A project more than 20 years into the concept stage is about to unfold in Momence, and the term “white tablecloth” would be an appropriate description.
Momence-based businessman Jeff Van Drunen, his wife Amy and two partners are teaming up to bring a never-before-seen development into the heart of this eastern Kankakee County city.
A two-story restaurant, event space and three-room hotel are entering into the final stages of construction across two properties along the west side of North Dixie Highway, immediately north of Momence City Hall.
The location, to be known as The Grand Marsh, will feature four unique spaces and is expected to be ready to take dining orders as early as March or April.
The upscale 60-seat restaurant, Bragozzo Grand, and a more casual dining sister location, Bragozzo Cafe – another 60-seat area under the same roof immediately to the right for someone facing the site – will open along Dixie Highway.
The four spaces set for the site are the two first-floor restaurants, a second-floor banquet room and three second-floor hotel rooms.
The Bragozzo Grand will be located at 103 N. Dixie Highway, the former home of First National Bank dating back to 1906.
The neighboring property that Bragozzo Cafe will call home was once the home of the Reising Ford dealership, complete with its service garage.
The bank and the car dealership long ago exited this downtown property. Other than some office use, the locations have been mostly unused.
Van Drunens ‘do it right’
Momence Chamber of Commerce President Deb Dobben said she cannot wait for the restaurant’s opening.
“I don’t know how to cook,” she joked. “I’ll be at the front of the line.”
Dobben said the restaurant development will bring outsiders into Momence and show people this is a place where business can happen.
“This will definitely showcase our area, and show people there are other restaurants here as well,” she said.
She is hoping downtown locations also can pick up the baton.
“Just to see people investing in a historic building like this means so much,” Dobben said. ”It’s refreshing to see people embracing the community.”
Momence, of course, has fallen on some rough times in recent months. The community has been hit with a loss of about 800 primary jobs due to the closure of four manufacturing sites.
The restaurant’s progress and pending opening couldn’t come at a better time, Mayor Chuck Steele said.
He has toured the site and said he came away impressed.
“Obviously, this is good for the community. And when the Van Drunens do something, they do it right,” Steele said.
He said upscale dining options are in short supply and expressed confidence that this location will become a destination.
“This has been a long time in coming,” Steele said.
Jeff Van Drunen said he was after the property’s “bones,” meaning its structure. The actual structure, its brick wall and concrete floors were mostly in good shape.
Regional destination?
Van Drunen estimates that the entire project – he declined to reveal the redevelopment cost – is 80% complete.
Projects completed so far include the installation of new heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical systems from the basement to the second-floor ceiling.
Not a single square inch of the structure has been left untouched.
While The Grand Marsh is located in the heart of Momence, Jeff and Amy said they are aware the site will not be a success simply on traffic from Momence, Grant Park or St. Anne alone.
The site only will succeed on its ability to draw people from at least a 30-mile radius. Simply put, it needs to carve a mark as a “destination” restaurant, Jeff Van Drunen said.
“This has been a dream for about 20 years,” the 62-year-old said. “You have to have a great restaurant to draw people from miles around.”
The Van Drunen family has had connections to the city of Momence dating back to generations when they set up their highly successful vegetable-growing and food-processing business.
“We have this vision and passion,” Jeff Van Drunen said. “The only way to get something going in an old town like Momence is to take this on.”
With a little smile, he said he and his team are more than eager to step up to the plate – meaning the project, rather than dinner.
Co-owner and chef Alessandro Farinati was born and raised in Vicenza, Italy, and now resides in Bourbonnais. He was the chef at Flight 102 in Bourbonnais, and now he will serve as the pulse of the kitchen at Bragozzo Grand.
Farinati said the menu still is being created.
His wife, Laura Emme, who helped guide the former Uptown Cafe in Chebanse with her family, will team up to create the menu and prepare the dishes intended to bring diners from across the region.
Emme, a certified sommelier and the development’s director of hospitality, will lead Bragozzo’s beverage program and curate its wine and spirit market.
“Every little detail here has been challenging,” Jeff Van Drunen said. “It’s just been one thing after another, but the end product will make it all worth it.”
The dedication to the project and the vision has never wavered.
“We can’t wait to finish this project and use this facility to serve Momence and the greater area,” Jeff Van Drunen said.
To follow the progress, go to thegrandmarsh.com.
Dining and Cooking