Another Era For Havana's Farmers Inn Cafe

    Right over the border in Havana, North Dakota sits a treasure. Looking at it you might not be able to tell. But in the unassuming building that is the Farmer’s Inn Café lives a rich history of a business that has stood the test of time in a truly impressive way. A business that epitomizes a phrase published in the café’s own cookbook from decades back: “Havana is just a little town that isn’t going to die.” 
    The origin of the café dates back over 100 years to a man named Slim Miller. Slim opened a café in  Havana in 1913 which stayed in business for the next 35 years. According to the historical account in the Farmer’s Inn Café Cookbook, over the years, “The Havana Café became a local institution- but it served its last meal in 1984 when the latest in a string of owners determined there weren’t enough mouths to feed in the thinly populated town.” The doors closed. 
    This left a hole in the town, especially for farmers who needed a place to sit and shoot the breeze with their fellows. A coffee pot was installed at the Standard Station and then the American Legion, but these failed to serve the purpose locals were looking for. 
    “A brainstorming session followed at the Community Club,” says the Farmer’s Inn Cookbook. “Surveys were taken in the community to determine the amount of interest. ‘We decided that if nobody was going to run a restaurant for us, well—then we’d run it ourselves,’ said Jack Brummond, the Community Club President at the time.’” 
    They used the old restaurant, patched it up and bought equipment from the recently closed school. It wasn’t fancy but from the beginning the Farmers Inn was a success. Where its planners had envisioned serving ten dinners a day, the busy cooks were soon dishing up as many as 45 dinners. Soon it was acknowledged that the building was basically unrepairable. 
    What happened next was ‘crowdfunding’ before anyone ever heard of the term. The Community Club (which eventually became known as the Havana Community Development Corporation) and the townspeople banded together to put up a new building at the cost of $34,000. The effort was a labor of love with the community donating supplies and labor. Additionally, some six dozen shares in the café were sold for $100 a piece. “Nobody was going to get rich, but if worst came to worst, no one would be out much either,” said the cookbook. 
    On Feb. 1, 1986, the café held its grand opening. The motto of the café became “Therapy Sessions, 9-12 and 1-4. No charge.” The small restaurant was unique not only for how it was built but also because of how it operated. There was a board of directors, but the laborers were entirely made up of volunteers. “Just about everyone who is able works at the café,” the cookbook noted. “ Volunteers range from teenagers to 80+ year old women.” 
    Each cook had the privilege of planning their own menu around the chosen meat for the day. This led to a great variety in offerings. “The special was whatever anyone wanted to cook,” says Gene Parrow, a current HCDC member. Everyone took their turn helping out, including Doris and Murdean Gulsvig who more or less managed the restaurant for a number of years. 
    The Farmer’s Inn Café was special to its local residents for sure, but it soon became a point of interest not only regionally but also nationally. The unique restaurant was featured in “Farm and Ranch Living” Magazine in 1987 in an article titled “Tables Are Turned at the Farmers Inn.” 
    The café’s notoriety continued to blossom when that article piqued the interest of folks at the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. TV crews spent a few days in the town for a story featured on the national news. Then “Time Magazine” came knocking, as did “People Magazine” along with more local publications like the Fargo Forum and Wahpeton newspapers. The Farmer’s Inn Café was famous for its quaint way of operating and its importance to a small town. 
    While many small businesses in small towns experience highs they are also prone to lows and most restaurants ultimately close. Yet the Farmer’s Inn carried on. Even after the fame of the café waned on a wide scale, the folks in Havana and the Development Corporation were committed. And this past year, that commitment was more needed than ever when the restaurant’s operator of eight years decided to move on. 
    The HCDC realized that if they wanted to save their little café again, they would have to embrace the lessons of the past and work together. “Everyone went to work,” said Gene. This entailed extensive cleaning of the restaurant, painting and other repairs. They replaced the flooring following a fundraiser. The biggest hurdle of all was the paperwork and red tape of working with the Department of Health and the fire marshal. 
    The Development Corporation folks say even though these were huge headaches, they never gave up. “It’s for the love of the town that we kept going,” said Gene. “We knew it was something the town just needs,” added LaRae Huelsmann who works at the café now.
     The Farmer’s Inn Café had its grand re-opening on Jan. 19. The restaurant is being run in the old way. Many hands who make light work. “We’ve learned a lot,” laughs Huelsmann. “I’m almost 75 years old and had never waited a table.” Yet, they are doing well. It was a slow start, but people are enjoying their offerings. 
    The cafe is open for breakfast and lunch Sunday through Friday (closed at 10 a.m. on Monday). All of their weekly specials can be found on their Facebook page- “Havana Farmers Inn.” They offer the usual café fare from pancakes, bacon and eggs to burgers and sandwiches. Everything is homemade. They also have daily specials that cover the globe from Mexico to Italy. The volunteer cooks still embrace the message that appeared on aprons in the café’s old days, “The first one that complains cooks tomorrow!”
    “We have been overwhelmed by support of many of the residents,” emphasized Huelsmann. “Many people join us for breakfast and then come back for the noon meal also. It’s above and beyond what we could ever expect of anyone.  We are so grateful!”
    In the future, they hope to do special events such as Mother’s Day brunch, especially after they saw success with their special Valentine’s Day meal. They also are thinking about opening evenings a couple days a week. The Development Corporation members add that they are open to hosting events like graduation receptions and showers. 
    The folks toiling away at the café are enjoying its success but are realistic. “We’re all retired,” said Huelsmann. “We can’t do this for forever.”  Another volunteer cook Lisa Parrow added, “We hope someone will take this over some day.” They encourage interested parties to chat with anyone working at the café.
    Though the future is never certain, it seems that people in Havana will have a place to sit and sip coffee at least as long as there are committed people in town willing to keep the doors of the Farmer’s Inn Café open. Good food and good prices is what they strive for. As the NBC Nightly News said about the establishment close to 40 years ago, “The sun has not set on Havana.”