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A new restaurant opened its doors in Grand Marais just in time for the rush of summer tourists.
“We are shooting for a June 1 open,” said Alex Giudice and Christine Sayler, who were busy painting the front of the building on a cold Wednesday two weeks ago.
Despite their best efforts, the opening was delayed a few days to Saturday, June 4.
The new eatery is called the Superior Creamery and is located in the former Inga and Lena’s at 5 N. Broadway Ave.
Christine and Alex are leasing the building from Superior North, LLC.
“We’re serving handmade ice cream and a small food menu, sandwiches, salads; eight to ten items on our menu, mainly American fare with some global influence. Everything is coming together!” Christine said.
On the opening weekend of business, all that was on the menu was homemade ice cream and no food, but no one seemed to mind. Business was brisk, and the lines were long, but the service was also brisk.
Before moving to Grand Marais, the couple lived in Juneau, Alaska. So why move to a colder climate? They were asked. Christine laughed. “Yes, we know winters are colder here,” she said.
Alex is no stranger to Cook County. He lived here about twenty years ago, working for an outfitter at the end of the Gunflint Trail and then for a sled dog musher for one winter, so he knows what winters here can be like.
While most of their waking hours have been used to get their shop ready, Alex and Christine took time to set up a stand at the Le Grand Du Nord bike race. Bikers were encouraged to sample their homemade ice cream, and the response was great.
So far, everything is going well, but Alex and Christine could use some summer workers like most businesses. A sign out front advertises for help.
So, why move to Grand Marais?
Alaska is a long way from their families, and both wanted to be closer to family and still live on the edge of the wilderness. So, with Alex’s background here, Grand Marais was the perfect fit.
The couple spent the last year trying to develop a business plan centered around a restaurant concept. They looked at several locations in Grand Marais before selecting Inga and Lena’s building.
Even though neither had made ice cream before, they investigated micro-creameries and liked the concept of making preservative-free ice cream. So far, through trial and error, they have created eight recipes and will work on making more flavors when time allows.
The secret to making good ice cream is to buy the best equipment available, find a source to purchase the best possible dairy products and flavors, and then experiment, said Alex.
The couple like small town life and enjoy meeting the locals and tourists. Outgoing and friendly, hardworking, and dedicated to making good products, Alex and Christine are a welcome addition to the Grand Marais food scene.
Plans are to work with local farmers to purchase fresh produce. The food menu will have eight to ten items, soup, salad, sandwiches, shareable snacks, drip coffee, and a couple of lemonade flavors.
And, of course, homemade, preservative-free, yummy ice cream.
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