News
…the White Gull Inn!
by the Peninsula Pulse
Fish Creek’s White Gull Inn earned a healthy dose of fame this morning, and shared it with a great plug for Door County on ABC’s Good Morning America.
The White Gull Inn’s cherry stuffed French toast won a nationwide contest as America’s best breakfast. Owner Andy Coulson was smiling ear-to-ear as he was interviewed this morning via Skype from the dining room of his restaurant. He spoke about the pride of winning by featuring a true local product.
“All of the restaurants try to feature our local cherries. The county’s original economy was based on cherries,” Coulson said. “We wanted to feature our local cherries and put it into something that everybody would take away from here and never forget.”
Going local proved profitable, earning the inn nationwide acclaim and the peninsula some publicity money can’t buy. Bill Weir, one of the GMA hosts and a native of Wisconsin, shared his love for the area with his viewers.
“It’s this beautiful peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan and the White Gull Inn is one of the most beautiful spots,” Weir said.
The Coulsons and the White Gull Inn would like to thank everyone in Fish Creek, Door County, and beyond for their support and votes.
Fish Creek’s White Gull Inn is a finalist in Good Morning America’s Breakfast Battle
White Gull Inn Innkeeper Andy Coulson was not watching television last Friday when the call came in, but was doing what he often is doing in the morning - bussing tables in the White Gull dining room. “The front desk told me someone from Good Morning America was on the phone,” Coulson recalled. “It was Ameya Pendse, a producer of the morning show, calling to let me know that we were one of four finalists in their Best Breakfast Challenge.” Pendse and correspondent Marysol Castro would be at the White Gull on May 4, to learn how to make our Cherry Stuffed French Toast, and shoot footage for Good Morning America “I nearly dropped the phone, Coulson said.”
Pendse informed Coulson that guests of the White Gull had entered the inn in the challenge, and GMA had selected four finalists from thousands of entries. “You wouldn’t believe what nice things your fans are saying about you,” Pendse told Coulson.
“The first person I called was my wife (and co-innkeeper) Jan, who was excited as I was,” Coulson said. “Then the staff, and then, of course, all of our regulars.” The excitement built through the next few days, and on Tuesday, when Pendse and Castro walked into the inn a little before 8 AM, the dining room was packed with well wishers. “We open at 7:30 AM usually,” the Coulsons said, “but we opened the doors at 7:15 because the lobby was full, and we were worried that the noise would wake up our inn guests. In retrospect, I doubt if any of them were still sleeping! It was like a big party, very festive.”
Pendse and Castro were ushered into the White Gull kitchen where day chef Julie Zak was waiting to show Castro how the inn’s now famous specialty is made. After mixing the Door County cherries with Wisconsin cream cheese and stuffing the fresh egg bread with it, Zak and Castro dipped them in batter and spread them on the White Gull griddle. After tasting her work, Castro seemed pleased. “It’s like dessert for breakfast,” she exclaimed over a plate of the French toast accompanied by the inn’s turkey hash. Wielding a camera, Pendse then walked through the dining room capturing White Gull guests at their tables.
Anchor Jeff Alexander and a camerman from ABC Green Bay affiliate WBAY-TV were on hand to cover the coverage. “The timing was perfect,” Jan Coulson said. “We had closed for the month of March for heavy cleaning, painting, recarpeting and a general facelift of all of our buildings. On Tuesday, the sun was shining, the cherry blossoms were peaking and the tulips in front of the inn were in bloom.”
The four finalist restaurants will be featured on Good Morning America on May 15. On line voting by viewers will take place that day, with the winner to be announced live on the show the following day. The Coulsons are aware that the White Gull is up against some stiff competition, from restaurants in Houston, Asheville, North Carolina and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, not far from Boston. “We’ll need all the votes we can get,” Andy Coulson said. The final decision is partly from viewers voting on line and partly from the judges. “We are trying to let as many of our friends and guests as possible know via email, our website and Facebook.”
“I’m not that competitive,” said Jan Coulson, who has operated the inn with her husband since 1972. “Just to be recognized and included in the final four is such an honor.”
According to the Coulsons, the White Gull staff, many of whom, like Zak, have worked at the inn since the 1980’s, deserve a lot of the credit for the recognition. “A restaurant is a thousand little details, day in and day out, year in and year out, and our staff - the cooks, the wait staff and everyone is incredibly dedicated. This is just as much for them as it is for us,” Andy Coulson said. “They are the best, and we are very proud of them,” Jan added.
The inn is gearing up for another festive scene on Saturday, May 15. “I know it’s not typical of the White Gull,” Andy Coulson said, “but there will be TV’s in the lobby, the dining room and the kitchen. Those who are having breakfast or who are working at the inn those mornings should not have to miss the show!”
Peninsula State Park Celebrates 100 Years!
On behalf of staff and friends of Peninsula State Park, welcome! www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/peninsula/
VISION, according to Merriam Webster, is “the act or power imagination; the mode of seeing or conceiving; unusual discernment or foresight.”
In 2009 we celebrate the vision of people who created a system of Wisconsin state parks. One hundred years ago, they selected the system’s first member, a 3700-acre “peninsula” comprised of woods, cobblestone beaches and wetlands. Millions of visitors came to escape urban homes in search of serenity, scenery and solitude.
If you have been away from this landscape for a long time, rest assured that Peninsula continues to be what it always has been—a place where woods and wildlife beckon, where stars and fresh air prevail, where families and friends gather memories for years to come. What a sound investment for the future of us all.
Peninsula has been the source of 100 Years of Memories. In 2009, I invite you back to Peninsula to celebrate its first 100 years, as this is only the beginning.
Tom Blackwood
Park Superintendent
Second Annual Door County Marathon and Nicolet Bay 5K Fun Run/Walk Held In Scenic Peninsula State Park
The Door County Half Marathon will be held Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 10 a.m. The entire half marathon takes place on paved surfaces within Peninsula State Park. This US Track and Field certified course starts and finishes near Nicolet Beach. The course winds through the park giving runners an opportunity to experience breathtaking views of the water, shaded areas through the woods, challenging hills and ever changing scenery throughout Door County’s most popular park. MP3 players are allowed, however dogs and strollers are not allowed on the course. Walkers are welcome and should plan to finish by the time the course opens to traffic at 2:00 pm. Post party and award ceremony held in Clark Park (near Fish Creek Marina) for all participants and their families.
The Nicolet Bay 5K Fun Run/Walk begins at 10:30 a.m. just after the start of the half marathon. This race also starts near the beach and participants will follow the out and back course along the water on Shore Road going around the bay past Welcker’s Point, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse to Bluff Road and back. MP3 players are allowed, however dogs and strollers are not allowed on the course. Walkers are welcome. All participants will receive a t-shirt as well as food and drink at the finish line. Prizes will be presented to the top 3 male and female finishers and the top master male and female winners. The top finishers will be eligible for age group awards as well. www.doorcountyhalfmarathon.com
Free Concerts in Noble Square every Tuesday in the Summer
June 23, 2009 to August 12, 2009
Noble Square is filled with blissful music Tuesday afternoons from 2:30 PM till about 4 PM in June, July and August for the weekly free Concerts in the Park.
The 2009 concert schedule is currently being developed and will be released as soon as we have musicians set and ready to play!
Join us Tuesday afternoons and relax with a free concert.
Door County Selected As Best Small-Town Getaway
DOOR COUNTY, WI (April 19, 2007) – The beauty and charm of Wisconsin’s scenic Door County Peninsula earned it yet another well deserved accolade from Midwest Living magazine – that of Best Small-Town Getaway in the Midwest.
From a list of about 8,500 small towns, Midwest Living editors recently narrowed the list down to their favorites as part of a cover story in the June 2007 issue of Midwest Living magazine. The article ranks the “100 Best Small-Town Getaways” in the Midwest. Door County came in at the top of the list. Along with the entire destination, the Door County communities of Ephraim and Fish Creek are specifically mentioned in the piece.
For this official Top 100 list, the editors looked at towns with populations less than 20,000 in the Midwest and added a layer of research that spanned several months and ranked areas in 12 categories: attractions, vibe, scenery, walkability, shopping, dining, lodging, arts scene, outdoor activities, proximity to major cities, multiday potential and wild card (for special events such as festivals).
Midwest Living magazine’s new Editor-in-Chief, Greg Philby, was in Door County on April 18th to present Door County with the Best Small-Town Getaway award. He presented the award to representatives from the Door County Visitor Bureau, Fish Creek Civic Association and Ephraim Business Council, who were all on hand for a Door County Visitor Bureau event at Hands On Art Studio in Fish Creek.
Mr. Philby said what really helped push Ephraim and Fish Creek in Door County to the top of the list was the combination of great attributes throughout the Peninsula.
A sampling of the Door County segment from Midwest Living magazine’s June 2007 issue:
Who needs New England? The Midwest has its own coastal charm around the Great Lakes, and our top towns, located in Door County, are the best examples of it. The 80-mile-long Door Peninsula extends into Lake Michigan on Wisconsin’s east side, creating more than 300 miles of coastline. Tucked into this shore are lighthouses, 30 beaches, five state parks, golf courses and pretty towns seemingly plucked straight from a painting. Along the busier Green Bay side, it’s hard to tell where one white clapboard village wrapped around a blue harbor ends and another begins. But Ephraim (population: 349) and Fish Creek (population: 200), bookends to Peninsula State Park, epitomize what’s most appealing.
Wisconsin’s new Secretary of Tourism, Kelli Trumble, was also on hand to celebrate the Best Small-Town Getaway award with Door County and congratulated the crowd of over 200 after the announcement was made.
Midwest Living magazine, published by Meredith Corporation, is a regional publication that celebrates the richness of life in the Midwest. Founded in 1987, the magazine is dedicated to providing its readers a wealth of region-specific information and inspiration, focusing on travel and events, food and dining, and home and garden, as well as other editorial content categories. Midwest Living magazine, which reaches 4.1 million readers, is published bi-monthly and has a rate base of 925,000.
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