Tastemakers: Cherry Hut Cherry Chicken salad Plate w/ Cherry Ade - Cherry Republic

CHERRY HUT CHERRY CHICKEN
SALAD PLATE w/CHERRY ADE



While there are hundreds of events this week at the National Cherry Festival to keep one busy, there are also “cherry” opportunities elsewhere for the adven-turous type. When in Benzie County, make your way to Beulah and stop at The Cherry Hut for lunch for the Cherry Chicken Salad Plate and a glass of Cherry Ade. Chunks of chicken, dried cherries from the region, celery and almonds are combined with the perfect amount of mayonnaise. Add to the plate a fresh cherry muffin and a couple of slices of cantaloupe and this is the perfect meal after a day of golf or enjoying the beach.
A glass of Cherry Ade is the perfect accompaniment to this plate and no meal is complete without a slice of the famous Cherry Hut cherry pie. New York times Washington Bureau Chief and famed travel author R.W. “Johnny” Apple has said, “This is the best cherry pie anywhere.”
The Cherry Hut was started in 1922 by the Kraker family as a means for selling their orchard products to tourists visiting Crystal Lake. In 1959 Leonard Case, who managed the Cherry Hut, bought it from the Krakers and still owns it today with his son Andrew who manages the day-to-day operations. Finding the place is easy -- just look for the smiling face of Cherry Jerry, the distinguishing sign that is the trademark of The Cherry Hut -- and don’t forget to take home a fresh cherry pie or two for later enjoyment.



CHERRY REPUBLIC BOOM CHUGGA
LUGGA CHERRY GINGER ALE


D
uring his summer breaks from college Bob Sutherland managed the Glen Lake Yacht Club, a job that offered some time for daydreaming. One of those daydreams was Cherry Republic. So Sutherland created a Cherry Republic t-shirt in 1988, printed a couple hundred of them, drove up and down the Lake Michigan coastline and sold them all.
Well, people who were buying the shirts started asking what Cherry Republic was and if they sell cherry products? The light bulb turned on and before he knew it Sutherland opened a small retail shop in Glen Arbor with 21 products. Today Cherry Republic has over 150 cherry products, a bakery/restaurant and a newly opened winery.
One of those products is Boom Chugga Lugga Cherry Ginger Ale. This light and crisp soda combines the bite of ginger ale with the tartness of cherries. It creates a perfect balance between sweet and dryness and will satisfy both types of palates.
Try pairing with a Boomchunka Cookie. This gigantic fresh baked-good is loaded with local dried cherries and white chocolate and doesn’t contain any preservatives. If you want to taste before you buy, samples abound at Cherry Republic’s retail operation. If you are busy in Traverse City with the Cherry Festival -- no worries -- they stay open year round and on an average day their warehouse ships 1,000 packages filled with cherry items around the country.
Sutherland has captured the essence of the Leelanau Peninsula with Cherry Republic; as he says it is all about “Life, Liberty, Beaches & Pie” (of course that is cherry pie). -- Rick Coates
View On Our Website