Owners Marsha Gill-Dunker and Corey Dunker returned to Coreys hometown of Shipshewana and followed their dream of owning a restaurant. Their dream became a reality two years ago when they opened Fireside Cafe inside Yoder's Shopping Center. They are known for their Applewood slow-smoked in-house meats and beans (Corey does the smoking) and a variety of made-from-scratch recipes.

As I walked into the restaurant, the first thing that hit me was the extensive ice cream counter (28 flavors) and the smell of homemade waffle cones. I also couldnt help notice the homemade fudge and cookies, ice cream floats and milkshakes/malts. All I can say is, be sure to save room for dessert!

Everything looked good on the menu, so I asked to sample some of their signature lunch and dinner dishes. I first tried the Southwest Chicken Quesadilla with smoked chicken, cheese, black beans & roasted corn. It was served with their delicious homemade roasted corn and smoked black beans salsa. I next tried their Three Sliders Platter that included the Smoked Turkey Club, Chopped Brisket, and the Pulled Pork. It also came with their broccoli salad side and a corn muffin. You can definitely taste the smoked-flavor in all three sandwiches, and I could eat a bowl full of the broccoli salad. It has broccoli, onion, dried cranberries and a yummy vinegar-based sweet dressing that they sell for carry-out.

Finally, I tried the Fireside Melt with smoked turkey & ham, bacon, cheese, onion, and their Dijon sauce. I also sampled the potato salad, macaroni and cheese and smoked-baked beans. Im typically not a big fan of potato salad, but theirs is more like the texture of a baked potato and I liked it a lot. All of their sides are excellent and I think really make the meal special. So much that they should consider adding a Sides Only platter to the menu!

Fireside serves breakfast (all-day), lunch and dinner, and they offer a convenient drive-thru for pickup on the go. They also offer catering and a private event room for meetings or social gatherings. You can tell the restaurant is a labor of love for this family, and I look forward to visiting again next time Im in Shipshewana.