Sun Sets on Springfield’s Sunflower Cafe as Property Hits the Market
By BILL BELLEN
SPRINGFIELD
On Sunday, October 12, the Town of Springfield said goodbye to the Sunflower Cafe as the establishment closed its doors for the final time under current ownership.
First opened in 2017 by Cheryl Zamelis and her husband, Douglas Zamelis Esq., the cafe served numerous breakfast and lunch staples Thursday through Sunday seasonally between April and Columbus Day for the past nine years. Partnering with numerous other local businesses, Cheryl and her staff valued sourcing as many of their ingredients from local vendors as possible.
“I had gone to college for food service administration and always wanted to open a cafe. I worked hard at finding local farmers for many of the items used in our menu. Fresh, local food is very important to me,” Cheryl wrote in a recent e-mail.
Over the years, familiar faces like cook Carlin Thompson, wait staff Susan Larsen and Sarah Lewis, and plenty of Zamelis family relatives all brought a positive energy to their little corner of town. Cheryl went on to detail the many birthday parties hosted at her cafe and how proud she was of it being a staple meeting place for people from as far as Syracuse and Albany to gather.
Cheryl and her staff proudly hosted Glimmerglass Festival staff of all professions, often recounting the songs they would break out into or the wonderful gifts some had given to the cafe.
“We have very loyal customers that come on an almost daily basis, who mean the world to the cafe staff,” Cheryl shared. “Robert Nelson, Van Broughton Ramsey, Becky Gretton (“bird lady”), Tonya Pyle, Wyatt Nyman (aka “Sweet Tea”), Rob Ainsley, Jeanette Weldon, Linda and Mike Garrity, summer people including the Howell family, the Elkan family, Joe Colaneri, and many more—the Hages, the Mioseks, and Pat and Maureen.
“One of the hardest parts of having the cafe was getting close with customers and then hav[ing] them pass away,” Cheryl wrote. “Gunter Smith (a real character) and Bob Schlather immediately come to mind.”
The Sunflower Café community created a unique blend of residents and summer visitors that each found a way to make the establishment their home. Unfortunately, even with the wonderful community that was fostered, it was not enough to maintain sustainable operations. Cheryl cited difficulties in outreach as a major contributing factor to the cafe’s closure, as—despite advertisements, tourist brochures, and a social media presence—many surrounding residents still had never heard of the cafe.
“My husband and I have decided to sell our property and possibly move closer to our new granddaughter, Iris, in Oswego. We would also like to travel more and to be able to visit our exchange student son, Max Bebronne, from 18 years ago and the rest of his family in Belgium,” Cheryl wrote. “I would love to find someone to carry it on because it has become a community. So many people come and visit for hours, with each other and our staff! My reviews almost always mention the friendly staff!”
As the door closes on this chapter of the Sunflower Cafe’s legacy, Cheryl and Douglas are looking ahead optimistically to a future where the property’s subsequent owners may continue to operate the cafe. Regardless of the outcome of the sale, people from across the state will be able to look back and share fond memories of when it was always sunny in Springfield.
