PLUM CITY – Sarah Brenner, a former St. Paul, Minn. school teacher, left the city in 2016 in search of a change of scenery, and scenery she found. Nestled on a farm outside of Maiden Rock, among rolling pastures and curving country roads, the 53-year-old took her interest in agri-tourism to task, developing a small retail outpost for organic food and farm, at the Lake View Organic Farm which she shares with her husband and third generation farmer, Bill Brenner.

Due to COVID, people were very conscious of personal contact, so initial customers purchased their goods from the barn hay mow where tables of food items and a cash box were prepared.

By June 2021, a small structure was built at the farm to market goods to a growing market.

Now, Brenner says it is time for the “Farm to Table” concept to expand.

“This place caught my eye immediately,” said Brenner, of a vacated old bank building in Plum City, Wis. The space at 401 Main St. most recently housed Pop’s Chocolate Shop & Bakery.

With a background in renovation, Brenner has always had affection for old buildings and saw the potential of the solid small town structure merging with her vision to bring the value of her garden produce and organic products to a community table for others to enjoy.

The Farmhouse World Kitchen is designed to not replicate what is already happening in the rural food industry, but to include fresh Farmhouse grown produce into a diverse menu tweaked with ideas Brenner has gathered through international travel.

“Highlighting different countries around the world [in preparation of menu items] is a way to increase diversity in food understanding,” said the business owner. “It’s the educator in me.”

Brenner plans to test the Plum City palette with a weekly menu of familiar items, like a San Francisco stuffed burrito tweaked with some incredible add-ins. Her light-hearted approach and humor may tempt some mashed potato lovers to take a chance at something new and delicious. She hopes to manage a price point enabling people to eat at the Farmhouse World Kitchen regularly.

The large grain bins juxtaposed out the large vintage glass windows of the new restaurant resemble a trendy movie set designed to echo the realty of culinary sourcing Brenner highlights.

The couple expects their market to include local and non-local repeat customers by marketing a nostalgic experience. The small-town location tucked at the base of an active agricultural setting is a non-virtual step back in time where the school is still comparatively small and the church bells still ring daily. Visitors will find western Wisconsin’s peaceful rural scenes provide overlooks and natural landscapes to subdue most anyone’s stress.

Brenner tentatively plans to open mid-July, Thursdays to Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Granted, Plum City is a little off the beaten path and quiet during its weekdays, but it swells on Friday nights when locals assemble to socialize and share a meal.

The dining room at Farmhouse World Kitchen, 401 Main St., Plum City, is beginning to take shape. Photo courtesy of Sarah Brenner