A Nickel's worth of creativity A Topeka couple's bed and breakfast in

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Mar 21, 2001 by LISA M. SODDERS Capital-Journal

"This is Kansas, and Kansans just do not go for frou-frou stuff."

--- SCOTT NICKEL

By LISA M. SODDERS

The Capital-Journal

When you undertake a project for a family member, it tends to go one of two ways: Either you scrimp, or you overdo it, Scott Nickel said.

The Kansas State University graduate who built his brother a dairy barn in 1926 took the latter route, and 75 years later, his work is leading a splendid new life as the Brickyard Barn Inn, 4020 N.W. 25th.

Run by Scott and Truanna Nickel, this bed-and-breakfast specializes in "recognizable gourmet" food, Truanna Nickel said.

"People know what 'gourmet' food is, and they kind of go, 'Euuuuuugh!'" Truanna Nickel said.

"This is Kansas, and Kansans just do not go for frou-frou stuff," Scott Nickel added. "They want a nice dinner. I know that if you give them something they will recognize, they will give me a little room for creativity."

That creativity can include such things as Scott's Margarita Chicken, which features boneless breast of chicken, lightly marinaded in Tequila and lime juice, then coated in a crunchy, herbed coating and baked, or the delightfully decadent Brickyard Barn Inn's Blueberry Stuffed French Toast, with its rich filling of blueberries and cream cheese. Many of Scott's recipes are featured on the inn's web site at www.cjnetworks.com/~umoo2me/

Although the Nickels also do catering, they do not run a restaurant at the Inn. The Nickels personalize the menus to their customers, and they can serve up to 41 people with a full set of antique silver and china --- including soup spoons.

Visitors are given their first clue that this is no ordinary bed and breakfast when they arrive and are directed around the broad, curved walls of the grain silo to the main entrance at the rear of the barn. A deck there boasts a swimming pool and hot tub. The barn is set on 3.5 acres, providing a quiet, pastoral setting for everything from weddings to business meetings and retreats.

The bed-and-breakfast portion of the house is set in what used to be the barn's haymow. Each of the three bedrooms is furnished with English antiques and each has its own private bathroom, Scott Nickel said. The Nickel family --- Scott, Truanna and sons Aaron, 15, and Jonathan, 6 --- live downstairs, in a separate part of the house, giving guests a measure of privacy.

Above the bedrooms is the loft dining room, with a hand-painted, 36-foot mural of a rural Kansas landscape, and a huge, southern exposure arched window that fills the room with sunlight. The Nickels use this room for weddings, receptions and other gatherings; it seats a maximum of 61 people. One of the old feed carts graces the corner, now filled with green plants.

The original dairy farmer was so impressed with his brother's work that he hired a professional photographer to document the barn's construction over a period of time; the builder's great-grandson gave the Nickels the photographs. Previous owners --- the Nickels are the seventh ones to own the house --- had made modifications to it over the years, but one original bullpen remains on the ground floor and serves as Scott's office.