The Double Yolk Cafe takes over Papa G's in Woodstock Square

WOODSTOCK – The restaurant at 117 E. Van Buren St. in Woodstock's historic Square has changed hands yet again and is operating under the name The Double Yolk Cafe.

Thomas Teresi of Huntley has taken over the restaurant formerly known as Papa G's that sits on the corner of Dean Street and Van Buren in the Square. George Kanakaris bought the restaurant in late 2013, when it was called Angelo's Restaurant. It had operated as Angelo's for almost four decades and at one point was featured on the Food Network reality program Restaurant Impossible.

Teresi had worked with Kanakaris for several years through his career as a food distributor. He also had distributed food products to the restaurant when it was Angelo’s. Teresi said he always wanted to operate his own restaurant, and things came into place when Kanakaris decided to retire.

“We were talking for about a good year to see if we could figure things out,” Teresi said. “There is a lot of history here, and it has a lot of potential. It’s a perfect, comfortable spot for me to make a living and do what I like to do.”

Teresi has tightened up the restaurant’s menu but has added a few specialty items such as a peanut butter banana french toast with bacon crumbles and a “Fat Elvis” sandwich, which includes peanut butter, bananas and bacon. Teresi also increased the size of the skirt steaks to 10 ounces and reduced prices, he said.

So far, he has been met with a fairly positive response – although some regular customers might have to take time getting used to the new menu, he said.

“Just like everything else, you aren’t going to please everyone,” he said. “I have customers that have been coming here for years, and they aren’t comfortable yet. … But if we have the stuff in the kitchen, I will accommodate anyone that comes in and says, ‘Hey, I want this, can you still make it?’ ”

Teresi said that he has seen an increase in business since he changed over the name and menu, and he hopes the trend continues.

He kept the same waitstaff and also hired a few additional individuals. He said it is nice to finally achieve his goal of operating his own restaurant after 27 years in the food industry.

“It’s less stressful because there are a lot of things I can control now,” he said. “If something is wrong here, I can go into the kitchen and get it fixed for them and take it into my own hands. When I was selling, I couldn’t control things, and it was stressful.”