“We are a true ‘farm to table’ establishment,” owner Chad Sydor said.

The mission of the family-owned business is to provide the community with “real food,” he added.

The Menominee County cafe opened June 29, 2021.

“A soup and sandwich shop has always been a dream of my mom’s,” Sydor said, noting she learned to cook at a young age.

DARIA “DOTTIE” SYDOR and son Chad Sydor make veraniki, better known as pierogies, at Wilson Creek Cafe in Powers. Several of her family’s Ukrainian dishes are staples on the menu. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“Cooking runs in our family — not on a professional level, but we know our way around the kitchen,” said his mother, Daria “Dottie” Sydor.

The Sydors first looked at opening a cafe in Iron Mountain, as they participated in the downtown Farmers Market for 25-plus years selling produce and products from their Wilson Creek Gardens in Wilson.

In 2017, the Redwood Inn in Powers went on the market. “This location just made more sense, as our farm is only five miles away,” he said.

In the early stages of the remodel, they were only focused on giving the building a little bit of a facelift. “Once we got into it, we just decided let’s just do everything and be done with it,” said Dottie Sydor.

But in January 2018, Chad Sydor was injured in a farming accident that put the work on the restaurant on hold.

CHAD SYDOR MADE the unique stools at the counter at Wilson Creek Cafe in Powers, using old pipes and wooden tops. He also created a chandelier from an old fence rail. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“It took a while to recover from that, physically and financially,” he said.

The pandemic also added to the delay of the cafe’s opening, Dottie Sydor added.

After four years of hard work, they were finally able to welcome their first customers.

The cafe’s interior features a lot of repurposed materials from old buildings on the farm.

“The dining room countertop was actually a wooden silo that stood on the farm, with plates that date back to 1904,” he said.

THE WILSON CREEK CAFE sign in Powers. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

Sydor even made the unique stools that sit at the counter, using old pipes and wooden tops.

He also created a chandelier from an old fence rail.

“We wanted the space to be unique but inviting to our guests,” he explained.

The cafe serves breakfast and lunch, including a variety of sweet desserts such as gelato, an Italian ice cream they plan to expand options for this summer.

Many of the items on the menu are Dottie’s own creations. “I’m pretty ingenious with recipes — I love to try different things,” she said.

Several of her family’s Ukrainian dishes are a staple on the menu, including holubchi cabbage rolls; veraniki, better known as pierogies; and borscht, a beet soup.

Dishes also have their own unique name on the menu.

“Probably the most popular request is ‘Momma’s Lil’ Piggy,’ which is a pulled pork sandwich,” he said. “The homemade barbecue sauce was my uncle’s recipe.”

They stressed everything is made from scratch. “Nothing is out of a bag,” he said. “Everything, from our biscuits to our fresh-cut hashbrowns and fries.”

The cafe strives at making sure they use only the highest-quality products, with many coming right from the family farm.

“All of the meat, including sausage and bacon, are from our fields,” Chad Sydor said.

The restaurant is the first and only in the state of Michigan to have a licensed egg processing facility. “The process took six months, to be able to use our own eggs at the cafe, but it was worth it,” he said.

During growing season, freshly harvested produce is incorporated to the menu as well.

“We change our options as fresh vegetables and fruit are available,” he said, noting they will post the updated summer menu on their Facebook page in coming days.

“We make sure everything is fresh,” Dottie said. “We even use real butter.”

Working with other local producers and businesses is important to Chad as well.

“My hope through here is to educate people about local food systems,” he said.

He noted one feature they purposely eliminated from the cafe’s design was a television. “We want people to get back into engaging in conversations at the dinner table,” he said.

In addition to Dottie, Chad and his partner, Randy Zimmerman, they have eight employees.

Next month the cafe will celebrate a year in business. “We can’t thank the community enough for the support we have received thus far,” Chad Sydor said.

Eventually they hope to add on a storefront to allow for more retail space.

The Sydors will participate again this year at the Farmers Market in Iron Mountain. In addition to their 42 flavors of jams, jellies and variety of baked goods, they will sell fresh produce when in season.

Wilson Creek Cafe offers breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central time Tuesdays through Saturdays. They serve breakfast and brunch specials from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays.

For more information on Wilson Creek Cafe, call 906-295-2066.