The legend of the Mason Jar is just that — legendary. Yet, amazingly they’ve barely begun and are on the verge of dramatic expansion thanks to a $10,000 from the Michigan Good Food Fund.
The four year old diner has earned enough 5-star ratings, rave reviews and accolades for one to wonder if they hadn’t misheard the length of time they’ve been in business. There are forty year old diners that couldn’t hold a candle to the well earned reputation attached to co-owners Jayme Cousins and Abel Abarca Martinez and their stellar team of chefs and servers.
What started out in May of 2014 as a tiny, 10-table, establishment dedicated to the farm-to-table breakfast and lunch trade has been forced to triple their table count and expand the original hearty band of 5 employees to more than 30 thanks to the insatiable demand for the great fare they place on your plate day after day in the Benton Harbor Arts District.
Recognizing that something has to give sooner or later, Jayme quickly responded to the advice of Cornerstone Alliance Senior Director of Entrepreneurship & Special Projects, Stacey Stephens. It was Stephens who brought to her attention the application process for a Catalytic Investment Award from the Michigan Good Food Fund which works around the clock at “Growing Michigan’s Good Food Economy.”
As a result, Benton Harbor’s Mason Jar Cafe has become one of 10 award winners announced Thursday by the Michigan Good Food Fund. It is a $30-million loan fund that provides financing and business assistance to good food enterprises that benefit under-served communities across Michigan.
With a full house and a 20 to 30 minute wait still at 10:30 this morning, I caught up with Jayme to congratulate her and Abel on the victory and ask about what they’ll do with the $10,000 award money.
Jayme says, “As everyone knows, our kitchen is just way too small…and our entire restaurant is just way too small, so we are looking at future expansion, hopefully within the next year or less.” As half of the dynamic duo that owns the Mason Jar, Jayme says things continue to go “incredibly well.” In fact, she says, “This summer is already way busier than last year, and every year we just keep getting busier and busier.” While she admits, “That’s a good thing…a great thing,” they really do need to expand.
She tells me, “In the beginning we had 10 tables and now we have 30 or more, yet we still have the same sized kitchen as for that 10-table diner, and for the life of me I don’t know how they do…just three guys crankin’ out all of that great food!”
The diner enjoys a solid, loyal clientele, and even summer regulars come back when they’re in town which Jayme finds awesome as well.
The excitement generated by the $10,000 award is palpable to the entire Mason Jar family. As one of ten good food enterprises to earn the prize, they were all humming at high power today.
The dollars from the Michigan Good Food Fun are designed to increase healthy food access and spark economic development in the communities that need it the most. Besides the Mason Jar Cafe, other winning businesses hail from Detroit, Flint, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City.
The Catalytic Investment Awards are designed to help entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level, including preparing for financing. Awards will be used for a variety of purposes, including infrastructure investments, capital expenditures, and pre-development.
Mary Donnell is Program Manager of the Fund. She says, “These ten awards are supporting businesses that are increasing healthy food access and sparking job creation across the state, from farm to fork.” She adds, “In addition, they are supporting female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color, a core part of our mission.”
The fund was created in partnership with Capital Impact Partners, Fair Food Network, the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Since its launch in June 2015, it has invested more than $11 million in 28 food businesses across the state, supporting or creating more than 420 jobs.
The Mason Jar Cafe was born from the love of fresh, local and handmade food. They created a menu that allows them to change on a seasonal basis and serve as much local and organic product as possible. They make everything from scratch in their open kitchen, where you are always free to talk to the chefs.
Being in Michigan has lent well to the largest agricultural sourcing possible. In the spring and summer they source things like: asparagus, potatoes, strawberries, kale, arugula, and blueberries from local farmers. Additionally, they are able to source produce locally, and they even get their soda, hot chocolate, cheese, hot sauce, chicken and eggs locally.
The Mason Jar menu was also created to ideally accommodate all customers, from gluten-free to vegan to vegetarian to omnivores. When opening the cafe the crew had hoped to create a place that felt like home to everyone, so they created a very warm environment. With an open kitchen, handmade tables, and an amazingly friendly staff, they hit it out of the park from virtually day one.
This is not the first time that the Mason Jar has garnered a major award. Celebration!Cinemas of Benton Harbor awarded them the Celebrated Service Award in November of 2016 for excellence in customer service, and earlier this year Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services awarded the diner with their 2018 MicroEnterprise Award.
Stay tuned for more on what comes next for what has become a true community anchor that draws hungry customers from far and wide.
