605 TRIES
Cee Cee’s 605 Scratch Kitchen & Bar
Located within the historic First National Bank and Trust building in the heart of downtown Vermillion, Cee Cee’s 605 Scratch Kitchen & Bar is the place to be whatever you want to be. Originally opening as Cee Cee’s Cocktail Lounge , owners Josh Scherrer and Amberly Baus say this was a passion project. “We had been working in the industry for 10 years, and we wanted to see and bring forward the work we’d done while traveling and working with other companies through our hospitality and marketing management business, ThirdsMedia ,” stated Scherrer.
In August 2022, Scherrer and Baus opened the cocktail lounge in just five days.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision,” shared Scherrer. “We had asked about the building the Monday before we opened. We came in and said, ‘Let’s do this!’” With the help of friends, the lounge was ready for opening with printed menus, a logo, and a statement window piece.
“It was a little stressful, but exciting,” reminisced Scherrer.
After getting their ducks in a row, the couple flipped on the open sign and anticipated their customers. “We didn’t do any advertising — we wanted to see the organic traffic,” explained Baus. “All we did was turn on the lights, unlock the door, and wait to see what would happen.”
WRITTEN BY GABBY SUDENGA + PHOTOS BY CAILYN PATTERSON
THE AUTUMN ISSUE october 2024
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