Rehab of century-old lakeshore building includes restaurant, bakery, coffee shop and bar

Fennville's Salt of the Earth is more than a restaurant -- it’s also a coffee shop, bakery and bar, all in one downtown location.

“This project is all about community,” says co-owner and Fennville resident Mark Schrock. “We provide a place for people to gather, eat good food, listen to good music and see their neighbors.”
 
Schrock opened Salt of the Earth, 112-114 E. Main St., in August with Steve Darpel. The pair have owned the century-old building since 2000 and handled most of the renovation through their second business, Darpel and Associates Builders, Inc.

The storefront, renovated in the style of turn-of-the-century main street architecture, invites customers to enter the 6,000-square-foot space shared by the restaurant, bar, bakery and coffee shop.

The bar features live music on Fridays. Schrock has been performing music for about 40 years, and was previously a touring musician with the bluegrass band, Cabbage Crik.

“We wanted to create a place to showcase roots music, singer/songwriters, acoustic, bluegrass and blues,” Schrock says. “The music complements the food.”
 
Executive Chef Matthew Pietsch says he tries to serve most ingredients with the least amount of processing as possible.
 
“I try not to handle the food too much,” he says. “It’s my responsibility to present food respectfully.”
 
Pietsch uses a wood-burning oven, which takes a special technique. Almost everything served at Salt of the Earth is made from scratch including hand-rolled pasta, yogurt and ketchup. The restaurant also produces handmade bread daily under the supervision of bakery manager Mari Reijmerink.
 
“We’re really receptive to using locally sourced food wherever possible,” Pietsch says.

Salt of the Earth coffee shop and bakery are open at 7 a.m., followed by the dining room and bar at 5 p.m.

Source: Mark Schrock, Matthew Pietsch and Mari Reijmerink, Salt of the Earth

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be reached at [email protected].