It's Your Business | From Mama's African Kitchen to Penfield's Last Call

Dec. 12—The Christmas decorations are up at Last Call Bar & Grill, and this longtime Penfield establishment is serving up small-town ambience, a broad menu and big portions, according to new owner Glen Judy.

He bought Last Call in July from Sheri Kaufman, who owned it for 16 years, and brought his experience in the restaurant business along with him.

Judy, of Champaign, graduated from Parkland College's hospitality program in 2012 and formerly worked for longtime restaurateur Carlos Nieto at two Champaign restaurants, Billy Barooz Pub & Grill and Jupiter's at the Crossing. He also owns Quality Med Transport in Urbana and some rental properties in Rantoul.

Buying Last Call — which has had other names during its history in Penfield — was a good deal, he said.

"I really liked the small town atmosphere. I love the local patrons," he said.

Since taking over the bar and grill, he's brought in a new point of sales system for better inventory tracking and to make it possible to accept credit cards, and he's been replacing seating and making improvements to the kitchen, he said.

Last Call has a beautiful outdoor stage, Judy said, and he intends to put it to use to offer live music every weekend in the spring and summer.

"We want it to be known for live music, he said.

The menu, which includes breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings, remains diverse — from a cheeseburger on up to a steak or prime rib dinner, with Mexican food Mondays and Friday fish fries and Thursday dollar-wing days, Judy said.

Last Call, at 105 Main St., Penfield, is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m weekdays and 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Branching out

Willow Branch Kennel in Cisco has expanded in Monticello with the purchase of Bruno's Barkery and the addition of a new grooming business.

The new Willow Branch Barkery & Grooming is at 300 S. Charter St.

The shop is a full-service pet food store with fun novelty items such as hand-made cookies, donuts and ice cream for dogs, according to Alex Blaylock, who originally launched the retail side of the business as Bruno's Barkery and is now working for the new owners.

The shop is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The new grooming service is designed to get dogs in and out quickly, according to Willow Branch co-owner Evan Smith.

The grooming side of the business has staggered appointments, with the goal of getting dogs that are dropped off directly to the bath and out the door within two hours.

The grooming shop also includes privacy areas for dogs to wait for pick-up, Smith said.

Willow Branch Kennel in rural Cisco was founded in the late 1990s by Smith's parents, Jim and Sandy Smith, who retired in 2014 but still co-own the business and help out, Evan Smith said.

It offers boarding and day care with on-site owners.

"All of our runs have a large indoor run with private outside patios," he said. "Additionally we have 12 outside exercise yards. All the dogs get to go out to their own hard twice a day,"

Reservations for summer and holiday boarding are recommended six-to-eight weeks in advance and can be made at willowbranchkennel.com.

Tattoo artists give back

New Life Tattoos, 9 E. University Ave., C, raised $10,700 for Crisis Nursery at its tattoo benefit Dec. 3, said apprentice Hanna Schriefer.

From 9 a.m. through 10 p.m.,14 tattoo artists from the local area and surrounding states offered tattoos and accepted cash donations, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Crisis Nursery, she said.

About 130 people got tattoos for this benefit, some getting multiple tattoos, she said.

This was the second time New Life Tattoos has raised money for Crisis Nursery with a benefit. In 2019, the shop raised $5,500 for the organization.

Kitchen's closed

Everyday Kitchen at Lodgic Everyday Community, 1807 S. Neil St., C has closed, according to a post on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

The closing included Everyday Kitchen's Miracle Bar.

Logic Workplace and Lodgic Kids Camp at this location remain open, said Managing Director Teresa Brown.

Wrapping for a cause

Here's a chance to get your Christmas gifts wrapped and help out Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County.

Habitat will hold its annual gift wrapping fundraiser from Dec. 16-24 at Market Place mall, Champaign.

The wrapping will be done by Habitat employees and volunteers in exchange for donations at two different locations in the mall, one in front of Macy's and one in front of H&M.

The suggested donation is $2 per gift, or $4 for a large gift.

To volunteer as one of the wrappers, sign up at habitatchampaign.volunteerhub.com

2nd store opens

Willow Tree Missions has opened a second retail thrift store at 100 E. Washington St., Monticello.

This location has women's clothing, books, movies, games, toys and electronics, plus some Christmas items, said Willow Tree Executive Director Jill Maxey.

This shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wedneday through Saturday.

The organization's other store at 351 W. Monroe, Monticello, remains open, but between now and this summer, will be moving in phases to the newer location, she said.

That store, which carries different items — including furniture — from what the second location has, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

All proceeds go to support the work of Willow Tree Missions, a Christian organization that helps victims of domestic abuse in Piatt County. Its services include emergency shelter, help with food, clothing, transportation and household goods and partnering with law enforcement to help victims with orders of protection, Maxey said. It also provides legal referrals, safety planning to move forward and counseling.

Try African cuisine

The Best of Africa's Food Group has launched Mama's African Kitchen restaurant at 205 W. Griggs St., U, next to Best of Africa's Food Store.

The menu includes fresh African dishes, with a weekend buffet served from 3-8 p.m.

Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday, according to co-owner Memorie Budimbu Mabiza.

The restaurant will also have an event venue. It's not ready yet, Mabiza said, but customers can call and make reservations for the space.