The Strawberry Cafe and Bakery in Prairie City on Oct. 29, 2024.

PRAIRIE CITY — A new restaurant in Prairie City aims to provide customers with a different kind of dining experience — a variety of fresh baked goods and old-fashioned comfort foods made with organic, locally sourced ingredients.

The Strawberry Cafe and Bakery, on Front Street in Prairie City where Chuck’s Little Diner used to operate, offers dishes traditionally found at a diner and, more importantly to owner Craig Powell, serves as Prairie City’s only bakery.

It took a bit longer than expected to get the new eatery up and running, Powell said, because the building needed significant upgrades.

“So we we spent a bit of time getting that done, kind of renovating this room and an upstairs space, but (we) got that done and decided, well, we better just open up,” Powell said.

It’s still something of a work in progress, he said.

“We want to expand the bakery part, and then that’s kind of what we wanted to put on that back wall, as we get pieces going, so that people can come in and see a lot of bakery items to choose from,” he said. “It’ll be kind of established (in) its bakery identity once we get all that done.”

Breakfast offerings include biscuits and gravy, oatmeal and omelettes, while lunch and dinner features chicken and rice, fettuccine Alfredo, teriyaki chicken and various soups.

Powell said the cafe’s menu is still in development as he learns about the county’s culinary preferences.

Bakery offerings include pumpkin spice scones, brownies, cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins.

One of the cafe’s more unique specialties is fresh, premade dog food.

“It’s not like a kibble, you know — it’s almost like human meals,” Powell said.

However the menu for non-canine customers ultimately shakes out, Powell said the key is fresh, organic ingredients he sources directly from farmers.

“We drive a couple hours away to get our ingredients, because a lot of it’s organic stuff. I mean, you can’t typically order that through big box delivery,” he said. “And you can tell the difference.”

Strawberry Cafe and Bakery

Location: 142 Front St., Prairie City

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday spring through fall, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday-Sunday in winter

Offerings: Comfort food, soups, baked goods