New Breakfast And Brunch Cafe Opens in Glasgow

Mark Berger, born and raised in Glasgow, and Johanna Vasseur, originally from rural New York, have joined together to open a new restaurant at the Elks Lodge in Glasgow. Toodie's Cafe, named after their beloved dog, is a family-friendly breakfast and brunch cafe offering dishes unique to northeastern Montana in addition to classic American breakfast fare using fresh ingredients sourced from local purveyors.

Berger graduated from Glasgow High School in 1998 and has spent nearly 20 years working in restaurants in Olympia, Wash., where he met Vasseur. He wanted to utilize the experiences he has gained over the years and bring it back to the community he grew up in. "I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to bring something new and exciting to the town where I was born. There's nothing I love more than feeding people good food, and there's no place on Earth that lives more deeply in my heart than eastern Montana," he explained.

"We connected in the kitchen," stated Vasseur reflecting on their life's journey thus far. "Mark had a passion to move back and we saw the opportunity. I always dreamed of my own place. We have had tons and tons of support from friends and family since getting here. We could not have done this alone."

The restaurant officially opened on June 18, during Glasgow's All-Class Reunion weekend. Vasseur admits seeing all of the diners interact with each other in addition to the community support in their endeavor was positively overwhelming. "It was like a big living room when people came to eat!," she laughed. "We want Toodie's to feel like home for all of our customers. We are incredibly passionate about having our dishes meet the highest standards of quality with only the finest ingredients, but we also want to provide a laid-back atmosphere where people can feel welcome and relaxed. We want it to feel like you're having breakfast in your own kitchen, but we'll take care of the cooking."

Berger and Vasseur doesn't want the restaurant to just be a place to gather, they also want to support local endeavors and be a part of the small business community. While diners enjoy fresh Wild Calf Coffee, roasted from Bainville, Mont., and menu items catered to the traditional fare of the area, such as eggs benedicts named after Dams, much of the artwork adoring the walls are by Montana artists. Due to a partnership with Wheatgrass Arts & Gallery, out of Glasgow, local artwork will be on rotation and available for purchase. Both Berger and Vasseur admit they are huge supporters of art and they want the restaurant to be an area to support creativity within the community.

In addition to being owners, Berger is the head and only chef at this time. "It's been fun so far and wild for just one person but I have been training my whole life for this," said Berger. Vasseur is also the manager while pursuing a master's degree in counseling and interning at Eastern Montana Mental Health Center in Glasgow.

At this time, Toodie's is only open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday through Sundays, however there are plans on the horizon to expand into lunch. They decided to first focus on breakfast and then continue to tackle the other times of the day as they grow. "Breakfast is really one of the funner meals to go out with family and friends," explained Berger on why they started with breakfast. They look forward to continuing to practice their creativity and gain inspiration from local ingredients.

Toodie's is located inside of the Elks Lodge, 309 2nd Ave S., Glasgow. They can be contacted at 406- 228-2994 or by e-mail [email protected]. They can also be found on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/ToodiesCafe.