When Jay Case moved to Southwest Florida with his family 12 years ago, they were looking for a change of scenery. Coming from Pennsylvania, that was easily accomplished.
What Case couldn’t find, though, was the food he left behind in his hometown of Lancaster.
“I missed fried bologna, sweet Lebanon bologna,” he said. “It was nowhere around here.”
That all changed on May 17 when he opened Dutch-Way Café in Fort Myers. It occupies an end unit in the movie theater-anchored Luxe Plaza on Winkler Avenue. Pizza Lab opened near the other end of the plaza Feb. 6.
“I just wanted to bring Pennsylvania Dutch to Fort Myers,” Case said. “We are already getting a lot of repeat customers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, anywhere they had Pennsylvania Dutch food.”
From fried bologna to scrapple on the menu
They’re finding fried bologna on the menu along with scrapple, whoopie pies (in chocolate and red velvet), sticky buns, shoofly pie and more.
“There are lots of potatoes,” Case said, smiling. “And everything is cooked with lots of butter.”
His potato cakes (“hashbrown, onion and seasoning smashed down, grilled and fried”) and house-made potato chips are prime examples of that.
“We are trying to accommodate gluten-free options too, but it’s not easy,” Case said. “We are trying though. We are working on recipes.”
Homemade baked goods, breakfasts and lunches
Dutch-Way serves breakfast ($3.99 to $6.99) and lunch ($5.99 to $9.99) Tuesday through Sunday.
“Most everything is homemade,” Case said. “All the baked goods are made by my mom from scratch. She’s back in the kitchen working away. Dad helps out in the kitchen too.”
Only a couple of items aren’t made on the premises.
“The sweet Lebanon bologna was the hardest to find,” Case said. “We have it shipped directly from Seltzer’s (Smokehouse Meats) in Lancaster. We get the scrapple too. Whatever we can’t make, we have shipped from there.”
If you’re not familiar with it, scrapple is a “pork-based meat loaf with flour, sliced and fried.” It’s an option with all the breakfast items, which include platters, French toast, pancakes and biscuits and gravy.
The bologna shows up on the lunch menu in the Dutch-Way classic (with sharp white cheddar, mustard, horseradish, lettuce and tomato on a potato roll) and fried with mayo on toast. Corned beef with sauerkraut and 1000 island dressing; ham with Swiss and sauerkraut; and turkey with Swiss, coleslaw and 1000 island are also offered, as are soups and salads.
While Case’s mother’s grandfather was Amish, that’s not what Dutch-Way is about.
“I’m Pennsylvania Dutch here, not Amish-based like Yoder’s,” said Case, referring to the well-known restaurant and Amish Village in Sarasota. “We aren’t trying to be like them. We are a café-based concept.”
Customers place and pick up orders at the counter and can grab a seat at any of the tables or booths in the cavernous dining room with seating for about 150. Indoor and outdoor seating is available.
Bakery items are displayed near the counter.
Different menu for Rumspringa after 3 p.m.
After 3 p.m., the restaurant becomes Rumspringa Bar at Dutch-Way Café.
The menu changes a bit to include café bites and special sandwiches, including a Philly cheesesteak.
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“Rumspringa means it’s a time of life to leave the community and explore the world without restrictions,” Case said. “We have pool tournaments. Live entertainment will be starting up. It’s a place to come and meet friends.”
The bar and a pool table are located at one end of the dining room and a good-sized stage with a piano is in the center.
Rumspringa Bar is open 3-10 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Dutch-Way Café serves breakfast from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
“I’ve gotten to speak to a lot of people who are thankful we are here,” Case said. “Someone finally has food that they miss.”
Dutch-Way Café, 2245 Winkler Ave, Fort Myers; (239) 245-8585; find it on Facebook and Instagram.
Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send news to rhgeorge@gannett.com.
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