Coming full circle

In the spring of 2005, Annette Fassbender moved into a quaint little building in downtown Lodi with the intent of taking a Lodi landmark and bringing it back to it’s former glory. The landmark wasn’t the building, it was what was inside: The Downtown Cafe. Over the last 50 years, the little building which sits on Main Street, with Spring Creek running directly underneath it, has been home to a series of simple restaurants. When Annette stepped in, the building was empty; the previous restaurant having closed down a while earlier.

With family and friends chipping in to help clean the building, haul in tables and chairs, paint the walls, and wash the carpets, the place started to take shape. Paintings from local artists adorned the walls, and pottery from local potters sat on the shelves. It looked like a good place to eat.

Looks, however, don’t fill your stomach or tickle your tongue. That’s where the real inspiration came in. The Downtown Cafe was going to be a place where food was made right. Annette had learned to cook the old-fashioned way from her mother and her grandmother. There’s a right way to cook and there’s an easy way to cook. Anyone can do it the easy way. But customers know when you do it the right way. That’s the only way Annette would do it.

From the very first day, she set the rules on how things would be done–and still are. Pies are made from scratch–even the crusts. The jam you get with your breakfast toast is made 30 feet away in the kitchen with fresh seasonal fruits and natural ingredients. Hamburgers are shaped by hand. Even some of the spices are grown right here in town.

People noticed. Business boomed. On Sundays after church the place would be packed and people lined up out on the street waiting for a table. That cute little building on Main Street was quickly reaching its limits.

In the summer of 2007, a series of events came together to allow a big change. Another restaurant on the northern edge of town went out of business. The owner of the building was one of Annette’s former employers, and a friend. The lease on her current building was coming due. Several more community groups were looking for a place to hold their meetings and events. And business had reached a point where she could afford to take the risk. With the encouragement of her husband, Annette took the next big step and moved into the building known until recently as the City Limits. 50 years earlier, however, it was known as the Sunset, and the cook was a lovely young German woman with a true skill for cooking. That woman just happens to be Annette’s grandmother–one of the women who taught her how to cook. A large number of the dishes served at the new Downtown Cafe & Northern Edge Restaurant came from Grandma.

With the move to the new building came the opportunity to really expand the business. After only 2 years, Annette needed more room and had more opportunities. In a wise business move, she decided to create 2 restaurants in one place. Breakfast and lunch are now served in the small front dining room under the sign of the Downtown Cafe. In the evenings, however, the bar opens up and the staff moves to the 3 large dining rooms in the back. The night chef takes over the kitchen and the aromas of steaks and seafood fill the air. Now you’re eating at the Northern Edge.

The choice to move into the new building was a risk that is paying off for Annette and her husband Rick. The breakfast and lunch crowds have followed them, knowing that it’s not the building that matters, but the food. At night, the dining rooms are filled with regular customers as well as special meetings for community groups, businesses, wedding receptions, and parties of all kinds.

It’s these special events that make the real difference. Every community needs a place in which to gather; a place in which to deal with business, meet with friends, and celebrate the milestones of life. In Lodi, that place is the Northern Edge. The community had been without this kind of place for a while, and the lack was noticeable. Now, the Northern Edge hosts regular meetings for the local chapters of the Rotary, Optimists, and Ducks Unlimitied, as well as groups such as the Christian Women’s Club. The local fire department met in the newly-redecorated dining rooms for their annual awards dinner, and city’s EMT crew were able to use the facilities to expand their annual spaghetti dinner fund-raiser. All of this is in addition to the wedding receptions, reunions, and other one-time events.

As with many businesses in the area, the Downtown Cafe and Northern Edge are family businesss. Annette, of course, puts in long hours in the restaurant as well as overseeing the catering side of the business–taking her home-cooked dishes and fancy hors d’ouvres out to events and gatherings throughout the area. You’ll find her oldest daughter, Lindsay serving food in the afternoons, and pouring drinks in the evenings. Her son Nick works behind the swinging doors, cooking up breakfasts and lunches. Her youngest two boys, Richie and Joey, are often seen bussing tables, wrapping silverware, and stocking the salad bar. And it’s not uncommon to see one of her grandchildren wandering around and bringing a smile to the faces of customers.

Be sure to look over the antique photographs hanging in the dining room. If you pay close attention you just might notice a photo of the Sunset staff from a New Years Eve over 50 years ago… including a lovely young German woman named Marcella Carberry. Annette just called her “Grandma”.

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