Being open in Yellow Springs for 37 years makes The Winds Café a part of the town, its culture and its people. When the restaurant first opened, it was a collective with 10 owner-workers. Now, Mary Kay Smith is the sole owner with 34 staff members.

“I’d say we are a casual, fine-dining restaurant. Some days you see people in bike clothes and others are dressed to the nines,” says Smith. “I appreciate that aspect because when I was younger that was the place I wanted to go. It’s about the food, not how you dress or look.”

The busiest season for the restaurant is summer because of the events taking place in the town. The menu, however, changes every two months, which keeps people coming back. “We have a lot of recipes,” says Smith, “with lots of influences.”

Many of the ingredients come from in and around Yellow Springs. Smith says that The Winds Café might have one of the longest relationships with area farmers.

Some of the current delicious dishes are the Squash and Pumpkin Lasagna and the Figs, Pigs and Goats dish. 215 Xenia Ave., 937-767-1144, Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-10 p.m. Sunday brunch: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Closed: Monday.