Opportunities to find good food, talented craftspeople, and outdoor exploration keep people coming back to this region of the state

Never say never—that’s the lesson learned by Joy Ellis, owner of Skylark Cafe in Leslie. She was born and raised in the small Ozarks town and during that time, her mom owned a café on Main Street, which she sold when Joy was 16. “She said, ‘Joy, you might want to take this over,’ and I was like, ‘I’m never going to have a restaurant,’” she recalls.
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