Cedar Rustic Inn transitions to brew pub

By Linda Hepler Beaty
Sun contributor

Aaron Ackley, owner (along with wife Nikki) and executive chef of Cedar Rustic Inn, loves to create. After all, he comes from an artistic family. His mom, Linda Ackley-Eaker, is an artist, being commissioned to do life-sized bronze sculptures for the likes of Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac World Headquarters and Michigan State University. But Aaron’s creativity took him in a different direction—to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY—and he’s been cooking ever since. “This is my 25th anniversary of cooking,” said Ackley, who began his career in East Lansing where he grew up, then upon moving to Leelanau County in 1990, continued his chef career at various area restaurants, such as The Homestead, Arts Tavern, and Boonedocks.

In 2006, the Ackleys opened the doors to their own Cedar Rustic Inn, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner year round. The food is an “American comfort-type menu,” according to Aaron—wholesome breakfasts with omelettes, pancakes, and French toast, lunches of burgers and sandwiches, homemade soups and fresh salads with homemade dressings, and dinners stepped up a pace, with entrees such as capellini pomodoro, Tuscan chicken marsala, and cherry baby back ribs. The restaurant also has a full bar, featuring local wines from Longview Winery’s tasting room right next door, owned by Aaron’s parents, as well as regional wines and beers.

While the Cedar Rustic Inn has been well received over the past eight years, earning awards such as the Grand Traverse Insider’s 2010 People’s Choice Award for best restaurant and best service in Leelanau County and Northern Express’ 2011 “Best of Leelanau County” for best desserts—Aaron and Nikki are itching for a change. Not a huge change, like leaving the restaurant business altogether, but a transition of Cedar Rustic Inn from American comfort to brew pub. This idea, said Aaron, has been in the works for at least three years. “I’ve enjoyed beer since my early 20s; I was drinking Oberon when it was first named Solsun,” he said. “And I’ve been making beer since beer crafting became popular.”

And what better place to showcase Aaron’s brewing skills than the Cedar Rustic Inn? “We already have a functional restaurant with a full bar. And there’s a barn on the property where I can brew my own beer,” he said.

A year ago, Aaron attended an intensive eight-day brewing course in Vermont through the American Brewers Guild, the nation’s premier brewing school for the craft brewing industry. “I got to work with expert brewers, got to pick their brains and see what other people are doing. And I got to work with the ‘big boy’ equipment,” said Aaron. This tied up the loose ends I had. Brewing commercially is not the same as home brewing.”

In addition to expanding his brewing knowledge, Aaron and Nikki have been busy applying for state and federal approval for a brewing facility, buying equipment—and planning the brew menu. “I’m partial to British style ales,” said Aaron. “We’ll start with six varieties of ale on tap.”

Ale, for those who are not in the know, he explained, is a type of beer brewed from malted barley, using a strain of brewer’s yeast, which allows quicker fermentation and a sweet, full-bodied taste. Most ales contain hops, which help preserve the beer and also balance the sweetness of the malt. Aaron plans to use British strains of yeast and his own hops, which he has already begun growing, supplemented by local hops. “I know it’s all going to take time,” he said. “But with the exception of the malt, I’d like to eventually be self-sufficient with my ingredients.”

The Ackleys plan a slow transition of the Cedar Rustic Inn’s menu into more small plates, a Gastro pub model, which is upscale bar food. But for those who love the restaurant as it is now, they plan to keep the most popular dishes on the menu. Aaron hopes to begin serving his beer sometime this winter.

All of this is a welcome change for the couple, who have been doing the same thing with the restaurant for eight years and now look forward to a new challenge. “This is just a chef thing,” said Aaron. “You work on an idea, then you try it out. This is something new and exciting for us.”

And if you’re wondering whether American comfort to brew pub will bring a name change for the Cedar Rustic Inn, Nikki confirmed that it will. But it won’t happen right away. “First the beer on tap, then the name change,” she said. “We’re not revealing the name change right away. But look for it within the next year—probably before next summer.”