Meet the Locals: Sean Scott & Kate Scherfenberg 

By Heather Rule

Kate Scherfenberg’s roots to Otter Tail County go back to when her father grew up in Fergus Falls, and her parents bought a cabin in the area in semi-retirement. Eventually, she and her husband, Sean Scott, moved to rural Battle Lake in 2005.

Scott is originally from Dayton, Ohio, while Scherfenberg grew up in St. Paul. They met in Portland, Ore. before relocating to Nebraska for school. Looking for their next place to call home, they visited Scherfenberg’s parents. The house next door on Long Lake was for sale, and the couple thought it would be a great place to raise their two sons. They’d lived in bigger cities in the past, so moving rurally was a bit of a change.

“So I think in some ways, we were looking for something that was conducive to daily life, quality of life, raising a family, being near family,” Scott said.

They also loved the beauty and scenery of the region. They’ve lived in Otter Tail County for more than 15 years, and Scott said he still finds himself “enamored with the roll of the hills and the slews,” the glacial moraines and how the flatlands of the Red River Valley led up to it.

“What I’ve found is I’ve kind of fallen in love with this dynamic little region of the world and learning its geology,” Scott said, whose first degree was in geology.

They’re the owners of Pomme de Terre Pottery, located in a year-round studio on their home property. Scott works full time in the studio, while Scherfenberg works there in summers when she has more time. She’s a language teacher (specializing in Chinese) at Battle Lake Public Schools.

Every piece of pottery is unique, touched with Scott’s and Scherfenberg’s each individual styles and techniques.

“But I think what connects our work is that it’s really influenced by the flora and fauna that we’re surrounded by in Otter Tail County,” Scott said. “Meaning the plants, the animals, a sense of place. I think we both really draw on the nature that surrounds us as a source of influence and inspiration in our work.”

The couple would love to see more visitors stop by their pottery studio at 32586 Island Road, Battle Lake. They want to be on people’s radar as an interesting place, Scott said.

“I think we’re bringing a very unique perspective to our pottery in that we’ve lived all over the United States, and Kate’s even lived in Taiwan and China for a while,” Scott said. “She brings kind of a worldly perspective to her work.”