Traverse Northern Michigan, December 2025

/ PLUS: NORTHERN HOME & COTTAGE /

The Beauty of the Bake Inside the cozy NoMI kitchen where flour, water & salt equals love.

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features 12.25

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT UP NORTH PEOPLE, PLACES, FOOD AND EVENTS.

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The Beauty of the Bake

In a sunlit kitchen in Northern Michigan, a mother and daughter turn flour and time into something transcendent—bread as art, and love made visible.

BY N I C O L E L A N E

P H O T O S BY T I M H U S S E Y

/26 26//

The Snowy Side

When Walloon’s summer cottages are closed up against the cold, this sweet village sparkles with winter wonder.

Your perfect weekend awaits.

BY CARA MCDONALD

/ 30 30//

The Healing Inn

When Brittany and Joel Jacobson saw the old Victorian B&B on a Bellaire hilltop, they knew it was more than just a business opportunity. It could become a become a life-changing sanctuary.

BY M AT T H E W D U R S U M

photo by Tim Hussey

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DECEMBER 2025

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Traverse

NORTHERN

MICHIGAN A MyNorth Media Publication

Vol. 45 | No. 6

Cara McDonald S. Nicole Lane Matthew Dursum

EXECUTIVE EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Caroline Dahlquist

PROOFREADER REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Allison Jarrell Acosta Lissa Martin Meagan Francis Carly Simpson

ART DIRECTOR

Tim Hussey Theresa Burau-Baehr

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR, SPECIAL SECTIONS

Rachel Watson Lisa Froning

DIRECTOR OF SALES LOCAL SALE DIRECTOR

Sabrina Haskell

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Heather Houdek Carrie Iverson Paul Marek Jack Rutkowski

DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT/SUBSCRIPTIONS

Asher Considine

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Ashlyn Korienek

57

departments 07 | Editor’s Note 11 | Up North

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES

415 Cass St., Traverse City, MI 49684 Phone: 231-775-3478 | Email: info@mynorth.com

Meet Molly Jackson and take in the beauty of her stained-glass visions.

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES

Visit MyNorth.com/Account to renew your subscription, change your address or review your account.

15 | Outdoors

Subscribe to Traverse Northern Michigan at MyNorth.com/Subscribe.

Elusive, striking, inspiring: Snowy owls are back, and here’s how to experience them.

Please email other subscription inquiries to info@mynorth.com or call 231-775-3478 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.

57 | Culinary North

A Leelanau staple opens in the Warehouse District in TC; plus, soul-satisfying comfort food at Otis Harbor Springs.

Traverse Northern Michigan, (ISSN10713719) is published monthly by Heritage Broadcasting Company of Michigan, 415 Cass St., Traverse City, MI 49684. Periodicals class postage paid at Traverse City, MI 49684 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Traverse Northern Michigan, 415 Cass St., Traverse City, MI 49684. Advertising rates available upon request. Subscription rate: $39.95 for 12 issues. Single issue price: $6.50. All rights reserved. Copyright 2025, Heritage Broadcasting Company of Michigan.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

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60 | Love of the Land

See why a visit to the dunes is prime winter adventure.

ON THE COVER

The Beauty of the Bake Photo by Tim Hussey

DECEMBER 2025

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Editor’s Note

GIVE US THIS DAY

photo by Tim Hussey

M

ost evenings, i walk my dog through our neighborhood just as the light shifts—the hour when the air smells faintly of woodsmoke, the maple branches reach against the gray sky and the streetlights flicker awake. Block by block, the little boxes stand sentinel.

There’s the Little Free Library with its mismatched door, the weathered cabinet turned into a Blessing Box, a converted armoire filled with a grandma’s homemade banana bread and peanut butter cookies. Inside, they’re sometimes decorated with Petoskey stones and little vases of flowers, or a strand of twinkle lights.

An honor box. A note from the proprietor saying, “Enjoy!”

There’s a flower box with soup cans tightly packed with $2 bouquets, and a box that offers tiny works of art— credit card–sized paintings, clay hearts, bits of poetry. At Halloween, another neighbor transforms boxes into haunted dioramas, and neighbors walk by with their children, who stand on their toes to peer in at the macabre little scenes of aliens and zombies and mad scientists. These small shrines to generosity, scattered through our streets, stop me in my tracks. They are humble, almost invisible, but they say something deeply hopeful: I have this gift I can share.

This month, our cover story captures that same spirit.

Jenny and Jeannie Morris, the mother-daughter team behind MorrisMade, spend their day turning out sourdough loaves as beautiful as they are nourishing—crusts dusted with flour, patterns scored into the surface like lacework.

Their home-based microbakery isn’t much of a profit center.

The work is slow and intricate, the returns modest. Yet what they create is more than food. It’s a form of care, a quiet way of tending to community.

And as I write this, that impulse—to create, to bestow— matters more than ever. Across Northern Michigan, many of our neighbors are struggling. Blessing boxes stand empty.

People who have never known food insecurity are facing hard choices. Our Coast Guard families and others who

serve us have weathered weeks without pay. The patchwork of abundance and need in our region has never been more visible or more heartbreaking.

Yet, people are stepping forward with whatever they have to give. Old Mission Bakery began offering free loaves, no questions asked. Rachel Beckwith, known around Lake Ann as “The Bread Lady,” posted on the socials simply, “I can’t do much, but I can bake.” These gestures, like the little boxes dotting my neighborhood, are proof that generosity doesn’t need scale to matter. It just needs to begin.

As the snow sets in and the little box season closes its shutters, I think often of those tiny offerings—the ones that appear overnight, the ones that say, “You’re seen.” Maybe what sustains us isn’t just the bread on our tables, but the hands that offer it, with love.

Cara McDonald, Executive Editor cara@mynorth.com DECEMBER 2025

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Swing into the Holiday Season at the Center DEC 15 / 7:00PM

Dorothy Gerber Strings Youth Orchestra Presents: A Holiday Strings Celebration

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A Christmas Carol

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Up North

local buzz · nostalgic finds · travel inspo

“

If I go too long without working on a project, I start to feel a little ‘off,’ —MOLLY JACKSON

EDITORS’ PICKS: OUR BEST DISCOVERIES photo courtesy of Molly Jackson

P. 13

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GLASS ARTIST P. 15

WINTER’S WINGS P. 16

DECEMBER 2025

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NanBopFarm.com

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Photograpy by Brons Imagery

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Up North Curiosities

The Go-To Gift Spot

Gift-giving is a love language for some. For the rest of us, it helps to have a go-to shop where everything feels like a potential hit. When I wandered into Tinker’s Studios on Old Mission Peninsula, I found mine.

Inside, paintings by local artists share wall space with handwoven rugs, stylish bags and shelves lined with Petoskey stone and beach glass jewelry. Stocking stuffers abound like handcrafted metal rings, beaded earrings, artisanal cards and small works of art inspired by the lakeshore. Poetry books, candle holders, ornaments—almost everything here is local, handmade and curated with passion. Once you’ve shopped your list, celebrate with a cocktail at Old Mission Distilling next door.

– Matthew Dursum

EDITORS’ PICKS

The secret discoveries we tell our friends about.

Making the Cut

When I was a kid, my family’s tradition was to put up our Christmas tree on Christmas eve, meaning we were also late in shopping for one. We’d head to the nursery tree lot and hold up the contenders, shaking out the branches and comparing. I hated leaving the almost-but-not-quite ones behind, cut but doomed to never find a family for Christmas. My adult solution: cutting a tree locally. So many farms offer cut-your-own options, and as for the unchosen? Well, I like to think they live on to find another family next year.

Find a Northern Michigan Christmas tree farm near you at mcta.org. – Cara McDonald Handcrafted for the Holidays

Flor de Nochebuena, or “Flower of the Holy Night,” blooms each December, and its red, vibrant blooms signal the arrival of Christmas. There’s a Mexican legend that a girl named Pepita brought weeds as an offering at Christmas, and they miraculously turned into this holiday posey—the poinsettia. Capture the feeling of giving with the 2025 limited edition ornament of the poinsettia from Little Traverse Tileworks, a delicate artisan design handcrafted uniquely with clay.

Each piece is presented in a gift box and is a timeless way to honor the spirit of the season and the joy of giving rather than receiving. littletraverse.com – Nicole Lane DECEMBER 2025

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Up North Buzz

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GLASS ARTIST

by CARLY SIMPSON

The radiant works of Molly Jackson, inspired by life in her own backyard.

photo courtesy of Molly Jackson

A

magnificent loon framed by a vibrant mosaic of blue, red and yellow stopped me mid doomscroll. Its black-and-white spotted back faced me, wings about to spread wide. I immediately saved the Instagram post and followed the Marquette-based artist, Molly Jackson of Neighborhood Glassworks. The loon is a part of her recent patchwork bird collection, giving stained glass a decidedly Midwest modern vibe: bold patterns, rich colors, nature-forward.

Jackson’s U.P. roots run through many of her pieces—a chickadee among apple blossoms, underwater swimmers in rippling shades of blue—each one reflecting the spirit of home. The artist grew up in Menominee in a small farmhouse on 40 acres along the Menominee River. After a decade spent moving around the Midwest for school and jobs, Jackson and her partner moved to Marquette, wanting to feel that sense of belonging again, and settled back into the rural rhythms of life right away, embracing the local color and wildlife. “The does raise their fawns in our neighborhood,” she says. “Last summer I’d be sipping

coffee and playing fetch with our dog while a doe nursed her baby on a hill overlooking our yard.”

Glasswork, for Jackson, also feels like a return to her roots. She first discovered the medium in high school, thanks to a teacher, Ms. Marlink, who encouraged the class to try something new. “It gave me a sense of confidence I’d never felt before,” Jackson says. Over time, working with glass became more than a creative outlet—it became a rhythm. “If I go too long without working on a project, I start to feel a little ‘off,’” she says. “I’ve always played around with other art mediums, but this one just clicked for me.”

You can follow Jackson’s work on Instagram @neighborhoodglassworks, where she shares custom pieces and updates from her online shop. She’s planning a collection in honor of her neighborhood deer and is accepting commissions for the patchwork birds. She envisions a swan joining the flock—perhaps even a green heron or a few songbirds. neighborhoodglassworks.com Carly Simpson is a freelance writer living in Traverse City.

DECEMBER 2025

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Up North Outdoors

WINTER’S WINGS

by ALLISON JARRELL ACOSTA

T

The enchanting snowy owl has returned— don’t miss your chance to see one.

here’s nothing quite like gazing into the deep yellow eyes of a silent snowy owl.

Just ask Elliot Nelson, an avid birder and extension educator at Michigan Sea Grant. Birding since the age of 6, Nelson has seen countless owls across the North’s snowy landscapes. Each encounter, he says, is as captivating as the last.

“When you see a snowy owl, they’re just so starkly colored. And their eyes are so piercing that you feel like it’s an intimate experience—like you’re seeing this owl,

and this owl’s seeing you. It’s a real connection to nature,” Nelson says.

Today, he finds even more joy in seeing other people’s eyes when they lock in with their first owl.

“Every time I’m with someone who’s seeing them for the first time, it reminds me just how awe-inspiring they are.”

SPOT A SNOWY

If you’re ready to witness that wild wonder for yourself, now’s the time to plan your outings. Northern Michigan’s window for snowy owl sightings is usually between December and

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March, with your best shot being in January and February.

Unlike most owls, snowies are diurnal, and can often be seen moving and finding their hunting spots around dawn and dusk (which Nelson notes is about 8–10 a.m. and 3:30–5 p.m. during Northern Michigan’s winter season).

“You don’t have to stay up super late or get up super early, which is nice,” he says. “They can be seen all day, but they can be tough to spot because they’re quite still, unless they’re actively going after prey.

They tend to spend a lot of time sitting on telephone poles, on the ground, or on hay bales, not moving at all. And they’re quite good at it.”

(Perhaps an even more impressive feat when you consider their size.

Thanks to a blanket of thick feathers that insulate against Arctic temperatures, they’re the largest owls by weight in North America.)

In the summer, snowies nest in the Arctic tundra and then migrate south in the winter, gravitating toward the open grasslands of central Canada, as well as Michigan’s “thumb” region and the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

Nelson notes that they’re “irruptive migrators,” meaning their migrations can be unpredictable and driven by a sudden shortage of their food sources.

Some years, Nelson says it’s possible to witness larger population booms in Michigan due to an increase in lemmings (snowy owls love a lemming snack), and in those years, the owls can be seen in almost every county across the state.

“What’s cool about snowy owls is they’re amazing generalists,” Nelson says. “They have a very specific summer habitat, but in the winter, they spread out all over the place because food becomes scarce. They can survive on small mammals like meadow voles, but they can also hunt out on ice shelves for sea ducks. And in the Great Lakes, you can often see them along ice edges where waterfowl gather.

There’s even a population that taught themselves to fish up in Canada. And there are populations that live in the Arctic, even though it’s dark year-round, and they’ll still survive and adapt. Their ability to truly be a winter owl in all types of habitats is impressive.”

OWL ETIQUETTE

Nelson says owl-watching etiquette is a hot topic in the birding community, as owls are one of the species that are most likely to be harassed. “And that can be detrimental,” he says. “So when you view a snowy owl, you want to make sure you keep your distance. There’s no need to get close.”

Don’t approach an owl on the ground, as you could disrupt them from their feeding. “They’re often living on the verge of starvation, so even missing that one meal or that one hunting opportunity can have big effects,” Nelson says.

If you’re getting too close, an owl’s posture will shift and their eyes will get wider, and that’s an indication that they’re alert, watching you, and ready to fly. If you find yourself in that situation, it’s best to back away slowly.

Never try to purposely flush an owl, and if you ever see someone baiting an owl, you should report that unethical practice to the DNR. “That can train the owls to come too close to roads and habituate them to humans in unhealthy ways,” he says.

If you’re a photographer looking to get a snap of a snowy owl, Nelson recommends staying in your car (which conveniently acts as a blind) and using a telephoto lens to capture those captivating eyes.

BIRDS OF WINTER

Part of Nelson’s job at Michigan Sea Grant (a collaborative program of MSU Extension and NOAA), is to enhance ecosystems through science and research, and birding education is a big part of that. The Eastern U.P., where Nelson is based, is one of the top regions for winter birding in Michigan, and each year he releases a winter birding report so folks can know what to look for in our skies.

“We get several really interesting species beyond the snowy owl,” he says. There’s the northern hawk owl, and great gray owls, which are the world’s largest owl by length.

You can see raptors like northern rough-legged hawks, and sometimes golden eagles and bald eagles can be seen in large numbers.

“Winter is long in Michigan. And if you don’t have snow downstate, it can be a little drab,” he says. “Birding can be a great opportunity to get yourself out, get yourself moving.

There’s a lot of research that shows it’s good for your mental health, and it’s good for your physical health.”

So, if you’re looking for an adventure, and maybe a potential new hobby—especially one that gets you through those long winter months—set your sights on a lonely field, an expanse of fence line, a towering telephone pole.

Be still and let the snowies reveal themselves.

Allison Jarrell Acosta is the communications specialist for the Leelanau Conservancy.

DECEMBER 2025

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The Beauty of the Bake In a sunlit kitchen in Northern Michigan, a mother and daughter turn flour and time into something transcendent—bread as art, and love made visible. by Nicole Lane

I

pull into the driveway, tires crunching over the gravel after a winding drive just four miles beyond downtown Traverse City. The air shifts here—quieter, crisper, touched with the scent of woodsmoke. A sign hangs gently on a picket fence: “Open.” It feels more like a welcome than an announcement.

From the porch, Leo Sayer’s 1976 disco anthem “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” floats across the yard.

Before I can knock on the screen door, I pause—bread racks flank the entrance like guards. Boxes of ginger cookies, hand-tied with details of lavender, sit next to rows of packaged sourdough bread.

I creak the front door open, step inside and slip off my shoes. A warmth envelops me—not just from the ovens, but something deeper. The scent is alive: toasted grain, bubbling dough, the deep, sour tang of bread mid-bake.

Once inside the home, sunlight filters through the windows, catching floating flecks of flour mid-air like soft snow. A young boy is sprawled on the floor, leafing through a magazine, a gap-toothed grin flashing as he looks up.

Around him, the room glows with bread.

Crusted sourdough loaves sit proudly snuggled together on a photos by Tim Hussey bread rack, their blistered exteriors crackling with golden edges. Each loaf is unique with a canvas of scoring, slashes and botanical-like teardrops that curl upward like dried petals. Burnished skins split with DECEMBER 2025

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mahogany fissures; other loaves are hissing in the oven.

They’re more than bread. They’re living sculptures, a museum of sustenance.

In the center of the kitchen are the artists: Jenny and Jeannie Morris, a mother-daughter duo working sideby-side with a steady rhythm. Jenny, the daughter, wears a headscarf over her tied-back hair, her olive-green apron hanging loosely, her movements precise. She’s gentle on her feet; one foot meets the other, heel to toe, as she moves around the space. Her mother, Jeannie, mirrors her calm focus, a soft sweater pulled over her shoulders and a warm smile spread across her face.

In this bakery, there are no baristas, no chalkboard menus, no sidewalk seating. Instead, the surrounding landscape fills the window over the sink. The scatter of chickens in the back yard is both chaotic and charming. Their feathered bodies puff in the cold, round as the loaves surrounding the duo.

Here, in the belly of their home, the Morris women bake with soul, deliberation and a fierce grace.

Since 2020, microbakeries—small-scale bakeries run from a home kitchen—have been having a moment. Quietly and steadily across the country, people are making limited-quantity baked goods for their local community, focusing on quality over quantity. The pandemic economy spurred a movement that reshuffled people’s priorities and pushed them to search for more meaningful work. A return

J

enny reaches her graceful arms long and kneads and stretches the dough.

Rhythm, devotion, patience.

This is a familiar cadence.

The dough loosens, and she asks more from it. It stretches to the point of translucence, pliable but strong.

Mother and daughter duo line golden-crusted sourdough loaves across the farmhouse table, carving ferns, waves and winding fields into the dough like magic.

to slow, hands-on creation is something folks found in baking bread, both as a possible income-producing side hustle, and a total pursuit of joy. The Morrises are a part of the post-pandemic sourdough wave, but their maker story begins much earlier.

Jenny is one of five siblings and was raised in a household of designers, builders and gardeners. The Morrises keep bees, gather eggs from their flock of chickens, harvest their own lavender and tap their own maple trees. When Jenny was younger, she and Jeannie would bake for DECEMBER 2025

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fundraisers, bake for friends, bake for fun.

Still, baking wasn’t Jenny’s first love. When she was five years old, Jeannie signed her up for ballet, which would lead to a professional career traveling the country and the world. But after an injury disrupted her dancing and the pandemic shut the world down, Jenny decided she needed to return to Traverse City to be closer to family. She also had a deep desire to earn income, be creative and stay home with her kids. For years prior, Jenny and Jeannie had joked about opening a bakery, but after they saw cottage bakers on social media having success selling sourdough bread, they decided to try their hand at marketing their own bakes.

Under the umbrella name MorrisMade, a family business launched by Jenny’s brother, JohnPaul, to showcase Morris family creative projects, Jenny and Jeannie launched their baked goods business. And in May, their microbakery dreams became a reality.

“Art forms have always been a passion of mine,” Jenny says. “Attention to detail, technique, expression through forms that aren’t necessarily speaking or writing.” The craft of folding, shaping and scoring is meditative, and the attentiveness toward temperature, hydration and timing is crucial.

As we stand in the kitchen over a dark wood table, Jenny reaches her graceful arms long and kneads and stretches the dough.

Rhythm, devotion, patience. This is a familiar cadence. The dough loosens, and she asks more from it. It stretches to the point of translucence, pliable but strong. There is

know-how, and then there is feel. When the dough is ready, she shapes it and tucks it with the same fluidity of motion she brought to the barre.

Loaves come in flavors like cheddar jalapeño, where a touch of heat lingers on the tongue. They pull basil from Jeannie’s garden to swirl into their basil pesto loaf, filling the air with fresh herbs. On the sweet side, the cherry chocolate loaf pairs with Northern Michigan cherries and chocolate chips that are ideal for an indulgent, chilly morning. The blueberry lemon loaf dazzles with a gentle sweetness and zesty citrus that sits bright on the palate.

There’s also a can’t-go-wrong sandwich bread shape with a fluffy, soft crumb.

The dizzying designs are made from the artist’s humble tools: a classic bread lame, razor blade, small scissors and a toothpick. Fern, leaf, wheat stalk and snowflake designs bloom in the oven’s heat. The act of slicing into the loaf is both functional and aesthetic. Scoring controls how the bread expands in the oven, preventing an unpredictable burst. It also makes each loaf a work of art.

The Morrises bake out of their home under the Michigan Cottage Food Law, which allows makers to sell lowrisk foods without a commercial license, such as baked goods, jams, jellies and candies. In places like Traverse City, where creativity and community go hand-in-hand, the law lowers the barrier to entry and opens doors for passion projects alongside business pursuits. High-risk items like dairy, meat, canned goods or foods that require refrigeration aren’t allowed. On January 1, 2026, the income limit for Michigan’s Cottage Food Law will increase from $25,000 to $50,000.

Jenny admits that the income is something that helps...

Using fine carving tools, they etch delicate patterns into each loaf, turning simple loaves into edible art.

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but she isn’t focused on it just yet. Her loaves take can take up to 24 hours to make and sell for $9 to $14—hardly the path toward a full-time salary. But for the moment, she’s on a path that feels right. The Morrises don’t have access to commercial bakery equipment (yet), as they are based in their home kitchen. Although they are fortunate to have two ovens, Jenny and Jeannie can only bake four loaves at once.

Purchasing a commercial baking oven where they can bake 12 to 15 loaves at one time would speed up the process, but Jenny says that the dream is “far off on the horizon.”

And, maybe it is slightly beside the point. Mass production would totally change the dance.

Customers have asked about a possible brick-and-mortar or setting up shop at farmers markets, but Jenny says, “We’re having a ball baking things out in our little space to make it work as smoothly and as efficiently as possible. I love being able to be home with my three munchkins. And getting them snacks eighty times a day. Nothing is for sure. For the most part, just letting things unfold has worked pretty well for us.”

And for now, the slowness feels like part of the magic.

Another part is the personal connection for the folks who wend their way down the road to the Morris home to fetch their weekly loaf. Customers are investing in the story and

ritual just as much as Jenny and Jeannie. “People come knowing that their bread is made fresh especially for them, with their name on it,” says Jenny. From side hustle to soul work, it seems Jenny and Jeannie are nurturing a larger hunger.

As I make my way out, a baby cries for Jenny downstairs.

JohnPaul arrives home with the same warm smile as his mom and sister. “Grandpa” pulls in with his truck as I head down the gravel drive, my sourdough and box of cookies in hand. The same gap-toothed boy who greeted me walks me down the driveway and waves goodbye as I peel onto the main road. I’m taking more than the bread and cookies in the passenger seat beside me. I carry the quiet understanding of the good things: slowing down, staying close, laughing often and sharing the beauty within the loaf.

Feeling inspired to bake? Get Jenny and Jeannie’s recipe for sourdough pizza crust at: link.mynorth.com/MorrisDough Nicole Lane is senior editor of Traverse Northern Michigan magazine.

Tim Hussey is a photographer, painter and art director of Traverse Northern Michigan magazine.

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THE SNOWY SIDE

When Walloon’s summer cottages are closed up against the cold, this sweet village sparkles with winter wonder.

Your perfect weekend awaits.

by Cara McDonald

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THE FIRST FLAKES fall mid-afternoon, spiraling

lazily across the windshield, as if the world itself has decided to slow its pulse. The drive into Walloon feels like slipping behind the curtain of everyday winter—here, on this lakeshore tucked away from highways and noise, winter isn’t something to endure. It’s a season to be savored.

There’s something about the first snap of December in Northern Michigan, before the ski resorts are humming, before the buzz of snowmobiles in the distant woods, before we’ve fully settled in to the deep of winter. It’s good to have a moment to adjust and breathe it in— we’re hungry for that first scent of frost and fir trees.

photos courtesy of Hotel Walloon

Why not honor the transition to our winter selves? A quiet weekend tucked away in a sleepy village lets us raise a toast to the coming season and recalibrate to the swirling snow and long, dark nights. And the Village of Walloon is rolling out the welcome.

Hotel Walloon rises out of the quiet like a beacon: the facade trimmed in evergreen, poinsettias in the flowerboxes, windows glowing with warm light. There’s a sense of welcome before you’ve even opened the car door.

Inside, wool rugs soften the hush of bootsteps, flannel throws are draped just so.

A room here feels less like a place to stay than a winter nest—thick draperies, a corner seating nook lit for lingering. At the heart of it all: the Hearth Room & Bar, with its daily rhythm of complimentary offerings—light breakfast in the morning, espresso bar, hors d’oeuvres as dusk gathers, a dessert display later on, the day punctuated by small, abundant gestures.

But the real initiation into winter at Walloon comes with that first evening, as dusk folds in and the Hearth Room fills with the aromas of citrus peel, spice and smoke. The hotel’s custom Four Cask Bourbon—aged in rum, cognac, sherry and maple barrels—finds its way into a winter old-fashioned. Guests sip steaming mugs of mulled cider, clove and citrus curling into the air. Is this a pre-dinner cocktail or…an invocation?

Dinner tonight is only steps away, at Barrel Back Restaurant. Through glass garage-style doors, the lake’s silhouette stretches dark against the snow, while inside, heat radiates from the wood-fired oven in the kitchen. The vibe? Rustic lodge meets contemporary smokehouse. Brisket arrives fall-apart tender; meatball and ricotta pizza slides from the oven. Plates come heaped with sides— maple-brussels sprouts, creamy root veg mash—comfort food elevated. A Michigan stout on draft, a bold red wine: either fits the moment.

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Afterward, it’s impossible not to walk the village, scarf pulled close, breath hanging in clouds. The streets are hushed, holiday lights twinkling against fresh snow, the stillness broken only by the distant creak of a branch. Returning to the hotel feels like being folded back into warmth. A glass of Cakebread, maybe, or a cup of hot chocolate before sleep.

Saturday: Pancakes and Adventure Morning light breaks soft through frost-laced windows.

Coffee first—pad downstairs to the Hearth Room and sit with a cup by the fire, or sneak back to your room and crawl under the covers as the thin winter sunshine creeps over the lake and the day begins.

How about a stroll? Walloon is home to Kalin Sheick’s Insta-famous Sweetwater Floral, a village atelier where the air is perfumed with eucalyptus, cedar and dried blooms. In winter, arrangements are sculptural and moody: hydrangea, magnolia leaves, birch twigs, rose hips. Guests drift through, fingertips brushing wreaths of preserved greenery, debating whether one might just fit in the car for the ride home.

Brunch, then. A short drive to Boyne City, where Café Santé does brunch the way a winter morning demands it: Vienna pancakes, crisp at the edges, tender at the center, dusted with powdered sugar like a snowfall. They arrive with berry compote or warm maple syrup and coffee to linger over.

By late morning, adventure calls. Snowshoes (complimentary for hotel guests) click onto boots, and trails unfurl into the hush of the forest. Under heavy boughs, sound drops away until it’s only breath, heartbeat, the faint crunch of snow. For those craving more motion, cross-country ski loops crisscross nearby preserves; Avalanche Preserve, just seven miles away, offers a sledding hill both sweet and exhilarating; and the Village Green’s ice rink shimmers under an open sky, skates at the ready (also complimentary

for guests). The afternoon might be spent gliding, sliding, or simply wandering, snow caught in eyelashes, cheeks flushed with cold.

When daylight dims, the Hearth Room draws everyone back for warm snacks and wine. It’s a prelude to the evening’s crescendo: dinner at Walloon Lake Inn. If Barrel Back is the warm-up, the Inn is the grand performance.

Founded in 1891 and reborn as fine dining on the lake, it balances history with modern elegance. White linens, candlelight, windows framing the snow-dark water: This is the night to dress up, even if boots are tucked under the table.

Appetizers set the tone. It might be an offering of teaspiced yellowfin tuna, seared and jeweled with cucumber salad, miso aioli, and soy glaze, carries a quiet precision.

Gnocchi gets wrapped in mushrooms, roasted garlic, goat cheese and sherry cream. Entrées lean lush: braised short ribs with fingerling potato hash, roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash, all bathed in demi-glace; or John Cross whitefish, Parmesan-panko crusted, laid over zucchini, tomatoes, capers and lemon beurre blanc. The apple salad, crisp with cheddar and vinaigrette, is a sly Midwestern nod. Dessert— perhaps a chocolate tart with salted caramel and ice cream— feels inevitable.

It isn’t just the food, though. It’s the poise of the service, the way laughter drifts from nearby tables, the snow pressing against the windows. By the time you leave, the whole evening feels like something crafted for memory.

Back at the hotel, a final indulgence: the outdoor hot tub under falling snow. Steam lifts against the night air, flakes land on bare shoulders and the lake lies silent in the dark.

The only sound is water lapping against the tub’s edge.

photos courtesy of Hotel Walloon

Grab a book from the hotel library and sink into the couch by the fire; make time for the hottub later. Opposite: Stroll the village and stop in Kalin Scheik’s Sweetwater Floral for a wreath, the Wallooon Watershed for an upscale cocktail.

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Early-Winter Wanders Around Walloon For the classic outdoorsy type: CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AT AVALANCHE PRESERVE Seven miles from Walloon, Avalanche Preserve in Boyne City offers more than 300 acres of wooded trails, groomed for crosscountry skiing in winter. Loops range from beginner-friendly to lung-busting climbs. Free to use, and the views from the top stretch across Lake Charlevoix. Bring your own skis or rent from nearby Boyne Mountain (rentals start around $25/day).

— For the romantic wanderer: SNOWSHOEING FROM HOTEL WALLOON Guests at Hotel Walloon get complimentary snowshoes, and the magic here is in the simplicity—step outside and wander into forest trails that wind behind the village. The hush is cinematic: snow-draped pines, muffled silence, the satisfying crunch underfoot. Ideal for anyone who wants their winter adventure with a side of solitude. Cost: free for hotel guests.

— For the playful crew: SLEDDING AT AVALANCHE PRESERVE Also at Avalanche Preserve: a natural sledding hill that draws families and groups of friends. The slope is forgiving enough for kids but still delivers that stomach-drop rush adults secretly love. No tickets required, but BYO sled (or grab one at a local outfitter for $10–$20).

— For the graceful (or wannabe graceful): ICE SKATING ON THE VILLAGE GREEN RINK

photos by Dave Weidner

Right in the heart of Walloon Village, the Village Green pond transforms into a small-town skating rink each winter. Skates are provided free to Hotel Walloon guests, which means no awkward lugging from home. Picture twinkle lights strung overhead, a frozen pond under the open sky, and maybe —if balance fails—landing softly in a snowbank.

— For the equestrian spirit: WINTER HORSEBACK RIDING WITH BOYNE HIGHLANDS STABLES

Sunday: Quiet Morning & Departure

A short drive north, Boyne Highlands offers both sleigh rides and guided horseback rides on snow-covered trails through quiet forests. Horses are sure-footed, the pace is unhurried, and the whole thing feels like stepping into a snow globe.

Rates start around $80 per rider for a one-hour trail ride.

Reservations recommended.

photo courtesy of Hotel Walloon

The last day begins in the hush before dawn. Downstairs, the Hearth Room buffet brims with fresh breads, baked goods, quiches, seasonal spreads. Guests linger over fruit and coffee, reluctant to gather bags. Out by the lake, an eagle flaps in a lazy lap of the shore. Pines fringe the horizon. The whole village feels suspended, as though winter itself is holding its breath.

Packing up feels impossible, but departure here always carries an echo of return—because Walloon, in winter, makes itself unforgettable.

Cara McDonald is executive editor at Traverse Northern Michigan magazine.

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THE HEALING INN

When Brittany and Joel Jacobson saw the old Victorian B&B on a Bellaire hilltop, they knew it was more than just a business opportunity.

It could become a life-changing sanctuary.

by MATTHEW DURSUM

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THE MORNING SUN SHINES

through the stained-glass panels above the bay window, projecting warm, colorful light onto the Victorian staircase. The wood creaks underfoot as travelers head downstairs, talking softly, following the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. On the table, there are plates of homemade apple crisp and pumpkin French toast. They take their seats and join conversations about life, family and the outdoors with their hosts and each other before losing themselves in the quiet stillness of a Northern Michigan inn, far away from the pressures of daily life.

They come chasing beach walks and boat days, bonfires and pumpkin patches. The backdrop of a wrap-around porch draped in ferns and the sharply rising gables cradled by whispering trees. But when the breezes turn brisk and the last maple leaf rattles off the branch, the vacationers disappear for the winter, and innkeepers Joel and Brittany Jacobson prepare their historic property to welcome those in search of comfort, quiet and a sanctuary in which they can begin to heal.

Before innkeeping was ever on their radar, Joel and Brittany bonded over their love of the outdoors and helping those in need. The couple met in high school in Traverse City, following each other to Grand Rapids for college.

During her sophomore year, Brittany attended a conference on human trafficking in Chicago. There, she crossed paths with a woman doing outreach for workers in the sex industry who’ve experienced trafficking, exploitation or abuse.

The two kept in touch and later that year formed a volunteer-run group in Grand Rapids with like-minded strangers doing outreach to help women find community and support as they navigated their way out of the sex industry, but within a year full of academic and professional commitments, it fizzled. “Everybody was just like, ‘All right, Brittany, what are we starting? Are we picking up where we left off, or are we just going to dissolve?

What do we do?’” Brittany knew her work had just begun.

While Joel pursued music and ministry, Brittany and a couple members of the disbanded group started organizing day and weekend retreats for trafficking and sexual assault survivors, focusing on wellness and reflection and using the outdoors as a source of healing. To fund these restorative experiences, she launched Freedom Paddle Company, a paddleboard, kayak and snowshoe rental business that she ran out of a vintage 1981 pop-top Volkswagen Vanagon camper. As the retreat side of the business grew, Joel and photos by TIM HUSSEY Brittany joined forces to turn the retreats into Freedom Summit Adventures, a 501(c)(3) public charity they’ve been running since August 2022, with the mission of helping women heal through outdoor adventures after exploitation or trafficking.

The Jacobsons led trips to faraway places like Banff National Park, Alaska and California, as well as DECEMBER 2025

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throughout Michigan. They also led paid public retreats to help fund their work, coupled with donations and merchandise sales. Through partnerships with safe houses across the country and a scholarship fund, women could attend at little to no cost.

As their work grew, Brittany and Joel longed for a quiet space for their retreats and to create a sustainable social enterprise arm of their non-profit. “We were like, man, it’d be really nice to have some space in a place that we love, that we can tailor specifically to the needs of the women going through our program,” says Brittany. In 2023, they found the perfect location, nestled in a small Northern Michigan town, not far from the sparkling waters of Torch Lake.

It was a late summer morning when Joel and Brittany first steered their car up the long allée lined with century-old sugar maples, toward the old house on the hill. French lilacs and plumes of ostrich ferns framed the gardens. As they parked in the drive, even the simple act of shutting their car doors disturbed the neighborhood’s hush. The pair slowly walked the grounds, took in the views from the patio and front porch. In the hedgerows, deer and turkeys lingered. Pulling the cool, fresh air into their lungs, the couple breathed out.

They had found their refuge.

Brittany and Joel explored the highceilinged bedrooms, the bathrooms with clawfoot tubs, the homey innkeeper’s quarters, the roomy kitchen and laundry. Inside the carriage house—the connecting property built in 2004—were four more bedrooms, each the size of a small apartment.

Besides its stillness, the home’s history and Victorian design stole their hearts. The home was built by early settlers William and Emma Nixon—relatives of lumber barons—in 1878. They called it Breezy Hill. “From what we know, Emma was gifted this property from her family,” Brittany explains. “William owned a grocery store in downtown Bellaire, and Emma would basically grow all of the produce up here on our little hill, and then walk it down to the store.” That path is now a landscaped corridor in town called Emma’s Way. The home stayed in the family until 1985, when Bellaire local Jill Barnard bought, gutted and converted it into a bed and breakfast by 1989. After two more owners, Brittany and Joel moved in on Labor Day weekend, 2023, and began their first shifts as innkeepers at a fully booked inn.

“It was truly like trial by fire, zero to a hundred, with

zero experience in bed and breakfast ownership,” Joel says. Life became a never-ending balancing act of handling bookings, menu planning, cooking, cleaning and putting out the proverbial fires.

When guests pull into the long driveway, the Jacobsons greet them with warm smiles and snacks—usually homemade cookies inspired by the season, paired with spiced hot cider in the fall, hot chocolate in the winter or fresh lemon-

Left, above: At their inn-turned-retreat center, Brittany and Joel Jacobson purposefully cultivate places that invite guests to sit, gather, rest.

ade in the summer—and, if they’re into it, long conversations about life, travel and the non-profit work that brought them to this quiet corner of Northern Michigan.

The couple builds bonfires and sets out board games and books in the shared library for rainy days. In between long soaks in the Jacuzzis and toasts on the private porches, guests walk 10 minutes to Shorts Brewery for beers served in the inn’s mug club mugs. When their guests wind down for the night, Joel checks in with them about their day and brings them last minute cookies and extra blankets when needed. Brittany finishes her menu for the following morning—maybe a shakshuka she perfected after the couple’s last trip to Türkiye and omelets made with local eggs and aromatic herbs grown nearby.

As frost settles on the inn’s lawn and the summer vacationers leave town for the season, Joel and Brittany turn

For Brittany and Joel, the goal isn’t rescue, but restoration, which comes in many forms at The Park Street Inn—a quiet morning coffee, a soak in the tub, a trip to Torch Lake or toasts with family and friends on the porch.

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This page: Soft and homey touches abound, as the Jacobsons seek to balance modern comfort with the inn’s charming old bones.

their focus inward, once again preparing games, planning meals and making beds, only now, their guests are seeking a different kind of sanctuary.

On Friday evening, cars pull up to the inn. The women step out and exchange nervous hellos. With the cold wind at their backs, they follow Brittany and Joel inside. They check out the antiques and games in the library. Some women go straight for the warm cookies Brittany has prepared. Others grab a blanket and sit by the fireplace before checking out their rooms for the weekend. Groups like this come to the inn from November to April, to regroup, heal and experience their own slice of Northern Michigan.

To put guests at ease, retreats start with homemade dinners, prepared from scratch by Brittany. “It’s usually a fancier, pamper-you kind of dinner,” she says. Conversation warms, casual introductions are exchanged. If the weather permits, retreat guests gather around a campfire afterward to share stories and play a few icebreaker games. Saturdays start early with homemade breakfast, followed by relaxing hikes, free time and cooking classes with an extra emphasis on nutrition.

The Jacobsons say the women grow comfortable sharing their life experiences with the people next to them, a bond and sense of trust many of them

have never felt. “With trafficking, it’s not like you walk down the street and are like, ‘Oh, I know somebody else who’s been trafficked.’ It’s not every day that you find somebody who’s been in similar situations,” Brittany says.

The retreats have no age limits. “We have one woman who has come to two of our retreats now, and she’s in her sixties and just starting to realize that what she went through as a child was trafficking, and she’s unpacking that in this season of her life,” says Brittany.

One of the many groups Freedom Summit Adventures works with is a Detroit safehouse that visits with 12- to 16-year-old girls who have experienced some kind of trafficking or sexual exploitation. “I love all of our retreats, but I do have a special spot in my heart for that one,” says Brittany. “We’re able to just do something out of the ordinary with these teenagers who have never been able to have a fun little weekend getaway.”

Between the logistics and endless housework, Joel and Brittany move through each day with quiet determination. “I’m glad we didn’t know how hard this was going to be to run a nonprofit and a bed and breakfast in one as just a husband-and-wife duo,” Brittany says.

Running a business that thrives on tourism and also works with trafficking, gives the Jacobsons a unique advantage in recognizing the signs of trafficking and educating others in the tourism industry. “Northern Michigan is so gorgeous. It’s so beautiful. We’re all here for the lakes, and we’re here for the good times, and we don’t want to think about what could be happening at our hotels,” Brittany says. “But the reality is that tourism

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actually sometimes drives trafficking,” Joel adds. “A lot of it is generational, and it’s happening here, whether we want to admit it or not.”

About 75 percent of trafficking survivors surveyed by the Polaris Project, a nonprofit organization working to combat human trafficking, said they came into contact with hotels—both national chains and small, locally run businesses—during their exploitation.

The traffickers are more often than not people in a position of trust, like a family member, spouse or even medical practitioner, and the vast majority of traffickers and their victims are U.S. nationals.

Michigan is among the top 10 states for reported trafficking cases.

According to the Jacobsons, the National Human Trafficking Hotline remains the best resource for victims or people suspecting human trafficking is happening in front of them.

By walking away from their situation, whether it’s trafficking, abuse or sexual exploitation, the women often lose their entire community, including friends, support systems and, in many cases, their family. Even with the

With Sunday’s final hugs and goodbyes, Brittany and Joel watch their last guest leave. As the warming sun filters through the trees, they steal a slice of solitude on the porch, sharing stories of their last retreat. bonds they form with each other and the empowering breakthroughs the women experience, they face issues such as domestic violence, a lack of income or a safe home and, in desperation, may end up going back to the situations they’re trying to leave behind.

For Brittany and Joel, the goal isn’t rescue, but restoration, which comes in many forms at The Park Street Inn—a quiet morning coffee, a soak in the tub, a trip to Torch Lake or toasts with family and friends on the porch.

“At the end of the day, when we really boil down every single thing that we do here at the inn, it’s just community,” says Brittany. And that community isn’t just for the guests who come to unwind. It’s for the survivors who come to restart their lives in Northern Michigan’s healing embrace.

With Sunday’s final hugs and goodbyes, Brittany and Joel watch their last guest leave. The washer hums with a load of

laundry, and tomorrow’s to-do list waits on the kitchen table. As the warming sun filters through the trees, they steal a slice of solitude on the porch, sharing stories of their last retreat, their guests and the lives they’ve impacted since taking over the inn. In the woods behind them, a herd of deer rests. The phone rings—another last-minute booking to fit into their already packed schedule. They record the dates and take a moment to chat with their future guests.

They turn to each other, eyes tired but grateful, and return to the porch. The swing sways gently in the breeze, their blankets still warm from the sun.

Matthew Dursum is associate editor of Traverse Northern Michigan magazine.

Tim Hussey is a photographer, painter and art director of Traverse Northern Michigan magazine.

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ON THE SHORES OF LITTLE TRAVERSE BAY, A CAPTAIN’S COTTAGE LEGACY INSPIRES A HANDCRAFTED MODERN MASTERPIECE— BUILT TO WEATHER TIME AND CAPTURE THE LIGHT. B y PAT T Y L A N O U E S T E A R N S / Photos by JACQUELINE SOUTHBY

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Above and left: The primary suite connects to the home from a long glass skybridge.

Accessed by a two-story glass elevator, the only one of its kind in Michigan.

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It starts with a place.

“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”

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Everywhere, the goal was seamlessness. Rift white oak cabinetry with floor-to-ceiling doors, hidden-hinged kitchen panels, and granite counters creates an easy, quiet cohesion. Even the bunk room feels warm and intentional, with handcrafted white oak beds and custom steel ladders that turn function into sculpture.

There’s heart in the cozy corners, too. The lower-level man cave hums with character—fluffy shearling ottomans, a nailhead chest, and twin backlit wine cabinets crafted in-house. The three-season room invites long conversations under its pine tongue-and-groove ceiling, fire crackling in the limestone hearth, Phantom screens pulled tight against the evening breeze.

Outdoors, the home opens to the elements in a way that feels inevitable. The primary suite spills onto a private deck; guest rooms each have a private patio. Five limestone patios—one stretching 20 by 25 feet—

Top: Serenity and simplicity reign in the primary bedroom, with a fireplace, its own private deck and a view of Little Traverse Bay. Above: The spa-like primary bath features a wall of windows with built-ins below, a two-way fireplace between the tub and toilet, a walk-in shower for two, and a vanity with vertical lighting.

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The “man cave” plays with texture to create an inviting place to hunker down. The team at mPn tackled the custom cabinetry to create a walk-in wine chiller that acts almost as an art wall.

anchor the landscape for morning coffee, grilling nights or watching waves break in the distance. There’s a pool, a hot tub and a full outdoor kitchen for long summer weekends.

Even the exterior design tips its hat to the bay. Painted hemlock siding and durable horizontal bulkheads ground the structure, while Ball’s living roofs— planted with wildflowers and grasses— echo the shoreline’s natural rhythm.

And the old captain’s cabin? It’s still here. The owners carefully moved it to a new foundation, gave it a fresh face and folded it into the family story. Inside are two guest rooms, a bath, and a snug living area that once again looks out to the big water.

Somewhere, that old captain must be smiling.

resources For a full video tour of this home, check out the 2025 Northern Home & Cottage Virtual Home Tour.

You can snag an access code through mynorthtickets.com; all proceeds go to Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan.

Architectural Design: Frederick Crosley Ball, frederickcrosleyball.com Builder: Millier, Poineau & Naumes (mPn), mpnbuild.com Skylights: Ceeflow Inc. of Harbor Springs, ceeflow.com

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photo by North of Nowhere

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TO THE TOWER! THIS MODERN RETREAT MAKES THE MOST OF A HILLSIDE LOT AND PEAK-A-BOO LAKE VIEWS—

BY KISSING THE TREETOPS WITH A FABULOUS FOUR-STORY DESIGN. B y PAT T Y L A N O U E S T E A R N S Photos by ERIN ATWOOD, DUNE LIFE P H OTO G R A P H Y

W hen the owners of the sloping parcel perched near Bellaire’s Intermediate Lake were looking for the right firm to design their vacation home, they had a couple of major requirements: Make it tall and narrow, like a tower— and make it like nothing anyone’s ever seen in Northern Michigan.

“The idea was that we would build vertically instead of horizontally, helping us preserve a lot of the natural landscape and creating a structure that will immerse guests among the soaring maple trees,” says Derrik Lattig, who along with his wife, Hunter, owns this and another small vacation cabin on the property under the name North of Nowhere.

All the Lattigs needed was someone to embrace their vision and pull it off, given the fact that it would be ensconced within a forest of 120-foot maples. A view of nearby Intermediate Lake during the winter months would also be a plus.

After interviewing a couple of architects, Lattig contacted Traverse City natives Dwayne Johnson and Marc O’Grady, partners of the

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design firm Beag+Haus, based in Grand Rapids and Ashburn, Virginia.

The pair checked out the site’s rolling landscape, nestled within Antrim County’s Glacial Hills Natural Area outside Bellaire, and deemed it daunting, but not impossible.

“The Lattigs showed us their design ideas and we ran with it,” says Johnson, noting that it was a challenge to put the structure on such a steep hill. Some of the trees had to go, a lot of grading had to be done, but after three years—only one of which was the actual construction—The Tower was up and running.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without them,” says Lattig, who adds that Johnson and O’Grady met his vision: “You’ll never see something like this in Michigan.”

Today the rustic-modern tower, part of the Lattig’s five-acre vacation compound, stands nearly 40 feet high. Four 480-square-foot levels offer loads of natural light and serene views from every window, including that sought-after seasonal panorama of Intermediate Lake from the top level. There’s also an outdoor patio with a seven-person hot tub and fire pit for more cool-season relaxation.

Builder Tom Brady of Traverse City’s Sage Homes recalls how thrilling it

Previous page: Tucked snugly into the woods, this vacation home is focused on leafy views from every level. Top photo and above: Built-ins, big windows, high-end furnishings and an open plan make this snug top floor feel vast—even more so from the suspended outer deck.

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355± Acres | 3BD / 1BA | Millersburg, MI | $899,000 A wooded sanctuary including 6-acre Hessler Lake, known to attract bass, bluegill, white tail deer, and northern Michigan elk.

With a small cabin, detached garage, and pole barn, this property presents a rare opportunity to build a lasting family legacy.

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was doing the framing and cablesuspended top deck. “It was a fun, unique build,” he says, remembering how he and his crew had to install the top-floor kitchen via an outside lift.

The unusual exterior meshes a composite material that mimics Japanese shou sugi ban (a traditional Japanese technique of charring wood) with two concrete panels that jut out to add

extra interior space and exterior visual interest.

Inside the three-bedroom, twoand-one-half-bath home, clean lines, lots of built-ins and custom touches punctuate each level.

Starting with the basement there’s a secondary living area, game room with kitchenette, wet bar, shuffleboard table, half bath and queen

Below: The two bedrooms, one king, the other queen, on the third level share a wet-style bathroom with all the luxuries of a high-end spa.

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Daily stories from life up north, delivered straight to your inbox on weekday mornings!

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Subscribe here:

MyNorth.com/Newsletter

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sleeper sofa. A four-foot-wide stairway begins and floats up all four levels to the top.

The main level is home to a custom-built bunk room that offers two queen- and two full-size bunkbeds, a spacious double-vanity bathroom and a large walk-in shower.

Above that, the third level’s two bedrooms—one queen, the other a king—are paired with a spa-like bathroom with freestanding soaking tub.

At the top is the main living area, which includes an open-concept living, dining and kitchen space with upscale appliances, dedicated coffee bar, electric fireplace, frame TV, and a suspended deck where you can step outside and take in the magical scenery of Glacial Hills and the glorious winter blue of Intermediate Lake.

Despite the challenges and intense

physical work—like bringing all the supplies up a steep, icy road in winter— builder Brady says it was exhilarating to see the tower come to fruition.

Owner Lattig admits he’s not the only one smitten with the playful home.

“Honestly? Our guests love it.”

Top: To preserve the forested feel of the lot, the homeowners kept the footprint small and built up.

Left: This bunk room’s four beds—two queen, two double—on the main level make for pajama party heaven.

resources Architectural Design: Marc O’ Grady and Dwayne Johnson, Beag+Haus, beaghaus.com Builder: Tom Brady, Sage Homes, sagehomestc.com

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More than just bankers...

Visit your neighbors at 8th and Boardman

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The Cu l i nary North local restaurants • craft drinks • seasonal cuisine

“

Deep in a NoMI winter, Otis Harbor Springs honors a farm-to-table tradition.

—ASSOCIATE EDITOR MATTHEW DURSUM

NITTOLO'S TAKES T.C. P. 58

photo courtesy of Otis

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TRIPLE CHOCOLATE, TRIPLE DELIGHT P. 67

DECEMBER 2025

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The Cu l i nary North Profile

LITTLE ITALY, BIG ARRIVAL

by NICOLE LANE

Nittolo’s Little Italy serves big flavor, bold portions and pure comfort in the new Traverse City location.

W

photos by Tim Hussey

hen nittolo’s first opened its doors in 2021 in Lake Leelanau, it didn’t just serve food; it set the standard. The family location quickly became a culinary cornerstone of the area, marrying soul-warming Italian fare with generous hospitality. Now, the Nittolo family has decided to start their next legacy chapter.

In early 2025, father-and-son team Eric and Dominic Nittolo raised the stakes when they opened their second location, Nittolo’s Little Italy, in the Warehouse District of Traverse City. The area is being revitalized— a new 110-room Marriott Tribute Hotel is going in just across the street, Heart and Seoul is opening a brick-and-mortar tucked behind Garland and across the street is the Traverse City Tourism Office. Nittolo’s is the last puzzle piece in a booming neighborhood.

And the restaurant has a neighborly vibe—the long, communal bar faces the open kitchen, and fills up quickly with diners tucking into slices of Margherita pizza with pesto and balsamic drizzle.

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Rustic Italian meets lively conversation under the glow of the restaurant’s communal bar.

“The inspiration came from an opportunity to bring authentic Italian dining to Traverse City at an affordable price,” says Eric. But the vision—like their first location—is still indulgent. Whether it’s the size of the pasta bowl, the lusty cocktail list or an expansive bar that overlooks the kitchen, everything about the Nittolo family is big and unapologetically Italian.

The seven-day-a-week Happy Hour (3 to 5 p.m.) is a standout. The lengthy menu boasts oysters, mussels, tortellini.

Behind the bar, bartenders sling Fuga, a cabernet sauvignon from Puglia, Italy, a Swiss chocolate martini and Peroni, an Italian beer, plus so much more. There aren’t many places where a sit-down meal can total $20 for robust servings. But at Little Italy, it’s possible.

Take the truffle fries: The kitchen seasons the heaping mound with tarragon and pairs it with a black-garlic mayonnaise for drowning the crisp. Then there’s the meatball dish, with a generous number of meatballs in a vessel of chunky tomato sauce, crowned with towering bread slices for dipping, scooping and sharing. Bites land heavy and warm. The portions are mighty. The bill feels like we time-traveled to 1995.

The dinner menu brings the Italian comfort classics like risotto, gnocchi and chicken Parmesan. Diners know the original location for its pizza, and Little Italy proudly carries that torch with 12 options (plus its gooey cheese bread). Don’t skip the Jersey White, a bubbling pie with ovoline mozzarella, garlic butter, arugula and balsamic onions. Wash it down with an Italian cabernet sauvignon.

Photos of Italy and New York—a nod to Nittolo’s culinary roots—surround the long, communal bar. Eric says it’s a pretty special thing to know where you came from, and to be proud to be Italian. “Our heritage means the world to us,” he says.

A meal at Little Italy is a loosen-your-belt type of experience. You hypnotize yourself with twirling forkfuls of spaghetti. Flavors are familiar, recipes simple. Eric says it’s “nothing fancy, just great Italian food with great portions.”

If you have plans post–Little Italy, cancel them. The only thing on your agenda should be a deep, carb-induced food coma. Don’t worry, that’s exactly how the Nittolo family wants it. To dine until you’re joyfully, unashamedly stuffed—to feel the lasting comfort, body and soul, of a good Italian meal.

Nicole Lane is senior editor at Traverse Northern Michigan magazine.

DECEMBER 2025

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A GIFT FOR THEM AND A TREAT FOR YOU.

Give the gift of flavor this season with Natural Northern’s favorites — from bold hot sauces to savory seasoned salts, they’re perfect for holiday gift baskets or stocking stuffers. Each one is made with simple, natural ingredients and crafted to bring big, delicious flavor to every bite. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to pick up a new favorite for yourself.

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The Cu l i nary North Bite

WINTER, ROLLED FRESH

by MATTHEW DURSUM

photo courtesy of Otis

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At Otis Harbor Springs, chefs hand-roll tagliatelle and dress it in sauces with locally sourced ingredients, serving it fireside in a mid-century modern lodge.

hen cold winds descend on the Italian Alps, families gather over warm bowls of tagliatelle ragù. The thick pieces of pasta are flattened by hand with a wooden rolling pin and covered with a hearty meat sauce—the cuisine of long winters, nose-to-tail and root-to-tip ingenuity and deep relationships with farmers and growers. In the heart of a NoMII winter, Otis Harbor Springs honors that tradition.

Guests sit around the crackling fieldstone fireplace inside the boutique hotel as chefs Shane Abe and Shannon Welsh bring their version of the Emiliani classic to life.

They mound double-zero Caputo flour into soft white hills on the prep table, filling each with golden egg yolks from Beckon Hill Farms. They knead the dough and roll wide, silky sheets by hand.

Next come the sauces. Both start by sautéing onions, carrots and celery until soft, caramelized and aromatic. For the Northern Italian version of Bolognese, the chefs stir in

half-and-half pork and beef sourced from nearby farms and local milk, rosemary, sage and thyme. For the lamb ragù: they add to the mirepoix ripe tomatoes and herbs, and a 50/50 blend of house-ground lamb and pork raised minutes from their kitchen.

The chefs take sips from the tasting spoons, knowing the sauces are ready when the flavors have condensed in perfect harmony. The team tosses elegant portions of tagliatelle in the sauces, neatly plating them with a simple garnish. Servers glide through the mid-century modern dining lounge, delivering dishes alongside bottles of nebbiolo, Chianti and local reds. When the dishes are cleared, it’s time for digestifs—espresso martinis, or Otis Old Fashioneds sweetened with Traverse City cherry liqueur. As the fireplace burns low, some guests linger. Others slip upstairs to bed, the night stretching long and quiet as snow falls outside.

Matthew Dursum is associate editor at Traverse Northern Michigan magazine.

DECEMBER 2025

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Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

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Publication Title: Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine.

2. Publication Number: 10713719. 3. Filing Date: 10/21/2025.

4. Issue Frequency: monthly. 5. Number of issues published annually: 12. 6. Annual subscription price: $39.95. 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication (not printer): 415 Cass St. Traverse City, MI 49684. Contact Person: Asher Considine, Telephone: 231-775-3478. 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher (not printer): same 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: Josh Trust, same as above. Editor: Cara McDonald, same as above. Senior Editor: Nicole Lane, same as above. 10. Owner: MyNorth Media, Inc, same as above, Pete Iacobelli, same as above. 11. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: none. 12. Tax Status has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13. Publication Title: Traverse, Northern Michigan 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: 10/01/2025.

15. Extent and nature of circulation, Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: a. Total number of copies (net press run): 9,675. b. Paid circulation: (1) mailed outsidecounty paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies and exchange copies): 0. (2) Mailed in-county paid subscriptions stated on Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies and exchange copies): 0. (3) Paid distribution outside the mails including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid distribution outside USPS: 449. (4) Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 8446. c. Total paid distribution [sum of 15b. (1), (2), (3), and (4)]: 8895. d. Free or nominal rate distribution (by mail and outside the mail) (1) Outside-County copies included on PS Form 3541: 0. (2) In-County copies included on PS Form 3541: 0. (3) Copies mailed at other classes through the USPS: 0. (4) Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail (carriers and other means): 102. e. Total free or nominal rate distribution (sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)): 102. f. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 8997. g. Copies not distributed: 586. h. Total (sum of 15f and g): 9583. i. Percent paid (15c/15f x 100): 98.87%. No. copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: a. Total number of copies (net press run): 9254. b. Paid circulation: (1) Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof and exchange copies): 0. (2) Mailed in-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof and exchange copies): 0. (3) Paid distribution outside the mails including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid distribution outside USPS: 351 (4) Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 7,939. c.

Total paid distribution [sum of 15b. (1), (2), (3), and (4)]: 8,290. d. Free or nominal rate distribution (by mail and outside the mail) (1) Free or nominal rate outside-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 0. (2) Free or nominal rate in-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 0. (3) Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other classes through the USPS: 0. (4) Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail (carriers or other means): 144. e. Total free or nominal rate distribution (sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4): 144. f. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 8,434 g. Copies not distributed: 684. h. Total (sum of 15f and g): 9,118. i. Percent paid (15c/15f x 100): 98.29%. 16. Electronic Copy Circulation, Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months. a. Paid Electronic Copies: 0. b. Total Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 8,895 c. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 8,997. d. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c X 100) 98.87%. I Certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are paid above a nominal price.

Yes. 17. Publication of Statement of Ownership will be printed in the 12/25 issue of this publication. 18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: Pete Iacobelli. Date: 10/21/25. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

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THE BUZZ AROUND TOWN A taste of the North’s craft beverage scene.

SPOTLIGHT: BONOBO WINERY HIGH ON OLD MISSION PENINSULA, BONOBO WINERY sits in the sweet spot between laid-back and luxe—a place where the wine is serious, but no one takes themselves too seriously. Founded by brothers Todd and Carter Oosterhouse and actor Amy Smart in 2014, Bonobo has matured into one of the peninsula’s most polished yet approachable tasting experiences.

The name, borrowed from the famously social bonobo primate, fits: This is a gathering place. Inside, sunlight pours through floor-to-ceiling windows; outside, Adirondack chairs line a terrace overlooking rows of vines that slope toward Grand Traverse Bay. Flights lean toward dry, estate-grown wines— bright, mineral-driven whites and quietly ambitious reds that show just how far Michigan wine has come. The newly released 2021 chardonnay “Citerne” is a standout: lean and elegant, with

notes of pineapple and baked pear. Pair it with their smoked whitefish pâté or truffle popcorn and you’ll understand the Bonobo balance—refined flavors, delivered without fuss.

And unlike many peninsula tasting rooms, the food menu here feels intentional, not incidental. Local cheeses, warm baguettes, a silky hummus platter, rotating seasonal dips— everything arrives artfully plated, meant to linger over rather than snack through. It’s easy to make an afternoon of it: one course with a flight, another with a glass of pinot noir or cabernet franc, both showing surprising structure for the region.

Stay through golden hour if you can. Bonobo keeps the doors open later than most, and when the light slides off the vines and the chatter hums low, it feels like the North at its best.

photo by Lydia Mejia

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DECEMBER 2025

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The Cu l i nary North In the Kitchen

^

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE, TRIPLE DELIGHT recipe by SARI KING

A little minty crunch, a whole lotta dark chocolate—this recipe brings tidings of comfort and joy in cookie form.

photo by Todd Zawistowski

T

his beloved cookie recipe was developed by Sari King of Crazy Woman Cookies in Boyne City, a talented baker who sadly passed away in 2018, leaving behind a community delighted by her inventive recipes and to-diefor combinations. These peppermint-flecked triple-chocolate cookies play up the centuriesold harmony of mint and chocolate, a pairing created to help take the bite out of the bitterness of early chocolate confections when sugar was much harder to come by. With their pretty half dip and colorful candy flakes, these are sure to steal the spotlight on any holiday cookie plate.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Dipped in Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Candy 8 ounces butter, chilled ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 large eggs 2 ¾ cups flour ¼ cup “special dark” Hershey’s cocoa powder 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ cup mixed dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks Dark chocolate for dipped edge (65-70%, preferably Guittard or Ghirardelli’s) Crushed peppermint candy 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix chilled butter, granulated and brown sugar with vanilla until well blended and fluffy. Add one egg at a time until well incorporated.

2) In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients, blend well, then add to the moist ingredients. Gently mix in the chocolate chips or chunks of dark chocolate.

3) Portion dough into 3-ounce balls and bake for 18 minutes. While cookies are cooling on a rack, melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

4) Dip baked cookies in melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy.

DECEMBER 2025

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Love of the Land

get there

photo by Taylor Brown

SLEEPING BEAR DUNES IN WINTER When the snow begins to fly, Sleeping Bear’s sparkling dunescape, brushed with tufts of golden grasses, is often accompanied by dramatic winter skies— and it’s this striking, otherworldly backdrop that makes off-season activities even sweeter. Sled down the infamous Dune Climb (just be prepared for a hike to the top!); go snowshoeing on any snow-covered dune, field or forest in the Lakeshore (we recommend Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive); or try crosscountry skiing along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, which is groomed for both classic track and skate skiing. For a full list of ski trail options, as well as other winter recreation info, head to nps.gov. –A.J.A.

68 T R A V E R S E N O R T H E R N M I C H I G A N

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Make Their Holidays Sparkle

101 W. Front St • Traverse City • 231- 941-3300 • jamescsmith.net

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11/7/25 12:34 PM

GLOC WILL KEEP YOU MOVING.

SHOULDERS

HIPS

KNEES

✓ TRAVERSE CITY ✓ PETOSKEY ✓ GAYLORD ✓ KALKASKA ✓ CADILLAC

NATHANAEL ADAMS md

WILLIAM A. AUSTIN md

ANDREW S. BOYCE do

CHRISTOPHER R. CHUINARD md

HIP & KNEE

HIP & KNEE

FRACTURE CARE,

SHOULDER & ELBOW

HIP & KNEE

THOMAS H. FREEMAN md

TODD L. GALDES do

SPORTS MEDICINE,

HIP & KNEE

SHOULDER & KNEE

THOMAS V. O’HAGAN md

MICHAEL J. PETERS II do

JOHN R. REINECK md

BRENT M. WIERSEMA do

SPORTS MEDICINE,

SPORTS MEDICINE,

SPORTS MEDICINE

SHOULDER

FRACTURE CARE,

SHOULDER & KNEE

SHOULDER & KNEE

& KNEE

BRIAN J. KERR md

HIP & KNEE

Go forward, Go GLOC.

gogloc.com

4045 WEST ROYAL DRIVE, TRAVERSE CITY, MI • 231.935.0900

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