The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.
- Arnold Toynbee
by WENDY MARTIN
mcdemo@havanaprint.com
Hospitality, a love for cooking, and the value of bringing it all together for loved ones to share are just a few things Sheridan Lane learned at her grandmother’s knee. Add a business minded father and the support of her partner, Marcus, and the result is Sheridan Lane Restaurant & Lounge at Lakewood Golf Course.
The History: Lane’s Vacation Farm & The White House
Sheridan’s grandmother, Katherine “JoAnn” Lane was well-known for the warm welcome and great food she provided her guests. From the early hospitality days when JoAnn and LaVerne owned Lane’s Vacation Farm up through the time when their granddaughter Sheridan was growing up, JoAnn entertained everyone with down home cooking. “When my dad was a kid, my family’s farm was a vacation farm. Campers from all over the Midwest came every summer to enjoy rest and relaxation. There were horses to ride, a big pool to swim in, and lots of family time. My grandmother fed all of them every day in her dining room.” Sheridan went on to say, “When I was a kid, Grandma continued her tradition of hosting with family parties and men’s and women’s club lunches an dinners. BLKC Optimist and Home Extension were held often at my Grandma’s house. I was always her sidekick, and that’s where I think I developed an interest in cooking,” Sheridan said.
Although Sheridan spent the majority of her time growing up in her grandmother’s kitchen, her mom’s side of the family has a rich tradition of entertaining and, most importantly, enjoying good food and family. “My mom Nancy’s maiden name was White, and her family home was jokingly referred to as ‘The White House’. With six bothers and sisters all having kids and grandkids, the bustle of family parties required massive amounts of food. Sheridan says, “The style of cooking found in the ‘White House’ was slightly different from the meat, mashed potatoes and gravy and chocolate pie that Grandma JoAnn made. My dad would always say that my mom’s family would get out a clove of garlic, and then decide what to cook.” Sheridan fondly recalls that every year at Christmas time her mom’s parents, Bruce and Martha White, would host Hors d'œuvre parties for their friends. All of family would get together and cousins would even provide a coat check for the guests.” Laughing Sheridan says, “In the event there wasn’t quite enough of one particular dish for the guests to enjoy, my mom’s family would spread ‘FHB’ from ear to ear which meant, “family hold back!” Sheridan likes to attribute her open mindedness and international flare to her mom’s side of the family. “I grew up with adopted cousins from other countries as well as family that had the opportunity to travel outside the US. Learning to appreciate other cultures and interests was fun for me.” Sheridan followed in her mom’s footsteps and lived in Spain where she was able to travel and learn a lot about history, the arts, and certainly about new and different cuisines.
Teacher to Restauranteur?
Much to the surprise of the patrons at Sheridan Lane Restaurant & Lounge, Sheridan did not go to culinary school nor did she study to be a wine steward although both areas are not so secret passions of the Mason County local. Instead Sheridan studied elementary education and Spanish at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. The 1998 graduate of Havana High spent a semester in Spain and landed a student teaching opportunity in Chicago where she was delighted to be close to the wonders of the city. Sheridan’s first job in the inner city was “eye opening” to the young adult who grew up in rural Chandlerville. After completing her student teaching, Sheridan had a variety of unique opportunities most new teachers don’t have. She went on to open a dual language school in Schaumburg School District where she was able to use her Spanish and then a start-up Charter High School as part of the Noble Network of Charter Schools in downtown Chicago. “I taught kindergarteners in English and Spanish in Schaumburg, helped open a high school called Golder College Prep, started GCP’s Athletic Department and was the head basketball coach for the Lady Panthers,” she said. “I learned how much time and effort goes into starting projects from scratch.” Laughing Sheridan goes on to say, “When people ask me why I decided to switch gears and open a restaurant, I just tell them: once you have been a teacher, you can do just about anything.” All jokes aside, Sheridan feels her experience is much like a good soup: hearty ingredients and a little of this and that makes the result pretty extraordinary.
Melding Experiences
Many may remember Sheridan back when she was helping Lakewood Super Club’s Owner, Dave Trimpe with a new and different style of dining: tapas. Sheridan was still teaching yet satisfying her culinary interests with her time off in the summer by consulting with Lakewood’s previous owners on small plates from around the world. “A part of me has always been curious about food and wine – still is. Even when I first moved to Chicago- totally separate from my teaching – much of my free time was spent in the kitchen making a giant, disastrous mess, but cooking up some great food.” Sheridan also spent her fair share of reading about wine. And if she wasn’t cooking, she was out with her college friends experiencing the culinary wonderland that Chicago is. Sheridan is particularly fond of two repeated dining experiences she likes to call: First Fridays and Vietnamese village.
First Fridays
When asked to elaborate on what exactly First Fridays meant, Sheridan said that her best girl friends from college would take some time out of their busy schedules each first Friday of the month for a night out on the town. “We would usually have dinner at one of the endless restaurants in Chicago, drink our share of great wine, and enjoy great friendships! Before I left the city we were going on 5 years of First Fridays together!” Although Sheridan misses her friends, she actually has continued the First Friday tradition at the restaurant. Every first Friday of the month Sheridan Lane’s team will feature food and wine pairings from one of the many wine regions all over the world. “I really get into pairing food with wine. I love food and wine separately, but when you start matching the right food with the right wine, it’s amazing!”
Vietnamese Village
Sheridan also recalls her time with a very special roommate and teacher colleague named Doan Ho. “Doan and I loved the same things: great food and great friends. We hosted dinner parties together, cooked a lot together, but also Doan, being Vietnamese, helped me to discover new and different ingredients and flavors. I certainly know the Vietnamese food I absolutely love and miss is something very near and dear to my heart because Doan was able to introduce and guide me.” Guiding and teaching guests about new and different flavors and dishes are at the central philosophy of the menu at Sheridan Lane.
Little Things Are Big
Sheridan Lane’s interest in the restaurant business was shared by her partner, Marcus Rodriguez. “Like Sheridan, I traveled a lot while I was working for a law firm and had developed a passion for enjoying the total package: great food and wine!” Marcus said. Although he grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Mason County was among the ‘exotic’ places he visited with Sheridan. When Sheridan and Marcus decided to trade in their city life for a new experience Marcus pointed out that, “We were at a crossroads, trying to figure out what we wanted to do with our time. We wanted a change of pace, and we wanted to go into business and work for ourselves.” Early in 2009, they started shopping for restaurants. They made visits to Springfield, Jacksonville, and Bath. Lakewood Supper Club had something all of the others lacked: a personal connection. Not only had Sheridan helped introduce a new style of dining with Tapas, there was another family connection: “At one time, my grandmother said that if she had been ten years younger, she would have considered buying the restaurant. It seemed like a natural fit for us. It was a great place with a lot of history,” Sheridan said. Marcus went on to say, “One of the greatest things was the openness and warmth of the community. When we were in the construction phase, rehabbing the restaurant, everybody knew everybody and said hello. Going around with Sheridan and her father, Rick, felt very welcoming.” Sometimes it is all the little things that you don’t find in the big city. Marcus knew this was going to be a great experience when he realized one day that his new morning commute was not on the ‘El’ in Chicago, but a bicycle ride by a cornfield, getting sprayed by the irrigation.
“I was riding through beautiful country. It was wonderful. It felt good.”
A Rose By Any Other Name
When they took over the Lakewood Supper Club, which originally opened in (19XX - I CAN LOOK THIS UP IN MY FILES), they wanted a new image and a new name for a new and different place. It came out Sheridan Lane Restaurant & Lounge at Lakewood Golf Course. “I wasn’t gung-ho about calling it Sheridan Lane, but a restaurant consultant we were working with thought it was a great stage name and that it had a good ring. Plus my name is a family name – great, great grandfather’s. A family name fit well with our family centered restaurant.” Sheridan explained. As important as the name were the philosophies behind it: Casual, Affordable, Gourmet. Not to mention that everything is made from scratch and is as fresh as possible. In the summer months the couple will take advantage of the fact that quite a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables are grown right in Mason County. Marcus and Sheridan have to laugh a little as Sheridan’s Dad is able to say I told you so with the couple’s own attempt at local produce. “During the planning stages we wanted to grow as much as we could as to ensure the freshness of our produce, so back in late March we spent lots of time readying, planting and caring for a giant garden…. Then we started construction!”
New Kids on the Block
After closing on the restaurant in early June, Marcus and Sheridan’s first order of business was to rehabilitate and redecorate the building. When the couple decided to open the restaurant, they invited Marcus’ older brother Joseph, a carpenter, to come and look at the building and give them advice on the feasible posibilities. “He ended up moving down here. He loves it here, and has no plans to go back soon,” Marcus said. “Everyone now knows him as ‘Cowboy Joe’.” Giving the restaurant a face lift was a long, hot process. “People would stop by and give us a cooler of Gatorade or cookies or something. Or they would come in for a walk-through and say, “keep up the good work! The excitement on their faces was motivating,” he said. They have also been motivated by the positive response they have had from diners, and realize the importance of the advice and suggestions that are offered. One thing Marcus stresses is, “our clients always have Sheridan and I’s ears. We are new at this, and all of their suggestions are great. Some are small, but they go a long way,” he said. Sheridan chimed in by adding, “I love trying new and different food, but I certainly cannot expect that everyone will want to eat weird stuff all of the time. So I think we have done a good job of balancing classic dishes with new twists.”
Keeping it Fresh
Not only are Marcus and Sheridan taking advantage of in-season local produce as just one way to keep things fresh at the restaurant, but they also are often thinking of new ways to bring their customers back. For example, shortly after the New Year they started Cantina Thursdays, featuring Marcus’ family recipes. “It is an entirely new menu for one day,” he said. “It is all authentic south of the border fare.” Much like Sheridan introduced Mason county to the Tapas style of dining, the Thursday night adventure features another style of dining common at churrascarias. Because sheridan’s dad, Rick, owns a farm in Bolivia, she has had the opportunity to travel there on a couple of occasions and found the dining experience common in Bolivian steakhouse very applicable. “In Bolivian churascarias, there is a buffet for salads and other salad bar type foods, but the meat portion comes via servers carrying progressively interesting cuts of meat – from sausages to filet mignon.” Sheridan elaborates on churrascarias by saying “they are a hybrid of things people love: buffet and made to order.” Being able to choose from a variety of dishes on a buffet as well as having some items brought via a server while sizzling hot offer the best of both worlds. “That’s the style of dining we’ve used on the Cantina nights. That’s the idea we have applied to not only our Cantina Thursdays but also to our Sunday Brunch,” Sheridan said. Although the Lane’s Sunday Brunch Buffet is typical brunch food, the combination of made to order and buffet remains the same as Cantina Thursdays. Further down the road the couple is hoping to expand their dining space outside. “We are on a golf course, after all,” Sheridan said. Expanding the outside capabilities will also work well with their plans to promote their catering and special events. “We can accommodate just about any size of function. Already, we have hosted memorial luncheons, baby showers, business meetings, office parties and church parties. No matter the event, we can make it happen.” Marcus said.
Whatever the occasion, diners will know that it is fresh, creative, and made right there in the kitchen. “We deliver excellent food, and it is always homemade. We believe the proof is the plate, and I think my grandma would be very proud.” Sheridan said.