May 24, 2021 at 5:02 p.m.
40 year anniversary of the Blue Bayou Inn
Rita Mazur: ‘Blue for the sky, Bayou for the water and Inn for a friendly place’
By Rachael Perry-
Forty years might seem long ago, but for Rita Mazur, she can still remember the day they opened the Blue Bayou Inn in Manitowish Waters.
“We didn’t have our liquor license, it had to be approved by the town and they were having a town meeting that night and Walt was just adamant that we open on that day,” Rita said. “So we opened without a liquor license and opening without a liquor license is kinda like, ‘what no alcohol?’”
The couple from Chicago met after Walt returned home from working in Louisiana and Rita was busy in nursing school. Just months after they married they opened the Cajun House in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.
Walter based the menu off his time living in Louisiana.
“He fell in love with the people, music, food and everything about New Orleans,” Rita said.
Vacationing in the Northwoods was something they both enjoyed doing, so after Walter voiced he wanted to get out of the city, they found a place in Manitowish Waters and put an offer on the building in 1979. In 1980, when Rita was 27 and Walter 40, they opened the Blue Bayou Inn and built a family over the following years.
Walter ran the restaurant while Rita continued a nursing career and as their three children grew up they quickly began helping at the restaurant. When Walter passed in 1994, the family had to come together as a unit and find a way to all do their part.
“That’s when I had to put the restaurant hat on,” Rita said. “Before (he passed) I didn’t do a lot with the restaurant, I would bartend one night a week. He was always there when you had a question. We pulled together and 26 years later we’re still here.”
Rita said the key to a strong family business is everybody does everything or it doesn’t work.
“We don’t have the idea of ‘that’s not my job,’ it’s everybody's job!” she said.
Before the Blue Bayou Inn, a burgundy building stood in its place. Once a lodge, the building had trees blocking the water and walls sectioning off rooms. The Mazurs got to work building a patio and chopping down trees to reveal the view.
Penny Fairchild, the Mazurs’ oldest child, said her dad always told her a story about the color of the restaurant.
“He always said ‘well there were two colors of paint on sale at the hardware store, this color blue or canary yellow,’” she recalled.
Fairchild has since found out it wasn’t true and her dad was joking with her.
The Blue Bayou Inn serves a variety of dishes that all stay true to their New Orleans inspired cajun food.
“This is authentic and we have our twists here and there,” Fairchild said. “If you go to Louisiana and have jambalaya, it’s more sauce compared to rice. It can have anything mixed into it, but in Wisconsin, we put some cheese on top of it because it makes it that much better.”
Rita said her favorite dish is their steak diane, while Fairchild recommends the cajun sampler and blackened scallops. And for those who are spice fans, Fairchild said they can always add heat.
“I always joke with the tables and say if you wanna sweat before it hits the table, we can make that happen,” she said.
In 2019, Matthew Mazur won the best of the back of the house region two award from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. The award, not only a reflection of the food, but of Matthew’s self taught cooking skills. This year Fairchild received the best of the front of the house region two award from the same association.
The restaurant is continuing takeout, curbside and dockside pickup due to COVID-19, however they have started opening the inside restaurant, limited reservation only, and the back patio for drinks and takeout. The Blue Bayou Inn will remain open through summer and close the weekend before Halloween.
Rachael Perry may be reached at [email protected].
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