Sonja and Skip Reifsteck are the new owners of Moondance Coffee House. The Reifstecks will offer a variety of soups, sandwiches and desserts to go along with the fabulous coffee the Lutsen coffee house is noted for.
A popular Lutsen coffee shop has re-opened its doors to anxious customers.
Skip and Sonja Reifsteck are the new owners and operators of Moondance Coffee House.
“We’re very excited about this opportunity,” said Sonja.
The business will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Besides a unique, high quality brand of coffee, the shop will serve homemade soups, sandwiches, rolls and desserts.
“Sonja is an incredible cook,” said Skip. “I think she makes the best soup anywhere and she’s a great baker. I don’t even like cheesecake, but I love her cheesecake.”
While Skip plans to stay out of the kitchen, he will help with all of the other duties needed to run the business. A natural multi-tasker, he will also stay on as the manager of Clearview Liquor, located across the street from Moondance.
For Sonja, a Thunder Bay, Ontario native with 18 years cooking experience, this will be a chance to manage her own kitchen. She plans to have two types of homemade soup hot and ready to serve, and as for desserts, “I plan on mixing it up. We will have different desserts each day. Maybe cookies or brownies one day, pies or cakes another day. And yes, cheesecake. I know I have to have cheesecake on hand,” she said, smiling at Skip.
Moondance is Wi-Fi friendly and has a conference room ready for larger groups. And while some changes are coming, one thing that hasn’t changed is that Lutsen Real Estate group is still located upstairs.
Flexibility plans on being a trademark of the Reifstecks. “We want to be fluid and openminded about what direction to go. We will be asking our customers for their input and
” listening for suggestions,” Skip said.
One thing that won’t be changing is the coffee. “We are keeping the Rotisserie 7 brand. It’s made in Minneapolis. They tell us we are the only vendors on the North Shore that carry their product, and we happen to think it’s the best coffee you can find,” said Skip.
For Skip, coming back to a small town has been a blessing. He grew up in a small town in Illinois before moving and living in Rockford, Illinois for about 20 years. About four years ago he moved to Lutsen and he said he loves living there.
“This community is incredible. The people here are fantastic. I am glad I got back to a smaller town. This is the most comfortable that I have ever been in my life. I’m glad I have the opportunity to live here,” Skip said.
With that, Skip and Sonja got up and got moving. There’s still plenty of work to do and when the transition is fully complete sometime in mid- January, a grand re-opening party will be held. Until then, come in and visit this interesting couple. Skip and Sonja would like to share more of their life with you—over a cup of coffee.
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