Betsy Helgesen and Joel Weiner, Proprietors

Betsy and Joel decided to make a big change in their lives when they moved from northern Illinois to Washburn County in the summer of 2002. They were excited to join the Spooner community and to open their restaurant. It took six months to find the perfect spot, and another six for Joel to lovingly restore their 100 plus year old building. (See the before and after pictures...)

Betsy and Joel had great fun in creating a menu and environment for families to enjoy. They drew on their culinary, retail and coffee experience to create an environment of fun, comfort, warmth and adventure. Customers have responded enthusiastically to the food and the ambiance.

Betsy has had a lifelong passion for preparing food for others. After graduating from college, Betsy spent a year working for a medical company. Betsy could not resist her love of cooking and baking and became the baker for Victor Allen's Coffee and Tea in Madison and Milwaukee Wisconsin. Betsy created a baking line called "Baking with Betsy" for the nine café's in this chain. This positive experience, in addition to some stints as a line cook, spurred Betsy on to attend culinary school. Betsy went on to attend the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. Betsy's internship while at culinary school was with the "Frugal Gourmet" (see photo). Betsy was the sous chef for his final series "The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast". Betsy was featured in three of the 13 episodes - her most famous being the episode of the trussed Cornish Game Hen.

After graduation, Betsy went to work for Starbucks Coffee Company as a store manager. Betsy ran several stores in Illinois - often running multiple locations at one time - before opening the first store in Wisconsin for Starbucks. Betsy soon became a district manager in Chicago after being honored as the "Retail Manager of the Year" for the entire corporation in 1997.

As an Illinois native, naturally Joel attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Joel enjoyed the beautiful Wisconsin scenery and warm Wisconsin hospitality. While in college he became interested in mechanics and auto technology. Joel took a job at a local auto shop and apprenticed his craft with a master technician who offered great lessons in mechanics and life. Joel then went on to become a certified Master Technician for Nissan Motors. Most recently, Joel spent three years as a service technician with Starbucks Coffee. In that time, Joel was promoted to a senior service technician and had a territory which spanned four states and hundreds of miles.

Needless to say, Joel and Betsy grew tired of the driving, congestion and the craziness of life in and about Chicago and they decided to move to beautiful Trego.

“Our commute is seven minutes and we usually see at least seven animals. Thank you for welcoming us into your community and embracing our restaurant. We hope we make you feel welcome, special and full.”

- Joel and Betsy

In the news:

Spooner Advocate December 30 2003

Spooner Advocate October 02 2003

Spooner Advocate July 16 2003