Chef Lisa Durkee developed an appreciation for the taste and richness of fresh, regional foods growing up, as her family lived and traveled in many different regions. In each place they resided, they collected, cooked, and delighted in the nourishing gifts of the land around them. Having enjoyed the local foods of each place she called home, Lisa's cooking reflects a passion for wholesome freshness and the evocation of a sense of place.
Amboy, Minnesota is fortunate to have captured Lisa's culinary talent and warm energy. Looking for a change after working as a nurse for 30 years, Lisa opened the Amboy Cottage Cafe with the intention of revitalizing a charming historic building and creating a community gathering place. However Lisa soon realized "that this is just another way of caring for people's health – focusing on the preventative aspects of healthy nutrition and socialization." Her cafe has indeed become a mainstay of wellbeing and vitality in the community. Beyond the Cottage Cafe's mission of providing a community meeting place, the cafe also pledges support for the local economy by purchasing local foods. For Lisa, buying local is easy as cherry pie, since local foods are the best tasting ones anyway.
Lisa's lovingly crafted baked goods just wouldn't be the same without the mixes and flours she purchases from Doug and Lin Hilgendorf of Whole Grain Milling Co. in Welcome, MN. The Hilgendorfs proudly generate all of their own products on site at their organic farm and process their grains minimally to preserve their "inherent goodness." Ground fresh when orders are placed, their grains, flours, and mixes are incorporated into some of Minnesota's best menus.
