Aukermans open down-home café

DAYTON–Annie's Attic and Café is the newest eatery to open here and will serve a select menu of homemade goods on Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

The new Main Street business, Annie's Attic and Café, operated by owners Tony and Laura Aukerman, opened its doors at 232 E. Main Street on Christmas Eve. They will serve a limited menu, which will change daily, premiering home-cooked breakfast skillets, buttermilk pancakes, soups and sourdough bread from a 100-year-old recipe from "Grammy". Their desserts and homemade pies top the list.

"While the kids were growing up, I did most of the cooking and Laura did most of the baking," said Tony Aukerman. In addition to warm-the-heart food, the environment is filled with vintage furnishings. "I like vintage furnishings, so Laura and I wanted to create a space where others can enjoy these things also."

Tony was previously the meat cutter at the Dayton Mercantile and while there, learned the merchandising aspect of the meat-cutting business, customer service and the "importance of caring about what you are serving to the public."

The biggest surprise since opening Annie's Attic and Café is the abundance of community support. "We thought Dayton and the surrounding community would be supportive, but we had no idea the support would be this grand!"

They have a good mixture of in-town and out-of-town guests, both dining-in and taking food out. The biggest challenge is making enough for their guests, but not so much that they have to throw food away.

There will be something at Annie's Attic and Café for all visitors to enjoy, the food, vintage items or just a place for family and friends to gather.

"All the meals have been passed down from our family for generations, Grammy's sourdough bread, Big Mamma's cornbread and banana pudding and Papa's hobo stew, just simple down-home cooking," said Tony.