About a dozen years ago, Ben Brubacher and his family bought the former Mark Twain National Forest ranger station in Fredericktown. Then they started dreaming. What could this historic property become? What did the 4,500-population town need?
“We love coffee, so we thought we’d start with a coffee shop,” Ben says. “From there, it just kind of grew to meet other needs. When we started this, everyone asked us, ‘Why are you doing this in Fredericktown?’ I answered, ‘Why not?’ It’s a great small town; why not invest here?”
In early 2021, the Brubachers opened The Station — a coffee house and bistro — in the original ranger station building that was constructed in 1933. “I’m not from this area,” says Ben, who grew up in Canada and has lived in several states. “So, I get filled in on what it used to be and how people remember seeing the Smokey Bear sign out front. We’ve enjoyed meeting people who had relatives work for the U.S. Department of Forestry through the years.”
The restaurant is only part of the fun. The full 6-acre property, Sawyer’s Landing, features everything from yard games to a wedding venue to tiny homes for rent. The Brubachers renovated and repurposed every building on the property to be places to gather, enjoy good food and celebrate. “Our passion is creating opportunities for people to spend time together,” Ben says. “It’s more than just the restaurant.”
While the space features many opportunities for fun, the restaurant is where you should begin your visit. Start by ordering your beverage of course. “We are very picky about our coffee, and we work with a special roaster to source organic and primarily Central American coffee to run through our espresso side of the house,” Ben says.
You can choose from hot or cold coffee classics — a mocha, latte, cappuccino or Americano. The baristas are known for adding beautiful designs to top your drink. Beyond coffees, you can enjoy a generous line of hot and flavored teas, five flavors of hot chocolate, Italian sodas and real-fruit smoothies. Or opt for one of their energy drinks that are made in-house with cane sugar and natural caffeine from green coffee beans.
Once you make the difficult drink decision, move on to the breakfast menu. “Our most famous item is our breakfast burrito,” Ben says. “You can order it all day, and people do. We actually had to come up with an XL size because people were wanting two or three of them.” The burritos feature a flour tortilla filled with bacon, egg, potato and cheese. The rolled tortilla is grilled in a panini press and served with salsa and sour cream.
Don’t miss the chance to dig into what Ben claims are the best biscuits and gravy you’ll ever have. The fluffy biscuits and creamy sausage gravy are both meticulously made fresh every day by Brandon Goesmann, The Station’s head chef.
Another popular item to start your day is the Breakfast Bagel Sandwich. The bun is a New York water bagel, which is loaded with bacon, egg, cheese and mayo. Then it’s finished in the panini press. If you’d like a lighter option, go for the avocado toast, yogurt parfait or fresh bakery items.
The lunch and dinner menu is centered around sandwiches, salads and soups. Ben says their goal is to offer both nutritious and hearty options. “It was a very important thing for my wife to have healthy food to offer the community,” he says.
The menu rotates based on what’s in season and Brandon’s creativity. For example, soups can range from broccoli cheddar to creamy mushroom bacon to potato to fajita chicken chili.
Common sandwich favorites include the Bahn Mi Pulled Pork, which features pulled pork tossed in barbecue sauce topped with carrots, havarti cheese, mayo and cilantro. Or try the Philly sandwich, which features chicken or beef topped with caramelized onions, bell peppers and provolone cheese.
If you time your visit right, you can enjoy a juicy smash burger. “We do the best smash burger I’ve ever had,” Ben says. “I’m a little bit prejudiced, but they are crazy-good.” The burgers are made to order and feature lean ground beef grilled to slightly crispy and topped with gooey cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato.
Be sure to leave room for dessert. The Station is also known for its ice cream. “Our ice cream is made in-house in our small-batch creamery,” Ben says. “My daughter comes up with all the flavors, and we use all natural ingredients. There are generally new flavors almost every week in the summer.” Beyond the classic chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors, other favorites include coconut, blue razz-pineapple, maple crunch, peach, caramel peanut butter cup and cotton candy.
The Station has a wonderful family atmosphere, and this was not by accident. Ben and his wife, Erin, are parents to 10 children — five boys and five girls. Erin died from cancer this past October, and Ben is proud her legacy lives on through their children and special business. “This is the longest we’ve ever lived in one spot and is where most of my kids would know as their home,” he says.
Ben’s kids can highly recommend the Treehouse, which is part of the property’s playground. Children can set up imaginary restaurants and serve their parents, who can relax or work at the space’s large table. The yard area also features games, rock climbing and room to run.
If you’d like to stay in the area, you can rent a tiny home, yurt or a camper on the property. “Our theme is your adventure starts here,” Ben says. “We want people to use our place as a base camp to explore all the fun stuff in southeast Missouri. We are less than an hour from really neat places like Elephant Rocks State Park and Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park. We want people to go explore, enjoy the great outdoors and then come back for supper.”
Ben says the business and offerings will continue to expand. He plans to add more tiny homes, glamping facilities and RV sites, as well as a modern tree house for lodging. They also plan to build a health and wellness studio and host more concerts and outdoor movies.
“We just want to cultivate a great experience, whether it’s good coffee or a nice venue,” he says. “The place itself is very unique, and we hope to have it be a place you come and stay for a while. Our passion is creating opportunities for people to spend time together.”