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[ LEMONT ]
The owners of Rustic Knead, a bakery cafe in Lemont, have stayed true to their name.
Whether it’s the wood decor or the fresh-baked bread, the new eatery gives off a rustic, homey vibe.
Rustic Knead, 1130 State St., serves an assortment of fresh sandwiches and pastries for breakfast and lunch. Hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Brothers Richard and Robert Kruczak of Homer Glen and Grzegorz Zarycki of Worth opened the restaurant in June.
Robert Kruczak said the three have worked together in the restaurant industry for several years, but this is the first time they have owned a business.
“It was something that we all just sat down one night and said, ‘Hey, do you want to start a business?’” he said. “It went from there.”
Robert Kruczak said they chose their concept because they have a passion for fresh, quality food.
“That’s how the whole rustic thing came about – something that’s homemade, something that our parents have taught us,” he said.
Customers can see how fresh the food is.
There is a display window showcasing the bakery, where bread and pastries are baked every day.
When customers order sandwiches, they can watch the sandwiches being assembled and cooked in front of them.
“It’s just to show that we produce the good quality stuff that we offer,” Robert Kruczak said. “We’re not going to say that our breads come from somewhere special because they don’t. They come from our own hands.”
Patrons also can see the owners’ handiwork in the wooden furniture, which they built themselves.
The owners had plenty of help from friends and family in opening the bakery, whether it was providing wood or pitching in with the work.
“It took us three months to build it,” Zarycki said.
Robert Kruczak said they chose to open their first restaurant in Lemont because they wanted to be close to home and they thought the community was lacking their concept.
He said the feedback from the community has been good and they already have a group of regulars they know on a first-name basis.
“A lot of knowledgeable people live in the community that know about the different kind of food that we offer,” he said. “We thought a lot of people would be scared with some of the different things that we offer.”
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If you go
WHERE: 1130 State St., Lemont
WHEN: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Menu: www.facebook.com/rusticknead
INFO: 630-296-0660