16
17
FOOD & CUISINE
THRIVE IN SPI • SPRINGFIELD SANGAMON GROWTH ALLIANCE
PRESERVING HISTORY THROUGH HOSPITALITY Many restaurateurs enter the business to preserve family recipes and share them with the world. Conn’s Hospitality Group takes that a step further by operating restaurants in a historic home or building that has been lovingly and carefully restored. It started with Roy Conn’s first Springfield restaurant in 1948. More than seven decades and many successful ventures later, Roy’s son, Court and his wife, Karen, and Court’s sons, Casey and Adam, now run multiple restaurants in Springfield including Inn at 835, Conn’s Catering, Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery in addition to other establishments in Peoria and Elkhart, Illinois.
Business Spotlight: Long Nine Junction Mom + Pop driven kitchen featuring house roasted meats, fresh baked breads, and from scratch baked goods.
Illinois State Fair
FAIR FARE Springfield plays host to the Illinois State Fair each August, and one of the best things about attending the fair is sampling the mouth-watering fair food. An Illinois State Fair staple, the Village of Culture (located near the main gate) hosts stands with Greek, Jamaican, Cuban, Filipino and other tasty cuisines. Sample the salt water taffy and don’t forget to pop in to the popular Dairy Building for some ice cream dessert. Traditional fair food is always popular - corn dog or funnel cake, anyone? (It’s worth noting that the corn dog is credited with being invented in Springfield, originally launched as “cozy dogs” in 1946. Springfield’s popular Cozy Dog Drive In still offers the original recipe.) Each year at the fair, the culinary creativity rises to a new level. (What will be fried next!?) In fact, discovering the “next wild concoction” is the main goal of the Golden Abe’s Fantastic Fair Food Competition, which allows vendors to showcase their talents and imagination while competing with each other. Recent winners include unique creations like the Ice Cream Horseshoe, the Pierogi Burger, and Dubai Chocolate funnel cake.
FOR MORE UPSCALE CUISINE
Arlington’s • Southern Coastal Comfort Foods Curate • Small Plates & Wood-fired Flatbreads Indigo • Contemporary Global Joseph’s Fine Cuisine • Gourmet Burgers, Steak & Seafood Legacy Pointe Eatery • Scratch-made Comfort Food Luminary Kitchen & Provisions • Cozy Seasonal Maldaner’s • Wood-swathed, American Eatery Pao Bistro • Pacific Coast Fusion Saputo’s • Old-school Southern Italian VELE • Modern Coastal Italian Vine & Rind • Handcrafted Shareables, Desserts & Curated Wines
Obed & Isaac’s
Open Air Food Court The Railyard on Route 66 is Springfield’s first and only outdoor food court. Here, multiple micro restaurants are housed in shipping containers and are accompanied by mini bakery, a bar and stage for live music.
VELE
The Railyard
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs