Dan Para wasn’t looking to buy a restaurant.
Para is a successful Chicago-based financial adviser and merger/acquisition specialist who has a home in Marco Island, Florida and has spent summers since the 70s in Sister Lakes.
And that’s where the story begins that made Dan Para the proud new owner of the Timberline Inn at Indian Lake, just North of M-62 between Eau Claire and Dowagiac.
The Timberline is one of the region’s oldest fine-dining restaurants, with 84 years under its belt. Para did some research and found that Timberline opened about 30 days after Emil Tosi founded the little resort that’s now Tosi’s Restaurant in Stevensville. However, in recent years you may not have heard much about Timberline, as it quietly served mostly the several thousand ‘summer families’ within a few miles of Sister Lakes.
Para says he and his wife usually had dinner at Timberline about once a week, Friday, or Saturday, during their Summers in Michigan. Last year, he learned from Executive Chef and 33-year owner Ed Kanwischer that Ed and wife Pattie wanted to sell the Timberline and retire.
Fast forward a year… there were NO takers. The place appeared headed for the auction block, much to the disappointment of Para and many other regular customers of Timberline, who feared they’d lose their favorite ‘neighborhood supper club’. The speculation was that someone would buy it, then shut it down and transfer the liquor license.
“Someone needed to step up,” says Dan. And it turned out to be him!
No stranger to putting mutually beneficial business deals together, Para worked things out with the Kanwischer’s and took over Timberline October 16th. Dan says the staff, friends and many customers turned out for a huge ‘Going Away Party’ for Ed and Pattie. And now he looks to the future of the Timberline Inn.
The best news, Para says, is that the Timberline staff is ‘on board.’ His 20 employees, headed by newly appointed Executive Chef Matt Lowe are excited about the future. Eight staffers are younger—under 35—however three servers have been with Timberline for over 30 years each. It’s that heritage that Para feels is the ‘secret sauce’ that keeps so many regular customers coming back to Timberline—and he hopes it will ring true with new customers from a wider radius in Michigan’s Great Southwest.
Para acknowledges the restaurant hasn’t been promoted in recent years. But he’s confident that once people all over Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties realize Timberline is open and offering the same great menu it has for decades that he’ll be seeing some new faces as he greets customers as the new owner.
Timberline is not somewhere you will go for a snack or a sandwich. Its menu shouts ‘fine dining’ and its atmosphere screams ‘supper club.’ If you’re a fan of restaurants that give you a trip back to the 70s or 80s dining experience, Timberline should be on your list.
For example, the first thing you’ll notice when you walk in is the white tablecloths. They are disappearing in most places. At Timberline, they just got a brand-new shipment! Para says by the Spring, he will also replace all the glassware and tableware in the house. Not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because he wants his guests to have the best dining experience while maintaining the unique ‘supper club’ atmosphere that helps set Timberline apart.
Para points out that most of the major items on the Timberline menu are specialty recipes that have been developed in house and passed down over the 84-year run. Special coatings and batters for chicken, walleye and perch dinners would be examples. The first item on the seafood menu is Baked Shrimp De Jonghe, a house specialty along with Coconut Shrimp. Lobster and scallops are also featured items at Timberline.
Para has assured regular customers that their favorite items will stay on the menu. “We’ll add some things and have some specials, but we won’t screw it up,” he says with a smile. Specifically, he mentioned occasionally adding Prime Rib nights. He also plans to add a patio tent outside the bar next Summer as the bar area is small. A private dining area is available next to the bar for up to 24 guests. The entire restaurant may be reserved for large private events.
Timberline Inn is open Wednesday-Saturday, 5 pm – close
33141 School Street, Dowagiac, 49047
(Indian Lake Road, North off M-62 or South from Sister Lakes)
Reservations online at www.Timberline-Inn.com or 269-782-6362
