Meet Dawn Soltysiak

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawn Soltysiak.  

Dawn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I bought our farm in Fennville with my husband 23 years ago. I was working full-time as a realtor and part-time as potter. I knew the lifestyle that I wanted, but my real estate career got in the way. My husband said, “You smile more when you play with clay; why don’t you walk away from Real Estate?” I responded, “We will have to eat cat food because we won’t be able to afford groceries.” He promptly said, “If you don’t do it now, then when are you?” 

He was right! I needed to pursue my passions of handcrafted and locally sourced and see where they would lead me. I always loved to cook, so instead of eating “cat food,” we dined on meals created from things grown on the farm and served on handmade dinnerware. I loved to preserve food and have dinner parties with friends. 

My pottery studio, Khnemu Studio, is at my farm and is open to the public. It is in the countryside located in Fennville and is situated close to wineries, farm markets, and other artists. Over the years, I would have visitors come through and ask where they could get a bite to eat. You could tell that they were looking for something “out of the norm” for the area. 

10 years ago, I was given the opportunity to open an art gallery in downtown Fennville, which we called Fernwood 1891. I represent over 50 local artists who create everything from pottery, paintings, jewelry, and woodwork. I rented from an inspiring town elder, Mr. Hutchinson who at the time was in his nineties. After several months of having the additional business in town, I decided to ask him if he was willing to sell the building. He agreed to sell, and with this purchase, I acquired an additional storefront. This storefront was a previous insurance office and vacant. 

After the years of hearing from visitors that they were looking for a lunch spot, I decided to open a coffeehouse and café. And the crazy part is I have never worked in food service prior to this journey. I can say the learning curve was steep, but I was up for the challenge. 

Root Café & Coffeehouse opened nine years ago. We had a few sandwiches, soups, salads, and baked goods, plus coffee & espresso. The first couple years was definitely filled with learning & creating systems and falling in love with the industry. 

Fast forward nine years, and Root has morphed into an eclectic menu filled with a fusion of flavors from around the world, all scratch-made in our kitchen, using locally sourced ingredients when possible. We serve all of our dishes on handmade pottery. We subsequently acquired a liquor license and now have a full bar. Our in-house dining is thoughtfully spaced throughout Fernwood 1891 art gallery and is socially distanced. I love seeing people dine surrounded by art and hear them talk about it while dining. 

Proving to be a “silver lining” of the Covid shutdowns was our back patio, which I built in a panic to help visitors feel more comfortable with dining out. Our patio now has gazebos, an outdoor cooking station all surrounded by murals and raised bed gardens which are planted with things we use in the kitchen. I can’t imagine Root without our back patio, people love dining back there; it is a hidden gem. 

Root Café offers sandwiches on house-made bread, samosas, bibimbap, falafel, Korean ribs, salads, soups, flatbread pizzas, and breakfast options, all scratch-made in our kitchen. We create our sausage, slow roast our brisket, pork & chicken, and smoke our ribs and whitefish in-house. We scratch make and use fresh farm ingredients in our chutneys, sauces, salads, and other menu items. 

Grab a glass of wine, a small batch roasted espresso, cocktail, or handspun milkshake, then stroll through our connecting art gallery Fernwood 1891 and relax in our casual café. 

It has been a 10-year journey since opening, and it is exciting to see what the future will bring. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I can say there have been a lot of struggles, but what with any challenge there will be struggles. It just makes the successes sweeter. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The thing I am most proud of is that I built my businesses from the ground up, which includes actually building the spaces themselves with my own hands. My spaces represent me and my work, whether it is the pottery you eat from, to the table you are dining on, to the flavors you enjoy…they all have been created with my hands and heart 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.RootFennville.com
  www.Khnemustudio.com
  www.Fernwood1891.com