Opening a business is never an easy undertaking, but Rick Mishleau had it especially tough – he opened his business during a pandemic. With a catering trailer and an insatiable desire to serve good food to his community, Mishleau pulled it off without a hitch.
Photos courtesy of Rick's Freshmade Cafe and Catering
Mishleau started his deli-style catering business, Rick’s Freshmade Café & Catering, in February 2020.
“We were selling premade meals out of our catering trailer,” he says. “That way, people still had the opportunity to get something. We didn’t actually start storefront business until May.”
Since opening the storefront, Mishleau’s business has grown steadily, now serving pastries, salads, meats, sandwiches and more.
Raised in the restaurant business, Mishleau had a firm foundation for steady growth.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own small business,” he says. “My stepfather was a chef and I apprenticed under him. My father owned taverns. I learned front-of-the-house business from my father when I was with him on weekends and basically the cooking end of it through my mom and my stepfather.”
With that restaurant know-how comes an understanding of the importance of the holidays for business. Mishleau doesn’t want to replace the home-cooked meal but he aims to lessen the burden during an already busy time of year.
“We do a lot to make (picking up food) a speedier process for people to prepare at home for holiday meals,” he says. “We’ll do the dressings, the mashed potatoes, the green bean casserole.”
Rick’s Freshmade also offers holiday hams and prime rib for people to prepare at home with a recipe, including a signature brown sugar glaze.
Rick’s Brown Sugar Glaze Ingredients
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup clover honey
- 3 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. each of onion powder, garlic powder, ground sage, dried parsley, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, paprika
- ¼ tsp. each of pepper, ancho chili powder
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the boneless ham in a shallow roasting pan. Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the ham with ¼-inch deep cuts in a diamond pattern. Cover with a piece of foil and bake for one to one 1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the ham bakes, take your provided glaze out to warm up at room temperature – or, use a mixture of the ingredients listed to create your own. When the ham is up to temperature, take it out of the oven. Using a heat-proof spatula, spread the glaze over the ham. Bake again, uncovered, for 15-30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Recipe courtesy of Rick Mishleau
Megan Roth is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
