Page 27 - The Peorian, Vol 3 Issue 2

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thePeorian.com The Present
“It became more personal to me.
I became more invested in my
work. Because of that it is even
more important to me that Table
19 succeeds and becomes one of
the area’s top restaurants,” he
said.
Because he had time to
do so, Ianetta was able to be
“meticulous” in hiring his staff
to fit the restaurant’s needs. He
wasn’t looking for a high level of
culinary experience because he
wanted to put his stamp on the
staff instead of spending a lot of
time breaking habits developed
elsewhere. Also, he added, they
would be more vested, as well.
“As it turned out, it wasn’t
much of a problem because the
staff all came in eager to learn
new things. When you consider
where they started to where they
are now, they are like machines.
I’ve almost turned them into
snobs because they are not going
to send something out of the
kitchen that isn’t right. And when
I say ‘right,’ I mean they have
developed high standards,” he
said.
“We are trying to elevate the
quality of food service here and
in Peoria.”
That, he noted, is important
for a hotel restaurant that counts
on local residents coming in for
a meal as much as it does hotel
guests, if not more.
“We want people to come back
and that starts with the quality
of the food and the quality of the
service. Feedback is important,
which is why I like to go out and
touch the tables, talk to people,
hear their concerns and opinions.
I try to read the guest, find out
their reason for being there. I
have my staff do the same thing
because it helps us do our job
better now and down the road,”
he said.
Price is always a factor, Ianetta
said. He tries to keep his food
costs as low as possible while
maintaining the farm-to-table
culture. It isn’t easy, particularly
trying to get organic vegetables in
the winter in Illinois. Considering
he is responsible for Table 19,
all hotel catering and banquet
service and room service, it gets
even harder.
He buys from U.S. Foods,
which has its own local foods
program, and gets his meats from
Eureka Food Locker. His cheeses
come from Ropp Jersey Cheese in
Bloomington.
“Grocery stores are starting
to expand their organic food
sections because they are learning
this movement is more than just
a fad. But we need more people
to get on board with it so the
movement can be sustained and
the costs can come down,” he
said.
Ianetta said Table 19 guests
seem to appreciate the farm-to-
table culture and he believes
that helps bring them back.
“It’s important we get them to
come back not only for our own
success, but to help get more
people downtown. Peorians like
to go out to dinner; we want
them to come downtown. If
another fine dining restaurant
comes in around the corner or
across the street, that’s fine. More
people will be coming downtown
and a lot of them will come here,”
he said.
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