We've been in one of the top five teams for the last few years. I think we raised over $10,000 last year and about $50,000 total.

We've had a lot of people come and go for a while. But we always have a core group of people who are here every year.

We've got a very good support system. About two-thirds of our people help me with cooking and handing out the food.

Until I started the Hardwood Cafe, I didn't realize just how many people come through our area. We're so centrally located. We get people going to Ironwood, Escanaba to Houghton and to Marquette. Many of them are out of Wisconsin or Illinois going to Canyon Falls or the Ottawa National Forest. Plus, this is a very busy traffic area for Canadians.

My dad and his brother had just started a log home franchise, Whisper Creek it's called, and he was building a demo on my highway property when the Do Drop closed. And we thought, why not put a restaurant inside of it.

John Ritter had told everybody to introduce me as an airplane pilot to fool Don. He turned purple when he found out I worked for the studio.