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Articles About Us This information opens in a new window. To return to the previous page, simply close this window. Johnny Mac’s Dozens of trains roll through Bonnots Mill every day, but one hasn’t stopped in this tiny hamlet along the banks of the Osage River for a long, long time. In fact, the old rail depot was torn down so many years ago that trees have grown up where it once stood. So imagine John Bowen’s surprise one afternoon when a Union Pacific engineer walked into his restaurant, Johnny Mac’s Bar & Grill, and ordered a slab of ribs to go. “I looked outside and then asked him, ‘What are you driving?’” recalls John. “The guy kind of laughed and said, ‘That big yellow train over there.’ He was waiting his turn to cross the bridge over the Osage and decided he’d grab a bite to eat.” Most patrons, however, travel by car down a winding Highway A to reach Johnny Mac’s, which John and his wife, Ruth, opened a little more than five years ago. Known for hand-cut steaks, slow-roasted prime rib, smoked baby back ribs and handmade chicken cordon blue, Johnny Mac’s serves up a select array of favorites to devoted customers each weekend. “We’re open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday year-round,” says John, who lives less than a mile outside of town along the river. “We’re so far off the beaten path, for the clientele we’ve earned, I think I owe it to those people to be open.” An antique shop owner in Jefferson City before becoming a restaurateur, John fell in love with Bonnots Mill and the town’s charm after meeting and eventually marrying Ruth, who had grown up in the area. For years, the couple lived west of Jefferson City but maintained a weekend cabin on the Osage River. It was while spending time at his river cabin that John met Mike Veit, second generation owner of Veit’s Restaurant, a Jefferson City institution and the city’s oldest dining establishment before it closed in early 2005. Though John had previous restaurant experience, his friendship with Veit paved the way for the decision to buy the bar and grill in Bonnots Mill, which had been called the Old Voss Saloon. “When Mike closed Veit’s, it took part of his life away, so he spent a lot of time down at his cabin and here at the restaurant and helped me get started,” John says, adding that Mike passed away in 2006. “He showed me what to buy, how to cut steaks, you name it, he did it. There was no way he would have ever completely got out of the business. I think to him, this was kind of his way of keeping in contact.” John’s decision to change the restaurant name to Johnny Mac’s — which was what his father called him as a boy — wasn’t one that was made lightly. “It had been called the Old Voss Saloon since 1912, but the place had earned a little bit of a reputation that I just didn’t want to associate with,” he explains. “Yeah, it did ruffle some feathers, but I want people to come here and bring their families and offer them a comfortable, unique atmosphere.” The menu at Johnny Mac’s is small, but intentionally so. “Mike said take the items you want to do, and then do the very best you can with those few items,” he says. “So when you buy your ribeye, for example, you buy the best you can possibly buy. A lot of people don’t realize there are three or four different grades of ribeye that you can buy.” Fresh, never frozen, ribeye is the only beefsteak served at Johnny Mac’s. You can get it in two different sizes, hand-cut and charbroiled to order. The eatery also offers a ribeye and jumbo shrimp combination entrée. Every Friday night, Johnny Mac’s serves up prime rib, which is slow oven-roasted and offered in a 21-to-23-ounce king cut and a 14-to-16-ounce queen cut. Saturday nights are rib nights. John smokes 2-pound, St. Louis-style baby back ribs on site. “I smoke them with oak, that’s the only wood I’ll use,” he says. “White oak or red oak. No hickory. It makes for a mild flavor. I don’t want to eat a rib and still taste the smoke three days later.” Johnny Mac’s also is known for its chicken cordon blue, which is hand-rolled when you order it. An 8-ounce chicken breast is butterflied, pounded with a meat tenderizer, filled with provolone and ham, rolled, then breaded in flour, buttermilk and Japanese panko breadcrumbs. “That’s my signature dish there,” says John. “It’s the real deal.” Also becoming well known is the pork tenderloin sandwich, which is served with fresh-cut, homemade French fries. In fact, the 14-ounce, double-breaded cut is one of six finalists in this year’s “Missouri’s Best Breaded Pork Loin” contest sponsored by the Missouri Pork Association. Results of the contest will be announced later this month. Though many of his regulars have urged him to expand, John says that he’s content with keeping to what’s made Johnny Mac’s successful over the past five years. “We’re kind of on cruise control right now,” he says. “We’re making a living and only open three days a week, so we must be doing something right. BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN COUNTY Do you want to see some of the TREASURES of Osage County? More than 80 persons from Osage County and surrounding areas said YES and joined the tour as the Osage County Agritourism Council sponsored their second annual tour, “Be a Tourist in Your Own County”on Thursday, June 22. The two motor coaches, furnished by Show Me America Coaches, each toured two historic churches, the Ryors United Church of Christ at Ryors and the Pilgrim Lutheran Church and School at Freedom, where they were greeted by members of the congregations and pastors. They were also treated to a visit to country stores, the Freedom Store and the Kountry Korner at Koenig. At Cooper Hill, several residents met them at the Community Building where local artists and authors had displays. A special highlight was a visit to the old historic Langenberg Store and a guided narrated tour through the town. Wine tasting at Wenwood Farms Winery, followed by lunch sponsored by Legends Bank, was served in the spacious outdoor Pavilion on the grounds of the winery. “The purpose of the tours of Osage County is to showcase what we have right here in the county” said Kathy Dothage, Council member, “ Most of the persons on the tour had never been to the places that we visited”. The Osage County Agritourism Council, which was founded in 2003, is dedicated to showcasing Osage County’s unique communities, heritage, agricultural lifestyle and products. “Everyone in the county can be an ambassador and tell their friends and relatives about the many things you can do in your own neighborhood” said Arlen Schwinke, chairperson of the Council. Additional information can found on the website, www.welcometoosagecounty.info The Council meets monthly at the University of Missouri Extension office at the Community Center in Linn. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, July 11, beginning at 7:00 p.m.UNTERRIFIED DEMOCRAT, LINN "We are all enthused about what we have to show off in our county. There’s so much here that every day we show up with something new." At least that’s how Arlen Schwinke feels about Osage
County. As president of the Osage County Agri-tourism Council, Schwinke
and his group known simply as
One central idea that everyone agreed with was the need for family farms to be included in agri-tours. "We are looking for farms that are accessible and
Additionally the group is asking for information to be
included during "windshield time," the driving time between
scheduled stops which could include facts and figures about agriculture
in the county. "The ideas of having local farms open to tours is a great idea," said Tom Loehner of Koeltztown. With the growing trend toward corporate farming, Loehner
Other suggestions included tours of historic German-built
homes and buildings across the county. "And the monument at Loose
Creek, the tribute to German He also suggested including the Rhineland Heritage Tour
and Festival during the first week of August as a must-see on the calendar
of events. Argyle’s Joe Schmidt added that, while not necessarily elegant, the local restaurants offer some of the best home-cooked meals and homemade pies. He added the railroad history through Osage County could also be publicized – from the Rock Island Railroad tunnel under Freeburg to the timber bridge in the southeast corner of the state. "Rock Island Lake, which was built to supply water to the railroad on what is now the Otto Farm, should be included in that list," Loehner added.
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Explore 11 towns, 4 rivers, 3 B&Bs, OSAGE COUNTY FARMERS EXTEND Folks in Osage County are finally sharing secrets about their favorite place. A new agritourism initiative begun by county Farm Bureau leaders is blossoming into a full-fledged, county-wide plan to attract tourists to the area. "It started out at our Farm Bureau annual county meeting a little over a year ago," said Arlen Schwinke, a county FB member, dairy farmer, owner of two bed and breakfast farm homes, and now president of the Agritourism Council for Osage County. "A bunch of us were sitting around talking about all of the things to see in Osage County," said Schwinke. "We decided to start an agritourism effort and by March of last year we had our first meeting." Schwinke says their project has taken off from there, expanding to include the Extension Service, Linn State Technical College, hitorical societies and many businesses in the county. The enthusiasm of the group has been contagious. "One of the biggest problems we have at our meetings is everybody wants to talk about things they have found (about the county) and want to show off, instead of working on the strategy of how to do what we want to do," said Schwinke. Kathy Dothage is County Program Director for the Osage County Extension Service and provides secretarial support, information gathering and coordination for the council. As treasurer of the council, she is involved in many ways and optimistic about agritourism in the county. "Although it has been over a year, to take a group of individuals who have diverse ideas about what agritourism is, then to see where the group is going and what it plans to do, has been an experience," said Dothage. A Web Site, www.welcometoosagecounty.info, was launched in March. There are now three organized bus tours of the county planned in 2004, with the first one this month. Dothage said as far as she knows, this is the first organized agritourism effort in Missouri. Another charter member of the council is Linn State Technical College president Don Claycomb, who oversees a college of more than 800 students. He is personally and professionally interested in promoting agritourism in Osage County. "I feel very strongly that our rural heritage is gradually slipping away. In my family, 100 years ago everyone on both sides was involved in farming. Today, it is down to my dad, my nephew, and my brother left on the farm." said Claycomb. Most of the students attending Linn Tech come from rural backgrounds he says. The college also has a strong large engine mechanics and electrical programs from which many students graduate and return to work in rural areas. Osage County's diversified agriculture has roots in its German heritage. Towns like Westphalia. Frankenstein and Freeburg have a distinct German flavor. "When you talk about Osage County, the first thing that comes to mind is the Catholic churches. Those churches are historic and unique to Osage County. You have to go to Germany to find so many churches like that in one area," said Schwinke. In fact, Schwinke said the community of Loose Creek has it's own type of international tourism. Every two years, the citizens of Loose Creek have an exchange with people in the German farming community their ancestors came from. Up to 60 people will travel to Germany to stay in homes there, then two years later, Loose Creek residents will return the hospitality and welcome their international cousins to Osage County. Another sign of German heritage is quilting. Schwinke said quilts made in Osage County rival those made anywhere else in the world. There are several major rivers in the county and many antiques to find in the small towns scattered on the hill sides. Restaurants tucked away in these small towns, like Krautman's Corner Cafe and The River's Edge, entice visitors from many miles away. Bed and Breakfast homes like the Epple Haus and Mom's House on the Schwinke farm extend the hospitality to a more private level. "Mostly urban people come to stay. They are looking for a hideaway out in the country where it is peaceful and quiet," said Schwinke, who has been in the business for six years. Schwinke's wife, Kay, has been an invaluable part of their bed and breakfast effort, and the agritourism council. As a certified travel specialist working for Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Kay has set up many tours at the winery. Her talents have been combined with those of many other agritourism volunteers. But, Claycomb points out Arlen and Kay have been the driving force behind the agritourism council. "It is very hard to say no to those two individuals. Our county Farm Bureau has strong leaders -- a strong drive in this type of issue," said Claycomb, who sees potential for the agritourism effort to grow and possibly develop into a county-wide chamber of commerce. Keith and Doris Neier, and their three sons, farm in southern Osage County near Rich Fountain. The diversified farm includes cows, calves, hogs, row crops and hay. Their home, high on a bluff, overlooks the picturesque Gasconade River valley. A collection of antiques -- old one-board plows, tools, cow bells -- line one wall of a very modern machine shed. Keith restores antique tractors when he is not busy farming. When he is busy farming the crops, he constantly scans the ground from his tractor seat, searching for arrowhead rocks. Doris says he has quite an eye for finding them. As proof, the couple stack several boxes of broken and whole arrowheads on their kitchen table as evidence. It is a farm, one that has been in the family for more than 100 years, that someone from town would like to visit. "We would show them the valley and the history behind it, the history of the farm and some of our machinery, like old tractors," said Keith about his visitors. Theirs is one of many farms in the county that would attract tourists. "We have some interesting and exotic farms here that would be of interest," said Keith. We have an elk farm, we have a farmer that raises deer, we have a coyote farm where people can bring their dogs for overnight hunts." The Neiers are also charter members of the agritourism council. "At the first meeting, when Arlen and Kay introduced us to the idea of agritourism, we tried to pull together what Osage County has to offer," said Doris. "We looked at all of the restaurants, churches, and all the annual events in our county. We looked at all of the different talents people had, what they made and sold. It was very surprising and we ended up with a lot of things unique to Osage County." One of the most unique things about the county, Doris believes, is the people. "You come to Osage County and you are going to be greeted well and you are going to be fed well," she said with a smile. But Keith admits inviting strangers on the farm is something many farmers are not accustomed to. Many do not welcome the idea. Granted, it is not a good fit for every farm operation, but it is a way for people to understand and appreciate how family farms operate, says Keith, who sees agritourism as an important connector between rural and urban people. The hardest part now, said Keith, is working on a direction the group wants to take. "It has been a fact finding, fact gathering thing so far, now we need to somehow go from there," he said. "If you work hard enough at anything, you can make it work." With volunteer help and financial support from businesses like Three Rivers Electric Cooperative, the Osage County agritourism effort is gearing up to make a positive economic impact for the county. In the process, more people will make the connection between the food on their table and production agriculture. |