A couple in Minnesota had several strange dreams that they believed were divine hints from God. Convinced that it was a sign from above, they made the bold decision to move to Indiana, where they purchased a renowned cinnamon roll café, continuing the elegant style and legacy left by the previous owners.
Now, 27-year-old Mandy and Mason Grotewold jointly own the “Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls and Café” in Nashville, Indiana. They believe that the series of destined events have made their lives better.
Transitioning from living in a camper to owning a dessert shop, their journey resembles a real-life fairy tale. The devout Christian couple attributes their happy and fulfilling life to their hard work and faith.
“When we had $3 in our account,” Mrs. Grotewold told The Epoch Times, “signing the contract to own this company, to see this kind of growth was really cool. It was such a great test for our faith—we just had to trust in God. He is our provider.”
The couple believes that their journey so far is part of a divine design. They shared a video on their Instagram page with a message: “God speaks in many ways. Do not be afraid to listen to that quiet, tiny voice within you, it might guide you to step out, do great, amazing things!”
In 2021, Mrs. Grotewold had a dream of living in a camper in Indiana, the first dream she and her husband had. She described the dream as not something “you can fabricate in your mind” but “so conscious,” as if they were always receiving messages from God.
At the end of 2021, some friends working for the church invited the Grotewolds to join them in Indiana, where they could enjoy the benefit of rent-free housing in a camper. This coincided perfectly with Mrs. Grotewold’s first dream.
“We didn’t tell them about the dreams,” she said, “they had no idea.”
This suggestion seemed to be divinely ordained. The Grotewolds took a leap of faith and moved in September 2022. With no plans elsewhere in Indiana, they didn’t know what they would do.
Mrs. Grotewold mentioned that some people didn’t understand what they were doing. She referred to them as “external voices,” while the “internal voice” told her that trusting in God could be more important than money.
Moving to Indiana required the couple to take a big step of faith instead of listening to those external voices.
The day after moving, Mrs. Grotewold asked God what they were meant to do. She recalled hearing a voice in her heart saying, “Labor creates profit. Spend time on me, and I will reward you.”
Less than an hour later, Mrs. Grotewold met the staff of Ooey Gooey Café.
“I had never been there before. I walked in, the owner looked at me, handed me a job application, and said, ‘Here’s your job application.’ It was unexpected,” Mrs. Grotewold said. “It wasn’t really his personality, it was just all a coincidence.”
Soon after, she and her husband were working in the shop while living in the camper.
As a married couple, living in a camper wasn’t easy. There were times when they lived on $200 a week. Power outages and frozen pipes were occasional challenges.
Mrs. Grotewold recalled another dream that solidified her faith, where she witnessed various storms and tornadoes representing the challenges they would face in Indiana. In the dream, she spoke to the storms, telling them to calm down and pass through smoothly as if water were made of glass.
“For me, these dreams showed we would overcome every obstacle,” she said.
Ooey Gooey was established five years ago by Kathy and David Chilcote. Interestingly, Mrs. Grotewold mentioned that one night, Mrs. Chilcote dreamed of making cinnamon rolls for a living. Eventually, the Chilcotes sold their house and used the proceeds to establish Ooey Gooey Café, which has now grown into a larger enterprise.
Ooey Gooey is well-known in the community, attracting locals and visitors.
One day, the Chilcotes announced their retirement and the sale of the shop.
The Grotewolds observed potential buyers, often couples, frequenting the store and talking to Mr. Chilcote. Mrs. Grotewold noted that several companies made “crazy offers” with substantial funds, but for some reason, “each offer would fall through for unknown reasons.”
Praying throughout the process, the Grotewolds relied on their salaries to get by. They told God that they weren’t interested in owning the store, but if it was His plan, they were willing.
“Customers were coming in every day—we were almost always working—and they would tell us, ‘I think you should buy this restaurant,'” Mrs. Grotewold said, “we shrugged it off, but we started truly praying to God, ‘Should we do this?’ It was that inner peace that gave us a definitive answer.”
Mrs. Grotewold dove in wholeheartedly, while her husband had some reservations. Those doubts were quickly dispelled.
One day, Mr. Grotewold prayed to God for clear guidance on what to do next, and a minute later, a customer approached him, telling him to buy the shop. The answer was right there.
“I felt the weight lift off, I felt calm, and I thought, ‘Yes, I can do this,'” Mr. Grotewold said.
Venturing into business with almost no money and no business knowledge is challenging. Luckily, the couple was familiar with the café’s operations as they had worked there before.
The Chilcotes taught them the recipes and showed them how to obtain a business license. Mr. Grotewold mentioned that most crucially, they showed them how to make customers feel at home.
A hallmark of the Chilcotes was their down-to-earth, friendly relations with customers. Mrs. Chilcote would hug them, and Mr. Chilcote would greet them. Perhaps, it is these acts of love that set this small cinnamon roll café apart from others.
The Grotewolds are proud to continue the legacy of love started by the Chilcotes.
Now, first-time visitors to Ooey Gooey are likely to hear the welcoming chime at the front desk and the staff coming in with cheers of “Aha! We have a new customer!” Sometimes, employees sit down with new customers to get to know them.
The café welcomes both regulars (whose names and orders are remembered by the staff) and tourists. Employees frequently pray with customers and each other, engage in deep conversations, and offer hugs.
As Nashville is a tourist town, the shop sees a large influx of customers in the fall, and they take a few weeks off every winter. Weekends throughout the year are consistently busy.
Reflecting on their first year in business, Mr. Grotewold said they learned how to extend grace and love to others. During the busy season, especially on weekends, they had to work hard to avoid being influenced by stress or negative emotions.
They have now moved from the camper to a house and are looking to expand their business.
“It’s just been thriving,” Mrs. Grotewold said, attributing Ooey Gooey’s success to the Chilcotes, most importantly to God.
This hardworking couple has some advice for young people aiming to leap in faith like them: obedience to God is more crucial than heeding naysayers’ opinions.
“Obedience is more important than sacrifice,” Mrs. Grotewold said.
“If we stayed in Minnesota or Iowa, continuing our trajectory, we would have sacrificed everything we have now, everything we have learned, and all the relationships we have made.”
Grateful for the opportunities they have received and the choice they made to embrace them, the couple is ready to face whatever plans God has in store on their life journey.