About The Cookery

Dick, Carol, Courtney & Karin

It all began thirty four years ago when Dick and Carol Skare honeymooned in Door County. It was May of 1977 and they found Fish Creek to be a sleepy lake side town. One shopkeeper, Hazel Elliott, took the time to find out that Dick and Carol were aspiring restaurateurs who met while working side by side at a supper club near Minneapolis. she arranged for them to look at a small, twenty seat restaurant in downtown Fish Creek. “Door County is growing,” she told them, “get in now before the rush.” They took her advice and put in an offer. Two short months later, on the weekend of July 4, 1977, Dick and Carol opened the doors of The Cookery.

Dick and Carol’s goal for their restaurant was to create a welcoming, casual environment where customers can enjoy great food that is prepared from start to finish in the restaurant’s kitchen. Over the years, the Skares expanded their restaurant to become an 85 seat restaurant that also included lodging and a full line of jams and sauces.

In May 2008, The Cookery began another chapter when a devastating fire caused the restaurant to close its doors for the season. Through the year, the Skares worked diligently to reconstruct their business. Their eldest daughter, Courtney, contributed greatly to the process, having moved back to Fish Creek with her husband in 2007 to help with the restaurant. Together the Skares have sought to emphasize sustainability, a practice that has been central to the business since the beginning, in all aspects of the restaurant, from the new building itself to the locality of ingredients used in menu items.

The restaurant re-opened in June 2009 after much anticipation. The restaurant has expanded to include a second floor, waterview wine bar. The Skares are excited to offer this space for customers to enjoy a glass of wine before dinner, to dine from the small plate menu, to come for a dessert after a show or to host a private party. The Skares are also excited to have their youngest daughter, Karin, back and helping with many facets of the business, particularly baking. Look for Karin’s baking touches on the dessert list as well as in the bakery case.

Throughout the years and today, the Skares have continued to maintain their original values, to incorporate fresh ingredients focusing on local products from door county and to bring delicious, homemade food to their customers.