A Heaping Helping on Main Street

By Codie Wyers
VERMILLION, S.D. – Smelling of coffee and bacon, the Market Street Café has a way of hooking people in.

“The food is good,” said Tim Woehl, a regular customer at the cafe. “I come in every morning except Mondays because they’re closed or else I would be here then, too.”

Owners Gary and Crystal Monk first met by playing cribbage on the Internet. Cribbage is a card game played on a board with pegs. The object is to be the first to score 121 points or over.

“We hit it off right away,” Crystal said.

When asked who is the better cribbage player, Crystal laughed and smiled.

“I am, of course,” she said.

Gary owned a cafe in Newcastle, Neb., before he opened the cafe in Vermillion. Jim Abbott, University of South Dakota president, was a regular customer in Newcastle.

After Crystal moved to Nebraska, Abbott suggested the couple move to Vermillion and start a cafe in a building he owned.

They liked the idea and now the Market Street Café in downtown Vermillion has been open for three years.

Gary said business is good and they have had full tables of customers.

Most popular on the menu is the Good God Almighty hash browns. The cafe is known for its breakfast.

Abbott’s usual breakfast at the cafe consists of two eggs sunny-side up, whole wheat toast and orange juice.

Running a cafe has its humorous times, such as when a student employee was told to put a box of potatoes in the oven. Gary found her attempting to shove the box and all into the oven.

Gary is from Maine, but he lived in Newcastle most of his life. Crystal is from Nova Scotia.

Crystal moved from Nova Scotia to be with Gary five years ago. They have been married for three years and said they enjoy running the cafe in Vermillion.

Gary and Crystal said they are welcomed in Vermillion and love the town. Crystal said customers are happy to have the couple in Vermillion, but say they miss the scenic drive to Newcastle.