Old cabins often evoke a sense of creepiness, especially for horror fans. However, when Steve and Laurie Helfer got ahold of The Cabin, a vacant bar with a checkered past in rural Jersey County, they decided to strip the place and transform it into Steve’s Old Cabin BBQ — a cozy, family-friendly barbecue joint.
For years, Steve worked as a factory worker to support his family while Laurie worked to raise their two children. During that time, the couple dreamed about opening a restaurant someday. They would spitball ideas to each other, discussing restaurant concepts and potential locations, but their focus was on their family.
Steve’s connection to the restaurant world began as a child, when his mother briefly owned a restaurant. The experience left a lasting impression. Through the years, Steve and Laurie honed their cooking skills and would often receive positive feedback from the people they served.
Then, Laurie’s father died shortly after he retired. He worked hard his entire life and saved diligently but was not able to enjoy the fruits of his labor. This convinced Laurie that life is too short, and she insisted they make their dream a reality.
“We decided were going to live intentionally … to make every minute count, and not just sit by and let our life happen to us,” Laurie says. “Why not follow our dreams? Other people do it. What’s the worst that could happen? We lose all our money? We don’t have a house?” She told her husband, “We’ll still have each other. I [don’t] want to live with the idea that [we] never tried.”
With renewed determination and despite no formal training in running a business or cooking, the Helfers took a leap of faith. They transformed the former bar but left the name, because locally, “everyone knows where [The Cabin was] located.” They built tables and benches, and Laurie added her creative touch to the decor.
When they first opened their doors, the Helfers had no idea what they were in for. “We were delusional. It was terrifying,” Laurie laughs, as they reminisce on how they were slammed with customers. “I know I walked a marathon just in the kitchen,” Steve adds.
After two years in business, their hard work paid off. Steve’s Old Cabin BBQ has attracted customers near and far, thanks largely to word of mouth.
Steve’s ribs and brisket are crowd favorites, even drawing in fans from as far as Texas. “Everybody knows you get the best brisket in Texas,” he says. “Well, I’ve had some people from Texas come in, eat my brisket and say, ‘I didn’t know they knew how to cook brisket here in Illinois.’”
Almost everything in the restaurant is made from scratch — with barbecue sauce being the exception. That’s Sweet Baby Ray’s. The Helfers don’t waste their time making barbecue sauce, because they really don’t use it. Their philosophy is simple — if the meat is good, it doesn’t need to be hidden under sauce.
“The only thing that’s sauced is the ribs,” Steve explains. “I’ve had people comment about my pulled pork, saying, ‘I don’t understand … I didn’t even want to put sauce on it.”
Laurie adds, “If you need sauce, it’s because you like sauce, not because it needs to be sauced.” For those who like it, however, it can be found on the tables.
In addition to barbecued meat, the restaurant also serves some unique offerings. For example, pulled pork eggrolls were a runaway hit for customers and the Helfer family alike. A take on the traditional Chinese eggroll, these are filled with pulled pork, pepper jack cheese and a hint of barbecue sauce, fried to order, and served with homemade ranch dressing.
There are many side dish options, but the spicy cheese corn is a standout, made with corn off the cob, pepper jack cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and jalapenos. It’s both cheesy and spicy, as the name suggests. There are also rotating specials like smoked meatloaf, brisket chili and loaded baked potatoes. Check the restaurant’s Facebook page for updates on specials.
Finally, if there’s still room for dessert, there’s peanut butter pie, Texas cake and bread pudding. Steve’s mom came out of retirement to help with that aspect of the family business.
As they look to the future, the Helfers hope to pass the business on to their children. “We’ve always thought it would be neat to have something we could leave to our kids,” Steve says. Their children are already an integral part of the restaurant. Steve even admits that his son makes better ribs than him most of the time.
Steve and Laurie, who are members of M.J.M. Electric Cooperative, say that faith has played a significant role in their journey. “This is the biggest, scariest thing we’ve ever done,” Laurie admits. “But we felt like everything was pointing us to do it. We just had to trust that it would work out.”
So far, it has. “Come see us,” Laurie adds with a smile. “We have a good time, and I think you’ll enjoy it.”
Steve’s Old Cabin BBQ
