Our Story | Nana Karen's on Main

Dustin Haberer - CFO/Chef

Chef Dustin Haberer started Nana Karen's Cruisin Kitchen (our food truck) after several years as Executive Chef at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research conference center in Danville.

Haberer, from Syracuse, N.Y., attended college in Buffalo for media and marketing. During his 17 years of culinary experience, he has catered to numerous celebrities, including Vice President Joe Biden, Carroll Shelby and Patrick Dempsey, as well as several NASCAR drivers, Trace Adkins, Michael Jordan Motorsports and Porsche Club of America, according to the release.

Haberer trained in New York style Italian cuisine, and is known for implementing systems to more effectively manage food cost, labor and food sales for successful start-up restaurant operations, and spent the summer of 2017 working to improve the Danville Braves concession stand.

Haberer joined his current business partner, Katie Inman, in June of 2020 and the two began bringing a dream to reality by transitioning Nana Karen's Cruisin' Kitchen into a brick and mortar restaurant - which is now known as Nana Karen's on Main.

Katie Haberer - CEO/Marketing

Katie Inman graduated from both Dan River High School and the local Piedmont Governor's School. Inman later received a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics from Virginia Tech and then a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Liberty University. At 20 years old, Inman began teaching at Chatham High School and decided five years later that her real desire was to build her own business and work for herself.

Inman began traveling and working with a variety of tourism boards, resorts, and restaurants around the country to write reviews and itineraries on her own blog called WineandWeekends.com. Along the way, she taught herself a variety of marketing and photography techniques, building a specialization in social media marketing. With this knowledge, Inman created Socialite Media Marketing in 2019 - where she offers social media management and creative marketing for local businesses in the Danville area.

During the pandemic of 2020, Haberer and Inman decided to put their skills and love for the downtown Danville community together; and it didn't take them long to bring the vision of Nana Karen's on Main to life.

Who is Nana Karen?

The name "Nana Karen’s" was chosen to honor Dustin's mother, Karen Haberer, who passed away from cancer at 49 years old. The “Nana” was added in hopes to keep the business in the family for generations to come and forever remember her.

Each day when we wake up and come to work we remember and honor her memory!

...And then they got married

Dustin and Katie got married on April 9, 2022. The two have continued to work in the restaurant together every day since they opened. If you stop in at any time, these are the people that you will see serving the community delicious food with a smile on their face.

Who is Cheyna?

"Cheyna's Waffle Spot" is named after Cheyna Haberer, Dustin's sister, who was tragically taken from this earth far too early at the age of 32. Cheyna was an incredible sister, mother, and friend and we miss her every day. She was a part of the family business from day one and things just aren't the same without her. We chose to name our second restaurant after her to remember her, honor her, and showcase one of her favorite "Nana Karen's" classics... WAFFLES!