A long-time family favorite breakfast spot opened its doors to Mahomet Wednesday.
Taffies Family Restaurant, which was located on Mattis in Champaign for over 30 years, closed its doors in August. But Wednesday, the Vanmatre family, which has been part of the Taffies’ family for 20 years, opened Taffies Cafe at 608 E. Main Street in Mahomet.
Jeremy Vanmatre, who has worked at Taffies since he was 13, purchased Taffies when the former owner fell sick to cancer. With his wife, Angela and son Nate by his side, Taffies Cafe is focused on continuing to offer made-from-scratch food for breakfast and lunch.
Open daily, Taffies Cafe serves an all-American breakfast menu, burgers, melts and wraps, and homemade baked goods, including pies, cookies, muffins and cinnamon rolls made by Angela’s mom, Elizabeth Graves.
“I make a banana pecan pie you can find anywhere else,” Graves said.
Taffies also boasts fresh vegetables, meats and buttermilk pancakes.
“You’re not getting anything out of a box here,” Angela said.
The Vanmatre’s also decided to offer coffee, tea, espressos and cappuccinos, which are available for dine-in or pick-up. Orders can be texted to 217.778.6464. The restaurant also offers free wifi for people who want to visit or work.
And while the family loves to provide quality food to their patrons, it is the relationships they build over the years that makes them excited to come to work everyday.
“That’s why I bought Taffies,” Jeremy said.
“Around the holidays, we had a lot of people who didn’t have anywhere to go, so they came from us,” he continued. “That was important to me.”
“We really develop relationships with our customers,” Angela said. “They become like family. We had people who came in everyday, sometimes twice a day.”
The Vanmatre’s said the same hospitality has been shown to them as they have transitioned into the Mahomet community. The family agreed that the Village, Mahomet Chamber of Commerce and several other local businesses have helped them through the process of opening.
Taffies is open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
