Amish Entrepreneur Constructs Fine Furniture

by Dylan Scott

Abie Trowler sits at his desk and surveys the work of his hands, laid before him. Rocking chairs. Bed frames. A cabinet with three mirrors and six drawers. All carved from white pine or cedar. Stacks of logs fill an airy warehouse behind the showroom.

This is Abie’s place, Hidden View Rustic Log Furniture, planted next to his parents’ Hidden View Bakery on a winding gravel road off State Route 325 near Vinton. Follow the little white signs or you will get lost.

He is lead craftsman, manager and CEO. Hands folded together, his beard draws to a little finer point when he laughs – and he often does describing his days drawing up new designs for his new business.

Abie, who is 28, and his family of seven moved down from the Pennsylvania-New York border a few years ago for the “warmer weather,” he says with a grin. His parents and seven sisters, all one big Amish family, came along.

His father, Sam, had heard talk among their people that log furniture was profitable enterprise. As Abie grew up, it seemed like a natural means for him to provide for his family. “As far as working for a living, there is nothing better,” he says. “It’s amazing to see what you draw become something in real life.”

So, in December 2008, Abie opened Hidden View. Business was slow at first, but he expected that, and the patience has been rewarded. Out of at least 30 pieces sitting in his showroom, only five are actually for sale. The rest were ordered. He has sold furniture to wholesale companies in West Virginia and Kentucky, but Abie is now finding most of his patrons in Gallia County.

They could leave with a whole new house. Abie can construct anything and everything, with his nimble hands and some help from three of his sisters.

The timber travels down from northern Michigan or even Canada, if possible. The further north the better, Abie says. Wood grown in colder climates matures at a slower pace, which tightens the grains and makes the furniture sturdier.

Then, he saws, sands and trims the logs down to the posts and planks he needs for anything from a queen-sized bed to a night stand to a porch swing. The orders depend on the season, Abie says. Customers can check out the showroom for ideas or Abie takes requests. If you’re interested in working some designs into your bed’s headstand, he sends those pieces up to “an English person” – that’s you or I – in Chillicothe with the equipment and skills for that. His parents also work a weaving machine to turn loose yarn into area rugs.

It is a family venture, and Abie clearly loves his work. He shows off the warehouse and workroom like a proud father, but takes little credit for his own talents. I guess he knows actions speak louder than words.

Self-Taught Chef Keeps Food Close to Home

by Libby Brandt

Just outside of McArthur and off County Road 25, lies a magnificent brick estate at the bottom of a winding driveway. Inside this lovely home, Chef Mary Reynolds fuels her passion for cooking by dreaming up and creating delicious homemade recipes for her dinner club, Flutes & Peppercorns.

The large manor is both a place of business and home for Chef Mary, owner and only chef of Flutes & Peppercorns. Mary is a self-taught chef whose family recipes have been her motivation in sharing her talent with others since her father first taught her to make pies at the age of 10. Since that time, she has been experimenting and perfecting her many family recipes, making everything from scratch.

In fact, Chef Mary’s signature feature of her cooking is that it is truly made from scratch. Whether she’s making her delicious pies (which are locally famous) or creating entire event menus, everything, right down to her vanilla extract, is made locally or by her own hand.

Chef Mary always knew she would someday share her gift with the world. Even when she spent most of her time helping her late first husband’s dairy farm, cooking was still an essential part of her life. Mary’s passion for food and entertaining fueled the loving endeavor that has become Flutes & Peppercorns.

Mary, who specializes in country-style gourmet cooking, places a huge emphasize on the relationship between the food we eat and the farms that produce it. All of the items she cooks come from the Athens Farmer’s Market. This, she believes, is what sets Flutes & Peppercorns apart from other dining experiences. Mary says that people these days just aren’t thinking outside the box when it comes to food. “What I want,” she says, “is for people to get out of the box and back into the garden.”

And that’s exactly what she is working to do with her Farm to Table dinners beginning this June. The summertime Farm to Table dinners will give patrons the opportunity to dine upon locally grown and raised foods with the very people who produced it.

Even the atmosphere of her home, owing itself in large part to the woods surrounding the property, enhances the relationship between nature and how we consume it. Chef Mary handpicked Flutes & Peppercorns’ décor to augment its woodland backdrop. Even the log over her mantle was taken right from the woods in her own backyard. “I just love bringing the outdoors inside.” Mary says. She also emphasizes the relaxed, calm nature of the home with live Native American flutists, which is where part of the name Flutes & Peppercorns is derived.

Initially set to open April 1, 2009, the business experienced several setbacks due to problems with building codes and permits. Finally, after eight months of struggle and modifications, Flutes &Peppercorns officially opened for business on December 1.

Mary’s dream to share her gift for making delicious food has evolved beyond childhood fantasies and adult wistfulness. She is a real chef, with a thriving business that represents who she is and her cooking philosophy.

Vinton County Pilot Takes Flight with Air Tours

by Veronica Norton

Harry Sowers knows how to entertain. Whether guiding tourists up and over the majestic Hocking Hills by plane or telling stories of Ohio folklore, he keeps people interested. The Hocking Hills Scenic Air Tours guide, and veteran pilot of over 40 years, loves to share his passion for flight with people. Though many have explored the forested area of the Hocking Hills on foot or two wheels, few have seen the expansive vistas and lakes from the sky.

Enter Harry Sowers, who offers interesting and unique knowledge of the area through air tours. Up in the sky he’ll talk about everything, from folklore to geological formations, and, if you’re lucky, maybe he’ll even throw in a John Wayne impression. This is all while he gracefully guides visitors up into the air with the Cessna SkyHawk, the plane Harry purchased from Ohio University 12 years ago.

Harry became fascinated with flying after his first skyward adventure when he was just six years old. Since then, he’s devoted much of his life to his love of flying and has passed on that passion to others as a flight instructor for the past 36 years. Harry now works out of the Vinton County Airport, where he’s seen visitors from as far as Africa, India and Europe. The airport is completely run by volunteers, making Harry in charge of flying, maintenance and even comfort—he uses a hair dryer to warm his cockpit before visitors climb aboard.

Though he’s been to 27 countries and all 50 states, Harry loves touring this area because, being born and raised here, “there’s nothing like home,” he says. He also says the Hocking Hills are “really turning into a tourist attraction with all of the hills and caves…even the mini Grand Canyon of Old Man’s Cave.”

The pilot likes to tour in the summer because it is best for weather, but says the “pretzel” landscape, created by the folding of the hills and ridges, makes for a magical winter’s view. The fall and spring also offer breathtaking views of the changing leaves and dogwoods respectively.

Harry’s passion for people and planes is obvious and he truly loves to share his joy with others. “I love talking [and] I love flying,” he says. Looks like Harry Sowers has found his perfect job.

Etta's Lunchbox Cafe

by Jessica Will

Etta’s Lunchbox Café combines my two favorite things: homemade food and random collectibles. While food is an obvious love for many people, my love of collectables is personal. I have collected everything from decorative socks to beanie babies, so when I found a restaurant with a massive collection of lunchboxes I had to visit and of course I had to drag my boyfriend along. So we hooked up the GPS and put in the coordinates for Etta’s Lunchbox Café. Located on State Route 56 between New Plymouth and Starr, Etta’s is in a remote area surrounded by residential housing and farms. Even though we were the only car in the gravel parking lot and neither one of us had cell phone service we bravely ventured into Etta’s.

Etta’s is located inside an old but still functioning general store. The outside of the one-story building is brick with a fenced in part of the land filled with llamas and a wandering rooster patrolling the front door. Avoiding the rooster we walked through the front door and were warmly greeted by, Tim, the gracious host. We had our choice of tables since we were the only people in the place. We picked a tall table and took in our surroundings while waiting for Tim to grab menus for us.

The inside of the building is divided into three distinct areas. The front of the building is the general store complete with various items a gas station would have like batteries, chips and band-aids. All the tables are located in this part of the building as well. Etta’s kitchen is located up a few stairs in the back while the lunchbox museum is located in a separate room with the entrance next to the sliding-door drink coolers.

Tim came back with menus containing “fresh, wholesome and nutritional meals.” The menu included sandwiches, subs and home-made pizzas. There was traditional fare like Philly steak, pizza sub and grilled cheese, but there were also non-traditional items like the Hobo Ham Steak, a one-inch thick bologna sautéed in onion. Every sandwich came with chips and a pickle. I ordered the meatball sub containing home-made meatballs, marinara and cheese. My boyfriend ordered the Etta Club- honey ham, smoked turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo.

After he took our orders, Tim told us to look around the place and browse the lunchbox museum. The room was lined from floor to ceilings with hundreds of vintage food containers and various vintage children’s toys. The lunchboxes ranged from traditional plaid hard-cased boxes with matching thermoses to popular television shows throughout the decades. I immediately found my childhood lunchbox- My Little Pony while my boyfriend discovered his long-lost G.I. Joe lunchbox. Tim found us amidst the lunchboxes to tell us our food was ready at our table.

My meatball sub was delicious. Two large home-made meatballs and overflowing marina and melted cheese, it was a little messy but still absolutely delightful. My boyfriend devoured his Etta Club. Although we were both satisfyingly full I like to push the limits of my stomach so I ordered a slice of apple pie- a la mode. I ordered it with plain vanilla ice cream but Tim suggested maple cinnamon walnut ice cream instead. I took his advice- the name alone made my mouth water.

The combination of warm apple pie and the complimentary maple cinnamon walnut ice cream was heavenly. I cleaned my plate and was very tempted to lick it since it was such a delectable dessert.

Shortly after we paid our bill, $18 for two drinks, two sandwich meals and pie. We left full and went into a food coma to nap off our meals.