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| 3/26/2009 5:21:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Your local breakfast is ready!
A feast of locally grown and made-from-scratch foods - that's what restaurateurs Angie and Scott Taylor of Pedal Pusher's Café in Lanesboro, MN go to great lengths to serve up. Whether you order your eggs sunny-side-up with a slab of country ham, or prefer an omelet loaded with organic fillings, eggs Benedict or a stack of French toast - Pedal Pushers starts your day with an all-local breakfast, cooked from farm-fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
"We're serving local in every way we can," Angie Taylor has an energy about her as she tells about all the local producers she feels fortunate to have discovered, including such key breakfast ingredient suppliers as these:
• Brown cage-free eggs - Doris Schleusner/Fountain, Paul Schmidt/Preston
• Milk from pasture-grazed cows - Kapper's Big Red Barn/Chatfield
• In-season organic vegetables - Featherstone Farm CSA/Rushford and Lanesboro Farmer's Market
• Pasture-raised pork bacon, country ham, sausage - Hilltop Pastures Family Farm/Fountain
April 15 - Tax Day - marks the debut of Pedal Pushers' all-local breakfast
Breakfast is an obvious place to start with local food menu. The difference between normal grocery store eggs and brown eggs from free-range chickens is so noticeable, "it's worth the small extra cost to include them in all our plated egg orders," Angie says with a good measure of pride.
Then too, Angie points out, there are the breakfast meats that you can easily find locally, that have both flavor and nutrition advantages over the food service brands. Plus fresh local milk, which goes into Pedal Pushers from-scratch French toast, cream pies, fountain and coffee drinks and more.
And what's breakfast without coffee? While Lanesboro is no climate for growing tropical crops, the Taylors feature fair trade, certified organic green coffee beans that are hand-roasted on site. They also sell their special roast and supply several local B&Bs, plus the Commonweal Theatre, with their premium grade beans.
A career's-worth of serving-food experience
Angie has spent 25 years working in restaurants, beginning as a teen in hometown Preston where she figures she's served in every food establishment in town at one time or another. In college days it was a Bonanza steakhouse and a deli in the Sioux Falls area, then at various grills and eateries in Excelsior, Hopkins and Mound, the Intrepid Traveler in Harmony and more. After all those years dedicated to managing other people's food businesses, in February 2005, Angie took over the restaurant on the corner of Parkway and Coffee Street and Pedal Pushers Café was born.
Now that Angie has her own restaurant, she's pleased to share the benefits of her long and varied background in food with local diners. Best of all, her years of experience give her the confidence and creativity to incorporate local seasonal foods into the Pedal Pushers menu.
Try the Local Lanesboro Special every Saturday night
A Local Lanesboro Saturday night special is another way Pedal Pushers distinctively features whatever is local and in good supply in a given week. Whether it's the incomparable sweetness of the local strawberry crop, the satisfying complexity of tomatoes fresh from someone's backyard, the succulent flavor of free-range chicken, or grass-fed local beef or buffalo burgers, Pedal Pushers goes the extra mile to create local entrée meals customers will return for.
It's been 4 years since the Taylors took over the restaurant. For the first 18 months the menu was managed by local chefs, including Laura Thompson, former Old Village Hall chef. Then Scott, who had been a financial consultant at AgStar, joined Angie at the restaurant, handling the business planning as the business grew, and taking over the cooking, a skill he's always enjoyed.
It all started with eggs, Angie remembers.
"I needed eggs and heard they were available at Farmer's Market ." So Angie ran down to Sylvan Park on a Wednesday afternoon and picked up brown eggs from Sarah Austin. Scott made the eggs into omelets and the yellow-orange yolks gave such rich presentation and taste, they soon switched to brown eggs for their plated egg orders and began trying other Farmer's Market items.
Local chicken and grass-fed beef burgers were next. Then bacon, sausage and ham. "Before we knew it," said Angie, "we had confidence in quite a few items that we could easily get - that tastes better and offers customers something special."
Is the work of sourcing local food worth it?
If you ask the Taylors, there's no question about it. While it takes extra thought to plan a menu around ever-changing seasonal ingredients, the Taylors have a new consciousness about the value of local food: "It's just plain better tasting and better for you." It also happens to be a great way to earn the loyalty of restaurant clientele while supporting local growers and helping to strengthen the local economy.
Are you a local food producer?
If so, the Taylors invite you to call them at (507)467-1050 or stop by Pedal Pushers Café at 121 Parkway N in Lanesboro and introduce yourself and your goods.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Article comment by:
Steve and Connie Harr
My family eat at Pedal Pushers everytime we make it to that beautiful area. I am very pleased to hear about all the local foods they are now offering. The food has always been excellent,the service wonderful,and now I have the additional honor of supporting our local people in this evermore difficult economy. I appreciate that opportunity!
Posted: Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Article comment by:
Kathy Jensen
Where else can you get a yummy slice of pie and a cup of joe for a buck!! My family and I visit Lanesboro several times a year, and always stop in to Pedal Pusher's Cafe for a bite to eat.
We have always enjoyed not only the pie... but the meals as well!!
Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Article comment by:
Anna Boom
We love to travel to SE MN and always stop at Pedal Pusher's for the fantastic service and food. I am hungry just reading your article about their yummy, locally-grown selection.
Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Article comment by:
Dan Wyatt
Our family has eaten at the Pedal Pusher Cafe only a couple of times and I have to say the food was great, but one cannot forget the homemade pies and other desserts. My daughter reminded me the other day about the "awesome" strawberry shake that Angie herself made special for her last time we were there. I would give the place a 5 star rating not only for its food, but also for the friendly staff working there.
Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Article comment by:
Barb & Denny Erickson
We have enjoyed eating at the Pedal Pusher's Cafe when we come to Lanesboro. It is one of the places we make sure we stop to enjoy a great meal. It is not only a large varity of wonderful food but the staff makes sure you are ejoying your visit.
Denny & Barb -)
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