By Jacqueline M. Dotzenrod
And Deb Tarvestad, owner of Hunter Café & Bakery, is glad to serve the community in that roll along with a cup of fresh hot coffee.
“Every small community needs a meeting place,” Tarvestad said. “And I’m glad that they pick here. I think community is so important in a small town and I’m glad to be a part of this one.”
The community has been a source of support for the business even before the re-opening of the restaurant in 2002.
“When we opened, the community was so supportive,” she said. “The community club came and helped clean up the place beforehand. To this day, I appreciate what they’ve done and they’ve continued their support.”
One of the things Tarvestad enjoys most about her business is the people.
“I love getting to know everybody,” she said. “They’re not just customers. I’ve made some good friendships and I’ve learned what they like.”
Tarvestad has seen regulars not only from the surrounding areas, but also from travelers taking the road less traveled.
“I’m also very lucky to be on the highway here,” she said. “I get people from Grand Forks and Bismarck going around Fargo and they and come here. I feel like I’m very lucky to have that business.”
The café has a buffet on some Sundays throughout the month, which fills the restaurant with an atmosphere of camaraderie.
“All the churches let out around the same time, so it works nice when people can just come right in and get a meal,” she said. “Sundays are a lot of fun. People come in from the outlying communities and they run into friends here.”
Along with support from the community and the customers, Tarvestad has help with paperwork and maintenance from her husband Jim.
“My husband is very helpful,” she said. “I think in a small business, it would be very hard to keep up with it all on your own.”
And when it comes to finding good help, Tarvestad knows it’s hard to find.
“Finding good help is always a challenge. In a small community, it’s hard to find help,” she said. “Over the year’s I’ve had very good help. You learn to appreciate good help because we have high standards and you need to in food service.
“I get a lot of nice compliments about the café and I pass that onto my help. I couldn’t do it on my own. I think it’s a reflection on all of us to have good food, a clean environment and take pride in what we do.”
When Tarvestad is not among the customers, she is often tucked away in the kitchen, baking up fresh buns for the burgers, a batch of cookies or bars, or piecing together a pie.
“I really like making pies,” she said. “I always tell people to save room for pie.”
Tarvestad enjoys putting out an assortment of pies and pastries for her customers and takes their compliments to heart.
“The senior citizens meet here regularly and when I get a compliment from the older community, I really feel like I’ve accomplished something because they are good cooks,” she said. “They know the good stuff.”
