The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By David Grimes Quill correspondent
FERRIS: The old Ferris Elementary School has a new life.
The Dusty Farmer Cafe opened in the former school on April 1, and it's no joke.
"It's something I've always wanted to do," said owner Evelyn Ray, who sips a glass of iced tea after a busy day of serving meals to customers. Ray, who is wrapping up her first 90 days ever in restaurant work, originally considered opening up shop in nearby Burnside at her late grandparents' general store.
"But the building was in such disrepair, it would have taken too much to get it fixed up," she said.
Then her younger brother, Jerry Green, came up with the idea of using the former school building.
The building was briefly used as the site for an alternative school, but closed for good in 1998 as an educational facility.
Green bought the facility shortly after that intending to possibly use it as a frozen food distribution center, Ray speculated.
But when the desire to open a restaurant came up and the first choice for a location didn't work out, Green, who works in sales and as a chemical applicator at the CHEM Gro facility in nearby Adrian, offered to rent the school's cafeteria to his sister and the Dusty Farmer Cafe became reality.
"He told me I should open up here because there are plenty of farmers and people where he works who have to drive to Dallas City or Carthage for lunch every day anyway and this would be convenient for them.
The cafe has nine tables and just enough knickknacks and geegaws from yesteryear to give the dining room the look of a genuine country kitchen.
Ray's staff of six includes her mother, Harriet Green, daughter, Tammi Seigfreid and granddaughter, Lauren Seigfreid. Amy Swick and Frances Tweedell round out the wait staff, with Marilyn Fink cooking up breakfast and lunch specials for locals.
Ray is responsible for making the salads and desserts for the day as well as managing. One of the more popular desserts is Ray's strawberry pie.
Oh, the question that must be asked at every eating establishment: Are the mashed potatoes real?
"Yes," Ray confirmed. "You'll even get an occasional lump." The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. And that provides enough business for Ray.
"We average 55 customers between breakfast and lunch each day," Ray said.
"Our customers are primarily local folks, senior citizens and farmers from here and the surrounding communities," she explained. "The breakfast and lunch hours we serve are long enough. I'm tired at the end of the day."
Don't bring a lot of cash with you to the Dusty Farmer, though. The most you can spend on any one menu item is $4.75 for the daily lunch special Ñ pork chops on Thursday, catfish filets on Friday and other homestyle offerings the rest of the week Ñ along with your choice of three side dishes.
"I used to get up early and bake homemade coffee cake and sweet rolls, thinking they would be a big breakfast item," Ray said. "But farmers don't want that kind of stuff for breakfast. They want bacon and eggs with toast and pancakes for breakfast.
"So now I sleep in until 5 o'clock and just come in at 6 a.m. and cook what they want."
Word is spreading about how good the eats are at the Dusty Farmer Cafe, as customers have dropped in from Bushnell, Nauvoo, Hamilton and Montrose, not to mention travelers from Texas and Indiana.