Step inside the Crystal Café on a crisp morning and the aroma hits you first: fresh-baked pie crusts, sizzling bacon, and coffee brewed strong enough to fuel a day of small-town stories. At 126 N. Main St., four generations of women have turned a humble storefront into the beating heart of Iola. As 2026 dawns, the café celebrates its 60th year — a milestone built on scraped-together starts, flour-dusted hands, and an unwavering belief that food made with love feeds more than just the body.

A Widow’s Bold Gamble

In 1966, Anne (Ann) Moerke, a widowed mother of three, took a leap few women dared in that era. With children Judy (14), Joe (11), and baby Storm at home, and cooking as her only real skill after managing the Congress Club café in Stevens Point, Anne fell in love with quiet Iola. She secured a $13,000 loan and purchased the Crystal Café.

The beginning was modest to the extreme. The café had just 13 coffee cups and place settings for 12. The daily special? A single 4-pound roast beef. Old-timers gathered at the counter, chatting in Norwegian over coffee and cookies while Anne worked nearly every day. Business started slowly, but townspeople soon discovered the warmth and quality. The Crystal Café quickly became Iola’s social center.

Anne’s philosophy was simple and demanding: everything from scratch, no shortcuts. Her pies became legendary. “It’s all about the feel of the dough,” she taught. She emphasized hard work, quality ingredients, and treating every customer like family. On good weekends, mother and daughter might clear about $80 after a 15-hour shift. “We did not have much, much of nothin’!” Anne would say.

Judy Steps In: From Teenager to Steward

Judy Bolier, now the owner, was thrust into the family business early. Weekends meant rising at 5 a.m., waitressing, bussing tables, and trading places with her mother to wash dishes by hand — no guest checks, just calling orders back to the kitchen. After school, she’d rush to help with the dinner rush.

She ventured out with college, traveled through Europe, and had a stint in New York modeling for Wrangler jeans, but Iola and the café kept calling her home. She married Douglas Bolier, who loved the town, and they built a life here. When Jennifer arrived, Judy brought her to the café too. The pattern repeated: family working side by side.

“Looking back, I would not change a thing,” Judy says. “I am so lucky to be able to work alongside my family and watch Mom’s dream live on.”

Over time, the business grew. Remodeling expanded the space. What began with a handful of cups now seats 150 and serves far more than a 4-pound roast. The Friday fish fry and daily comfort-food specials draw regulars and travelers alike.

The Pie Queen and the Fourth Generation

Enter Jennifer Schustek — “the Pie Queen.” Learning at her grandmother’s side, Jennifer started small: fetching items from the basement as a little girl, becoming the “toast girl” at age 7, and cooking by 12. She has been making pies for about 40 years, carrying forward Anne’s recipes and techniques. Her efforts have earned recognition, including the 2018 Best of Wisconsin Homemade Pie award and a 2021 Wisconsin Apple Pie Championship title.

Granddaughters Sadie and Olivia Schustek represent the fourth generation. While in college, they pitch in with waitressing, managing, helping in the kitchen, and learning the rhythms of restaurant life.

Sadie Schustek is a graduate of the University of Alabama and currently oversees payroll, ordering, catering, and special events at Crystal Café.

Olivia Schustek is a graduate of the University of Arizona and lives in San Diego with her husband. Both Olivia and her husband serve in the United States Navy. Olivia serves aboard the USS Green Bay, while her husband serves aboard the USS Boxer and is currently deployed in the Middle East.

The family photo on the café’s site shows the proud line: Jennifer, Olivia, Sadie, and Judy.

Anne Moerke retired around age 81, confident the legacy was in good hands. Today, the café remains committed to from-scratch baking, homemade breads, hearty meals, and that signature hospitality. “We treat you like family,” Judy and Jennifer often say — a promise visitors say holds true.

Anchor of a Scandinavian Village

Iola, with a population of roughly 1,200–1,300, sits in Waupaca County amid strong Scandinavian roots. Norwegian heritage conversations that once filled the café in the 1960s still echo in community events, ski jumping traditions, and festivals like Taste of Norway. The Crystal Café has long been part of that fabric, serving as a gathering spot, contributing pies to local events through the Iola Historical Society, and participating in village life.

Jennifer Schustek has served as Village of Iola Board President, extending the family’s commitment beyond the kitchen. The café has been featured in media outlets, from “Living with Amy” to Travel Wisconsin and Only in Your State, drawing visitors who come for the pies and stay for the small-town feel.

Through economic shifts, changing tastes, and the challenges of maintaining a Main Street business, the Crystal Café has endured by staying true to its roots. Remodels modernized without erasing history (the building itself ties to Iola’s past, including a notable “Family Room” once used by the “World’s Tallest Lawyer,” Clifford Marshall Thompson).

A Living Legacy

Sixty years on, the Crystal Café stands as a testament to resilience, multi-generational teamwork, and the quiet power of small-town values. From Anne’s determined start with 13 cups to today’s bustling operation turning out thousands of pie slices annually and 15-20,000 pies a year, the story is one of adaptation without losing soul.

In an era when many family diners have faded, Iola’s Crystal Café thrives because it offers more than meals as it offers continuity, conversation, and care. The smell of pies in the oven, the clatter of dishes, the greetings at the door: these are the threads weaving together generations of one family and an entire community.

As the 60th anniversary celebrations unfold in 2026, the women of the Crystal Café extend a warm invitation. Stop in for a slice (or two), a hot meal, and a dose of genuine hospitality. You’ll leave full, refreshed, and reminded why places like this matter.

“We did not have much,” Anne used to say. But what they built — and continue to build — is rich beyond measure.

Crystal Café is open Wednesday–Friday 9:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Call (715) 445-9227 or visit pies2die4.com for daily specials, catering, and events.

Anne (Ann) Moerke’s business journey: From Stevens Point to building a small-town Legacy in Iola

Anne G. Moerke (née Starkman), born April 14, 1916, in Marengo, Wisconsin, emerged as a resilient entrepreneur in an era when women rarely owned businesses. Married to Henry Moerke on July 13, 1932, in Ashland, she raised a large family but faced profound loss when Henry died in 1961. Widowed with children still at home, Anne leveraged her cooking expertise and restaurant management experience to secure her family’s future.

Early Career: Building Skills in Stevens Point

Before Iola, Anne managed the Congress Club (or Congress Restaurant/Café) in Stevens Point. This role honed her skills in kitchen operations, from-scratch cooking, and customer service. Family accounts emphasize that “the only thing she knew was cooking,” but she clearly excelled at it, gaining the confidence and reputation needed to strike out independently.

Her experience in Stevens Point proved crucial. It equipped her with practical knowledge of running a café during a time of economic and social change in central Wisconsin.

The Bold Move to Iola (1965–1966)In the mid-1960s, as a widowed mother, Anne sought a new opportunity. She discovered the Crystal Café in the small village of Iola (population ~1,100), which she loved for its charm and community feel. It was uncommon — perhaps even unheard of — for a woman to buy a business at the time, yet she secured a $13,000 bank loan and purchased the café around 1965–1966.

The start was extremely humble:

• Only 13 coffee cups and place settings for 12.
• The daily special was often just a single 4-pound roast beef.
• Old-timers gathered, speaking Norwegian over coffee and cookies.
• Business was slow initially.

Anne worked nearly every day, emphasizing quality, hard work, and everything made from scratch. Her pies quickly became a signature, with her advice that “it’s all about the feel of the dough.” Daughter Judy (then a teenager) helped extensively on weekends, working from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., waitressing, taking orders, and doing the dishes by hand alongside her mother. On good days, they might clear about $80 after a 15-hour shift. Anne’s motto captured the early struggle: “We did not have much, much of nothin’!”

Despite the challenges, the Crystal Café grew into Iola’s social hub. Locals and travelers appreciated the homemade comfort food and warm hospitality. Anne treated customers like family, a tradition that continues today.

Growth, Remodeling, and Retirement

As the business expanded, the family afforded remodeling. Anne remained hands-on, particularly with pies, while mentoring her daughter and, later, granddaughter Jennifer (the eventual “Pie Queen”). She instilled values of resilience, from-scratch cooking, and community focus.

Anne retired around age 80–81 (in the late 1990s or early 2000s). By then, the café had evolved from a tiny operation into a beloved institution known for its pies (“Pies 2 Die 4”), Friday fish fries, and hearty meals. She passed away on Feb. 2, 2010, at age 93. Her obituary highlighted her success as a businesswoman and spectacular cook, alongside her deep love for family.

Legacy and Impact

Anne’s journey embodies classic small-town Wisconsin grit. A widow in the 1960s, she defied norms, bought a business with limited resources, and built something enduring. Her determination supported her children (Judy Bolier, among others) and created a multi-generational enterprise now in its fourth generation, with Judy, Jennifer Schustek, and granddaughters Sadie and Olivia involved.

The café remains a Main Street fixture, featured in regional media for its pies and hospitality. Anne’s story highlights themes of necessity-driven entrepreneurship, the power of food to build community, and the quiet strength of women in mid-20th-century rural America. Her “feel of the dough” philosophy and family-first ethos still define the Crystal Café today.