1890s farmhouse and barn on a 4-acre property on the corner of M-22 and Bohemian Rd was purchased in February 2021 by Greg and Heather (Nachazel) Ford, who over the last three and a half years “have been pouring their love into the farmhouse and have dealt with the structure, roof, and windows—all the unromantic things,” said Ranae Ihme of Leelanau Vacation Realty, which lists the property for $665,000. The Fords are moving out of state and “passing the baton to someone who can complete the process and put the ‘frosting’ on it.”
The sounds of music have been wafting across Lake Leelanau this summer, and there’s one more chance to catch a show at Fountain Point, though with a change from the original plans. The annual Accidentals Famgrove party originally planned for Aug. 11 is being moved to French Valley Vineyard due to some timing issues around licensing. That show will now take place Oct. 12, and tickets purchased for the original date and location will be honored at that show. There will still be an Aug. 11 show at Fountain Point. It will still feature the Gypsy jazz of Djangophonique and the indie-folk stylings of Spencer Lajoye. Best of all, that show will now be free. Series coordinator Amber Buist says it’s a way of saying thanks to those who have attended the shows this year and potentially bring in people who haven’t.
Nectar, Ambrosia, and Nature’s Liquid Gold are ancillary names for one of nature’s most valuable substances known as honey. Boasting endless health and cosmetic benefits, a spectrum of colors ranging from water-white to dark amber, clarity levels of clear to opaque depending on filtration and pasteurization, and flavor profiles from delicately mild to bold depending on location and type of plant the bees pollinated, honey has earned its treasured reputation. To all this, business owners Andrew Jelinek and Robert Herman have embraced the time-honored vocation of beekeeping for Jelinek Apiaries since 2014.