Here to Enlighten
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Glen Arbor Sun Here to Enlighten You June 3, 2021 Volume XXVI, Issue V Covering Leelanau County Events, Characters, Businesses and the Arts www.GlenArbor.com FREE! Livelys expand farm, launch Backyard Burdickville campground By Norm Wheeler there are 50 shares spoken for! CSA, or Com- Sun editor munity Supported Agriculture, is a common model on small farms that connects the farmer The scent of cinnamon suffuses the and customer in a unique way. Customers buy air. Is this a spice shop? A tea emporium? “shares” of a farm’s harvest in advance and then Nope, it’s Jane Lively’s hoop house shed receive a portion of the crops as they’re har- for sprouting seedlings at the Lively vested. This model provides farmers important Farm off Bow Road above Burdickville. early-season capital and a guaranteed market Dozens of plastic pots line the shelves, for their produce. all sprinkled with the red spice that kills But Jane’s ambition doesn’t stop there. Her any bacteria in the soil, thus enhancing flowers and produce are also sold at the Em- germination. It’s just one more sign of pire Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in summer, the phenomenal growth occurring within and at the Grow Benzie Market on Mondays. the Lively family’s many new business Plus, Jane has an initiative to help feed “10 ventures that include the Lively Farm, or more” local migrant families. “We are still the Backyard Burdickville Campground, raising funds for these community supported and the next LivelyLands weekend music shares,” Jane explains. “These shares are going festival coming in August. to migrant folks involved in local farm work Jane started the Lively Farm by creat- and families in need of assistance in the Glen ing a CSA and selling shares four years Lake school system. These shares will be free ago. There were eight takers. The next to families designated by the Migrant Resource year there were 15, the next, 25, and now Jane Lively is raising funds for community supported agriculture shares See LIVELY on page 11 to help feed 10 or more local migrant families. Photo by Robert Chacon Leelanau Coffee Roasting Arens brothers grow into Leland By Jacob Wheeler Matt Anderson as their chef. Ander- Sun editor son previously worked for Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux at La Bécasse and The Early Bird breakfast and lunch Bistro Foufou. His menu will include destination in downtown Leland has breakfast staples such as huevos ran- a new tenant—one whose brand is al- cheros, eggs benedict, briskets, break- ready ubiquitous in northern Michigan. fast sandwiches, sourdough pancakes, In mid-June, John and Steve Arens, cinnamon rolls, oatmeal and pastries. who own the Leelanau Coffee Roast- Brunch features blue crab bisque, ing Company in Glen Arbor, will open tomato and tarragon soup and various a breakfast bistro that combines high- salads. quality food with fresh-roasted coffee “We wanted to combine that kind on the main drag in Leland. They are of breakfast with coffee that 48 hours leasing the space from Skip Telgard, ago was green,” said John. “And we who owns the Blue Bird restaurant wanted to find a place that mimics next door. The Early Bird sat empty the amount of pedestrian traffic Glen through much of 2020 as Telgard Arbor gets in the summertime.” struggled to find enough employees Once COVID restrictions lift, the to staff the popular eatery. Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company “We’ve been looking for years to Breakfast Bistro will seat 52 inside open a place that serves great food and 20 outside. The Arens brothers with fresh roasted coffee,” said John. are adding a gazebo, and plan to have “Steve saw that Skip was leasing the coffee bars both inside and outside. Early Bird and they began chatting Hours will be 7 a.m. until 2 p.m., 7 in early February. The Telgards have days a week. been anxious to get someone back in there.” Steve and John Arens. Photo by Jackson Arens The Arens brothers have hired See COFFEE ROASTING on page 10 A stargazing good samaritan sounds the alarm on Le Bear fire By Jacob Wheeler to visit Mackinaw first and stay Sat- Sun editor urday night in Glen Arbor, where they booked a room at the M22 Inn. Kari Beitler, a Detroit area native Kari and her father Gary planned who lives in Cleveland and studies to rise at 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, plant science at Cuyahoga Community May 15, to walk the beach of Sleeping College, traveled north on a road trip Bear Bay and capture the stars through with her parents on Thursday, May 13, the lens of her new Nikon camera. But to witness and photograph the Aurora they missed their initial alarm and Borealis. Photography is a passion didn’t leave their room until 3. They for Kari, who describes herself on her parked at the north end of Manitou Instagram account “kari_d_away” as Boulevard where it meets Lake Michi- a “rust belt explorer, a mitten native, gan, and Kari experimented with the and a Mother Nature protector and settings on her camera to snap pan- advocate.” oramic views of the star-lit sky. She They planned to stay one night in had never taken night shots before. Glen Arbor then travel northeast to At about 3:40 a.m., Gary glanced Mackinaw City—where Kari thought east in the direction of Le Bear Re- the northern lights would be stron- Angela Doster DeWitt captured the aftermath of the Le Bear fire on May 15. gest—but decided at the last minute See LE BEAR FIRE on page 8 Page 2 • June 3, 2021 Glen Arbor Sun From our website, GlenArbor.com Own an Italian restaurant on Big Glen Lake: Funistrada for sale From staff reports a destination restaurant. Here, summer regulars and locals often celebrate spe- Trattoria Funistrada is for sale. Tom cial occasions with family and friends. and Holly Reay are selling their popu- “The Reay family, who has built lar Italian restaurant in Burdickville, this business with love, great food located a stone’s skip from the south- and good business sense since 2000, east shore of Big Glen Lake. are ready for their next chapter. New Serbin Real Estate listed the restau- owners will also find the darling up- rant on May 27 for $1.495 million. The stairs apartment (2 BR, 1 bath, kitchen, Sun broke the news that day. Offers living & dining area) could be used as may arrive soon, as the local real estate owner, employee quarters or rental in- market is, in a word, hot. come. Currently used for dinner only, Here’s how Serbin’s listing de- great opportunity to expand sales and scribes Funistrada, which the Reays business.” opened in 2000: Selling Funistrada “has been some- “Located on the east side of Big Glen thing that we’ve looked into since lake, this award-winning, Leelanau before COVID,” Tom Reay told the County/Glen Lake restaurant, Trattoria Sun. “We’re not in a hurry. And it will Funistrada, well loved by locals and continue as Funi with or without us. summer visitors alike, is being offered Our decision to sell was somewhat for sale. As a ‘turn-key business’ it accelerated by circumstances, seeing includes all licenses, fixtures, supplies, changes in the market.” There was garlic in it too, and the Inn, run by Jack Russell. I asked Tom furniture and management help with “We owe our children several vaca- promise of Chianti served in a wicker Reay why he and Holly took it over. the transfer of ownership. tions,” added Holly. “We’ve had three bottle by a woman like the one in “Il “It’s the old American dream of being “This is a year around business that trips canceled. Our daughter has one Postino.” So I quick-peddled down the self-employed,” Tom replied. “You enjoys much support during the off more year of college, and we want to green tunnel of Echo Valley Road to have to be crazy to own a restaurant, season by locals and winter visitors. spend time with her.” find a new Italian country restaurant so I’m qualified.” Known for their wonderful menu, wine just opening near Miller’s Resort. Tom Tom and Holly have plenty of expe- list and dedicated staff, Funistrada is Funistrada means excellent and Holly Reay have hatched their rience in local food service establish- dream, their own eatery at the former ments. Tom worked at Art’s Tavern Italian food “off the beaten Glen Lake Inn in Burdickville. in Glen Arbor for 13 years. Holly path” Holly Reay, holding darling daugh- managed the Village Inn in Empire Read this excerpt from Norm Wheel- ter Carson while the harried crew for 2 years, and Tom joined her there er’s feature story the Sun published in prepared for their first “big night”, for another year. They supervised the 2000, the year Funistrada opened. explained the origin of the name renovation of the kitchen and the menu “Funistrada.” “In 1974 the Army while there. Says Tom, “We played I lounged in a hammock dozing and did a food preference survey,” Holly with somebody else’s money and made thumbing the pages of Diane Acker- said, “and they threw in the word it work, so we thought OK, we can man’s book A Natural History of the “Funistrada” to see if the guys fill- take the risk.” Senses as a northeast breeze nudged ing out the survey were really paying Funistrada is a “trattoria,” an Ital- the maple leaves over my head.