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MOUNT VERNON — It took a little over a year before Joel Gunderson and Margaret Lewis re-entered the restaurant world.
After selling Gambier’s Village Inn restaurant in late 2022, the duo gave themselves some breathing room.
They traveled, spending quality time with family and going to graduations. It was a nice vacation after 17 years in business.
But then they saw the empty restaurant space where the former Stein Brewing Co. once sat. The thought crept back into their minds: Should we start a restaurant here?
“It just seemed that this space was sitting empty for quite a long time and so we, Joel actually, called to inquire just what was going on,” Lewis said. “We didn’t even know if we wanted to get back into the restaurant business at this time.”
“It just seems like the consensus is that there needs to be something open in downtown Mount Vernon, especially in the beautiful historic opera house. And it was a strong consensus that people want something to happen here,” Gunderson said.
The duo admits there’s always hesitation starting a restaurant, where the margins are tight and room for error is at a minimum.
“We’re not naïve. We know what it takes. We did it for 17 years. But I think there’s also this exciting prospect too,” Gunderson said. “It’s also exciting to say can we translate our experience and wisdom.”
Gunderson and Lewis call the restaurant Bickerdyke Table and Tap, an homage to the Knox County Civil War nurse Mary Ann Ball known as “Mother Bickerdyke.” Gunderson and Lewis aim for the restaurant to be open before June 1.
According to the Knox County Historical Society, Ball was born in this vicinity in 1817 and began her nursing career at age 20. The historical society also states Ball ignored rank, and protocol while being a nurse during the Civil War, pursuing her mission to care for the sick and wounded.
While describing her, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman famously said, “She ranks me.”
Gunderson is taking the lead on redesigning the restaurant’s aesthetics, visualizing warmer colors filling the wooden space.
Mother Bickerdyke’s seasonal menu is in the works, with inspiration drawn from American-style dishes with a twist.
“You want this place to be comfortable and have the familiarity (of) a local town pub feel that Flappers has for certain,” Gunderson said.
Gunderson and Lewis are using the expertise of Jason Bennett, president of the Mount Vernon home Brewer’s Club, who’s going to help jumpstart Mother Bickerdyke’s beer-making process.
“Everywhere we go there just seems to be a buzz,” Gunderson said. “I think the community is really hungry, pun intended or not, for a place to be in this space. ”