Owners Sam and Cooper Banning and incoming General Manager Amy Dawn Bourlon-Hilterbran have some big menu plans in store for the Penrose Apple Shed at 708 Fremont Street in Fremont County when it is fully reopened.

Bourlon-Hilterbran, who is leading the resurrection of the historic shed, which has been closed for more than 20 years, said, “We will have a menu with foods from back in the day. Of course, there will be slices of homemade apple pie that were popular years ago, along with apple fritters and apple pie cookies.”

The menu will also include dishes such as chicken baskets with potato logs, wings, gourmet pizzas, sandwiches and flights of deviled eggs.

She’s especially excited about freshly brewed coffee for 25 cents a cup on Mondays.

“Sam and Cooper wanted to offer 25-cent coffee like in the early days when the café was open,” Bourlon-Hilterbran said. “We’ve been doing coffee tasting to decide which coffee brand to brew. Eventually we’ll have a full espresso bar.”

A full bar will serve signature cocktails including appletinis and apple sours, local wines and craft Colorado beers.

And, with a twinkle in her eye, Bourlon-Hilterbran described the Apple Shed Jubilee, a decadent dessert of baked apples topped with apple-fritter bites, apple-butter maple glaze and whipped cream. There will be some modern twists, too, including a self-serve ice cream machine with a variety of toppings.

But a couple of hurdles remain before the Jubilee can be served and the doors can be opened.

Bourlon-Hilterbran said, “We had hoped to open Oct. 3 on Apple Day, during Penrose’s 92nd annual Apple Day Festival. Instead, there will be a celebratory gathering on Oct. 3. Our official grand opening will be pushed back at least a few weeks. The construction on Colorado 115 in front of the Apple Shed makes it impossible to exit at the front gate.”

According to Bourlon-Hilterbran, the shed dates to 1912, when Spencer Penrose and his Beaver Park Land Co. developed irrigation in the area for growing fruit and built a wooden barn for selling produce. The building itself dates to 1913, with expansions and rebuilding through 1918. Over the years, the landmark has housed a cannery, apple-cider distillery, trucking company, school gymnasium, marijuana extraction facility, café and mercantile.

Now it’s returning to its roots as a café and mercantile.

Hours will be 7 a.m. — 8 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. facebook.com/PenroseAppleShed

Never too soon for holiday cookies

With the Bermuda Triangle of holidays approaching — Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas — now is the time to hone your cookie-decorating showmanship. Check out Nomad Coffee’s Cookie Decorating Workshop from 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 23 at 9633 Prominent Point.

Cookies and decorations will be provided, with small bites and a drip coffee station included with the $50 ticket. Full menu items will be available for purchase. Tickets at tinyurl.com/5n73sktp.

Small bites, Italian style

Eat like a Venetian at Stellina Pizza Café’s Cicchetti Hour from noon-2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Cicchetti are the small savory bites traditionally enjoyed at Venice’s wine bars, and Stellina puts its own spin on the Italian tradition with small bites, handcrafted sandwiches served on house-made focaccia, happy hour drinks and buy-one-get-one gelato specials. Drive, pedal or take a stroll to enjoy a light lunch.