Staff

Larry Seurynck

The Founder

Larry graduated twice from the University of Michigan.  He moved to Dowagiac to work at Lake Michigan College, fell in love and married his wife Kathleen.  They still live in their home on Indian Lake with their three children.  "I decided it was silly to move to a big city and get a job so that I could someday buy a home on a lake... so I stayed and made a life in this small town.  It's been wonderful."  Larry has restored many buildings in Dowagiac and is active in the community on the board of the Downtown Development Authority, the Dowagiac School Board of Education, and is president of the Encore Dance Company and co-founder of the Dowagiac Boxing Club which exists today as the Dowagiac Police Athletic League.

Cheryl Horiuchi and Jeremy Erb  

The Chefs

They are almost twins - but with a remarkable difference:  Cheryl loves to saute; Jeremy loves to run the oven, perfect for the Wood Fire.  Flavors are layered like colors in a painting.  There is no compromise to quality.  Each dish is scratch made with the finest ingredients from local farms to a niche supplier half a world away.  While Cheryl twirls fire four feet above her pans, Jeremy tosses another log into the oven to drive the temperatures well above 1,000 degrees.  It's all about the food, and the joy, and friends.

The Wood Fire is an adventure.  The day it opened was the first day Larry Seurynck, its founder, ever worked in a restaurant.  "It's like running in front of a freight train," says Seurynck. "We started with the concept of a wood-burning oven set as close to the front door as possible.  From there everything from the decor to the cuisine has been part of an organic process of refining a concept and building a vision."

134 S. Front St
Dowagiac, MI 49047
(269) 782-0007

For business occasions or private parties, reserve your place in The Pompeii Room.

Location and Hours of Operation »