MURPHYSBORO, ILLINOIS (WSIL) -- A vision eight years in the making, is now a reality. Amy Mills with 17th聽Street Barbecue opens Faye.
It's an all-day caf茅 at Walnut and 17th street serving specialty coffees and handmade breakfast items.
The name is an ode to her paternal grandmother, Faye Landis Mills, who made and sold barbecue sauce from her kitchen window. Something that forever changed the course of the family.
"She was an inspiration for me, my cousins, for her children and all the people who raised us," Mills explains. "We all really attribute our work ethic, our values, really our everything the Mills family stands for, came from her."聽
Speaking of work ethic, Mills put lots of it into the caf茅, restoring a dilapidated building into a fresh space. It was built in 1913 and housed the first automobile dealership in town, selling Hudson and Essex vehicles.聽
"We have lovingly restored this brick by brick," Mills says. "You can still see some of the original beams, the original brick. We've obviously added a lot more structure to the building, replaced the windows, we've replaced the limestone pediment out front."聽
The interior has some retro inspiration from a 1958 Edsel Woody Wagon with white oak paneling, coral color scheme, touches of chrome, lights that are reminiscent of headlights and more.聽
Currently, the caf茅 is serving specialty coffees such as cappuccinos, mochas and lattes -- hot or cold -- out of its drive-thru window. Baristas have been training and preparing to make these drinks.聽
"All kinds of coffee drinks made with simple syrup that we've made by hand from scratch," Mills explains.
Some of those simple syrups include lavender, vanilla bean and salted Carmel.聽
Customers can also get breakfast items like a mile-high biscuit with sausage or bacon and fresh herbs from the garden, as well as, sweet pastries.
"Crullers, cookies, all kinds of biscuit sandwiches," Mills say. "Then our lunch, when we roll that out, will be lighter fare. Soups and salads, and of course, you'll be able to get the biscuit sandwiches all day."聽
Half of the indoor space is also a gourmet gift shop with products Mills has found during her travels across the country.聽
"Those are little gourmet luxuries that you can eat yourself, use in cooking, but also they'll be perfect for gifts," Mills adds. "So, we'll have gift boxes that you'll be able to fill with these unusual gourmet items."聽
On the shelves right now are wine chips, cocktail mixers, pasta sauces, and coffees and teas by Onyx. The gift shop will also feature 17th street's barbecue sauce that's bottled on-site.聽
In the coming weeks, the gift shop will expand to include a refrigerated section with cheese and meats, the inside will open to patrons, and there will be a Friday and Saturday night charcuterie and wine pairings by reservation.聽
For more information on Faye Caf茅 including hours, visit their or . A website, , is coming soon.聽