Vibrant orange walls, affirmations in stylish cursive lettering including ‘Have Courage and Be Kind,’ and colorful balloons greet you upon entrance at The Wine Cafe in St. Charles on Main St.
If you have a hankering for creative dishes and a refreshing glass of wine or other beverage, the cafe has an assortment of menu items to appeal to every palette. Charcuterie boards, salads, flatbread pizzas, desserts and more than 40 choices of wine are among the diverse options.
The husband-and-wife-owned restaurant operated by Tiara and Terrence Curry celebrated its first anniversary March 9, 2023.
“Business is amazing, it really exceeded my expectations,” Tiara said.
Terrence’s background in the food industry, coupled with Tiara’s love for wine, led to the restaurant’s creation.
“I have a background in restaurants and grew up in it with my dad,” Terrence said.
“My wife had an idea about doing something with a wine prototype thing. Around COVID, we were at home thinking of a master plan. Tiara came up with the idea to make a wine restaurant. We settled on [The Wine Cafe,]. We put the wine in because we offer regular liquor, specialty drinks, and we have a lot of wine – over 45 wines.”
Although her background is in the fashion and healthcare industries, Tiara dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. When COVID hit she was working from home and received an email about a company layoff affecting about 300 people. She took the news as a sign to open her own business.
“I like to go to the wineries, but we have nothing close,” she said. “My best friend and I went to Grafton, Ill., and we were like, ‘I can do this, I can do it better.’”
The Currys didn’t know much about wine prior to opening. They just knew they enjoyed drinking it. Terrence said once they got into the business, they learned quickly.
“Not just from a numbers standpoint, but from the quality of our products. We taste a lot of wine,” he said.
“We have to make sure what we put out is acceptable and that people like it.”
The process of acquiring the St. Charles’ location took about a year. The Currys were intentional about the square footage, location, and the cost that went into purchasing and renovating the former Indian jewelry store.
The restaurant has a 900 square feet interior and a 1,500 square feet patio.
“You’re gonna pay for what you don’t know,” Terrence said.
“We utilized minority-owned contractors we know, which cut costs significantly. We worked with a plumber looking to get his business off the ground and we were able to reach a good negotiation price.
“My father owned restaurants in the past, so I’ve learned from him how to negotiate with the landlord and finance a budget plan through him.”
The Wine Cafe is in St. Charles Historic District at 703 S Main St. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and opens noon – 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays; noon – 8 p.m. on Fridays; 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. on Saturdays; and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sundays. Happy Hour is 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and brunch is on Sundays. For more information about The Wine Cafe, visit https://thewinecafe.biz/.
JP Morgan Chase & Co. sponsored this article.
