My Story
My name is Rich Leudemann and I have owned and operated Tellicafe for 25 years. I have a total of 50 years’ experience in the restaurant business. I began washing dishes in my father’s restaurant at the age of 10 and became a cook at 13. By the age of 16, I was the chef in my father’s catering restaurant and stayed with him until I turned 19. Then, I went out into the industry to get experience. I worked in every position in all different restaurants before I got into management at the age of 25.
Tellicafe started as a small restaurant with 42 seats and grew very quickly. I hired a chef, Gary Ervin, who is still with me today. Gary completed his education at The Culinary Institute of America and is truly an artist with food. Added up between Gary and I, we have approximately 92 years’ worth of experience in the restaurant business. We have worked together for so long that we not only have an excellent repour, but we are also very close friends.
As word of the Tellicafe’s exceptional food and wonderful service spread, our business grew exponentially. When I purchased Tellicafe there was a covered patio where people would wait for tables. After a short time, we utilized this patio to build another dining room. After 5 months of construction we increased our capacity from 42 seats to what we have today, 174 seats.
Tragedy struck in 2005. After terminating an employee, he was suspected of returning to the restaurant that night and not only burglarizing it, but also setting it on fire. We had to close the restaurant for around four months, but we were committed to rebuilding. We worked side by side with the construction company and finally reopened.
Over the years we have been faced with many difficult circumstances. From the fire, to the restaurant flooding, and many more. We were able to fight through all of them and still be here serving Monroe County the BEST food and dining experience available.
When you are in the area, come see us! We have so many different items that have earned us the name and reputation of THE BEST RESTAURANT IN MONROE COUNTY. From Black Current Iced Tea, to Fried Green Tomatoes with homemade Ranch Salsa, to our Green Tomato and Country Ham Soup. Try our USDA Choice Black Angus Ribeye, seasoned and slow roasted. We serve the BEST Prime Rib, and we are VERY well known for our desserts, especially the Xango. This is Cheesecake, rolled in puff pastry, deep Fried, and dusted with cinnamon and sugar, served with Vanilla Ice Cream.
We offer an expansive lunch menu including 42 items and a dinner menu with over 54 items. We have so much to choose from. We feature country cooking with a special bar-b-que menu and an All You Can Eat menu. We also have a fine dining menu and we change our specials every two weeks.
Keep an eye on our website for our specials and we look forward to seeing you soon!
