Farm to Table at Freeman Milki Way Farm

CAMP POINT, Ill. — A sign on the wall inside Freeman Milki Way Farm reads:

“Every family has a story. Welcome to ours.”

Owner Gretchen Forsythe asked the previous owners to leave that sign. Her vision when opening Freeman Milki Way Farm, a bright red barn-like building at 403 E. Park in Camp Point formerly known as The Farm Stand, was to pay homage to her family.

At 78 years old, this chapter is just getting started for Forsythe.

A train crosses six times a day over a grade just to south of the farm. While Forsythe and her cozy little eatery definitely give Towanda and Whistle Stop Café vibes (and she has seen the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” 47 times), she decided to stick with the plan and name it after the old family farm.

She also didn’t want anyone to think she was serving up domestic abusers for breakfast. The secret’s in the sauce.

Forsythe started her story by proudly showing off a picture collage she plans to hang around that sign that was left. She pointed to the picture of her mom and dad and said smiling fondly, “Well I guess this is where it all started. When Daddy was in England during World War II, Mom was home dreaming about this dairy farm that was in Schuyler County that she wanted.”

Sometime after her father’s return in 1955, Ken and Lea Freeman moved from Canton, Ill., to Rushville to open that small dream dairy farm. Forsythe said everyone thought her parents were crazy at the time, but it’s what her mother wanted. On top of tending to a farm, Lea started what is called the Help Center in Schuyler County, where she assisted 7,000 people annually. A call to help others runs in the family veins, as Forsythe mentioned she had previously worked as a social worker in one of her many life chapters. 

She is continuing to help people in this chapter of her life by giving them an experience to truly soak in. The café provides feelings of nostalgia mixed with the comfort of grandma’s dining room. In our bustling lives full of non-stop schedules, fast food and emails out the wazoo, it’s important to take time to heal our soul.

Freeman Milki Way Farm is the perfect stop to do so.

In the corner of the café sits furniture from her mother’s house as well as her dining set. Next to it is an orange retro couch that she and her late husband, Lyle Forsythe, had custom-made in 1967. When they were moving it, someone told her it was the ugliest couch they had ever seen. Dhe replied, “I don’t care. Back then it was in style.” Spoken like a real Idgie Threadgood.

Forsythe is a real matter-of-fact lady with a heart of gold. The theme she wants everyone to experience is that blast from the past, when things took time and we gathered around dinner tables.

The café is decorated with local art for sale, including hand-thrown and glazed mugs from Windsong Acres. Paintings for sale from local artists fill the walls, and handmade soaps and bath bombs from local vendors are on the shelves. Some things sold are treasures she and her Lyle, a retired Vietnam veteran, discovered during their travels to every state in the union. According to Forsythe, one of the treasures is a Morgan Berry jam from Oregon, the only place in the United States where it’s raised. She will serve that with different dishes and have it for sale.

The main attraction being sold at Freeman Milki Way Farm is the farm-to-table food that Forsythe is serving. They try to source their meat locally and buy their vegetables from Wagner’s Farmer’s Stand.  She was excited to say a local woman (who might be a bee charmer) will be providing home-raised honey and homemade applesauce in the fall.

Fresh blueberries grow in their garden right outside the café kitchen. Fresh real cream is sourced from local Mennonites.

The menu is filled with recipes from Forsythe’s 71 years of cooking experience. Some recipes are her mom’s like the deep-fried cinnamon rolls that Lea would make her children after a hard day at school. Some belong to Marsha Copher, her head cook, who makes wonderful homemade biscuits. If your mouth isn’t watering yet, let’s not forget to mention the angel eggs (an original dish made with real cream) and chia pudding made with blueberries from the garden and … you guessed it, real cream.

The hours of operation for Freeman Milki Way Farm are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Breakfast is served all day, and lunch starts at 11. The menu changes weekly, but the staple items are kept.

Freeman Milki Way Farm officially opened its doors on July 31, but it will be celebrating its grand opening with an open house this weekend on Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24. They will ring a cowbell every hour for prizes. There is no need to be present to win. Just sign up while you’re out there.

It also will be the site of a fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 5, with a musical performance by Forsythe’s grandson, Braden Forsythe. She said the fall festival was a big deal for The Farm Stand in the past, so they plan to make this just as big of a party for the community. She also mentioned Braden is kind of a big deal, too. Don’t take Grandma’s word for it. Come check the performance for yourself.

People might think she’s crazy for starting this now, but what Towanda wants, Towanda gets.