For the Tomahawk Leader
LAKE NOKOMIS – The Tomahawk Regional Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Lakeside Bistro and Boutique, 2206 County Rd. L, Tomahawk, on March 4.
Ambassadors President Diane Timms and Chamber Executive Director Sherry Hulett were on hand when owners Heather and Chris Koncar cut the ribbon. The Koncars were also presented with a certificate officially welcoming them to the Tomahawk business community.
In a release, the Chamber said the Koncars initially talked about creating a bistro/coffee shop on their honeymoon.
“Silly, they know, but it’s when they first started kicking around the idea of one day owning a place of their own,” the Chamber stated. “As time passed, they fell into a rhythm with their everyday lives until their daughter entered her junior year of high school. That’s when they started thinking again about where they wanted to be once their daughter headed to college.”
The Koncars eventually decided to open a bistro/coffee shop in Tomahawk.
The Chamber said the Koncars have always loved the Lake Nokomis area, which they have visited every year to see friends and family since Heather was a child. They chose the name “Lakeside” to easily associate the location as being on Lake Nokomis.
The bistro’s menu development was the “exciting part of the process,” the Chamber noted.
“The Koncars have been fortunate enough to travel to many countries worldwide and really wanted to offer a few things that were a little unique,” the Chamber stated. “It was easy to decide on their espresso beans because they fell in love with the espresso in Italy.”
Lakeside Bistro uses those same beans in their bistro.
“It made the most sense to them, since Italians invented the extraction process to create the espresso drink,” the Chamber said.
The Koncars also developed sandwiches and salads that are unique, yet still involve everyday ingredients. They wanted to make sure they made as many menu elements from scratch and sourced in as many local growers’ items as possible, the Chamber explained, adding that the Koncars have also developed exciting new featured drinks.
“Heather and Chris are excited about the upcoming busy summer season and hope to meet as many new people as possible,” the Chamber stated.
