Our invocation was offered by Jamie Larson and Mary Pettit was our song leader. Our Student Guests were from the Fergus Falls High School and introduced by Dave Johnson. Mika Johnson, grandson of Randy and Vonnie (didn't catch Mika's parents' names), participated in football and basketball and is a member of the National Honor Society. Cam Wiedurich, son of Chris and Dianna, played basketball and baseball and plans on attending NDSS next year.
President Ryan told us that on April 15th box lunches will be provided by Double A Catering, so people will need to let Kathy know if they will be eating so we can order the right number. Apparently in honor of April Fool's Day, Ryon told us we would be meeting in Wally Cole's basement starting in June and then fessed up to wearing someone else's Rotary badge. There was a Rotary Minute Plus quiz administered by this writer, who used a couple of the songs we sang to ask members about movies in which they were featured (Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Edelweiss from The Sound of Music; Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin didn't come from a move but deserved mention, at least in this writer's mind.) Then enough members indicated they knew how to play chess that those assembled were forewarned that this week's quiz would be based on the status of play on the chessboard on the right-hand side of the cover of the Rotary magazine. That still holds true, even though it has since been discovered that it was the cover of the February edition, not April's. More on that later.
There were just a couple brags and fines. Ken Harty told us of a new website and app for The Daily Journal from which one can gain access to all of the Fargo Forum's publications. Mary said the Easter Bunny was going to visit Trilogy this past Saturday, and all were welcome even though the weather may recover the festivities to be held indoors, while Wally told us he just barely avoided being taken in by a computer scam and he was in the process of changing his e-mail address so had to leave the meeting early to deal with the mess.
The officers and board member candidates announced at our meeting (and in the e-Rounds) two weeks ago were unanimously elected, with their terms of office from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. Katie Johnson thanked the candidates for agreeing to serve.
Emily McCune was introduced as our program to talk about her new business, Coquette, a French Pâtisserie that will be opening at the back of Dutchmen Organics located at 211 W. Lincoln. Emily has been a resident of Fergus Falls for fifteen years and recently returned from a trip to Italy, celebrating her sixth year of sobriety. Originally from Pittsburgh and then California, since arriving in Fergus she has worked at numerous restaurants, including The Spot, Union Pizza and City Bakery & Cafe; her original background is in sustainable agriculture. Emily then got into the medical marijuana business here if town, ultimately opening Sugar High. To establish the business, she got a degree in cannabis. At its peak, she employed ten individuals. When the City denied her license application last year she decided to pursue a lifelong love, baking. In 2023 she took a trip to visit her sister (who now works at the Fergus Falls Library) in Europe, spending some time in Spain and started thinking about opening a cafe in Fergus emphasizing local ingredients. Her plans were finalized when she returned to Spain six months later, noting how the local stores there were thriving and wanting to duplicate that in our town. Emily researched all the culinary schools and ending up attending a school in Boulder, Colorado, but doing all her work online. Graduating in August of 2024, Emily was at the top of the Presidential List and received an eight-week scholarship to a school in France that she will attend in the fall of 2027 after getting her business here off the ground. The business name she chose - Coquette - means flirt in French and Emily admitted she may have a tendency to do that.
Originally, plans were to set up in The River Inn but a $10,000 estimate for necessary electrical upgrades made that impossible. She also had a purchase agreement for City Bakery but with all the remodeling work that had to be done there she did not go forward with that. She is planning a soft opening at the end of May and has already hired six people, with the intention of being open Wednesdays through Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. She will be featuring a whole myriad of French pastries but will also have sandwiches, with a staple of items available daily and also rotating seasonal menus. The focus will be on locally sourced products, with 70-75% of her ingredients fitting in that category, including flour and eggs.
Emily said she loves helping people and being of service and at the same time doing something unique and edgy. She also said she likes variety and that probably explains why she is not married and has no children. She also is looking forward to face time with her customers. While 44 years old now, Emily hopes to retire by age 50 and then run a farm where she can grow and milk cows. Emily has been baking since she was nine years old, which was when her mother died; an uncle who was a chef taught her how to cook.
Emily told us she also has agreed to serve as volunteer vendor coordinator for OtterCare Community Initiative, which is purchasing Dutchmen Organics, and they are in the process of coming up with a new name for the store. One can already order Coquette products online at www.coquettefergusfalls.com; the business number is (218) 731-0015.