“Making every day delicious!” is inscribed on the new signs posted outside the Whipped Up Cafe in Superior. The signs are accurate if a person is in the mood for good, old fashioned comfort food like grandma used to make.

That is if grandma makes creamy clam chowder, ham and bean soup, or hearty chili. Or lasagna with gobs of cheese, prime rib French dip sandwiches with a side of hand-cut French fries, or a half-pounder hamburger piled high with all the trimmings along with a few slabs of bacon from Superior Meats. Or if she can make BBQ sandwiches and ribs that are “tender, juicy, and seasoned well with plenty of meat on the bones,” according to a Facebook Post from a satisfied customer.

The restaurant, owned and operated by Superior resident, Michele VanTassel, is open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. six days a week and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Our biscuits and gravy is probably the most popular breakfast item and everything is made from scratch,” she said.

Indeed, everything on the menu is made from scratch, including breakfast burritos stuffed with ham or sausage, cheese and egg; cinnamon and caramel rolls dripping with glazed frosting; hot turkey sandwiches swimming in gravy; coconut cream and sour cream raisin pies; and good old fashioned peanut butter and oatmeal cookies.

Michele grew up cooking in her hometown of St. Charles, Missouri and has been working in restaurants since she was 14. She graduated from high school in Gillette, Wyoming and moved to Superior from Wosley, South Dakota with her husband, Scott, along with their four children.

Scott works for the railroad and when they made plans to move to Montana, they also made the decision to buy a catering truck. The truck specialized in BBQ pork and chicken, but the menu quickly expanded to what it is today.

They got the truck last spring and traveled to Plains, Missoula and Superior serving up meals and used a commercial kitchen in Frenchtown. Within a few months, they had signed a lease for the Old Schoolhouse located on River Street.

By November they opened the door to their new cafe named Whipped Up which includes a-party room and they also rent out the gym. Plus they cater events of all sizes with any type of food a customer may want, “Mexican, BBQ, you name it,” Michele said.

The gym has traditionally held local craft shows and the couple is expanding on that tradition. They are doing another craft show this spring, plus an outdoor show which will feature a number of vendors from Missoula, and the surrounding area, with equipment and recreational information.

The café is a family affair, with their daughter, Alecia working side-by-side with mom and the two boys, Eric and Tyler helping out when they have time. Tyler is a junior at the local high school and wrestles, plays football and runs track. Eric is a freshman who is in drama and track. He is also an aspiring chef and hopes to continue in the food industry after graduating. However, Alecia plans on pursuing her education where she has a degree in wildlife management and wants to get her masters. Their older son, Matt, is in the military and currently in Korea.

Michele said she’s definitely a baker at heart. Though, her talents stretch far beyond the decadent cream pies and cupcakes topped with fluffy frosting and chocolate dipped strawberries.

Next spring they hope to add outdoor seating and she also wants to continue to host “specialty nights”. These are evenings where advanced tickets are sold and planned with a theme. For example the next one is a “spring party” and will include summer favorites like burgers, brats, macaroni salad and ice cream cake in a fun spring party décor.

The most challenging part of the job is juggling all the different aspects of the restaurant business. Michele begins work at 6 a.m. and cooks all day with Monday her only time off when the café is closed. Which is when she buys supplies, and tries to get in some fun outdoor activities like hunting, fishing and gardening. “It definitely keeps us all busy,” she said.

The family is happy with the response they’ve gotten so far especially since they’ve haven’t been able to do much advertising, it’s been primarily word-of-mouth and social media. By spring they hope to hire some additional help and keep the doors open seven days a week.