‘Worth the risk’: West Chicago woman opens a café with a purpose — reviving downtown
Yolanda Peterson calls it the little engine that could.
Five years in the making, her Raised Bakery and Cafe, 124 Main St., West Chicago, debuted with a soft opening Dec. 30.
A West Chicago resident nearly all her life, it is Peterson’s attempt to drive business to the heart of the city.
“I want to see renewal in our downtown,” Peterson said.
“My hope is that others see that if I’m willing to take the risk at my age and to pour into this community, and believe in the hope of some renewal, that they jump in and say, it’s worth the risk,” she added.
Raised Bakery and Cafe, which on a Jan. 3 visit saw a steady stream of customers picking up scones, muffins and cookies, or staying in for a cup of coffee or tea, occupies 1,540 square feet on the first floor of an 1868 building.
Still featuring the original exposed brick on an interior wall, the building started as a general store, a jewelry store, and a rummage store before housing a series of bars, taverns and restaurants, according to the West Chicago City Museum.
Last used as the Mid City Cocktail and Supper Club, the building was vacant when Peterson bought it in 2019.
“It’s been a fun ride with lots of bumps,” said Peterson, who has an ongoing GoFundMe account, “Unity in the Community,” that has raised $6,420 of a $40,000 goal toward the business’ development.
On Dec. 16, West Chicago aldermen approved a $10,000 grant for the build-out of the café. Peterson has had to spend considerably more than that on improvements.
A widow whose husband of 22 years, Ron, died in 2005, Peterson has navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, plumbing and electrical upgrades, economic shifts and a move from her home of 36 years to another house in West Chicago.
Raised Bakery and Cafe is a partnership between “me and God,” she said.
“I think that He’s been the driving force of so many things that I would not have seen happen — when you think a door has closed and another one opens up, another person shows up to help,” she said.
A baker by trade who studied at the French Pastry School in Chicago, Peterson is not the retiring type.
“I’d rather invest my time into bringing the community together than sit in front of a TV,” she said. “I look at this as a ministry opportunity and as an opportunity to bring what I call a diverse community to a place where they can eat.”
Open from 7 a.m.-noon Tuesday through Sunday, Raised currently offers scones, muffins, cookies and cinnamon rolls, periodically rotating flavors on some items while maintaining others as staples, such as the blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls.
Baristas craft coffee and tea, hot or iced, along with specialty coffee drinks using espresso from Peru, and a house coffee blend from Brazil. Peterson strives to use Illinois purveyors, including flour from Janie’s Mill in Ashkum, near Bourbonnais.
The room offers a variety of seating options from granite- and wood-topped tables to counters, high-tops and even a picnic table at the rear. Sturdy metal chairs come in yellow, red and black.
Even with its wood flooring and ceiling painted black, Raised feels open and bright. Large windows fronting Main Street and on its eastern wall offer natural lighting, accented by decorative fixtures and varied shades of white on the walls.
Peterson plans to add breakfast, salads, light lunch items and sandwiches featuring her sourdough bread to her “fast casual concept,” and build on her bakery section.
She envisions Raised Bakery and Cafe as a place that appeals across generations and utilizes one of West Chicago’s strengths, its diversity.
“Recognizing that we have a very eclectic community, and we can all come together,” she said. “I feel that our downtown can use some renewal, and I’m hoping that this is a spark and that others are willing to invest in the community, as well.”