Two longtime friends who both own food-related businesses have teamed up on a shared commercial space. Emerald’s Eats and Homemade Passions by Bryce have moved into the building at 713 N. Seventh St. in Riverton. It was most recently occupied by Bakin’ Me Happy, which closed unexpectedly at the end of May. “We’ve moved in […]
Newsletter – Taste
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Delaney’s Smokehouse
Delaney’s Smokehouse is the latest iteration of this long-time, north-end stalwart. This latest incarnation has managed to provide diners with the classics that have been forever associated with the location, such as the fried chicken, as well as new and fun offerings. If you’ve never been to Delaney’s, you might think you are in the […]
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Del’s Popcorn Shop still popping after 90 years
Del’s Popcorn Shop is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year by taking its trademark popcorn and sweet concoctions to an ever-expanding global fan base, and the Springfield Del’s location is expanding to handle the additional demand. “Last December we became one of the top-selling products on Amazon in the popcorn category,” said Del’s chief operating […]
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Sean Keeley joins Arena Food Service
Sean Keeley, a well-known name in the Springfield dining scene, is the new director of catering for Arena Food Service. Keeley spent the past two years as the executive chef at Broadgauge in Petersburg. Prior to that he was the lead culinary specialist at Lincoln Land Community College’s Culinary Institute and the executive chef and general […]
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Travelers Kitchen
I love exploring new cuisines. And although Springfield has an ever-increasing number of ethnic restaurants, African cuisine has been a rarity. But with Travelers Kitchen’s West African-inspired menu, that’s no longer true. Travelers is in the former La Bamba space on MacArthur Boulevard. When it formally opened last September, it slowly transitioned from a Mexican […]
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Aunt Lou’s Soul Food opening downtown
Aunt Lou’s Soul Food is opening Friday, more than a year after Corey Dickerson first announced he was teaming up with Smarjesse Taylor to bring “modern soul food with a classy touch” to downtown. “There were a lot of issues with the city,” Dickerson said, who noted that his landlord, Rick Lawrence, has had ongoing […]
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Fairgrounds Café opens on Peoria Road
Fairgrounds Café has opened at the site of the former Jungle Jim’s Café, which was a landmark on the north end and Route 66 for more than three decades before closing in January 2023. Jack Ahmedi and Buka Nuhiji purchased the property at 1923 Peoria Road in August and have extensively remodeled it. The couple had […]
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Cured Catering breaks ground on new facility
Cured Catering is expanding again, this time by building a new facility in Dawson. Owners Brian and Melissa Reilly, who started the business in 2017, held a May 22 groundbreaking at 10076 Old Route 36 in Dawson. Horve Builders is constructing a 10,000-square-foot building that will serve as the headquarters for Cured Catering’s operations. The […]
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Golden Hour Bake House to open café downtown
After getting her start at the Old Capitol Farmers Market, Alli Donaldson is transitioning Golden Hour Bake House to a brick-and-mortar location downtown. Donaldson began selling baked goods at the Farmers Market in May 2021, and last August she told SBJ that she was “eyeing some storefronts and looking at taking that next step.” While […]
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New ownership for Yellow Bird Coffee House
Yellow Bird Coffee House has new ownership, but patrons shouldn’t expect any major changes. “The most important thing right now is to uphold the Yellow Bird standards; we want all the fans to know that there’s nothing to be afraid of,” said Nicole Watts, who purchased the business along with Barb Binkley as of April […]
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Crave Cookies coming to Springfield
Crave Cookies is coming to Springfield, becoming the second gourmet cookie company to open a franchise in the capital city this year. The first was Crumbl Cookies, which opened in February in Parkway Pointe near the west-side Walmart. Now construction is underway at 3808 Octavus Via, a 1,560-square-foot suite in a shopping center next to […]
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Seoul 4 Soul
Dining options, especially for lunch, have been dwindling in downtown Springfield, which is why I was happy to hear that Seoul 4 Soul had recently opened on the second floor above Buzz Bomb Brewing Co. on Adams Street. Seoul 4 Soul advertises itself as a “Korean fusion bistro with vegan and vegetarian options.” It also […]