Lawana Morse wears many hats as a small business owner, farmer and public servant, but she decided she had room for one more.
Morse, along with two of her daughters, Kelly Morse and Katrina Kraft, recently opened Wholesome Wheels-Wholesome Cafe, a mobile food trailer that offers drive-through coffee and other beverages, along with a selection of breakfast foods and now a lunch menu.
The new business is located at 3640 Watkins Road (state Route 14) in Pine Valley, between Horseheads and Watkins Glen.
Morse and her husband Mark already own a small farm, along with a HeatMaster outdoor wood boiler dealership, and she is also a tax accountant and business consultant. Since 2023, Morse has also represented residents from the towns of Veteran and Catlin on the Chemung County Legislature.
A big fan of small business ownership and being your own boss, Morse decided she wasn’t busy enough and, with the idea of some day opening a coffee shop in the back of her mind, she got the idea of opening the mobile cafe.
“We already had the food trailer available. The startup cost of a brick and mortar building is astronomical,” said Morse, 45. “We wanted to be in Pine Valley, help build up this area. Between Horseheads and Pine Valley, there’s nothing. But there’s a lot of traffic. DOT (state Department of Transportation) estimates about 10,000 vehicles a day.”
Kraft, 24, recently returned to the Southern Tier with her husband after living in North Dakota.
She has worked at Mooney’s restaurant in Corning and jumped at the idea of joining her mother’s new business venture.
“Business has been good. I meet new people every day,” Kraft said. “Long term we want to get a brick and mortar building in this general location.”
Morse emphasized she uses locally sourced products, including bagels and sourdough bread baked fresh at Wholly Loaves Bakery in Horseheads and coffee roasted at Soul Full Cup in Big Flats, as well as locally produced eggs and other items.
The other third of the Wholesome Wheels team, Kelly Morse, is studying business management at Corning Community College and also works at Mooney’s Sports Bar & Grill in Big Flats.
“She’s the one who really wants a restaurant some day,” Lawana Morse said.
For now, the trio is focused on making their mobile cafe and coffee shop a success.
“Our goal is to bring the area a new favorite stop on their morning commute or weekend errand run,” Morse said.
Wholesome Wheels-Wholesome Cafe is open from 6 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (closed Wednesday), and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, go to wholesomewheels.com, or facebook.com/WholesomeWheels.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: ‘New favorite stop.’ Mobile coffee shop, cafe opens in Horseheads area
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
