About Us
About Downtown Cafe and Bakery
The Downtown Cafe is a family-owned and operated business. My Aunt and Uncle (John and Barbara Ninnemann) took over ownership of the cafe in April of 2003. John, at the time of purchase, had 15 years in the restaurant business under his belt and felt it was time to work for himself. They wanted to stay in Decatur and thought the cafe was a great way to accomplish this. In 2010 their nephew (Chris Heacox) joined the team for the purpose of learning all he could from his uncle with the hopes of one day taking the reins of the cafe. Chef Chris has 35 years of experience working in the kitchen. Born in Wisconsin and raised in Minnesota, cooking comes naturally to Chef Chris. His knowledge and skills make the Downtown Cafe one of Decatur’s favorite breakfast spots.
Scratch made recipes
Scratch made recipes are what we are becoming known for. Chef Chris makes his own Chorizo with sausage from Heinkel’s meats. We do scratch made salsa, soups, and desserts. Our sour cream coffee cake recipe is handed down from Chef Chris’s grandmother. She is also (along with Chris’s mother) the reason Chef Chris knows how to cook. People ask him all the time how can you consistently put out great food every day. He tells them, “That is the goal: to make our food the same way every day. So that the next time you come to the café, your experience is better than your last visit.”
Online ordering
Call for curbside at (217) 428-1120 and click to see our menu.
