Grassroots Market a cafe with a future

DONNELLSON – Sometimes you run across things that make you stop and look.
There’s a small, quaint place that does just that at the corner of Hwy. 2 and Main Street in Donnellson.
And the power behind it is a young woman who grew up here, farms here, came back here, and now wants to help farmers here.
Cassie Krebill, a 28-year-old dairy farmer educated to the hilt in the fine art of the dairy/ag industry, has opened Grassroots Market & Café in a former restaurant on the southeast corner of the intersection.
The market, open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, is open selling frozen custard, hot and iced coffees and teas, and a selected menu daily.
But Krebill has bigger plans and an admirable ambition beyond some phenomenal cinnamon rolls, biscuits and gravy, and house-baked goods on the weekends.
“I love local farmers. I just love them,” Krebill said. “I want to give them a place to market what they grow.”
Krebill has refrigerated doors on the south side of the restaurant that she plans to open to farmers to sell meats, dairy products, and vegetables.

She already has fresh produce on a counter that is available for a goodwill donation. There is also Grassroots attire, nifty paper towel holders, and other knick-knacks for sale.
A small staff is quick to greet patrons who come in looking for an iced coffee or iced tea on a 90-degree summer day. That goes along with other coffee and non-coffee drinks, and frozen custard made in old-fashioned ice-cream machines. House-made syrups and toppings are also available.
“I’ve been collecting those things for years,” Krebill said pointing to the large stainless steel mechanical churns. “So we’re gonna make things in those.”
The frozen custard  includes vanilla, chocolate and the ever-popular twist, and patrons can also get milkshakes, malts, and Affogato, which is custard and espresso, and root beer floats. 
But Krebill is passionate about creating an outlet for farmers and for families who don’t necessarily always want to trek to the big box groceries for healthier options.
“My goal for this market is to create high quality, delicious, and nutrition-focused fresh food. However, my long-term dream is to connect farmers to consumers and utilize the market to make local producers more available,” she wrote on the Grassroots Market Facebook page.
That page is located at https://www.facebook.com/Grassrootsiowa. The outlet’s website can be found by clicking https://www.grassrootsdonnellson.com/. You can even place an order online for the cinnamon rolls that are quickly garnering a glimmer of local fame at  the following link: https://www.grassrootsdonnellson.com/online-ordering.
Krebill said she’s been laying a little low and letting her outlet take on a ‘grassroots’ growth, but at about 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, the parking lot was pretty full. That growth may come faster than she thinks.