Press
Yellow Springs chef now co-owner of popular farm-to-table restaurant
By Natalie Jones
“You work hard your whole life,” Eliason explained. “I wanted to have my own place, walk around and talk to customers and be able to effect change with the establishment. Grow people and touch people’s lives, that’s really what I like to do.”
https://www.dayton.com/what-to-know/yellow-springs-chef-now-co-owner-of-popular-farm-to-table-restaurant/EC2TYYL3PRAI3M6MQRENZPV47A/
July 15, 2022
Edible Columbus
Nancy McKibben
"As serious as Mary Kay is about her life’s work, the flip side of serious is the deep joy and fulfillment she finds in cooking and serving delicious food to both the neighbors in her community and the many tourists who pass through (and often return to) Yellow Springs each year."
http://ediblecolumbus.ediblecommunities.com/eat/original-mary-kay-smith-and-winds-cafe
This article happened to be in the top 20 stories from Edible Communities read online in 2017.
Dayton Daily News - special article
Mark Fisher
Farm-To-Table
"The Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs was a farm-to-table well before the 'farm-to-table' term had ever been coined. 'We did it from the very beginning when we opened in 1977,' said co-founder and current owner Mary Kay Smith...The restaurant today sources produce, meats, cheeses, honey, and other items from farmers and purveyors from throughout the region, most of them close enough to the restaurant to meet anyone's definition of local."
Click here to read Mark Fisher's special article, with Photos by Lisa Powell, Produced by Melisa Lyons.
Dayton Magazine
Alyssa Reck, Dayton Magazine
""Being open in Yellow Springs for 37 years makes The Winds Café a part of the town, its culture and its people." Click here to read Alyssa's entire review.
Dayton City Paper
Taste the Rainbow
"It is encouraging to see the community's focus on not who is running the restaurant, but rather, how well the restaurant is run." Read more on Out-and-Proud Restauranteurs here.
Dayton Daily News
The ‘Hills Were Alive’ at this Austrian wine luncheon
Mark Fisher of the Dayton Daily News reviews our recent Austrian Wine Tasting.
Ann Heller, Dayton Daily News
“The Winds is known for its wine, but pairing wine with chipotle heat and salads is a challenge. Always ask your server. Here they are knowledgeable and have tasted featured wines with the foods. Their recommendations are sound.”
Indianapolis Monthly
"Most Sunday mornings, as coffee brews and the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls perfumes the air, a line weaves from the tiny vestibule of The Winds Cafe and Bakery out through its front door to the brick-lined walkway and picketed entrance."
Read the entire review and ideas for a perfect getaway to Yellow Springs and The Winds Café.
Cincinnati Magazine
"This is mindful cuisine, based on the best the Earth has to offer." Read full review here.
Budget Travel
10 Coolest Small Towns: Yellow Springs
"You can breathe here and feel very comfortable expressing yourself," says Kim Korkan. Read more on tips for your trip to Yellow Springs and The Winds Café here. "
Steve Edmunds, Edmunds St. John Winery
“If you ever find yourself in Yellow Springs, don't miss [the Winds]; it's a magical place.”
Restaurant Widow
The Winds Cafe was reviewed by the food blogger Restaurant Widow.
The Winds ... is a perfect example of the whole being more than the sum of its parts, or maybe it's that the parts are each so perfect in their own way they lead to the greater whole.