They say the fastest way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, and Basel’s Market owner Kalyn Anderson knows this to be true.

After operating her popular restaurant, Basel’s Market, out of a leased space just outside of
St. Francisville’s historic district for several years, following the lunch spot’s previous lives as a food truck followed by a small luncheonette on Highland Road, Kalyn decided it was time to move into the middle of the increasingly bustling small town. However, this time, she wanted a space of her own.

Months of searching came up empty until, by chance, she passed a vacant house on Ferdinand Street, in St. Francisville’s historic district, on a random afternoon last summer.

“It kind of came out of thin air really,” Kalyn says. “I didn’t know it, but it had been on the market for months, and I just hadn’t seen it. I immediately called my realtor to set up a time to see it.”

The 100-year-old Sears and Roebuck house “wasn’t pretty,” but it had potential, at least according to Kalyn and her husband Luke, owner of Ansten Construction, who are particularly adept at transforming spaces of all kinds—see the March 2026 issue of inRegister for more on this. The problem wasn’t the old floorboards or the pink tile. All of that could easily be fixed. The real obstacle was the home’s zoning, which was firmly residential.

Kalyn and Luke went door to door for months, dropping off Kalyn’s family’s famous Calvin’s Chicken Salad as an olive branch and a chance for a conversation about why a quaint breakfast and lunch spot would make a perfect, and non-disruptive, addition to the neighborhood.

“I cried when we passed,” Kalyn says of the culmination of nearly five months of work, speaking with neighbors and at town meetings.

“And then it all really fell into place,” Luke adds.

Throughout the building’s transformation, which began in March and was completed just prior to the restaurant’s grand opening on July 31, Kalyn and Luke unearthed the space’s storied past, with notes written on the walls recounting events that once took place within. And it only got sweeter when former residents heard of the house’s new life and stopped by to wish the Andersons good luck on their venture.

All the while, the couple’s trio of young girls, Ollie, Andie and Lucie, were along for the ride, watching as their parents transformed the space, from painting banisters to hanging air conditioners to designing Basel’s signature plate walls.

“We called it Camp Basel’s,” Kalyn says with a laugh. “We even had air mattresses that we would blow up for the girls to sleep here while we worked late.”

The beautiful result is a testament to the blood, sweat, tears and well-gifted chicken salad that went into the new Basel’s Market. The space is light, airy and filled with personality. Fruit and vegetable-embellished fabric lines windows. Quirky tiles sourced from Morocco add an unexpected touch in the entry hall. Each bathroom is its own adventure with Schumacher wallpaper murals and eclectic art sourced from antique markets and trips. Even the highchairs are painted the café’s signature sage green.

And then there’s the food. While all of Basel Market’s fan favorites will remain on the menu, Kalyn says she is excited about some new offerings, including an expanded breakfast menu, a club sandwich and some much-requested sourdough. The new location also features a wine menu and a mint-colored espresso machine that Kalyn and Luke traveled to California to source.

“I think this has been the hardest of all of the [Basel’s Market] moves, at least emotionally,” Kalyn says. “We have had to pivot and make sacrifices, but seeing it all now, I’m so proud, and I can’t wait to see our customers here.”

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