Restaurant Profile

by Charis Patires Rise & Shine Cafe

Good food, family and traditions

Above: A selection of fresh pastries are available every

day. Below: The Mack Daddy Burger. Rise & Shine Cafe on Facebook K erry and Eloise Paulsen have been living in Macks Creek since 2017. For years Eloise would wonder why their community didn’t have a restaurant that served breakfast. She saw a need, so she filled it.

Eloise worked at J.J. Lafatas gas station and deli, located down Horseshoe Bend, for more than 20 years. Between the commute to work and the need for a breakfast establishment in Macks Creek, the couple decided to purchase a building to renovate into a restaurant. With the help of friends and family during renovations, they opened Rise &

Shine Cafe at the end of July.

Everything is homemade/made from scratch and the employees will provide friendly customer service, just like any smalltown diner would.

Eloise loves to cook, especially pastries, so the menu has a wide variety. On any given day you will find danish, cookies, croissants, cinnamon rolls, lemon gooey bars, muffins and other tasty treats. Eloise decided to carry on a Macks Creek tradition by offering fried pies. They come in a variety of flavors such as strawberry, peach, blackberry and whatever else is in season. Regulars might remember these fried pies were made famous when former Macks Creek restaurant Bonnie’s Cafe offered them for years.

For breakfast, several sandwiches are offered along with traditional items such as hashbrowns, eggs, country-style biscuits and gravy, breakfast bowls and other platters. The sausage that is used is a pure pork product, fruits are fresh, and the biscuits are made every day.

The pancakes are different, made with a sweat cream, as opposed to buttermilk.

A popular breakfast sandwich is the B.A.E., made with bacon, avocado and egg on whole grain wheat toast sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning. The breakfast wrap is also unusual with the added home fries wrapped inside the burrito.

Top, right: Fried pies come in a variety of flavors. Top photo: The dining area at Rise & Shine Cafe. Above: Breakfast platters come in all sizes but the menu consists of a large selection of breakfast and lunch items.

Lunch brings a wide variety of appetizers, salads, plates and sandwiches.

Everything is hand breaded — from the onion rings, fried pickles, chicken tenders, tenderloins and fried chicken.

Irish Nachos, several burgers, wraps, pork steak, chicken fried steak, a selection of sides and different salads round out the lunch menu. One of the most popular sandwiches is the Creekside Cuban, served on a ciabatta bun with house-smoked pulled pork, ham and Swiss cheese, topped with spicy brown mustard and house barbecue sauce.

A kids’ menu of breakfast and lunch items is offered. Monday-Friday check out the breakfast and lunch specials.

Eloise believes a meal should be shared with everyone in the family together, so when customers have specific dietary needs — from allergies to vegetarian preferences — she tries to deliver.

Eloise and Kerry credit their group of employees that help run the restaurant for keeping customers fed and happy. They also say that the support from the community is another key factor for their success.

Eloise has lived in the Lake area since 1983. Kerry moved here in 1996. By day Kerry runs their stucco and stone business, Complete Stucco and Stone. He’s often seen helping out around the restaurant by smoking meats and doing whatever else needs to be done.

More info

Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Monday. Closed Tuesdays.

Location: 13081 US-54, Macks Creek