'True to what I know': Peoria restaurant's homestyle, comfort food is a labor of love

Michael Little has always loved spending time in the kitchen.

As a child, he remembers watching his mother cook and said he would “sneak into the kitchen and just experiment” while his parents were away.

“I couldn't see the top of the stove,” Little recalled. “So, I would open the oven door and climb on top of that and stand there at the stove top.”

Now taller – and with years of experience under his belt – Little operates Tongue & Cheek Catering and Seasoned Little Eatery. The restaurant is temporarily closed from Sept. 18 through Sept. 23, with plans to open for brunch on Sunday, Sept. 24.

Throughout the years, Little said he has faced “trials and tribulations” with the business. Even so, he has persisted.

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‘It’s been a roller coaster’

Little has worked in various restaurants and kitchens since high school.

Eventually, he started catering out of his home – converting his garage into a fully operational kitchen. As business boomed, Little said he rapidly outgrew the space.

He moved Tongue & Cheek Catering to a ghost kitchen on Hale Avenue before ultimately settling at 1112 W. Pioneer Parkway – which formerly housed businesses such as Pioneer Smokehouse and Mi Rancho Grande.

“When I first came to this building, I was really only interested in the kitchen because it was much larger than what I had to work with,” Little said.

Having a restaurant area included, though, he decided to make use of the space.

The building was mostly empty when he took over, Little said, with only a hood in the kitchen. So, bringing in the equipment needed to operate was his first major task.

In 2017, Little said he opened Sexy Little Eatery – which recently rebranded to become Seasoned Little Eatery.

Though he had plenty of kitchen experience, Little had not operated a restaurant previously. So, he said there was “a lot of unknown ground for me at that time.”

Staffing has been one aspect of the business to figure out, though Little said his family helped in the beginning. Finding ways to advertise was another.

“At 5 o'clock, there's no traffic up and down Pioneer Parkway. Everything is closed…” he said. “You have to do something to draw (customers) into the facility.”

Little said he’s relied mostly on Facebook, local radio and word of mouth to reach people. Overall, he said the community has been “very receptive” to the restaurant.

Just a few years after opening, though, a new obstacle emerged for the business. The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions forced many restaurants to temporarily halt in-person dining and shift to curbside pickup.

“COVID nearly took us out,” Little said.

He said customers and staff were nervous about returning to an in-person setting even as restrictions eased. Years later, Little said the effects of the pandemic linger with the restaurant industry – with staffing remaining “a major struggle” for SLÈ.

Despite the challenges, Little said the catering business has thrived and "carried us through the dark hours." The restaurant doubles as an event venue with indoor and outdoor seating options. He said the space has hosted birthday parties, wedding receptions and more.

The restaurant's Sunday brunch has also been popular since returning, and Little said he is working to offer more live entertainment for customers.

“It's been a roller coaster …” he said of the years since opening. “So, I mean, lots of trials and tribulations, but I got through it.”

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‘It’s a fine dance’

At the restaurant, customers can find what Little describes as “old school comfort food.” The online menu lists items such as pulled pork, catfish, candied yams, collard greens, fried chicken and more.

“I wanted a homestyle restaurant,” Little said. “I didn’t want a cookie-cutter style. I wanted to do the home meals ... The things that people like at home that they don’t find in restaurants.”

As a restaurant owner, though, Little also sees himself as a kind of public servant. He said it is important to offer a menu that “appeals to all genres of people.”

Working to do so has posed a bit of a challenge. Little said it seems as though various generations have different taste preferences, so some of the classic “old school” dishes may not appeal to everyone.

Over the past year, Little has been working to update the menu based on customer feedback. He plans to launch the refresh in late October or early November.

Little said the update will expand upon the current menu – nearly doubling it in size. He also plans to include consistent specials throughout the week, such as a chicken fried steak Thursday.

“Those are things that people like to have, but I don’t think there’s a whole large calling for it by all genres of people,” he said. “It’s a fine dance to figure that out.”

And the menu isn’t the only thing to get refreshed. In late May, Little rebranded the restaurant from Sexy Little Eatery to Seasoned Little Eatery.

For Little, the original branding was meant to be a lighthearted way to say, “food is sexy.”

Little said some in the public were confused – even concerned – by the word, however. He had to explain the name to those around him, and he became concerned the misunderstanding was keeping potential visitors away.

“It was a play on words, but I guess it ended up not being so playful after all,” he said.

So, Little decided to make a slight adjustment to the name. Both are abbreviated to SLÈ, which is pronounced “slay.”

Moving forward, Little said he will primarily be focused on introducing the refreshed menu to the space. He also hopes to see both the catering and the restaurant sides of the business continue to grow.

And while listening to customer feedback and adapting is important for any business, Little said he has also learned the importance of staying true to his vision for SLÈ.

"I learned to follow my gut and just to be true to what it is that I know," Little said, "and just to stay focused on putting out good, wholesome, homestyle food."

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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Seasoned Little Eatery offers homestyle, comfort food in Peoria, IL