In tiny Nisula, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Alison Kirksey and her neighbors were driving 45 minutes for basic groceries and supplies. With a successful food blog and a passion for cooking for others, Alison combined her loves and opened Red Hen Foods & Goods, a community gathering place that also has groceries, gifts, prepared food, and animal feed.
And macaroni and cheese.
The food blog, That Which Nourishes, catapulted Alison into to the viral stratosphere when she published a recipe for “just regular macaroni and cheese” in 2013. “My site got so many hits each holiday, it would crash!” she said. The recipe was shared around the world and was No. 1 on Pinterest for years, which also meant that she spent several holidays supporting people making mac and cheese. Whisking, grating, sprinkling, you name it, they had questions, and usually on Thanksgiving morning. She clarified and re-clarified the blog post, answered questions, and kept cooking. Alison has three kids and seven grandchildren, all living near Nisula.
Alison wasn’t planning on opening a store or running a business. “I taught piano for years and thought I was retired,” she said. She and her husband moved to Nisula a dozen years ago (she’s quick to point out that “Nisula” and “Alison” are nearly anagrams) and he bought the abandoned building that now houses Red Hen Food and Goods, using it as storage for airplane parts as he renovated. When their barn blew down, they reclaimed that wood for use in the airplane hangar/future store.
The whole time, “all of us were going 45 miles to Houghton, 25 miles to L’anse, and at least 20 miles for milk,” she said. And that was just feeding the humans.
Her son owns a ranch nearby with Highland cattle and draft horses and needed to feed them. So she started asking other neighbors what they needed and found out you need 20,000 pounds to place an order. “I thought I’d be doing that every four to six months,” she said, “but it’s every two to three months.”
Obviously, there was a need. And the humans were still hungry too. So she prepares food for them too.
“I sell out of my made food every day,” she said.
Alison’s legendary daily homemade meals use local and organic ingredients and are available to eat in or take out. (Everything’s packaged in compostable to-go containers; Alison is the only employee and doesn’t want to spend all her time washing dishes.) She makes regular trips to Madison, Wis., for super-premium ice cream. She offers local and organic coffee and homemade hot chocolate, and soaps, lotions and art by local artisans.
Northern Initiatives Commercial Lender Sam Lanctot “helped all along the way, willing to be present and guide me through the financing process,” Alison said. She’s adjusting to the seasonal nature of a rural Upper Peninsula business, which Lanctot says can take creativity. “Rural entrepreneurs aren’t dealt the same hand, and they have to clever to make it work,” he said.
“Distribution is tricky,” Alison said. “I’m a small business and can’t get all the products I want brought right to my door with the high minimums. But I travel to get the things I want to make my store unique and also keep products in stock that matter to my customers. Red Hen is in the middle of nowhere, but it’s also on the way to everything.”
Red Hen Foods & Goods has become a community gathering place. The store, which really is in the heart of Nisula, is open Wednesday through Sunday, and Saturday is mac and cheese day. “People get here early,” Alison said, and she makes “four big pans.” However, she does have boundaries. “I’m not going to do beer, and I’m not going to do pasties. I’ll make you a hand pie in a puff pastry though!”
