Friday, March 29, 2024
39.0°F

The Chef is back

by Brian Walker
| September 15, 2010 9:00 PM

HAUSER - Things are cooking again at the Chef.

Chef in the Forest, the quaint, chalet-style, fine dining restaurant on Hauser Lake that was destroyed by fire last December, will re-open around Nov. 1, co-owner Debbie Mustered said.

"Giving up is not in our vocabulary, even when the banker told us we weren't going to re-build," said Mustered, who has owned the fine dining restaurant with her mother Jo Davis for six years. "We're not quitters."

A new 2,286-square-foot building - a similar size as the previous structure - is being built at the same location on the east side of the lake.

The Chef has started taking reservations for Thanksgiving and Christmas and will offer the same dinners such as steak, duck, prawns, lobster and fish. It's also maintaining its rustic theme with a fireplace.

"We've gotten so many e-mails from people wanting to be there for the grand opening and well-wishers saying that they're hungry and have missed their Oysters Rockefeller (appetizer)," Mustered said.

The previous Chef was two cabins that were combined in 1969. An electrical short in the wall where the buildings came together was the cause of the Dec. 20 fire that was reported by a passerby shortly after closing time that night.

"Nothing was saved, so we're open to donations for decorations," said Mustered, adding that antler mounts and other rustic decor are needed.

In addition to the fireplace, there will be more windows with a lake view than the previous restaurant, the bathrooms will be more centrally located and there will be handicap access.

"We had to bring people in wheelchairs through the dishwasher room before, so we're happy that it's now handicap accessible," Mustered said.

Instead of dining spots in the loft, there will be an office above the kitchen. The inside will still have an intimate feel and the outside has the trademark window flower boxes.

"It will be more open, but we're still trying to incorporate nooks and crannies for a romantic setting," Mustered said.

Mustered said insurance is paying just enough to get the restaurant rebuilt.

After wading through the insurance and permit process and thus a delay in construction, Davis said she's excited to start preparing sauces and dressings for the dinners.

"It's taken a lot of time," Davis said. "Everything is made from scratch - no additives or preservatives."

The owners said they plan to hire about five employees before the opening. Except for the chef, Willie Mustered, Debbie's son, the previous crew moved on after the fire.

Customers will be seated from 5-8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The restaurant will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

"We prefer reservations, but we'll never turn away walk-ins if space is available," Mustered said.

Mustered and Davis, who both live just up the road from the Chef, said they've enjoyed watching faithful customers stop by to peek in the windows to see the progress.

"We're very happy to see it looks very close to the old structure," customer Keith Sievers said. "I can visualize Table 5 and the blue bottle of wine already."