ISHPEMING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Local businesses in the Upper Peninsula are full of partnerships and that doesn’t stop at the food industry. Running a food service business can also mean endless hours of tiring work with little return, but some have been developing the skill for years. 19-year-old Dylan Larson has been working in the Rare Earth Goods Cafe since high school and was just recently given the keys to the kingdom by the former owner.
“It was a huge jump, graduated high school and was working here. Pam Perkins offered me the cafe it was like a dream come true so I took it and it was a lot,” continued Larson.
“Dylan is a prodigy he’s like my long-lost son or something,” commented Rare Earth Goods Cafe Retiring Owner Pamela Perkins.
The newly appointed head chef and owner specializes in breakfast and serving the community with a personal touch. A lesson he’s been hard at work learning since he was little. “At 8 years old he would go and make 250 cookies to pass out to friends and family by himself he would go to other older people’s houses and help them prepare for the holidays by 10 to 12 years old,” commented Angela Olin.
The cafe also offers its catering service, baking pies, and other assortments for the public to enjoy. “I sell whole pies, whole cheesecakes, dozens of cookies, soups, quiche, lot of good stuff,” continued Larson. It may take years to enter a leadership role or let alone run an establishment, but some opportunities might be too “rare” to pass up.
Click here to view the full menu at the Rare Earth Goods Cafe.
