TEUTOPOLIS — After several years of waiting, Mary Spencer’s dream finally came true when Siegfried’s Supper Club opened earlier this month.
The Teutopolis native has long dreamed of opening a restaurant in the village. It wasn’t until her husband, Ryan Spencer, purchased the building that once housed Designs Unlimited that Siegried’s Supper Club began to take shape.
He intended to use the back of the building as an office and warehouse for his construction company. Meanwhile, the front was envisioned as a bed-and-breakfast or inn.
“We were like, well, maybe we do a coffee shop. Well, actually, maybe we do a little bit more. So, the idea just kept growing,” said Ryan.
The couple spent a year and a half renovating the building, using Mary’s designs that blend art and functionality while reflecting their tastes.
“The design and everything was an artistic expression for us,” said Ryan.
The restaurant showcases some of Ryan’s sculptures and photographs. It also features stained-glass chandeliers made by Mary and a glass-encased wine rack separating the bar and dining areas, architecturally sculpted by Ryan.
“He had to help hand engineer this like feat of strength in our wine area by individually cutting out and screwing in all of those things to perfectly fit those wine bottles,” said Front-of-House Manager Alysia Kennedy.
Local people and businesses made up whatever custom work the couple didn’t do.
John Boos & Co. made the tables, while Higgs Welding designed and constructed the staircase to the upstairs dining area. The staircase’s treads are from a hickory tree that fell on Mary’s brother’s property, which he had milled, dried and planed.
Everyone wanted to be part of the venture, Ryan said, including the Habing family. They spent two weekends getting the restaurant ready for opening, cleaning up construction dust, and putting the chairs together.
“We’ve had so many wonderful hands come in here to help on every little element. There’s so many people we couldn’t even list them all truly,” said Kennedy.
“We’re truly thankful to the entire community of T-Town for helping us make this what it is right now,” added Ryan.
With renovations underway, the Spencers turned their attention to crafting a menu that matched their artistic vision. As much as they wanted the restaurant to reflect their taste in art, the Spencers also wanted the menu to reflect their taste for healthy food that is neither overprocessed nor precooked.
“We don’t just want our customers to be just customers. We want them to be healthy customers as well,” said Ryan.
So, the Spencers chose fine dining. They turned their attention to finding a chef who could bring their culinary vision to life. Because they had only worked in the food industry through college, they also needed someone to help run the restaurant. That would also allow them to maintain their current careers — Ryan running his drywall business and Mary working as a nurse anesthetist.
The Spencers hired Alysia Kennedy as front-of-house manager and her husband, Shane, as head chef after their daughter, a friend of Alysia, introduced them. Shane and Alysia each have 20 years of experience in the service industry. Shane previously worked as a sous chef at Baldarotta’s Porketta & Sicilian Sausage in Urbana, and Alysia worked for CRS Hospitality, which owns restaurants and event centers in Champaign.
Alysia was drawn to the chance to trade a corporate atmosphere for a locally owned, community-driven business that Siegfried’s offered. The Kennedys also seized the opportunity to combine their art education — both also have master’s degrees in painting and drawing — with their careers.
“We’re very, very interested in the creative element and the artistic element, seeing this whole place as a working art piece more than just serving food,” said Alysia Kennedy, who made the leather bar menus and painted the vases at Siegfried’s. “Everything is treated as like a canvas here, from the delivery of the plates to the garnishes on the dishes to the garnishes on the drinks.”
Alysia said they also relish being able to provide high-quality service and food.
“We may just be serving food, but you can make a little bit of a difference in somebody’s life, somebody’s day, by serving that good dish, by serving that good drink. It means something,” she said.
She noted Shane enjoys preparing dishes from scratch.
“Like taking that time to get the beef bones, to get the marrow and the broth out, low simmer, boil down tons of onions to make French onion soup,” she said, noting it’s an hourslong process. “Those little things that really contribute to the flavor of the dish at the end of the meal.”
They are particularly proud of a couple of menu items. One is the crab arancini, for which Shane makes the risotto from scratch daily. Another dish she calls “absolutely delectable” is the crawfish etouffee. The dish is part of the authentic New Orleans flavor they’ve infused into the food and drink menu, which includes blackened chicken and shrimp. The menu also features traditional Midwest fare, including steaks sourced from nearby McMahon Meats.
Alysia notes that the menu is intentionally smaller, allowing them to add specials later “to keep things exciting and changing.”
“If we can’t guarantee that it’s going to taste delicious, be super fresh, we’re not going to put it on there,” she added.
Alysia has played a key role in curating the cocktail offerings, keeping them fresh and exciting. Beyond making the puree in-house and designing four signature drinks, she is taking sommelier courses to fine-tune the wine selection and better pair it with food. For those looking for non-alcoholic options, there are mocktails and coffee from Joe Sippers.
Aside from offering high-quality food and drinks, Ryan said they aim to create a place where people can build memories.
“They come here for anniversaries. You know, they come here for reunions. different events,” he said.
Siegfried’s offers a private room for events that seats up to 45 people. Additionally, the dining area can seat up to 100 people, with patio seating available.
Alysia pointed out that, while there are many restaurants and bars in the area, they don’t see them as competition, especially when it comes to luring travelers.
“We see it as we’re all going to build each other up here and spread the wealth,” she said.
Ryan said the sentiment is mutual.
“They’re not looking at us as competition. They’re looking at us as a complement,” said Ryan.
Siegfried’s is open 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, which Alysia said they hope to expand, especially for special occasions, as they build their staff. The address is 201 Pearl St.
“I would say a big thing here is we really value taking care of our staff in terms of paying them a competitive wage in today’s terms,” she said.
Thanks to the staff and community, Ryan and Alysia are starting to see everyone’s hard work pay off.
“It took a long time to get here. And we know we’ve got a lot further to go. We’re not there yet. But we are definitely pleased to be doing as good as we are this soon,” he said.
“We’ve put so much time and effort, and seeing those guests sit down and smile and eat and drink has made it all worth it,” said Alysia.