Kris' Kitchen brings home-cooked style to Eastman
Andy Stluka at his bar counter with some of his signature dishes, including the deep-fried deviled eggs, a Bloody Mary and an iced coffee. Kris' Kitchen is named for his mother, who passed away from cancer in 2003. "She was a farm person, raised six kids and cooked meals for them every day. I named it in honor of her." (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)
UPDATED on Wednesday, April 8.
Kicker: Eastman; Fresh Faces New Places
Kris' Kitchen brings home-cooked style to Eastman
By Steve Van Kooten
If you've got an empty stomach and a hankering for the sort of homemade food your mom used to serve, Kris' Kitchen, named after his late mother, Kristine Stluka, a new restaurant in the Village of Eastman, may have your dinner table away from home.
"I really wanted to bring something different and concentrate on homemade food," said owner Andy Stluka-Guernsey. "I wanted to bring that flair to things... It reminds me of back in the day when you could get a homemade meal at a decent price and get something good to eat, a place you can feel comfortable bringing the whole family to."
Stluka-Guernsey grew up on a farm outside Wauzeka and spent his life living across the country in places as disparate as Montana and Florida. His path through life has influenced the way he approaches the dine-in experience for his customers, focusing on a homestyle menu with hearty breakfasts and comfort-style lunch options, such as burgers, deli sandwiches and hot plates—the kind of food that can heal your soul.
"In a world where it seems like everywhere you go, where food is premade and pre-packaged, I wanted something fresh," he said.
"Fresh" is an important word in Stluka's business: he gets ground burger every Tuesday and Thursday from The Eastman Locker, which is owned by his brother and sister-in-law, buns and salads from Ma's Bakery in Bloomington, and most of his fried food battered by hand in his kitchen. "I want my place to be a place where people can gather to have a drink, watch a game, or have a sandwich or have a good meal."
Kris' Kitchen also offers a full coffee bar with monthly specialty lattes and a full breakfast menu. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. during the weekdays and 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. on weekends.
And lunch won't break the bank when you sit down at Stluka's table, either—the specials are around $10.
The "fresh" mentality isn't just limited to his ingredients; Stluka-Guernsey also has a partnership with The Hay Mow just north of Eastman, which provides a rotating selection of decorations that are for sale right off the walls of the diner.
"I thought it was a cool idea for the fact that you're not looking at the same thing all of the time—you've got something fresh to look at, and maybe find a nice treasure to add to the customers' home," he said.
The business first opened up in the space formerly occupied by Special T's this past February, which gave Stluka-Guernsey a chance to try things out before the busy season started. One of his most popular items is the deep-fried deviled eggs.
"We deep fry the egg white and put the dressing back on with a little paprika," he said.
There's a lot of investment, both in money and time, to open a restaurant, but Stluka said he's wanted to make his own way in the industry for some time.
"I've been bartending and basically been in the service industry since I was 20 years old. I've always wanted to do something, and I consider Eastman to be my hometown... I've always liked being around people," he said.
With his restaurant now open to the public, Stluka-Guernsey hopes to give back to his hometown community (where he is also a member of the volunteer fire department and community club) by bringing people together with good food. "I wanted to provide a good spot to come and enjoy a place where people from out of town wouldn't mind taking a drive to Eastman and show everyone what a special place Eastman is. I would like to bring people back to town. The town has been such a big part of my life, and I want to be a part of it."
Stluka's business is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and closed on Wednesday. It is located at 112 N Main St. (608) 874-4700.
In the future, Kris' Kitchen will be offering an ice cream counter, meat & cheese platter, veggie and sub platters for gatherings, as well as homemade baked goods.
Andrew would also like to take a moment to thank all his family, friends and community members that did so much to bring his vision to life.
CUTLINE: Andy Stluka-Guernsey at his bar counter with some of his signature dishes, including the deep-fried deviled eggs, a Bloody Mary and an iced coffee. Kris' Kitchen is named for his mother, who passed away from colon cancer in 2003. "She was a farm person, raised six kids and cooked meals for them every day. I named it in honor of her." (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)
The article's original text can be found below:
By Steve Van Kooten
If you've got an empty stomach and a hankering for the sort of homemade food your mom used to serve, Kris' Kitchen, a new restaurant in the town of Eastman, may be your dinner table away from home.
"I really wanted to bring something different and concentrate on homemade food," said owner Andy Stluka. "I wanted to bring that flair to things... It reminds me of back in the day when you could get a homemade lunch at a decent price and get something good to eat."
Stluka grew up on a farm outside Wauzeka and spent his life living across the country in places as disparate as Montana and Florida. His path through life has influenced the way he approaches the dine-in experience for his customers. The Kitchen focuses on a homestyle menu with hearty breakfasts and comfort-style lunch options, such as burgers, deli sandwiches and hot plates—the kind of food that can heal your soul.
"You can go anywhere and get a bar burger or get bar food, but I wanted more fresh stuff," he said.
"Fresh" is an important word in Stluka's business: he gets ground burger every Tuesday and Thursday from the local locker, buns and potato salads from Ma's Bakery in Bloomington and has all of the fried food battered by hand in his kitchen. "I want my diner to be a place where people can gather to have a drink or have a sandwich or have a good lunch."
And lunch won't break the bank when you sit down at Stluka's table, either — the specials are around $10.
The "fresh" mentality isn't just limited to his ingredients; Stluka also has a partnership with The Hay Mow just north of Eastman, which provides a rotating selection of decorations that are for sale right off the walls of the diner.
"I thought it was a cool idea for the fact that you're not looking at the same thing all of the time — you've got something fresh to look at," he said.
The business first opened up in the space formerly occupied by Special T's this past February, which gave Stluka a chance to try things out before the busy season started. One of his most popular items is the deep-fried deviled eggs.
"We deep fry the egg white and put the dressing back on with a little paprika," he said.
There's a lot of investment, both in money and time, to open a restaurant, but Stluka said he's wanted to make his own way in the industry for some time.
"I've been bartending and basically been in the service industry since I was 20 years old. I've always wanted to do something, and I consider Eastman to be my hometown... I've always liked being around people," he said.
With his restaurant now open to the public, Stluka hopes to give back to his hometown community by bringing people together with good food. "I wanted to provide a good spot to come and enjoy a place where people from out of town wouldn't mind taking a drive to Eastman. I would like to bring people back to town. The town has been such a big part of my life, and I want to be a part of it."
Stluka's business is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and closed on Wednesdays. The restaurant is located at 112 N Main St, Eastman, WI 54626.
